Chapter 59

On the way back, Pei Rui stayed silent.

Jing Chi knew this insect’s mood must be terrible right now. He had set out in high spirits to visit a senior, only for a series of unfortunate mishaps to lead to this outcome.

He took the initiative to grasp Pei Rui’s hand, tickling the center of his palm with a fingertip, and smoothly changed the subject.

“What should we do next?”

There wasn’t a trace of gloom in the young man’s expression. His eyes sparkled brightly, the corners crinkling slightly as his thin lips curved upward in a radiant smile. It was as if the earlier incident meant nothing to him at all.

And it was exactly this attitude that filled Pei Rui with deep guilt. He hadn’t protected Jing Chi properly. He hadn’t been firm enough back there, allowing Jing Chi to endure such humiliation.

Pei Rui halted in his tracks and stood motionless.

He lowered his head slightly. Sunlight streamed in from the opposite side, draping a layer of shadow over the female insect’s handsome profile.

Jing Chi blinked in confusion, about to ask what was wrong, when he heard the insect before him speak in all seriousness.

“I’m sorry, my male lord. I failed to protect you.”

His lips pressed into a tight line, his face paling slightly.

In this empire, he had to be the worst consort there was.

But in the next instant, a soft warmth brushed the side of his face.

Pei Rui looked up in surprise and found himself gazing straight into Jing Chi’s eyes, brimming with boundless understanding.

After planting the kiss, Jing Chi reached up and ruffled Pei Rui’s hair. Staring intently into the man’s eyes without blinking, he said,

“Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, Pei Ruirui performed splendidly today, and his male lord is quite pleased.”

His voice lifted playfully at the end, laced with mischief. Emboldened, he pinched Pei Rui’s jade-smooth cheek.

The texture was delightful—especially when paired with the insect’s faintly bewildered gaze.

Pei Rui’s heart warmed at Jing Chi’s words.

Gazing at that smiling face, he couldn’t help curving his own lips in response.

~~~

After Jing Chi and Pei Rui departed, the military female who had escorted them inside stepped into the living room. He found Benson standing there utterly still.

Concerned by his state, the military female hurried forward a step and asked anxiously, “Sir, are you all right?”

Benson finally snapped out of it. His expression dazed and perplexed, he muttered to himself, “How can he look so much like him? How is that possible?”

The military female was utterly baffled. “Sir, who does he resemble?”

At around thirty years old, the military female had never had the chance to lay eyes on that person. Nor did he know just how closely Jing Chi mirrored him.

But hearing Benson describe the resemblance, he understood why the insect from earlier had seemed familiar. “Sir, I don’t know who you mean, but the insect General Pei Rui brought bears a certain similarity to you.”

Had he not spent so much time around Benson, he might not have noticed it himself.

“Similar to me?” Benson refocused, mulling the words over and over.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

He regained his full composure.

“Any recent news on Lantis?” Benson asked flatly.

He felt profound disappointment toward this son of his.

The insect shared no similarities with Adair—neither in temperament nor appearance.

From childhood, he had revealed a domineering, cold, and cruel nature, the polar opposite of the gentle, even-tempered Adair.

The military female had no idea why Benson had abruptly brought up His Highness the Crown Prince, but he answered anyway. “His Highness the Crown Prince has grown much more restrained lately. His temperament has mellowed considerably overall. It’s just… just…”

Benson eyed the military female. “Out with it.”

The military female hesitated, then said, “There was an unfavorable rumor about the Crown Prince circulating on Star Net recently, but it’s been removed now.”

Benson frowned. “What rumor?”

The military female drew a deep breath before saying reluctantly,

“Some insects on Star Net were questioning whether the Crown Prince is truly your and the King’s biological son.”

Benson’s features hardened. In the past, he would have dismissed such a claim as utter nonsense. But after meeting Jing Chi, a seed of doubt took root.

If Lantis wasn’t his male offspring—and the male insect he’d just encountered was—then every lingering question suddenly made perfect sense.

The realization made Benson clench his fist abruptly. He ordered the military female,

“Investigate everything you can about the insect Pei Rui brought here. And dig into whatever Lantis has been up to lately. Report it all back to me.”

“Yes, General.”

The System relayed every detail of the exchange to Jing Chi.

Jing Chi arched a brow, reflecting that this consort father’s wariness was far from useless.

He said to the System, “Give him all the information he wants about me, and tell him all the shady things Lantis has done.”

As for what those shady things were, they were certainly not limited to sending insects to assassinate Jing Chi, bribing insects in Pei Rui’s army, or trying to put him to death, among other plots.

Meanwhile, online discussions about the Crown Prince’s authenticity continued to heat up. Blocking the keywords hadn’t cooled things down at all.

This was mainly because Crown Prince Lantis had yet to produce any credible evidence.

Lantis himself was growing increasingly frustrated. He had planned to undergo a direct identity test with Benson to prove who he was, but the Consort Father had suddenly shut himself away from all visitors—not even granting an audience to a male insect like him.

All he could do was wait.

Yet he couldn’t shake the nagging sense of foreboding.

After a week of silence from the imperial family, they finally issued a statement.

They announced that this weekend, at the Royal Hotel, they would address the recent events. And the one making the response would not be Lantis, but Benson.

The moment this news broke, the insects who had been voicing their dissatisfaction fell utterly silent.

After all, Benson was the Empire’s former War God and still its Consort Queen. No insect’s words carried more authority than his.

In the eyes of the public, Benson stepping forward seemed to confirm from the side that the controversial keyword was nothing but a hoax.

Even Lantis brimmed with confidence about the weekend’s outcome. He believed Benson still loved him. Though he hadn’t laid eyes on the female insect yet, not a shred of doubt crept into his mind.

He had no idea that all his actions during this time had been laid bare before Benson.

After all, nearly every military female under his command had once served under Benson.

And in their hearts, their true lord insect remained Benson alone.

Benson reviewed the results of his week-long investigation. The suspicions that had once swirled in his mind had now solidified into cold, hard facts.

The female insect’s expression was icy.

He noted how Lantis had dispatched insects months ago to silence Jing Chi. That guilty maneuver alone proved that Lantis had likely known even then that he wasn’t his biological male offspring.

After all, why would a crown prince of the Empire target some nobody from the Slum Star without reason?

There was only one explanation: Lantis had somehow learned the truth of his origins and, to secure his own position, had chosen to eliminate the threat.

Fortunately, Jing Chi had evaded the attempt and made it to the Main Star alongside Pei Rui.

As for how Lantis had uncovered those origins, Benson pored over his actions, considered his appearance, and followed the trail of clues. It all pointed to his worthless younger brother.

Recalling how that brother had also been among the insects with access to the insect egg back then, everything suddenly clicked into place.

He had never imagined his own oversight would doom his and Adair’s trueborn male offspring to the Desolate Star—nearly costing him his life.

And his own harsh treatment of Jing Chi before… he wondered if the male insect would ever accept him as his consort father.

Benson reflected on every moment of that day he’d met Jing Chi when a single phrase suddenly resurfaced in his mind.

“But please, senior, don’t regret it.”

The words had struck him as odd at the time, but now their meaning dawned on him crystal clear.

As Benson pondered this chain of events, he suddenly let out a laugh.

When coincidences piled up like this, they ceased to be coincidences.

Gazing out the window, Benson murmured softly, “Male Lord, no wonder he resembles you so closely—not just in looks, but in temperament as well. He truly is our son.”

“I’m sorry it took me this long to realize. I’m sorry, Male Lord. Everything that belongs to Jing… I’ll make sure he gets it all back.”

Through the glass, Benson seemed to glimpse the male insect’s gentle smile.

If he were still alive, he’d probably have poked Benson’s forehead and sighed in exasperation, “How could you be so dense? Mistaking our little one like that. No matter—now that we’ve found him, it’s all good.”

But it was all just a fantasy. Staring at the empty room, Benson felt his eyes grow hot.

Tears blurred his vision in the end.

~~~

Two days had passed since the visit to Benson.

Jing Chi had been so preoccupied with stirring up trouble for Lantis that he’d gradually forgotten some rather important matters.

Pei Rui, meanwhile, watched as Jing Chi lay stiffly and properly on the bed each night, sleeping soundly. He couldn’t help doubting his own appeal.

Had the Male Lord spent so much time around him while masquerading as a female insect that those feelings had faded?

Deeply vexed, Pei Rui didn’t dare broach the subject with Jing Chi directly. Aside from Reis, there was no one he could confide in about something so intimate—and he certainly wasn’t about to discuss it with that blabbermouth.

In the end, Pei Rui turned his attention to the anonymous forums on Star Net.

Official announcements on the main website required real-name verification, but there were always some shadowy sites where insects could let loose and say whatever they wanted.

Gritting his teeth, Pei Rui posted a cry for help.

OP: 【Help! What do I do if my Male Lord doesn’t seem interested in me? We only ever kiss—nothing more.】

1st Reply: 【Whoa, another sexually frustrated insect pining away in the inner chambers.】

Pei Rui frowned and ignored the first reply.

2nd Reply: Handsome? Good figure?

OP replied to 2nd: 【Handsome. Great figure.】

After hitting send, Pei Rui felt his face heat up. Self-praise was always the most awkward thing.

3rd Reply: 【Another overconfident female insect. If you were really that hot with a killer body, your Male Lord would be all over you.】

4th Reply: 【Is the OP too reserved? Male insects usually love using toys to spice things up. My Male Lord, for instance, enjoys whipping me in bed.】

Pei Rui kept frowning. His instincts told him Jing Chi wasn’t the type.

But after the fourth reply, several more chimed in agreeing with the sentiment.

Was this what they meant by bedroom fun?

Though Pei Rui didn’t quite get it, he figured he wouldn’t know unless he tried.

Gritting his teeth again, he bought some of the little toys the other female insects had recommended in the thread.

Once the purchase went through, Pei Rui felt like his entire body was on fire from sheer embarrassment.

~~~

That night, the bedside lamp cast a dim yellow glow.

Jing Chi sat on the edge of the bed, sensing something off about Pei Rui today.

The other insect had snuck something into the room, then dodged his questions with shifty eyes.

It was downright strange.

Just then, the bathroom door creaked open.

Pei Rui emerged amid a cloud of steam, his lean, toned frame wrapped in a bathrobe.

Jing Chi watched as he strode straight toward him. Before he could say a word, the female insect dropped to his knees right in front of him. The bathrobe slipped off with the motion, pooling on the floor.

What caught Jing Chi’s eye first was Pei Rui’s muscled chest and narrow waist—but even more striking was the black leather harness strapped across his body.

The straps ran from his shoulders down to his abdomen. Clearly a novice effort, they’d been tied too tight, leaving angry red welts stark against his pale skin. A thin band in particular rubbed teasingly at his sensitive nipples.

Jing Chi froze in shock.

But that wasn’t even the most shocking part.

He watched, stunned, as Pei Rui produced a slender whip from somewhere and held it out to him.

The female insect kept his back ramrod straight, though his cheeks burned crimson, as if blood might drip from them at any moment.

Pei Rui felt mortified beyond words, especially under Jing Chi’s wide-eyed stare. Still, he steeled himself and echoed the words from the forum, his voice trembling as he pleaded, “Male Lord… please… hurt me.”

Jing Chi’s pupils dilated in earthquake-level shock.

He never knew General Pei had this kind of kink!