Chapter 43

Jing Chi noticed that the other insect wasn’t taking the device and was simply staring at him. Puzzled, he blinked and extended it further. “What’s wrong?”

In the next instant, Pei Rui seized his wrist in a tight grip. The man’s palm burned with startling heat.

Pei Rui’s ruby-red eyes held an inscrutable emotion as he gazed at Jing Chi with utmost seriousness. He enunciated each word deliberately: “From now on, don’t casually use that ability in front of other insects.”

Jing Chi feigned ignorance, letting out an awkward laugh in an attempt to brush it off. He blinked innocently. “What ability? I don’t have anything like that.”

In the face of the man’s stern expression, Jing Chi could only give a half-hearted hum of acknowledgment.

Pei Rui didn’t press the issue further. He knew every insect had their secrets—just as he did—and he wouldn’t pry. He only hoped Jing Chi would take good care of himself.

Only then did Pei Rui release Jing Chi’s hand and accept the Light Brain. “Thank you,” he said softly.

He took the device and stepped aside, while Jing Chi kept watch over Edmond from the other side, ensuring he didn’t suddenly wake.

As the most favored Male Insect, Edmond’s Light Brain was remarkably advanced, rivaling those on the Main Star. It was more than sufficient for Pei Rui to contact the insect he needed to reach.

Pei Rui entered a string of special digits.

Moments later, the call connected. An excited voice burst through, thick with emotion and on the verge of tears: “General, General! You’ve finally contacted me! Finally!”

The insect Pei Rui had reached was his Deputy General, Reis—his most trusted subordinate.

This Deputy General was steadfast and loyal. His only flaw was…

“General, you have no idea how worried we’ve been since you went missing. We sent out so many military females to search for you, but there was no trace anywhere.”

“General, I thought something terrible had happened to you. If it did, what would I do?”

A sniffle followed.

Pei Rui: …

The voice continued: “General, you haven’t even gotten married yet. You don’t have any little insect younglings. How could something happen to you? I knew you’d be fine.”

“General…”

As Reis’s chatter veered further off-topic and grew more outrageous, Pei Rui felt a throbbing in his temples. Impatiently, he commanded, “Quiet, Reis.”

Indeed, Deputy General Reis’s greatest flaw was his nonstop talking—and his love of gossip.

“Yes, General.” Recognizing that familiar tone which could strike fear into any insect’s heart, Reis immediately fell silent. A wave of relief washed over him at last.

After all, he’d been on edge for days, terrified that something had happened to their general.

Pei Rui swiftly summarized the situation for Reis and informed him of their current location.

“General, you’ve suffered so much. When you return…”

Reis was on the verge of launching into another rambling tirade, but Pei Rui coughed pointedly.

“Understood, General,” Reis replied at once. “I’ll reach Desolate Star at top speed to bring you back.”

Pei Rui then asked a couple of questions about the Main Star.

This time, Reis kept it brief: “Everything’s stable on the Main Star, General. Everyone’s just been terribly worried about you. Oh, and Prince Lantis has been sending insects to inquire after your whereabouts.”

At the mention of that insect, Pei Rui frowned. Though Lantis was the esteemed Crown Prince, to him, he was just another Male Insect he despised.

The Crown Prince’s reputation for brutality was known to all on the Main Star, yet his noble status and A-Rank Mental Power drew hordes of Female Insects who threw themselves at him relentlessly.

For this exalted Crown Prince to suddenly shower him with attention felt suspicious. They’d never had any real connection before.

“Got it.”

Pei Rui ended the call, erased the records, and set the Light Brain aside.

Seeing that the Female Insect had finished, Jing Chi immediately sidled up to him. With a secretive, mischievous air, he said, “I’ve got something fun to show you.”

He then murmured a few words to Edmond.

Pei Rui didn’t catch what he said, but the next moment, the Male Insect tore open his clothes, exposing his scrawny frame.

On reflex, Pei Rui clapped a hand over Jing Chi’s eyes.

Jing Chi’s world went dark. What the—???

“Why are you covering my eyes?” he grumbled. The best part was just getting started.

Black lines crept across Pei Rui’s face. He didn’t spare Edmond so much as a glance. Instead, he fixed his stare on Jing Chi and gritted out, “What did you tell him? Why is he stripping? What’s so worth seeing about something that filthy?”

Jing Chi thought it over carefully and realized Pei Rui had a point—it really was filthy, enough to pollute anyone’s eyes.

“I’m not looking anymore. You can uncover them now,” Jing Chi said helplessly.

Only then did Pei Rui lower the hand he’d been using to cover Jing Chi’s eyes.

With their backs turned to the male insect, Jing Chi propped his chin on his hand and explained, “I didn’t tell him to do anything special. I just had him turn those tricks he usually uses on female insects back on himself. Since he likes it so much, he ought to get a taste of his own medicine.”

Pei Rui hadn’t expected this from Jing Chi.

He felt a flicker of surprise.

After all, no female insect would handle a male insect with such straightforward brutality. Though he despised male insects himself, he’d never actually laid a hand on one—protecting them was etched into every female insect’s bones.

But Jing Chi was different. He seemed utterly devoid of any innate respect for male insects, which his actions made abundantly clear.

Pei Rui was coming to see Jing Chi as no ordinary female insect.

Of course, the tattoo on Jing Chi’s body had kept Pei Rui from ever doubting his identity.

As the two of them stood in silence, pained yet pleasurable groans began to rise from the male insect behind them, mingled with the sound of skin scraping against the floor. The atmosphere grew awkward, thick with a decadent undercurrent.

“Should we just get out of here first?”

Jing Chi rubbed the tip of his nose sheepishly. He’d been so focused on punishing the male insect that he’d overlooked their own presence—like they were watching something indecent together.

It felt downright excruciating.

Pei Rui nodded without protest. He found the mood awkward too, though his face remained impassive.

Just as Jing Chi rose to leave, a cloyingly sweet scent suddenly filled the air.

“What’s that smell?” Jing Chi asked Pei Rui curiously after taking a few unguarded breaths.

Jing Chi had no idea what these special drugs were, but Pei Rui—hardened by exposure to all sorts of agents—recognized it at once. It was the unmistakable aroma of an aphrodisiac.

Aphrodisiacs were commonplace here, a tool male insects used to stoke arousal. Inhaling it would send either female or male insects into a frenzy of desire, lost to confusion and overwhelming lust.

“Hold your breath—it’s an aphrodisiac,” Pei Rui warned sharply. He rushed to the male insect and knocked him out with obvious disgust.

Jing Chi hadn’t anticipated the male insect pulling something like this; it was completely outside his expectations.

A faint heat suddenly stirred within him, spreading outward. Jing Chi fought it down, but when Pei Rui approached, his gaze darkened.

Pei Rui returned, took hold of Jing Chi, and headed for the door. He’d inhaled only a little, and his tolerance for such substances blunted the effects. Assuming Jing Chi was equally unaffected, he thought nothing of it.

But just short of the doorway, Jing Chi suddenly pinned him against the wall.

The youth braced one hand against the wall while pressing the other to Pei Rui’s shoulder.

Pei Rui could clearly see the haze in Jing Chi’s eyes, a thin mist clouding those deep black depths.

“How are you holding up?” He sounded worried about Jing Chi’s condition.

Jing Chi flicked his gaze over Pei Rui. The slight upward tilt of his eyes carried a seductive edge as he leaned his head onto Pei Rui’s shoulder and murmured, “Hot…”

In the next instant, Pei Rui went rigid, his hand at his side clenching into a fist.

Total chaos.

Jing Chi’s lips closed around his earlobe, the wet tip of his tongue brushing lightly over that sensitive skin.

Color flooded the man’s cool, jade-like features in a rush. His mind blanked out, every shred of composure crumbling away.

Bewilderment—rare for him—filled those crimson eyes, his long lashes quivering. He had no idea how to respond to this.

Reason screamed at Pei Rui to shove Jing Chi away, but his body refused to cooperate.

Jing Chi’s eyes narrowed, caught somewhere between daze and clarity. After one more gentle suckle, he released the female insect’s ear—which was now flushed bright red and drooping pitifully.

His hand slid to the man’s lean waist, and the next moment, he claimed those thin lips with precision.

Pei Rui’s lips were soft and warm, a stark contrast to his personality.

Jing Chi didn’t press further. He simply lingered there, lips brushing lightly, kisses feather-soft at the edges as he savored Pei Rui’s scent.

Pei Rui’s mind boomed like thunder, his heart hammering wildly beneath the kiss.

He felt no revulsion, but he knew something was wrong.

After all, they were both female insects. Sure, Pei Rui looked down on male insects, but he didn’t see himself as someone attracted to his own kind.

But his heart, pounding wildly, seemed to be telling him something he couldn’t ignore.

In these few short days, he had fallen for a female insect.

Perhaps there had been signs all along—he had only just realized it.

Afraid Jing Chi might do something even more shocking, Pei Rui, who had finally regained control, hesitated a moment before knocking him out cold. Then he draped Jing Chi’s arm over his shoulder and walked them both out.

The process went smoothly enough, though they drew countless sympathetic looks along the way.

The other female insects all assumed Edmond had tormented Jing Chi into unconsciousness. Pei Rui’s flushed cheeks only seemed to confirm their suspicions.

Once outside, Pei Rui carried Jing Chi straight back. The cool wind blowing the whole way had mostly dispelled the drug from Jing Chi’s system, but Pei Rui had struck a little too hard—he still hadn’t woken.

Pei Rui laid him on the bed and sat off to the side.

He stared down at Jing Chi in a daze. The young man’s sleeping face was serene, his posture relaxed and steady.

Those beautiful eyes, usually sparkling with laughter, were now closed, his long lashes casting faint shadows. His lips were reddened, likely from their earlier kisses.

Pei Rui’s gaze lingered on Jing Chi’s lips, unable to look away.

It was as if he needed to confirm something.

The man leaned down slightly and pressed his lips gently to Jing Chi’s.

His heart began to race again, as if whispering a truth.

Pei Rui shot to his feet and hurried out, his steps laced with panic.

Outside the room, he drew in deep breaths, then slowly let them out.

He gazed up at the pitch-black night sky and rubbed his forehead. He never imagined things would escalate this far.

At Reis’s speed, they would arrive tomorrow.

Which meant he would have to leave tomorrow. Pull away… or hold on tight?

General Pei, always so decisive, found himself hesitating.

~~~

Morning sunlight spilled across the bed, rousing Jing Chi.

He opened his eyes slowly, then sat up, wincing at the sore ache in his neck.

Remembering Pei Rui had knocked him out the day before left him feeling a bit glum.

But then he recalled how he’d taken advantage himself, and he let it go.

He had no idea that, after he’d passed out, a certain female insect had taken the initiative to kiss him.

Right now, Jing Chi was pondering how to suggest leaving together with Pei Rui without it seeming forced.

But the moment he stepped out of the room—before he could even come up with an excuse—Pei Rui asked, “Are you willing to leave here with me?”

Jing Chi could barely hide his shock.

Was this what they meant by things falling into place without effort?