Chapter 54

When Jing Chi woke up, he discovered he was back in his previous quarters.

He rubbed his head. If not for the profound fatigue lingering deep in his mental power—a stark reminder of what had happened—he might have dismissed everything before as mere illusion.

At that moment, a military female lifted the door flap and stepped inside.

“Jing Chi, you’re awake?”

Seeing him sitting on the edge of the bed, the military female’s face lit up with delight. Admiration filled his eyes as he gazed at Jing Chi.

None of the insects had expected Jing Chi to spend only half a day plus one night inside.

Yet General Pei Rui had emerged the very next day. He looked a touch disheveled, but otherwise radiant and full of vigor—not at all like someone who had just endured a mental power outburst.

Everyone was intensely curious about what method Jing Chi had employed.

No one even speculated that he might be a male insect.

After all, why would the precious Male Insect Highness come to a place like this, working alongside military females like them?

Jing Chi recognized this military female; he was the one who had guided him earlier.

He nodded, puzzled by the curious stare. Feeling a bit self-conscious, he touched his face. Noticing Pei Rui’s absence, worry crept in, and he couldn’t help asking, “How is the General?”

At the mention of their general, the military female grinned at first. But then a scowl crossed his face as recollection hit, and he spoke with righteous fury:

“The General is fine. Right now, he’s interrogating the female insect who triggered his mental power riot period early. Who knows what Aokasi was thinking—resorting to dirty tricks on the battlefield and using forbidden drugs. That’s what caused all this. The General wouldn’t be in this state otherwise.”

The angrier he got as he spoke. They never could have imagined the incident stemmed from one of their own military females.

If not for Pei Rui’s ironclad control, a loss of composure on the battlefield would have spelled disaster.

After the battle, he would have faced the Empire’s full condemnation. Even with his spotless record of victories, that single stain would have ended his military career.

A female insect fighting during his own mental power riot period—one whose condition even caused the battle to fail—Pei Rui himself would never forgive such a blunder.

“Aokasi?” Jing Chi frowned. The name rang a faint bell, but he couldn’t place it.

The military female was surprised by his confusion. “The female insect who provoked you before. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

That jogged his memory.

He had genuinely forgotten. After all, it wasn’t anyone important.

He never would have guessed it was him.

Logically, the insect held no grudge against Pei Rui—at worst, resentment toward Jing Chi himself. Why sabotage Pei Rui, and at such a pivotal moment?

Suddenly, inspiration struck Jing Chi like a bolt.

He thought he knew the reason now.

It seemed Lantis had struck again this time, but using Aokasi as his pawn.

The insect was insidious, infiltrating every crevice.

This scheme was far more ruthless than the original world’s plot. Without Jing Chi, this male insect, Pei Rui might truly have fallen here.

It could have even led to mental power collapse—the consequences didn’t bear imagining.

Jing Chi’s gaze darkened. Lantis’s actions had crossed his tolerance threshold.

To be so vicious as to aim for Pei Rui’s life, heedless of the countless military females who would suffer in the fallout.

He had planned to wait until the Insect Clan Grand Ceremony, but now impatience gnawed at him.

A pest like that was better off eradicated sooner.

“System, is there any way to yank that Fake Crown Prince off his perch ahead of schedule?”

The System rolled its eyes. Unable to resist the Host’s casual reliance, it could only scour its data diligently.

Seeing Jing Chi fall abruptly silent, the military female assumed he needed more rest. He set down his items and departed quietly.

Meanwhile, Jing Chi conversed with the System in his mind. “By the way, this Empire has a Crown Prince, but I’ve never heard mention of an Emperor or anything like that.”

His words sparked the System’s memory. It promptly retrieved the relevant data and projected it before his eyes.

It was a profile on an insect.

Prominently displayed was the name: Adair Victor, King of the Empire.

A rare black-haired, black-eyed male insect with S-grade mental power. The Empire in his era differed vastly from the present—far from peaceful, rife with constant wars.

Yet female insects then enjoyed far higher status than now, and male insects were not so tyrannical.

Adair Victor was a male insect who embodied both intellect and capability. He had led a team of exceptional female and male insects through countless hardships to forge the Empire in its current state of relative peace.

He championed meritocracy, showed no discrimination toward any insect, and frequently spoke of freedom and equality.

His female consort was a valiant military female as well. Together, they had weathered the darkest times and even produced an insect egg.

The larva inside that egg was Jing Chi.

Tragically, Jing Chi’s birth coincided with a chaotic battle. In the ensuing confusion, the egg got mixed up, causing Lantis and Jing Chi to swap identities.

It wasn’t until two years later that the Empire began to stabilize.

Fate, however, proved unkind. The king of the Empire passed away prematurely just two years after that.

He left behind his female consort to guide the larva Lantis, averting further turmoil.

As Lantis grew, the female consort gradually withdrew from the forefront.

Perhaps overwhelmed by longing for his male lord, he offered little discipline to their sole offspring.

This indulgence shaped Lantis into the insect he was today.

No one ever questioned Lantis’s identity. Though he hadn’t inherited Adair Victor’s black hair and eyes, he bore a striking resemblance to his female consort.

Reading this, Jing Chi sensed something amiss, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Yet the introduction stirred a suspicion in him: this male insect might have been a transmigrator too.

“So, do I resemble that male insect more?”

The System confirmed Jing Chi’s hunch.

After all, Adair had been gone for so long that mentions of him now evoked only sighs of regret.

Even his precise features had faded from collective memory over time.

Might this serve as a solid breakthrough?

Jing Chi was mulling this over when another insect entered the room.

He glanced up and unwittingly locked eyes with the female insect’s profound gaze.

The swirl of complex emotions there left Jing Chi at a loss for a moment.

The female insect bore no trace of his earlier dishevelment. His crisp military uniform hugged his frame perfectly, and he stood in silence, like a statue carved from stone.

Jing Chi said nothing. Pei Rui said nothing. The two insects simply regarded each other.

In the end, Jing Chi broke first. He touched the tip of his nose and asked in a casual tone, “How are you feeling?”

Pei Rui offered no reply. Instead, he stepped closer and pinched Jing Chi’s chin.

With a slight pressure, he tilted up the male insect’s cheek—no, that was right; he was a male insect.

This face was even more exquisite than a typical female insect’s, those wide, bewildered eyes brimming with confusion.

And yet, this male insect had deceived him utterly.

At the thought, a flicker of sarcasm crossed Pei Rui’s eyes.

How utterly foolish he’d been, toyed with by a male insect, his emotions in constant turmoil over him.

To discover in the end that even the gender had been a lie.

What, then, was genuine?

Had every shared moment, every little interaction, been a calculated performance? A mere facade?

The idea twisted painfully in Pei Rui’s chest.

At first, he’d only harbored doubts. He’d never truly accepted that Jing Chi was a male insect.

To do so would mean conceding that he’d been duped for far too long.

“Male Insect Highness?” Pei Rui pronounced the words deliberately, his voice flat and icy.

Jing Chi’s heart lurched, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

It felt like the calm before a storm.

He hurriedly clasped the female insect’s cool fingertips, enveloping them in his own warm palm.

Jing Chi blinked up at him with pitiful eyes, nuzzling his cheek softly against the female insect’s hand as he murmured, “Will you hear me out?”

The same old ploy. He wouldn’t fall for it again.

But when Pei Rui tried to withdraw his hand, he found Jing Chi’s grip unyielding.

Pei Rui frowned. Looking down, he met Jing Chi’s placating smile.

The young male insect’s eyes shone brightly, brimming with undivided attention whenever they fixed on him.

No insect could resist such wholehearted devotion from their beloved—and Pei Rui was no exception.

For that fleeting moment, his resolve softened.

Reason lingered, though. Afraid his gaze might betray him into harsh words, he looked away and said with biting sarcasm, “Go on, then. What was your true aim in getting close to me?”

Jing Chi’s eyes narrowed slightly. Judging by the subtle shift in Pei Rui’s expression, the female insect wasn’t as furious as he’d feared.

Stubborn as ever, this one.

Observing Pei Rui closely all the while, Jing Chi began his aggrieved explanation:

“What ulterior motive could I possibly have? I just like you, that’s all. But if I’d told you from the start that I’m a male insect, you would’ve kept me at arm’s length. How could I have ever gotten close to you then?”

The youth spoke with utter sincerity.

Pei Rui was stunned by Jing Chi’s words, never imagining he’d hear such a confession in a moment like this.

Jing Chi watched as a flush crept from the insect’s neck up to his cheeks.

A smile tugged at Jing Chi’s lips. He released Pei Rui’s hand and wrapped his arms around the man’s lean waist, pulling him close.

He hugged him tightly, nuzzling his cheek against him over and over like a spoiled child. “Don’t be mad anymore, okay? Do you still feel uncomfortable?”

Jing Chi’s three-step apology routine: first, say sorry; next, act cute; and finally, smoothly shift the topic.

Pei Rui’s lingering irritation evaporated under this barrage of affection. He let out a helpless sigh and relented. “I’m fine now.”

In front of Jing Chi, he truly couldn’t stay mad for more than a few seconds.

Hearing this, Jing Chi knew Pei Rui wasn’t angry anymore. He lifted his head with a beaming smile and whispered softly, “Lower your head for me.”

Pei Rui had no idea what he was up to but complied anyway.

In the next instant, he felt a soft warmth press against his lips.

It was Jing Chi, kissing him.

Then Pei Rui heard the youth murmur cautiously—but brimming with joy—right by his ear. “So, does that make me your male lord now?”

He had to admit, in that moment, his heart melted completely.