Chapter 11

“Wow——”

The cold water flowed between the fingers, freezing the white knuckles to a bright red.

The stickiness has been washed off, but the wonderful touch still lingers.

There was a secret itching between his fingers, making Yael want to rinse them with cold water or rub them hard.

The sudden estrus of the female insect seriously disrupted his expectations, leaving him at a loss.

They hadn't even had a proper conversation yet, but the progress bar had inexplicably stretched a long way, and what he was doing now didn't seem to be much different from what the female insect had suggested before.

But the knowledge I urgently learned last night flashed through my mind——

According to social custom, it is the male insect's responsibility to relieve the estrus period of his female insect. No matter what his purpose is in picking up Cize back, he has the obligation to fulfill this responsibility.

Yael put his hands on the sink, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Forget it, let's take it one step at a time.

…

After the pheromones of the female insects on his body dissipated, Yael left the bathroom and returned to the living room.

The female insect was still curled up on the sofa with her back to him, just as he had left her.

This estrus was severe, but because it was discovered and cleared in time, it did not spread wantonly. The tide was stopped urgently before breaking through the precarious embankment, and retreated gently and slowly.

The female insect's face looked a little dazed, and the slightly red corners of her eyes softened her outline.

He looked like a snow leopard with its belly spread out, his body covered with scars, licking his paws with a little tiredness as he rested.

"Are you okay?"

Yael was reluctant to break the silence, but he had to check the female insect's condition. "Is there any bleeding from the wound?"

Caesar opened his eyes silently but did not answer his question, perhaps because he had not yet come to his senses, until Yael reached out and pressed his shoulder, trying to check the condition of the wound.

"...Dirty." He shuddered sensitively and said hoarsely, "Don't touch it."

Yael paused and looked at the female insect in surprise. He keenly noticed the female insect's movement, and the tall and thick wall seemed to have a faint crack.

"But if you don't change the bandage, the wound will get infected."

He weighed his words carefully and asked tentatively, "Or do you want to take a shower? Let 015 help you."

"……Need not."

The female insect's tone was even more hesitant than his. After refusing, she pursed her lips and remained silent for a while, then whispered a thank you, "Thank you."

I don't know why the female insect's attitude softened, but now is obviously a good time to discuss some things calmly without causing a huge conflict.

"Can you tell me what you are worried about?"

Xi Ze was slightly startled.

What is he thinking about?

The collar that was stuck in his throat made him almost suffocate several times, and his entire heart was easily crushed by a hand.

But the fierce struggle seemed like a painless act of coquetry, which was easily suppressed by a hand, and the male insect remained calm from beginning to end, always leaving room for withdrawal.

Now I still ask him doubtfully what he is worried about.

That's what he was concerned about.

Xi Ze pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery, and his vision was filled with an impenetrable darkness, like an eternal night that would never see dawn.

...But it cannot be denied that he was filled with inappropriate gratitude.

The male insect did not whip him until blood splashed everywhere, nor did it turn around and leave him to suffer. Instead, it comforted him in a rough but gentle manner, and was not stingy with male insect pheromones.

It was already unbelievable enough for him.

In the midst of the overwhelming emotion just now, the extreme joy turned into pain, and he vaguely thought that he was still being tortured in the torture chamber.

When the strange tide flooded over his head, he screamed like a wolf in the intense suffocation, and the suppressed fear and hidden desire tore his soul in two...

When I regained consciousness, those ugly scenes replayed in my mind frame by frame.

Amidst the overwhelming embarrassment and self-loathing, perhaps the only person worth being grateful for is the male insect who acted as if he had not heard anything during the whole process and never mentioned a word afterwards.

“…”

Xi Ze panted tiredly and silently.

The male insect sitting next to her did not urge her, but waited quietly and patiently for a response.

He suddenly relaxed his pent-up anger and voluntarily raised the white flag in the silent confrontation.

"...at least tell me what it will cost me."

Xi Ze's voice was low and hoarse. "And what is the reason why you brought me back?"

"No matter whether I can bear it or not, at least I can die knowingly."

It comes back again, and this question is indeed an inevitable core issue.

Yael was stunned for a moment, then his expression gradually became serious. He recalled his feelings at that time and pondered for a moment.

"I saved you on impulse. Whether I sent you to the hospital or decided to take you home, it was all because I thought there was no evil behind it. I can guarantee that."

Yael spoke slowly, glancing at the female insect with his peripheral vision, then quickly lowered his eyes.

"I can't say I have no purpose at all. I'm not a philanthropist. It's just that the rewards I receive are not material."

"In other words—I want emotional value from you."

Yael curled his eyes. "I have met you three times. Each time was so clever, wasn't it?"

"Life here is too boring. We need something new to inject some freshness and vitality into it."

"I want to save you, slowly heal your wounds, and gain joy and satisfaction in the process of gradual improvement. I think this is also a kind of mutual benefit in a sense."

His gaze shifted from the female insect to the empty balcony not far away.

There was originally a pot of a cold-resistant and drought-resistant cactus-like plant there, which he had bought and planted specially.

At the time, he thought that the plant would live as long as this one, but it seemed that he was born unable to keep these little things alive. The seedling, which was famous for its vitality, died within half a month, so he bought another one...

As a result, one pot after another, a total of fifty-four pots of dead plants filled the corner of the balcony.

It was lonely to struggle to live without any spiritual support. Yael felt that he picked up the female insects and raised them on impulse, probably because he had the absurd idea that "plants die easily, so it should be okay to pick up a female insect with strong resilience."

He hoped that Caesar could live well, stubbornly and recklessly, like a weed that could never be completely removed or chopped down, and would grow wildly at the slightest ray of sunlight.

Seeing this gave him the courage to live.

Yael asked 015 to bring the suppressant over. "That's about it. If there's nothing else, then there's nothing. I don't want to lie to you."

It wasn't until the cold needle pierced his skin and injected the medicine that Xi Ze came to his senses.

So that's... how it is.

The male worm raises him like a paper worm in a game, or like raising a pet, and he can gain satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from the process alone.

Promising not to vent her dark desires on him, not to devour his life and flesh, may sound too naive, but... it's not unkind and beautiful.

At least for him now, it is the best way out.

"Or, can you cook?" Yael pondered for a moment and suddenly asked again.

Xi Ze was startled again, "...what?"

"The cooking block on the 015 is broken and the food always tastes burnt, but I don't want to replace it."

Yael imagined the scene after the female insect's injury was healed. "You can stay here. When your injury is healed, you can be responsible for three meals a day to offset the rent or food money."

"It's like I'm hiring you as a chef or something in advance, using your labor in exchange for food and shelter. After all your debts are paid off, we can discuss whether you want to stay or leave."

He said firmly, "This is a fair trade."

As the male insect finished speaking, the air suddenly fell silent. One could almost hear the sound of his heart beating and trembling in his chest.

Xi Ze opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be stuck and he couldn't make any sound.

Between the two paths of "being driven out to die" and "selling one's body for profit", male insects provide another path.

Was the insect before him really a male? This was not the first time he had sincerely doubted it.

"How about this proposal?"

The female insect in front of him looked strange. Yael suddenly thought of another possibility and said in a tone of disbelief, "Is your cooking also terrible?"

Xi Ze came back to his senses from his daze and pursed his cracked lips, "No, I'm a good cook."

"That's good."

When the free mental power felt the gradually convergent offensiveness, Yer finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He realized later that his back was covered with a layer of cold sweat, and when the wind blew, he shivered with cold.

It felt like walking on an extremely thin steel wire rope, escorting the cracked porcelain in my hand across a cliff ten thousand meters high and landing on flat ground.

Although I still felt a bit nervous, I gradually felt relieved.

*

The dirty sofa cover was quickly washed and dried and put back on the sofa.

The sofa was too small and it was very uncomfortable to sleep on, so Yael measured the height and bought a new long sofa. He put two sofas together and expanded the small space into a bed.

Xi Ze was still seriously injured and had difficulty walking, so without the chain he could only be tied to the sofa.

But fortunately, there is a charging station for 015 right next to it. The little robot butler charges there for a long time every day. Xize can find it directly if he needs anything.

And ever since that night——

Yael came out of the room yawning. In the dim morning light in the living room, he saw the female insect on the sofa adjusting the collar of her pajamas.

"Why did you wake up earlier than me? You don't have to go to work."

He sat down on the other side of the sofa, resting his chin on one hand and looking at the female insect with a lazy smile.

Cizek has a strict schedule and does everything neatly and efficiently. Basically, every time Yael wakes up, he has already dressed himself.

Next to it was a quilt folded neatly into a tofu block.

It was a silk quilt of exceptionally soft and fluffy texture, and in the female insect's hands it obediently took on new angles, like a docile recruit being disciplined by a strict commander.

Yael patted the tofu block with great interest. The quilt that had been suppressed became soft again and bounced like jelly in his hand. "Hmm?"

"Good morning, sir."

Xi Ze tilted his face to the side, with no expression on his face, but it didn't look hard or cold, just still a little unnatural.

He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "It's just that I'm used to getting up early... I can't change it in a short time."

It was after that night that Yael realized belatedly that

The female insect is not particularly dull and boring. On the contrary, she is cautious and sharp, with the usual calmness and seriousness of a military woman, but occasionally she seems too serious.

She has a very amusing personality. Yaelrao curled his lips in interest.

However, it is just a thought for now. The female insect is a little better than when it was just picked up, but its severely damaged body is still on the verge of collapse and needs careful treatment.

"Your Excellency?"

Xi Ze didn't hear any response and tilted his head in confusion.

"Ah?" Yael was still immersed in his thoughts, staring at the female insect's eyebrows and eyes in a trance, "What did you say?"

"I mean..."

Xi Ze wanted to repeat it, but suddenly stopped talking——

The male insect reached out and touched his hair. His fingertips, with a slight warmth from his body, stroked his temples and rested on the scar on his ear that had just healed.

"I forgot to tell you," Yael said softly with a smile in his eyes, "Good morning."

The author has something to say:

Duck head, are you fascinated by the nest? (Dog head holding a rose)