⟦ Lord Chu Xiu’s rank corrected: F-rank jumps to A-rank. ⟧
Compared to the small-scale discussion about cooking, this news truly drew widespread attention.
Every A-rank male Zerg was a valuable asset to the Empire. Rank jumps after a second awakening weren’t unheard of, but leaping straight from F to A was staggering.
Several major noble houses in the capital immediately put the news on their desks. Families with male Zerg scoured for the secret behind the rank jump, while families with marriageable females measured whether he would be suitable for an arranged match.
A-rank male Zerg were extremely rare in the Empire, scarcer even than S-rank females. This meant many S-rank females would never become the female monarch of an A-rank male Zerg, making female attendants a good alternative option.
Especially in the case of Chu Xiu: gentle, good-tempered, and with a female monarch who had health issues and posed no threat.
By the end of that afternoon, Chu Xiu had received thousands of match invitations, his light-brain pinging constantly.
Chu Xiu had no idea about any of this.
He wasn’t very familiar with the Empire’s match interface. Other than accidentally clicking it on the first day, he hadn’t gone in again, and besides, he had more important things to do.
After finishing the noon livestream, he stayed on Stellar all afternoon, editing the footage into videos and uploading them to his personal page. That account was now generating massive traffic, with large sums coming in every second. Chu Xiu decided to combine livestreaming and video editing: showing affection for Yi Xi while also running a food channel.
Once the videos were done, he discussed setting up a foundation with Stellar’s investment assistant. In the end, the completely whimsical 《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today》 educational support fund was successfully established, linked to Chu Xiu’s revenue account, with him in charge of approving the fund’s expenditures.
He was busier than ever. His light-brain sat untouched to the side, so of course he had no idea about the uproar on StarNet. Not until evening, when they returned home, did he even glance at it.
But Yi Xi knew exactly.
His communication interface had exploded with messages. Countless business partners reached out, eager to get first access to opportunity. They all swore up and down, insisting how gentle and obedient their children were, that they wouldn’t compete or grab anything, and would make perfect allies if only admitted. Yi Xi, calm as ever, politely brushed them off, refusing every single one.
He acted so composed that even Chu Xiu didn’t notice anything unusual, until nighttime, when they slept together as usual and Chu Xiu cuddled close. That’s when the male Zerg noticed something was off.
Yi Xi was distracted.
He liked to sit and read before bed, holding a thick poetry collection this time, but his gaze wasn’t on the pages. Chu Xiu peeked: Yi Xi’s beautiful eyes, behind the gold-rimmed glasses, stared blankly at the endless moonlight outside the window, carrying a deep, unspoken sorrow.
Chu Xiu lay down beside him: “Yi Xi?”
The male Zerg lifted his head: “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.” Yi Xi blinked, as if waking from a dream, lowering his gaze to Chu Xiu: “Are you going to sleep?”
“Mm.” Chu Xiu nuzzled the covers. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Yi Xi shook his head, then nodded, then suddenly spoke: “We…”
Chu Xiu: “Hm?”
Then came a long silence.
After a moment, Yi Xi sighed, speaking in a very soft, light voice: “Shall we… do it?”
A female Zerg shouldn’t be the one to make such a direct invitation to a male; it’s too undignified, too forward. And as an elder, Yi Xi found it even harder to put those words to his lips, but he couldn’t wait any longer.
So many young, beautiful female Zergs were eyeing him hungrily; he couldn’t afford to gamble.
Chu Xiu was drowsy. Yi Xi’s presence was so calm and warm, like an early-spring orchid; he naturally drifted toward sleep. Upon hearing Yi Xi’s words, he lifted his eyelids just a little and mumbled: “Not now… you’ll feel really bad.”
After the first marking, it’s always uncomfortable. For those with mental-sea issues, it’s worse. For someone like Yi Xi, with a pheromone disorder, mental-sea issues, and long-term repression, it’s exponentially worse; stacked debuffs everywhere. Chu Xiu didn’t dare act rashly.
He hugged the covers and fell asleep.
Late at night, Yi Xi silently got out of bed.
He wiped the fog from the mirror, lifted his hair at the nape of his neck, and examined the vivid insect markings, deep, wine-colored; to fully fade would take almost half a year.
He might not be able to wait that long.
Yi Xi stood by the mirror for a long while, then finally turned on his light-brain and messaged Secretary Lin: 【Go buy me some medicine.】
Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned on the faucet. Cold water splashed his cheeks; he pretended it was just washing his hands, and then lay back beside the male Zerg.
The next morning, Yi Xi arrived at the company first.
Many medicines related to pheromones were controlled substances, and Stellar’s scale made it difficult to handle. Secretary Lin was nowhere to be seen that morning; only near lunch did he sneak into the CEO’s office.
He handed the medicine to Yi Xi, hesitating: “Are you really going to use this? The side effects aren’t small.”
Yi Xi took the icy-blue vial, giving a vague “hm” in response.
The leader of Stellar hated high-risk bets, but he never feared risk; when something indispensable sat on the other side of the scale, he was willing to stake it all.
“Alright then.” Secretary Lin sighed. “If you’ve made up your mind, drink it. The marks on the back of your neck will fade within a month. After that, you can tell the male Zerg there’s no more rejection. But the downside is, your period of discomfort will be very long, extremely hard to endure.”
He paused. “You’ll also need your male Zerg’s care.”
If Yi Xi drank the potion but the male Zerg’s interest vanished at lightning speed in a month, it would be sheer hell.
Yi Xi remained calm. “Alright.”
That was just how he was: outwardly gentle and approachable, yet once he decided on something, no one could change it. Seeing that his boss’s mind was made up, Secretary Lin knew further persuasion was useless. With a sigh, he left, but in his distracted state, as he opened the door, he nearly collided with the male Zerg entering with a camera.
Chu Xiu now moved through Stellar as if no one were there. The receptionists all knew he was the boss’s male lord and dared not stop him.
Chu Xiu greeted: “Good afternoon.”
Secretary Lin, guilty like a caught thief, hurriedly replied, then practically ran off.
Yi Xi was also startled. He had been lost in thought more than usual these past two days. Seeing the male Zerg step in, he pocketed the vial, forcing a calm tone: “You’re here.”
“About time.” Chu Xiu wobbled the camera. “Shall we start?”
With the revelation of the male Zerg’s true rank, the popularity of 《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today》 surged even higher. Male Zergs who could cook were rare, and A-rank male Zergs who could cook were national treasures. Yesterday’s revenue alone had startled Chu Xiu.
It seemed his personal account could not only cover the fund but even have some surplus.
Chu Xiu’s performance over the past two days had dispelled most investors’ doubts. If he and Yi Xi displayed affection for another two days, Stellar’s stock would return to baseline, perhaps even surpass it, the crisis would vanish quietly.
Yi Xi nodded and followed him into the kitchen. Chu Xiu adjusted the camera, then introduced the menu.
Yesterday’s matcha pastries had been a huge hit; everyone was fascinated by this novel way of eating. Winners of the lottery were overjoyed, losers were wailing, and with yesterday’s popularity pushing the program to the top, Chu Xiu promised to do another draw.
The task of kneading dough was handed back to Yi Xi. The Stellar leader learned quickly at everything, and kneading was no exception. This time he handled it with far more ease, adding water, mixing in flour, while Chu Xiu, behind him, looked a little disappointed. He peeked over: “Need me to help?”
Yi Xi was about to say no when the male Zerg reached for a potato on the cutting board. His hand brushed along Yi Xi’s side, and the small glass vial at his waist pressed slightly into the curve of his hip. Yi Xi inhaled sharply, his back arching, and thud, he bumped into the sink counter.
Chu Xiu asked, “What’s wrong?”
He reached out toward Yi Xi’s waist: “I think I hit something hard. Did I hurt you?”
Of course, Yi Xi knew exactly what he had hit, it was the vial of the potion.
Fertility or pheromone-related drugs are strictly forbidden without the male Zerg’s approval. Using one without permission would make a male Zerg feel humiliated and accuse the female Zerg of disloyalty. If it weren’t for the extreme pressure from other females, Yi Xi would never resort to such a method.
Just as Chu Xiu’s hand was about to touch his pocket, Yi Xi stepped back sharply: “No.”
Chu Xiu froze mid-reach, a trace of surprise on his face.
Yi Xi’s words were firm, carrying that calm, commanding authority typical of the Stellar leader. It didn’t feel like he was talking to a male Zerg, it felt like the CEO giving orders.
Not only was Chu Xiu stunned, even the livestream comments froze.
【 …Help, what is the boss doing? 】
【 Can I still sell my Stellar stocks in time? 】
【 Being talked back to like this… the male Zerg must be mad. 】
Chu Xiu wasn’t angry; he was just slightly surprised. Yi Xi was always calm and gentle, rarely showing other emotions, but now he turned his face aside, both hands braced on the sink, eyes closed, refusing to speak for a long moment.
Chu Xiu paused. “That… you don’t want me to see it?”
Cointreau wasn’t some naive little flower, an experienced mixologist knew how to read expressions and sense people’s thoughts. He stepped back slightly. “It’s fine. I wasn’t going to look at it. I just wanted to check your waist, it should be red. Do you want me to apply the medicine?”
Everyone had privacy and secrets. Yi Xi had his own, which was perfectly normal. But if the redness wasn’t massaged and treated, it would swell by nighttime.
Yi Xi braced himself on the edge of the sink and drew in a quiet breath.
After a moment, his voice, calm as ever, came: “Go ahead and take a look.”
He knew the male Zerg wasn’t angry, but emotions were fragil, they could split silently, then crumble over time under wind and sun. Chu Xiu had already noticed Yi Xi’s concealment; if he didn’t see it clearly now, it could become a lingering thorn. Yi Xi feared this silent fracture far more than an open confrontation at the height of intimacy.
Chu Xiu hesitated. Yi Xi’s expression was too difficult to bear; beneath the calm mask, a turbulent current surged, almost like a condemned person facing execution. He didn’t understand what had pushed Yi Xi to this point. His fingers touched the waistband, hesitating: “You want me to look?”
Yi Xi said simply: “Yes.”
Although the male Zerg had strictly forbidden the use of such drugs, this could not be postponed. If the male Zerg brought it up later, it would only cause more trouble, it had to be dealt with today.
So Chu Xiu took out the small vial. The pure blue was the color of ice, and he stared at the dense medical terminology on the label, unaware that the livestream comments behind him had already exploded.
【 Whoa, that looks like a pheromone drug! 】
【 Why would he need pheromone medicine when he already has a male Zerg… is he trying to die? 】
【 Oh no, I can’t watch this. Leaving the stream… don’t want to see a bloody livestream. 】
Despite their chatter, the viewer count didn’t drop. Many awkwardly covered their eyes with their fingers, but peeked through just enough to see the male Zerg’s expression.
Chu Xiu’s face was unreadable, he simply hadn’t understood at first.
The drug name on the vial was obscure. He squinted at the tiny instructions for a long moment before finally understanding its effect.
It was the suppressive hormone medicine Yi Xi had mentioned on their wedding night.
He stared at the vial for so long that neither of them spoke. The room was empty and silent, the kind of stillness that made the viewers hold their breath, like the calm before a storm.
After a moment, the male Zerg moved.
But not with the rage and drama the StarNet commentators had predicted. Instead, he tossed the vial backward; it traced a smooth parabola and landed in the trash bin in the corner.
“Don’t use this, Yi Xi. It’ll be very painful.”
He pulled over a stool and sat down. Looking at his female Zerg, he pressed his lips tightly together, his brow and eyes full of hurt. “Why would you want to use something like that? Have I been so bad these past few days that I made you uneasy?”
Yi Xi’s thoughts stirred, and he looked at him.
There was no blame, no anger, just a beautiful, disappointed gaze. The male Zerg sat slumped in the chair, voice low and heavy, asking again: “Did I make you uneasy?”
