NOVEL NEXT 53
Today was a big day.
According to the education He Qin received, a man shouldn’t rely solely on his spouse’s earnings for sustenance.
After moving in, Rhys handed over his only salary card to He Qin. With no ability to work, He Qin could only spend the star currency earned by the Major General.
This issue had been bothering him for a long time.
So, today’s big event was—getting paid!
“Mission accomplished excellently, Mr. He Qin. Thank you once again for your assistance.” As a representative of the imperial government, Barton handed a ribbon-tied card to the male zerg in front of everyone.
The scene reminded He Qin of the commendation ceremonies he had attended before. He accepted the card and posed for photos with several very distinguished-looking male zergs, wearing a proper smile.
“Wow.” The female zerg soldiers in the audience clapped in unison.
Fortunately, such meetings to thank male zergs were usually brief. He Qin mostly just needed to accept the award and take some photos to conclude the main proceedings.
Backstage, the first person he saw was Rhys, who had probably been waiting there for a while. He Qin’s stern expression instantly broke, and he hugged the female zerg around the waist, giving him a kiss in front of everyone.
The single female zergs backstage looked at the Major General with envy but could only admire from afar.
They didn’t have the courage to compete with the Major General for the male zerg.
A few female zergs had stared a bit too long at Lord He Qin during the award ceremony. As soon as they got off the stage, they were met with the Major General’s dark expression, causing them to scramble away as fast as they could.
“Rhys, look at this card. Isn’t it beautiful?” He Qin pulled the female zerg into a secluded shadowy spot and happily handed him the card and medal he had just received.
Like a young zerg eager for praise from its elders.
“It’s beautiful. I heard this card is specially made by the Chief Executive officer. There’s only one in the entire zerg clan.”
Hearing this, the male zerg proudly tilted his chin, revealing his beautiful jawline to Rhys.
With his face full of ‘seeking praise,’ Rhys had no choice but to circle around and lavish compliments.
“Where have you two been? Turns out you found such a hidden spot. I hope I’m not interrupting?” Ryan, facing away from He Qin, covered his eyes with one hand and waved the other up and down.
“Turn your head around. We’re not doing anything inappropriate.”
Do the male zergs think of anything besides reproduction?
“There’s a banquet later. Do you want to come? There will be a lot of delicious meat.” Ryan handed the banquet invitation to the young male zerg.
The banquet was hosted by Barton, and all the guests were male zergs. However, each male could bring a family member or companion. He Qin was one of the male zergs Barton had instructed Ryan to invite.
“Can I bring my partner?” He Qin was not comfortable leaving Rhys, who was carrying an egg, in a place where other males might show up at any moment.
“Yes, yes. I’m going there now. Why don’t we go together?” Ryan hadn’t brought his female lord or female servant today and was worried about having no company. Luckily, He Qin had appeared.
Gatherings among male zergs were somewhat like twisted aristocratic social events.
At such banquets, one could always find elegantly dressed male zergs gathered to drink and chat.
Sometimes, there would be certain male zergs who brought female zergs, who were often pitiful ‘trade goods’ and ‘entertainment items.’
For instance, on this dazzling round platform, there was a female zerg bound with black ropes.
The female zerg had only one piece of cloth covering the important parts and was posed in a humiliating position with legs spread, facing the door.
The incoming male zergs admired him like a finely crafted artwork, sharing their thoughts with companions without anyone showing sympathy for the bound female zerg.
“Little Qin, come here. This dessert is super delicious. You have to try it.” Ryan ignored the ‘artwork’ and pulled He Qin by the sleeve toward the dessert table.
In the entire banquet hall, there weren’t many males who brought female zergs. Rhys, with his tall figure and silver hair, stood out among the shorter male zergs, drawing many disgusting gazes from the other males.
He Qin’s face turned grim, and he tightened his grip on Rhys’s hand.
“Let’s get some food and sit over there for a while.” He Qin pointed to a sofa in the corner and suggested to Ryan.
When He Qin said this, his disdain for some of the male zergs was quite evident.
Ryan smiled wryly and agreed readily.
For someone like him who had grown up in the empire, this was a minor scene. Private parties hosted by male zergs with special fetishes were where real boundaries were broken.
The corner they chose had no glaring lights or groups of male zergs and was conveniently blocked from most views by a pillar.
“Master, try this.” Rhys picked a delicate cake from the plate. “It’s a cake made from crushed dairy fruit seeds, with a strong milk flavor.”
Rhys had participated in such gatherings of male zergs before.
At that time, he was only fifteen years old when Qi Lun used his female father as leverage to force him to attend a private gathering hosted by a certain male zerg.
It was said to broaden his horizons, but in reality, it was to offer him up for selection by interested male zergs.
Just a little more, and he wouldn’t have become a major general, nor would he have met the male lord.
Rhys can still vividly remember the appearance of the male lord who saved him from Ramon.
A drunken male zerg fell to the ground, got up, and saw the female zerg cowering in the corner. “Hey, isn’t this our empire’s major general? What, did your male lord finally decide to share you?”
Rhys didn’t want to cause trouble for his male lord, so he didn’t argue with the drunkard, letting him rant and rave in his ear while blocking out the foul language. He clutched the coat He Qin had taken off, not turning his head even once.
“Hey, you! How dare a lowly female zerg ignore me?” The drunkard, annoyed by the lack of response, staggered closer to the major general.
Slumped on the sofa, the drunkard reached out to grab Rhys, “Ah, who, let go.” The male zerg’s scream was drowned out by the deafening music, and no one noticed what was happening in the little corner.
He Qin, afraid of looking bad in his fitted clothes, hadn’t eaten much for breakfast and was starving. After telling Rhys, he went to the bar to get some meat.
He was only gone for a moment, but when he returned, he saw a drunkard harassing his wife.
“Get lost. If I see you near my female lord again, don’t blame me for what happens.” He Qin, breathing heavily, tried to calm his urge to break the male zerg’s wrist right then and there.
But reasoning with a drunkard was pointless, and threatening an arrogant, drunk male zerg only made things worse.
“So what if you’re an A-grade male zerg? Do you even know who I am?” The male zerg stood up, leaning on the sofa.
In the zerg race, bloodline grade and lineage determined a male zerg’s social status. Some male zergs with low bloodline grades could still be untouchable figures in the empire due to their royal or noble lineage.
As time passed, royal male zerg bloodlines became increasingly rare. This F-grade male zerg was from a lesser royal bloodline.
“A royal descendant? So what?” He Qin sneered.
The drunk male zerg, feeling his pride was at stake, swung a limp fist at He Qin’s face.
The punch missed He Qin, and the male zerg stumbled over the table leg, nearly falling onto Rhys’s stomach.
He Qin pushed the drunkard away, his head hitting the pillar with a thud. “Get lost.” His deep, displeased voice made the drunk male zerg shrink back, not daring to make another move.
“You’ll regret this.” The drunk male zerg clutched his head. His F-grade bloodline was no match for an A-grade male zerg. The banquet hall was filled with the sudden aroma of ginger blossoms.
In the center of the banquet, a plainly dressed but extraordinarily charismatic male zerg was skillfully navigating the crowd. Despite being surrounded by adoring male fans, he maintained his composure, patiently answering the younger males’ questions.
“Excuse me, I have something to take care of. Can you give me a moment?” He freed himself from the young male zergs and followed the scent to the corner behind the pillar.
“Haiman?”
“Brother Woody?” Grasping at straws, the male zerg named Haiman suddenly became arrogant, “Brother, help me teach him a lesson, he bullied me.”
The older male zerg moved slightly, forcefully twisting Haiman’s ear, “You little rascal, what are you up to now? Did you provoke someone again?”
Seeing Haiman’s flushed cheeks, it was clear he had drunk too much.
“Ow, brother, brother, let go, my ear is going to be torn off.” Haiman tilted his head, pleading pitifully.
It was just like a gentle and tolerant older brother teaching his mischievous younger sibling a lesson.
Woody let go and took Haiman aside, scolding him a bit more, then brought him to He Qin.
“Sorry, He Qin.” The male zerg, chastised by his brother, lowered his head and reluctantly apologized.
Finally finding a reasonable male zerg in the empire, He Qin smiled and replied, “Drink less and don’t do this again.”
Rhys, who had kept his head down, curiously glanced up at this reasonable male zerg.
Haiman was of a lesser royal bloodline, which meant this lord was of true royal blood.
He was knowledgeable and astute; this lord had been the empire’s most outstanding male zerg from a young age. A year ago, he was nominated as a candidate for chief executive officer, and now he was Barton’s main competitor.
“Major General Rhys, your heroic deeds are known far and wide. Thank you for repeatedly securing peace for the zerg race.” As expected of the empire’s finest male zerg, Woody showed the same respect to female zergs as he did to male zergs.
“Thank you for the compliment.” He Qin, feeling territorial like a beast, stepped between Woody and Rhys.
“You are? The male zerg who facilitated our race’s diplomatic relations with Earth? Lord He Qin, hello, my name is Woody Hill.”
“Oh, no, no, you overpraise me.” Embarrassed by the praise, He Qin smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
Soon, this popular male zerg lord was called away to handle some business.
On the way back, Rhys, uncharacteristically, kept talking to He Qin about ‘Woody Hill’s’ heroic deeds and good deeds.
Thus, as Rhys’s male lord, He Qin got jealous!
“How do you know him so well?”
“When I was fifteen, Qi Lun took me to a male zerg gathering and nearly presented me as a gift to one of the male zergs. It was Lord Hill who saved me. After becoming a major general, I sent Jack to investigate him, and it turned out he was Lord Hill.”
“Oh, really, your savior.”
After returning home, Rhys fully understood what a jealous male zerg was like.
The next day, with his waist so weak he couldn’t get out of bed, Rhys had to ask Jack to take a leave of absence for him.
After lying in bed all day, the empire’s major general finally regained strength in his limbs and waist.