APUTFFZG Chapter 34.2

Translator: Deyonna

Tip me

"No, no, no, no!"

The military female immediately waved his hands in refusal. Afraid Ye Er would insist on paying, he backed away abruptly and hurried out of the corridor.

But at the corner, he bumped into a comrade who had been waiting there. They both cried out in pain at the same time. "Fuck... why are you running? Is His Excellency Ye Er really that scary?"

But when he got a good hold of the military female, he saw that his face was as red as a monkey's butt, and his ears looked ready to let off steam. "What's wrong with you? Why is your face so red??"

"...Go see for yourself!"

The military female huffed and puffed for a while before forcing out those words, and no matter how the other zergs urged him, he refused to say what had happened.

"Why are you being so mysterious? Although His Excellency Ye Er is very good-looking, has a great personality, is empathetic and generous, is willing to give the hospital low-cost support, and is also very good to his female zerg... Fuck, with all that, I can kind of understand now."

While the military female was dealing with his persistent comrades, Ye Er, completely unaware, closed the ward door and carried the insulated lunch boxes back in.

From the outside, the lunch boxes looked plain and simple, but when opened they revealed how sumptuous the food inside was. It couldn't possibly have come from the cafeteria. It must have been specially packed from a restaurant.

Ye Er sent Elaine a sum of money and got a puzzled message in reply.

[Elaine: What's wrong, Your Excellency?]

[wwn: This is for the meal. Thank you for your trouble.]

[Elaine: What meal? I was just about to ask whether I should have a meal delivered to you. Did someone already send you one?]

[Elaine: If it was a military female, it's not a problem. They must be Alvin's subordinates. They prepared it especially to thank you.]

Ye Er looked thoughtfully at the table full of dishes, still steaming as if they had just come out of the pot.

The zergs who had delivered the food seemed afraid he wouldn't eat enough. The rice and dishes were packed tight, with seafood and meat taking up most of the space, an incredibly large portion he couldn't possibly finish.

He smiled silently and handed the chopsticks to Xi Ze. "Eat."

---

Since Xi Ze's postoperative condition was better than expected, Ye Er was able to take him home the next day.

A few hours later, several kinds of exercise equipment recommended by the doctor were delivered to the entrance hall.

015 huffed and puffed as it carried the large packages into the living room, then began excitedly unboxing them. "Whoa! What's this? ... And this one. What's this?"

Ye Er watched it unbox things with interest, picked up a piece of equipment, weighed it in his hands, and passed it to Xi Ze beside him. "Rehabilitation training. You should know more about it than I do."

Xi Ze took it and ran his fingertips over its rough surface, the corners of his lips curving slightly.

"Yes, that's what I'm good at. How to maximize recovery and bring out the body's full potential, and become a qualified..."

War machine.

He said it quietly so the male zerg wouldn't overhear.

The rehabilitation equipment was set up in the corner of the living room, right next to 015's charging station, and became the female zerg's private training ground.

Xi Ze had a complete training system of his own, and he was very disciplined. Every day when Ye Er passed through the living room, he could see him doing rehabilitation exercises at a fixed time.

The female zerg's injuries had healed a lot. At the very least, the external wounds had completely healed over and scabbed, so he had a much wider range of clothing to choose from.

Instead of slippery silk pajamas or soft sweaters, he preferred clothes that were neat and easy to move in.

For example, a tight-fitting black tank top and very durable, hard-wearing camouflage pants.

The tank top hugged his full, beautiful muscles, showing off his broad shoulders, strong arms, and plump, firm chest, with almost no wrinkles in the fabric.

Even the two straps were stretched a little thin, perched precariously on his shoulders as if they might snap at any moment.

Next to his full chest, his waist was remarkably slender. Ye Er could have fit the web between his thumb and forefinger neatly into the dip of that waist and pinched it. On top of that, his upper abdominal muscles were well defined, each one holding immense strength.

The dark camouflage pants were made of rough fabric that rubbed against the wound on his knee, but it was still bearable once he had wrapped it in gauze.

The pants were a bit loose, and the tank top was tucked into the high waist, making him look neat and tidy and showing off Xi Ze's two long, powerful legs perfectly.

Usually Ye Er wouldn't let him walk around in just a tank top and military pants. After all, the idea of wearing more clothes in winter was deeply ingrained in him.

So most of the time, the female zerg would put on a loose white shirt, giving off a sweet scent like cake.

But during exercise, he didn't care about any of that.

The female zerg was always steaming hot, but out of consideration for Ye Er, he refrained from taking off his tank top. Still, the exposed parts were always covered in crystal-clear sweat that ran down the grooves between his well-defined muscles.

Whether from hormonal imbalance or his body's incomplete recovery, he would unconsciously release pheromones during exercise, and his whole body gave off a faint, bitter scent.

So every time he saw Ye Er coming, he stiffened a little. He would only relax and approach the male zerg of his own accord after showering and dispersing the lingering pheromones.

Now and then, when Ye Er had some free time, he went to watch the female zerg train as a way to rest his eyes and mind.

---

"How do I use this? Can you teach me?"

After Xi Ze finally finished his training for the day and came out of the bathroom, Ye Er picked up a metal ball from the floor with great interest and asked.

Much of the zerg world was very different from the human world. Their highly advanced technology, wrapped in simple outward appearances, had once made it hard for Ye Er, an alien, to live a normal life.

"First press here to start it, then grab the middle with your hand..."

Since there was only one metal ball, Xi Ze pointed at the object in Ye Er's hand and gestured deftly.

"Like this?"

Ye Er seemed to understand vaguely, but after fumbling for a long time, he still couldn't find the power switch.

Xi Ze came up behind him and gently laid his hand over the back of the male zerg's hand, holding the ball and guiding him with his fingers.

Because he was so focused on teaching by hand, Xi Ze bent slightly at the waist, his other hand resting at Ye Er's side, unaware that he was almost enclosing the male zerg in his arms.

They were very close. Xi Ze's nose almost touched the hair at Ye Er's temple.

The still-hot breath dyed that patch of skin a faint blush, as if a hidden undercurrent were quietly stirring under the skin.

"Then what should I do?"

Ye Er frowned. Although he had been taught the basics, he was still a little clumsy, and he turned his head instinctively to ask Xi Ze.

But he didn't notice that they were already too close for sudden movements—

When he glanced at the female zerg's lowered eyelashes, he had a vague feeling that something wasn't right, but he couldn't stop halfway.

His lips unexpectedly brushed against something soft and, carried by inertia, glided on a short distance, stopping just before their noses collided.

Ye Er's eyes reflected the female zerg's slightly startled expression, and his body fit snugly in the other's arms, so intimate it was as if they were tightly cuddling.

He blinked slowly, his long eyelashes almost brushing the female zerg's face.

Neither of them dared to breathe, so there was no mingling of breath. The air was so still it was almost stagnant.

Xi Ze's pupils constricted slightly, and his hand froze instantly.

The male zerg seemed stunned, his eyes slowly widening. Those dark, moist eyes were like a deep pool in a damp cave, unknowingly luring travelers in.

Ye Er's full, soft lips still rested against Xi Ze's cheek. A burning breath was lodged in Xi Ze's throat, like a play frozen at its climax, silent yet marvelous.

They had done more intimate things before, even exchanged pheromones and mental power, but none of that had made Xi Ze's heart tremble like this unfinished kiss.

It was a deeper, more hidden feeling, one that couldn't see the light of day* and couldn't be spoken of.

*Literally "all black, no daylight" (idiom)

A few seconds later, Ye Er turned his head as if nothing had happened and went on playing with the ball, moving it up and down. "Is this right?... I think I get it. Uh, I should get it."

Actually, he was just playing around aimlessly and had no idea what he was saying. He only wanted to make some noise to ease the awkwardness and get past the moment quickly.

Xi Ze said nothing. His hand was still holding the male zerg's hand, helping him steady the heavy object.

The device looked small, but because of its design, you could sprain a wrist if you weren't careful.

Perhaps because the atmosphere was so stiff, 015 poked its head out as it passed. "What are you doing? You've been standing there for so long."

Ye Er finally came to his senses and realized what he was doing. He set the ball aside and coughed lightly. "It's nothing."

"Keep training. I'm going back to my room."

He had completely forgotten that the female zerg had already finished training and even taken a shower. As he spoke, his gaze wandered, and he didn't dare look at Xi Ze's face even once. He hurried back to his room before Xi Ze could finish answering.

"...Okay."

Xi Ze answered in a hoarse voice, his eyes following the male zerg's slightly flustered profile.

The male zerg's trembling eyelashes made his Adam's apple itch, and he knew very well that a cough couldn't dispel it... It was an incredibly strange feeling.

As the door closed, silence settled over the living room again.

Only the whirr of 015's wheels and the soft rustle of snowflakes falling through the air remained, enough to cover and embellish everything.

But they couldn't stop the longing and desire growing wild in the dark, silently gathering into swirling undercurrents.

They were waiting for the moment when countless streams would converge into a mighty river, break through the thousand-mile dam with unstoppable force, and surge and roar into a new beginning.

☰