APUTFFZG Chapter 36.2

Translator: Deyonna

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After a moment of hesitation, Ye Er couldn't help turning to the sallow female zerg. "Doctor Xie, are you all right?"

Xie Zhao forced a dry, fake smile and, with great insight, babbled a stream of crazy nonsense to help Xi Ze cover for his calm.

"Your Excellency, healing from post-traumatic stress is a long process and can't be rushed at all. I'm doing my best to treat it, and the patient is making an effort to cooperate*, too. However, this involves..."

*Said as if through gritted teeth: making-an-effort-to-coo-pe-rate

Bombarded with a stream of complex, obscure professional terms, Ye Er visibly fell into deep thought.

The hand resting in Xi Ze's hair went still. The female zerg half closed his eyes and lowered his head, his nose gently brushing the male zerg's hand. The contact was subtle, like the unconscious dependence and closeness of a young animal.

Tsk. Xie Zhao sighed again.

So impressive. He acts so convincingly that even I, with a PhD in psychology, can't spot any sign of performance.

"In short, if someone suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, it's less about doctors and medication than it seems. The most important thing is the love and companionship of the zergs closest to them, to keep the condition from getting worse."

Holding to his professional ethics as a doctor, Xie Zhao went on with his advice.

"If possible, you could use more physical contact and encouragement, and make reasonable use of pheromones and mental power to ease the patient's insomnia and anxiety..."

His hope was that Ye Er would treat this military female better so there would be no retaliation later, and that Xi Ze would suffer less and live more comfortably, so that if they eventually fell out, it wouldn't be so brutal.

Ye Er nodded thoughtfully. After a long "Hmm," he said, "I see... I understand now."

---

The hovercar taking them home passed a certain place. Ye Er's gaze flickered, and he called out to the driver to stop.

"There's a spot up ahead where we can stop. Let's get off there."

The hovercar pulled up at a bustling market, and the sounds of the crowd could be heard faintly.

Xi Ze instinctively took a step back into the shadows and looked at the eager Ye Er beside him. "Male Lord?"

"This is the edge of an unregulated area. The residents formed a wild market here on their own, and it's very close to home. Let's buy some food here and walk back in a few minutes."

Ye Er pulled a mask out of his down jacket pocket and handed it to Xi Ze. "Here, put this on."

"...Okay." Xi Ze's eyelashes fluttered as he took the black mask.

Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, there were an especially large number of zergs shopping at the market. Just walking meant brushing shoulders with those nearby, and the road was packed tight.

"Stay close to me as we go in."

Xi Ze pressed his fingers to the mask and followed Ye Er stiffly into the throng, overwhelmed by the extraordinary bustle.

He hadn't walked openly on a street like this in five years. It wasn't so much fear he felt as a sense of strangeness, of being lost, of not knowing which way to go.

Xi Ze's footsteps gradually slowed to a stop as he watched Ye Er's figure quickly vanish into the surging crowd.

He pursed his lips and took a few more steps forward, but he had completely lost his sense of direction.

"...Male Lord?"

Xi Ze opened his mouth but didn't notice that his throat was hoarse and no sound came out.

He stood there helpless for a moment, then suddenly remembered he could make a call. Just as he hesitated, the dense tide of zergs in front of him was forcefully parted, leaving a gap—

Half of the male zerg's body poked out from inside, his hair squeezed and sticking up in a mess as he glared at him.

"Didn't I tell you to stay close to me?"

Before Xi Ze could explain anything, Ye Er grabbed his wrist so he wouldn't get lost again and kept pushing into the surging crowd ahead of them.

The male zerg's grip was very tight, and his knuckles had turned pale pink from the cold. Gripping the sleeve of Xi Ze's black wool coat, his hand looked like finely carved, polished mutton-fat jade, yet far more resilient and powerful than jade.

Xi Ze's eyelashes fluttered, his gaze fixed on the male zerg's back, almost unwilling to look away even for a second.

"This must be the place."

Ye Er struggled to pull the female zerg out into an open spot and looked up at the shop sign in front of them. "I heard the pancakes rolled around crisp fritters here are really delicious."

Xi Ze had already regained his composure. At this, he turned his head to look at him. "Then, Male Lord, you should find a place to sit first, and I'll go queue up to buy some, okay?"

Ye Er thought it over for a moment. The best plan would have been for the female zerg to buy food while he bought drinks, saving time. But... they weren't in a hurry, so it was fine to take their time in line.

He had been busy with work, and Xi Ze had added to his responsibilities on top of that. He hadn't stepped outside the triangle of the library, home, and hospital in a long time.

Suddenly, being out like this felt quite pleasant.

They waited in the long line, occasionally exchanging a few words about what delicious things were nearby. When their turn came, they picked their fillings and ended up with two steaming pancakes. The same vendor also sold fruit and vegetable juice, so they bought that too without having to queue again.

Behind the market was a park, quiet and comfortable. Many of the zergs who bought food found a chair and sat down right there to eat.

The two luxurious pancakes rolled around crisp fritters were stuffed so full they nearly overflowed, steaming hot and giving off an enticing aroma.

At the first bite, the slightly charred, crispy skin crunched, and when the tip of the tongue met the rich, fragrant filling, the flavors came together in an incredible taste that stormed the taste buds.

Ye Er focused on his lunch and ate bite after bite. When he finished, he tied up the bag and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Then, with a pop, he punctured the juice box and sipped slowly through the straw.

Suddenly Ye Er remembered something. He pulled an item from his pocket and handed it to Xi Ze. "Here, this is for you."

"What is it?"

Xi Ze had already finished his lunch and was leaning back in the chair, waiting for the male zerg to finish his juice. At the question, he reached out and took the box.

He opened the box a crack and caught a glimpse of a silvery-blue gleam. His pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly snapped the lid shut.

Xixili ore.

Precious, rare, extremely valuable. It could... promote bone wing regrowth.

The male zerg had casually handed him the ore, as lightly as he would a mask or a pancake, as if there were no difference between them at all.

Xi Ze's voice was slightly hoarse, his fingers tightening constantly around the box. "This is..."

Ye Er caught his reaction and swallowed the juice in his mouth.

"Xixili ore. Alvin said it could promote bone wing regrowth, but he doesn't know exactly how to use it or what it does. You can take it back and experiment with it. Let's treat a dead horse as a living one."*

*To keep trying everything in a desperate situation

With his guess confirmed, Xi Ze's Adam's apple bobbed, and he could hardly speak.

He wanted to ask why Ye Er was giving him something so precious.

But the male zerg in front of him was always like this: he never asked where something came from or why, never asked for anything in return. He acted on what his heart wanted and had his own strange set of principles.

If he asked now, the male zerg would surely say something about "life above all," and giving him the ore would be perfectly normal.

A familiar yet unfamiliar whisper suddenly echoed in his mind. Its tone was gentle, but its words were full of cold calculation. He had believed it firmly for so many years, only to find that it wasn't a cruel truth after all—

Everything has a price tag. Whatever you want, you must trade something of equal or greater value for it.

Love and care come with clearly defined terms, too. If you want Female Father to love you, you have to prove your worth and not be outshone by your other siblings. Do you understand?

Xi Ze's breathing grew heavier. He instinctively tightened his grip on the box. Its hard, sharp corners dug painfully into his palm, but he couldn't bring himself to let go.

He had seen too much unconditional hatred, but this was the first time he had felt unconditional love so distinctly.

In an instant, it felt as if the rope that had been tightening around his neck had loosened a knot and let in a rush of sweet air he had never breathed before, almost addictive.

"So moved?"

Ye Er watched the female zerg's reddened eyes with interest, then thought of the various things he had been hiding. Wicked thoughts stirred in him, and he pinched Xi Ze's chin and turned his face toward him—

"Truth or dare? If you don't speak, it counts as truth. I ask, you answer. No lying. If you can't say it, just say you can't. Got it?"

He didn't wait for a response before deciding for him, but then got stuck on the first question. After thinking for a long time, he finally asked, "You... shouldn't be a wanted criminal or the leader of a star pirate group, right?"

Ye Er suddenly wondered about this himself. He didn't much care about social status as long as their stance wasn't too warped*.

*At the very least, they shouldn't betray their class or sell out their political principles for self-interest

Though, judging from Xi Ze's behavior and background, the chance that this guess was right was very small.

Xi Ze closed his eyes, composed the emotions on his face, and chuckled softly. "Don't worry. I'm not a criminal. My reputation points on the citizen record are quite high."

Not just high.

Ye Er recalled that the female zerg seemed to have made many unknown enemies, and he began to worry wearily.

"You said before you've made a lot of enemies? Will those zergs target me and try to assassinate me? I've heard interstellar assassins are insane. They don't care about status or gender. Once they catch their target, it's a bullet to the head."

"Not at all. You can rest assured."

Xi Ze lowered his eyes to look at him, his voice calm and confident, soothing the faint sense of danger that had risen in Ye Er's heart.

"As long as I'm alive, I won't let any harm come to you."

He said it so casually that it should have sounded arrogant. But it wasn't a declaration of love so much as a plain truth that seemed to be simply so.

"Quite a bold statement."

Ye Er raised an eyebrow slightly, let go, and then mussed up the female zerg's hair, breaking his deadpan look and adding a touch of vivid embarrassment.

He finally let out a breath of frustration, but he still seemed a bit unhappy and half-jokingly complained, "But you've kept too many things from me."

Xi Ze's eyelashes trembled. "I'm sorry, I..."

"I'll forgive you for now."

Ye Er cut him off gently, gazing at the scenery ahead. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "Tell me everything when the time is right."

"Okay."

☰