Fan Lan lazily leaned against the sofa, allowing the handsome female Zerg in front of him to fiddle with the decorative item at his collar with the cautious attitude of a tactical researcher.
The latter helped him tie his bowtie, inspected it for a moment, then frowned in dissatisfaction and untied it. After the fifth change—switching from a cobalt blue bowtie to a dark purple silk ribbon—when the hand, previously known for its decisive actions, seemed to be suffering from a case of indecision for the sixth time, Fan Lan finally raised his hand, pressed down on Leicester’s wrist, moved it away, and then yanked off the dark purple satin ribbon. He then unbuttoned two of the shirt collar buttons that were originally fastened to the top
His movements were very casual, revealing his slender white neck and well-shaped collarbone. The snake-like pattern at the end of his left collarbone was half hidden and half visible. The originally dignified and elegant style instantly added a bit of careless rogue spirit, making one want to look deeper into his collar or simply drown in the shadow cast by the curve of his collarbone.
Fan Lan raised an eyebrow at Leicester. “How’s this?”
The heir of the Chiraso family hadn’t yet withdrawn his gaze from Fan Lan’s collar, decisively abandoning the expensive ornaments in his hands.
After trying on the outfit for tomorrow’s birthday banquet, the two left Fan Lan’s dressing room and went to the restaurant to join General Raphael and his male lord, Carmé, for dinner.
Yes, Fan Lan’s dressing room.
Inside, there were servants who regularly replaced the fashionable clothes, shoes, and hats made to Fan Lan’s size, as well as various luxury accessories Leicester had impulsively bought online.
Fan Lan, in the Chiraso family, not only had a dressing room, but also a painting studio, a library, a game room, a biological garden, and so on. If he hadn’t strictly refused, he might have even had a toy house that would make all the ten-year-old Zerg cubs cry with envy.
And if it weren’t for the fact that he used to be a rational adult, it’s hard to imagine what kind of extravagant second-generation ancestor he would have become under such nurturing conditions.
General Raphael truly regarded him as his own child, not just because he was a male Zerg. To be honest, although the overall social atmosphere of the Zerg planet is male-dominated, this “respect” is more like Earth’s “ladies first,” a courtesy towards weaker or rarer groups, while real power is mostly held by the strong female Zerg who control the military.
The male superiority and female inferiority of the zerg race may be true among the general public. Most civilian female zergs do expect to be lucky enough to meet male zergs and develop a relationship that is envied by others.
However, for females in positions of power, males are not that rare. Although it is inevitable for female zergs to chase the males, there is never a lack of male zergs around females from aristocratic families. On the contrary, beautiful male zergs with ordinary backgrounds often target females from high-class families—perhaps it’s their version of “marrying into a prestigious family”?
Therefore, General Raphael’s paternal care for Fan Lan wasn’t just because of his identity as a male Zerg, but more due to a connection from his father’s generation—his female father, the general’s former adjutant, who had died on the battlefield saving Raphael.
Putting aside the old stories, when Fan Lan and Leicester arrived at the dining room, the general and his male partner, Carmé, were already seated in the main seats waiting for them.
The Chiraso family had a vast influence and many members, but only General Raphael’s line, as the head of the family, resided permanently at the main household. Although Carmé, who had a marriage contract with the general, had a few female servants and concubines, they all lived in the other two side houses or their own residences. Rather than being wives, they were more like servants, staff, or business partners related to the Chiraso family’s industries. Children born from these female servants and female slaves didn’t belong to the Chiraso family, but usually took Carmé’s surname, but some of them also served or worked in the Chiraso family due to their abilities and relationships.
Leicester has only one biological brother, his mysterious older brother, Lyon, a mysterious female who has been in the research institute for many years and is a scientist who is expected to win the Lobel Prize. Fan Lan had only met him a few times over the past ten years, and he seemed much quieter and more absent-minded compared to the arrogant and confident Leicester.
Thus, there were only four Zergs at this dinner. The atmosphere at the table was relaxed, mostly consisting of small talks. General Raphael asked about Fan Lan’s recent situation, studies, and future plans, and, as usual, reminded him to visit home more often.
“Time flies, A’lan is about to come of age,” Carmé sighed gently, his watery blue eyes gazing at Fan Lan lovingly, as if he was looking at a male cub that had just broken out of its shell and was about to take flight.
Fan Lan glanced at Leicester, who was chewing non-stop. The latter shrugged and gave him a helpless look, so Fan Lan skillfully put on a good boy’s smile and half-amused, half-resigned, endured yet another round of the elders’ concern. Carmé was… to describe it in Fan Lan’s words, a very motherly male Zerg. Admittedly, during the time he first woke up and moved into the Chiraso household, Carmé played a part of the role of a mother. Unlike most male Zerg, who were arrogant and indulgent, Carmé has a gentle temperament like water, which might be why he attracted the strong, cold General Raphael, who was rumored to have never been close to males.
“Have you found a little female Zerg you like? You’ll soon be at the social age after you turn twenty. I wonder which lucky female cub will catch our A’lan’s eye…”
The “social age” was one of the societal systems of the Zerg. While the Zerg no longer had mandatory marriage matchmaking, to increase the chances of male-female pairings, unmarried adult males were required to regularly accept dating requests from females.
Leicester didn’t like this topic, so he finally stopped eating and, clicking his tongue, spoke for Fan Lan, “Father, you don’t have to worry about this guy. Females who like him are lined up from Capital Star to Demar Star. Which female would he like? … Ha.”
Carmé shook his head, “It’s different. That’s because Alan hasn’t grown up yet. It will be different after he turns 20.”
“Are you talking about hormone growth? Come on, why don’t I have it?”
“You’re an exception. Like father, like son, like wood…haha”
“…”
General Raphael, who was caught in the crossfire, froze for a moment, and Fan Lan couldn’t help but laugh. He kicked Leicester under the table, signaling him to stop arguing with Carmé.
The meal was very enjoyable. Before it ended, the general raised his glass and said happy birthday to Fan Lan, followed by Carmé, and finally Leicester. The four cups collided with each other, making a crisp sound, as if knocking on an unknown door.
“To our soon-to-be adult A’lan—your Zerg life has just begun.”
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