As soon as the matter on Femir Star was settled, Quan Yan(1st brother) handed over his tasks to his adjutant and hurried off to Kato Star. The little guy was sick, and he couldn’t rest easy without seeing him.
Upon his return, he happened to meet Wei’an, who was hiding in the living room because he didn’t want to get the injection, and Quan Yu, who was covering him.
Seeing his brother arrive, Wei’an immediately ran out from behind the couch, hiding behind his brother’s legs. He grabbed his trouser legs and looked at him eagerly, “Brother, I don’t want injections.”
Quan Yan looked down at Wei’an and then at Quan Yu, who had his arms outstretched, standing fiercely in front of Qiao Song. His gaze finally landed on the needle gleaming coldly in Qiao Song’s hand.
He couldn’t bear the thought of that needle piercing Wei’an’s body. Just imagining it made him feel unsettled.
Quan Yan shifted slightly, completely shielding Wei’an, his dark red eyes fixed on Qiao Song with a warning that dared him to step forward.
Qiao Song looked speechlessly at Quan Yu who was standing in front of him and Quan Yan who was standing in front of Wei’an. The characters of the females of this family were exactly the same. He sighed and explained, “Wei’an still has a fever that hasn’t gone down. This shot would help bring it down faster.”
The implication was clear: if the fever doesn’t go down, it’s on you guys!
Hiding behind his brother, Wei’an kept shaking his head, occasionally glancing at the needle in Qiao Song’s hand. His bright blue eyes were filled with fear as he spoke in his small, baby soft voice, full of rejection, “No shot, no shot. Wei’an can get better on his own.”
Quan Yu, who was a little hesitant, immediately stood firm and said, “No way! He’s not getting a shot!”
Quan Chu, who was about to come down to catch Wei’an, saw Quan Yan and promptly turned around to leave.
What can he say? Watching little Wei’an, who’s usually so soft and sweet, always smiling with his eyes crooked, go through an injection is something this female father just can’t handle.
Even Alhandra couldn’t bear to watch, which is why he had passed the task of convincing Wei’an to get a shot onto Quan Chu.
In the living room, Quan Yan looked at Wei’an’s still-flushed little face, torn for the first time in his life. He wanted the little cub’s fever to go down quickly, but he couldn’t bring himself to force him to endure the pain of the injection, especially when Wei’an was looking up at him helplessly with fear in his eyes.
When the two sides were in a stalemate, “This injection is very expensive. If Wei’an doesn’t take it, we can only give it your brother Quan Yu.”
Wei’an’s, who was hiding behind his brother, wrinkled little his face and said, “No, don’t give it to my brother.”
“One of you has to take it, or else it’ll go to waste,” Qiao Song said, deliberately keeping his tone stern.
Wei’an, flustered, quickly replied, “Wei’an will pay for it! That way it won’t be wasted.”
“That won’t work. You don’t have enough money.”
Hearing this, Wei’an looked up at his brother for help. Quan Yan met his gaze and, after a brief moment of thought, shook his head and whispered, “I don’t have enough either.”
Pondering for a moment, Wei’an pulled out his communicator and made a video call to his brother Quan Lu, who often gave him pocket money.
When the call connected, Wei’an looked up hopefully at Quan Lu. “Brother, Wei’an doesn’t have enough money?”
Quan Lu’s gaze lingered on his unnaturally flushed face before he processed what he was saying.
He was a bit surprised. With the amount of money he had given Wei’an, it should be more than enough to buy even a starship or mech, so how could he not have enough?
Just as Quan Lu was about to transfer more money to Wei’an’s account, he caught Quan Yan subtly shaking his head.
Stopping his action, Quan Lu asked, “What are you trying to buy that you don’t have enough money for?”
Wei’an explained with gestures with his hands and feet, and after understanding the situation, Quan Lu furrowed his brow, pretending to be in a difficult spot. “I lent all my money to a friend a few days ago. I don’t have any left now.”
Wei’an didn’t understand the concept of lending, but he did understand that his brother Quan Lu had no money either.
He bulged his cheeks depressedly. If even the richest brother Quan Lu didn’t have money, the other brothers definitely wouldn’t either. And without money, he’d have to get the shot. The more he thought about it, the more Wei’an wanted to cry. His bright blue eyes quickly filled with tears, and his small hands clung tightly to his brother’s pants.
The pitiful sight was too much for Quan Yan, a battle-hardened female Zerg, to handle. He was about to say something when Quan Yu spoke up first.
“I’ll take the shot. I’m not afraid of pain,” Quan Yu said, patting his chest confidently.
Hearing this, Wei’an quickly shook his head. “No, don’t give it to my brother. It’ll hurt a lot.”
After looking at Quan Yu, who was the same height as him, and then at the needle, Wei’an finally summoned his courage. Taking on the responsibility of being the older brother, he gritted his little teeth and moved in front of Qiao Song. “Y-you have to be very gentle with Wei’an, okay? Very, very gentle.”
A hint of amusement flickered in Qiao Song’s eyes as he nodded in agreement. Actually, the shot wasn’t even necessary. He had just heard that Wei’an had eaten two tubs of ice cream and two popsicles the other afternoon, so he figured this would be a good way to teach him a lesson and make sure he wouldn’t do it again.
As the fearless commander Quan Yan stood nearby, the sight of little Wei’an with his little butt exposed and about to get a shot, made him turn his head away, unable to watch. His hands, hanging at his sides, repeatedly clenched and unclenched.
Beside him, Quan Yu also quickly turned away and shut his eyes tightly, refusing to look.
After the shot, Wei’an pursed his lips, trying to hold back his tears, but eventually failed. “Wuuu… wuuu…” He began to cry, large teardrops falling one after another, wetting his long lashes.
Crying and feeling wronged, he stretched out his arms toward Quan Yan, asking for a hug, “Brother, hug~.”
His tears and sobs were like a hammer striking the softest part of Quan Yan’s heart. Several times Quan Yan crouched down, ready to embrace him, but then lowered his hand again.
Suddenly, Quan Yu rushed forward, pushing aside Quan Yan’s hand and hugging Wei’an tightly. His black eyes were also brimming with tears as he kept saying, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, brother, don’t cry.”
When Quan Ci and Quan Yan arrived, this was the scene they saw. They had traveled day and night, and hurriedly approached to comfort Wei’an, holding him tenderly.
In the backyard of Alhandra Manor, Papar Xing sat on a chair, deliberately avoiding the scene of Wei’an getting the shot. He looked up at the golden leaves on the treetops, squinting his eyes before calling out to the military female secretly guarding him.
Seeing Quan Yi, he smiled faintly. “I wasn’t wrong—today, it’s you in charge of me.”
Quan Yi stared at him coldly without a word.
“You’re secretly investigating something about the male Zergs, aren’t you?” Papar Xing said this with certainty.
A flicker of surprise flashed through Quan Yi’s dark green eyes. He looked at the male Zerg with long silver curly hair and golden eyes before him—or rather, the male cub that wasn’t quite yet a full adult male—and asked, “How do you know?”
Papar Xing pointed to the corner of his eye, smiling slyly, “Because I’m smart.”
Quan Yi stared at him in silence.
Papar Xing’s smile faded. When he suppressed his smile, he had a dangerous and fierce temperament. His tone was still gentle, “Why must you investigate this matter? Since the incident two days ago, more and more females have been probing into it. Is the truth really that important to you?”
“It is,” Quan Yi replied. “No female would want to live their whole life in a lie—at least, I wouldn’t.”
Papar Xing looked at his cold expression, and a sudden surge of resentment filled him. “What if the truth is just as you suspect? What if males really do lose their lives because they soothe the Zerg source and guide the eggs? What will you do then?”
“If every female and sub-female Zerg learned that the males, the very ones who guided them out of their shells, essentially giving them life, would lose their lives because of them, what would they do?”
“What would the entire Zerg race do then?”
The stability of the Zerg race had always been built on a lie. For centuries, females had discovered the truth, but in the end, they all chose silence. Some even chose death the moment they learned the truth.
Until the problem of male Zergs lifespan was resolved, this truth had to remain hidden.
Papar Xing closed his eyes briefly. The incident two days ago had stirred his emotions too much.
After calming down, he looked at the intense emotions swirling in Quan Yi’s eyes and smiled again, “This is all just hypothetical. Don’t take it too seriously. Like I said, we male Zerg are smart—we’re not foolish enough to sacrifice our lives for female zergs.”
“If there were any real harm, we certainly wouldn’t let little Wei’an be the one to suffer it.”
“But what if Wei’an is special?” Quan Yi’s gaze bore into him, his clenched fists trembling slightly. “What if he’s the only one who is special?”
As one of the guards protecting male Zerg, he knew much more than other females.
Suddenly, Papar Xing reached out and ruffled Quan Yi’s hair, his golden eyes full of a gentle smile. In this moment, he resembled a wise elder. “Be good.”
“Wei’an should be done with his shot by now. Let’s go check on that little crybaby.”
…
Under the gloomy sky, fine rain began to fall. Across the road from the gates of Alhandra Manor, a small figure stood against the wall, wearing a raincoat.
Chu Yi had been waiting there for two days. In these two days, he hadn’t seen the little male cub appear once.
He had heard about what happened that day.
The little cub, who looked like a little snow dumpling, must have been frightened.
As he thought about this, Chu Yi furrowed his brows, a ripple of emotion passing through his usually lifeless eyes. He reached into his leather satchel, pulled out a small notebook and a pen, and recorded the incident.
Since he was repaying a favor, he had to remember anyone or anything that might harm the little male cub. One day, when he had the ability, he’d pay them all back.
Another day passed, and through Shang You who came to see him, Wei’an learned that Chu Yi was waiting for him outside, Wei’an asked his brother to carry him out.
Sitting crouched in the corner, Chu Yi stood up when he saw Wei’an come out, his pitch-black gaze falling on the small figure.
Wei’an, who was still ill, stayed in his brother’s arms. After seeing Chu Yi, he slowly got off and approached him.
He came to Chu Yi, with doubts in his blue eyes, “Why didn’t you come in to see Wei’an?”
Chu Yi glanced at the towering, imposing gates behind Wei’an and shook his head. “I can’t go in.”
Wei’an looked even more puzzled. How could he not get in? All he had to do was walk in!
“I came today to tell you I got a terminal.” Chu Yi raised his wrist to show the cheapest terminal attached there.
Seeing the terminal on his wrist, Wei’an suddenly remembered what had happened in the Fengyi Forest. His mood brightened, and he smiled as they exchanged terminal information. Then, he pulled Chu Yi by the hand and said, “The butler made some delicious pastries today. We have to hurry back, or Shang You and the others will finish them all.”
Chu Yi was about to refuse when Quan Yan stopped him. He bent down and quietly told Chu Yi that Wei’an’s appetite had been poor lately because of his illness, and asked him to help Wei’an eat a bit more.
After looking at Wei’an’s face, which was a bit thinner than the last time they met, Chu Yi quietly followed in.
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