Chapter 5

He tried hard to keep his thoughts from going in a bad direction, but he failed. His mind was filled with images of Qin Fei surrounded by multiple female zergs. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before Qin Fei would bring several unfamiliar female zergs to him and say, “These are my chosen concubines, please get along with them…” His mind was flooded with these unpleasant images, and he didn’t know how much time had passed until he suddenly heard the door to the private room open. He quickly hid behind a plant, concealing himself as best as he could. If someone didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t recognize him. He didn’t even dare to make eye contact in case someone noticed his gaze and identified him. That would be so embarrassing in front of the Xiong Zhu!

One by one, people started leaving the room, but there was still no sound from the Xiong Zhu. After spending some time with him, he had become especially sensitive to the Xiong Zhu’s footsteps—just by hearing them, he would know it was him. One, two, three… He counted the people leaving in his mind, and when it came down to the last person, he still hadn’t heard the familiar sound. Unable to hold back, he turned his head. The person standing at the door, smiling and looking at him, who else could it be if not his Xiong Zhu?

Xi Yuan’s eyes widened in surprise. For once, he was at a loss, standing up abruptly and kneeling down. His head lowered, he said, “Xiong Zhu, I didn’t mean to follow you. I… I just happened to be here for something, and when I saw you all gathered here, I thought I’d wait and see if we could go home together.”

Seeing him kneel down, Qin Fei frowned, quickly stepping forward to help him up, his face serious. “Look at me, lift your head, and remember my words. We’ll spend our lives together. I don’t like it when you kneel to me.”

Xi Yuan raised his head, not quite understanding his attitude but nodding and saying, “I understand.”

Then Qin Fei started to address the situation with a mischievous smile, “Now let’s talk about how you found out I was here. How long have you been here?”

Xi Yuan felt awkward, but he vaguely sensed the Xiong Zhu’s attitude. It seemed like he wasn’t angry, so he answered honestly, “I overheard some female zergs discussing it while I was training. When I got home and saw you weren’t there, I guessed you must have come to this gathering.”

Then he stopped himself, leaving out the part about waiting here.

Qin Fei seemed to have expected this and reassured him, “I came to the gathering with no other intentions. Don’t overthink it. I just came because of Ai Nuo’s invitation. I didn’t know this was a social event before coming. I didn’t eat anything at the gathering. Have you eaten yet? If not, let’s go back and have dinner. The food outside can’t compare to what you make.”

Hearing this, Xi Yuan was delighted. His eyes lit up, and his emotions were so obvious that anyone could tell how happy he was. He quickly tried to control himself, worried that the Xiong Zhu might think he was overly possessive. Then, upon hearing Qin Fei’s next words, he grew anxious. He needed to hurry back—he couldn’t let his Xiong Zhu go hungry.

—

Ai Nuo’s tone was tinged with frustration, as if scolding someone for not living up to their potential: “What’s wrong with you? You go to a social gathering and still can’t let go? That Lin Yu and his brother have asked me to set up dates with you several times, but you haven’t given them a chance. You haven’t gone once. I’m starting to wonder, are you trying to stick to this one-male-one-female rule?” Ai Nuo sounded genuinely suspicious at this point, but then he quickly dismissed the thought, shaking his head. “No, that can’t be it. You just don’t like Lin Yu’s type, do you?”

Qin Fei didn’t agree or disagree with his point, instead changing the topic, “Who is Li Sen? I keep hearing that name recently.”

Ai Nuo paused for a moment, then looked at him with an incredulous expression, “How isolated from the world are you? You don’t even know who Li Sen is?”

But to Qin Fei, Ai Nuo was naturally talkative, so he didn’t press the issue. Once Ai Nuo started, he couldn’t stop: “You’re asking the right person. I know a lot about him. Li Sen is a male zerg about to graduate. He’s already an adult and a level 8 male. He specializes in magical plants and is said to have a special talent in that field. He’s managed to grow quite a few high-level magical plants and has a great reputation with his instructors. But he has a particular ‘hobby’ you should watch out for. Not only does he like female zergs, but he also has a thing for handsome male zergs. He’s good-looking, comes from an excellent family, and is very generous. I’ve heard that many zergs without a name or status have been involved with him. It’s one thing if it’s older students, but I’ve heard it’s even freshmen! We’ve only been here for a few months. Especially recently, Li Sen’s class went out for internships, and they just came back not long ago. His methods are impressive. What’s even more unbelievable is that some of the males he associates with… are still male! Although their identities and names haven’t been confirmed, many people speak about it with convincing evidence. You’ve probably heard some rumors by now. His name is so well-known right now because ^[1]“He’s hit a snag” means he has encountered a problem or difficulty that is hindering his progress or plans.he’s hit a snag. His family never set him up with a female mate, and this time he got involved with a female zerg. I’ve heard they even ended up in bed together.” Ai Nuo’s voice dropped subconsciously as he spoke, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening. After all, they were still underage. Losing their virginity before turning 20 could be harmful to their health and affect their potential for future development.

“That female zerg is quite capable too. She recorded a video and sent it to her family. His family isn’t poor—while they’re not top-tier, they’re definitely second-tier. The matter then reached Li Sen’s family. Although no one knows exactly what was said, they’re getting engaged next month, and the ceremony will be held after graduation.”

Qin Fei: …

What’s up with this whole rant?

What Qin Fei didn’t know was that Li Sen had expressed interest in Xi Yuan. After all, Xi Yuan was the youngest major general in the military right now. Even though his looks weren’t to Li Sen’s taste, he was still highly attractive. However, after this incident, his family hastily arranged the engagement, and now all his lovers were being given official titles. There was even a male zerg who wasn’t satisfied with just having fun and wanted to be with him. He was overwhelmed with troubles. Males and males weren’t allowed to be together! If concrete evidence was found, it could lead to serious consequences. The most severe punishment for males who didn’t marry females and instead chose to be with other males was being locked in a small black room for more than ten years. During this time, they were required to accept the advances of female zergs, which was essentially a form of sexual slavery. Since this decree was officially passed, no two male zergs had dared to defy the law.

What Qin Fei didn’t know was that even his established mate would be eyed by others. Generally speaking, female zergs were expected to be loyal and devoted. It was unclear where Li Sen’s confidence came from.

Qin Fei had planted many magical plants in the garden on the third floor, ranging from the lowest grade to level 7. Most of them were level 4 or 5 magical plants, some bought online, some distributed by the school, and the higher-level ones were given to him by Xi Yuan.

Perhaps it was because his mental power was so strong, even though he wasn’t of legal age and couldn’t fully utilize his mental power, he was still able to use it effectively to nurture these delicate magical plants. So far, none of the plants entrusted to him had died. If this achievement were known, it would surely spark controversy, but neither Qin Fei nor Xi Yuan had spoken about it. The lower-level magical plants he started with had already begun to bear fruit, and their care required more attention. Aside from attending classes, Qin Fei spent all his time here, carefully recording everything. Xi Yuan was happy with this—at least this way, Qin Fei had no time to engage with other female zergs. Recently, Lin Heng had stopped pursuing Qin Fei after noticing his indifference, but Lin Yu persisted, always trying to approach him whenever possible. Last time, he nearly barged into Qin Fei’s home.