Kāng nà had lost count of how many times he had been confused by Jiā lè tè today.

He glanced at the pink gift box and then at the exquisite platinum watch with diamonds on his wrist. This was a wedding anniversary gift from Jiā lè tè. Whether it looked good or not was secondary; the most important thing was that it was valuable. Kāng nà had completely come to terms with it. Since there wasn’t a lot of love, he might as well have a lot of money. Besides this watch, Jiā lè tè had bought him plenty of expensive jewelry over the years.

On the day he planned to escape, he would pack everything into a storage capsule and sell it for money on Ant Planet. But now that the wedding anniversary gift had been given, why was Jiā lè tè giving him another gift today, on a day that wasn’t a holiday or special occasion?

After thinking for a while without coming to a conclusion, Kāng nà simply took the gift box. In their two lifetimes together, Jiā lè tè owed him not only seven years of companionship and support but also his life, which no amount of star coins could ever compensate for. He felt justified in accepting gifts!

With that thought, Kāng nà opened the gift box. Inside, on a black velvet cloth, lay a necklace made of alternating emeralds and pigeon blood rubies, each gem surrounded by a necklace holder made of fragments of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple stones, sparkling with colorful light under the sun.

It was indeed very valuable, but it was also undeniably ugly.

Seeing Kāng nà’s speechless expression, Jiā lè tè quickly explained, “xiong zhu, “male lord”, I personally chose this necklace.”

“…I know.”

Only Jiā lè tè could pick out such an ugly necklace.

“Shall I put it on for you?” Jiā lè tè said as he reached to take the necklace out of the box, but Kāng nà quickly stopped his eager hands. He wouldn’t allow such an ugly thing to appear around his neck.

“This necklace is too precious; I think I should just keep it away.”

Kāng nà decisively closed the box and turned to head into the bedroom, carefully placing the necklace in the wardrobe, unaware of the fleeting look of disappointment on Jiā lè tè’s face.

Jiā lè tè couldn’t take the vacation he had hoped for until the coronation ceremony. In fact, he was called back to the military after just three days at home.

Kāng nà was overjoyed. The moment he sent Jiā lè tè off to the military, he boarded a spaceship heading to Láolā’s place.

“I remember you have a friend who works in spaceship automation.”

“What do you mean by ‘friend’? We’re just ordinary friends.”

Kāng nà looked at Láolā with a look that said she was being ridiculous. “Ordinary friends don’t cuddle and nibble on each other at home.”

“Ugh, I can’t be bothered to explain.” Láolā huffed, wiping various whips, “What do you want him for? You don’t have a crush on him, do you? But honestly, Jie Sen is a pretty good guy. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and a gentle personality. Most importantly, he knows how to have fun in bed. If it weren’t for his size being a bit too much for my taste, I would have gone for him.”

The more Láolā spoke, the more excited she became. She tossed aside the whip and leaned closer to Kāng nà. “I remember you like strong guys. How about I introduce you? You can just take him.”

“Take him?!” Kāng nà rolled his eyes. “Let’s be serious. Can you ask him to help me write a program for automatic speeding on a spaceship? Preferably one that can be controlled remotely by an AI. The price is negotiable.”

“Speeding?” Láolā gasped. “The capital prohibits speeding; violators are fined a hundred thousand star coins.”

“I know. It’s precisely because I can’t buy such a speeding program through regular channels that I asked you to ask your friend.” Kāng nà pressed his lips together, a serious look flashing across his face. “Whether we can escape depends on this program.”

Láolā seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and nodded. “No problem, I’ll ask him.”

With the most important issue arranged, Kāng nà walked into the cat room and started a live stream.

Although he already had more than enough tickets to Ant Tribe, he still needed to plan for the future. Escaping was just a means, not the end goal. He would rely on this account to live in Ant Tribe.

At the same time, Jiā lè tè, who had just finished work, opened his life AI, and a message popped up on the screen.

[The teacher Mángguǒ (pet communicator) you follow has started a live stream. Hurry and check it out!]

He clicked into the live stream and saw the host, sporting a Mángguǒ head, sitting on the bed playing with a cat toy. A calico cat was fiercely holding onto the toy, while another little white cat meowed in frustration.

Listening to the little cats’ adorable meows, Jiā lè tè felt his heart melt.

He had never found pets cute before and couldn’t understand why so many bugs kept pets. Now, he seemed to understand a bit.

If thexiong zhu, “male lord” liked it, maybe they could have a little cat or dog in the future?

As Jiā lè tè imagined a beautiful future with thexiong zhu, “male lord”, he rewarded the stream with a “The Insect God Descends.”

With dazzling effects, the live stream room, filled with nearly a hundred thousand viewers, erupted once again.

[My Mángguǒ teacher is also being supported by a rich bug now.]
[I said it, no bug can resist the charm of a little cat. If there is, just add another one.]
[By the way, didn’t Mángguǒ teacher have three cats? Where’s the other one?]
[Yeah, I haven’t seen the sheriff since the stream started.]

“Thanks to user 57823957 for the donation.” Mángguǒ头 softened his tone slightly and nodded at the screen, “I’ll help you look for the other cat.”

[It still takes star coins, huh? I feel like Mángguǒ teacher’s tone has become gentler (dog head).]
[Of course, you have to be gentle with the rich daddy.]
[Actually, I don’t think Mángguǒ teacher is that fierce. He’s quite patient with the little cats; he just focuses on efficiency when connecting with them.]
[Yeah, Mángguǒ teacher is really good to the little cats, much better than some former top streamers.]

Meanwhile, the host got off the cat bed and was about to put on slippers when suddenly he paused, then pulled out a black and white little dairy cow cat from the fluffy slippers.

He held the little cat up to the camera: “No need to look anymore; it’s right here.”

[How did it get into the slippers?]
[Ahhh, I’m going to die laughing.]
[Baby, you’re going to grow athlete’s foot on your head, baby.]

The host looked at the camera with a deadpan expression: “I don’t have athlete’s foot; please don’t spread rumors.”

Watching the screen filled with laughter, Jiā lè tè couldn’t help but smile. He rewarded the stream with five “The Insect God Descends” before exiting the live stream and returning to work.

So, when he got off work and opened his life AI again, he received a private message from pet communication expert.

——Hello, thank you for your donation. You’ve spent quite a bit. How is your relationship with yourxiong zhu, “male lord”?

Jiā lè tè looked down and typed.

——No need to be polite. I made lunch for thexiong zhu, “male lord” by hand as you suggested and gave him a gift, but the effect was minimal.

On the other end, Kāng nà couldn’t help but frown.

What was wrong with these female bugs? Besides cooking and giving gifts, couldn’t they do anything else? No wonder they couldn’t find axiong zhu, “male lord”!

Kāng nà thought for a moment and decided to give the rich daddy some advice.

——Actually, dates can involve more than just eating; you can do other things too, like watching movies, playing games, or doing crafts. You might want to think about what yourxiong zhu, “male lord” likes to do.

Seeing the little bug on the other end send a thumbs-up emoji, Kāng nà exited the bug entertainment and returned to the star network homepage.

He saw that the top of the star network was a news release from the military—The Bug Emperor plans to confer the title of General Marshal of the Empire to Jiā lè tè, with the coronation ceremony scheduled for September 16.

Joy danced in Kāng nà’s dark eyes, and he couldn’t help but curve his lips into a gentle smile.

His biggest worry was that the timing or arrangements for the coronation ceremony would differ from his previous life. Fortunately, the Bug God was watching over him; both the timing and the ceremony process were exactly the same as in his previous life.

In half a month, he would be free!