”Character
Qiao Zhiya: Half-elf, half-dwarf MC.Chu Rong: Marshal ML.
Zhuang Yu: A doctor in ML’s army.
Chu Yan: ML’s younger brother. Is the same age as MC.
Chu Huai: ML’s older brother, he’s now the President.
Gu Yan’an: Chu Huai’s wife. She’s a doctor.
Qiao Yi: MC’s father. An elf.
Mi Lai: MC’s mother. A dwarf.
Sang Bu: MC’s roommate. Transferred from Information System to Mecha Manufacturing.
Yun Xiachu: MC’s ex-classmate, about 6 years younger, but skipped a couple of grades to match MC’s pace.
Ning Tianxing: Ning Kongran’s father, Ning Tianya’s older brother.
Ning Kongran: Ning family current heir. Studying mecha manufacturing, unlike his family.
An Xei: The former Emperor’s younger brother. A Prince and a scholar.
Feng: The Imperial High Advisor.
Jian: the Imperial High Advisor’s son. Studies History.
Upon entering the kitchen, Chu Rong first poured some hot milk for him to drink, then skillfully lit the stove. One pot for frying small pork chops, another for cooking noodles, and a small pot on the side for soup.
The aroma of the food soon wafted out, and after Qiao Zhiya drank half a cup of milk through a straw and felt slightly less hungry, he glanced at Chu Rong, who was busy cooking. Unable to resist, he fluttered his wings, flew to Chu Rong’s shoulder, and squatted down, wrapping his little claws around his head, affectionately nuzzling him.
Chu Rong paused his actions, turned his head to affectionately peck Qiao Zhiya, his eyes and smile filled with tenderness.
Food quickly came off the stove, and fearing he wouldn’t digest it all, Chu Rong first fed him a bowl of soup before letting him eat the noodles and pork chops.
There was quite a lot of food, and since becoming a little dragon, Qiao Zhiya’s appetite had decreased. He couldn’t eat much at each meal, but today was different. Whether it was because Chu Rong’s cooking was exceptionally delicious or the atmosphere was particularly pleasant, he managed to eat every bit of food on the table, bit by bit.
Chu Rong had initially planned to stop halfway through feeding him, but seeing that his stomach wasn’t growing at all, he furrowed his brow, touched it, and unable to resist his eager gaze, continued feeding him.
The food on the table quickly disappeared, and Qiao Zhiya reluctantly set down his fork, feeling his stomach — still hungry.
Chu Rong was puzzled and worried, feeling his still flat stomach, and asked, “Are you still hungry?”
Qiao Zhiya nodded, feeling that something wasn’t quite right with himself. After hesitating for a moment, he added, “Very hungry.” Despite feeling slightly full right after eating, he soon felt hungry again.
Now genuinely concerned, Chu Rong picked him up, checked his stomach and head, and even used his spiritual power to examine him all over, finding nothing wrong. He then asked, “Apart from being hungry, do you feel anything else?”
Qiao Zhiya carefully sensed himself and replied, “A bit warm, but very comfortable.”
“Warm, but comfortable?”
A thought struck Chu Rong, and he observed the slightly fuller scales on Qiao Zhiya’s body. Without further hesitation, he picked him up again and headed back to the kitchen.
The butler had meticulously prepared a large pile of fine ingredients to entertain Qiao Yi and Mi Lai. Chu Rong cooked them one by one, and all of it went into Qiao Zhiya’s stomach.
Qiao Zhiya ate to his heart’s content, his tail swaying behind him. Finally, just before dawn, he burped contentedly, hugged his stomach, nestled in Chu Rong’s arms, and fell asleep again.
Chu Rong gently rubbed his now slightly rounded belly, called the household robot to clean up the dining table, then carried him back to their room. He carefully wiped his small body and laid him down on the bed.
Half-dazed, Qiao Zhiya found himself once again in that pitch-black space, surrounded by two floating bands of green and brown light—his own powers. Unable to resist, he reached out to touch them, and suddenly, the two streams of power drifted away. A beautiful light golden filament floated towards him, winding around him.
In reality, the little golden dragon on the bed suddenly emitted a warm golden glow, but both sleeping figures remained oblivious.
Mi Lai, upon waking early and finding the little nest empty, nearly went mad, insisting on rushing off to fight monsters. Thanks to Qiao Yi’s timely intervention, she pointed to the colorless magic stones and the lingering aura of power left behind by Qiao Zhiya, managing to soothe her.
They quickly finished washing up and came downstairs. Mi Lai searched everywhere for her son but couldn’t find Qiao Zhiya’s trace anywhere. Finally, the embarrassed butler appeared, explaining that Qiao Zhiya and Chu Rong were still asleep.
What did it mean that Chu Rong and Qiao Zhiya were still asleep? When did they start sleeping together?
Mi Lai was shocked, then gritted her teeth, wanting to rush into Chu Rong’s room to rescue her precious son. However, she managed to keep her composure, knowing she couldn’t barge into her son and lover’s room uninvited.
Qiao Yi frowned, comforting her by saying, “It’s okay. Right now, Qiaoqiao is still a little dragon.”
Implying that Chu Rong couldn’t do anything to Qiao Zhiya, there was no need to worry too much.
Mi Lai, upon hearing this, was less angry, and turned away with a huff to join her husband in the dining room for breakfast.
As it turned out, Chu Rong and Qiao Zhiya slept straight through until almost lunchtime. Mi Lai couldn’t hold back any longer, fearing her precious son might be starving. She rushed to Chu Rong’s door, ready to knock. Qiao Yi, worried she might act impulsively, hurried after her.
Just as Mi Lai’s hand was about to touch the door, they heard Qiao Zhiya’s startled exclamation from inside — not a dragon’s low rumble but a human’s genuine startle.
With their keen hearing, the dwarf mother and elf father immediately perked up, guessing what was happening. Protocol and etiquette forgotten, Qiao Yi gave the signal, and Mi Lai forcefully pushed open the door.
Inside, Chu Rong, about to reach out to comfort Qiao Zhiya, frowned at the disturbance. He quickly pulled up the blanket to cover Qiao Zhiya, who was currently naked, and turned towards the door, demanding, “Who’s there? Get out!”
“Baby!”
Mi Lai immediately spotted her son, now restored to human form, and all other thoughts fled her mind. She stepped forward to get a good look at him.
Qiao Zhiya hadn’t expected his parents to barge in like this. Remembering his current state of undress, his face flushed red. He hurriedly hid under the blanket and awkwardly pushed Chu Rong, urging him to get his clothes.
Chu Rong and Qiao Yi snapped out of their momentary daze and quickly regained their composure. Chu Rong stood up to shield his lover, while Qiao Yi reached out to pull his wife back firmly, escorting her out of the room with a stern glance at Chu Rong before closing the door with a firm click.
The scene, resembling a caught-in-the-act moment, finally passed.
Qiao Zhiya peeked out from under the blanket, his face and ears still red. He looked at Chu Rong’s back, unable to resist grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him, muttering, “It’s all your fault!”
As soon as he had transformed back, Qiao Zhiya had asked Chu Rong to fetch his clothes, but Chu Rong insisted on — well, thinking about it…
Chu Rong skillfully caught the pillow aimed at him, watching his lover, visibly embarrassed and angry, still naked under the covers. He used his spiritual power to block the door and bent down, cupping his lover’s face to kiss him deeply.
By the time lunch was served, Chu Rong and Qiao Zhiya finally emerged from their room.
Chu Rong appeared composed, but the relaxed aura around him was unmistakable unless one was blind. Qiao Zhiya kept his head down, his face and ears still tinged with blush, too shy to look at anyone else’s expression. His lips were unusually rosy.
Mi Lai and Qiao Yi greedily glanced at their son’s current state, reassured to see him perfectly fine. Mi Lai then turned her fierce gaze towards Chu Rong, while Qiao Yi gestured for Qiao Zhiya to sit beside him. Afterward, he looked at Chu Rong and asked casually, “Do you have plans for this afternoon?”
Chu Rong watched his lover being summoned away, feeling the comforting aura dissipate slightly. He replied, “No, I’m free today.” In truth, there were plans, but now that Qiao Zhiya had returned to human form, he wanted to make time to stick close to his lover.
Unfortunately, both Qiao Yi and Mi Lai seemed intent on thwarting his plans.
“Baby, I’m quite interested in the mechas you’ve been working on. Would you mind showing me this afternoon?” Mi Lai patted her son’s head, rubbing his face with unconcealed joy, her eyes bright as she asked.
Qiao Zhiya didn’t realize his mother had ulterior motives. He thought she had developed an interest in mechas like himself and quickly nodded, agreeing, “Sure, we can work on mechas this afternoon.”
Once satisfied with her son’s response, Qiao Yi then turned to Chu Rong and calmly inquired, “I still have some uncertainties regarding the Zerg and the black hole. If you have time later, I’d like to discuss it further, somewhere spacious and undisturbed.”
Chu Rong was certain he had already provided all the information on the Zerg and the black hole in the light brain. Qiao Yi’s request definitely had another meaning.
He glanced briefly at Qiao Zhiya and Mi Lai chatting happily, knowing he couldn’t avoid this encounter. He nodded and accepted his proposal.
Satisfied, Qiao Yi turned to address the matter of Qiao Zhiya’s return to human form.
Chu Rong quietly took a seat next to Chu Yan and looked over at Qiao Zhiya, who was surrounded by his parents. Hearing Chu Yan’s voice float over, Chu Rong said coldly, “Remember, you’re already twenty years old, virtually twenty-one. It’s time to find a partner.”
This had the implication — it was never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.
Chu Yan shuddered at Chu Rong’s words, quickly avoiding his gaze. He grabbed his utensils and sat next to Gu Yan’an, swearing to keep a distance from his cold and unfeeling second brother.
With Qiao Zhiya’s return to human form, the atmosphere at home became lively and cheerful. Even Chu Huai, who had been busy these past few days, managed to send a message back, expressing concern for Qiao Zhiya’s well-being.
The Imperial High Advisor, upon receiving the news, made it to the courtyard with Jian’s support, had a conversation with Qiao Zhiya, and sensed his physical condition. Only after confirming his well-being did he return to his room to rest assured.
Qiao Zhiya was also excited because he discovered a new source of golden magic energy in his mana pool. Though weaker compared to wood and earth elements, its utility was substantial!
Excitedly, he retrieved the damaged Rong Tian from Chu Rong and, accompanied by Mi Lai, eagerly headed to the large laboratory within the training hall to repair the mecha.
Initially, Mi Lai had intended to separate Chu Rong and Qiao Zhiya for a while, but upon interacting with the mecha, her inherent dwarf love for mechanical engineering surged. She forgot her initial purpose and eagerly joined Qiao Zhiya, enthusiastically learning and observing, even itching to try it herself.
While mother and son immersed themselves in studying the mecha, on the other side, Chu Rong took Qiao Yi to the mecha combat arena. Silently changing into training attire, he stood opposite Qiao Yi.
Qiao Yi discarded his intricate robes for a combat suit, tied his hair back, instantly transforming his gentle demeanor. With a wave of his hand, he produced a staff that looked neither gold nor wood, poised in front of him, calmly saying, “Let’s begin.”
Chu Rong lifted his double-barreled gun and launched an attack.
