People who know Lu Yuan from a distance would never guess that he is gay. When walking down the street, he enjoys watching beautiful women, and his behavior reflects a completely heterosexual mindset. There is no connection to being gay at all. But, just like a straight road or the roundness of the Earth, not being apparent doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It only indicates that Lu Yuan’s gay orientation is more magnificent than others.
Even though Yusto is a Zerg race, his appearance is no different from that of a human male. The seemingly flirtatious actions just now slightly touched on Lu Yuan’s sensitive nerves.
This isn’t ideal, Lu Yuan thought.
Yusto, seeing his rejection, asked again, “Really not possible?”
Lu Yuan remained unmoved, “Not possible.”
“Alright,” Yusto seemed a bit helpless. He lowered his head and looked at the fish still twitching on the cutting board, “But I really don’t know how to cut.”
Lu Yuan wasn’t foolish; he couldn’t be easily fooled. At his words, he gave him a sidelong glance, “Are all the military females in Salaranfa as incapable with a knife as you are?”
The remark had a slightly greater impact than intended. However, Yusto rubbed his wrist, giving a wry smile as he sighed, “I used to know how to use a knife, but I stayed up late copying something yesterday. My wrists were sore, and today, when I picked up the knife, they kept shaking. What should one do in such a situation, Your Excellency?”
Copying something? What could it be? Probably just Lu Yuan’s punishment of writing five hundred lines over and over.
Lu Yuan, who detested being threatened, gazed at the faint bluish-black fatigue under Yusto’s eyes. His long-dead conscience unexpectedly twinged a bit, “…”
Yusto had been silently waiting for Lu Yuan’s reaction. After a few seconds passed without any response, Lu Yuan didn’t say anything. Instead, he silently rolled up his sleeves and skillfully began gutting and filleting the fish. The whole process was methodical, leaving the surrounding female zergs astonished.
In the Salaranfa Empire, male zergs would never personally cook, as it was considered undignified. However, Lu Yuan seemed completely indifferent. He tasted all the peculiar side dishes on the table, then selected a few that could help eliminate the fishy smell for seasoning.
Seeing this, the female zergs around were left dumbfounded.
In a seemingly carefree manner, Yusto asked, “What are you doing?”
Without looking back, Lu Yuan replied, “Didn’t you ask me what to do? If your wrist hurts, you rest. What else can you do?”
Yusto was taken aback.
Lu Yuan’s approach was starkly different from that of Professor Rachia. Despite the various ingredients on the table, the professor wouldn’t necessarily use all of them. However, Lu Yuan used everything. Yulejia, standing beside, watched with wide-eyed astonishment, a subtle expression of twitching on his face. Hesitant, he asked, “Your Excellency, the taste of yellow spice fruit is very intense. It’s usually used when cooking spicy soup. Won’t putting it in the fish belly make it too overpowering?”
He initially thought his own culinary skills were quite lacking, but Lu Yuan’s seemed even worse.
Before Lu Yuan could respond, Yusto, in a cool tone, interjected, “You better achieve a perfect score in your cooking class before questioning his methods.”
Hearing Yusto’s words, there was a silent grinding of teeth. Yusto, this guy, hadn’t even secured His Excellency Lu Yuan yet, and he was already acting protective? Most male zergs were carefree, and he wished him a spectacular fall in the future!
Lu Yuan had already started heating the oil in the pan. He casually kicked Yusto’s shoe under the table, signaling the fiery-eyed rabbit to calm down. Lu Yuan explained to Yulejia, “This can help eliminate the fishy smell.”
The yellow spice fruit looked like a wrinkled, dehydrated persimmon. Lu Yuan had initially thought it was spoiled fruit. He tasted it and discovered it had a flavor similar to ginger.
Yulejia, upon hearing this, looked utterly perplexed, “Eliminate… eliminate the fishy smell?”
The concept was entirely foreign to the Zerg race.
Lu Yuan didn’t know how to explain the term to them. After all, all the ingredients for the Zerg race looked peculiar, like species altered through genetic mutations. He himself didn’t know what he would end up creating.
Lu Yuan fried the fish briefly in the pan, then poured in an appropriate amount of boiling water. Shrugging, he said to Yulejia, “I’m just experimenting; you don’t have to pay me any mind.”
Yulejia suddenly realized. He had said so; how could male zergs possibly cook? It was probably Lu Yuan’s own “innovative dish”. The taste might not be any better than dark cuisine. He couldn’t fathom the flavor of fish soup cooked with yellow spice fruit; it was likely both spicy and fishy.
Yusto remained silent throughout, quietly observing Lu Yuan’s actions. It wasn’t until the fish soup entered the simmering stage that he spoke up, asking, “Don’t you think personally cooking is beneath your dignity?”
Lu Yuan countered, “Why?”
Yusto seemed to curve his lips slightly, but his eyes held no hint of amusement, “They believe that only female zergs should do such things.”
Lu Yuan, with a rough and defiant tone, responded, “Then let them go hungry.”
Let them starve!
Lu Yuan vaguely remembered a similar situation in his own childhood. His gambler father was steeped in male chauvinism, avoiding all household chores. His mother, who fell ill and couldn’t even get out of bed, had to serve him, taking care of his meals and clothing. In the end, she succumbed to the strain on her body in her forties.
Reflecting on his father’s life, Lu Yuan suddenly realized the man was quite fortunate. Thirty and established, forty and wise, and by fifty, he was in prison. Lu Yuan hadn’t yet had the chance to take a knife to that scoundrel, and he was already hiding in jail. Life’s a big regret.
If Lu Yuan hadn’t crossed over to the Zerg race, he might have followed in his father’s footsteps, living a similar life, spending a few decades in prison, and then the father and son could have a reunion behind bars.
Upon hearing Lu Yuan’s response, Yusto was initially stunned, but then he burst into laughter, gasping for breath. Wiping away the tears of laughter, he shook his head and said in a low voice, “What a shame…”
But he didn’t specify what a shame.
Lu Yuan was about to inquire when the pot conveniently started bubbling. The creamy white fish soup looked delicately smooth, and as the lid was lifted, the enticing aroma gradually filled the entire classroom. All the female zergs, as if in unison, sniffed the air: What’s that smell? It’s so delicious!!
With their keen sense of smell, they quickly followed the aroma to Lu Yuan’s table, crowding around in pairs and groups, creating a tight squeeze.
A bold military female asked, “Your Excellency, is this the soup you’ve made? It’s truly too fragrant!”
Another military female, blushing, hinted with a suggestive tone, “Yes, yes, can you teach us?”
Unfortunately, Yusto had already used this trick. He gave a meaningful look to the speaking military female, saying, “Junior, Professor Rachia is on the podium. If he finds out you didn’t ask him, he might be heartbroken~”
The military female clearly knew his identity, and while he was somewhat dissatisfied, he lowered his head and didn’t dare to voice any objections.
Lu Yuan was oblivious to the tense atmosphere. He added a bit of salt to the pot, then scooped out a small bowl of fish soup. Taking a sip himself, he found the taste was similar to what he used to make on Earth.
Lu Yuan handed the bowl to Yusto and casually asked, “Do you want to try it?”
Yusto lowered his gaze to the bowl in Lu Yuan’s hands, surprisingly not refusing. He took a sip, then furrowed his brow, his expression complex as he fell into contemplation:
…Damn, why does a male zerg’s cooking taste better than a female’s? How long would he need to practice to catch up with him?!
Yulejia, standing beside, was already drooling with hunger. He decisively abandoned his pot of greasy miscellaneous soup and unhesitatingly joined Lu Yuan’s camp. Eagerly, he asked, “Your Excellency, Your Excellency, may I try it too?”
Lu Yuan was generous and handed him the ladle to serve himself.
Yulejia’s reaction was much more direct than Yusto’s. After tasting a sip of the fish soup, his eyes instantly lit up. Ignoring any formality, he frantically used chopsticks to scoop fish into his own bowl, blurting out, “Your Excellency, your culinary skills are truly amazing! It’s ten times more delicious than what Professor Rachia makes!”
The military females around were already hungry, and upon hearing Yulejia’s praise, their appetites intensified. The sound of them swallowing saliva was incessant. Lu Yuan couldn’t ignore their enthusiasm. He took a step back, making room, and said, “If you want to try, feel free…”
After all, there was still plenty in the pot.
However, before Lu Yuan could finish his sentence, the military females immediately got busy, swiftly serving the soup. Not exaggerating, in the blink of an eye, there was only a small amount of broth and some bits of meat left in the pot. This was only because the ladles were too large to scoop up every last bit.
After tasting the soup, the female zergs all showed expressions of surprise. Clearly, they hadn’t expected Lu Yuan’s culinary skills to be this impressive.
“Your Excellency, your skills are even better than those in the royal palace kitchen!”
“It’s incredibly delicious. This dish of yours could easily score full marks. How did you manage to achieve this?”
Professor Rachia also caught wind of the aroma of the fish soup. Seeing his students gathered at the back of the classroom, he descended from the podium. He reached out, parting the “crowd” and upon inspection, he discovered the source of the fragrance was the remnants of the fish soup that everyone had eagerly devoured.
“Oh, such fragrant fish soup, and it’s even milky white?”
Professor Rachia had a great interest in gourmet food. Seeing some remaining broth in the pot, he didn’t hesitate to scoop it up with a ladle and taste it. His eyes instantly lit up, and with an incredulous look, he turned to Lu Yuan and said, “Your Excellency, is this the fish soup you made? It’s truly delicious!”
Lu Yuan didn’t respond to the compliment. Instead, he glanced at the two female zergs beside him, whose culinary skills were so poor they needed to retake the class. After a moment of thought, he unexpectedly shook his head and said, “No, it’s not.”
Lu Yuan pointed at Yusto and Yulejia, feeling that he wouldn’t find such loyal brothers anywhere else, and said, “They both made it together. I just helped with the chopping.”
“???!”
Yusto and Yulejia didn’t expect Lu Yuan to directly credit them. Upon hearing this, they were almost choked by their own saliva. Yusto erupted into a fit of intense coughing, hastily covering his mouth with his hand and shifting his gaze elsewhere, looking guilty.
Professor Rachia had a deep impression of these two “excellent students” with abysmal cooking skills. Hearing this, he furrowed his brow in confusion, seemingly surprised. “Oh? Are you sure, Your Excellency?”
Lu Yuan knew that cheating required a strong resolve, and he couldn’t afford to show any guilt. Without changing his expression, he affirmed, “Yes.”
Professor Rachia seemed to understand something. His gaze wandered back and forth among them, and with a chuckle, he teased, “So, should I give both of them a full score?”
Yusto didn’t dare to say a word. Lu Yuan rarely witnessed him looking so guilty and nervous, finding it somewhat amusing. He replied to Professor Rachia, “If you’re willing, just let them pass.”
Professor Rachia glanced at Lu Yuan with a hint of surprise. After all, he had never seen a male zerg willing to help a female zerg before. Shaking his head in amusement, he shrugged, “Why not? After all, this dish is so delicious that any teacher would give it a full score.”
Professor Rachia refused to admit that he was giving a passing grade because these two exceptionally untalented students had given him a headache and he wanted to get rid of the pain. He said to Yusto and Yulejia, “Congratulations, you finally passed. Perhaps, during the end-of-year evaluations, I might consider giving you an ‘excellent’.”
Upon hearing this, Yusto and Yulejia exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief in each other’s eyes. They had thought they would continue to struggle with this course until the end, and unexpectedly, they passed just like that??
#Happiness comes too suddenly!#
Yusto quickly regained his composure, coughed lightly, and nodded slightly to Professor Rachia, saying, “Thank you for your recognition.”
Learning from Yusto, Yulejia also expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you very much for your recognition.”
Professor Rachia shook his head helplessly, “Remember to practice diligently at home. Otherwise, don’t say that you were my students.”
While they were talking, the bell for the end of the class rang in the corridor. Professor Rachia, seeing that time was short, announced the end of the class. The previously relatively quiet classroom instantly became noisy, even with students’ cheers mixed in. It seemed they weren’t particularly fond of cooking.
Lu Yuan struggled to squeeze out of the encirclement of female zergs. It wasn’t until he reached outside the classroom that he finally felt some relief in his breathing. In a hurry to go to the administrative office to change his class, he was about to descend the stairs when Yusto suddenly called out to him from behind. With a teasing tone, he asked, “Your Excellency, where are you rushing to? Don’t you want your punishment of copying lines?”
Lu Yuan, however, urgently replied, “I’m going to the administrative office first to change classes. I’ll find you in the classroom later.”
Damn it, the next class is Slimming Yoga. If I don’t retreat now, it’ll be too late!
After hastily bidding farewell to Yusto, Lu Yuan didn’t even bother waiting for the elevator and rushed down the stairs like a gust of wind.
Yulejia happened to come out of the classroom and couldn’t help but express his surprise, “Hey, is Zerg Star about to explode? His Excellency Lu Yuan ran as if his life depended on it.”
Yusto shook his head in ignorance, his gaze following Lu Yuan until he disappeared from sight. After a few seconds, he withdrew his gaze and said to Yulejia, “Let’s go, back to class.”
Yulejia noticed Yusto’s absent-mindedness and fell into silence for a moment. Curiously, he asked, “Yusto, are you missing that male zerg?”
Yusto instinctively frowned, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Yulejia shrugged, already accustomed to his stubbornness, “Love should not be concealed; this is the teaching of the Zerg God. Besides, that male zerg is indeed outstanding.”
After a pause, he sighed, “Yusto, it would be great if His Majesty could pair you with him. Unfortunately, His Excellency Lu Yuan’s blood purity still doesn’t have an accurate measurement. Otherwise…”
Otherwise, you might be a very compatible couple.
But he didn’t say the last sentence.
The royal matching standards were too high. Without the advantage of blood relations, it all depended on blood purity. Yusto was currently under the control of the Zerg Emperor and was among the few princes with the potential to inherit the throne. If he wanted to be with a commoner male zerg, it would be challenging.
Yusto frowned at the words but chose not to refute, evidently aware of the difficulty of the situation. Leaning against the corridor wall, he remained silent. Shadows divided his figure diagonally from his shoulders, and his expression was murky and obscure. After a long pause, he finally spoke in a deep voice, “The throne of the House of Gohedra has never been obtained through charity. We have always fought and struggled because our predecessors taught us that truly rare treasures are not easily obtained; you must pay an equivalent price.”
But how much would he have to pay for a rare male zerg like Lu Yuan?
Yusto didn’t know. This was an unknown answer.
Sighing, Yulejia was about to say something when he caught sight of a familiar figure at the end of the corridor. The person walked with a slight limp, and although the face wasn’t clear, a sense of solitude emanated from the silhouette.
Yulejia lightly nudged Yusto, “Look, isn’t that the Eighth Prince?”
Yusto paused at the words, and his gaze followed in the direction indicated. After a moment, he replied in a tone devoid of emotion, “It’s him.”
Despite being real brothers, he had no intention of going over to say hello.
Yulejia shook his head slightly, “Ever since the Eighth Prince got injured on the battlefield, his personality has become more and more reclusive. He’s been distancing himself from you and His Majesty. Now, even those low-ranking noble-born females dare to bully him.”
Yusto furrowed his brow imperceptibly, “Isn’t the discipline monitoring conducted every day?”
Yulejia scratched his head in confusion, “You know his personality. He doesn’t appreciate even you, let alone us.”
Upon hearing this, Yusto turned his head away, clearly not wanting to discuss the topic. He straightened his posture slightly, preparing to return to class with Yulejia. Just then, his wrist terminal emitted two beeps, indicating a new message.
Yusto opened it to find a brief message from the Chief of the Imperial Guards. It contained only a simple line:
[Duke Monck requested an audience with the Zerg Emperor this morning. Return promptly!]
Yusto’s expression shifted slightly, realizing that the old duke must have gone to the palace to seek justice for Wengel. If the duke managed to convince the Zerg Emperor with a few words, the lightest outcome would be a few months in the interstellar prison for Lu Yuan.
Seeing Yusto’s serious expression, Yulejia instinctively asked, “What’s wrong? Is something happening?”
Yusto didn’t have time to explain, “I have something to attend to at the palace. Please ask for leave from the teacher for me. If Lu Yuan comes looking for me in class, give him the things from my drawer.”
With those words, Yusto swiftly descended the stairs and disappeared from sight, running even faster than Lu Yuan.
Author’s note:
Lu Yuan: Come chase me, catch me, and I’ll let you, hehehe~
Yustu: …
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