Yusto left the palace, and as he departed, he held a gilded invitation in his hand.
He didn’t understand what His Majesty Apu truly intended by wanting to meet Lu Yuan. He just felt that the extravagant and mesmerizing banquet would undoubtedly stir up quite a storm. Throughout the journey, he seemed preoccupied.
By the time Yusto returned to the academy, it was already late at night. The training ground was eerily quiet, and only a few scattered dormitory windows still emitted light. The evening breeze lifted the edges of his clothes, bringing a chill that spread throughout his body. The moon hung high in the sky, but only a vague glimmer was visible.
For some reason, he suddenly felt wide awake, with no trace of sleepiness.
Yusto didn’t really want to go back to sleep. His gaze lingered on the dormitory of the male zergs, just a hundred meters away, for quite some time before he withdrew his eyes. Then, leaning against the lamppost, he lowered his head and pondered.
It’s unclear whether it was due to the premature sacrifice of Emperor Gopin, leading to Yusto lacking paternal guidance, but over time, he developed such a solitary disposition. He always kept to himself, never getting close to anyone.
His Majesty Apu had taught him the art of imperial rule, strategic planning at every step, but had never instructed him in the complexities of emotions, simply because Apu himself didn’t understand them. Yusto held the invitation in his hand, genuinely unsure of how to tell Lu Yuan about this matter, feeling unusually challenged.
When Lu Yuan came down from upstairs carrying a garbage bag, he encountered this scene. Nonchalantly throwing the trash into the recycling bin, he stood on the steps, observing for a moment before slowly descending.
“Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing standing downstairs?”
Lu Yuan suddenly spoke, startling Yusto who was lost in thought. As he looked up, he saw Lu Yuan standing not far away, one hand casually in his pocket, subtly scrutinizing him with a peculiar gaze.
As a military female, Yusto’s hearing was sharp, and logically, he shouldn’t have ignored the footsteps of Lu Yuan. However, for some reason, Yusto felt no sense of alertness towards the male zerg standing in front of him. Subconsciously, he stood up straight, hiding the invitation behind him. “Why did you come down?”
Lu Yuan noticed Yusto’s movement and glanced behind him. “I came downstairs to throw away garbage. What about you? Where did you go this afternoon, taking leave?”
Yusto replied, “I went home.”
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, “Home? Which home did you go to?”
Yusto found a hint of amusement in Lu Yuan’s inquiries. Leaning back against the lamppost, he lightly beckoned Lu Yuan with a crook of his finger, saying, “Do you want to know? Come closer.”
Without much thought, Lu Yuan tilted his head slightly, bringing his ear closer. However, Yusto silently approached him, his lips curved with a touch of cunning. In a low voice, he said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you right now. Only my future male lord can ask me such questions~”
Lu Yuan: “…”
Lu Yuan actually wanted to ask if Yusto had returned to the palace because his appearance was remarkably similar to the Zerg Emperor. Could he also be a member of the imperial family or something?
Lu Yuan’s gaze fell, noticing the gilded invitation in Yusto’s hand. He raised an eyebrow subtly and said, “Is that so? Then I won’t ask… What’s this piece of paper, though?”
Yusto instantly became alert at the question, hiding the invitation behind him. “Just some documents.”
Lu Yuan’s sixth sense kicked in at that moment. He rubbed his chin, furrowing his brow in thought. “Is it related to me?”
Yusto hesitated for a moment. “No.”
“Alright, I trust you,” Lu Yuan’s unexpectedly nonchalant attitude indicated he had no intention of pressing further. “But since you’re not telling me now, don’t ever tell me in the future.”
With that statement, he clapped the dust off his hands, preparing to return to his dormitory for sleep. However, before he could take a couple of steps, as expected, Yusto called out to him from behind, “Wait!”
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow at the words, thinking about his past experiences in society. He had faced formidable opponents and challenges; could a mere bunny spirit escape from his grasp?
Turning around, he casually asked, “What’s up?”
“…”
Yusto, infuriated, silently swallowed down a mouthful of frustration, feeling an inexplicable sense of helplessness as if he were tightly controlled without the ability to resist. Reluctantly, he pulled out the red and gilded invitation from behind and handed it to Lu Yuan, turning his head away. “Here, your invitation.”
Seeing this, Lu Yuan instinctively asked, “Are you getting married?”
Yusto: “??!!!”
Yusto’s eyes widened at the question, instantly resembling a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on. He lowered his voice, embarrassed and irritated, “I’m still a single female zerg! Why would I get married?!”
Lu Yuan finally realized he misspoke and thought to himself, well, with Yusto’s rebellious nature, which male zerg wouldn’t feel impatient before considering him as a partner?
Taking the invitation, Lu Yuan asked, “Is it a relative from your family who’s getting married?”
Yusto was nearly driven to the hospital by his frustration, thinking, what does a gathering invitation have to do with marriage? “There are words on the invitation. Just read it, and you’ll know.”
Lu Yuan, thinking that he was somewhat illiterate, mumbled about not wanting to read. However, he didn’t want to expose his flaw in front of Yusto, so he pretended to open the invitation and glanced at it. Squinting, he struggled to read the text. “…”
Three minutes later, Lu Yuan expressionlessly closed the invitation.
Damn it, he couldn’t read it.
Lu Yuan already struggled with reading, and this royal invitation was entirely filled with elaborate text, like reading classical Chinese. He stared at it for a while, only recognizing the first few words as “Dear His Excellency Lu Yuan,” and the rest made no sense.
Lu Yuan intentionally raised a hand to rub his eyes and handed the invitation back to Yusto, awkwardly clearing his throat. “Um… I got some sand in my eyes, hurts too much to see the words. Can you read it to me?”
Upon hearing this, Yusto’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly approached Lu Yuan, checking his eyes with a furrowed brow, and asked, “What happened to your eyes?”
In a moment of urgency, he reached out and cupped Lu Yuan’s face. However, after staring for quite a while, he didn’t find any sand inside. When he realized he should retract his hand, Lu Yuan was already looking at him with a complex expression.
Yusto froze, his posture stiff. “…”
Regardless of whether they were friends or not, this gesture was a bit too intimate for interactions between opposite sexes. Meeting Lu Yuan’s gaze, Yusto instinctively pulled back his hand, hiding his fingertips behind him, feeling a bit awkward. “Are… Are your eyes hurting a lot? Should I take you to the infirmary?”
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered the incident where the doctor took advantage of him at the infirmary last time and furrowed his brow, changing his mind, “Never mind, I’ll take you to the hospital outside the academy.”
Lu Yuan: “…”
Lu Yuan remained silent, suddenly realizing that Yusto’s unusual concern for him might not be a good thing, considering their different races.
Noticing that the invitation had accidentally fallen on the ground, Lu Yuan picked it up, flicked off the dust, and handed it to Yusto. “It’s fine now. Read it to me.”
Yusto, instinctively curious, asked, “Why?”
Lu Yuan decided not to hide it anymore and chuckled, “Because I can’t read.”
Yusto paused. “Due to amnesia?”
Lu Yuan didn’t mind revealing his rough and uneducated side, shrugged, and half-seriously said, “I didn’t like studying when I was a kid. I used to fight outside every day, never paid attention in class. So, I can’t read.”
However, Yusto didn’t say anything negative. Instead, he awkwardly comforted him, “It’s okay. My cooking skills are terrible. I’ll teach you if you don’t understand in the future.”
After saying that, he opened the invitation and explained to Lu Yuan, “Next month, the palace is hosting a banquet, and they want to invite you to join.”
Lu Yuan furrowed his brow, feeling that such an event shouldn’t have anything to do with him. “Palace banquet? Why would they invite me?”
Yusto paused, “The Zerg Emperor wants to meet you.”
Lu Yuan became even more puzzled, “Why?”
Closing the invitation, Yusto explained, “Do you remember the male zerg you beat into the hospital on the day of enrollment? His father, Duke Monck, went to the palace today to meet the Zerg Emperor. He wants the Zerg Emperor to take strict action against you.”
Lu Yuan, at a loss for words, couldn’t figure out what to say at the moment. Emotions were indeed tricky. He took the invitation from Yusto’s hand and examined it carefully for a while. “This paper should be a judgment notice, not an invitation. Why is it an invitation?”
Yusto shook his head, indicating he didn’t know. He slowly slid his hand into his pocket, not wanting to mention that he went to plead on Lu Yuan’s behalf. “Perhaps the Zerg Emperor believes you are not at fault and even admires your courage.”
But in truth, even without him saying it, Lu Yuan had guessed as much.
There was a bench nearby, and Lu Yuan walked over, taking a seat. He patted the spot next to him, signaling for Yusto to join him. “You took a leave to visit your parents… your female and male zerg parents, right?”
Yusto hesitated in his steps, subconsciously looking at Lu Yuan. However, he just smiled and winked at him, speaking in a casual tone, “Sir, you guessed wrong. I don’t have a female zerg parent~”
Finishing his sentence, he slowly took a seat beside Lu Yuan. Most of his figure blended into the darkness, legs crossed, and he casually swayed his military boots. “I just went to visit my uncle.”
Lu Yuan seemed to have guessed something, “Your uncle is the Zerg Emperor?”
Yusto paused at the question, turning his head slightly in the darkness to look at Lu Yuan, “How did you know?”
Lu Yuan suddenly didn’t find it surprising anymore, as Yusto did bear a striking resemblance to the prince. “I attended a class this afternoon on ‘Interstellar Warfare History’ and the professor showed us a picture of the Zerg Emperor. You look a lot like him.”
Yusto, upon hearing this, unconsciously touched his eyes and then ran his fingers through his hair. “Perhaps, the Gohedra family has silver hair and red eyes in their bloodline. To maintain their purity, they’ve done countless foolish things.”
Lu Yuan asked, “Like what?”
Yusto replied, “For example, incestuous marriages? I won’t go down the same path as them.”
Lu Yuan had heard from someone that offspring from incestuous marriages could have intellectual disabilities, but as he stared at Yusto for a long time, from every angle, he didn’t seem like someone with such issues. In the dim light of the night, he spoke softly, “Well, don’t follow their example. In the future, just find a male zerg who treats you well to marry.”
Yusto, hearing this, quietly stared at him in the darkness. “But I want to find one that I like.”
Lu Yuan didn’t respond to his statement but shifted the topic, bringing up something unrelated, “I’m here to study for a short period. I’ll be returning to my hometown soon. By the time you get married, I might not even be able to see it.”
Upon hearing this, Yusto’s body stiffened. The color drained from his face, not because Lu Yuan was returning to his hometown, but because of the subtle rejection in his words.
Though Yusto was clueless when it came to emotions, it didn’t mean he was oblivious. He noticed Lu Yuan’s subtle retreat and resistance. Even if he hadn’t realized it before, after Lu Yuan’s recent words, he should have become somewhat aware.
His fingertips went cold for a moment, and his mind became a chaotic mess. Even the most basic form of thinking seemed out of reach.
Yusto instinctively stood up from the bench, seemingly considering going back to the dormitory. However, he realized that the conversation with Lu Yuan hadn’t concluded yet, causing a brief confusion in his direction. He discreetly pinched himself hard with his fingertips, using the pain to wake himself up. With great effort, he managed to force a smile and, trying to sound nonchalant, asked, “Oh, then… are you still going to the banquet?”
If Yusto could look in the mirror at this moment, he would discover that his face had turned an unnatural shade of pale, and his smile was quite unsettling.
Lu Yuan stared at him, wanting to say something but hesitating. “You…”
Yusto seemed afraid that he might hear something similar to rejection again. In the darkness, he made an effort to straighten his back, trying to appear less awkward. However, a subtly slipping strand of silver hair betrayed a hint of his discomfort. “It’s okay if you don’t want to go. I’ll explain to His Majesty.”
Finishing his words, Yusto bent down to pick up the invitation that had somehow fallen to the ground. He then hid it behind his back, smiling with a shrug. Pretending nonchalance, he said, “Your Excellency, we are friends. It’s okay to refuse an insignificant banquet.”
Yes, friends.
At this moment, Yusto could only use these two words to salvage whatever dignity he had left, amidst his awkwardness and dwindling pride.
Lu Yuan fell silent for a moment upon hearing this. Then, he took a step forward, gently pulling the crumpled invitation from Yusto’s hand. Suddenly feeling reluctant to further reject the bunny in front of him, whose eyes seemed on the verge of turning red in dejection, he asked, “It’s okay, let’s go and have a look. Is there anything we need to prepare in advance?”
Yusto’s mind was a mess, and he instinctively replied, “Formal wear… Just get a set of formal wear tailored…”
Lu Yuan nodded, realizing his own thoughts were also a bit jumbled, “Then… another day, you can take me to get one tailored. I don’t know the way.”
Yusto nodded without saying a word. Besides nodding, he had no idea what else he should do.
Lu Yuan checked the time, hesitated for a moment, and said, “You should go back and rest early. It’s getting late, and we have classes tomorrow.”
Yusto responded with a simple “Hmm,” lowering his head to stare at the ground. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice, “You too, rest early. I’ll go back to the dormitory first.”
After saying that, Yusto turned and walked into the dormitory building, not daring to glance back at Lu Yuan. His steps seemed steady, but in reality, they were frantic and awkward.
Lu Yuan watched Yusto leave, standing in place for a long time before turning and heading upstairs. He returned to his own dormitory, feeling somewhat heavy and complicated for reasons he couldn’t quite understand.
Could this be the trouble of adolescence?
But he was already in his twenties; adolescence had long passed.
Lu Yuan lay in bed, tossing and turning throughout the night without sleep. It wasn’t until the sun rose on the second day that he finally sat up with a pair of panda eyes, deciding to give up thinking about the events of the previous night.
Picking up the invitation from the bedside table, he opened it and tried to read it, but the large characters were still beyond his comprehension.
People often come up with inexplicable ideas after experiencing some form of stress.
For instance, at this moment, Lu Yuan suddenly felt that he couldn’t repeat past mistakes. He should cherish his current campus life, take the opportunity to make up for the neglected studies, and strive to become an outstanding student with well-rounded development in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor.
That’s the spirit!
No more skipping classes and getting into fights!
No more sleeping in class!
No more wasting time!
Today is the first day, let’s kick it off with full throttle!
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