Chapter 9

Chapter 9

This wasn't what Lu Wei had in mind either.

And yet, such was the case.

Well, in a nutshell, he found himself in a complex and entangled situation, experiencing a second bloom of romantic interest.

Blame it on this damned planet's mysterious setting.

Blame it on the rut.

To be honest, when Lu Wei was on Earth, he never imagined that his future would involve being with a man... let alone being the receptive partner.

In the interstellar world, humans had longer lifespans, and His Majesty the Dog was incredibly strong. Despite Lu Wei's attempts to switch roles, he failed miserably.

Fortunately, this time the pain wasn't unbearable. Perhaps their compatible auras had clouded their senses, numbing any discomfort.

This time, His Majesty the Dog was even more fervent, pushing everything deep within, leaving Lu Wei gritting his teeth and hastily taking a cold shower to alleviate the sensation.

On the Starlink Bracelet:

"Recorded."

"Empire's Fertility Guide suggests, for prompt conception, please maintain a suitable frequency of intimate activities =^v^="

Accompanied by an annoyingly cute smiley.

Lu Wei: Smiling at me, huh? Just you wait, I'll dismantle you ^v^.

"Damn it." Still irritated upon waking up, Lu Wei slapped His Majesty the Dog who was sleeping beside him.

Yet, the royal dog didn't react in the slightest.

Lu Wei: ...

"Trying to play the victim, Your Majesty?"

Although he did hit the other party, his strength wasn't significant—certainly not enough to knock someone out.

Lu Wei called out, but the other party still didn't respond.

"Buddy, you can't just pull this kind of stunt."

He had just landed his dream job!

Moving closer, Lu Wei noticed that Emperor Dog indeed had his eyes closed. Amidst his distress, he couldn't help but admire the other's god-given appearance – it was truly unparalleled.

His complexion wasn't good, with a faint frown between his brows. His tightly shut eyes indicated that he had heard Lu Wei but chose not to react.

"What's wrong?"

"..."

Lu Wei turned the other's face to meet his gaze, only to realize that the man's eyes were bloodshot, resembling an enraged shark-man in a movie, ready to impulsively attack at any moment.

Emperor Dog managed to suppress a single word from escaping his throat, "Pain."

Lu Wei: "Brother, I'm the one who should be complaining about pain, yet you're the one crying wolf?"

But Lu Wei didn't voice that thought, for Huo Jin genuinely appeared to be in great distress.

Emperor Star's ruler had always adhered to the principle of "if I'm unhappy, no one else gets to be happy either."

Lu Wei turned to call for assistance, but the monarch caught his arm, pulling him down to sit.

"You can't leave."

Lu Wei pondered if his intention to slip away was too transparent. "I'll go get a doctor for you."

Huo Jin's brows knitted together. "A doctor won't help. It's a genetic condition."

The mention of a genetic condition jogged Lu Wei's memory. There seemed to be something like that. The royal family of Emperor Star all carried this hereditary illness, and when it flared up, even passing dogs would avoid them – precisely why the adjutant had summoned him.

Damn that adjutant!

Emperor Star's ruler was already fair-skinned, but now his complexion appeared even more frail and pallid, evoking an overwhelming urge to protect him.

—Referring solely to his face.

Lu Wei: "Forget it, I must have owed you in my past life."

They could be considered a pair of casual lovers, right? Despite his eccentric temperament, he had at least offered Lu Wei a great job and treated him fairly well.

Lu Wei examined him closely. "Let me see where it hurts."

Huo Jin looked at him, his eyes still bloodshot. "Headache."

Lu Wei tried to gently rub the emperor's head as he said, "Looking at me won't help. I can't perform magic."

He was clueless about how the adjutant claimed that their previous encounter had cured Huo Jin's ailment.

As Lu Wei spoke, something miraculous happened—the pain in Huo Jin's head actually lessened when his hands were on it.

It didn't hurt as much anymore.

The area he touched felt much better.

Huo Jin: "Let go of your hand."

Lu Wei immediately retracted his hand. "Huh, you're still being picky?"

His Majesty the Dog: "Ow." It hurt again.

The pain on his face was genuine, and Lu Wei hesitantly placed his hand back on it. The other's expression immediately returned to normal.

Lu Wei: "...."

No way? Was he some kind of pain reliever in his past life?

Huo Jin didn't say anything and leaned his head comfortably into the palm of Lu Wei's hand.

A head rested in his hand.

In that instant, Lu Wei felt an immense pain, as if ten thousand needles were piercing into his brain and stirring wildly.

If this instant after the matching made him feel His Majesty the Dog's pain, then that was just ridiculous! If even this short while was so unbearable, how could he have endured it consistently?

Nobody had told him that there would be temporary empathetic sensations after the matching, damn it!

Lu Wei grimaced. "Did it hurt this much for you before?"

The Canine Emperor nodded.

Lu Wei realized now why the Canine Emperor had gone mad. Any normal person would have become insane with such frequent occurrences.

He had previously thought that the Canine Emperor was somewhat ungrateful, but now he regarded him as a model of human perseverance!

Lu Wei retracted his head. "I won't scold you now, but I'll remember this grudge until tomorrow!"

Huo Jin discovered that the young man in front of him was the cure to his ailment. Due to their matching auras, it alleviated the pain in his bloodline.

With his head resting on Lu Wei's arm, his complexion improved significantly.

Lu Wei noticed the large frozen food gift box he had brought with him on the table.

In an unusual show of compassion, Lu Wei said, "I'll heat it up for you outside."

Huo Jin remained expressionless. "No."

Lu Wei looked at him with an expression that said, "Don't you know how long it's been?" "It's been out all day."

His Majesty the Dog still stared unblinkingly, his grip on Lu Wei's arm as firm as a vise. "No can do."

He had no intention of letting him go.

"Fine then."

There was no stopping someone who loved cold dishes.

Lu Wei placed everything in front of him; the food had already cooled down.

He had used interstellar ingredients to mimic Earth's, such as the Anhuo fruit, whose texture resembled a tomato. He had roughly stir-fried it with animal eggs to create a low-budget version of "scrambled eggs with tomatoes." The other dishes were also made using similar deceptive culinary tricks.

"Here, eat," Lu Wei set the food before Huo Jin.

It was a selection of chilled stir-fries.

To be precise, dishes that had been prepared, allowed to cool, infused with mysterious preservatives, and then reheated.

Well, cough.

His Majesty the Dog was quite supportive in this aspect. Although he wasn't fond of eating, he tried every pre-prepared dish made by Lu Wei and gave positive feedback.

One advantage of the interstellar era was its advanced preservation technology, which facilitated the popularity of pre-prepared meals.

Lu Wei sensed a business opportunity: "If we utilize this preservation technology to establish a pre-prepared food industry chain, we could make a fortune in this culinary desert."

Huo Jin picked up on the key term: "Pre-prepared meals?"

With heightened alertness, Lu Wei equivocated, "Uh, healing cuisine... It's dishes that are soothing to prepare and delectable to eat."

The Canine Monarch responded with a simple, "Oh."

Feeling slightly guilty, Lu Wei averted his gaze. "So, is it delicious?"

The Canine Monarch nodded with restrained enthusiasm, "A food unseen in the Emperor Star."

To the Canine Monarch, this was high praise indeed.

With complete confidence, Lu Wei accepted the compliment without any guilt. "Not boasting, but my culinary skills are quite impressive. Back then, I believed that whoever was with me wouldn't just live a life of wealth and luxury, but also a peaceful domestic life would be more than fine."

Huo Jin glanced at him. The youth's eyes sparkled when he talked about his expertise, resembling a proud cat.

The emperor pondered over the hidden meaning behind the words.

The young man liked him → endured hardships to cook for him → expected praise for his efforts.

The emperor praised him modestly, "You'd make a good wife."

"..." Damn.

Lu Wei sincerely felt that there was a severe communication barrier between him and Emperor Dog.

Seeing how appetizingly he ate, Lu Wei, who had been hungry all day, couldn't resist. He took another pair of chopsticks from the small compartments of the food box and sampled some as well.

The emperor watched him take a few bites.

Huo Jin said, "I've tasted it before."

Rough-and-ready Lu Wei: "Huh?"

Lu Wei: "… We've shared a bed before, so why are you still being so particular now?"

Was this emperor returning to his innocent roots?

Lu Wei's mouth gaped wide. "Have you never had a meal with someone else before?"

Huo Jin: "The royal family doesn't have the habit of dining with others."

"Wow."

In noble households, meals were usually served on separate plates as well. Sharing food was seen as a breach of etiquette by those who considered themselves above others.

But it didn't seem like a bad thing for someone like this young man.

"You don't seem like an Emperor Star native."

Very unique.

Unconventional in both actions and words, he was strikingly lively.

This caught Lu Wei off guard.

Fortunately, His Majesty the Dog seemed to have merely tossed out the question casually, showing no intention of pursuing it further.

Lu Wei discreetly wiped the sweat off his forehead, relieved once the tension had passed.

At that moment, His Majesty the Dog fixed him with his dark eyes, expressionlessly asking, "Has your aide-de-camp tasted your cooking as well?"

???

Again, him?

Lu Wei was at a loss as to what had triggered His Majesty the Dog again. "Of course, I've shared them. I've encountered Captain, Chef Uncle, Miss Filia on the way... They all had some."

The more he mentioned, the more the corners of the other's mouth drooped.

During his frantic cramming sessions previously, Lu Wei had learned about a particular species in the galaxy.

Octopuses with black eyes, when agitated, elevate their tentacles, giving them an eerie appearance.

Now, His Majesty the Dog indeed resembled that creature.

Lu Wei scratched his head. "But they all declined, saying they were worried about not being accustomed to the taste."

Neither the adjutant nor the captain dared to try it, and the chef had seen the process of adding technology and intense flavoring. Miss Philia was on a diet.

"Hmm." Huo Jin nodded haughtily, accepting the offer.

There was an implied meaning behind Lu Wei's words:

You're the only one who enjoys frozen food.

Lu Wei wouldn't eat chilled dishes unless he was starving. As he chewed, he commented, "It doesn't taste good when it's cold."

Elderly Chinese people typically preferred hot meals.

His Majesty the Dog watched him using two wooden sticks to pick up his food, then gazed at his crimson lips. "I consent."

Lu Wei: ?

"You answered what?"

The canine king's thought process remained as abstract as ever, "In the royal family, only partners share a dish in their private chambers."

???

Huh? So what?

Lu Wei: Am I still able to spit it out now?