Chapter 28 Puppy Portrayal

Chapter 28: Puppy Play

Xierlan was naturally gifted. His effort was moderate, but his quick mind meant he grasped many things without much fuss. Countless classmates and friends had expressed their envy.

After all, what could one do when an academic ace, who barely needed to study and was always plotting something, sat right beside them?

From childhood, Xierlan’s playful spirit always outweighed his studious one, evident in his constant efforts to make life more comfortable for himself.

Even his admission to Tsinghua University came with little pressure. He didn't opt for early admission but leisurely completed his three years of high school.

Sexia, on the other hand, was a blend of sheer diligence, innate brilliance, and ruthless determination.

He grew up under a classic "wolf-style" upbringing; he no longer remembered how many insects he had killed. Sexia wasn't as calm and meticulous as he appeared; quite the opposite, he was utterly unscrupulous, scheming and manipulating daily since joining the First Army.

He knew how to sow discord, conceal malice behind a smile, and wear a false mask to gain the trust of those around him, only to uncover and exploit their weaknesses.

Countless insects had served as his stepping stones to power.

But he would never let Xierlan know any of this. In Xierlan’s eyes, Sexia only needed to be shy, bashful, and pure—that was more than enough.

The rest, Xierlan didn't need to know.

Humans were completely oblivious. The plot’s introduction to the villain focused mainly on the later stages, with scant details about specific events, concentrating entirely on the main couple's tumultuous relationship.

Xierlan would never have imagined his wife’s true face could be like this—

So fierce.

He simply thought Sexia was exceptional, possessing talents he couldn't even perceive, but Xierlan understood there was no comparison between them, even though Sexia’s excellence far surpassed his own.

Xierlan deeply admired those who excelled in specific fields, let alone his wife, a female insect outstanding in most areas.

Xierlan’s eyes sparkled, his anticipation unconcealed. He leaned in and kissed Sexia’s cheek, a little shyly, “So, can we start today? I want my wife to teach me.”

Sexia’s ears flushed hot at the endearment. He nodded slowly, looking quite flustered.

“Yes, I’ll teach you.”

Sexia preferred teaching through practical application. He set up the equipment, first explaining its use to Xierlan. Only after Xierlan was ready did he lie down, connect with him, and log into the initial position.

Sexia loaded in first. He brought up the mode and imported several medical cases—this was the content he planned to cover with Xierlan today, and the difficulty level was fairly average.

However, the Zerg were different from Earthlings. Their medical technology was highly advanced, and military females possessed incredibly potent self-healing abilities. Consequently, by the time they required medical attention, they were typically suffering from rare and intractable conditions. Beyond theoretical knowledge, when it came to tackling actual cases, the difficulty level was hellish from the outset.

Xierlan logged in a bit slower. When he opened his eyes, he saw a pure white geometric ceiling and instinctively looked for Sexia, who was standing at the control panel setting parameters.

Sexia had just finished loading everything. Seeing Xierlan log in, he sent him an invitation.

As soon as Xierlan accepted, he found himself standing before an operating table.

On the table lay a simulated human body. Sexia stood opposite him, dressed in surgical attire, with only a pair of cold, ice-blue eyes visible. Noticing Xierlan’s gaze, he gave a reassuring nod, signaling him not to be nervous.

“We’ll start with the hands.”

He picked up a scalpel and began dissecting with swift, precise movements, as if he’d performed the procedure countless times.

Xierlan could even see the fresh flesh and blood inside the simulated body, with blood still oozing out.

The simulation was incredibly realistic, as if a living human body lay right before him.

“For basic instruction, I’ll begin with the hands. I’ll guide you through a few typical cases. If you don’t understand something, just say ‘stop,’ and I’ll demonstrate and explain first.”

Sexia’s voice was calm and stern, his emotions steady, and his pacing between explanation and dissection was exceptionally well-controlled.

After covering the key points about the hands, he moved on to examples.

“Military females on the battlefield often suffer from Alheno Syndrome. You need to rule out influencing factors through organ response; surgery cannot be performed directly, or it could trigger rejection.”

The physiological structure of the Zerg differed vastly from humans. Even with similar external forms, dissection revealed distinct alien structures in Zerg muscle groups and skeletal systems.

Sexia pointed out a few areas, such as the hidden carapace bones concealed within the hand muscles of military females.

“These are called blade bones. They typically grow between the hand bones of female Zerg. Generally, only military females possess them. In sub-females, blade bones have mostly degenerated, though some still retain them—manifesting as blunt, damaged, or underdeveloped.”

Sexia’s hands were tightly gloved. His fingertips brushed over a specific part of the simulated hand, and the dormant blade bones between the hand bones abruptly stood up, like shark’s teeth, gleaming coldly under the light.

“Depending on their developmental level, skin texture, sharpness, and control, each female Zerg with blade bones will exhibit different developmental directions. Releasing the blade bones will puncture the skin while secreting an anesthetic to alleviate the pain. After use, the retraction time varies, usually between 1 to 7 days.”

After explaining, Sexia held the scalpel gently and said, “Now, I’ll teach you how to handle situations involving blade bones.”

Xierlan listened intently. When his gaze fell on Sexia’s hand, he couldn’t help feeling curious, but he had no interest in asking Sexia to demonstrate—after all, it would be painful.

He drifted off slightly but quickly refocused and continued listening.

Sexia’s movements were steady and natural as he explained many important points. “If you encounter a difficult situation, don’t panic. Often, no matter what choice you make, the outcome will be bad. In those moments, just focus on providing the patient with the maximum possible help. Don’t overthink the rest.”

Working in medicine demanded no less resilience than being on the battlefield. After finishing the section on hands, he shifted the lesson to the chest and abdominal area of the simulated body.

“This area is highly challenging, and the most common cases involve problems here. But no matter how troublesome, nothing compares to the difficulty of cranial injuries.”

Without waiting for Xierlan to react, Sexia directly cut open the chest and abdomen of the simulated body, exposing the organs beneath the skin right before Xierlan’s eyes.

Even though Xierlan had seen the physiological structure of the Zerg in materials, seeing it in person almost made him faint. He struggled to steady his breathing, slowly calming his trembling nerves.

Sexia glanced up and noticed the discomfort on the human’s face. He adjusted Xierlan’s sensory data slightly downward.

Sexia asked softly, “Feeling better now?”

Xierlan took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, I’m okay.”

He threw himself into the lesson. Sexia’s teaching was steady and experienced, effortlessly condensing lengthy knowledge into a few concise sentences.

The example cases, with their severe traumas, allowed Xierlan to fully grasp the relevant knowledge and learn how to handle them—even though his foundation wasn't solid.

Before he knew it, Xierlan had been fully absorbed for two hours.

After demonstrating several surgeries, Sexia turned to him slightly. “That’s enough for now. I’ve uploaded the materials to your server. You can review them for consolidation later.”

Sexia originally planned to run through some case simulations with Xierlan but ultimately decided against it. As he prepared to leave, out of habit from his time in the First Army, he instinctively reached to remove his surgical gown.

Catching himself, he calmly lowered his hand and chose to log out instead.

Xierlan logged out as well. After waking up in the pod, he still felt a bit disoriented.

Noticing the human’s obvious discomfort, Sexia glanced over just in time to see it.

Xierlan was just about to sit up when he felt a warm touch at his temple.

Sexia’s fingertips were gently circling between his brows, the motion clear and soft. Noticing Xierlan watching him, Sexia smiled faintly at the corners of his mouth, though his movements remained unchanged.

“It’s normal to feel dizzy after using the Holographic Pod for the first time. Just rest for a while.”

Xierlan’s ear tips instantly grew warm. He wasn’t used to being taken care of, but sensing Sexia’s sincerity and gentleness, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

He stayed quiet for a moment, then, realizing Sexia intended to keep massaging him, Xierlan gently rolled over, subtly stopping Sexia from continuing.

“I’m okay, Sexia.” Xierlan still felt a bit unsteady. Being taken care of felt strange to him, even if it was by his partner. “I’m not that uncomfortable. You’ve been focused on teaching for a long time—you must be tired too.”

Sexia sat to the side as Xierlan gradually sat up, meeting his eyes at eye level. His eyes were full of seriousness, shimmering with obvious shyness.

In Sexia’s eyes, humans had always seemed mature. Occasionally romantic or naive, they still carried a unique sense of independence and clarity. This quality alone made Xierlan stand out among the other insects, distinct and unforgettable.

So whenever Xierlan showed another side of himself, Sexia would be captivated, finding his human particularly cute.

Sexia’s fingertips tingled slightly. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling—he just really wanted to pull his mate into his arms and give him an affectionate squeeze.

The thought made his own ears grow warm. Xierlan, noticing Sexia hadn’t reacted for a while, tilted his head quizzically. The next second, he saw Sexia reach out and pull him straight into an embrace.

Xierlan’s entire head was buried against Sexia’s chest, and he could clearly smell the other’s scent. Instinctively, he wanted to sit up and escape this embarrassing situation, but after a moment’s hesitation, he stayed still, murmuring somewhat awkwardly, “Sexia, do you really have to hold me like this…?”

Sexia thought Xierlan actually was like a small animal—not so much a cat, but more like a puppy, the kind that’s well-behaved and adorable.

He wasn’t sure why he suddenly thought of Xierlan as a puppy. Maybe it was because Xierlan always saw him as a cat.

Sexia’s expression shifted, and suddenly, uncharacteristically, he pinched Xierlan’s cheek. “So soft.”

His heart felt soft too.

Xierlan blushed completely, unsure how to react. His ears turned red, and even his neck grew warm.

He had no way to handle this side of Sexia. Pressing his face into Sexia’s chest, he decided not to pull away, instead nuzzling gently. The hand that had been bracing himself now wrapped around Sexia’s arm, and he almost playfully used Sexia’s hand to cover his own face.

“Alright… do whatever you want.”

A part of Sexia’s heart felt tenderly touched. The human nestled in his arms—docile, yielding, and soft—trustingly buried against him. When he received no response, he even shyly pressed closer.

Is this what mutual affection is like? No matter what the other does, you always find them adorable.

Sexia’s other hand rose to stroke Xierlan’s head, slowly working his fingers into his hair roots, touching him as though caressing something precious.

It was intimate.

The human scalp is actually a sensitive area. Even slight touches to the hair roots can bring a distinct tingling sensation. When you touch it yourself, you might not feel much, but when someone else does, it’s completely different—amplified endlessly, leaving only comfort and ease.

Xierlan blushed from the sensation. Right before him was Sexia’s midsection. After a moment’s hesitation, he nuzzled against it, resting quietly.

Sexia’s ears began to grow warm. He leaned back slightly to make it more comfortable for Xierlan to lie against him, and his fingers trembled slightly from the motion.

Maybe that’s enough…

Sexia’s cheeks were also growing warm.

Xierlan noticed the insect’s stiffness. Originally, he planned to quietly sit up, but a sudden mischievous idea crossed his mind.

He wrapped his arms around Sexia’s waist, nuzzled against it a couple times before planting an affectionate kiss.

After bathing, the female bug's bamboo fragrance completely overpowered the smell of the bath gel.

Sexia was kissed through his clothes; even though his waist and abdomen had been kissed countless times, he still became extremely flustered due to the male's playful antics.

"My Lord…" Sexia lowered his head, clearly flustered, "Please don't do this."

Xierlan loved teasing him. Seeing Sexia's reaction, he found it adorable. He got up, kissed the corner of Sexia's mouth, hugged him like he was a big plush toy, and smiled with curved eyes.

"Alright, alright, baby, don’t be so shy."

Xierlan murmured twice, "I’ve kissed you so many times. If you’re still not used to it, that just means Sexia needs to be kissed a few more times."

After saying this, he happily led Sexia back to the room to rest. The two of them walked unsteadily, didn't even touch the door handle—Xierlan eagerly pushed it open.

Sexia truly had no way to deal with him. Staggering into the room, before he could even prepare to get into bed, Xierlan tackled him onto the bed.

At that moment, he still hadn’t sensed any danger—until he watched helplessly as the human slid under his shirt, and only then did he realize something was wrong.

Sexia’s face flushed bright red, his ice-blue eyes trembling slightly as the human explored every inch of his front.

Every time he tried to curl into a ball, Xierlan pressed him down and held him open.

He could only suppress himself, panting, giving the human what he craved directly into his mouth.

Only when Xierlan had had enough did he withdraw.

He hugged Sexia and snuggled against him.

In his dazed state, Sexia felt even more convinced that Xierlan was just like a puppy.

Who else would chase after something to eat like that?

Sexia silently turned over. Xierlan, this rascal, still not satisfied even after getting what he wanted, rested his chin on Sexia’s shoulder, gently tapped his shoulder lightly, and cooed, "Baby, baby."

"Why aren’t you looking at me? Are you shy?"

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Author's note: I only realized my moonstones had skyrocketed from 25 to 700 when I noticed my readers were showering me with overwhelming love.

Really, I’m spinning around performing acts of love.

I still haven’t managed to write Xierlan calling him 'husband'—let me take a breather first...