Chapter 39 Tone of Speech

Chapter 39 Tone of Voice

They had nearly reached the airlock door when they simultaneously stopped, gazing at each other in silence.

Sang Li hadn't expected this moment to arrive so swiftly. Despite his readiness to be open and honest, he couldn't help but feel flustered and anxious.

Sang Li's eyes trembled, making him appear somewhat pale and startled, like a pitiful, frightened creature.

"I..."

Sang Li found himself speechless.

Liposi knew he shouldn't have made such a request on their first meeting; it seemed far too impatient.

But did it matter?

No, it didn't.

Sang Li's scars, whatever they might be, wouldn't alter a thing. After all, they wouldn't change his decision to marry him.

Liposi, unsure how to react himself, couldn't help but chuckle. "Nervous?"

Sang Li pressed his lips together, remaining silent, as if silently conveying his refusal.

Liposi, too, fell silent, his gaze calmly dropping.

Perhaps he was losing his mind, trying to clear his head this way, or perhaps he was attempting to boldly test the other's limits. Even if it wasn't entirely advantageous for him—after all, he couldn't be certain Sang Li's feelings for him would allow such complete vulnerability.

Liposi meant no harm, nor did he expect Sang Li to agree. He was about to let the matter pass lightly when Sang Li's next action left him utterly frozen.

Sang Li raised his hand, his face clearly etched with embarrassment and hesitation.

Gathering his courage, his pink pupils trembled slightly, as if he had made up his mind but still couldn't manage a composed demeanor. Blushing, he stammered, "...I—I'll show you."

Liposi was stunned.

He suddenly found it absurd, but remembering it was his own request, Liposi fell silent once more.

He truly wanted to know.

Sang Li removed his mask.

His face was small, and the scar occupied a significant portion of it, stretching from his cheekbone to his forehead. Shaped like an irregular maple leaf, it covered his left eye, completely obscuring its vitality.

Liposi was speechless. For a moment, he could even picture Sang Li's original appearance—delicate and luminous, with features possessing an ethereal elegance. His intact eye had long, thick lashes, the same light color as his hair.

When Sang Li blushed, it was especially noticeable and very beautiful. Even though the scar would distort and twist with his expressions, its presence was softened by his gentle and refined appearance.

Liposi murmured, "It's beautiful."

Sang Li was speechless. He reached up and touched the scar. It resembled a twisted, meandering fleshy worm, seeming to writhe with the slightest movement. It was even more fragile and sensitive than normal skin, prone to itching and redness, easily becoming unsightly.

He lowered his head, anxiously twisting his fingers. Sang Li had imagined Liposi's possible reactions—holding back disgust, or openly expressing aversion and dislike, or even using it as a reason to scold him for being an eyesore.

After all, that was typical for male insects.

But Sang Li never expected this response. For a long time, he didn't dare look at Liposi, his mind a tangled mess.

"Me..."

Sang Li only murmured, moving his lips slightly. He didn't know how to react, his voice so soft he could barely hear himself.

Liposi made an affirming sound.

"Yes, you."

For no particular reason, Liposi always felt that however Sang Li looked was perfectly reasonable.

Perhaps he simply didn't care about Sang Li's appearance.

Liposi slowly reached out, his warm fingertips gently brushing over that extremely delicate, irregular skin.

"Sang Li," Liposi met his gaze and spoke, "just relax."

Liposi's hand was long-fingered, and where he'd touched Sang Li, a lingering tingling sensation remained after he pulled away.

Sang Li's eyes trembled. Holding the mask, he stood uncertainly, unsure whether to put it away or wear it again.

As Liposi turned to enter the spaceship, he seemed to sense something. Seeing Sang Li standing still, he, without speaking, simply took Sang Li's hand firmly and said seriously, "I'll walk you home."

Suddenly, finding unexpected courage, Sang Li tightened his grip and hugged Liposi tightly from behind.

"Liposi," his voice trembled slightly, "I... I'll go home with you."

Liposi's surroundings suddenly fell into silence. It took him a long time to remember how to respond. "I think I should tell you, my home is in the poor district. It's not a place for you."

Sang Li was the child of a weapons merchant, but after being injured in his youth, his male parent never let him near such dangerous things again.

He was raised educated yet naive, unlike Liposi.

Thinking of this, Liposi tightened his grip on Sang Li's hand, though not enough to cause pain.

Sang Li instantly regretted his impulse, but soon Liposi turned and pulled him into an embrace.

"I'll invite you out again next time."

Liposi smiled, released Sang Li, and took a flat box from his pocket, placing it in Sang Li's palm. "A small gift. I learned to make it in crafts class from a friend who loves making these for his primary consort."

After saying this, Liposi let go.

Sang Li held the box, not knowing what to say, his ears gradually turning red.

They didn't speak for the whole way back. Sang Li held tightly onto the small gift Liposi had given him, wanting to open it but resisting the urge.

The time spent together had felt long during their outing, but the return trip felt inexplicably short.

When they reached Sang Li's home, Liposi looked at him with a smile. "Till next time. Remember to rest early."

Sang Li kept looking back at him repeatedly until he reached the door, where he stopped and asked, "Next time... when will that be?"

Liposi paused to consider. "Tomorrow?"

Sang Li's eyes widened suddenly. He said nothing, turning to go inside, but soon sent a message via his comm-unit.

Sang Li: Okay.

Liposi saw it and couldn't help but laugh, then exhaled deeply in relief.

So far, so good.

On the other side, Sang Li returned to his villa, psyched himself up for a long time, and then slowly opened the box.

Inside lay a diamond bracelet, not flashy but very classy. It looked incredibly beautiful wrapped around his wrist, adorned with irregular small diamond pieces, all well-edged to avoid scratching the wearer.

Sang Li carefully wrapped it around his wrist and sent a photo to Liposi.

Sang Li: It's beautiful, I like it.

Liposi replied quickly.

Liposi: Hmm, don't mention it. I can bring you something every time we meet.

After sending the message, Liposi put away his communicator and returned to his dorm room at the correctional facility.

The next day, Xierlan returned to the correctional facility at the usual class time. He arrived quite early, and the classroom was empty except for him. As free activity time approached, the other male insects gradually trickled in.

The last to arrive was Liposi. Haibi was extremely excited, "So? So? Did you sleep with Sang Li last night?"

Liposi shook his head honestly, "No."

Miao Qie slammed the table, clearly disapproving, "Are you even a male insect?! If you like someone, just be direct!"

Liposi had his own thoughts, "No rush, let's take it slow."

Miao Qie was practically dying of impatience, "This is so aggravating!"

Xierlan wasn't very surprised, "Matters of the heart don't move that quickly."

Miao Qie widened his eyes indignantly, "What's wrong with moving fast? Dragging things out like this is infuriating! I want to move faster with my primary consort, but he always avoids me! So annoying, so annoying! You all don't know how lucky you are!"

Miao Qie kept pestering Ximodo to chat.

Xierlan was curious about why he was so worked up, "Let me see what you sent your primary consort."

Miao Qie pulled up the chat history to show them, "Quick, judge this! How can even being clingy fail? How do you all manage to be clingy? So annoying, so annoying!"

The male insects crowded around to look, but after just a few seconds, they all fell silent.

Miao Qie: Answer me! Why aren't you talking!

Ximodo: I'm busy, sorry.

Miao Qie: Who said you could be busy? Come talk to me! I miss you so much!

Ximodo: Sorry, primary male, I really don't have time.

Miao Qie didn't reply. After a few hours, Ximodo sent a message on his own.

Ximodo: Primary male, are you still there?

Miao Qie replied after a while: Not available. The next few days were pretty much the same, until eventually the two stopped talking altogether. It wasn't until half a day later that Ximodo finally replied.

Ximodo: Primary male, are you angry?

Haibi was shocked, "I always thought you and your primary consort had such heated chats. So this is what 'heated' means."

Miao Qie grumbled indignantly, "I didn't hit him or scold him, but he always treats me like this. I'm so angry. Whenever I try to chat with him, he acts like this. It's infuriating!"

Xierlan facepalmed but didn't explain anything. Instead, he said directly, "Send a message to your primary consort."

Miao Qie stood up and plopped down next to Xierlan, "What should I send? What should I send?"

Xierlan thought for a moment, "Send this: Yes, I'm angry!"

Miao Qie obediently did as told.

Ximodo replied an hour later. Miao Qie saw it and hurriedly nudged Xierlan, who was pretending to read a knitting manual beside him, "He replied, he replied! How should I respond?"

Xierlan adjusted his askew glasses and leaned over to look.

Ximodo: Sorry, I failed in my duty, primary male. You can punish me however you want.

Xierlan glanced up at Miao Qie, who was eagerly pushing his communicator toward him.

"Help me look, help me look."

Xierlan gave him a quick analysis, "Your primary consort is probably more afraid of making mistakes than most others. You always express your emotions loudly and directly, which is good, but you need to be more specific. For example, say: I'm really angry, I'm done studying for today, I want to see you. If you're too vague, your primary consort won't know what he did to make you so angry. He isn't very good at comforting others and speaks honestly and directly."

Xierlan thought for a bit and added a few more sentences, "Don't just express your emotions; also share your thoughts and what you need from him."

After all, this is very important.

Miao Qie and Xierlan talked for half an hour, and finally, Miao Qie understood. He started sending messages to Ximodo. The words "I want to see you" lingered on the tip of his tongue, but Miao Qie swallowed them back.

Damn it, he wasn't going to let Ximodo off that easily!

Miao Qie quickly sent a message.

Miao Qie: I can't talk to you anymore. I need to meet. When can we?

Ximodo happened to be online and saw the message. He couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Lately, he had no idea what was wrong with Miao Qie, and it left him unsettled, afraid that anything he said might offend Miao Qie.

Now it's come to this, huh?

Ximodo raised his hand to rub his temples. His body had mostly recovered, but he had to go on a business trip the day after tomorrow. He hoped the male insect would go easy on him.

Ximodo typed a line.