Chapter 3 Acting Coquettish

Chapter 3: Acting Coy

"Your Excellency, if you want something, you have to tell us so we can help."

*Speak? No way.*

Su Jibai's hand trembled as he feigned fluster, tugging on the corner of Idris's clothes with more force than before to signal his refusal.

This time, the familiar voice didn't sound, and even the corner of the clothes he was holding was about to be pulled away. A cat-like sob soon echoed in the room again.

All the onlookers: Folks, my fist is clenching!

Gazes from all directions fell upon Idris, wishing they could devour him whole.

The female could only helplessly stop his movement, softening his voice to coax, "I won't pull the clothes away, but Your Excellency mustn't bury yourself under the blankets either. Could you come out for some fresh air? If you agree, just tug on the corner of my clothes."

After these words, Su Jibai's hand didn't move, and Idris didn't rush him, waiting quietly.

Su Jibai huddled under the blanket, deliberately waiting for a while before tremblingly signaling his agreement. He stretched his limbs, numb from being curled up, and slowly revealed half of his face.

Although it wasn't his first time seeing a male, Idris was still utterly captivated.

The damp eyelashes curved upward, revealing moist, timid black eyes beneath. The slightly reddened corners of his eyes were the only touch of color on his pale face, yet it wasn't seductive—instead, it made him look even more pitiful and endearing, making anyone who saw him soften their hearts.

Idris was momentarily dazed but quickly composed himself, asking softly, "Your Excellency, do you remember me? My name is Idris."

Su Jibai paid no attention, staring fixedly at the person bending over him—tall and straight, wearing a perfectly tailored snow-white military uniform that accentuated his slender waist.

Moving up from the waist, a wisteria brooch adorned the military uniform. Beside it, snow-white hair fell casually, making the pair of deep purple eyes even more mysterious. And the lines of his brow and eyes were identical to those of the person long absent from his memory.

"Your Excellency?" Idris noticed the person on the bed staring intently at him, his expression eerily overlapping with last night's.

Su Jibai's mind, already reeling from the shock, short-circuited at the sight of Idris, and the similar voice shattered what little rationality he had left.

*Brother?*

Su Jibai looked dazed, tentatively reaching out to wrap his arms around Idris's fair neck, pressing his upper body against him, leaving no gap between them.

Due to the excessive force, the bandage on his neck soon bled through, and the nearly healed wound on his abdomen split open again from the pressure. The patient gown was quickly speckled with crimson, but Su Jibai paid no mind.

Idris, surprised, carefully held the body pressing against him. The male's waist felt incredibly good—soft and slender, as if it might break with a little more force. Moist, warm breath spread near his neck, reddening the fair earlobe beside it.

Su Jibai rested his head on the slightly stiff uniform. Remembering he couldn't speak, he gently rubbed his cheek against the female's face to convey his longing.

Idris felt somewhat uncomfortable with the male's closeness. When he retreated, the male advanced, step by step, cornering and blocking him, leaving no room for refusal.

The other doctors and the MPA Director nearby, seeing the two insects acting intimately as if no one else were present. Some were exasperated.

Hey! We're still here!

If you keep rubbing like this, we shouldn't be by the bed—we should be under it.

Others covered their mouths, silently screaming.

Ahhh! Gently! Gently! The wound!!!

The wound that was just stitched up, ahhh!

Bulan clearly belonged to the latter group. He coughed lightly and, considering the male's condition, quickly stepped forward to remind them, "Your Excellency, how about... letting go of the Major General first and letting the doctor examine your... wound?"

Idris loosened his grip around the waist, wanting to pull Su Jibai away to check.

But every time he moved, Su Jibai whimpered pitifully, and the tears that had just stopped threatened to fall again.

Bulan glimpsed this scene and instantly felt his scalp tingle—it was the first time he'd seen such a troublesome, delicate, and tearful male! So, he subtly gave Idris a meaningful look.

It's up to you! Hurry and coax him!

Forced by the situation, Idris couldn't act as he pleased. He sighed softly and leaned close to Su Jibai's ear, "Your Excellency, I'll stay here with you. Can we let the doctor examine the wound?"

Su Jibai reluctantly let go, his moist black eyes looking pitifully at the female, seeking confirmation again.

*Brother?*

*Really won't leave?*

Strangely, Idris seemed to have formed a mental link with the male, roughly understanding his thoughts.

The corners of Idris's lips lifted as he nodded gently. He casually took out a silk handkerchief and softly wiped away the moisture at the corner of Su Jibai's eyes, replying, "I won't leave."

Having received the promise, Su Jibai withdrew his arms from around Idris's neck. The next second, the corner of Idris's clothes was grabbed again, and even his shoulder was commandeered.

Su Jibai looked up, his eyelashes fluttering like butterflies: *Is this okay? It won't interfere with the examination.*

What could Idris do? Idris had no choice but to let the male have his way, treating his body like a cat's nest.

The Attending Doctor prepared the medical supplies and drew the curtain to block the view. Bulan, as the MPA Director, needed to understand Su Jibai's condition, so he followed inside the curtain.

The re-bandaging process went smoothly. Throughout, Su Jibai kept his eyes downcast, lost in thought, but he cooperated fully.

"All done." The Attending Doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Remember not to move around carelessly from now on. If the wound splits open again, the scar will be even larger."

"Your Excellency's injury is so severe—why wasn't a repair pod used?" Bulan asked with a frown.

"Because it's useless," the Attending Doctor tidied up the medical supplies and placed them on a tray nearby. "There's something peculiar about Your Excellency's body. The repair pod can't promote wound healing; we can only rely on conventional methods for gradual recovery. However, painkillers were used during wound treatment, so Your Excellency should feel better."

"What!" Bulan exclaimed in shock, instantly thinking of a possibility. "You mean some insect... how is that possible!"

The Attending Doctor glanced at Bulan but didn't respond. Yet Bulan understood his unspoken implication.

Some insect had used a banned drug from centuries ago to torture a male.

Idris noticed Bulan's strange reaction, lowering his eyes to secretly note the conversation between the two of them.

Su Jibai couldn't understand their cryptic talk. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he turned to look beside him, sensing Idris's seemingly low spirits, and tugged on the corner of his clothes.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong?" Idris asked.

Su Jibai shook his head, tugged again, and smiled faintly at Idris. The curved eyebrows and eyes were bright, clean, and utterly captivating.

Idris couldn't help but pause for a moment, suppressing the itch in his throat, and began the official inquiry. "Your Excellency, do you remember how you were captured by the criminal insect last night?"

*Captured by a criminal insect?*

*He was captured yesterday? When?*

Su Jibai tilted his head slightly in thought, then lowered it to touch the still faintly aching wound, realizing the discrepancy between Idris's words and his own memory.

He

What?

Su Jibai was certain his memory wasn't right, but he didn't know what had happened in the missing memories. He just pointed to his head and waved a hand dismissively.

"I don’t remember."

"Where did you live before?" Idris asked again.

There were only two possibilities for a male appearing in a dark alley: either someone had deliberately dumped him there to fend for himself, or he had escaped from somewhere and collapsed in the alley.

But regardless, since the male had been taken hostage by Laifu and injured, Idris, as the officer in charge of the mission, couldn't shirk responsibility. He needed to figure out the male's origins first.

Su Jibai shook his head again. "I don’t remember that either."

"What about your name?"

Su Jibai nodded. He noticed that the people in the room had appearances and names similar to those of foreigners he'd seen in the city. Playing it safe, he decided not to write his real name.

But what foreign name should he choose?

Su Jibai pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered that "brother" had mentioned his English name when studying abroad was Selwyn.

What did that nurse call him earlier?

Samuel?

This name was very similar to the one his brother used when studying abroad! This one will do!

Having made up his mind, Su Jibai took Idris’s hand and wrote "Samuel" in his palm. But the insect race had never seen Chinese characters, so these three characters looked like scribbles to Idris.

Idris: ?

"Doctor, Your Excellency seems not quite right."

The attending doctor’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding coming over him.

After a series of complex examinations, the attending doctor reluctantly announced, "It’s possible that due to the explosion’s impact, Your Excellency has lost his memory, and his mind also seems to have been affected. Whether this condition is temporary or long-term is currently uncertain."

"What?! Does that mean Your Excellency might never recover?" After hearing the doctor’s conclusion, Bulan felt his head spinning.

If the information revealed by the attending doctor was true, the male had likely been imprisoned and abused for a long time. Extreme suppression, combined with the shock of being taken hostage and the impact on his *Mind Sea*—under these multiple blows, the possibility of the male releasing pheromones was almost negligible.

If he couldn’t release pheromones, this male was practically crippled! Even if his rank was high and he could perform mental grooming, so what? Mental grooming was nowhere near as fast and efficient as directly exchanging pheromones!

And this involved Idris...

What a mess this was!!

"Major General, it seems you’ll have to prepare yourself. We might be meeting at the association again soon," Bulan said with a smile.

Hearing this, Idris’s hand at his side instantly clenched. Bulan was right; this outcome was not what he'd expected at all.

Given the male’s current state, if negotiations couldn’t be quickly settled, the Male Insect Protection Association would likely step in to mediate, making things much more complicated.

Seeing that Idris didn’t respond, Bulan pretended to be furious and suggested, "Your Excellency, the Major General has offended you greatly, and yesterday he even endangered you. You can make any demands to the association. Rest assured, the association will definitely give you a satisfactory response. Even if you demand the Major General be sent to the Punishment Center, the association can arrange it for you."

Bulan emphasized the words "Punishment Center" heavily. The medical staff nearby paled at the mention of those three words—that place was for punishing females who had committed serious crimes.

Once you went in, you never came out!

The Male Insect Protection Association was truly ruthless.

Punishment Center? A place to punish people? Samuel figured out what Bulan was implying, and his gaze toward him instantly turned disgusted.

How could this person be so evil! He actually wanted to send brother to prison!

Bulan noted the male’s reaction but didn’t care in the slightest, continuing to act as if he had everyone’s best interests at heart.

Samuel shot an angry glare at Bulan, then turned to scrutinize the person holding him. That person said they’d meet again? Could it be they had already met at that so-called association before?

He didn’t see any signs of beating on brother’s body, so he probably hadn’t been...

Wait!

Like a cat, he pressed close to the male, sniffing again and again. Beneath the faint scent of wisteria, Samuel caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood.

The smell of blood triggered childhood memories. Samuel’s face instantly turned deathly pale, his heart tightening so much he could hardly breathe.

He reached out, stopped at Idris’s neck, and pulled downward. The tightly buttoned collar tore open with a "rip."

"Your Excellency? What are you doing!" Idris swiftly grabbed the male’s slender, pale wrist and demanded sharply.

Samuel shrank back in fear at the scolding, his eyes reddening. He pointed at Idris, then at his own wound, and finally at his own eyes.

*Brother, don’t be angry...*

*I just wanted to see your wound.*

"..." Understanding what the male was trying to say, Idris relaxed. "Your Excellency, I’m fine."

*I want to see.* Samuel gestured again, then pointed at the doctor. *Need medicine.*

"No need. Military males heal extremely quickly. These wounds will heal soon," Idris explained.

Samuel wouldn’t listen, stubbornly repeating his gestures.

*See a doctor.*

*Must see a doctor!*

*See a doctor!*

Otherwise, you’ll die—just like Mom and Dad.

Tears welled in his eyes again. Large drops rolled down his cheeks onto the back of Idris’s hand, the heat of them fueling Idris's irritation.

Males—so damn annoying!

Author’s Note:

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Stellar Calendar 4056, July x, Sunny, Monday

Are males this prone to crying?!