Chapter 13 Clinginess

Chapter 13: Clingy

The male Zerg's hair was damp and plastered to his face, and his robe was wet from the floor water. Putting him straight into bed was clearly out of the question.

After a moment's thought, Idris turned and set the male down on the bench at the foot of the bed, instructing, "99, grab a fresh pair of pajamas from the closet."

"Yes, Master!"

After giving the order, Idris grabbed a few tissues nearby to wipe the water from his hands. Seeing that 99 had already retrieved the pajamas, he tactfully looked away and turned to walk out the door.

"Your Excellency, 99 has picked out clothes for you!"

"Thank you, 99." Just as Samuel took the pajamas, he saw the female Zerg about to leave. He quickly reached out and grabbed him. "You... where are you going?"

Caught off guard, Idris halted mid-step, retracted his foot, and turned his head. His gaze swept over the male Zerg's slightly puzzled face before landing on the pajamas. "Going outside to take out the trash."

Following the female Zerg's gaze to the clothes in his arms, Samuel immediately understood. As if scalded, he quickly let go, stammering in reply, "Oh... it's fine, you... you go ahead."

Was he... shy?

Idris stared curiously at the male Zerg's reddening earlobes, the corner of his lips quirking up. In a rather good mood, he dragged the oblivious 99 and turned to head out the door.

"Ahhh! Master, 99 has wheels! 99 can roll! 99 doesn't want to drift! Wuwuwu, Master is bad!" 99 couldn't understand why its master was dragging it. Its little wheels were clearly fast and steady, much more convenient than being pulled!

Idris paid no mind to 99's resistance. He dragged the robot to the first floor to charge it, then returned to the second floor to find the hairdryer. By the time he got back to the guest room door, the male Zerg hadn't opened it yet. Leaning idly against the wall, he replied to Ray's messages.

After waiting about ten minutes and seeing no movement from inside the room, Idris stood up and knocked on the door.

"Your Excellency, you'll catch a cold with wet hair. I've brought a hairdryer. Would you mind opening the door?" Idris inquired.

Inside the room, Samuel, hearing the voice at the door, angrily kicked the unresponsive wardrobe and then scurried to the door. He opened it a crack, peeking out while holding the door frame, making no move to let him in.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong?" Idris was somewhat puzzled.

"The wardrobe... how does it open?"

"Touch the screen on the wardrobe. After it lights up, the system will automatically recognize you," Idris explained.

"Oh. You... wait a moment..."

When the door opened again, Idris immediately spotted the folded pajamas on the bench at the foot of the bed—the ones 99 had chosen. What the male Zerg was wearing now was probably what he had just changed into.

Idris subtly withdrew his gaze, pressed his lips together, entered the room, plugged in the hairdryer, adjusted it to a suitable temperature, and then asked, "Your Excellency, would you like to dry your hair now?"

Samuel nodded. He didn't stubbornly take the hairdryer to do it himself but instead obediently sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his feet, waiting for the female Zerg to approach.

Setting the hairdryer to the lowest setting, amidst the hum of the motor, Idris lowered his eyes, picked up a few strands of damp hair, and carefully dried them.

During the process, his gaze inadvertently swept over the fair, delicate feet dangling by the bedside. It lingered for a moment before abruptly withdrawing.

After that, Idris's gaze remained strictly fixed on the male Zerg's hair, never drifting downward again.

The warm airflow was like a pair of soft hands, passing through the hair and landing on the scalp, massaging it. It was Samuel's first time experiencing this, and it was so comfortable it nearly lulled him to sleep.

Seeing the male Zerg's eyelids drooping heavily, Idris steadied him, lifted the hair that had gotten tucked into the pajamas, and while continuing to dry it, casually asked, "Your Excellency, why did you change out of the pajamas 99 picked?"

"Hmm?" The warm air was making him drowsy. Samuel hadn't clearly heard what the female Zerg said at all.

Idris softly repeated the question.

It took Samuel a long moment to process the question. Leaning against the female Zerg, he mumbled, "Don't like... like... this one."

The pajamas 99 had chosen were too short. This one was much longer, reaching the ankles when standing, and could wrap him up completely.

Samuel's original intention was to say he didn't like pajamas that were too short. But coincidentally, the pajamas he and Idris had chosen were the same style.

Idris pondered the meaning behind the male Zerg's words, thinking to himself, *This male Zerg's mouth is truly sweet. Sweet-talking male Zergs are usually promiscuous and dangerous.*

*This one must be no exception.*

By the time his hair was dry, Samuel had already fallen asleep leaning against the female Zerg. Idris carefully scooped up the male Zerg, placed him on the bed, and tucked in the covers.

He didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stood by the bedside, gazing at the Zerg on the bed, lost in thought. After a good while, he quietly turned off the light, took his things, and left the room.

*Click.*

The moment the door closed, Samuel slowly opened his eyes. After confirming the female Zerg had left, he nuzzled against the covers and closed his eyes, sinking into a deep sleep.

That night, Samuel slept extremely soundly. The bizarre and chaotic dreams vanished without a trace. He only vaguely remembered a lingering fragrance at the tip of his nose.

As if his brother was guarding his bedside, protecting him.

"Fu Ling..."

When he woke the next day, Samuel instinctively wanted to call someone in to attend to him. But halfway through calling out, he suddenly remembered he was no longer at home, and he felt a sudden pang of sadness.

Staring blankly at the wall for a long time, Samuel suddenly remembered that after dinner yesterday, he had been distracted by Idris and had completely forgotten about a major matter.

By the time he finished handling the matter, Samuel was almost fully awake. Getting out of bed, he wandered to the bathroom to freshen up. After dressing neatly, he opened the door.

Outside, 99 flashed a smiley face, greeting Samuel cheerfully. The little metal block waved its iron hands back and forth, which was quite cute. Rubbing 99's smooth forehead, Samuel unhurriedly made his way downstairs.

At the dining table, Idris was holding a tissue to his mouth, coughing violently. His flushed face carried a hint of astonishment, as if he had been startled by something.

Samuel had just entered the dining area when he saw this scene. Startled, he hurried forward, one hand supporting Idris's arm, the other rhythmically patting his back, urgently asking, "What's wrong?! Are you feeling unwell?"

Idris took a couple of light breaths, recovering his composure. He put down the tissue and waved his hand, indicating he was fine.

"Drink some water." Samuel noticed the cup on the table, picked it up, and handed it over.

Idris was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses. He took the glass. "Thank you," he said. Samuel didn't feel he had done anything special; his expression unchanged, he continued to pat the female Zerg's back considerately.

Through the rim of the water glass, Idris clearly saw the male Zerg's tightly furrowed brow.

*It's not an act.*

A warm current seemed to flow slowly through his heart, unfamiliar and novel. Idris pressed a hand to his chest, suppressing the discomfort in his heart.

"Still feeling... unwell?" Seeing the female Zerg clutching his chest again right after drinking water, Samuel, like a startled bird, quickly inquired.

"Much better now. Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency."

After speaking, Idris stood up, moving away from the male Zerg. He took a step to the side, then moved to the opposite side of the table and pulled out a chair.

"Your Excellency, please have your meal."

Samuel seemed to want to say something but stopped himself, ultimately just nodding. Sitting firmly on the chair, using the table to block the view, he once again couldn't help but rub his fingertips together.

"Your Excellency, I just received a transfer. Did you perhaps send payment to the wrong place when buying something just now?"

Seeing the male enjoying his breakfast, Idris took a chance to feel him out subtly. Honestly, when he first saw the transfer, a hundred and eight different disciplinary measures and exile flashed through his mind.

In the Empire, any insect who dared take money from a male’s pocket was tantamount to signing their own death warrant. For a moment, he even suspected again that Samuel was deliberately setting him up.

But after a few days of interaction, he felt this male wouldn’t do such a thing.

Admittedly, this insect was odd in behavior, highly vigilant, fond of pranks, and not quite right in the head. But overall, he was still gentle-tempered, polite, and kind. So when this thought arose, Idris instinctively dismissed it.

Samuel leisurely swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking slowly: "For groceries."

"?" Idris had imagined eight hundred possibilities, but never expected the reason to be so... simple.

"I live in your house. You cook, take care of me. I sleep, rest, cause trouble, and can’t even help. So, food money." Samuel counted on his fingers, listing each point until his voice grew almost inaudible with guilt.

Truthfully, he really couldn’t do these things. Since birth, he had always had dedicated attendants. Household chores—he’d never even heard of them before. Since he couldn’t do them, he could only give money.

Samuel didn’t think Idris should serve him hand and foot.

The female wasn’t his family servant, and he wasn’t the emperor.

Oh, the emperor abdicated—no emperor back home anymore.

After hearing the male list each reason for the transfer, Idris couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

It was absurd, but somehow it made a weird kind of sense?

Then again, maybe it was only reasonable for *this* male, who actually thanked you.

Male insects in the Empire expected females to kneel to serve them every day; if the service was poor, not getting scolded was a blessing, let alone receiving payment.

"Your Excellency, the MPA already paid for your temporary stay yesterday. I cannot accept this money." After saying this, Idris noticed the male staring at him, eyes unfocused—clearly lost in thought again.

"Your Excellency? Your Excellency?"

"Ah?" Samuel instinctively grabbed the hand waving in front of him. "You should smile more! It's nice!!"

Idris: ...

"Your Excellency... please let go of me first." Idris was somewhat speechless; this male was too handsy.

"Oh, oh..." Samuel quickly released his hand, feeling a twinge of reluctance. "S-sorry, I didn’t mean to."

"Your Excellency, I’ll transfer the money back later..." Idris had barely started speaking when he was interrupted.

"No, no need." Samuel glanced at the remaining food on the table. "Consider it extra meal money. I can eat a lot, and I’m picky. I’ll probably trouble you a lot in the future."

Seeing the male’s insistence, Idris didn’t argue further and nodded politely in response.

Hearing the female still addressing him as "Your Excellency," Samuel rested his chin on his hand, feeling quite frustrated. "I don’t like being called ‘Your Excellency.’ You can call me Mingxi. All the insects I know call me that."

"Your Excellency, I’m afraid that’s not possible." Idris smiled apologetically.

In the Empire, female insects were not allowed to use nicknames other than the male’s given name—except for family insects.

"Oh, alright." Samuel pretended to be disappointed, lowering his head. "Then, can I give you a nickname?"

"What would Your Excellency like to call me?"

"Brother."

"Can I call you brother from now on?"

Author’s Note:

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Dear readers, could you help catch any bugs while reading? Thank you so much! [shy]

Ps: No update tomorrow, just letting you all know. [glasses]