Chapter 49

Chapter 49

At the mention of Kaisisen, O'Casey's face clouded with gravity and worry. He forced a bitter smile and said, "Sire, the medic bug is still running tests. It's not clear what the situation is yet."

At those words, the mood darkened further under Koit's presence. O'Casey, who had been about to say more, immediately fell silent. The atmosphere around them grew oppressive, as if even the air itself had begun to stagnate.

"What exactly happened? Wasn't Xiao Sen following Uncle Luo to handle company matters? How did he end up like this?" Koit closed his eyes, his hands clenched tightly as he fought to suppress his surging emotions and asked slowly, though an unavoidable tremor crept into his otherwise composed voice.

Kaisisen's current condition inevitably dredged up his old, terrible memories.

His carefully nurtured and cherished young son, just like his rebellious Male Master, had willfully and recklessly run away from home.

The young son's disappearance had nearly driven him to madness. He had searched frantically, spending three years sleepless and haunted by nightmares. Only when he finally located Kaisisen did he find his son battered and bruised, in a deep coma.

No father could bear such a sight, and Koit was no exception.

Hearing his father's question, O'Casey hesitated, but seeing the barely concealed anguish on his father's face, he couldn't bear to hold back. "Sire, Xiao Sen really was following Uncle Luo to prepare for the offline livestream event. It's just that they hit terrible traffic on the way, and all the grating sounds that agitated him made Xiao Sen's mental energy destabilize. After that... after that, Xiao Sen left the hovercar but was stopped by police bugs. A conflict broke out, and he was forcibly apprehended and tranquilized. Sire, you can't blame Xiao Sen for this. You don't know—Xiao Sen hasn't been in good mental shape since he was on Rose Star. He's often startled awake by nightmares and unable to fall asleep."

O'Casey's voice grew more urgent as he spoke, his tone earnest and pleading as he desperately tried to explain on his younger brother's behalf, as if afraid his father might blame him.

But O'Casey kept his gaze lowered, his eyes shifting nervously, never daring to meet his father's eyes. He appeared obedient on the surface but was clearly glossing over the important details.

Obviously, he was concealing part of the truth.

The police bugs had reached out to the eldest brother first, but since he wasn't on the capital star recently and was worried their father might take it hard, the eldest brother had called O'Casey to rush over instead.

When O'Casey received his brother's call, he could barely believe Kaisisen was capable of such a thing.

But the footage from the police bugs' body cameras and Uncle Luo's testimony told him otherwise.

While reviewing the body camera footage, O'Casey had keenly noticed something off.

His younger brother's gaze never once left a single direction. The anxiety and fear written on his face, along with the words he had spoken... all of it gave O'Casey a sinking feeling.

Sure enough, O'Casey quickly learned that a Blessing Festival was being held nearby, and the event had caused quite a commotion.

The direct cause was a stunning male bug performer at the venue.

O'Casey's heart instinctively lurched. He inwardly groaned, knowing this was bad.

O'Casey didn't need to confirm anything further. He was almost certain that his younger brother Kaisisen's abnormal behavior was connected to Nevi.

If their father ever found out about this, Nevi's existence would be impossible to hide.

Clenching his teeth, O'Casey promised the police bugs a jaw-droppingly generous reward, essentially using coercion and bribery to have them delete all footage of his younger brother from the body cameras and get their stories straight.

His younger brother Kaisisen had indeed shown signs of a latent mental energy flare-up and lost partial rationality.

This was somewhat rare for higher-tier bugs who weren't in the military, but given his brother's special circumstances, it was plausible enough.

After barely cleaning up the loose ends, O'Casey hastily patched through a call to inform his father of the situation.

O'Casey fervently wished that his father wouldn't dig deeper. If his father truly investigated, the existence of Nevi and the children would be impossible to conceal.

Koit was taken aback, momentarily lost in thought.

Xiao Sen's mental state had issues? Why had he never mentioned it...

Ever since Xiao Sen had woken up, despite Koit's heart aching with worry for his son's suffering, their similarly stubborn personalities had led to a huge fight that left a bitter rift between them.

Koit blamed Kaisisen for willfully running away three years ago. If not for Kaisisen's reckless behavior, how could he have ended up severely injured, missing, and pregnant out of wedlock!

Even now, just thinking about that fact made Koit's vision go dark and anger well up uncontrollably.

Being fairly traditional by nature, he still couldn't accept that his son had been carrying on with a male bug out of wedlock and borne a child.

It was a terrible, sordid scandal—if exposed, Kaisisen would become a laughingstock in the capital star's high-society circles.

They were father and son, flesh and blood, closest of kin, yet neither would back down, and their relationship had frozen over.

Kaisisen had been sent to Rose Star to work under his uncle for some special reasons, but part of it was also Koit's desire to have him out of sight, out of mind.

At this moment, Koit gazed vacantly at Kaisisen inside the fully sealed examination pod not far away, a tangled web of emotions churning inside him.

Koit felt terrible, yet he stubbornly insisted he'd done nothing wrong.

Since his Male Master's passing, the once warm and even-tempered Koit had grown increasingly inflexible and hard-headed.

He had an iron grip on his three sons.

Especially toward his youngest, whose appearance resembled his Male Master and whose willful, reckless personality was much the same—Koit only wanted to keep him firmly tethered to his side.

But bugs aren't meant to be caged like birds. As Kaisisen grew older, the conflict between father and son became increasingly pronounced.

"Patriarch, Xiao Sen's test results are ready." Just then, the steady voice of the doctor bug suddenly rang out.

A doctor in a white uniform with a mask quickly walked out.

He was the Chief Physician of the Haimulun Family's private bug hospital.

But the Chief Physician's face was somber. Ignoring O'Casey, who was desperately trying to catch his eye, he looked directly at Patriarch Koit and said gravely, "Xiao Sen's mental energy did destabilize, but it was caught early enough and isn't severe. I've already injected a stabilizer to calm him down. There won't be any major issues."

O'Casey beside him was utterly floored.

Mental energy destabilization was just a made-up excuse he'd come up with based on Xiao Sen's state in the body camera footage to brush off his father!

After all, Xiao Sen had never experienced a mental energy flare-up even during his early military years!

"How exactly was this mental energy flare-up triggered? Xiao Sen suffered head trauma and underwent subconscious hypnosis—could that be related?" Koit's heart tightened, and he pressed almost urgently.

The Chief Physician slowly nodded. "That's what I was about to address. The mental energy flare-up is indeed related to that. Xiao Sen's obsession runs too deep—the subconscious hypnosis has barely half the effect on him compared to an ordinary bug. He's already recovered most of the suppressed memories. This flare-up was likely caused by him suddenly recalling something or being stimulated by some external trigger, leading to emotional volatility that destabilized his mental energy."

With that, the Chief Physician looked at the silent Koit, sighed, and said hesitantly, "Patriarch, with Xiao Sen's current condition, we either lift the hypnotic suggestion entirely or reinforce it. However, the effectiveness of re-reinforcing the hypnosis may be uncertain. To maintain stability, he would need to come in at least once a week."

Before Koit could respond, O'Casey, as if suddenly snapping to attention, quickly interjected, "Sire, Xiao Sen's obsession runs too deep. Continuing this way could backfire, and the doctor already said it won't work well—so why not just drop the hypnosis altogether?"

O'Casey looked at his father with burning intensity, his eyes full of hope.

He had witnessed his younger brother's suffering firsthand. He'd been powerless before, but now that such an opportunity was right in front of him, how could O'Casey ignore it? So he fought desperately on his brother's behalf.

But Koit merely fell silent for a moment. He didn't even glance at O'Casey, simply addressing the Chief Physician with resolve: "Reinforce the hypnosis. From now on, I'll have Kaisisen come in weekly under the pretext of post-head-trauma follow-ups."

A flicker of reluctance crossed the Chief Physician's face, but he quickly masked it and nodded in agreement.

Just as the Chief Physician was about to leave to prepare for the subsequent hypnosis session, O'Casey finally exploded.

"Sire! Why?!" O'Casey's face flushed red, his expression anguished and bewildered as he stared at his father and shouted, "Xiao Sen has been listless ever since waking from the subconscious hypnosis—he often has heart palpitations at night and can't sleep. His entire being is fighting against the hypnotic suggestion. He genuinely loves that male bug! Yes, Xiao Sen lost his memory due to head trauma and ended up with that male bug, but that was still Xiao Sen's own clear choice! Does losing his memory change his preferences and feelings? Sire, that male bug may be low-tier, but he can still produce insect eggs. He and Xiao Sen truly love each other! You've blocked them once already—do you want to block them a second time, a third time, and keep them apart forever?"

Koit listened quietly to O'Casey's outburst, his expression never changing. He said calmly, "O'Casey, where's your upbringing? Is this how you speak to your father?" Koit gave O'Casey a disappointed look and continued, "Take a moment to calm down. I'm Xiao Sen's father, and I won't harm him. I don't need you questioning my decisions."

With that, Koit glanced at the time and gave a few more instructions to the bug doctor, who stood there looking somewhat at a loss.

Koit was short on time, with several meetings he needed to attend. Now that he knew Kaisisen was in no serious danger, he turned and hurried off.

O'Casey stood frozen in place, that familiar, helpless feeling washing over him again—the feeling of putting all his strength into a punch that hit nothing but air.

O'Casey clenched his jaw and tightened his fists, a deep sense of resentment welling up from deep inside.

It was always like this. Every single time.

His big brother was obedient; he and Xiao Sen were the rebellious ones.

The life his father had planned for him was to go into politics, just like him and his big brother, but O'Casey hated dealing with those insects who were all hypocrisy and fake masks.

He loved freedom. Since he was a kid, he'd loved beautiful jewelry and ornaments and dreamed of becoming a jewelry designer.

His male parent had been supportive, often joining him to collect and design beautiful gems and jewelry when he was little.

Back then, his father didn't approve but didn't stop him either.

But after his male parent passed away, his father confiscated all the jewelry and ornaments he and his male parent had made together.

No matter how desperately he begged and pleaded, his father ignored him completely.

So he became more and more rebellious, more and more reckless, deliberately causing all kinds of trouble. Until his father finally gave up on him completely, and he finally became the jewelry designer he'd always wanted to be.

But that day, there wasn't a single trace of joy in his heart.

Maybe because of him, his father got even stricter with Xiao Sen. He arranged for Xiao Sen to go into politics, then arranged for him to join the military. Xiao Sen didn't like it but did it all anyway. Xiao Sen had the softest heart—he looked fierce and hot-tempered on the outside, but inside, he was the gentlest of all.

But Xiao Sen had endured too long, suppressed too much, and finally he couldn't take it anymore.

That runaway was the result of Xiao Sen having held it in for too long and wanting to get out and see the world.

O'Casey's mind flashed with images of him and Xiao Sen being oppressed by their father over the years. Watching his father's indifferent back as he walked away, a fierce anger gradually spread through O'Casey's whole body, clouding his mind.

"Father, you destroyed male parent, and now you want to destroy Xiao Sen too? If it weren't for you, male parent would never have left back then! Do you want Xiao Sen to end up like male parent—depressed and miserable, dying a horrible death?!"

"Slap!"

Before O'Casey could finish his outburst, a heavy slap sent him tumbling to the ground.

O'Casey covered his face, as if finally snapping back to his senses. He looked up and found his father's eyes bloodshot, his fair, delicate face twisted with pain.

O'Casey panicked and spoke in a small, flustered voice, "Father, I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."

The matter of his male parent had always been a wound in his father's heart, a forbidden topic.

He didn't know what had happened between his male parent and his father back then. He only remembered that after a huge argument, his male parent had stormed off.

The next time he heard news of his male parent was when the Police Department delivered the obituary.

He had gone too far. No matter what, he should never have used his male parent's matter to stab his father in the heart.

Koit breathed heavily, while O'Casey clutched the hem of his clothes, head bowed, saying nothing.

The atmosphere between the two insects was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

After a long moment, Koit seemed to barely pull himself together. In a hoarse voice, he said coldly, "O'Casey, I've been way too lenient with you. You'll stay home and reflect on your behavior for the time being!"

With that, Koit turned and walked away heavily.

Just as Koit's figure was about to disappear, O'Casey couldn't help calling out again, "Father, if you do this, when Xiao Sen one day remembers everything, he'll hate you!"

Koit didn't turn around. Before leaving the examination room, he coldly tossed out one last line.

"That day will never come. And if it does, then let him hate me."

*

The explosive post on the live streaming platform kept spreading fast, getting more intense by the minute.

Female insects from all over the planets were having heated discussions online.

The debate mostly centered on whether this was a real male insect His Excellency or AI-generated images and videos.

But as emotions ran high, the situation slowly spiraled out of control.

Most female insects had devolved into regional attacks and discrimination, while a minority began digging up and exposing the identities of the Excellencies on the capital star.

Finally, before the situation could completely spiral out of hand, with an automatic refresh of the post, the page displayed a large '404' along with a block of red text.

'This post has been deleted for violating the live streaming platform's management regulations and user health guidelines. If you have any objections, you may file an appeal with the platform.'

Soon after, another post quietly appeared in the same section.

Floor 1: "Single widow female insect, my life is bitter" Heh, the fake bait post got deleted, didn't it? And daring to drag male insects and even Excellencies into it—wait for the Male Insect Association to come knocking!

Floor 5: "Happy insect life" Seriously speechless. An obviously fake bait post somehow went viral. What the hell? Could those photos and videos be any blurrier? Must have taken quite some effort to composite those photos and videos. Who knows how many images and videos of Excellencies they stitched together. Absolutely disgusting! Waiting for the mastermind behind this to get sued!

Floor 11: "Believing female insect praying to heaven for a male master" Tsk, the mastermind really stopped at nothing, and stupidly amusing at that. Daring to drag Excellencies into their marketing schemes. Sure, traffic related to male insect Excellencies is huge, but did they think about whether they could handle it? Why hasn't anyone thought of this marketing angle before? Were they all too dumb? Hahaha, you're so smart, you're the one genius pearl lost in the sea!

Floor 33: "cd47526" My guess is this bait post was the work of the Blessing Festival. They stand to gain the most. An event everyone had forgotten in some obscure corner just hit the jackpot with this.

Floor 50: "sf43267" Everyone above, take it easy. Maybe the mastermind is secretly lurking and watching. Hahaha, maybe they're having a meltdown right now. Feels like this post will disappear soon too.

...

Just as this post was rapidly gaining traction and showing signs of going viral, the conspicuous '404' and red text appeared once again.

This post was deleted.

In a villa on a mid-tier planet, a male insect with delicate features and heavy makeup was cursing in disbelief.

"How is this possible?! It should have been mine, there should have been a spot for me! How could it be that female insect! A clumsy, ugly female insect who doesn't even dare show his face! That damned female insect—what right does he have to receive an invitation to attend the Live Streaming Gala on the capital star?!"

*

The male insect's twisted face was filled with jealousy and resentment. He had invested so much effort into this Live Streaming Gala, scheming and squeezing out numerous male master streamers who were originally at his level.

After over half a year of hard work, he had believed the invitation to the Live Streaming Gala was well within his grasp. But in just two short months, a dark horse had emerged.

"Wen'er, don't panic, don't rush. Let's think of something slowly." Meanwhile, a plain-looking female insect on a video call was gently comforting the male insect.

A flicker of disgust and impatience passed through Wen'er's lowered eyes, but the moment he raised his head, his face was once again adorned with a pitiful, vulnerable expression.

Wen'er covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling, tears streaming down like broken beads. He sobbed softly, "Brother Jesse, there's no way. What else can we do? The list is already out. Wuwuwu. I'm sorry, brother. I'm useless. I couldn't get the invitation. I promised you that once I got the invitation, I'd marry you. Then you and I could settle down and get married on the capital star. Wuwuwu, brother, I really like you so much. I want to make you my female spouse. Wuwuwu, I'm sorry, brother. I'm useless."

The repeated mentions of the capital star and the female mate made Jesse's eyes flicker with emotion, and he grew even more stirred up. Looking at Wen'er, who was crying pitifully yet still handsome, a trace of heartache appeared on his face. He quickly comforted, "Wen'er, don't cry. If you keep crying, your big bro will be worried sick. It's just the preliminary list, not the final one. There are still plenty of variables! That female insect was lucky to have blown up by sheer dumb luck. And he still wants to go to the capital star? Hah!"

With that, Jesse let out a cold sneer. Remembering the female insect who had dared to reject him, his eyes flashed with malice.

He was a low-level manager at a branch of the livestream platform. Though he didn't hold much power, he was in charge of signing contracts for one of the channels, managing a good number of signed streamers under him.

Wen'er was one of the few male master streamers on his roster.

When that female insect first blew up, Jesse had already sent out a contract offer. He saw potential in the female insect, so he went out of his way to offer a B-tier contract—unheard of for a new streamer. Most only got D-tier, and only a few standout ones managed C-tier.

It was clear he thought highly of this female insect.

But unexpectedly, that damn female insect rejected him with the excuse of not having enough time. Even though his words seemed sincere, he still turned him down flat.

This was completely unacceptable to Jesse, who was used to getting his way.

Even streamers with millions of fans sucked up to him and treated him with respect. How dare some newbie streamer reject him?

Jesse had boasted to his colleagues that he'd easily land this female streamer. Instead, he got thoroughly mocked and lost face in front of them.

As a result, Jesse held a grudge against this female insect and repeatedly paid online trolls to mess with him.

But every time a hint of trouble arose, it was snuffed out quickly. Especially the last time, when the platform stepped in with a system review and deleted the harmful comments—that move scared him straight.

Having such authority was basically reserved for the platform's top executives, way above his pay grade.

Clearly, this female insect who blew up out of nowhere had such a powerful backing. After secretly observing for a while, Jesse guessed that the female streamer's backer was most likely the top supporter who was online for every single livestream.

The massive tips made Jesse insanely jealous while also deepening his resentment toward the female streamer.

Some of those tips should've been his.

"Wuwuwu, Jesse-ge, do you have any ideas? Didn't you say that female insect has a backer?" Wen'er continued sobbing.

When that female streamer first blew up, Wen'er, feeling annoyed, took the initiative to request a live connection with him, hoping to interact via video for a win-win.

On the surface, Wen'er spoke sincerely, but in reality, he just wanted to mooch off the female streamer's traffic and attract the attention of the female streamer's top supporter.

How could someone who couldn't even cook properly deserve such a generous top supporter?

Just because he's a klutz?

Wen'er felt bitter and envious. He worked so hard every day dancing and singing, even giving those filthy-mouthed female insects "perks."

After exhausting himself all day, his tips couldn't even come close to a third of what that faceless female insect made.

At the time, he had sweet-talked and manipulated Jesse into causing trouble for that female insect to blow off steam.

Unexpectedly, that female insect had quite a formidable backer, which only made Wen'er even more frustrated and more disgusted with Jesse.

This ugly female insect was totally useless. If it weren't for the perks and the chance to get to the capital star, he wouldn't even look twice at a female insect like that on the street.

"Ha, that female insect's backer? That's old news. I've been secretly watching for a while, and it seems he had a falling out with the top supporter. The top supporter hasn't been around anymore, and the female insect never mentions him either. Truly stupid, hahaha. He can't even keep a sugar daddy like that. Wen'er, let me feel things out a bit more. Once I'm sure there's no problem, I'll get you proper revenge. Hmm, how about we make that female insect who refuses to show his face show his face on stream?

Heh, if there weren't something wrong with his looks, why wouldn't he show his face? He's probably hideous. Let everyone see just how ugly and gross this female insect is. Then I'll spin the narrative, and I doubt the platform would really keep supporting this ugly female insect with no backing under such pressure. By then, the invitation to the Live Streaming Gala will be yours for sure, Wen'er, darling!" A gleeful smile crossed Jesse's face as he gazed at Wen'er in the holographic projection with adoring eyes.

Jesse was brimming with confidence.

He naturally didn't have the authority to directly remove a streamer's sticker—that was personal privacy and not so easy to mess with.

But he had found an old, long-forgotten rule that had been floating around the platform.

The top supporter, after tipping a certain amount, had the right to remove a streamer's sticker.

Of course, he wouldn't become the top supporter by tipping—he didn't have that many star coins.

But he could grit his teeth and tip enough to become the second-ranked supporter, then quietly use his authority to temporarily hijack the top supporter's privileges.

He would bribe a programmer friend at the platform to help him cover his tracks.

After it was done, he'd delete his account and disappear. Even if the platform investigated, they'd only find a system glitch.

Jesse's plan was perfect, but he still hesitated for a second. Even tipping enough to become the second-ranked supporter would cost a pretty penny—nearly half his savings.

"Ahhh, Jesse-ge, thank you so much. Wuwuwu, I really love you, Jesse-ge. I can't wait to meet you and marry you. You're the best female mate ever!" Wen'er shrieked with joy upon hearing Jesse's plan, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Jesse, shining with love and clinginess.

Wen'er's expression pleased Jesse to no end, warming his heart and putting a smile on his face. Any lingering hesitation he had completely vanished.

He was ordinary-looking, came from a modest family, and had a low status. The only job that gave him a sense of accomplishment didn't mean much in the real world.

That was why no male insect had ever given him the time of day. Even if he was willing to become a secondary mate, no male insect would ever look his way.

Even though they had never met offline, Wen'er's affection and promises still made Jesse ready to throw it all away for him.

Wen'er's rank wasn't high either. Wen'er had once tearfully told him about the injustices and discrimination he faced in real life. Jesse's heart ached with sympathy, and he felt like the two of them were the only ones who truly had each other.

It was just half his savings. Once he became Wen'er's female mate and settled in the capital star, those friends and family who'd always looked down on him would definitely regret it!

Looking at Wen'er in the video, his fantasies about the future grew more and more intense. "Wen'er, darling, I love you too. Once we're in the capital star, we'll have a great life. I'll work hard to give you everything you want. Then we'll have a little one, a cute child just like you. The three of us..."

Wen'er listened to Jesse's increasingly excited rambling, his disgust growing by the second. He barely kept his face straight, not letting a hint of his impatience and disgust show.

Ha, what a naive, stupid female insect.

Once he got the gala invite and made it to the capital star to climb the social ladder with some powerful female insect, why would he ever look back at this ugly, ordinary one?

And he even dreamed of becoming his female mate? What a joke.

He didn't have a female mate or secondary mates not because no female insects wanted him, like Jesse thought, but because he looked down on ordinary, mediocre females like Jesse.

He wanted to find a better female insect. He wanted to be above everyone else! That was also why he'd become a male streamer.

Wen'er pushed down his burning ambitions and glanced at his communicator, which was vibrating and glowing nonstop.

It was a message from his fourteenth "good brother" on the list.

He needed to come up with an excuse to hang up fast.

*

---

Author's note: A widowed female insect with no kids is always extreme, but there are special reasons—spoilers, so I won't say more!

Although Kaisisen has lost his memory again (yes, that again), seeing the beautiful Nevi show his face and being unable to resist secretly flirting is pretty funny, hehe. He hates himself for it but can't help sneaking in this forbidden flirting.

The foreshadowing pays off within the next two chapters!

Sorry for being so late today. But the double-length chapter means I kept my promise!

Love you guys! Thanks so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!