Chapter 69

Chapter 69

As dusk fell, a disheveled insect with windblown hair swiftly weaved through the primeval forest.

His steps were rapid, clearly in a hurry, yet he carefully cradled a large bundle in his arms, as if it held something especially precious.

And indeed it did—for his first arduous escort mission, the tall male insect had traded his entire earnings for this small bundle.

Following the male insect's gaze, he soon arrived before a newly built wooden cabin.

The cabin seemed recently constructed, its surrounding ground bare and empty—barren and unsightly.

Upon seeing the cabin, the male insect slowed his pace, and his tense body finally relaxed.

Just then, the cabin door quietly opened, and a male insect stepped out—simply dressed, yet so beautiful he seemed to glow.

"Nai Nai!" The male insect's voice was filled with joy.

The beautiful male insect froze, then his face lit up with delight. "Aesop! You're back! Raphael said you wouldn't return until tomorrow! Aesop, wait a moment."

With that, the male insect turned and went back into the cabin. In just a moment, he emerged again, holding a water flask filled to the brim. He hurried over to the male insect and handed it to him.

While the male insect gulped down the water, the other carefully examined the fresh wounds and dusty appearance on his body. He pursed his lips, his pale cheeks unable to hide his distress.

Seeing the male insect finish drinking, the other was about to lead him back into the cabin to tend to his wounds, but he shook his head.

A somewhat incongruous, guileless grin spread across the male insect's handsome face. He reached into the cloth bundle at his chest and pulled out a beautifully packaged little cake, placing it in the other's hands.

"Nai Nai, you like it—cake!" The male insect's voice brimmed with excitement.

The beautiful male insect froze. Their planet had only one beautifully decorated cake shop. Through its window, the various cakes inside looked beautiful and dreamlike—a beauty that didn't belong to the desolate, barren numbered star.

He had stopped there many times. He had never tasted cake, nor ever dared to hope for it.

A single small slice of cake was outrageously expensive—something he could never afford.

Looking at the cake in his hands, then at the male insect whose face was still smudged with dust and covered in disarray, tears began to well up in his eyes.

The male insect's reaction seemed to be misunderstood by the other, who looked flustered and anxious.

"Nai Nai, don't cry, I'm sorry. Next time I'll buy you a bigger one."

The clumsy male insect only thought his gift wasn't good enough.

The beautiful male insect broke into a smile through his tears. His eyes curved like crescents, his smile like a painting—so breathtakingly beautiful it seemed to illuminate the dim evening.

"Aesop, this is perfect. I love it!"

The male insect stared blankly at the beautiful smile, unable to look away. It took him a long moment to snap back to reality. Somewhat flustered, he carefully pulled out a pot of flowers from his cloth bag—flowers that, despite his careful protection, had become slightly wilted.

"Nai Nai, this is for you!"

Even though the flowers were a bit droopy, it didn't diminish their beauty in the slightest.

Under the dim night, the pure white petals seemed to faintly glow in the darkness, appearing mysterious and serene—absolutely stunning.

This almost overwhelming beauty was something the lush, mottled wildflowers of the jungle could never compare to.

The beautiful male insect stared in a daze at the petals he had never seen before. He spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing them, "Aesop... why are you giving me this?"

"They're very beautiful, just like you, Nai Nai!" The male insect stammered sincerely.

Seeing the earnest, fervent gaze in the male insect's eyes, the beautiful one's heart pounded violently.

He let out a soft hum in response, lowering his gaze to avoid the other's. But a faint blush crept up from his neck, dyeing his cheeks and ears red.

Bathed in the soft moonlight, the young male insect's budding, innocent charm was breathtakingly stunning, causing even the delicate petals before him to dim in comparison.

The tall male insect stared dumbfounded at the beautiful male insect before him, his heart racing and throat tightening.

Under the witness of the night, an indescribable, unnameable affection began to bloom between the two insects.

*

In the early morning, Kaisisen sat up groggily from his bed. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.

The scenes from his dream replayed clearly in his mind, over and over.

"Raphael, Aesop... who are they?"

Opening his eyes, his gaze gradually clearing, Kaisisen murmured softly.

Ever since he heeded his second brother's warning and, harboring suspicion, stopped going to the hospital for treatment of his so-called brain aftereffects—

In the days since, every night, his dreams had been filled with vivid scenes, sometimes long, sometimes short.

Most of the scenes took place in a wooden cabin in what seemed like a primeval forest, and the name Aesop appeared frequently.

He couldn't see Aesop's face, yet in his dreams, he always followed this male insect's perspective.

What stirred Kaisisen's heart most was the lively, vivid figure in his dreams—his beloved, Nevi.

The scenes in his dreams were beautiful, happy, yet so real and tangible, as if they had truly happened before, drawing Kaisisen in and leaving him unable to extricate himself.

A trace of melancholy and confusion flickered across Kaisisen's eyes.

Everything Nevi had described merged with the scenes from his dreams, and Kaisisen could hardly distinguish whether this was his own imagination or reality.

Could this be caused by the residual blood clot in his brain?

Kaisisen wasn't sure.

His second brother's warning and the hospital Chief Physician's words intertwined, constantly flooding Kaisisen's mind, leaving him tormented and anxious.

Everything happening to him seemed shrouded in mist.

This feeling of being out of control was simply awful.

Kaisisen raised his hand to his chest, silently reciting the names Aesop and Nevi.

The heart beneath his hand began to pound violently—his body's most genuine reaction, almost instinctively reminding him.

A flash of determination crossed Kaisisen's eyes. He needed to investigate who Aesop was.

If it were mere imagination, why would he fabricate such a vivid, real insect out of thin air? But if it were real, when had he ever encountered this insect, and why did he have no memory of it...

"Ding"

Kaisisen's optical brain device rang. He reached out and picked it up from the bedside table.

First, he skimmed past the increasingly frequent treatment reminders from the Chief Physician. Seeing the message from his friend, the frown on Kaisisen's brow finally began to ease.

The Chief Physician's strange reaction had already left Kaisisen feeling increasingly suspicious. He no longer trusted him, and naturally, he wouldn't be going back there.

As time passed, his second brother's warning had really sunk in, and Kaisisen grew more and more eager to get a full check-up.

Yet his most trusted friend of many years had been constantly away on business trips, so he had no choice but to put it off.

Now he received a message from his friend, who said he would arrive at Capital Star tonight and had set up a visit to his home tomorrow.

His friend was a doctor and had a complete set of top-tier equipment at home that could rival a hospital's.

A simple check-up would obviously be no problem.

By then, the mystery behind his body's abnormalities would finally be cleared up.

Kaisisen briefly replied to his friend and was about to shut off his light brain and get up when a message from Nevi suddenly came through.

Kaisisen instinctively sat up straighter.

Nevi: Kaisisen, if you're free tomorrow, could we meet?

Kaisisen's pupils contracted, and his breath caught.

Ever since Nevi had agreed to meet not long ago, he'd already known this day would come.

Nevi was slow to warm up to people, but he took things seriously—anything he agreed to or promised, he always followed through on.

But Kaisisen never thought it would come this soon!

His heart started pounding out of control, and joy and nervousness surged up from deep inside him.

Kaisisen replied immediately, without a second thought.

Kaisisen: Of course, no problem. I'm free in the afternoon. If the afternoon doesn't work, the morning's fine too!

With his hormones running high, Kaisisen completely forgot about the physical exam when it came to Nevi.

Nevi: No problem, let's meet in the afternoon then.

Kaisisen: Great!

They exchanged a few more messages, and Kaisisen's frown slowly deepened.

He could tell Nevi was in a really bad mood—so much so that Nevi wasn't even trying to hide it in his messages.

Kaisisen's chest tightened, and worry showed on his face.

Kaisisen: Nevi, has something happened recently?

Kaisisen stared at the chat window, completely focused, but this time, Nevi took longer than usual to reply.

Nevi: Yes, Kaisisen, I've run into some terrible stuff. Actually, the reason I suddenly asked to meet is that I wanted to ask you for a favor. It's not something I can talk about over messages, so let's talk more when we meet up.

Seeing Nevi's reply, Kaisisen's brows furrowed, and he grew even more worried.

He reassured Nevi for a bit, then they settled on a time and place to meet.

After shutting off his light brain, Kaisisen's face went completely dark.

The earlier excitement about the meeting had now completely dissipated.

His mind was consumed with worry and concern for Nevi.

He thought hard, and his gut told him that whatever Nevi was facing might be related to his own hasty move.

At the thought of this, Kaisisen's face grew even grimmer.

Kaisisen didn't want his family to know about Nevi's existence, so he hadn't used family resources. Instead, he had privately asked someone to investigate, but the results were disappointing.

The Male Insect Association seemed wary and kept their lips tightly sealed; the one sent to investigate returned almost empty-handed.

In the end, all he could vaguely uncover was that the Male Insect Association had recently been in frequent contact with nobles and the powerful.

Kaisisen's mind raced, and suddenly it seemed he thought of something.

His heart skipped a beat.

His fists clenched, his face darkened, and his eyes were shadowed, as if brewing a terrifying storm.

The unusual movements of the powerful families—could Nevi have caught the attention of those detestable bastards?!

*

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Author's note: This chapter is sweet, and they're really about to meet soon!

Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!