He, The Scumbag, Has Turned Over A New Leaf. - Chapter 14

Staring at Tovis’s clenched fist, Ivan felt a flicker of confusion. He reached out, placed his palm beneath Tovis’s hand, and asked, “What is this?”

Tovis lowered his gaze without a word. He pressed his fist against Ivan’s fair, warm palm and slowly uncurled his fingers. A lake-blue handkerchief fell into Ivan’s hand. Tovis withdrew his hand, lowered his head, and watched Ivan’s pale face. With his heart pounding erratically, he spoke slowly, “Years ago, my female father did not just leave behind that piece of ink-green jade.”

Tovis had never told another soul about this. He was not even sure if sharing this secret with Ivan was the right thing to do.

Ivan’s eyes widened. Connecting Tovis’s words with the feel of the hard object wrapped inside the fabric, he felt his breath hitch.

Tovis added, “This item is of no use to me. You like it, so I want to give it to you.”

Ivan looked up, searching Tovis’s stoic expression for a sign that he was joking, but he found none. Uncertain of Tovis’s angle, he figured he had nothing to lose by accepting it.

He stared at Tovis’s anxious expression and smiled, tightening his grip on the handkerchief. “Then I will accept it.”

“It is my honor.”

Tovis seemed genuinely pleased that Ivan had accepted the jade. Sensing that Ivan was eager to examine his new prize, he tactfully retreated to his bedroom. Ivan watched Tovis’s retreating figure for a long time, until the door clicked shut behind him.

Summer was fading. A breeze drifted through the empty living room, fluttering the lake-blue handkerchief to reveal an egg-sized piece of violet jade of exceptional clarity. Ivan lowered his gaze, his fingertips tracing the cold, hard surface of the stone as he fell into thought.

Back in his bedroom, Tovis waited behind the closed door until he heard Ivan’s footsteps retreating upstairs. Then, he skillfully drew a dagger from his waist and slashed his left wrist. Blood seeped from the wound. Tovis remained impassive, digging a black micro-communicator out of the incision. Female Zergs had incredible regenerative abilities; by the time he activated the device, the wound had already sealed, leaving only the faint scent of blood in the air.

A holographic figure appeared in the center of the room: a military officer with defiant red hair. Upon seeing Tovis, the Zerg named Wuko exhaled in relief. “Tovis, you finally showed up! Do you have any idea what I have been through lately?”

The red-haired Zerg started complaining before Tovis could even get a word in. Tovis remained cold; he had no interest in Wuko’s troubles. As the only son of Marshal Saner, Wuko was a Major General; how much could he possibly suffer in the military?

“Spare me the nonsense. Have you figured out what is going on?” Tovis interrupted.

Wuko choked and grumbled, “My female father says General Los issued the order. Think about it: did you offend him?”

Tovis frowned, unable to find an answer. The Capital Star military controlled the entire interstellar force. Above the rank of Marshal were five Generals, and General Los, who managed interstellar mineral resources, had no prior dealings with him.

Seeing Tovis’s deep frown, Wuko tried to lighten the mood. “Tovis, you are a newlywed. Why don’t you look happy?”

Tovis snapped back to reality and replied tartly, “You know exactly what kind of person Ivan is. Do not make jokes.”

Recalling the rumors of Ivan’s playboy reputation, Wuko looked conflicted. “At the very least, he is a beautiful male. A B-plus level male can treat your mental instability, so just make do. The points required by the Male Zerg Protection Association are increasing every day; I do not know when I will ever be able to exchange for a cute, fragrant, and soft little male!”

Wuko sounded hopeless. A hint of a smile touched Tovis’s eyes. He knew Wuko was just acting out; Wuko’s family had been scouting for a male for him since birth—he would never need to compete with other females. Still, thinking of his current predicament, Tovis’s smile did not reach his heart. “Since General Los has sent me such a great gift, it is only right that we return the favor.”

Wuko straightened his posture and listened to Tovis’s deployment plan. Before the communicator cut out, he affirmed, “Understood.”

Time flew by. Three days before the mining competition, Ivan, Lotte, and Tovis departed for Pinzi Star, the mining site. The environment was harsh, the weather erratic, and it was entirely uninhabitable.

After disembarking from the starship, Ivan was immediately blinded by the swirling yellow sand. The ten-hour journey had left him exhausted, while Lotte and Tovis remained unfazed, their bodies resilient as female Zergs. Ivan, whose initial excitement had withered, went straight to the guesthouse with Lotte and collapsed into bed.

He slept until the middle of the night. When he woke, the only light came from the floodlights of the mining vehicles working in the distance. Feeling a pang of hunger, Ivan got up to find food.

As he stepped out of bed, the dim light revealed he was not alone. Tovis was sitting at the table with his eyes closed. Sensing Ivan’s movement, Tovis woke up immediately but remained silent, observing Ivan.

“Why are you here?” Ivan asked, feeling a bit tense. Being startled in the middle of the night was not pleasant.

Tovis realized his behavior was strange and explained, “The guesthouse ran out of rooms. Lotte told me to share with you. You were already asleep when I came in, so I did not want to disturb you.”

“I see.” Relieved, Ivan stood up. “Get some sleep, then. I am going out to find something to eat.”

Tovis seemed to want to say something, but remained silent until Ivan left. Sleeping while sitting was not comfortable, so Tovis, checking that Ivan would not return immediately, shed his outer coat and slid into the far side of the large bed.

Ivan followed his memory to the first-floor lobby. Despite it being 3:00 AM, the lobby was brightly lit. When Ivan requested food, the middle-aged Zerg on duty prepared him a steaming plate of egg-fried rice. Hungry, Ivan did not complain and began eating at a table in the center of the lobby.

He had barely taken a few bites when the door opened. A burly Zerg entered, pushing a wheelchair occupied by a pale, frail male. Two other intimidating-looking females followed. The lead Zerg was much taller than Tovis, wearing only a black combat vest that showed off muscles capable of crushing stone. Ivan noticed the female’s coat was draped over the pale male in the wheelchair.

They stopped at the front desk. The burly female bent down, lifted the frail male gently, and carried him inside, while the subordinates handled the wheelchair.

Ivan listened in, curious. “Two rooms for the Huba family.”

The receptionist handed over the keys. “Second floor, turn right.”

As they passed by, Ivan set down his chopsticks and smiled. “Good evening, Lord Huba. Is this your spouse?”

Huba Luo stopped and looked at Ivan. Out of courtesy to a male, he nodded but made to leave immediately. Ivan had only intended to make a quick introduction, but to his surprise, the frail male in Huba Luo’s arms leaned forward. “Hello, my name is Kele. May I ask, what are you eating?”

Kele was pale, but his eyes shone with intense curiosity, like a child seeing something for the first time, when he looked at Ivan’s fried rice. Ivan found it strange—how could someone have never seen egg-fried rice?—but he kept his expression neutral and smiled. “It is egg-fried rice, ordered from the front desk.”

Kele immediately tugged at Huba Luo’s sleeve and whispered, “I want to eat egg-fried rice.”

Huba Luo looked at the oily rice, concerned it might aggravate Kele’s leg injury. He did not want to agree, but seeing his spouse’s desire, he ordered an identical dish for Kele to be sent upstairs. Kele beamed, bidding Ivan a happy farewell as they headed up. Ivan waved back and watched them disappear before returning to his now-lukewarm, ordinary fried rice.

The night was not destined to be peaceful. Just as Ivan was finishing, a rowdy group arrived. Seeing the signature silver hair of the newcomer, Ivan recognized the Doer-ye family immediately.

Yin Sa, the current head’s son, was known for his ruthless methods. A thumb-length scar across his brow made him look particularly fierce. He brought only one assistant. Ivan kept his head down, finished his last bite, and headed upstairs, missing the dangerous, predatory look Yin Sa cast at his retreating back.

Yin Sa leaned against the front desk, staring at Ivan’s back. “He seems different.”

His companion, Jieli, remained indifferent. “We are not here to play. The Family Head ordered us to secure the mining rights.”

Yin Sa’s smile faded. He looked at Jieli’s straight, lean back with annoyance. Suddenly, he licked his lips and pursued him. At the staircase, he gripped Jieli’s slender, pale neck and hissed, “Of course, my little sweetheart.”

Jieli, with his throat constricted, frowned but said nothing. Yin Sa stroked the smooth skin, his mood improved, and they headed to their rooms together.

Ivan had not expected to run into so many heavy hitters while grabbing a late-night snack. He returned to the second floor, his heart still racing. The wooden staircase creaked, and the corridor was dimly lit. As he stood before room 213, he caught a glimpse of a figure flashing by at the other end of the hall.

Ivan froze, his brow furrowing in confusion. That figure looked like Lotte.