Insect Clan: The Cold and Aloof General and His Green Tea Dog-Like Male Lord - Chapter 7

The pale moonlight filtered through the half-drawn curtains, casting a hazy pattern of light and shadow across the master bedroom floor.

Amidst the swirling tendrils of warm bath steam, a tall, imposing silhouette slowly stepped out.

Asayer’s hair was still damp, clinging slightly to his forehead as stray beads of water trailed down his cheeks and slid over his broad, chiseled chest, leaving gleaming tracks in their wake. He was completely bare from the waist up, his powerful muscular contours appearing exceptionally fluid and striking under the pale moonlight. His cold, porcelain-white skin radiated a faint warmth, and the residual water droplets catching the light looked like liquid pearls, shimmering beautifully against his skin.

Before Lu Li could even fully process the jaw-dropping view before him, Asayer’s cool, deeply magnetic voice broke the silence.

“(My Lord), please enjoy.”

The contrast was staggering. Asayer’s gaze remained completely detached devoid of even a shred of natural warmth or flirtatious ambiguity yet he was delivering a line that scandalous while looking like a proud, unyielding general. The absolute tension of it was intoxicating.

Lu Li felt an immediate, intense surge of desire rush through his veins, but he forced his baseline impulses down with a sheer act of will.

He knew Asayer didn’t feel a thing for him yet. Intimacy without an emotional foundation… how was that any different from basic animal instinct? He wanted all of Asayer  his heart, his soul, his genuine affection. He wanted this step to happen naturally when they were both genuinely happy, not as a cold martial duty like right now.

Steeling his expression, Lu Li looked at Asayer and spoke with unusual seriousness.

“Asayer, I know you don’t actually like me right now, and I refuse to force you into anything. I genuinely like you. I want the next time we share a bed to be an occasion where both of us are looking forward to it with joy.”

Asayer’s silver eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch in genuine astonishment. He truly hadn’t anticipated that a high-tier Male could act with such absolute, gentlemanly restraint.

In modern Zerg society, most Males had long since allowed their minds and souls to be corrupted by unchecked indulgence and systemic privilege. It was a rare anomaly to encounter a Male who radiated such a clean, independent spirit.

“Go ahead and get some proper rest in the adjacent suite for tonight, Asayer,” Lu Li added, his boyish smile returning. “Just watch me, I am going to become an absolute masterclass of a suitor!”

A suitor? Asayer mused, the archaic concept sounding remarkably foreign to his ears.

Seeing that Lu Li was entirely earnest and wasn’t going to press the issue, the general didn’t try to linger. He walked over to the neighboring wing, selected a comfortable, unadorned guest room, and retired for the night.

The following morning.

Asayer woke up at the crack of dawn. Already immaculately dressed in his sharp military uniform, he was fully prepared to report back to military headquarters.

But before he could step out the front gates, he had a vital tactical mission to execute: he needed to convince his new husband to sign a formal document granting him legal permission to continue active military service. Without that imperial signature, securing his clearance at headquarters would become an absolute bureaucratic nightmare.

Formulating his approach, Asayer carried the digital notification downstairs, planning to wait patiently until the young Male woke up to sign it.

To his immense surprise, before his boots even cleared the final landing, a rich, intensely savory aroma drifted up from the lower level.

Glancing toward the kitchen, he found Lu Li already hard at work.

Hearing the rhythmic thud of military boots on the stairs, Lu Li immediately guessed his wife was down. Pivoting smoothly with a spatula in hand, he offered Asayer a bright, high-energy grin.

“Good morning, (First Wife)! Breakfast is almost ready. Sit down and have a proper meal before you head to headquarters; I made a whole spread of delicious things for you!”

Seeing Lu Li’s incredibly amiable, cheerful disposition, Asayer internally calculated that getting the document signed might not be a difficult campaign after all.

“My Lord, why did you rise so early?” Asayer asked smoothly, stepping into the dining space. “Laboring over breakfast is a duty that should be left entirely to me.”

While the general had no genuine desire to play the part of a domestic chef, he knew how to adapt his strategy to his current environment.

“Asayer, I told you last night I’m actively courting you. This is exactly what I’m supposed to do,” Lu Li chuckled, setting a steaming plate down. “Let’s make a deal right now: I’m officially claiming ownership of the kitchen in this house from now on. My wife doesn’t need to lift a single finger for domestic chores; your only job is to pursue the things you genuinely love.”

The things I genuinely love?

Asayer stood motionless, the phrase echoing deeply within his thoughts.

In the Zerg Empire, pursuing personal passions was a luxury reserved almost exclusively for Males. The reality for Females even those born into elite households was historically rigid and demanding. From a very young age, despite his family’s deep affection, Asayer understood that his path was fundamentally different from a Male’s. He was a Female, genetically engineered for power, and his sole purpose was to serve as a shield for the Crown and a pillar for the state.

Before his thoughts could drift any deeper, Lu Li emerged from the kitchen counter with an array of spectacular platters.

The spread was remarkably abundant, featuring a variety of culinary styles that completely bypassed traditional Zerg menus clearly unique creations born from Lu Li’s own repertoire.

“Come on, try one of these breakfast buns while they’re piping hot! They’re perfectly bite-sized, and I custom-blended the savory filling specifically to match your palate.”

Lu Li eagerly transferred a few perfect, delicate buns onto Asayer’s plate before ladling a smooth, fragrant bowl of rice porridge for him.

Taking a tentative bite, Asayer’s expression instantly froze in sheer wonder.

It was impossible to deny Lu Li’s culinary mastery was spectacular. Every dish offered an exquisite, nuanced flavor profile completely unrepresented in the capital’s high-end sectors.

Catching the visible flash of delight on Asayer’s face, Lu Li knew he had scored a massive victory. Seizing the momentum, a brilliant, slightly chaotic idea that had formed in his mind last night instantly tumbled out.

“Asayer, how about I drop by military headquarters around noon to deliver a fresh lunch for you?!”

A Male breaching military headquarters? Asayer’s tactical mind immediately went on high alert. That would trigger an absolute media firestorm across the entire central sector.

Males were treated as rare, fragile state treasures. If Lu Li were to sustain even a minor scratch within a military zone, the legal backlash on Asayer’s career would be catastrophic.

Noticing the immediate ripple of hesitation across his general’s features, Lu Li realized a standard request wasn’t going to cut it. It was time to deploy his ultimate strategy: absolute, shameless puppy-dog energy.

A mischievous, glittering light flashed deep within Lu Li’s dark eyes. Tilting his head slightly, he rounded his features and looked up at Asayer with wide, pleading, exceptionally liquid eyes.

“I just want to make sure my wife eats well,” he whined softly, his voice dropping into a sweet, slightly pathetic tone. “The military cafeteria food can’t possibly match my home cooking… is it really completely out of the question?”

Before Asayer could formulate a logical counter-argument, Lu Li suddenly abandoned his chair.

Slipping over to Asayer’s side, he leaned his weight forward, nudging his soft black hair directly against the general’s uniform sleeve like an affectionate golden retriever demanding attention, practically burrowing himself straight into Asayer’s personal space.

The sudden, unprecedented physical proximity caused the battle-hardened general to freeze entirely. A strange, tingling warmth rippled along his arms, sending a wave of chaotic static through his usually pristine focus. His brain temporarily compromised by the sheer, unadulterated cuteness of the display, Asayer found himself nodding automatically.

Once breakfast concluded, Asayer retrieved the digital waiver from his terminal, his composure fully restored. “My Lord, I require your formal signature on this imperial document.”

“Oh? What’s this one for?” Lu Li asked, leaning over out of curiosity.

“It is a legal declaration of intent,” Asayer explained truthfully. “The military bureaus require your explicit marital consent before they can formally reactivate my commission as an active flag officer.”

The moment the explanation left Asayer’s mouth, Lu Li snatched the terminal without a single trace of hesitation. With a grand, sweeping flourish of his hand, he inked his legal signature across the digital mandate.

Securing his primary objective, Asayer felt an immense surge of relief, his focus instantly shifting back to his fleet operations.

“Farewell, I Have an exceptionally smooth day at work!” Lu Li cheered, waving enthusiastically from the threshold.

“Farewell, My Lord,” Asayer replied, stepping into his waiting hover-transport.

With the general’s departure, a profound quiet settled over the massive villa. Lu Li stood in the empty hall, suddenly feeling a bit lonely.

Right! My backyard agricultural empire! He reprimanded himself, playfully tapping his own forehead. I got so completely distracted by looking at my breathtaking wife that I almost neglected my grand financial operations.

Strolling out to the sunny private courtyard, Lu Li focused his awareness and unleashed a concentrated wave of Wood-element energy. Under the emerald light, the rows of fresh seeds erupted through the topsoil, expanding and ripening into a massive, lush harvest within minutes.

Yuanyuan had already meticulously cleared and crated the previous batch of produce. Rolling over to Lu Li, its gears whirred as it inquired about their next operational move.

Lu Li pulled up the Star Network, thoroughly analyzing the going market rates for premium, chemical-free organic flora. Recognizing his competitive advantage, he decided to price his stock exactly twenty-five percent lower than the standard corporate baseline, setting up a sleek, independent digital storefront.

The moment the listing indicators flipped to green, a few sharp-eyed capital citizens stumbled onto the fresh domain.

User [A Breeze in the Mind] (Customer): “Uh, shopkeeper? Are these listings for real? Are you sure there isn’t some massive quality defect or structural contamination with these greens?”

The first potential customer was clearly paralyzed by skepticism. After all, pure, earth-grown vegetables were treated as rare luxuries in the capital.

Lu Li knew that structural doubts were inevitable in an empire dominated by synthesized foods. He chose to let the premium quality of his product do the talking.

User [Pear] (Merchant): “Rest assured, customer! This establishment operates on absolute integrity premium quality at unbeatable prices. Since you’re our historic very first customer, I’m tossing a generous cluster of organic tomatoes into your delivery crate completely free of charge.”

Seeing the merchant’s confident, incredibly generous response, the buyer’s financial hesitation crumbled. He immediately processed a modest trial order of mixed greens.

• Ding! *

System Alert: Digital Account Balance +100,000 Credits.

“Yes!” Lu Li pumped his fist in pure excitement. His very first pot of cosmic gold had officially cleared the registers.

“Yuanyuan, I am officially appointing you as the Chief Operating Officer of our agricultural empire!” Lu Li declared, patting the robot’s smooth dome. “You handle the automated packaging, courier dispatches, and basic customer inquiries. The moment the profits hit our next milestone, your master is going to upgrade your chassis with the absolute highest-grade micro-fusion energy cell on the market!”

Hearing the promise of a premium, top-tier energy core, Yuanyuan’s digital optical lenses instantly transformed into a pair of flashing pink hearts. Its internal motors whirred with an immense, unprecedented surge of mechanical productivity as it began aggressively packing the crates.