When the Villainous Boss Acts as the Protagonist (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 18

On the day of Friedrich’s banquet, three pieces of news exploded, blinding the eyes of the Zerg public.

First: General Alex Saxon publicly announced that he was voluntarily renouncing his engagement to the perfect male, Lord Elio.

Second: Immediately following Alex’s announcement, Lord Ryan, the one from the trash planet, suddenly became the witness for the impromptu engagement between General Friedrich and Lord Elio.

Third, and most scandalous of all: After Friedrich and Elio were supposedly bound, Friedrich was found lying with Lord Philo in a restroom near the corner of the banquet hall.

Meanwhile, Lord Elio, who had just been paired with Friedrich, was found unconscious and alone in the innermost stall. When discovered, his head was inches away from the residual water at the bottom of the toilet.

The provocative imagery and the dangerous, ambiguous relationship between the three Zergs instantly ignited the gossip genes buried deep within a populace whose lives usually consisted of nothing but work and training. Even though the Zerg Emperor immediately ordered a media blackout, there is no such thing as a wall without a crack. Within hours, basically every Zerg in the high society circles of the Imperial Star was discussing it.

Inevitably, Alex’s name was dragged into the narrative.

“Hey, did you hear? They say General Friedrich and Lord Elio have been seeing each other privately for a long time. They’ve been flirtatious for ages! At first, General Alex tried to compete, but Lord Elio preferred Friedrich. Plus, with Friedrich’s recent military victory, Alex probably realized he couldn’t win and gave up the engagement voluntarily.”

“Exactly! That’s what I think too. Otherwise, why would those two get engaged the second Alex stepped aside?”

“I just don’t know how Lord Philo got mixed up in it.”

“I know a little inside info on that. My second uncle’s eldest cousin’s third nephew works in the Jewel Star entry and exit department. He told me Lord Philo left Jewel Star for a while and came back with a female Zerg.”

“So, that female was,”

“You catch on quick. Wasn’t General Friedrich missing for a while recently?”

“Holy crap! So you’re saying, no way! If that’s true, it’s too explosive! Two A-rank males are involved with General Friedrich? Could the conflict in the restroom have been because they clashed over him?”

“If that’s the case, Friedrich’s charm must be insane to have two A-ranks choosing him at once.”

“Comparing them, General Alex is so pitiful. Also an SS-rank female, but no Lord chooses him. Now he doesn’t even have a fiancé left.”

In the silent observation room, a gap in the door allowed the voices from the corridor to drift inside.

Chu Sicheng, who had just finished a blood draw and was waiting for his test results, listened to the gossip rising and falling with the passing footsteps. His gaze landed on the female Zerg on the sofa, whose face was growing darker by the second. Chu Sicheng took a deep breath and pressed his lips together hard.

“Laugh if you want to,” the female’s haunting voice drifted over.

“Pfft,” Chu Sicheng couldn’t hold it back and let out a laugh.

“Sorry,” the male coughed to cover it up. “Actually, I was just laughing at a joke on my light-brain.”

“Really?”

“Lies.” Chu Sicheng propped his chin on one hand, his blue-gray eyes dancing with mischievous malice. “What can we do, poor Alex? Hearing them talk, I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for you.”

Alex gave him a speechless side-eye. “Really?”

“Lies,” Chu Sicheng admitted again with refreshing honesty. Partially because he had no idea what feeling sorry actually felt like, and partially because, “Isn’t this a good thing for you?”

The male leaned back against a soft cushion, crossing his left leg over his right. He wagged his pointed toe at Alex. “For other females, having no male choose them might be terrifying. But for you, Alex, it should be exactly what you’ve always wanted. After all, you hate males so much.”

The male Zerg, who had nearly died at Alex’s hands not long ago, blinked and flashed a perfect eight-tooth smile. His voice was incredibly light; the certainty in his tone was palpable.

“Isn’t that right, Alex?” Chu Sicheng asked.

Is it?

If it were before, Alex might have nodded eagerly at the very start of that question. Back then, his loathing for males had reached a point of physiological discomfort at the mere mention of the gender.

But now, Alex looked up at Chu Sicheng.

Because of the blood test, the male was only wearing a loose, pure white short-sleeved shirt. His fluffy, platinum-blonde hair fell over his forehead, making him look more docile than usual.

But Alex knew that beneath that docile exterior lay a soul more eccentric and rebellious than any other. He was nothing like the males Alex had seen before. While he might be more arrogant and condescending in some ways, his disdain and disregard weren’t aimed specifically at females, but at the entire Zerg race.

Strangely, in the eyes of the male before him, a true state of “all beings are equal” seemed to exist. And this was exactly what Alex, who had spent his life being scrutinized and looked down upon by others, craved.

Add to that the fact that at the banquet, and even earlier at the meeting, this was the only male who had stood by him and reached out the hand he had longed for.

So, did he hate him? Did he still hate males?

Alex’s lips moved silently. In the flicker of his gaze, that single word “Yes” failed to escape his mouth.

Why?

Alex blinked, his fingertips instinctively resting over his heart. He felt the heartbeat, faster and stronger with every pulse. In a daze, he felt as if something were breaking through the soil within him.

He still hated males, but seemingly, not this male.

“You,” Alex finally spoke after a long silence.

Whether it was because today wasn’t his day to speak or some other reason, just as he cleared his thoughts to answer Chu Sicheng, a doctor suddenly walked in and interrupted him.

“Hello, Lord Ryan. Your blood and genetic reports are ready.” The female Zerg in the white coat pushed up his glasses. After a pause, he continued: “According to the results, the pheromone concentration in your blood is still at a very high standard. However, perhaps because you haven’t undergone your second evolution yet, your genetic rank is still detected as F.”

“This phenomenon is indeed rare. The hospital doesn’t have many cases for reference. So, before your second evolution, you may need to visit the hospital more frequently for observation.”

“Oh, and another thing,” the doctor added, “Because your current pheromone concentration and genetic rank are so mismatched, the hospital suggests temporarily withholding your genetic report from the Male Protection Center. What are your thoughts on this?”

The doctor was a bit nervous asking this. If a male’s genetic report isn’t submitted, the Protection Center cannot match him with compatible females. He wouldn’t be able to go on blind dates or find a legal wife or concubines to care for him. For a male alone on the Imperial Star, this was clearly a disadvantage.

To the doctor’s surprise, Chu Sicheng had no objection at all; he practically supported it with both hands and feet. As the protagonist saving the world, how could he let something like blind dates slow down his mission progress?

Chu Sicheng thought the hospital’s decision was incredibly Zerg-friendly, but Alex, sitting beside him, didn’t think so.

“You think this is just a suggestion from the hospital?” The female Zerg, who had long seen through the Empire’s motives, sneered. “Believe me, even if you didn’t agree, the Protection Center wouldn’t accept your report.”

They were weighing the pros and cons. They were afraid that if they matched Chu Sicheng with C-rank or D-rank females and he became an S-rank, it would be a waste, or worse, if they matched him with an S-rank or SS-rank and he stayed an F-rank.

Thinking of this, Alex looked at Chu Sicheng. “Do you have a plan now?”

Chu Sicheng was puzzled. “What plan? About Philo and Friedrich?”

“About yourself!” Alex was frustrated by his lack of ambition. “Aren’t you worried about your second evolution at all?”

It was common knowledge that the second evolution for a male was agonizing and high-risk. That was exactly why the number of male Zergs was so low.

Alex frowned. “Aren’t you worried about what happens if the evolution fails?”

Given the series of things Chu Sicheng had done lately, if his second evolution didn’t result in the S-rank the Empire expected, then forget Philo; even the Emperor and his own father wouldn’t let him off.

Just thinking about it made Alex’s expression grow grave. Yet, compared to Alex’s anxiety, the male beside him was so unbothered he actually opened a “Match-3” game on his light-brain.

After an annoying “Unbelievable!” rang out from the game, Chu Sicheng finally spoke tonelessly. “What can I do? I’ll just deal with it when it happens.”

Setting aside the fact that he already knew he would succeed, even if he didn’t, the result of the second evolution wasn’t something he could control. Worrying now was useless. Having been avenged by so many underdog protagonists in his past lives, Chu Sicheng was very open-minded.

But Alex, being a first-time villain, wasn’t nearly as philosophical. “You aren’t even a little worried you’ll stay an F-rank?”

“Not really,” Chu Sicheng said, his eyes flickering as he looked at the anxious Alex. He teased, “If I’m still an F-rank, I’ll just go back to the trash planet and keep picking through garbage.”

“How could you go back to picking garbage!”

“Why can’t I go back to picking garbage?”

“If you go back to picking garbage, then I,”

The voice cut off abruptly. The female Zerg froze as he realized what he was saying. He desperately wanted to escape the stupid question that had almost escaped his mouth without thinking.

However, “Then you what?”

Now, Chu Sicheng was the one refusing to let it go. Licking his lower lip, the cat-like male smelling of citrus narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on the prey before him who had nowhere to run. His eyes curved, and his red lips parted.

“Tell me, Alex. Then you what?”

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