Reborn as the Paranoid Female’s Rejected Sweetheart [Zerg Tribe]

Chapter 38: “Don’t worry, I have confidence.”

Qi Yao doubted if he had misheard, “What did you just call him?”

The incoming zerg looked extremely similar to Yi Er, but compared to Yi Er’s sharpness, he exuded a more mature demeanor, marked by the passage of time.

He was indeed Darren. Qi Yao had seen him in the photos given by Nos, and there was hardly any difference from the pictures. But…

Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?

He died in the Empire’s 92nd Defense Battle, piloting the starship given to him by Nos, rushing into the enemy ranks, and perishing along with the enemy, leaving no trace of his remains.

So why would he appear here?

Darren walked up to Yi Er. His eyes seemed to only see Yi Er, and his loving gaze fell on Yi Er. The two pairs of similar eyes stared at each other, both too shocked to utter a word.

“Darren?” The male zerg beside Darren called him.

Darren didn’t respond. He reached out to Yi Er, trying not to appear too excited, but his slightly trembling hand betrayed the emotions roiling inside him. He said, “Are you… Yi Er?”

“Yi Er?” The male zerg sounded surprised. “He’s Yi Er? Your…”

Darren couldn’t bear to take his eyes off Yi Er for a moment. “Yes, Yao Li, he’s Yi Er, my child. No mistaking it.”

Yao Li quickly withdrew his unfriendly psychic energy. “But how could he be here?”

Just as no zerg answered Qi Yao’s question, no zerg answered Yao Li’s question either.

The two female zergs faced each other, one with gentle eyes, the other stiff-bodied.

Qi Yao tugged at Yi Er’s arm.

It wasn’t until Yi Er’s tense body suddenly relaxed, and he averted his gaze stiffly, that Qi Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was like that time when he was startled by Gatt, finally coming back to his senses.

But Yi Er didn’t want to face Darren, just like he turned away from Darren’s hand wanting to touch him, he grabbed Qi Yao and walked away without looking back.

An unexpected encounter ended hastily like this, with Yi Er even reluctant to give Darren a single word.

Qi Yao couldn’t help but look back, seeing Darren’s disappointed expression, feeling a pang of sympathy. “Yi Er, he seems eager to talk to you.”

Yi Er hesitated for a moment, then firmly continued forward. “I have nothing to say to him.”

The atmosphere became heavy again. Qi Yao didn’t know what to say. Perhaps now he should give Yi Er some time to calm down on his own.

He let go of Yi Er’s hand, ran back to pick up the dropped temperature-regulating suit from the ground, and hastily threw out a sentence, “Let’s watch the meteor shower on that open space ahead.”

With that, he quickly turned back.

Darren stared blankly at Yi Er’s back, the joy of reunion overshadowed by a sense of loss, his face filled with sorrow.

Yao Li stepped forward to comfort him, “Are you still going to watch the meteor shower?”

Darren shook his head, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Then let’s go back.”

“Yeah.”

Qi Yao caught up with Yi Er. Looking back again, he saw Yao Li holding Darren’s waist, slowly walking back along the path they came from.

*

Meteors streaked across the sky, blooming for a moment in dazzling and ultimate beauty.

Qi Yao and Yi Er lay side by side on the cabin roof of the spacecraft, silently watching as one star after another fell from the sky.

No one said a word.

This long-awaited honeymoon trip had just begun, but it was already shrouded in a cloud of worry.

Too many questions lingered in their hearts. Qi Yao really wanted to know the answers to those questions, but Yi Er had erected a high wall around himself, not allowing him to step in even a bit.

For a moment, he recalled Dean’s reminder: Yi Er was guarded.

Because of the heinous actions of Yi Er’s father, Eberley, which led Yi Er to abhor males, Qi Yao had always thought that many of Yi Er’s faults, criticized by zergs, were related to witnessing Eberley’s behavior in his childhood.

After so long of being together with Yi Er after marriage, Yi Er easily accepted him, indicating that Yi Er’s guard had nothing to do with Eberley.

Then, could this guard come from Darren?

Why is he avoiding Darren, isn’t he his female father?

Separated for fourteen years, now knowing that his female father didn’t die, not only is he alive and well, but he also has a caring male mate by his side. Isn’t this something worth celebrating?

So why does Yi Er look so unhappy, even unacceptable?

Qi Yao couldn’t understand. He wanted to know the answer.

He turned to look at Yi Er, who was staring at the sky without blinking.

Qi Yao closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, reached out and waved his hand in front of Yi Er’s eyes.

Yi Er remained indifferent.

Not giving up, Qi Yao moved closer and hugged him, took a deep breath, and gently said, “Have you thought of a wish?”

“What?” Yi Er took a long time to respond.

Qi Yao frowned slightly, “Before the meteor shower ends, please, Yi Er, make a wish.”

“Still thinking.”

“It’s okay, take your time, there’s still a while before it ends.”

“Hmm.”

After a while, Qi Yao said again, “Do you want to know what wish I made?”

“What?”

“I wished…” Qi Yao nuzzled Yi Er’s neck affectionately, “I wished for my beloved Yi Er to be happy for the rest of his life.”

Yi Er was silent for a moment. “That sounds a bit difficult.”

“Indeed, quite difficult, otherwise.”

“Why pin hopes on shooting stars?” Yi Er remained silent.

Qi Yao continued, “I also made a wish. If my beloved Yi Er can’t be happy for his entire life, then being ninety-nine percent happy for his life is also acceptable.”

Yi Er laughed, “Why is everything about me? What about you?”

Qi Yao’s voice sounded muffled, “Yi Er, you are my only family in this world. Your happiness is my happiness.”

Yi Er fell silent again. Something soft in his heart was fiercely touched, his throat couldn’t help but choke, like a huge stone stuck in his throat, unable to swallow.

What merits did he have to encounter such a good lord like Qi Yao, full of him inside and out? This was something many females didn’t even dare to think about.

But was he worthy? He wasn’t. Even when he married Qi Yao in the first place, it was selfishly for himself.

Moreover, now he was Darren’s “fake hero” female cub. Thinking of this, Yi Er rolled his throat knot with difficulty, closed his eyes and couldn’t face Qi Yao, and said heavily, “Being happy is not that easy.”

Qi Yao stubbornly said, “It’s difficult because you don’t say it. Many unhappy things become happy once spoken.”

“Speak it out?”

“Yes, speak it out.” Yi Er fell silent.

Qi Yao said, “Or do you want me to ask?”

Yi Er understood, all these twists and turns were to trap his words.

He took a deep breath and said lightly, “Are you asking why I don’t want to face my female father?”

Qi Yao buried his head down, which was an admission.

Yi Er paused for a long time.

Qi Yao would know about this sooner or later. Perhaps it would be better for him to tell Qi Yao himself than for Qi Yao to inquire around.

He said, “I knew he was still alive two years ago.”

Qi Yao lifted his head, “Two years ago?”

“That time I went to the border star system, the Stardust encountered an unexpected collision and crashed on a deserted star near the Glassy system…”

That time, Yi Er struggled to crawl out of the malfunctioning Stardust, almost losing consciousness.

While waiting for rescue, he encountered a strange female.

He was fully armed, with his head covered and face concealed. Except for a pair of blue eyes barely visible through the goggles, no skin was exposed anywhere on his body.

He was behind Yi Er on the desolate star, rescuing him without a word, and then took out a syringe of tranquilizer from the medical kit and injected it into Yi Er without hesitation.

Yi Er was severely exhausted and almost losing consciousness, unaware of the female’s attack.

After the injection, he could only gather all his strength to guard himself.

The female’s voice came from behind the thick protective gear, “I just want you to calm down. I won’t hurt you.”

He used a voice modulator, so Yi Er couldn’t tell who he was.

Yi Er couldn’t figure out the female’s intentions, so he had to be cautious.

Fortunately, apart from the tranquilizer, the female didn’t make any malicious moves.

He fed Yi Er with top-grade medical potions, quickly stabilizing his consciousness and allowing him to maintain sufficient clarity.

Yi Er tried to communicate with the female a few times, but he remained silent like a medical device that could only act but not speak.

Except for the sentence he said when he administered the tranquilizer at the beginning, they had no verbal communication.

Yi Er was carefully taken care of for several days, his body gradually recovered, and he successfully awaited rescue.

Before leaving the desolate star, he suddenly had an idea.

He wanted to know who this unexpected female was who came to rescue him.

His relationship with other zergs was not so good, and those zergs in the empire who looked down on him wouldn’t be so kind as to help him.

Ethically and morally, he should thank this female. He went to thank the female and reached out to shake hands with him.

The female hesitated but also reached out his hand.

In that instant, Yi Er grabbed the hand the female extended and quickly made a move, aiming for the headgear around the female’s neck.

His body had recovered almost completely, and while he couldn’t claim to have the upper hand in terms of physical strength, he did have the advantage.

However, the female was more agile and immediately protected the headgear and retreated defensively.

Two military females inexplicably started fighting, Yi Er’s objective was clear, and each move targeted the headgear of the female.

After a feint, taking advantage of the female’s unpreparedness, he unfolded his bone wings and unexpectedly lifted the headgear he was closely guarding, revealing a strand of silver hair underneath.

He froze in place.

Time seemed to stand still, and the female finally revealed his closely guarded secret in Yi Er’s dumbfounded gaze.

With his eyes fixed on Yi Er’s dumbfounded gaze, his hands trembling, he quickly stuffed the hair back into the headgear, stiffly turned around, returned to his starship, and left the temporary stop on the desolate star.

After that, Yi Er returned to the team, and the Glassy military announced their withdrawal that day.

It was said that they lost an officer, and it was unclear if it was related to this reason, but there had been no unusual actions these days.

In short, the war ended, and after Yi Er returned, he threw the Stardust into the warehouse.

Even if it was repaired, it was never used again. “That female is your father, right?” Qi Yao said.

The answer was self-evident, and Qi Yao also understood the reason why the Stardust was abandoned.

It was the starship that carried Yi Er’s faith, just like Darren, to do everything possible for the empire, to fight until death.

But Darren, who had already sacrificed himself for the country and become a heroic figure, appeared in the Glassy camp and stood on the opposite side of them.

His faith collapsed, so he simply abandoned the Stardust.

“At least at the moment he died for the empire, he was a hero,” Qi Yao looked at Yi Er, “You said that, didn’t you?”

“Hero… that’s just me deceiving myself. He hasn’t been one for a long time.”

“Perhaps, he had his difficulties.” Qi Yao opened his bright eyes, “You see, whenever you’re in danger, he appears, right?”

After saying this, he also felt that this reason was weak. He lowered his eyes, “Yi Er, I believe your female father isn’t a bad zerg.”

Yi Er gazed at the shooting stars in the sky, not responding.

In the silent silence, Qi Yao moved aside slightly, his head inadvertently glanced to the side and saw a male zerg standing quietly nearby.

It was unclear how long he had been standing there; it seemed that as long as he wasn’t discovered, he would continue to stand there.

Qi Yao said, “Yi Er, I’m feeling a bit cold, I’ll go down and fetch a temperature-controlled garment.”

Yi Er turned over, “I’ll go.”

Qi Yao held him back, “Don’t move, I’ll go.”

Coming down from the cabin ceiling, Qi Yao headed straight for Yao Li.

Yao Li saw Qi Yao, “I thought I’d have to wait until dawn at least.”

Qi Yao introduced himself, “Hello, I’m Yi Er’s male lord, Qi Yao.”

Yao Li was slightly surprised, “So he’s already married.”

Qi Yao smiled, “Was it Yi Er’s father who sent you?”

“No, I came on my own.”

Qi Yao fell silent.

Yao Li said, “May I be so bold as to invite you and Yi Er to rest in our estate for the night?”

“Well…” Qi Yao hesitated, “I have to ask for his opinion.”

Yao Li paused for a moment, overshadowing the surprise on his face with a smile, “I thought you would make decisions for him. Looks like I should tell Darren that you’re a very respectful male for Yi Er.”

Qi Yao, accustomed to praise, but the identity of the person in front of him was obviously different, so he awkwardly lowered his head.

Yao Li took note of his embarrassment, smiled without speaking, and stepped aside, revealing the path behind him, “Darren and I will stay here for a while. Follow this path, and you’ll reach our estate. Qi Yao, we both hope to see Yi Er again.”

After saying this, Yao Li left.

Qi Yao watched Yao Li leave, then quickly rushed back to the spacecraft to fetch the temperature-controlled garment.

He couldn’t find where Yi Er had placed it, and he was getting anxious when the system appeared like a ghost.

It cleared its throat solemnly and said seriously, “Host, I must tell you something now.”

Qi Yao, absorbed in searching for the temperature-controlled garment, absentmindedly said, “What is it?”

The system gently reminded, “Don’t forget, you and Yi Er are just the secondary couple in this book. Our book has a protagonist.”

Qi Yao froze, “What do you mean? Could it be…”

“That’s right, just now when you met, I saw several key tag labels on Darren, such as reversal, redemption, tragic beauty, rebirth… and so on. The rebirth tag was faintly visible, I couldn’t see it clearly, not sure if it is, but I’m sure, Darren is the protagonist of this book.”

Qi Yao suddenly felt like the sky was about to collapse.

If he remembered correctly, the name of this book was “The Rise of the Female zerg,” so it wouldn’t be that the original protagonist died in love and hate with Yi Er, Darren found an excuse to break into the imperial palace, chopped off Si Niya, and then crowned himself emperor, right? What kind of melodramatic plot was this? If that was the case, he really wanted to pull out this useless system and give it a good beating, and then light it up with fire.

The system quickly extinguished Qi Yao’s mental fire and said, “Host, don’t worry, it’s not like that. Thanks to your unremitting efforts, you and Yi Er have already emerged independently. The original book no longer has the concept of secondary couples. Now you’re in a completely new book!”

Qi Yao rolled his eyes.

The system looked pitiful, “Actually, what I wanted to say is, I didn’t want to disturb the atmosphere just now, but I have to say it now. Darren’s appearance will directly affect your mission. Host, Yi Er’s favorability is frozen at 88 and won’t increase.”

“Is that the impact?”

“Yes, because of Darren’s appearance, Yi Er has closed off his heart.”

“… Looks like the defense is indeed here.”

Qi Yao found the temperature-controlled garment and couldn’t wait to bring it to Yi Er, shooing away the system, “Okay, I got it.”

“Host…”

“I understand what you want to say. I figured it out long ago. Don’t worry, I’m confident.”