Hearing this, Li Xi retracted the foot that had just stepped over the threshold, returned to his original spot, stood obediently, and pricked up his ears to continue eavesdropping.
In his mind: I’ve discovered a little secret.
Just as he stood still, the child who had his back to him suddenly spun around, reached out to grab him, and with a forceful tug—pulled him in and slammed the door. The movements were seamless.
In the blink of an eye, Li Xi was confined by the child. He heard a voice: “Don’t run, let me think for a second.”
Only after doing this did Yun feel at ease enough to seriously rummage through his memories. He searched back and forth but couldn’t find any recollection of ever bringing a male worm home.
He stated with certainty and gravity: “Absolutely not!” Fearing Li Xi wouldn’t believe him, he raised his hand and added: “I swear! My female father is talking nonsense.”
Li Xi was still a bit dazed from being pulled in, and now the other was looking at him with such solemnity, as if something major had happened. The door behind them was closed; Li Xi had no way to peek at the drama secretly anymore.
Wen didn’t give him any face at all: “Wasn’t there a little male worm who refused to leave last time?”
Yun: “…”
Even if his female father was in a bad mood, he shouldn’t vent it on him. He wanted to cry. Could he go back now?
There had been such an incident, but it was absolutely not the way his female father described it.
He had encountered that little male worm in the back garden. Who knew what kind of madness possessed him, but he suddenly ran over and bit him for no reason.
At the time, Yun was holding a starship model he had spent half a month assembling. As one might imagine, that bite caused the model to fall and shatter into a million pieces.
He was so angry he couldn’t sleep for days.
He stared pitifully at Li Xi and said aggrievedly: “I didn’t know him, and I don’t know why he wouldn’t leave. He even bit me!”
After explaining the cause and effect, Yun waited for Li Xi’s response.
Li Xi: “?”
The kid was just explaining, so why was he staring at him so intently?
Helpless, under that unwavering gaze, Li Xi nodded: “Um…”
On the other side, Wen watched this scene and couldn’t help but frown. It was obvious that Yun was putting a lot of heart into Li He, but this was not a good sign.
He spoke up to interrupt their staring match, which seemed to ignore everyone else: “Have you two eaten yet?”
Hearing the voice, Yun retracted his gaze and shook his head: “Not yet.”
“Hmm…” Wen gestured to the female worm standing nearby with his head bowed in silence. “You, go cook for them.”
His tone wasn’t great; he was clearly still angry.
The female worm seemed accustomed to this and replied with a smile: “Yes.”
“Little guy, tell him whatever you want to eat, don’t be polite.” When Wen turned back, his expression had softened. After thinking for a moment, he added in a gentle tone: “Just treat this as your own home. Also, I’ve already sent a communication to your parents’ side. Stay here with peace of mind.”
He had no experience raising male cubs, and this cub’s situation was unique. He was worried his attitude might be too cold, making the little male worm mistakenly think he didn’t like him.
Wen felt a bit annoyed with himself.
Li Xi nodded and then slowly added: “Thank you, Uncle.”
Wen gave a small smile and then walked away, sensing the two cubs might not be able to relax if he stayed.
The lively living room suddenly became quiet. Yun wanted to pull Li Xi to his room to wait for a while, but before he could move, the worm beside him moved first.
With quick eyes and hands, he grabbed the worm who was about to leave and blurted out: “You’re not going to leave now, are you?”
He was anxious: “My female father is just a bit cold, but he’s a very good worm…”
Li Xi tilted his head and looked down to rummage through his pockets. He wasn’t used to wearing any accessories, so after leaving the Dean’s office, he had taken off his light-brain and tossed it into his pocket.
While they were talking, the light-brain had begun to vibrate slightly, but because an elder was present, it wasn’t convenient for him to answer.
Li Xi showed the vibrating light-brain to Yun, his gaze shifting to the hand gripping his wrist.
“Oh…” Seeing this, Yun let go and pointed to the stairs at the corner: “Go answer it over there.”
Li Xi sat on the wooden stairs, tapped to connect, and the video popped up.
The lighting on the other end was dim. Calais was dressed in black, leaning casually on a black leather sofa with his long legs stretched out lazily. Li Xi could vaguely hear noisy music and the sound of someone being pressured to drink in a lowered voice.
“I say!” Calais swirled the wine glass in his hand. Realizing his voice sounded a bit harsh, he paused and softened his tone. “Kid, did you learn this habit of running around from your female father?”
Li Xi remained silent. Even after all these years, he hadn’t fully adjusted to the fact that he had parents. As a cub, running out randomly was indeed quite dangerous.
Seeing the cub in the video looking down without speaking, Calais thought he was afraid of being scolded and explained earnestly: “I’m not blaming you. Even though we’re on the Main Star, there are still dangers…”
“I’m sorry,” Li Xi said.
Calais was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t expected Li Xi to apologize. The hand swirling the glass tightened, and wine accidentally splashed onto his pants.
“Your Highness!”
“Let me wipe it for you.”
Accompanied by this affected exclamation, a good-looking stranger—a female worm—suddenly burst into the screen. The corners of his eyes were flushed red, his clothes hung loosely, and the dark red worm markings on his chest were faintly visible through the thin fabric.
Right now, his hand was about to reach toward the wet spot, which happened to be at the base of the thigh. A very suggestive area.
“…” Li Xi watched the scene on the screen expressionlessly, roughly guessing where Calais was. He didn’t have much contact with such things, but because of missions, he had stayed in similar places for a few days; he just didn’t know if Calais was thinking the same thing as he was.
He was still a child, should he say something to stop this… but, what should he say?
Li Xi: “Um…”
Before he could finish, two sounds rang out in succession.
Bang—
Clatter—
Li Xi heard the sound of a wine bottle shattering and the dull thud of a female worm crashing into something. He blinked and adjusted to a more comfortable position, pricking up his ears again.
The noise on the other side became chaotic, with silhouettes scurrying around. He heard Calais’s suppressed, cold voice: “Go ahead and play at the Sia house. I have some matters to handle.”
Without giving Li Xi a chance to speak, the screen went black.
Li Xi: “?”
“It’s quite normal.” Yun tossed a purple fruit to Li Xi and sat down beside him. “It’s been washed.”
Li Xi: “Normal?”
“Yeah, it’s impossible for a male worm to marry only one female. Prince Calais currently only has one Female Monarch; that’s considered very rare.” Yun watched him for a while, his voice suddenly sounding a bit sentimental. “You will also marry female worms in the future. One, two, three… who knows.”
Although Li He’s personality was a bit cold, his emotions were stable and gentle; at least, Yun had never seen him lose his temper, which was exceptionally good for a male worm. Based on this point alone, he would be very popular with female worms, not to mention he wasn’t bad-looking either.
Once Li He had a female worm he liked, they wouldn’t be able to play together anymore.
“Will you marry many female worms?” Yun asked.
Will you be like other male worms in the future, hitting and scolding female worms to vent your anger when you’re unhappy?
Li Xi was stunned by the implication. He would marry many female worms? This sentence should be said to Tuanzi, not him.
He shook his head: “I won’t.”
Rarely, Yun didn’t say anything, staring at the floor, lost in thought.
“You two cubs, come over and eat.”
Hearing this, Yun stopped dwelling on it: “Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s see what delicious food the butler uncle made!”
“Okay.”
After dinner, Li Xi was taken by the child to a room on the second floor.
The room was very simple. The only messy part was the desk by the wall, which held a half-finished starship model with small parts scattered all over the surface. There were only a few books on the bookshelf; the empty spaces were occupied by other models. It was clear the kid loved assembling these complex models.
Li Xi stood by the desk staring at the model when a voice sounded behind him: “These clothes should fit; they’re new.”
Yun gauged the size: “Go on, go on. The bathroom is over there.”
Li Xi took the clothes. Only after entering the bathroom did he realize there was a new set of toiletries on the vanity. Holding the clothes, Li Xi reflected for a moment. He didn’t pay much attention to the details of daily life; being with Yun, it seemed he was the one being taken care of more.
This shouldn’t be the case. Clearly, he was the older one. Being looked after by a child felt inexplicably strange.
When Li Xi came out, Yun had already washed up elsewhere and was curled up in a chair fiddling with a model.
Seeing him come out, Yun stopped working on the model, jumped from the chair onto the bed, and patted the spot beside him: “It’s very soft, come here quickly!”
Li Xi got onto the bed. Yun lay beside his legs, talking about taking him to get his books and school uniform tomorrow.
Halfway through, the door was opened. Yun’s female father stood at the doorway looking at them.
“You two are sleeping together?” Wen asked.
Yun answered quickly: “Yes.”
Wen stood there for a long while without speaking, the emotions in his eyes complex. He walked in and directly picked up Yun, who had no idea what was happening, and carried him away. It wasn’t until they were out of the room that Yun struggled in his female father’s grip, looking up and asking innocently: “Female father, do you need something from me?”
His female father didn’t speak, but Yun received a smack on both his bottom and his head.
“Stupid,” Wen uttered a single word coldly.
Yun: “?”
Why did his female father scold him for no reason! But he didn’t dare ask.
Halfway through walking, Wen’s arm shook uncontrollably, and his face turned pale. He quietly switched hands to continue carrying Yun. He threw the cub onto the guest room bed and turned to leave: “You’re sleeping here tonight, do you hear me?”
“Huh?” Yun was confused. Why did he have to sleep in the guest room?
Before he could figure it out, his female father’s displeased voice rang out again.
Wen stopped at the door: “Also, kidnapping a worm home without telling his parents—is that how I taught you? If he hadn’t stopped me—”
“Master, you should rest.”
While Yun was bowing his head receiving the lecture, the butler uncle suddenly interrupted, cutting off the scolding, and thoughtfully closed the door to the room.
A narrow escape…
On the other side, Li Xi didn’t say anything, watching with wide eyes as that uncle carried the child away. He roughly knew the reason, but it looked like Yun hadn’t realized it at all.
That uncle left and then returned. First, he asked Li Xi if the dinner was good and if he was settling in, and Li Xi answered them one by one. Before leaving, the uncle said: “Close the doors and windows. It’s not safe at night; some worm might sneak in to take advantage of you.”
Li Xi: “?”
The uncle was right, because the child was currently lying beside him, poking him.
Li Xi sat up holding the quilt, looking at the half-open window in confusion. He remembered that the uncle had been the one to close that window.
“Share a bit of the quilt with me,” Yun said softly.
Li Xi refused: “Uncle said—”
Knowing what he was going to say, Yun interrupted him with a smile: “This is my room, my bed, my quilt, and my clothes. What else do you want to say?”
Li Xi: “…”
Seeing this, Yun felt at ease, covered himself with a corner of the quilt, and lay down: “Be good.”
Li Xi: “…?”
That uncle truly knew his own cub very well.