Insectoids: The Job of the Males

Chapter 18

Social Death

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

Cheng Zhaoci has basically shut himself in to draw his comic. He needs to hammer out the details of the plot here, and also keep up the updates for the little zombie.

He finds it comfortable to have a tighter schedule like this, because his two childhood friends are in the military academy now, and can’t hang out with him anymore because they only have two days of rest away from the school every month.

Being alone and having nothing to do would invite loneliness.

Fortunately for Cheng Zhaoci, the third day he is working on his comic, Cheng Jin is back.

He almost couldn’t recognise his own dad. Clothes really make or break a person, they say. Deep azure officer uniform with his tall and proud form almost transforms his aura entirely.

Insectoids live long and maintain top-notch form for a long time, until their sunset years. Cheng Jin appears the same generation as Wei Zhuo and Meng Yuele too, for that matter. The military garments and the generally unapproachable atmosphere makes him feel like an unsheathed weapon.

“Daddy!” Cheng Zhaoci rushes for his dad like a cannonball into his lap. Among all the males of the Capital planet, Cheng Zhaoci is probably the one with the least shame, for lack of a better word. Not that any of his closest friends and family would mind.

“Is everything done?” Asks Cheng Zhaoci.

“Almost,” Cheng Jin lifts his son up with one arm, “I might be assigned to a mission later to have the reinstatement finalised, so I might have to leave for a while then.”

So he’ll be alone again, laments Cheng Zhaoci. Then he keeps those emotions deep under wraps, as he doesn’t want to affect his dad’s mood. Besides, it’s not like he’s jobless and waiting to be fed anymore. They all have work now.

After a bit of snuggly family time, Cheng Jin quickly picks Cheng Zhaoci up and takes him out of the house. He wants to treat Cheng Zhaoci to good food that can’t be found on landfill planets. Cheng Zhaoci obliges, even though Meng Yuele has already bought him almost everything even slightly famous on the Capital.

It’s fun to just spend some time with his dad. Family time, you see.

Cheng Jin takes Cheng Zhaoci to a patisserie, the kind that just screams ‘we’re high class’ from the décor alone. Great, Cheng Zhaoci shakes his head in his mind. Getting him cupcakes has already become some kind of obsession to his dad now. He’s always stuffing him with sweets, even back on the landfill planet, as if he owed him a better life or something, as a male who couldn’t even have a taste of a more refined dessert.

Well, Cheng Zhaoci doesn’t object to making his dad feel better… assuming they don’t end up running into a certain insectoid on the way.

“It’s you!” Zhou Luoluo, window shopping with some ‘friends,’ almost immediately locks onto Cheng Zhaoci. He couldn’t forget this male, and after going home to think about it, he concludes, to his amazement, that the male insectoid might have been angry because he said his shemale concubine was ‘disgusting’!

Not that Zhou Luoluo thinks he did anything wrong, but the whole scene has just been niggling at the back of his mind because Cheng Zhaoci looked offended at him. You know, if you let him do a retake, he’ll definitely be able to shoot back words until Cheng Zhaoci drops his jaw with speechlessness! Yes! He just didn’t react in time that day!

“Oh hell,” Cheng Zhaoci puts his hand on his forehead. If his dad wasn’t by his side, he’d have gone ‘fuck’ already. Isn’t the Capital planet, like planet-sized? How is he running into familiar faces like this is just some small roadside village?

It’s too late to cover his face, too, as Zhou Luoluo has already rushed over like an angry stick of firecracker. He has his eyes widened in anger, though it doesn’t make him intimidating at all.

Cheng Jin seems confused by the whole affair so far. He can clearly see this young male not exactly coming in on friendly terms with his male son. Did they have some sort of misunderstand? Even though his son has only been here for a few days? And he knows his son. He isn’t one to pick fights with people. He asks, “Zhaoci, is he an acquaintance?”

“Hah! It’s just been a few days, and you’ve got yourself another shemale concubine!” Zhou Luoluo, with arms akimbo, declares loudly.

Cheng Zhaoci almost chokes on his food.

Not far behind Zhou Luoluo are a few curious males looking this way nosily. Zhou Luoluo almost looks like a male who is out to catch his cijun cheating on him, with equally vibrant facial expressions.

Fortunately, few shemales would visit such patisseries, and the male seating area is separated far from the shemale seating area, and there are very few other males present, so not many people can see what’s going on.

“I thought you were quite the lovestruck insectoid that you threw a tantrum against me last time. Then what? What’s this?” Zhou Luoluo says, as he examines Cheng Jin up and down, “another shemale soldier? A Pilot Officer too. You sure are stuffing yourself full of them. Ha, hypocrite!”

Cheng Jin raises his brow in interest as he looks at his son for an answer.

“No no no, Flying Officer Wei took Xiao Ji and He Huaijian with me to hang out last time. I’ve never went out with other shemales,” Cheng Zhaoci is worried his dad would misunderstand that he’s been corrupted no sooner than he had arrived at the vibrant Capital planet.

“Yo, frightened already? I see, this shemale doesn’t know you have so many shemale concubines, does he? You might as well be with me instead. I’m much more decent and haven’t married a billion shemales yet,” Zhou Luoluo is smirking at Cheng Zhaoci. Actually, looking at Cheng Jin earlier, it’s not too bad. Cheng Jin seems to have a slightly similar aura to Cheng Zhaoci. Most importantly, he isn’t all ogling him uncontrollably when he can see him clearly. Zhou Luoluo is quite satisfied with that, “so I say…”

“He’s my dad,” Cheng Zhaoci cuts Zhou Luoluo’s blabbering off while his head throbs in pain.

Zhou Luoluo has stopped. His eyes widened to no end, with his words stuck at his throat. Then a mysterious ‘burp’ sound emerges from it.

Zhou Luoluo’s neck, like some kind of machinery that’s long overdue for oiling, turns with a ‘kak, kak, kak’ sound towards Cheng Jin. Finally, he is able to produce a coherent, “greetings, uncle.”

“Also, I’m still a minor. Those three ‘concubines’ you’re talking about, two are my brothers, the kind that’s registered under the same household. The other one is a family friend,” Cheng Zhaoci speaks clearly and slowly.

Zhou Luoluo looks like he had his colour drained from his face entirely.

Not that Cheng Zhaoci can’t understand why Zhou Luoluo is reacting this way. He remembers in his past life, there was a guy who had lunch with different woman each day, and all of them are gorgeous beauties. He thought he was some kind of scum who’s dating multiple woman at once, but it turned out it was his mother and sisters. They’re just all beautiful.

“Hello,” Cheng Jin is smiling, though Cheng Zhaoci would rate it ‘highly disingenuous,’ “you are certainly an energetic male,” damning with fine praise, are we?

The males chattering nearby seem a little restless. They’re not too sure what they just said because they’re too far away, but Zhou Luoluo clearly appeared to be trying to win the shemale over in the beginning with that yell.

One of the braver ones in the group shouts, “hey, that shemale over there! Just go with Luoluo instead! He’s definitely much better than that one in front of you!”

Oh for the love of! Zhou Luoluo gives his ‘friend’ a glare and turns around, excusing himself, “uh, uncle, please enjoy your meal. I still have something to do.”

“Well, why the hurry?” Cheng Zhaoci seems oddly motivated for some reason, “come take a seat. My treat.”