After the family left the main residence, only Yichen and Fusheng remained, along with the Zerg pups who held an instinctive affection for their fuer. Because of this, the bond between Yichen and his son Fusheng had always been strong.
As Yichen’s only male offspring, Fusheng was also his most doted-upon, which left Yichen completely shocked and bewildered when his son pushed him away. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Was it because he hadn’t let Fusheng have his game console last time? But that had been a gift from his primary consort; even though Fusheng was his pup, he didn't want to hand it over. It was his consort who had bought it for him, so if Fusheng wanted one, he should have asked Alvano, his own consort.
Oh, right. He had forgotten that when Alvano married into their family, he brought absolutely nothing with him, having lost all his assets to another Zerg. If it weren't for the Kris family forbidding the possession of female slaves, a penniless, disabled Zerg like Alvano would never have been allowed to marry his son as a secondary spouse; he would have been nothing more than a female slave. At the time, if it weren't for the fact that Alvano had a decent background, a high rank, and good looks, Yichen wouldn't have taken such a "guilty" Zerg even if he were free. In truth, the main reason Yichen accepted Alvano was simply because he was beautiful.
Yichen had originally intended to take Alvano as a secondary spouse himself, but on the very first day, Fusheng had beaten him to it. Alvano had accidentally broken Fusheng’s favorite vase and was dragged into his room, beaten half to death, and forced to eat the shards and dirt from the floor. If Vane and Yichen hadn't arrived just in time, Fusheng wouldn't have stopped until the Zerg had finished every last bit. Yichen had been heartbroken seeing the blood-soaked Alvano; he had always been unable to stand the sight of a beautiful Zerg suffering. His son’s temperament had only grown more volatile, much like other Zergs who enjoyed punishing their subordinates. Once Alvano had entered Fusheng’s room, regardless of what had actually transpired, he was officially considered Fusheng’s Zerg. Yichen had no choice but to abandon the idea of making him a secondary spouse.
It seemed that the kidnapping had truly left Fusheng deeply traumatized. His personality had become even more abrasive; he was full of resistance, refused to look Yichen in the eye, and had even shoved his own fuer. Yichen clutched his chest, looking wounded, as the Zergs around him crowded in with worried inquiries. Only then, gazing at the handsome and beautiful Zergs beside him, did Yichen’s expression finally soften.
Once he recovered, Yichen walked over to Fusheng. This time, he didn't try to hug him, but reached out to gingerly take his hand. Predictably, before Yichen’s fingers could even brush him, Fusheng pulled away.
This time, Yichen truly broke down. He couldn't accept that his clingy son had vanished after only a few days apart, replaced by this cold, distant stranger. "You are definitely not my son!" Yichen pointed at Fusheng, shouting in total distress, his voice laced with shock and sorrow. He still couldn't believe his own son would shy away from him.
"Hm, you're right. I’m not," Fusheng replied, smiling at the nearly weeping Yichen with a malicious, wicked grin.
"No, you are!" Yichen hadn't expected Fusheng to ignore the social script so completely. He faltered for a second before immediately retorting at the top of his lungs. He assumed Fusheng was just saying things to spite him and argue for the sake of it, which only made Yichen angrier.
"I’m not. He’s dead," Fusheng continued, his smile turning even more sinister. He watched as Yichen grew visibly more enraged, his face flushing red. Fusheng didn't understand why Yichen was so upset; it was exactly what Yichen had said, and more importantly, it was the truth.
"You are! You are my son!" Yichen was about to be driven mad by Fusheng. He was on the verge of tears at the thought of his only son refusing to acknowledge him. Looking at Fusheng’s black hair and dark eyes, he felt absolutely certain it was his son. He reached out again, intent on dragging Fusheng off for a paternity test.
Claire, who had been standing to the side, finally couldn't watch anymore. He interrupted, saying, "Lord husband, he is of course your son. It’s just that the young master has suffered a trauma, and he will be fine in a few days." He then tapped his own temple while looking at Yichen to signal what he meant.
Only then did Yichen inspect Fusheng closely, circling him a few times. He couldn't help but sigh; it really was different. The aura was entirely changed—Fusheng had never worn such an expression before. Fusheng stood with a mocking smile, hands spread wide to allow the inspection, watching Yichen’s "eureka" moment and assuming the Zerg had finally caught on.
Fusheng rubbed his chin, his smile widening. He blinked, a strange, eerie sense of excitement bubbling up within him. He had no intention of living out his life under someone else's identity. No matter how miserable his origins, he was still himself. He was Fusheng, never Fusheng the Reborn. He would change everything; he wouldn't succumb to this life, just as he never had before. No matter what he said, they wouldn't believe he wasn't the original. Once he adapted to Zerg life, he would take his subordinates and leave.
Yichen, now fully believing Claire’s explanation—how could his son be ill, let alone in his brain?—felt a wave of grief wash over him. He couldn't believe those Space Pirates had taken his money and then dared to beat his son. If he had known, he wouldn't have bothered negotiating with the Military Department and the Zerg Protection Association; he should have just paid the ransom immediately to spare his son the suffering. He vowed that he would make Claire wipe out those pirates and throw them all into Keva Prison to avenge his son.
Yichen stopped arguing about whether or not this was his son; he knew it was, regardless. "My poor little pup has suffered so much..." he muttered to himself, looking heartbroken.
Hearing the mutterings, Fusheng realized Yichen hadn't discovered the truth at all. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a sense of listlessness.
"Lord husband, the young master must be hungry, right? Haven't we prepared a welcome banquet for him? Why don't we go inside?" The speaker was a tall Zerg with red hair. He stood behind Yichen, arms crossed, leaning against a pillar with a playful smile directed at everyone.
The red-haired, black-eyed Zerg was tall, clad in a perfectly tailored black military uniform. It was Merkel. Merkel was one of Yichen’s secondary spouses; he was striking, with vivid, bold features that made him a favorite of Yichen’s, and he currently held a position in the Military Department.
Merkel’s words opened a new world for Fusheng: food! He hadn't experienced the sensation of hunger in two hundred years; he had nearly forgotten that being alive required eating. It was strange—he had been in this Zerg society for days, and nobody had prepared anything for him or reminded him to eat. He remembered that Zergs needed to eat. Fusheng rubbed his belly in confusion. It felt flat, yet he hadn't felt hungry in all this time.
One meal, two, three, four... he counted the missed meals and was shocked to realize he had missed out on a fortune. He didn't know why he hadn't felt hungry. He was used to being a ghost and never felt the need to eat, but now that he was alive, he should require sustenance. Was it because he had entered this body and mutated? It couldn't be another illusion; if they toyed with him like that, he would truly go insane.
Fusheng didn't want to "eat air" anymore. He rubbed his fingers together, licked his lips, and felt a desperate urge to eat something—to stimulate his taste buds and confirm that he was truly alive. He raised his reddened eyes, staring fixedly at Merkel leaning against the pillar, his mouth slightly parted as he licked his sharp fangs.