As it neared noon, Du Xixi noticed the sunlight was just right outside, so she invited Ke Lian, who had just finished his military duties, to go downstairs together. The Ke Family’s small garden was filled with a variety of flowers, and they were in full bloom at this time, making it a perfect moment to enjoy the flowers.
Du Xixi bent down slightly, leaning closer to a light purple flower, gently sniffing its faint yet pleasant fragrance. The simulated sunlight of the Star Era was bright without being too scorching, languidly casting over half of Du Xixi’s face, gilding her with a layer of golden light.
Ke Lian stood smiling on one side; the flowers were beautiful, but the person was even more so. At this moment, in Ke Lian’s eyes, Du Xixi was more delightful and radiant than the flowers in the entire garden.
"Xixi, guess what I brought back for you!" In this beautiful atmosphere, a loud voice broke in. Ke Lian and Du Xixi recognized it as Ke Xing’s voice and turned to look.
Today, Ke Xing didn’t accompany Du Xixi like Ke Lian to her pregnancy check-up. It wasn’t because he didn’t care about Du Xixi, but because he got news from an old partner about a fun little gizmo. So, he went out early in the morning to bring one back for Du Xixi.
Ke Lian’s expression changed instantly, but his reach was a step too late, as Du Xixi walked over to Ke Xing. Almost visibly, Du Xixi’s expression slowly twisted.
Du Xixi didn’t know what kind of gizmos the Blue Star Empire had, assuming they were toys for children, much like those on Blue Star, so she looked on curiously, but who would have thought...
This little gizmo turned out to be a huge, flesh-colored fat insect! And it was moving, wriggling around!
Du Xixi considered herself different from most girls and even boys who are terrified of insects like snakes and scorpions. Instead, she had a "professional habit," immediately thinking of recipes related to insects.
However, after getting pregnant, Du Xixi had visibly become more delicate under Ke Lian’s pampering. Ke Lian would worry she’d get tired after a few steps, or feel thirsty after saying a few words. Even the ingredients she saw in the kitchen were half-processed by 2569, showing no signs of bloodiness.
Thus, the once indomitable Du Xixi was unnerved.
Ke Xing didn’t notice Du Xixi’s expression, proudly displaying the "little gizmo" he held: "Xixi, this was Ah Lan’s favorite toy when he was little, you’ll definitely like it too!"
In Ke Xing’s opinion, Du Xixi’s taste was almost identical to Ke Lian’s, from clothing to conversation. The only difference was that Du Xixi was milder, while Ke Lian was colder.
Since that was the case, Ke Lian’s beloved "little gizmo" would surely also be Du Xixi’s favorite!
Ke Lian quickly embraced Du Xixi, turning her away so she wouldn’t see the thing which, though cute, was truly disgusting. He helplessly asked Ke Xing to put the fat insect away: "Dad, I’ve told you, I wasn’t playing with them when I was little, I was researching them!"
Ke Lian truly felt powerless. Since childhood, his life goal was to eradicate the Insect Clan, so when he saw these little things, supposedly kept as pets, at his grandfather’s aristocratic family estate, he was intrigued and begged Ke Xing to find him a few.
Such fat insects weren’t common, and even for a family as esteemed as the Ke Family, Ke Xing spent a considerable amount of time bringing four back for Ke Lian. Ke Lian then held them every day, observing their feeding, excreting, mating, and even egg-laying.
In the end? Ke Lian personally dissected them, thoroughly understanding their body structure and habits, inside and out.
But in Ke Xing’s view, Ke Lian liked the fat insects too much. That’s why he dissected them; even though Ke Lian often defended himself after growing up, Ke Xing thought it was just Ke Lian trying to save face, unwilling to admit his childhood preferences.
After many failed explanations, Ke Lian didn’t mind anymore. He just hadn’t expected Ke Xing would actually find a fat insect for Du Xixi to play with!? At this point, Ke Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"How could that be!" Ke Xing’s eyes widened, initially feeling Ke Lian was lying, but on closer inspection, both Du Xixi and Ke Lian had no interest in the fat insect. He pursed his lips, sighed with some regret.
"Alright, since you both don’t like it, I’ll keep it myself." Ke Xing pinched the wildly wriggling fat insect, a bit dispirited that such a cute thing failed to capture their interest, yet he bore no grudge against Du Xixi and Ke Lian, carefully placing it into a box.