Whether it was a dream or not, a silver-haired beauty kneeling before him in a knight's posture was strange enough.

Lin You fancied himself to not have any weird fetishes, so he reached out to pull him up. "Get up first."

Lenon, however, said, "Please grant me the honor of remaining by your side."

He spoke in a very formal and pedantic manner. Before Lin You could reply, his vision suddenly blurred, and a fluorescent blue display screen floated into his view.

A cold, electronic voice sounded, "Hello Host, please refuse."

Lin You paused.

Refuse?

He didn't say it out loud, but 55 seemed to know his thoughts. "Refuse Lenon's request to remain by your side, and say the following lines."

A line of small text appeared on the display screen.

"The head of the Colette Family, Major General Iris of the Third Legion, I am well aware of why you are here and am highly interested in your proposal. But if you wish to remain by my side, I still need to see more of your sincerity."

"...?"

These words were even more pedantic. Lin You seriously suspected he was playing a live-action role-playing game set in the Western Middle Ages.

Seeming to see his confusion, 55 briefly explained the system binding and the mission objectives, and warned, "You need to play the role of the Third Prince, Lin You, and finish the plot under his identity. As a reward for completion, once your roleplay is over, you will receive a chance to be reborn."

55 warned, "In order to keep the small world normal and stable, it is best for you to get a roleplay score of over 50 points."

Lin You had played similar games before. In certain role-playing games, if one's behavior was too out of character, they would be judged and obliterated.

At this moment, Lenon had maintained his half-kneeling posture for a long time. In the prolonged silence, his heart sank bit by bit until it hit rock bottom. Then, he heard the Third Highness speak deliberately, his voice carrying the daze of someone who had just woken up: "...I am well aware of why you are here... But I still need to see more of your sincerity."

Sure enough, he refused.

Lenon mocked silently.

He had already given himself to the Male Zerg. From now on, he could no longer accept the pheromones of other Male Zergs. If this didn't count as sincerity, then what did?

However, such a situation was also within reason. The Male Zerg knew he had no way out and would only press him step by step until the last drop of blood was squeezed dry from the Colette Family.

But even so, Lenon didn't show it on his face at all. He stared at the Male Zerg almost obsessively, leaning forward and saying submissively, "I will let you see my sincerity."

"..."

Without any exaggeration, Lin You broke out in goosebumps.

This scene was too much like a novel or a game, and the beautiful person in front of him was like a manipulated puppet or a pre-programmed NPC. He was executing fixed lines and scripts with deep emotion, but although he seemed full of feelings, they didn't reach his eyes. It was all just to please the player in front of the screen.

Lin You glanced at the screen, and the system typed out another line of text: "The phase plot has ended. Please ask Lenon to leave, Host."

Lin You breathed a sigh of relief. "I want to rest now. Please leave."

Lenon picked up his clothes, bowed in salute, and silently withdrew.

It wasn't until his figure completely disappeared from the hall that Lin You let out a sigh of relief and sat back on the soft, large bed.

The system quietly floated out and encouraged him, "The completion rate is very high, Host."

Although it maintained a cold, elegant, and noble image in front of the new host, in private, 55 was already streaming with tears.

Look! What an obedient host! Saying whatever he was told to say, unlike that certain Xie from before, who asked all sorts of questions and outwardly complied but inwardly rebelled.

Lin You was still in a dazed state of mind.

Anyone who suddenly died and went offline halfway through playing a game, only to open their eyes, be bound to a system, and forced to recite lines, would be somewhat stunned.

Under the system's explanation, he figured out the situation. Then the system displayed the novel on the screen, signaling Lin You to read it. "This is the reference original text. Please ponder it carefully."

With a novel of over 400 pages, Lin You had just read the beginning of the first chapter. Without knowing what he saw, he suddenly reached out and patted his face. His eyes wandered around, looking up at the ceiling and down at the floor. After his gaze landed on his thigh, he fell backward, pulled up the blanket, and covered his head.

System: "?"

What is he doing?

Then he heard Lin You ask in a tiny voice, "So, were we doing that just now?" His tone even carried a hidden expectation.

—Had his wizard career of over twenty years finally ended?

When he first arrived, his head had been spinning, and the dull ache in his heart had not completely disappeared. Hypoxia and the feeling of near-death had caused his brain to temporarily lose function. In a daze, Lin You had felt an unfamiliar sensation that was somewhat comfortable, but when he tried to recall the details, he couldn't remember anything. It wasn't until now, reading the novel, that he suddenly realized they seemed to have just started at that time.

System: "...?"

It hesitated and answered, "Yes?"

Lin You's face suddenly turned explosive red, and even the skin on his neck flushed crimson.

The system faintly felt that something was wrong.

It asked in confusion, "Why are you blushing? Have you never tried it even once?"

Didn't he have 325 wives? What is such a playboy, promiscuous scum acting all coy for now?

Lin You: "?"

He felt slightly dissatisfied. "Of course it's my first time."

System: "?"

It felt a faint sense of dread in its heart, and its central processing unit crashed a bit. "But, you have a full 325 lovers?"

325 lovers, and you haven't slept with a single one?

Lin You was baffled. "325? Oh, you mean my fan group? But what does that have to do with whether it's my first time or not?"

"...Don't they call you 'wife'?"

Lin You tried to educate this ignorant system. "It's modern society now. They call me 'wife', and they call other streamers 'wife' too. Everyone can have countless wives and can be called 'wife' by countless people. This doesn't conflict, right?"

System: "...?"

It was shocked by the chaotic relationships of modern society. It tried to analyze the possibility of a womanizer being a virgin despite having countless lovers, and came up with an absurd ratio of 0.003%. Consequently, it began doubting its life and completely crashed.

Taking advantage of the gap while the system shut up, Lin You began reading the novel.

To be fair, the reading experience of the novel was not good. It was neither a sweet novel nor a satisfyingly overpowered one; it was filled with a large amount of meaningless violent descriptions. At the beginning of the novel, the protagonist, Lenon, was at an absolute disadvantage.

As the eldest son of an established noble family in The Empire, Lenon had been engaged to a Male Zerg of the Liam Family. When this Male Zerg was injured in an attack during interstellar travel, Lenon was accused of being the murderer. The law enforcer extracted Lenon's fingerprints from the bullet shot at the Male Zerg. The evidence was conclusive. If he couldn't obtain a pardon, he would face the final outcome of exile.

Lin You frowned as he read two chapters. He hadn't seen much of the plot yet when he suddenly pointed to a line of text, his eyes shining slightly. "Is Lenon a Major General?"

System: "? Yes."

It didn't quite understand the intention behind Lin You's question, but the bad premonition in its heart grew stronger.

Lin You: "So he wears a uniform?"

"...Yes."

Lin You: "!"

Lin You was quite a homebody. His hobbies were playing games and reading comics, making him somewhat of an otaku. And people into ACG culture more or less had some special fetishes. For example, Lin You was a hidden uniform fanatic.

Although Interstellar War was a shooting game, the reason Lin You started playing it was because the protagonist's uniform was selectable.

Every time he entered the game, he would casually select his equipment and then play smoothly and flawlessly. But no one knew that the 3D model of the extremely handsome silver-haired man in the silver-white uniform on the main display interface was painstakingly crafted by Lin You bit by bit over half a month. He knew every single accessory on the clothes like the back of his hand. Even though accessories in a shooting game were limited and Lin You was always unsatisfied, feeling that something was missing, it was no exaggeration to say that this was the electronic wife he had created for himself.

Before logging off every day, Lin You would take out twenty minutes to repeatedly admire the model, and then decisively purchase items when the game updated its accessory system, putting them into his inventory.

And it just so happened that Lenon also had white hair. Lin You mentally pictured it—those perfect body proportions, the beautiful curves of his calves... if he wore a uniform, it should also be excessively gorgeous.

He asked expectantly, "What color is the uniform of the Third Legion?"

System: "?"

The ominous premonition was on the verge of coming out. The system's electronic heart was pounding wildly, but it still dutifully answered the host's question, "White."

Lin You: "!"

Before the system could read anything from his weirdly flashing gaze, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

Three polite knocks, neither light nor heavy. Immediately after, an elderly man with a full head of silver hair walked into the room. Wearing an elegant formal suit and white gloves, he bowed and placed a glass of hot milk in front of Lin You, reminding him, "Your Highness, there is a legion visitation itinerary in three days. Please do not forget."

The system prompted, "This is your butler."

As a prince of The Empire and one of the competitors for the throne, Lin You enjoyed rights but also had to fulfill obligations. Regular military visits helped boost morale, and the three princes took turns carrying them out. This time, it happened to be Lin You's turn.

The butler handed him the optical brain. On it, several icons were drawn respectively: a rose, a multiflora rose, a pure white iris entwined with thorns, and other crests.

The system quietly emerged again. "Select the Third Legion icon. There is a plot mission."

Lin You had read the first three chapters of the novel. He knew there was a plot mission, so he nodded, selected the iris, and handed the optical brain back to the butler.

The butler's expression remained unchanged, but he paused slightly when Lin You selected the Third Legion. A hint of sympathy flashed faintly in his eyes.

Lin You's maternal family belonged to the Seventh Legion. Every previous visit, he had also gone to the Seventh Legion.

Choosing the Third Legion, where Lenon was located, at a time like this was probably what he meant by "seeing his sincerity."

The Third Legion, inside the break room.

Lenon rolled up his sleeve, exposed his forearm, and injected a syringe into his muscle.

The fluorescent blue liquid entered his blood vessels, bringing a spasm-like stabbing pain. His arm swelled slightly before long, burning painfully. But Lenon had no expression; he just calmly rolled down his sleeve.

The military doctor Devon sat opposite him, observing him with crossed legs. "Injecting medicine right after coming back? You didn't get any pheromones from that time just now?"

Lenon lowered his eyes. "Only a little. It's not enough."

Pheromones were one of the methods used to control Female Zergs, capable of making a Female Zerg obedient for a long time. Male Zergs were always stingy with it.

He casually tossed his coat to Devon. "Try to analyze the residual pheromones and see if a substitute can be produced."

Devon clicked his tongue, taking the coat and placing it into a specialized enclosed instrument. "If the Third Prince finds out that you're illegally analyzing his pheromones, I'm afraid he'll kill you."

Lenon: "I must prepare for a rainy day."

The Third Prince had said he wanted to see his sincerity. Lenon had seen this kind of tactic many times. He was not afraid of Lin You's refusal; the Colette Family's wealth was enough to move all the Male Zergs in the world, and the prince of The Empire was no exception. But the prior torment and tossing about were unavoidable, and Lenon had to endure them one by one.

Other punishments didn't matter, but pheromones would severely affect his work. Lin You had just initially marked him. In the coming months, Lenon would go crazy longing for his scent. This change was purely a physical hormonal change, completely unrelated to his own will. Even someone as resolute as the Major General of the Third Legion would find it hard to avoid.

At this time, the optical brain on Lenon's wrist beeped, and Devon's optical brain also beeped. Everyone in the entire Third Legion received a message.

"His Highness the Third Prince will visit the Third Legion in three days. Please prepare for reception."

Devon smiled bitterly. "He really is coming for you."

Lenon was not surprised at all.

Male Zergs liked to view Female Zergs as their private property, especially one of his high status and power. To have conquered Lenon but not be able to show off in front of the Third Legion would be somewhat lacking.

Devon sighed slightly. "This meeting is crucial. After what happened to you, even though you haven't been dismissed yet, our legion is in a state of panic internally. There are quite a few who want to replace you. Just a few days ago, there were people taking the lead in causing trouble, which was suppressed. If the Third Prince's attitude towards you is very poor, I'm afraid many people won't be able to sit still."

Lenon gave an expressionless "Mn."

He knew, but he was helpless. Finally, he just sighed lightly. "I will keep the group schedule as short as possible."

On the morning of the third day, the starship parked exactly on time at the entrance of the Third Legion.

A red shag carpet was rolled all the way down. The honor guard was prepared early on, lined up on both sides of the starship. Lin You, wearing a complex formal dress uniform, slowly walked down the starship accompanied by his butler.

Lin You was the youngest of the three Highnesses, and also the best-looking. He had only recently come of age and still carried a radiant, spirited boyishness. Between his brows was the unhurried nobility nurtured by a life of luxury.

The Zerg had few Male Zergs, and even fewer high-level Male Zergs. For a moment, all eyes fell on him.

The higher-ups of the Third Legion lined up on both sides. Lenon stood in the very center of the formation. To the outside world, he was feverishly pursuing the Third Prince. At this moment, he held a bouquet of bright red roses in his hands, wore carefully groomed attire, and maintained an impeccable smile. He was staring at Lin You unblinkingly, his eyes full of deep affection.

Male Zergs had always enjoyed this kind of deep affection.

But Lin You was utterly uncomfortable all over.

His personality was rather introverted, and he was somewhat of an otaku. Giving a speech in front of so many people was already very difficult for him, let alone being stared at 'affectionately'. Moreover, Lin You had read the novel; he knew that Lenon didn't have even a bit of feelings for him.

This fake 'true love' was truly hard to handle.

Fortunately, the system had recorded the speech for him, so Lin You didn't have to memorize it. He looked straight ahead, reading the manuscript with clear articulation. From time to time, he made eye contact with the military Female Zergs below, showing a polite and appropriate smile.

But when his gaze swept past Lenon, Lin You still paused slightly.

...He seemed to have seen his electronic wife.

Lenon's long silver-white hair was tied into a high ponytail. The silver-white uniform completely enveloped his body without exposing a single gap, making him appear exceptionally ascetic. He wore black leather gloves and pitch-black leather boots, holding bright red roses in his hands. The three violently clashing colors were unified and harmonized on his body, making it impossible to look away.

But what attracted Lin You's attention even more was the badge Lenon wore on his chest.

That should be the exclusive badge for a Major General of the Third Legion. A pure white iris entwined with thorns was carved on the shield-shaped silver metal badge. It used a matte spray-painting technique, flashing a mesmerizing halo in the sunlight.

Lin You finally seemed to know what accessory his electronic wife in the game was missing.

The lines of this badge were smooth and graceful, and the binding of the thorns didn't lack power. It brought out the best in the entire uniform.

—If he could pry it off and put it in the game, that would be wonderful.

By this time, he had finished reading the speech. Bursts of applause erupted from the audience. Accompanied by his butler, Lin You walked into the crowd. In the following time, he would conduct a three-hour mandatory visit, which included dining with the high-ranking military officials and understanding the army's plans.

He walked up to Lenon.

Lenon had a pair of rippling peach blossom eyes that looked deeply affectionate at whoever he gazed upon. He kneeled on one knee in front of Lin You, performing a standard knight's salute, as if the person arriving was the lover he desperately sought but could not obtain. Then, he offered the fresh flowers with both hands and smiled. "Honorable Highness, may you accept this bouquet of roses. It comes from the early morning of the Guaniere Galaxy, having trekked across countless mountains and rivers to reach your hands. Yet, in my eyes, it doesn't even compare to half of your beauty."

The Third Legion was in an uproar.

The person involved, Lin You: "."

In a corner no one knew, he was about to crack apart.

The Male Zergs of the Zerg seemed to all like exaggerated arias, and the Female Zergs were all experts at sweet talk. No one thought there was anything wrong with spouting love words to a Male Zerg they had only met twice. Everyone stared intently at Lin You, wanting to see the Third Highness's reaction. After all, his attitude might determine Lenon's fate and the ownership of the Third Legion.

The system quietly displayed the plot on the screen, prompting, "You should take this bouquet of flowers, ruthlessly throw it onto the ground, stomp on it a few times to crush the petals, and arrogantly express, 'Apologies, Major General, what I hate the most are roses.'"

Lin You already knew the plot, and he knew he had to do it for the mission. But when it was really time to act, he was still a bit hesitant.

Doing this in broad daylight under everyone's watchful eyes was equivalent to stomping Lenon's face into the dirt. Lin You's upbringing did not allow him to do such a thing.

In the prolonged silence, cold sweat slid down Lenon's forehead and disappeared into his silver hair. He ruthlessly pinched his palms. The sharp pain spread from his hands, barely stopping the trembling of his legs.

They were too close.

The faint scent of citrus was barely discernible. They had just completed the initial mark. At this time, the Male Zerg had a fatal attraction to the Female Zerg. Even though he had just injected the medicine, his muscle cells were still unsatisfied, clamoring to get closer. This was a primal and instinctive urge. Lenon had to use almost all his strength to restrain himself from holding Lin You's hand.

'Enough! Take it, quickly!' The physiological trembling made Lenon feel uncomfortable all over. He thought through gritted teeth, 'Then throw it away, crush it, throw it back on me, whatever! Just don't stand here anymore!'

The system also urged, "Host, you have hesitated for too long."

Lin You paused slightly and reached out to take the roses.

Before Lenon could react, Lin You suddenly let go, allowing the blooming roses to fall to the ground. The flower heads scattered everywhere, and then he stomped on them.

The prince of The Empire had a haughty expression, his tone full of arrogance. "I'm very sorry, Major General Lenon. You know the flower I hate the most are roses."

The Third Legion was dead silent.

The Male Zergs of The Empire were all very arrogant and willful, and the princes were especially so. Accustomed to a life of privilege and having their every demand met year-round, the First Prince and Second Prince were both picky and difficult to serve. It seemed the Third Prince was no exception.

Lenon, however, sighed in relief slightly.

His body clamored to get close, but his soul seemed to float in mid-air, watching coldly, carrying the relief of having known this would happen all along.

Within almost two seconds, he once again raised a smile. "Your Highness, whatever you like, I and the Colette Family behind me will do our utmost to get you everything you want."

Lenon flaunted his bargaining chips at all times, reminding Lin You that even if he didn't care about his face, he still needed to consider the family behind him.

Lin You looked down from above. "Everything I want?"

Lenon smiled. "Yes, everything you want... Ugh!"

Lin You suddenly leaned in close. At this moment, the distance between the two was less than twenty centimeters. The sweet scent of citrus overwhelmingly enveloped him, making his muscles instantly sour, achy, and weak, causing Lenon to almost fall to the ground.

Two locks of silver hair slipped down in disarray. Lenon's pupils constricted slightly. Lin You's face enlarged before his eyes as the Male Zerg raised his hand, his fingertips landing on the iris badge.

Lin You said, "I don't like roses, but I like another kind of flower. Can the Major General part with it?"

"..."

Lenon managed to squeeze out a smile with difficulty. "Of course, please just name it."

Lin You: "I like the pure white iris, so may I ask, can the Major General give me this badge?"

Lenon's pupils shrank.