Before Qi Heng could say anything, Yun Tian added, “Why don’t you try it on first?”
It was becoming difficult to refuse such enthusiasm. Qi Heng swallowed the rejection on the tip of his tongue and said, “All right. I’ll try it.”
Yun Tian happily handed him the clothes.
“You can change in the room next door.”
Qi Heng carried the clothes out.
Once they were in his hands, he could immediately tell that the fabric was far superior to that of the clothes he was currently wearing. The outfit was also clearly different from the other clothing here. It looked carefully coordinated, as though whoever had selected it placed great importance on the person who would eventually wear it.
That was also why Qi Heng had hesitated to accept it.
In the end, however, he took it. Yun Tian himself did not seem to care, so what was there for Qi Heng to agonize over?
He changed into the shirt and vest, stood before the small mirror, and tied his necktie in a simple knot. Finally, he slipped on the long, fitted coat.
This was the first time he had looked in a mirror since transmigrating.
It was still the same face. Without examining it carefully, it was difficult to notice the subtle differences.
Had the incongruous surroundings not constantly reminded him otherwise, Qi Heng might truly have thought he was standing inside his own dressing room.
It might sound narcissistic, but clothes made the man. Wearing this outfit increased his handsomeness severalfold.
Qi Heng had always been thoroughly confident in his appearance. Back then, this face had charmed quite a few young women.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he could not help letting out a quiet chuckle.
It was still the same face. At first glance, he did not look much different from before. Still, half a month of life here had ultimately changed him somewhat.
He slowly exhaled and raised a hand to tap the space between his brows.
The outfit was excellent, but it did not suit his present circumstances.
What kind of work had he done before, and what kind of work was he doing now? Wearing this outfit would be no different from putting on a business suit to transplant rice seedlings in a field.
Still, something about it was strange.
Qi Heng’s mind began turning involuntarily.
There was no market for clothing like this in the slums. No female Zerg would buy something so ornate and impractical.
Their first concern was always whether the clothing could withstand wear and tear, just like the two sets Yan Ning had brought him.
Furthermore, most female Zerg could not wear clothes in this size. It was even less likely that the outfit had been prepared for one of them.
Combined with what Yun Tian had said when Qi Heng first entered, that his female father had “gone to see that male Zerg again,” the answer was obvious.
The clothes had been prepared for a male Zerg.
That male Zerg had an unusually close relationship with Yun Tian’s female father. Did he live in the central area of District 49?
It appeared that, unlike the female Zerg who were being ruthlessly exploited, the male Zerg lived rather comfortably.
Qi Heng was not naïve enough to believe that a male Zerg who could afford clothing like this suffered the same difficult existence as the female Zerg, alternating between hunger and an occasional full meal.
There were not many male Zerg in District 49, but he had seen several in the central area. Every one of them was dressed like a fine gentleman, as though the male and female Zerg lived in two completely different social classes.
The fingers resting at his side moved unconsciously.
He was beginning to grow curious about the relationship between the female Zerg, the male Zerg, and the power represented by the One-Horns within the slums.
Perhaps, when the time came for him to leave Tianyun Star, this would be where he needed to start.
“Brother Qi, have you finished changing?” Yun Tian called from outside.
“I’m coming in.”
Qi Heng returned to his senses and answered, “I’m finished.”
He turned around just as Yun Tian appeared in the doorway.
“Brother Qi, you’re really good-looking! You’re even better-looking than that bastard male Zerg.”
Yun Tian’s eyes lit up when he saw him, and the straightforward compliment slipped out immediately.
“Thank you.”
Qi Heng accepted it without changing expression, though he found it strange that Yun Tian was comparing him to some male Zerg.
Qi Heng was tall and lean without appearing frail. His naturally clothes-hanger-like build brought out every advantage of the outfit. Standing there with his height and long legs, he inevitably drew the eye.
“My eye for clothes isn’t bad, is it?” Yun Tian said smugly. “I knew this outfit would suit you. Brother Qi, why don’t you just keep wearing it?”
As he spoke, Yun Tian started walking outside.
“Let’s go show Yan Ning too.”
“No. This outfit isn’t suitable for me,” Qi Heng said.
Yun Tian stopped and tilted his head, looking confused.
“How is it unsuitable? You obviously look great in it.”
“Brother Qi, you don’t need to worry. I said I’m giving it to you, so it’s yours. Even if my female father finds out, he won’t be angry.”
“You’re the first Zerg I’ve ever seen who can make this outfit look so good. It’ll only gather dust if it stays here. That would be such a waste…”
Yun Tian looked fully prepared to continue talking until Qi Heng agreed.
Qi Heng was helpless.
The one thing he had not expected was for Yun Tian to be unexpectedly perceptive. He had actually guessed part of the reason Qi Heng had refused.
“Then we’ll leave it at that.”
Since he could not refuse, Qi Heng simply accepted.
“I’ll change back first. I still need to make a trip to the wasteland later, and it’ll be troublesome if these clothes get dirty.”
Qi Heng’s hands were considerably lighter when they left Yun Tian’s home.
Because it was not along their route, they had not brought the clothes Yun Tian had given them. Yan Ning would pick them up and take them home when they returned.
“Yun Jiu’s home is rather far away. At this hour, Grandpa Yun should be the only one there,” Yan Ning said, explaining Yun Jiu’s household situation.
Qi Heng’s attention, however, was caught by the children inside a small enclosed courtyard beside the road.
They varied in age, ranging from one or two years old to around ten. Without exception, every one of them was a female Zerg.
Around Yan Ning’s home, Qi Heng only occasionally saw young children, and they were always following older female Zerg from their households.
This place looked like a full-fledged Zerg-child preschool.
“Brother Qi, you must be wondering why there are so many Zerg children here.”
“There’s actually a reason. I live near the very edge of District 49. Aside from children who are less than a month old and remain with their female fathers, children who have shed their partial Zerg forms are sent here to be cared for together…”
Qi Heng was unsure whether Yan Ning had already realized how little he knew about the slums. Sometimes, even when Qi Heng did not ask, Yan Ning would take the initiative to explain things.
Qi Heng had never questioned him about it.
Whether Yan Ning had noticed and the two of them simply maintained a tacit understanding, or whether he remained unaware, made little difference to Qi Heng.
They had established a certain degree of trust. As long as that trust remained, Qi Heng would not suspect Yan Ning. After all, maintaining their current friendly relationship benefited both of them.
From Yan Ning’s explanation, this place sounded even more like a preschool.
Qi Heng simply did not know how they decided which female Zerg would be responsible for caring for the children.
His question was soon answered.
“Brother Fang, is it your turn today?”
Yan Ning saw a young female Zerg emerging from the building inside the courtyard and walked over to greet him familiarly. Judging by his tone, the two knew each other quite well.
Qi Heng made a concerted effort to keep his expression from looking too strange.
His gaze swept across the young female Zerg’s abdomen, and he did his best not to keep staring at that particular area.
He suspected his expression was already cracking.
The young female Zerg’s stomach protruded slightly, like a heavily pregnant woman.
A pregnant woman… no, a pregnant man.
Although Qi Heng had long since prepared himself for the fact that female Zerg carried pregnancies in this world, unexpectedly seeing a female Zerg with a masculine appearance and a visibly swollen belly left him so shocked that he could barely speak.
He had been in this world for half a month, yet for some unknown reason, this was the first time he had encountered a female Zerg whose pregnancy was so obvious.
There was no way he could even deceive himself into thinking the other Zerg was simply fat.
“Yan Ning, it’s you.”
The young female Zerg Yan Ning had called Brother Fang spoke with a smile. When he saw the little Zerg child holding Yan Ning’s hand, his gaze grew even gentler.
“You haven’t visited in a long time. Is this your child?”
“Mm.”
Yan Ning smiled and picked up the child.
“His name is Lele.”
“Lele, say hello to Uncle Fang.”
The child looked curiously at the female Zerg before him. After a moment of hesitation, he lifted a hand and waved.
“He looks very healthy. That’s wonderful.”
Fang Ran gently touched the child’s cheek, his tone warm.
Fang Ran knew about the condition of the Zerg egg Yan Ning had given birth to. Precisely because he knew, he was delighted to see that not only had the egg hatched, but the child was also so healthy.
“I only hope my child will be as healthy as yours.”
Fang Ran unconsciously stroked his abdomen.
There was also a Zerg egg inside him, but until it was laid, no one could know whether the egg would survive.
Having only just recovered from his shock, Qi Heng noticed the young female Zerg’s movement.
A trace of doubt flashed through his mind.
Why did he feel that, beneath the other Zerg’s anticipation, there was also a profound sense of worry?
“I’m sure he will be,” Yan Ning comforted him.
“I hope so.”
Fang Ran smiled, then looked curiously at Qi Heng, who stood beside Yan Ning.
“By the way, I haven’t asked yet. Who is he?”
Qi Heng had remained silently beside them throughout their conversation. When the subject turned to him, he said, “My name is Qi Heng.”
“I had nowhere to go, so Yan Ning took me in. I’m currently staying at his home.”
No one could ignore Qi Heng’s presence. Fang Ran had noticed the female Zerg standing behind Yan Ning immediately, and he appeared somewhat surprised by Qi Heng’s explanation.
“You must be the one Yun Jiu mentioned…”
Fang Ran recalled the matter and offered him a friendly smile.
“Hello. My name is Fang Ran.”
The other young Zerg children in the courtyard watched them curiously.
Yan Ning held Lele in his arms. Afraid they might delay Qi Heng’s business, he thought for a moment before saying, “Brother Fang, we’re going to Brother Yun Jiu’s home. I’ll bring Lele to see you again later.”
“Of course.”
Only after they had walked some distance away did Qi Heng ask the question he had been considering.
“Those children all looked quite young. Are all the Zerg children from the surrounding area sent there?”
“Not all of them.”
Yan Ning shook his head.
“Only households without another female Zerg available to help care for their children send them here. The female Zerg whose pregnancies are already showing look after them…”
“For example, once Lele sheds his partial Zerg form, I won’t have time to look after him, so I’ll need to send him here.”
“I’ll bring him over in the morning and collect him again in the evening.”
The bewildered little child rested in Yan Ning’s arms, entirely unaware that he would soon have to leave his female father and spend the day among a group of other children.
Ever since hatching, the little one had constantly remained by Yan Ning’s side.
Qi Heng could already imagine how heartbroken the child would be when that day came, bawling at the top of his lungs.
Still, there was no other choice.
Yan Ning could not care for the child constantly unless he stopped working.
Qi Heng did not feel that supporting a household was particularly difficult. He would not have minded reversing their previous arrangement. The adult and child hardly ate much anyway, so he could simply provide for them.
That was what Qi Heng thought, but he suspected Yan Ning would never agree.
Poor child. Only a month after being born, and he already had to attend full-day daycare.
“I see,” Qi Heng replied casually. Then he asked, “Have you looked after the children there before?”
“I have.”
Yan Ning smiled a little sheepishly.
“You receive free meals for caring for the children, as well as some compensation.”
“Everyone also says that spending more time around young children will make the Zerg egg you give birth to healthier. That’s why female Zerg who are close to laying their eggs usually help care for the little ones.”
Hearing the latter half, Qi Heng thought that the belief was obviously useless.
Otherwise, the egg Yan Ning had given birth to would not have nearly failed to survive.
More precisely, had Yan Ning not encountered Qi Heng, this little child would already have been lying in that pit, keeping company with tens of thousands of dead eggs.
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