Chapter 314: Male Zerg Celebrity × Arms Dealer (4): Shamir Didn’t Kiss Any Zerg, Nor Did He Kiss Him, Because Their Relationship Was Merely a Transaction

【"Mr. Ravens?!"

Startled by the sudden sound of the teacup shattering, Shamir hurriedly stood up to check what had happened.

Ravens had sensed something was wrong the instant the teacup shattered. With the extraordinarily fast reflexes of a high-ranking Female Zerg, he immediately moved the cup to the other side, away from Shamir.

The broken pieces fell to the floor, and he raised his hand to intercept the flying porcelain shards, preventing even the slightest injury to Shamir.

Only a little tea had splashed onto the hem of his own clothes, leaving a damp stain.

The robotic Zerg detected the appearance of "garbage" and immediately sprang into action, cleaning up the fragments and spilled tea on the floor.

When Shamir noticed the damp stain on Ravens's clothes, he instinctively leaned forward to help wipe it away.

At the same time, he wondered why a perfectly good teacup had suddenly shattered.

It wasn't that a broken teacup was anything unusual. Female Zergs breaking things around the house was a common occurrence, and classical-style ceramic teacups were particularly fragile pieces of tableware. It would have been stranger if one didn't break.

It was just that the timing seemed rather abrupt.

Shamir recalled the scene that had just been playing in the film, and a suspicion formed in his mind.

He was somewhat surprised, but the immediate priority was to check on Mr. Ravens and clean up the mess.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the Female Zerg's clothes, his wrist was suddenly caught, preventing him from moving any closer.

Ravens stopped Shamir from wiping his clothes and stood up.

"I'll go change."

He appeared perfectly composed, without the slightest trace of embarrassment, and remained as gentlemanly as ever.

But as a Male Zerg, Shamir could still sense some disordered psychic fluctuations, carrying a complicated mixture of tangled emotions.

Shamir watched Ravens's departing figure with some surprise.

Mr. Ravens had always been skilled at concealing his emotions, and there was also a difference in rank between them. It was rare for Shamir to sense such obvious emotional fluctuations from him.

This unusual reaction alone was enough to explain a great deal.

Mr. Ravens was in a terrible mood, so much so that his emotions were spilling out beyond his control.

Because of the film?

That "kiss"?

Shamir followed him, pondering the matter in confusion.

Of course, he wasn't so tactless as to follow Ravens into the dressing room. He waited outside until Ravens emerged.

The moment he came out, Shamir explained, "That was just camera angles and editing. Mr. Ravens, you should know that. There has never been any actual kissing or any other intimate scenes."

Shamir recalled the filming process. There had been a full fist's width between his face and that of the Female Zerg lead. The distance was so great that it would have been impossible to pass it off as a kiss in a direct shot, which was why the director had used their silhouettes against the curtains to create the effect.

That director was a genius, too.

Although the resulting scene didn't conform to the Zerg civilization's usual straightforward displays of carnal desire, it had a wonderful atmosphere and gave viewers more room for imagination.

The overall response after the film's release had been excellent.

Shamir hadn't expected Ravens to care about this.

But as his financial backer, Ravens had the right to demand that Shamir keep his distance from every other Female Zerg during their contract, ensuring that Shamir belonged exclusively to him.

At least for these ten years, Ravens could have Shamir all to himself.

For that reason, whenever a misunderstanding like this might arise, Shamir also had an obligation to explain himself to his financial backer.

But Ravens knew perfectly well what the truth was.

He already knew everything Shamir was telling him.

He just... couldn't control himself.

Shamir was an excellent actor, especially on screen. He had a pair of eyes that seemed to look at everyone with deep affection.

When he looked at the Female Zerg lead, it was as though he were gazing at the love of his life, passionate flames blazing in his eyes.

Anyone watching would believe that the Zerg opposite him was the one he loved most deeply.

Ravens couldn't help being jealous.

Shamir didn't kiss any Zerg.

Because of the restrictions in their contract, he didn't kiss any of the Female Zergs he filmed with.

He didn't kiss Ravens, either.

A trace of frustration and agitation flashed through Ravens's eyes, emotions he struggled desperately to conceal.

In the beginning, Ravens had never paid any attention to something like "kissing."

All he needed was Psychic Soothing from a Male Zerg. Even their physical contact had only developed because Shamir had stumbled upon it by accident.

It felt good, so Ravens hadn't objected.

The difference in rank between Shamir and himself at the time also meant that a certain degree of physical intimacy was necessary to assist with the Psychic Soothing and make it more effective.

No matter how he looked at it, he had no reason to object.

Back then, when Shamir didn't kiss him, Ravens hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it.

He had even overlooked the matter entirely, either because he was slow to notice or because he simply hadn't cared that much.

Later, however, he gradually became aware of it...

It was probably during one of their intimate encounters in bed.

As his lips parted and moved with his uneven breathing, he suddenly felt a longing to press them against Shamir's body, or perhaps to become entangled with him in an even deeper intimacy.

That night, his attention repeatedly drifted toward Shamir's lips.

He thought their petal-like, rosy-red appearance was exceptionally beautiful. Perhaps they would taste just as sweet as they looked.

They kept drawing him in.

But even by the very end, Shamir had never leaned down to kiss him.

Ravens had felt an emptiness in his heart, experiencing regret for the first time.

It was only afterward that he suddenly realized Shamir had never kissed him at all.

The focus of intimacy between Female Zergs and Male Zergs lay in the joining of their lower bodies, and most of the pleasure was concentrated there as well.

It was therefore normal for Male Zergs not to kiss Female Zergs, since there wasn't much pleasure to be gained from it.

Ravens found an explanation for himself.

And so, although he felt a little disappointed, he quickly adjusted his mindset and never brought it up.

But as they spent more and more time together, as his heart fluttered again and again, as one novel after another became wildly popular throughout the Zerg civilization, as Shamir released film after film, and as Ravens noticed the way Shamir would sometimes avert his gaze when their lips accidentally brushed together in bed...

Ravens gradually became aware of another answer.

It wasn't that Shamir didn't kiss Female Zergs.

It wasn't that he considered kissing unnecessary.

He simply didn't kiss Ravens.

He deliberately avoided kissing him.

Because their relationship was merely a transaction.

Because he didn't love him.

......】

[What?! You're telling me all those kisses my Male Lord shared on screen were fake?!!]

[My heart is shattered. Such passionate, beautiful feelings... I spent so long imagining that scene behind the curtains, practically clawing at myself trying to see exactly what happened and fantasizing about even more. And it turns out there was nothing at all (sobbing).]

[Didn't someone analyze this before? It was all camera techniques.]

[I'm crying my eyes out. I never understood why they filmed things that way. I really wanted to see what my Male Lord looked like when he kissed someone, but I also thought the atmosphere was amazing and really stirred up the imagination. Only now do I find out there was a contract like this.]

[I wrongfully blamed someone! I always thought it was the director's fault, and I couldn't understand why Baby kept working with that director so many times. It was always him! And whenever they got to an intimate scene, he'd immediately cut to another shot and refuse to show any details. Either we'd get a tiny glimpse of an expression, a tiny bit of physical movement, or he'd just start filming the scenery... I was so furious that I chased that director around and cursed him out in hundreds of comments. Every time a new film came out over these ten years, I made sure to curse him out again. So the real culprit was here all along!]

[It's not like you were entirely wrong to curse him out. That director was already filming this way ten years ago. His style was too niche back then, so hardly anyone watched his work. After becoming Lord Shamir's exclusive director, he gradually gained popularity. By now, he's joined the ranks of the industry's top directors, single-handedly pioneered an entire school of filmmaking, and inspired a whole crowd of imitators. There was even a report saying that he and Lord Shamir had made each other's careers.]

[And the entire reason behind their mutual success was one Female Zerg's selfish desires. It's all Ravens's fault! If it weren't for him, how could I have gone all this time without even seeing my Male Lord's body?! I don't even know how many abs my Male Lord has (crying).]

[Lord Shamir pays a lot of attention to exercise. You can tell he has a great figure just by looking at him. Even the shape of his waist through his clothes is enough to catch everyone's attention and make them drool. If another Male Zerg had such a great body, he'd show it off at least a little. But Shamir has never taken off his clothes in front of the camera. He doesn't even wear stage outfits that expose his waist. How much have we missed out on because of Ravens?!]

The Female Zergs were up in arms, denouncing Ravens one after another.

But some Zergs held different opinions.

[Isn't it a good thing that my Male Lord doesn't kiss other Female Zergs? He doesn't wear revealing clothes for other Zergs to look at, either. He's very careful about protecting himself. Nobody gets to have him, which means we're all equal. That's very fair. I can still imagine things myself, hehe.]

[You're fantasizing about being the Female Lord waiting for him at home again, aren't you? Wake up. You might not get to see or touch him, but Ravens has a beautiful Male Zerg in his arms and everything he could possibly want.]

[Fuck! Damn you, Ravens!]

Apart from the celebrity's fanatical personal fans, most readers still viewed the issue from the perspective of the novel.

[Am I the only one who thinks Ravens is actually pretty pitiful? It's been ten years, and he hasn't received a single kiss. How can you say he has everything he could possibly want? He's miserable, too.]

[Huh? Pitiful? Miserable? He might not have gotten a kiss, but he's been filled to the brim with pheromones, he's had Shamir's Psychic Soothing, and he's had ten years of companionship and exclusive access to him, with personalized services available whenever he calls... My god, he's been living in absolute bliss, okay?!]

[How many married Female Zergs don't even get treatment like that? If this counts as miserable, how are all the other Female Zergs in marriages supposed to live?]

[Exactly. Please let me live such a "miserable" life, too. Spending even one night with Male Lord Shamir is the life countless Zergs dream of.]

[Ravens is too greedy. He already has so much, yet he's still coveting that one kiss.]

[That's normal, though. Zergs are greedy. Once you have 1, you want 2. Once you have what you wanted, you want more, and you want something better. Besides, that kiss represents a Male Zerg's love. What Female Zerg could possibly stop himself from longing for a Male Zerg's affection?]

But it wasn't merely "affection."

It was "love."

After reading one book after another by An-shen, readers had all developed some understanding of this.

Even the Zerg civilization, which didn't believe in "love" between Female Zergs and Male Zergs, and the Tianjia, who barely even had words to describe emotions, had gradually begun to develop a vague understanding of such feelings.

They understood Ravens's longing for the Male Zerg's love, and they also envied him for receiving ten years of the Male Zerg's physical companionship and services.

Shamir's personal fans held even more extreme views.

They believed Ravens should provide Shamir °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° with money and resources while treating him like a treasure.

What was this nonsense about making him available "whenever he called"? That was simply outrageous!

Oh, right. He also shouldn't restrict Shamir from filming intimate scenes or interacting with other Female Zergs.

He should just be a loyal resource provider for Lord Shamir and stop fantasizing about getting anything in return.

[Wait, something's wrong. Why does the novel keep mentioning a "difference in rank"? What rank is Ravens, exactly? Super-A? Even if he's Super-A, there shouldn't be much of a difference between him and A-rank Lord Shamir, right? Their ranks are very close.]

[It really is puzzling.]

[Ravens should be Super-A, yes. The number of S-rank Zergs is limited, and there have never been any rumors about the arms magnate Ravens being S-rank. Even if detailed information about S-rank Zergs needs to be kept confidential, there shouldn't be absolutely no information about it.

Personally, I'm inclined to think Ravens is A-rank or Super-A. Even if we estimate on the high side, he'd only be Super-A and approaching S-rank.

If what the novel says is correct, then the problem might lie with Shamir.]

[Lord Shamir? What problem could His Lordship possibly have? He's definitely A-rank!]

[Here's a little-known fact: Shamir's official profile doesn't specify his rank (image).]

That single statement caused an uproar, leaving every Zerg dumbfounded.

Everyone had always taken it for granted that Shamir was A-rank.

Even though his official profile genuinely didn't state his rank explicitly, anyone who noticed the omission would at most have been briefly puzzled. No one had ever thought there might be another answer.

The reasoning was very simple.

In Zerg society, rank was positively correlated with physical attractiveness, and this was particularly evident among Male Zergs.

[How could Lord Shamir possibly not be A-rank? Just look at that face! Do you dare tell me a face that beautiful isn't A-rank? (image) (image) (image) (image) (image)]

Shamir's beauty was universally acknowledged throughout the entertainment industry. He was unquestionably among the very best-looking celebrities.

Even if someone preferred a different type of beauty, they couldn't look at Shamir's face and dishonestly claim that he wasn't good-looking.

Once someone reached a certain level of beauty, they could unite everyone's aesthetic preferences.

One high-definition close-up of his face after another was more persuasive than anything else.

The readers instantly understood.

[Got it! Ravens has been concealing his rank. I recommend a thorough investigation!]

[@Federal Military Intelligence Bureau @Federal Government, time to get to work. A Zerg has been concealing his rank and is suspected of colluding with the foreign Tianjia to overthrow the Federation.]

[Tianjia: Huh? Me?]