My Lord, Try Being a Decent Person

This novel is still being revised. Once it's finished, I'll probably be able to post the whole thing.

[Matriarchy] A female lead who, in every sense, really wants to be human x a male lead who, in every sense, doesn't particularly want to be human

When they first meet: the male lead is 17, the female lead is 15

[Blurb]

Si Jing, emperor of the interstellar insect race, was betrayed by her subordinates during an interstellar upheaval and transmigrated.

The good news: she was reborn in ancient times.

The bad news: ancient times on Earth.

Even worse: a Matriarchy.

The insect emperor, where females ruled: Wait, a Matriarchy? That's not bad!

From the start, she finds herself in the middle of a spoiled young man's comeuppance. He was reprimanded for lusting after a beauty, then accidentally fell off a cliff and died.

She took his place and inherited everything about him.

That was fine, too. As an ally during the upheavals of the universe, she had a decent grasp of Earth's eight-thousand-year history. She could survive.

Then, in the very next moment, her companion System announced, "Your Majesty, you aren't human yet."

Si Jing: "..."

So what was the point of transmigrating here?

The System told her: Complete the tasks generated by the System, become a real human, and survive.

Step one: develop human thought...

Step two: develop human emotions...

Step three: develop human...

At this point, the System looked at its own Your Majesty, who had become human inside and out and regained her strength. She was so powerful that surely she would follow the same path as on the insect planet and start working toward the throne. Instead, Si Jing rubbed her chin and slowly said:

"A partner?"

"?" It meant money. Money?

The System looked at the man cornered in a disheveled state, speechless. "Your Majesty, try acting human!"

Si Jing raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that what I'm doing?"

Si Jing never imagined that the biggest obstacle on her way to becoming human would be a man whose species didn't even match hers.

He was the husband this new identity had recently married, a man who was unwelcome in the household.

The first time she met Xu Qingming was not long after transmigrating. His poison had taken away his martial arts.

She had just been told she had a husband, so, wanting to learn more about ancient humans, she went to see him.

She accidentally entered his room. Beneath the red lotus canopy, dust had settled on jade skin, and red silk bound his wrists. The jade-like man stared blankly at Si Jing, who held a dagger. After a long moment, he turned his head away, his eyes reddening.

The second time Si Jing saw Xu Qingming, the second young master of the Xu family, whom the original owner had admired, was giving him a hard time in the street.

As his husband, she rescued him.

Then, inside the carriage, she pinned him down, stripped him, drank his blood, and even kissed him by force.

Then he ran away, and she got beaten.

The third time Si Jing saw Xu Qingming was three days later. She had just finished getting ready to attend some pointless palace banquet when she heard a familiar voice in the imperial garden. Moments later, she found the man in a woodshed. He had just killed someone, and his poison was acting up.

When old acquaintances met again, neither seemed surprised anymore.

Holding his thin, bony wrist, Si Jing leaned closer. "Since we're so fated, I'll cure your poison, and you can help me with something."

The man backed away uneasily until he could go no farther. He stared into her emotionless eyes. "What?"

Si Jing ran her fingers over his throbbing vein and swallowed. "Help me become human."

Xu Qingming looked completely baffled.

Years later, he climbed out of bed with an aching waist and sore legs.

With a gloomy expression, he looked at the woman who had left marks on his neck. "Is this how you become human?"

The current Imperial Preceptor didn't stop what she was doing. She merely glanced up. "Aren't you human?"

Xu Qingming: "..."

[Tip] Zi, young man, gentleman, and similar terms are gender-neutral. I'll keep a list as I write, so please don't take offense.

The male and female anatomy is normal, but there are some author-created details (a slightly longer appendage) that will be explained in the story.

Theme: Rather than waiting for the wind to come, chase after it.