Chapter 100: The Mermaid in the Crystal Tank
Inside a luxurious room with an extremely high domed ceiling stood a giant aquarium seven or eight meters tall.
Gu Tang floated inside the aquarium, swishing his tail in boredom.
Ever since bringing him down from the ship, Young Master Gu had carried him here and taken meticulous care of him every day, feeding him and providing everything he needed.
Though it could not compare to the vast openness of the sea, it had everything from fresh seawater to small marine creatures. The entire environment perfectly simulated an underwater ecosystem. From the outside, it looked just like an aquarium display.
Except that in one corner of the tank, there was also a crystal bed and various pieces of coral-shaped furniture.
Young Master Gu had built him a tiny underwater crystal palace.
And yet he had not come to see him even once.
Whenever Gu Tang asked, the people delivering his meals would say, “Young Master is very busy. He’ll probably come see you when he has time.”
He would not.
Gu Tang knew very well those words were only meant to comfort him.
No matter how busy someone was, could they really not spare even a moment to come look at him?
The more likely truth was—
Young Master Gu was deliberately avoiding him.
His subordinates probably could not figure out their master’s thoughts either, so all they could do was comfort him by saying Young Master Gu was busy.
Gu Tang flipped over and sank into the water, his beautiful pearl-colored tail swaying as he lazily descended to the bottom and lay down on the crystal bed.
He casually picked up a strawberry and ate it in small bites.
It was not strawberry season, and yet he could still get fresh strawberries.
It was obvious someone had gone out of their way to prepare them.
Young Master Gu would not come in person, but he still remembered to provide him with the fruit he liked…
“Nian Nian really is a huge idiot.”
Gu Tang muttered while eating.
He knew this situation very well!
Wasn’t this exactly the same as when Young Master Gu had first started awakening during puberty?
Even the age matched up.
When Young Master Gu had been seventeen or eighteen, there had also been a period when he kept avoiding him for no reason and often went on business trips to Country S.
At the time, Gu Tang had not yet understood love, so he had not known why Young Master Gu was acting like that.
But now, looking back…
Young Master Gu must have been afraid of accidentally doing something out of line, so he avoided him, right?
Fine, he avoided him—but he even took away his little teddy cub.
Thinking of how wrinkled and kneaded-up the stuffed bear looked when it came back, Gu Tang’s face flushed red.
Shy, awkward teenage Nian Nian was also very cute.
But—
“Don’t tell me I have to go through his puberty anxiety all over again!”
Gu Tang leaned back and sprawled across the shell-shaped crystal bed, his long fish tail hanging over one side.
Ugh. This was so frustrating…
—
On the other side, Jiang Yiwen held the new purchase list his young master had just written up.
The densely packed list was full of things the little mermaid would need.
One line in particular was highlighted in bold red letters: Maintain a constant daily supply of fresh strawberries.
Jiang Yiwen could not understand why a fish would like strawberries, nor could he understand why his young master treated the little mermaid like an ancestor while refusing to go see him.
He really could not figure out the point of it…
After finishing the work in his hands, Gu Qinian lifted his eyes and looked at his assistant. “Lately… how has he been?”
Hmph, he finally couldn’t hold back anymore and decided to ask!
Assistant Jiang saw through him but said nothing, only answering properly, “He eats well and sleeps well. He’s doing fine.”
Gu Qinian pondered for a moment. “Did he… say anything?”
You refuse to go see him, yet you still care what he says?
Assistant Jiang deliberately played dumb. “What exactly does Young Master mean?”
“…”
The cat-eared boy turned his head aside awkwardly. After a while, he still could not help asking, “Did he not mention me?”
“Oh, Young Master means that…”
Jiang Yiwen deliberately dragged out the sentence meaningfully.
Only after seeing a dangerous look from his young master did he finally answer honestly. “He seems to miss you a lot. Every day he asks, ‘Where’s Nian Nian?’ ‘Why isn’t Nian Nian coming?’ ‘Is Nian Nian still busy?’…”
Assistant Jiang even pinched his throat and imitated the little mermaid’s voice.
“That’s enough. Shut up.”
Gu Qinian shot his assistant a cold look. “You are not allowed to imitate the way he talks again.”
Jiang Yiwen: “?”
“Do you know the idiom Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi?”
Young Master Gu mercilessly mocked his assistant. “Some things sound cute when he says them. When you say them, they’re disgusting.”
Jiang Yiwen: “…”
Assistant Jiang cursed silently in his heart.
If it weren’t for the chance to see the adorable little mermaid, there was no way he could keep doing this job for even one more day!
“What exactly are you thinking?”
The moment Assistant Jiang thought of the little mermaid’s pitiful, expectant expression all day long, his heart hurt, and he could not help complaining to his young master, “You brought him back but won’t go see him. If you find him troublesome, you might as well have left him in his original sea.”
“Someone as cute as Tangtang would definitely be very popular among his own kind…”
Before he could finish, he was pierced by the icy blade of Young Master Gu’s gaze.
Jiang Yiwen choked on his words.
Gu Qinian narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Tangtang?”
“Who allowed you to call him that?”
The oppressive aura of a black panther swept down on him. Jiang Yiwen was pinned in place, nearly forced back into his original form.
Even his rabbit tail almost popped out from fright.
Assistant Jiang swallowed and said cautiously, “If you care about him, you should still go see him. What if he gets depressed after too long…”
“Would he get depressed?”
Gu Qinian frowned.
The little mermaid was lively and cheerful, always smiling with his eyes curved like crescents, like a tiny sun overflowing with happiness.
He really did not seem the type to have anything to do with depression.
“That’s impossible to say!”
Jiang Yiwen said worriedly, “Mermaids are sensitive creatures to begin with. Otherwise, why would they be so rare?”
“Even the brightest personality can’t endure being neglected!”
“Besides, he cares about you so much. He even said by name that since he’s about to enter heat, he wants to mate with you…”
“Shut up.”
Gu Qinian interrupted his assistant, and a faint blush appeared on his handsome face.
Jiang Yiwen obediently shut his mouth.
But inside, he was full of envy, jealousy, and bitterness.
Apart from being handsome, highly capable at work, and very intelligent… well, fine, his young master had a lot of strengths.
But he was also a cold-hearted, emotionless block of ice. What was there to like about him?!
How could the little mermaid have such bad eyesight and fall for the young master?
If he were the one the little mermaid liked, he would quit this job on the spot just to spend every day snuggling up to him…
And meanwhile, here was someone who had no idea how lucky he was!
Jiang Yiwen secretly rolled his eyes.
“You may go.”
Gu Qinian dismissed him.
“Yes!”
Jiang Yiwen sighed and turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something and turned back around. “By the way, the first batch of new clothes my sister designed for the little mermaid is already finished. Should I deliver them over right now?”
Assistant Jiang had hoped to use that as an excuse to go see the little mermaid.
Instead, he heard his young master say in a calm tone, “Bring them here.”
Assistant Jiang: “…Oh.”
There went his chance to see the little mermaid.
So depressing…
Gu Qinian lifted his eyes and looked at his drooping assistant. “Is there anything else?”
“No.”
Jiang Yiwen, with his rabbit ears sticking up, darted away.
Gu Qinian: “…”
Maybe it was just his imagination.
But it felt like the rabbit assistant wanted to steal his person…
That evening, a tall figure entered the room where the little mermaid lived.
Gu Qinian walked up to the aquarium.
All the small marine creatures inside, sensing danger, rushed toward his side of the tank in one panicked swarm.
“Move.”
Gu Qinian waved a hand.
The little fish and shrimp could not withstand the pressure of the black panther and reluctantly scattered away.
Through the thick glass and seawater, Gu Qinian finally saw the little mermaid sleeping in the depths of the tank.
The little mermaid was curled up on the crystal shell bed in a tiny little ball, looking very well-behaved.
Only his pearl-colored tail was hanging off the bed.
Could he really be comfortable sleeping like that?
Gu Qinian frowned slightly. Like someone with obsessive tendencies, he felt an almost unbearable urge to put that beautiful tail back onto the bed properly.
He followed the spiral staircase to the top of the aquarium.
His footsteps were light, so he did not wake the little mermaid.
The top of the aquarium was open, like a swimming pool from above.
The staff used that entrance for cleaning, and the little mermaid often floated up there too, resting against the edge to get some air.
The seawater in the huge aquarium was crystal clear.
Standing above it, Gu Qinian only had to lower his head to see the sleeping little mermaid on the crystal bed.
And because of the refraction of the water, it even created the illusion that he could reach out and touch him…
Before he knew it, he had extended a hand.
But the moment his fingers touched the water’s surface, he sharply pulled it back.
For feline beastfolk, getting their bodies wet was something they hated intensely.
Gu Qinian did not like water.
The only reason he had gotten wet before was to save the little mermaid.
The sticky wet feeling had been extremely unpleasant…
He was still hesitating over whether to enter the water when the little mermaid, who slept so restlessly, suddenly rolled over.
He almost fell off the bed.
“!”
Gu Qinian was startled.
By the time he came back to himself, his arm had already plunged into the seawater.
Since he was already wet,
he might as well go all the way.
“Splash—”
With the sound of water, the cat-eared boy leaped into the aquarium.
Feline beastfolk could not breathe underwater.
Holding his breath, Gu Qinian swam to the little mermaid’s side and set the custom-made clothes he had brought on the coral bedside table.
Then he lowered his eyes to the sleeping figure on the bed.
The little mermaid was also wearing light sleepwear.
The fabric of those clothes was special, so even in water they would not get soaked.
Though mermaids were accustomed to going bare, Gu Qinian had still prepared clothes for him. He did not force the little mermaid to wear them, only placed them somewhere easy for him to reach.
Seeing that the little mermaid had voluntarily put on the clothes he prepared, the corners of Gu Qinian’s lips lifted.
He bent down and gently picked the little mermaid up, moving him farther inside the bed, placing his tail properly, then carefully covering him with a blanket.
After doing all that, even with Gu Qinian’s exceptional lung capacity, he still had to surface for air.
Yet before leaving, he could not help turning back for one more look at the little mermaid.
A mermaid was in his best state while in water.
On the crystal bed, the little mermaid’s complexion was rosy, and his lips were an especially beautiful soft crimson.
Gu Qinian extended a hand. His long, defined fingers brushed softly against the little mermaid’s tender cheek, his thumb lightly stroking the corner of his eye.
If he allowed this little mermaid to stay in his original sea, then once heat arrived, he would definitely be chased by other mermaids, and might even be captured by pirates and sold to beastfolk of other races for release.
The moment Gu Qinian thought of the little mermaid he treasured so much being made to cry by someone else,
his eyes slowly darkened.
It wasn’t that he wanted to imprison the little mermaid.
A little mermaid without the ability to protect himself simply had to be carefully protected…
Just as Young Master Gu was desperately coming up with excuses for his possessiveness, the little mermaid’s lips suddenly moved.
Gu Qinian’s gaze was drawn involuntarily to those full, shining lips.
As though unable to resist their temptation, he slowly bent down.
And yet, just when he was about to touch them,
the little mermaid’s mouth opened slightly and let out a tiny bubble.
The little bubble drifted softly upward and burst in front of him with a pop.
Gu Qinian abruptly came back to himself.
He covered his own mouth.
The instant he realized what he had almost done to the little mermaid, the cat-eared boy panicked and hurried back toward the top of the aquarium.
He was so flustered that he even accidentally changed back into black panther form, all four limbs thrashing in the water before he finally managed to climb ashore.
The majestic black panther looked like a drenched housecat, turning back nervously for one glance.
Only after confirming that the little mermaid had not been woken by him
did the black panther awkwardly drag his soaking body away.
Only after the black panther had been gone for quite a while did Gu Tang finally open his eyes.
He sat up, looked at the new clothes on the coral bedside table, then touched his own lips, his cheeks gradually growing hot.
Gu Tang rubbed his face and muttered softly, “Teenage Nian Nian is so secretly flirtatious…”
And so pure it was almost ridiculous.
He didn’t even dare kiss him!
It seemed that if he wanted to wake Young Master Gu up, he could only rely on his own efforts.
—
The next day, when Jiang Yiwen entered the office, he discovered that his young master had already finished signing all the files and was packing up, ready to leave.
Assistant Jiang was stunned. “Young Master, you’re not working overtime tonight?”
Gu Qinian cast him a cool glance. “If you’re not enthusiastic about getting off work, then you have an issue with your mindset.”
Jiang Yiwen: “???”
No, if you’re going to say that—
then who was that workaholic who had forgotten food and sleep and worked himself to death the last two days?!
Before he could ask anything more, Young Master Gu had already gone far away.
Looking carefully, he was even headed toward the little mermaid’s residence.
“Don’t tell me he’s going to see Tangtang?”
Assistant Jiang stroked his chin, then suddenly slapped his thigh. “Oh no! Yiyi is still there taking Tangtang’s measurements for clothes. This is really not a good time!”
The handsome cat-eared boy strode with long legs toward the mermaid’s residence.
This was exactly why Gu Qinian had kept suppressing the urge to see the little mermaid.
He was always unconsciously drawn toward him.
Not seeing him was one thing. But once he did, the possessiveness in his heart would begin to grow, and his emotions would become restless and unsettled.
But what wrong had the innocent little mermaid done?
The little mermaid had only kindly saved him, and then, because he was on the verge of heat, had foolishly followed his instincts and come after him.
He had even said he wanted to mate with him…
Such a small little mermaid, so light when held—maybe this was his first heat, and he did not even know what mating really meant…
—
“It looks like Tangtang really likes Miss Yiyi!”
“Of course. The second he sees her, he starts swishing his tail. Isn’t that a mermaid’s mating display?”
“I heard Tangtang is about to go into heat. He might really like Miss Yiyi!”
The staff stood outside the mermaid’s residence gossiping among themselves.
Feline beastfolk had exceptionally sharp hearing.
Gu Qinian heard everything from far away, and his face instantly darkened.
“What are you talking about?”
The moment the staff saw the young master’s sinister expression, they hurriedly shut their mouths. Who would dare keep babbling after that?
Gu Qinian ground his teeth and pushed the door open forcefully.
Bang—!
The huge sound of the door startled the two people inside.
Jiang Yiyi reacted quickly and wrapped fabric around the little mermaid’s body, then turned to glare at the newcomer. “Why didn’t you knock before coming in?!”
“Why would I need to knock?”
Gu Qinian asked coldly.
Jiang Yiyi brushed the rabbit ears blocking her view behind her head and finally saw who it was. “Young Master? You barged in so suddenly, you scared Tangtang.”
“Who allowed you to call him Tangtang?”
Gu Qinian’s brows furrowed even tighter.
He himself had never called the little mermaid that.
That kind of doubled nickname sounded far too intimate. Just thinking about it made the roots of his ears burn.
How could these people say it so naturally?!!
“Nian Nian can call me that too…”
The little mermaid suddenly spoke, his voice soft and sweet. “I’d like hearing Nian Nian call me that.”
The word like instantly soothed Gu Qinian’s restless mood.
But then he thought again.
The treatment he received was apparently no different from those unimportant people.
Gu Qinian’s improved mood immediately soured again.
And then Jiang Yiyi said, “Young Master, please go outside first. Tangtang will be embarrassed.”
Gu Qinian looked at the little mermaid. “Mermaids don’t wear clothes to begin with. What is there to be embarrassed about? Besides, there’s nowhere on his body I haven’t already seen. If anyone should leave, it’s you.”
Gu Tang had not thought much of it at first, but once Young Master Gu said that aloud, embarrassment flooded through him.
He clenched the fabric covering his body tightly with both hands.
Jiang Yiyi did not understand. “Then why did you ask me to make clothes for him?”
“So other people wouldn’t get to see.”
Gu Qinian’s black eyes fixed stubbornly on the little mermaid’s fair shoulders and elegantly shaped collarbones as he said harshly, “He’s mine.”
Hearing that, Gu Tang’s face turned even redder.
Teenage Young Master Gu might have been innocent, but he also carried a certain unreasonable fierceness.
He could not be provoked. The moment he was, he lost control.
That look in his eyes, Gu Tang was not unfamiliar with it.
It was the sort of look that seemed ready to devour him…
In fact, every time he saw that look afterward, he would indeed be thoroughly devoured.
Jiang Yiyi looked at the little mermaid, then turned to look at young master black panther.
One of them was curled up into a small ball, but his cheeks were flushed and he did not look frightened—in fact, he looked a little expectant.
The other looked like a ferocious beast ready to immediately seize his prey back.
Jiang Yiyi: She had the vague feeling that she was completely unnecessary here.
So she packed up her things and quietly left the room.
And thoughtfully shut the door behind the two of them.
Inside the room, Gu Qinian slowly walked closer, his gaze never leaving the little mermaid.
Gu Tang leaned against the edge of the aquarium, swishing the fish tail submerged in the water, secretly thinking—
Great!
His chance to wake Young Master Gu was coming!
Originally, Gu Tang’s plan had been to ask whether the other wanted to see his new clothes.
Maybe while looking, Young Master Gu would lose control.
But unexpectedly, it was even easier than he imagined.
The moment Young Master Gu walked over, he directly grabbed Gu Tang’s chin.
Thinking of what the staff outside had said, and seeing the little mermaid’s swaying tail, Gu Qinian’s jealousy surged. “Do you wag your tail like that for everyone?”
Since this was Gu Tang’s first time being a mermaid, he had no idea that in Young Master Gu’s dream, there was also such an outrageous setting as mermaid wagging tail = mating display.
He did not understand what the other meant and blankly moved his fish tail again in the water.
What was wrong with wagging his tail?
It felt as comfortable as swinging your legs.
As he swished his tail, he curved his eyes and gave the other a sweet smile. “Mm, I like wagging my tail.”
Again with this word like…
“Is your liking really this casual?”
Gu Qinian lifted the little mermaid’s face. “Do you smile at other people like this too?”
Gu Tang blinked. “Come a little closer, and I’ll tell you.”
Gu Qinian: “…”
Even though his heart felt sour and his mind annoyed and heated,
he still bent down as the little mermaid asked, shortening the distance between them.
Gu Qinian felt that he must have gone mad.
A black panther who had lived eighteen years alone and never listened to anyone was actually obeying a little mermaid.
“When it comes to other people…”
The little mermaid’s voice was very small and soft.
You had to lean close to hear it clearly.
Gu Qinian had no choice but to bend even lower.
But in the very next second, the little mermaid suddenly leaped out of the water and kissed him directly on the mouth.
Gu Qinian staggered back in shock. “What are you doing?!”
“Hehe, sneak attack successful!”
Gu Tang did not look like a fish at all; he smiled more like a cat who had stolen cream.
He licked his lips and said with curved eyes, “Nobody else gets this. I only do this to you.”
The cool, damp sensation on his lips had not yet faded. It was a softness he had never experienced before.
The desire he had fantasized about the night before had been fulfilled in that instant. Before his body could even react, an uncontrollable sense of satisfaction surged out of his heart.
The corners of Gu Qinian’s lips lifted slightly—only for him to force them back down.
He coughed lightly and emphasized with feigned calm, “Don’t kiss other people casually.”
“I already told you I only kiss you.”
Gu Tang pouted. “There aren’t any others.”
Only then did Gu Qinian realize his heart was pounding wildly in his chest.
To suppress the foolish smile about to appear on his face, he had to press his thin lips together, making him look a bit serious.
But Gu Tang was not afraid at all. He complained, “Why won’t you come see me? I missed you so much.”
As he spoke, he even stretched out his arms, asking for a hug.
The little mermaid’s initiative left Gu Qinian a little flustered.
But the happiness in his mood was very real.
Seeing that Young Master Gu still was not moving, Gu Tang urged him, “Hurry up. My arms are getting tired.”
“…”
Gu Qinian quickly stepped forward and lifted the little mermaid out of the water.
The moment he held him in his arms, it felt as though something in his heart had finally been filled.
Its rhythm became faster and stronger.
So strong that even Gu Tang could hear it.
The little mermaid mischievously swished his tail and deliberately poked the spot over his pounding heart with a slender white finger.
He had just come out of the water, and naturally his body was wet. Once he touched Young Master Gu’s clothes, they were bound to get soaked.
Especially since he was only wearing a shirt. Before long, the wet fabric was clinging to him, revealing the color of skin underneath.
At Gu Tang’s fingertips, he also felt the familiar firm, hard sensation beneath the cloth.
It seemed that even inside the dream fragment, Young Master Gu still had not forgotten to keep himself in shape…
“Oh dear, now it’s all wet.”
Gu Tang said quietly.
Gu Qinian only gave a low “Mm.” His attention was entirely on the little mermaid, and he did not care about a little water on himself at all.
The instincts of a feline beastfolk had been completely twisted around by the little mermaid.
“Does it bother you?”
Gu Tang drew little circles on the chest of the cat-eared boy. “Black panthers are feline creatures. You should really hate getting your body wet, right?”
That slender finger was teasing him so much that Gu Qinian’s thoughts were a mess. He answered absentmindedly, “It’s fine.”
Gu Tang fell quiet for a moment, then asked, “Cats like fish, don’t they?”
It was an extremely provocative question.
Gu Qinian instinctively swallowed, his Adam’s apple dipping, and even the cat ears on top of his head stood straight up.
If they had not been covered in black fur, it would have been obvious that both ears had turned bright red.
Gu Tang had been coveting those cat ears on Young Master Gu’s head for a long time now.
He wrapped his arms around the other’s neck and leaned close to the left ear that stood high and alert, whispering softly beside it, “What about you?”
“Does Nian Nian like fish?”
“…”
Gu Qinian flushed from his ears all the way down to his neck. It felt like he had been electrocuted, his whole body tingling.
Mermaids were a race naturally gifted at seduction.
The little mermaid’s soft tail brushed against his leg, and his warm breath spilled over the curve of his ear as he whispered quietly:
“If you like it, then I’ll let you eat.”
