I Woke Up To Find Myself Being Kept By A Mermaid – CH28

Chapter 28

After lying on the bed like a salted fish for several minutes, Ruan Chen completely abandoned the idea of escaping.

Setting aside the question of how he was supposed to sneak away under the merfolk’s watch, even if he did manage to get out, he was on a completely unfamiliar planet with bizarre unknown creatures like those insect monsters.

Going off alone would be no different from courting death.

Was he really supposed to stay here and date a merman…?

Ruan Chen raked a hand through his hair and thought bitterly for a long time before opening his optical computer again.

He returned to the Complete Guide to Raising Humans, which he had not finished reading earlier. The moment he opened it, the system automatically returned to the page where he had left off.

The words “Preparing for Pregnancy” crashed into Ruan Chen’s vision once again.

His little face scrunched up, and he nearly closed the page on the spot.

His finger hovered over the X icon for a long time before Ruan Chen finally blew out a bubble and convinced himself to keep reading.

[Once a human has completely passed through the transformation period, we can discuss preparing to have babies with them~]

[Of course, you must obtain your human’s full consent first. If your human doesn’t want to have babies, then you’ll have to work even harder to deepen your relationship with them~]

Ruan Chen uncontrollably imagined Lux gazing at him expectantly and asking him to have a merbaby together.

Smack.

He shut off the optical computer again and buried his face in the pillow.

It took him a long time to recover before he finally raised his head, his face flushed bright red from holding his breath.

Ruan Chen closed his eyes and knocked his forehead against the wardrobe beside him several times.

The worst thing that stupid goldfish had done so far was kiss his forehead and hair.

He had not even kissed him on the lips yet.

And Ruan Chen was already thinking all the way ahead to having babies???

Ruan Chen stared blankly at a random spot in the room.

What the hell am I doing…?

I’m reading this to gather intelligence on the enemy, not to brainwash myself into becoming a merman’s partner!

But the harder he tried to force himself not to think about it, the more his brain insisted on doing exactly the opposite.

The image of Lux lying on his side in bed, smiling at him, seemed burned onto the inside of his eyelids.

He could not get rid of it no matter what.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I’m not reading anymore!

Ruan Chen viciously turned his optical computer back on and closed the post.

He would browse the Discussion and Livestream sections instead. At least the content there was slightly more acceptable.

Ruan Chen entered the Discussion section.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar name on the homepage.

[I finally have a human of my own too! His name is Joshua, and he’s a little golden-haired, green-eyed baby!]

Joshua?

Wasn’t that…

The foreigner he had met when he first woke up?

Ruan Chen immediately opened the post and flipped through several photos uploaded by the poster.

It was him!

Joshua had also been taken home by a merman…

Ruan Chen tapped the poster’s profile picture, intending to enlarge it and see what Joshua’s merman looked like.

Instead, the page opened the poster’s personal profile. At the very bottom was an “Add Friend” button.

Ruan Chen froze for several seconds.

He had a translator now…

If he managed to contact this merman, wouldn’t that mean he could contact Joshua too?

His friend request was accepted almost immediately.

Ruan Chen rubbed his hands together nervously.

[Ruan Ruan: Hello.]

[Houston: …Hello. Is that your name?]

[Ruan Ruan: .]

[Ruan Ruan: How do I change my name? I think I entered it wrong.]

[Houston: Huh?]

[Houston: Well… everyone’s account is registered under their real identity. You’ll have to go to a government service center to change it.]

So that meant he had to change his legal name?

Wait.

Did that mean…

Ruan Ruan was his actual name in this world?

Ruan Chen’s face instantly fell.

Stupid goldfish.

You’re dead.

[Houston: Wait, are you… are you human?]

The other side sent another message.

Only then did Ruan Chen remember why he had contacted him in the first place.

[Ruan Ruan: Yes.]

[Ruan Ruan: Joshua is my friend. I want to find him. I saw your post.]

[Houston: Ah! So that’s it!]

[Houston: Hold on.]

This merman seemed pretty easy to talk to.

Ruan Chen scratched his hair.

While waiting, he unpacked the bundle he had prepared for his escape, opened a can of food, scooped up a spoonful, and stuffed it into his mouth.

A few minutes later, the other side sent another message.

[Houston: Ruan!]

One glance at the tone was enough to tell Ruan Chen that this was Joshua.

[Ruan Ruan: Not Ruan Ruan.]

Ruan Chen held the spoon between his teeth and rapidly typed.

[Ruan Ruan: It’s Ruan. This name is wrong.]

[Houston: Oh, oh. Sorry, Ruan.]

[Houston: I’m so happy. Are you doing okay now?]

[Ruan Ruan: More or less.]

[Ruan Ruan: Were you taken home by a merman too?]

[Houston: Yes.]

[Houston: We were both wrong. The merfolk weren’t trying to eat us.]

Ruan Chen’s fingers paused, his expression complicated.

[Houston: My merman is very good to me. I like him a lot.]

Ruan Chen: …

Bro, if you’ve been kidnapped, blink twice.

[Houston: What about you? What’s your merman like?]

[Ruan Ruan: He’s okay, I guess.]

[Houston: Ah… Does he treat you badly? Hugh told me that if a merman treats you badly, you can file a complaint with the Royal Human Breeding Center. The merman will be warned, and in serious cases, he can even be sentenced.]

[Houston: What’s your merman’s name? Do you want me to help you?]

[Ruan Ruan: …It’s not that serious.]

Lux…

Now that he thought about it, Lux actually treated him quite well.

Provided one ignored the small matter of Lux seeing him as a romantic partner.

At the thought of that, Ruan Chen decided he should warn his international friend.

[Ruan Ruan: Do you know what merfolk consider humans to be?]

[Houston: Partners.]

[Houston: I know. He told me. I like him a lot.]

Ruan Chen: ?

[Houston: Actually, I’ve loved stories about merfolk ever since I was little. I never thought my dream would come true.]

[Houston: [Shy]]

Ruan Chen: ???

Hello?

Are you serious?

[Houston: Tell me your merman’s name. If anything happens, Hugh and I can help you.]

[Ruan Ruan: Meowx.]

Wait.

Ruan Chen stared at the three characters he had typed.

What kind of ridiculous name was that?

What respectable merman would be called Meowx?

Ruan Chen frowned.

But that really was the name the golden merman had personally taught him…

The merman outside the door earlier had also seemed to say something ending in “-x.”

No wonder Lux had named him Ruan Ruan. His own name must have sounded awful, so he had decided to take revenge on society.

Ruan Chen instantly felt much better.

A smile even appeared on his face.

[Houston: Hugh says there’s no merman with that name.]

[Houston: But he says there’s an admiral on this planet named Lux.]

[Houston: He’s pure gold. Is this him? [Image]]

Ruan Chen leaned closer and read Joshua’s message several times, making absolutely sure he had not misunderstood.

Then he opened the image.

The merman in the picture wore a military uniform. His long pale-golden hair fell behind him, and his expression was solemn and stern, without the slightest hint of a smile.

Ruan Chen did not even need to look carefully.

That was the face that kissed and touched him every single day.

He would recognize it even if it were burned to ashes.

The smile on Ruan Chen’s face slowly vanished.

Well, damn.

So even his name was fake?

[Ruan Ruan: That’s him.]

[Ruan Ruan: Are you sure his name is Lux?]

[Houston: Of course! He’s the most powerful merman on Ocean Planet. Hugh says there’s no one who doesn’t know him, and no one would dare use the same name as him.]

[Houston: Is he your merman??]

[Ruan Ruan: …]

[Houston: Hugh says he wants Admiral Lux’s autograph. Ruan, could you help him get one?]

[Houston: He says he really admires Admiral Lux and wishes him a victorious return!]

[Ruan Ruan: Can you ask Hugh something for me?]

[Houston: Go ahead.]

[Ruan Ruan: What else does he know about Lux?]

Half an hour later, after receiving an enthusiastic sales pitch from Houston, the ultimate fanboy, Ruan Chen could practically recite all of Lux’s glorious achievements from childhood to adulthood.

He learned that they had come to this planet to fight the Zerg.

Lux was the only merman capable of leading the merfolk in resisting the Zerg. Aside from that, he had also defeated the Sea Demon King in one decisive battle several decades ago.

Whenever politics came up, Houston became unstoppable.

He complained to Ruan Chen at length about the conflicts between the royal family and the military and repeatedly praised Lux for managing every matter so well despite being under enormous pressure from all sides.

His admiration and worship practically overflowed through the screen.

Only after Ruan Chen agreed to help Joshua get an autograph did the conversation finally end.

Ruan Chen finished the last spoonful of food and propped his chin on one hand, lost in thought.

That golden merman was actually that impressive?

He was always so mild and gentle around Ruan Chen.

You really could not tell at all.

Ruan Chen put down his spoon and, following Joshua’s instructions, found this world’s news app.

He opened it and scrolled around.

Sure enough, the headline read:

[Admiral Lux Has Arrived at Base X and Will Begin Preparations for War Against the Zerg]

There was not much substantial information after that.

Ruan Chen quickly lost interest.

Fighting insect monsters like the ones from before…

It would probably take a long time, right?

Ideally, the war would drag on for a year or six months.

Then he would not have to see Lux for a long time.

If they could not even see each other, naturally he would not have to think about the whole dating issue either.

Ruan Chen’s eyes lit up.

He tidied everything away, happily rolled around once on Lux’s huge bed, and decided to sleep first and worry about everything later.

The next day.

When Ruan Chen woke again, he discovered that he was still the only person in the room.

He checked the time on his optical computer, ate breakfast, and played in the “game pod” for a while.

By noon, no merman had knocked on the door.

Even outside was eerily quiet.

He had already cleared the “game pod.”

Ruan Chen suddenly lost all interest in playing it again.

He opened his optical computer and checked the news once more.

It was still the same information he had read yesterday.

There was nothing new about Lux.

Ruan Chen spent the entire day sitting on the bed in a daze.

By evening, he started growing restless.

Lux had gone into battle while already injured.

Nothing had happened to him, right?

For the countless time, Ruan Chen opened the news app.

He glared furiously at the screen.

“Meow meow meow! (Fuck, why is all of this entertainment news?!)”

Did these merfolk not care about important national affairs at all?

But then he reconsidered.

No news meant no bad news.

He sat cross-legged on the little sofa and stared at the door.

He waited until the early hours of the third day.

Ruan Chen finally could not hold out any longer.

His eyelids were nearly glued shut.

Why hasn’t that stupid goldfish come back yet…

Nothing really happened to him, did it…?

—

Base X, Central Platform.

A fierce battle had just ended, and the Zerg had temporarily ceased their assault.

Hundreds upon thousands of warships flew back toward the base.

Lux stepped off his warship.

The merfolk soldiers and officers around him immediately saluted.

Yet every merman wore a grave expression.

“Lux, we can’t keep fighting like this.”

Once they returned inside the base, Vincent exploded angrily.

“The royal family has gone too far. They’re openly withholding supplies!”

Lux raised a hand and undid the top clasp of his combat uniform. His lashes lowered.

“Have them inventory the remaining energy reserves, ammunition, and wounded soldiers as soon as possible. Prepare for the next phase of battle.”

His calmness cooled Vincent’s anger for a few seconds.

But only a few seconds.

“Mark my words, tomorrow’s headlines will definitely say your command was incompetent! No one will know that the real problem was the failed supply delivery!”

“If supplies are insufficient, requisition them from the military.”

Lux lifted his eyes, his words devoid of warmth.

“What use is throwing a tantrum now?”

Vincent gritted his teeth.

“…Yes! I’ll go—”

Before he could finish, Lux abruptly raised a hand, signaling for him to be quiet.

Only then did Vincent realize they had already reached Lux’s room.

The two merman soldiers stationed outside saluted Lux as well, but he stopped them before they could speak.

Vincent understood and lowered his voice.

“Ruan Ruan is probably asleep.”

Lux gave a quiet hum and opened the door.

Unexpectedly, the moment the door slid open, he found himself staring directly into Ruan Chen’s dark eyes.

His eyes were slightly red.

He looked as though he was so exhausted he could barely stay awake but had stubbornly forced himself to remain conscious.

“Meow…”

Ruan Chen tilted his head up and swept his gaze over Lux from head to toe.

At the same time, the optical computer popped up and began translating.

“Why did you take so long to come back…”

Vincent tactfully withdrew.

The door closed.

Lux’s heart instantly melted into a puddle.

“Ruan Ruan, why are you still awake this late?”

Ruan Chen had secretly put on the translator earpiece and understood every word perfectly.

Lux smiled and bent down to pick him up, his eyes shining brightly.

“Was Ruan Ruan worried about me?”

The moment he finished speaking, the human in his arms pursed his lips.

Ruan Chen pressed his arms against Lux’s chest and turned his head away, his ears bright red.

“Meow meow meow meow meow!”

Then Lux’s optical computer diligently translated:

“Stupid goldfish! Like hell I was worried about you!”

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