Chapter 43
Lux must have secretly changed his name for him…
Ruan Chen recalled that it was most likely configured back when Lux was teaching him how to speak the merman language.
Joshua pursed his lips and smiled. “Ruan, you’d better get ready.”
Ruan Chen said, “I…”
Why on earth did he agree to that ridiculous wager!
“A bet is a bet.” Joshua sat up straight. “You’re not going to back out now, are you?”
“…” Ruan Chen braced himself. “I’m not backing out.”
Though he said that, his voice dropped several pitches lower than before, sounding thoroughly guilty.
Joshua took a sip of his drink. “Exactly. I knew from the first moment I saw you that you’re a person of your word. You definitely won’t back out.”
Ruan Chen thought, “…”
Gee, thanks.
Even though he knew it was a reverse psychology trick, Ruan Chen still took the bait. He really couldn’t bring himself to go back on his word in front of a friend.
It was just a kiss anyway, and they hadn’t specified where.
Kissing a hand felt a bit weird, but kissing a cheek…
While waiting for Lux to rush over, Ruan Chen stole a glance at Joshua.
Didn’t Westerners have that cheek-kissing greeting thing? Kissing someone on the cheek upon meeting was no big deal.
He ran the calculations frantically in his head, believing he had successfully mentally prepared himself.
Yet, when Lux actually appeared at the doorway of the private room, Ruan Chen’s heart still gave a violent shudder.
He swallowed hard and nervously averted his eyes. “Why did you get here so fast…”
Lux nodded to Joshua and the other merman in greeting, then walked over to Ruan Chen’s side with a smile. “I couldn’t get a signal during the meeting earlier. As soon as I saw your message, I rushed right over. When I accepted the video call, I was already halfway here.”
Sitting nearby with his ears perked up to listen to their conversation, Joshua let out an exaggerated expression.
The next second, he felt a death glare coming from Ruan Chen.
When Lux looked over, Ruan Chen immediately lowered his eyelashes. After a long pause, he let out a faint “Oh.” “I still wanted to eat here with my friend. If you’re busy, you can head back first.”
Joshua toned it down a little, mouthing to Ruan Chen: A bet is a bet.
Ignoring him, Ruan Chen fiddled with the utensils with his fingers. His small brain worked rapidly as he raised his head to look at Lux, hoping the merman would catch his drift and follow his lead by saying, “Then I’ll go home and wait for you.”
But his plan fell through.
Lux met Ruan Chen’s bright, dark eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved up. “I’m not busy. If your friend doesn’t mind, I’d like to join you for dinner.”
Ruan Chen thought, “.”
“We don’t mind at all, of course we don’t mind,” Joshua waved his hands repeatedly. “We just ordered the food. Ruan said he wanted to wait for you, so we didn’t ask them to serve the dishes yet.”
Hearing this, Lux lowered his head to look at Ruan Chen. “Really?”
The word “No” leaped to the tip of Ruan Chen’s tongue, only to be cut off by Joshua again. “Really. Ruan also said he wanted to give you a surprise. Right, Ruan?”
“…” Under the weight of three pairs of eyes, Ruan Chen gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. “Right.”
Amused by his demeanor, Lux asked, “What surprise?”
The private room fell instantly silent.
Ruan Chen couldn’t stand the atmosphere as a flush crept up his face, turning redder by the second.
Under Lux’s curious gaze, he suddenly grabbed the merman’s collar, pushed off his chair with his legs to stand up, puckered his lips, closed his eyes, and aimed for the side of the merman’s face, wanting to get it over with quickly.
“Ruan—” Unexpectedly, Lux happened to turn his head slightly just then.
Soft lips landed right on the corner of his mouth instead of his cheek.
Because Ruan Chen had used too much force, it even made a very resounding smack.
Ruan Chen and Lux both snapped their eyes wide open at the same time.
The latter was pleasantly surprised; the former was startled and infuriated.
Lux blinked. “Ruan Ruan…”
Before he could finish his sentence, an explosion went off beside his ear: “Why did you turn your head all of a sudden!”
The merman froze for a moment, looking a bit aggrieved. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were going to kiss me.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Ruan Chen spotted the two dumbfounded faces next to them.
He swallowed hard, realizing he couldn’t scold Lux like this in front of outsiders.
Pursing his lips, Ruan Chen said in a rapid whisper, “I didn’t want to kiss you. I just lost a bet.”
Lux, however, didn’t care at all and let out an “Mm,” asking, “Then where did you originally plan to kiss me? Want to try again?”
Ruan Chen thought, “?”
Lux looked innocent. “I promise absolutely not to move this time.”
Ruan Chen thought, “???”
His face flushed bright red. “I…”
The door was pushed open as a merman waiter carrying the dishes walked in, interrupting Ruan Chen’s sudden urge to scratch him that had rushed straight to his brain.
“Hello, all your dishes have been served. Please enjoy your meal.”
The merman waiter finished speaking with a smile, only to find that no one in the room was paying attention to him. The pair across from him—a human and a merman—were both staring intently behind him.
He looked down and heard the human sitting nearby let out a rapid succession of sharp “meow meow meow ows.” The tiny face was so red it looked ready to bleed, seemingly both embarrassed and annoyed, yet still holding back from throwing a real tantrum. The sight made the waiter’s heart skip a beat from the sheer cuteness.
So adorable.
He wanted to steal another closer look, but suddenly ran right into a pair of pale gold eyes. The pupils were slightly constricted into vertical slits—a posture assumed when encountering an enemy.
In an instant, the merman waiter felt the blood run cold in his veins, his instincts screaming at him to flee.
By the time he blinked again, the merman across from him had already averted his gaze, turning back to coax his human.
Stiff all over, the merman waiter swam out of the room and let out a long sigh of relief.
He knew some merfolk were extremely possessive of their partners, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone issue a warning just for a single glance.
The merman waiter suddenly came to his senses. Golden eyes… wasn’t that Admiral Lux?
—
Inside the private room, Lux spent quite a while coaxing Ruan Chen, who managed not to lose his temper in front of his friend.
Yet the sensation of having just kissed the corner of Lux’s mouth lingered on his lips like a brand, refusing to fade.
While Ruan Chen was still silently brooding, Lux had already peeled a few delicious shrimp and crabs from the platter.
As soon as he looked up, a morsel of sweet, white meat was presented right at his mouth.
Ruan Chen was used to being fed on regular days, so without even thinking, he leaned in and ate it right from Lux’s hand.
Along with it, he held out his tiny hands. “Help me get a hand sanitizer bead.”
Instead of bringing the small jar over, Lux took out a single bead, dissolved it, and carefully cleaned both of Ruan Chen’s small hands for him.
With his hands held by Lux, Ruan Chen felt the merman’s moderate pressure massaging his palms. It felt very comfortable, and he couldn’t help but sway his legs.
After a few seconds of squeezing, he looked up and caught Joshua’s gaze, which had been resting on them the entire time.
Joshua had a look that said, “I knew it.”
Ruan Chen thought, “…”
Pulling his hands back now would only make it look even more suspicious, so Ruan Chen could only lower his head and pretend the eye contact just now had never happened.
The tips of his ears hidden beneath his black hair turned red silently.
“All done.” Lux hadn’t noticed the minor dynamic over here yet, and pushed a small plate of peeled shrimp and crab meat in front of Ruan Chen. “Will Ruan Ruan eat by himself?”
Ruan Chen pulled the plate a bit closer. “I don’t want you to feed me.”
Having said that, as if drawing a clear line, he shifted his chair half a step to the side.
Seeing Ruan Chen’s awkward, petty expression, Joshua almost burst out laughing and quickly covered it up with a cough.
“Really don’t want it?” Lux still had the largest crab claw left in his hand. With a slight exert of force, he cracked it open and used a utensil to pick out the intact, tender meat.
Ruan Chen’s nose twitched a few times.
The sweet aroma made his mouth water.
Lux chuckled softly. “The crab claw tastes better than what’s on your plate.”
Ruan Chen’s throat moved slightly.
Lux redoubled his efforts to coax him. “Really, it’s the last piece. I won’t feed you after this, be good.”
This kind of tone made the back of Ruan Chen’s head feel numb.
Lux looked like he wouldn’t leave until he ate it, and the other two pairs of eyes made his ears burn even hotter.
“You’re so annoying…” Ruan Chen knitted his brows, gripped his fork tightly, turned his head swiftly, and swept the piece of crab meat into his mouth with the tip of his tongue.
“Hugh…” Joshua’s eyes were full of envy. “I want to eat crab claws too, you never actively peel them for me.”
Ruan Chen closed his mouth, chewing the piece of crab meat viciously out of spite, as if it were Lux himself.
“By the way, Ruan, do you guys have any plans after dinner?” Joshua asked him, glancing at Lux again.
Ruan Chen swallowed the crab meat. “I don’t. As for him, I have no idea.”
Lux followed up with an answer very quickly: “I don’t either. I’ll do whatever he wants.”
Ruan Chen thought, “…”
“That’s perfect then.” Joshua put down his utensils. “Hugh and I booked the shooting range here. I’ve never experienced it before and wanted to go check it out. Ruan, do you guys want to come along?”
Ruan Chen’s eyes lit up.
It was his favorite activity, bar none.
“He wants to go.” Before Ruan Chen could speak, he heard Lux answer for him. “Please add two positions for us, I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Ruan Chen’s lips parted slightly.
Lux had already transferred the money to Houston before he could speak, turning his head to blink at him. “The shooting range here is different from the one on the battleship, it’s also very fun. Want to go experience it?”
The merman’s eyes carried a strong desire to please him.
“…Fine then.” Ruan Chen kept his face taut. “I’ll play with you just this once.”
With his mind set on playing, his eating speed picked up considerably.
Whether it was his imagination or not, once they reached the shooting range, Ruan Chen constantly felt like there were eyes faintly sizing them up from their direction.
Lux looked like he wasn’t a first-time visitor. Leading Ruan Chen along, he fetched a set of protective gear and two laser guns.
“The laser guns here aren’t lethal, and they feel much lighter than the ones on the battleship.” He handed a laser gun to Ruan Chen. “Ruan Ruan, hold this for me for a moment.”
Ruan Chen took it and held it in his arms.
Lux put the human-exclusive protective gear on him. Because Ruan Chen was small in stature, they used the smallest size available, but since his head and face were so small, the helmet was still a bit too large.
“Is it blocking your eyes?” Lux adjusted it and asked him.
Ruan Chen pushed the front brim of the helmet upward slightly. “It’s fine.”
With a smile, Lux tightened the elastic strap a bit more, which finally managed to expose his eyes.
“Although these guns aren’t very powerful, the way to use them is pretty much the same.” Holding Ruan Chen halfway in his arms, he adjusted his posture. “Do you still remember how I taught you to use the laser cannon last time?”
“I remember.” Ruan Chen naturally liked firearms themselves. “Left hand grips here?”
Lux nodded. “Right.”
While they were still in the middle of teaching, Joshua next to them couldn’t wait to get his hands on it and fired a shot right away.
With a soft thud, the simulated bullet accurately embedded itself into the wall beside them.
The machine’s voice notification stated coldly, “Missed target.”
“Ruan…” Joshua swam over to their side. “How do you operate this? I don’t know how, and Hugh doesn’t seem to know much either.”
Houston scratched his head in slight embarrassment. “I’ll go get a coach.”
Just as Ruan Chen was about to speak, a sudden commotion broke out nearby.
He turned his head and found a group of young merfolk surging toward them. “Admiral Lux…”
“It’s him, it’s really him, and that human too, absolutely no doubt about it.”
“Defeating the Zerg, that’s truly amazing!”
Faint murmurs of discussion carried over.
In the blink of an eye, Ruan Chen found himself surrounded along with Lux by those merfolk wearing military academy uniforms.
“Admiral Lux, I admire you so much. May I please have an autograph?” A merman held up his optical computer.
Seeing him do this, the other merfolk also held up their optical computers in front of them.
Ruan Chen was jostled slightly, but was quickly picked up by Lux and shielded in his arms.
“Admiral Lux…”
The calling voices around them were continuous, soon alerting security.
The military academy students were held back and sternly warned not to cause a disturbance, which finally allowed Ruan Chen to stand back on the range.
To appease these young military academy students, Lux still agreed to leave a few electronic autographs for them under the warm invitation of the range manager.
Ruan Chen took a few glances at those merfolk who practically had admiration written all over their faces.
A few of the merman students were even more excited, their faces flushed, their eyes looking ready to emit light.
Joshua leaned next to him. “After defeating the Zerg this time, Admiral Lux is the grand hero in the hearts of all the merfolk on Ocean Planet.”
Ruan Chen had seen with his own eyes just how hard and diligently Lux had worked back at Base X.
He raised his chin, assumed his posture, and took aim. The corners of his mouth pursed a few times, yet he couldn’t suppress them from rising. “He really is amazing.”
Joshua smiled. “Help me get an autograph for Hugh in a bit, he’s been talking about it for a long time.”
This was a small matter. Ruan Chen nodded and agreed on Lux’s behalf. “Sure.”
Lux didn’t stay over there for long. After picking out a few of the frontmost merfolk to sign for, he quickly hurried back to continue teaching Ruan Chen how to shoot.
“Where were we just now?” He placed his hand gently on the human’s shoulder.
Ruan Chen raised his head, wanting to say “You don’t need to teach me, I know how myself,” when another excited voice carried over to his ear: “Admiral Lux, Admiral Lux, I’m Cooper, I’ve admired you for a very long time…”
The merman spoke extremely fast, and it was obvious his emotions were running very high.
He wasn’t part of that group of military academy students, but rather another customer who had come to the shooting range, which was why he hadn’t been turned away.
Cooper had a look of anticipation, his eyes fixed tightly on Lux. “Admiral, it’s also my first time coming here to play with laser guns. I tried many times just now but failed to hit the target. I heard that you kept the highest record of hitting every single target during your time at the military academy. Could you please… teach me too?”
Afraid he would refuse, Cooper’s hand holding the laser gun was trembling. “Just once is fine, I learn very fast.”
Teach him?
Ruan Chen looked back at the posture between himself and Lux.
While it couldn’t be considered overly intimate, it inevitably involved some holding and embracing.
The merman named Cooper had his entire face and neck flushed red, his eyes carrying some emotions other than admiration. Ruan Chen pinched the gun stock upon seeing this.
Following that, he heard Lux let out a chuckle, leaning down to press close to his ear. “Does Ruan Ruan want me to teach him?”
“…” Ruan Chen’s hand shook as he pulled the trigger.
“Bullseye!”
He turned his head, his tone a bit fierce: “Whatever you want. The one he admires is you, why are you asking me?”
Lux said in a low voice, “You can control me, you call the shots.”
Ruan Chen nearly pulled the trigger again.
His face felt hot, but the anger stirred up by that kissing mishap earlier hadn’t completely dissipated yet.
Ruan Chen kept his expression rigid. “Go ahead and teach him then, who told you to be so popular.”
Lux let out an “Oh,” sounding a bit downcast. “Then I’m really going?”
Ruan Chen stared at the ground without making a sound.
Seeing that he didn’t speak, Lux stood up his tail and let go of Ruan Chen. Seeing this, Cooper happily prepared to swim in front of another target. “That’s wonderful, Admiral Lux, I will definitely treasure this memory dearly…”
Just as Lux was feigning to swim over to Cooper’s side, he suddenly felt the hem of his top being tugged.
He looked down.
Ruan Chen buried his head, his eyelids also drooping, his tone stiff: “…You’re not allowed to go.”
Lux raised an eyebrow, a smile already present in the depths of his eyes.
“I didn’t learn it just now.” Ruan Chen gripped that small clump of fabric tightly in his hand. “Teach me again.”
As luck would have it, Lux’s optical computer popped up at this moment, loudly translating his words via voice function to the surrounding merfolk.
Ruan Chen’s brain felt numb.
“You, didn’t you just shoot pretty accurately…” Cooper murmured in slight confusion.
Hearing him speak, Ruan Chen almost lost his composure completely. His face turned red all at once, yet his gaze remained fixed locked onto Lux as he pursed his lips and said fiercely, “If I say I don’t know how, then I don’t know how. Are you going to teach me or not?”
Lux’s smile widened as he very submissively put his arms back around him. “Just teasing you. I’ll only teach you. However long you want to learn, that’s how long I’ll teach you.”
