Chapter 44
Seeing that smile, Ruan Chen immediately realized Lux had done that on purpose.
And yet, he had walked right into the trap.
“There are instructors over there, just call one over to teach you,” Joshua said as he swam over to Cooper after finishing a round. “They’re on a date, better not disturb them.”
A… date…
Ruan Chen’s expression stiffened even further.
Cooper let out an “Ah,” calming down slightly. “S-Sorry…”
Ruan Chen’s mind was entirely consumed with how to settle the score with Lux, so he responded to the apology with a casual, distracted mutter.
Left with no face to stay in front of them any longer, Cooper made an excuse and hurriedly left.
“Ruan, he just lacks situational awareness, don’t mind him,” Joshua came over to comfort him. “Look at you, your face is completely red from anger. I’ll go get you some ice spheres to cool down.”
Lux said, “No need to trouble yourself, I’ll do it.”
Joshua immediately nodded. “Right, right, right, you comfort him. A single sweet word from you is ten thousand times more effective than ice spheres.”
Ruan Chen: “…”
He knew perfectly well that the burning heat on his face had absolutely nothing to do with that merman named Cooper.
A small part of it was annoyance from being tricked, but the vast majority was sheer embarrassment.
Lux knew that if he didn’t fix this now, he would push the teasing too far and genuinely upset him.
He smoothed a hand through Ruan Chen’s hair. “Ruan Ruan…”
“I don’t want you to teach me anymore!” Ruan Chen slapped his hand away.
When teasing him, Lux found him incredibly cute, but once he was truly ticked off, he was equally hard to coax.
The merman seized the opportunity to catch his tiny hand. “Don’t be angry. I’ll only teach you, no one else. Not even other merfolk.”
“Really, I’ve never taught anyone else but you.”
Ruan Chen tried to pull his arm away, but he couldn’t break free.
He snapped. “Liar. I don’t care about your teaching.”
Then he added, “And I don’t want you to comfort me either. Your words aren’t as effective as ice spheres.”
“Mm, I’m a liar,” Lux conceded smoothly, going along with his words. “I lied to Ruan Ruan, so I deserve some punishment.”
Ruan Chen: “?”
Ruan Chen: “What punishment?”
He thought to himself that this merman was actually quite cooperative; before he could even declare a penalty, Lux had proposed one himself.
Then he heard Lux murmur in a low voice, “Punish me by teaching Ruan Ruan one more time.”
Ruan Chen: “…”
Punish your head.
He knew it—no proper words could ever come out of Lux’s mouth.
“Go get me an ice sphere.” There were still plenty of merfolk lining up for lanes nearby. Mindful of his pride, Ruan Chen didn’t want to throw a tantrum in public.
Lux agreed very readily. “Alright, wait for me a moment.”
With Lux sent away, the heat on Ruan Chen’s face finally receded a little.
He turned his head and saw Joshua looking over, giving him a playful wink. “Ruan, Admiral Lux was definitely just messing around with you. He wouldn’t actually teach that merman from earlier, don’t be mad at him.”
“…I’m not angry because of that.” Since even Joshua had noticed, Ruan Chen felt even more embarrassed.
Joshua: “If you’re not mad at that merman, and you’re not mad because of Admiral Lux, then what exactly are you angry about?”
What was he angry about?
Ruan Chen experienced a moment of doubt himself.
After a long pause, he suppressed the faint sourness in his chest, pursed his lips, and said with total seriousness, “It’s because Lux did it on purpose. He just wanted to watch me swallow my pride and beg him, trying to make a fool out of me.”
Yes, it was definitely because of that.
The more he thought about it, the more flawless the logic felt. Anyone would be displeased after being played like that.
Joshua went blank.
“Ah… is, is that so?” He failed to form a response for several seconds.
Just then, Lux returned with the ice sphere. Swimming up to Ruan Chen’s side, he gently applied it to his face to soothe the flush. “Any better?”
“No, press it here.” Since Lux was acting so accommodating, Ruan Chen couldn’t bring himself to be fierce, though his tone remained cold.
Lux pressed the small ice sphere against his right cheek. “Here?”
The icy little ball against his burning skin felt incredibly comforting.
Ruan Chen lowered his eyes and let out an “Mm.”
Seeing that his anger seemed to have softened a bit, Lux leaned closer to whisper sweet nothings. “It was my fault just now. I shouldn’t have lied to Ruan Ruan.”
Ruan Chen’s hand holding the laser gun paused, but he didn’t reply.
Lux pressed on with his efforts. “Are you tired? Let me massage your shoulders. Stop being mad, okay?”
The pressure applied to his left shoulder was just right, kneading Ruan Chen into letting out a tiny, soft sigh of satisfaction.
“Should I use a bit more force?” Lux apologized tentatively.
Ruan Chen knew the merman was placating him.
But the feeling in his heart couldn’t lie; he thoroughly enjoyed this kind of pampering treatment from the merman.
He pushed the ice sphere aside, his lips moving slightly. “No need. Didn’t you say you were going to teach me? I want to learn again. Are you still going to teach me or not?”
Lux naturally agreed. “I am.”
In the adjacent lane, Joshua, who had taken in their entire conversation and subtle interactions, silently turned his head and exchanged a complex look with Houston.
Watching Lux cater to Ruan Chen so carefully, Houston also shrugged. “I think you misunderstood. They have a great relationship; he probably wasn’t genuinely angry just now.”
Joshua pouted. “I don’t get it.”
Maybe this is just a case of one person perfectly taming another, he thought.
They continued playing at the shooting range until late afternoon, when Lux received a video call from the battleship.
Ruan Chen saw the notification displayed on the optical computer. “Are they about to arrive?”
“It should be soon.” Lux pressed accept. “I need to step out for a bit, I’ll be right back.”
Coincidentally, Ruan Chen was feeling a bit tired. He put down the laser gun. Not wanting to disturb Joshua and Houston, who were acting all lovey-dovey nearby, he swam over to the lounge area on the other side and found an empty seat to sit down.
The shooting range was mostly frequented by young merfolk; the group of military academy students from earlier were the primary clientele.
The rest were young couples looking to enjoy some private time and physical closeness, though Ruan Chen only spotted two such pairs.
He was propping up his chin, watching another merman not far away land several consecutive bullseyes, when suddenly, his finger was poked by something soft.
Ruan Chen turned around.
A tiny, petite merman pup was staring at him with watery, light blue eyes.
Ruan Chen: “!”
Before he could even register the pleasant surprise, the next instant, the merman pup raised her chubby little hands and burst into tears with a loud wah.
Ruan Chen was shocked. “Meow ow???”
After speaking, he realized this little merman didn’t have a translation earpiece.
Ruan Chen brought up his optical computer and bent down. “Little one, why are you crying?”
The merman pup let out a tearful hiccup. Staring at the optical computer with a bit of curiosity, she temporarily stopped rubbing her eyes.
However, the curiosity only lasted for a few seconds before she pouted again. “You’re not my daddy…”
With that, she cried even more sorrowfully.
“…Did you get separated from your daddy?” Ruan Chen looked around the surroundings, feeling a bit helpless.
The merman pup whimpered, “Mm-mm, Daddy has black hair too.”
She raised her small face, looking at Ruan Chen expectantly.
Ruan Chen assumed she wanted him to take her to find her father, but instead, the little merman opened her mouth and asked, “Where did your daddy go? Are you lost too?”
Ruan Chen: “…”
Ruan Chen: “I…”
He lowered his head to look himself over.
Where do I look like a child??
Yet, seeing the little merman’s crystal-clear, large eyes, Ruan Chen’s annoyance instantly vanished into thin air.
She was just a child, after all. Children speak without filter.
He explained to the little merman with utmost seriousness, “I’m already an adult, I’m not lost.”
Unexpectedly, the moment he finished speaking, the little merman’s eyes rapidly welled up with tears again. “…So only I am lost… Ugh…”
“Don’t, don’t, don’t cry.” Ruan Chen was flustered. “Don’t cry, alright? I’ll take you to find your daddy, okay?”
The merman pup was incredibly stubborn. “I don’t believe you. You’re a child too, you must have sneaked out on your own!”
Ruan Chen found it impossible to defend himself. “…I’m not. I don’t have a tail. Look, I’m not a merman. I just… happen to look a tiny bit on the smaller side, that’s all.”
But he was still going to grow taller; he just hadn’t hit his growth spurt yet. Ruan Chen added in his mind.
After coaxing her gently for a long time, the little merman finally agreed to believe him. She extended her hands toward Ruan Chen. “Want a hug, I’m so tired.”
How did this brat manage to take a mile when given an inch?
Ruan Chen’s heart melted from her sheer cuteness. Unable to bear refusing her, he picked her up.
The merman was tiny, only reaching his waist, and since they were in the water, carrying her was effortless.
Except the little merman’s hands and tail wouldn’t stay still; her tail fin flapped back and forth, scratching against his legs and making him feel a bit ticklish.
Ruan Chen held her securely in his arms. “Don’t squirm.”
Though his words were scolding, his tone was softened completely, as if terrified of frightening the merman pup again.
The little merman wasn’t scared at all. Clutching Ruan Chen’s clothes, she giggled merrily. “You smell so nice.”
“…” Lux seemed to have said that before, too.
The little merman gasped in surprise again. “Ah, why are your ears red?”
Ruan Chen grasped her small hand. “Because you’re being naughty. If you don’t behave, I won’t hold you anymore.”
The little merman lowered her head meekly. “Alright then.”
She finally became a bit tamer, wrapping her tail fin around his waist and keeping still.
Ruan Chen glanced outside the doors of the shooting range but couldn’t find Lux.
He didn’t know where the merman had gone; he figured Lux might have found it too noisy here, or perhaps needed to discuss something rather important, so he had likely moved to a quiet place.
“Where did you get separated from your daddy?” Ruan Chen planned to return the little merman to her guardian first.
The little merman sucked her finger, appearing to try hard to recall. “Um… I don’t know…”
She was probably too young, and this place was vast with merfolk constantly passing by, so it was normal for her not to remember.
The little merman’s words were mumbled and ambiguous, but Ruan Chen didn’t feel impatient at all.
He swam outside and was nearly bumped into by a passing merman.
Ruan Chen quickly turned his body to shield the little merman in his arms.
“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Did I hit you guys?” That merman nervously steadied him. Upon realizing it was a human carrying a pup, a flush crept onto his face.
Ruan Chen had no time to deal with him, busy trying to find the little merman’s father.
He waved his hand. “It’s fine, no harm done.”
After that merman left, the merman pup whispered quietly into his ear, “You’re so fierce to him.”
Ruan Chen lowered his eyes. “Fierce?”
Children were very sensitive to emotions, capable of distinguishing good from bad perfectly clearly. “Yeah! Your voice is so soft when you talk to me, but so hard when you talk to him.”
“…” Ruan Chen pursed his lips. “My voice isn’t soft when I talk to you either.”
The merman pup knitted her brows. “It is soft!”
“You…” Ruan Chen didn’t want to argue with a brat. “Whatever you say. Did your daddy usually teach you where to go if you get lost?”
The merman world ought to have something like a service desk. He didn’t know where it was, but perhaps the little merman would.
“Um…” The merman pup pondered, then her eyes suddenly lit up. “I think there is one!”
Ruan Chen let out a sigh of relief. “Lead the way.”
Given that the little merman could get lost in the first place, Ruan Chen shouldn’t have blindly trusted her sense of direction.
Following the path she pointed out, they circled around the mall until his legs felt sore from swimming before he finally found the service desk he wanted.
It was just after the afternoon shift change, and the merman receptionist inside the service desk was leaning his head tiredly while playing on his optical computer.
Suddenly hearing a succession of “meow meow meow woo” sounds above his head, he looked up to find two solemn little faces staring down at him.
The receptionist nearly tumbled off his chair. “Ah—I, I, may I ask, you guys are…?”
Ruan Chen turned up the voice translation volume on his optical computer.
He enunciated clearly, “I want to help this little merman find her father.”
“Oh, oh, looking for your partner, right?” The receptionist practiced clicks on his optical computer efficiently and handed him a communicator.
“Not my partner,” Ruan Chen corrected. “She got separated from her dad. She’s not my child.”
The receptionist froze. “Oh… okay, alright. Please speak into this…”
Realizing Ruan Chen might face a language barrier, he turned to speak to the little merman, “Little one, what’s your name?”
The little merman clutched Ruan Chen’s arm tightly. “I-I won’t tell you. Daddy said I can’t tell other merfolk.”
“He’s here to help you find your daddy.” Ruan Chen brushed the slightly untidy golden hair behind her ear.
The little merman was like a porcelain doll. Only after hearing his words did she lower her guard slightly. “Daddy calls me Lucy.”
The receptionist spoke into the communicator, “We are broadcasting a lost-and-found announcement. Will the father of little Lucy please proceed immediately to the service center on the second floor upon hearing this notice. Your daughter is waiting for you.”
The broadcast played on loop several times.
Ruan Chen didn’t expect that the announcement would bring not only the little merman’s father, but also Lux, who had come intending to broadcast a missing person notice for him.
Seeing her father arrive, Lucy flicked her tail and shot right out of Ruan Chen’s arms. “Daddy!”
The little merman was gathered into the arms of the adult merman who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Her entire face was flushed with excitement, her eyes watery as she rubbed affectionately against him. “Daddy, what took you so long…”
Lucy’s father cast a grateful gaze toward Ruan Chen.
Ruan Chen nodded slightly.
The father lowered his head soothingly and pinched her cheek. “I’m sorry, it’s Daddy’s fault.”
“Then Daddy has to buy me a portion of jelly spheres to make up for it.” Lucy pouted.
“Alright, anything you want.” Lucy’s father carried her in his arms, swimming over to Ruan Chen to express his gratitude once again.
He wanted to treat Ruan Chen to a meal, but was turned down. “No need to treat me. Just take good care of Lucy next time.”
Before being carried away by her father, Lucy turned her body around, leaning on the merman’s shoulder to wave her small arm at Ruan Chen, then grinned and blew him a kiss.
Watching the silhouette of them leaving, Ruan Chen seemed to think of something, his gaze turning slightly distant.
“Ruan Ruan?” Lux’s calling voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “What’s wrong? Reluctant to let her go?”
Ruan Chen averted his eyes, hiding the emotion in his gaze. “No, I’m not.”
“Do you like babies?” Lux asked, drawing him into his arms.
Ruan Chen immediately shook his head. “I don’t! I’m not going to have babies for you.”
He reverted right back to his original fierce demeanor.
Yet the expression Ruan Chen had worn while looking at that merman father and daughter remained imprinted in Lux’s heart.
It looked… a bit envious and lonely, and perhaps… nostalgic.
It was a very endearing, heart-tugging look.
Lux’s heart melted completely. He reached down to grasp Ruan Chen’s hand. “No having babies, but I like babies.”
Ruan Chen: “Even if you like them, I won’t—”
“I like the baby Ruan Ruan.”
Ruan Chen’s words choked instantly in his throat.
He sputtered for a long time, his face turning visibly crimson. “You… I’m not a baby!”
“You’re disgusting!” This merman always managed to push the limits of human cheesiness.
Lux didn’t care about being scolded, letting out a low chuckle. “Mm, alright, you’re not a baby.”
Ruan Chen refused to acknowledge him anymore.
Lux held him a bit tighter, thinking for a moment. “Little Lucy gets jelly spheres as a reward, so what reward does the little Ruan Ruan want?”
