I Woke Up To Find Myself Being Kept By A Mermaid – CH46

Chapter 46

Lux’s residence was located inside the military headquarters. As the flying shuttle entered the premises, merman soldiers and officers recognized them along the way, saluting toward their direction from afar.

Ruan Chen looked out the window. He was originally curious about the merman soldiers, but accidentally caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the glass.

Holding the bouquet, his eyes, cheeks, and ears were all slightly flushed, standing out vividly against his fair skin.

Ruan Chen froze for a few seconds.

Then, he abruptly snapped his head back, only to immediately remember that Lux was right to his left.

Left with no choice, he braced his body, sat upright, and stared straight ahead.

“Anticipation,” Lux said suddenly.

Ruan Chen’s mind was already tightly strung, and he was nearly startled by the sudden voice. “W-what?”

The corners of Lux’s lips curled up slightly as he pointed at the bouquet in his hands. “Its meaning is anticipation.”

Having said that, the flying shuttle entered the docking bay, and he stood up to move to the pilot seat to operate the controls.

Ruan Chen lowered his head. The flower-like algae swayed slowly in the water currents.

Two of the pistils had become tangled together. Ruan Chen reached out and gently separated them.

They felt very soft to the touch, just like the tone Lux had used when speaking just now.

He gripped the packaging tightly.

Anticipation.

Anticipating what?

The answer was staring him right in the face.

Sitting in his seat, the heat that had just receded a bit flared up on Ruan Chen’s cheeks once more.

Upon returning home, Ruan Chen dumped the bouquet onto the living room table and rushed straight back to his room without another word. He dove into his little conch bed and even shut the lid over it for good measure.

Lux followed him inside, only to catch a glimpse of the tightly sealed conch.

It practically had “refusing to communicate” written all over it.

He raised an eyebrow, walked over, and tapped the conch shell. “Ruan Ruan?”

No response.

The space inside the conch bed wasn’t small even after closing the outer shell, allowing Ruan Chen to curl up inside and play on his optical computer.

Only after confirming the merman wasn’t by the bed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

The screen of the optical computer lit up the inside of the conch bed brightly.

Ruan Chen stared blankly at his chat logs with Joshua for a few seconds, only to realize that he had somehow opened his private chat with Lux without even realizing it.

He paused, resolutely backed out of the chat, lowered his arms, and stared blankly at the top of the conch bed.

Back in the flying shuttle, after Lux had said those words, he had practically forced himself to hold back so his voice wouldn’t betray any abnormalities.

But while expressions and words could be faked, the reaction in one’s heart could not be hidden.

The merman had sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, seemingly trying his best to warm him up and give him something to lean on.

Mindful of his emotions, Lux hadn’t gotten touchy-feely like before. He had sat properly and remained quiet.

The laughter, joy, and brilliant lights outside the window suddenly lost the appeal they had held at the very beginning.

That trace of loneliness vanished along with them.

Ruan Chen had adapted to life with his grandfather since he was very young. With a generational gap between them, and being different from other kids, he usually had to digest his worries all by himself in silence.

Drawing a pair of parents on the dirt ground of the large courtyard and imagining what they looked like was his way of self-healing.

He would just curl up like a cat, and he would be fine after a while.

But today was different. For the first time, he had someone’s company.

Lux’s pair of pale gold eyes surfaced before him once again, and even the sound of his voice seemed to linger right beside his ears. The space inside the flying shuttle was small, making the voice sound soft and gentle, sending a wave of warmth right down to the tips of his ears.

Ruan Chen closed his eyes, forcing his chaotic thoughts to recede.

He blew a bubble into the water, reopened his optical computer, and found that Joshua had sent a bunch of new messages.

[Joshua: Ruan, I found another shop on the way back, it had so many beautiful plants inside.]

[Joshua: I bought these.]

[Joshua: [Image] [Image], pretty, right?]

Ruan Chen clicked them open and scrolled through. They were indeed very beautiful plants. Most were similar to the one he liked—algae that looked exactly like flowers—along with some green plants that resembled vines.

[Ruan Ruan: Pretty.]

[Joshua: You finally replied.]

[Joshua: Did you just get home?]

[Ruan Ruan: Just arrived not long ago.]

[Joshua: Alright, the mall does seem a bit far from the military headquarters.]

[Joshua: I’m already planting these with Hugh.]

[Joshua: [Image], look!]

Ruan Chen knitted his brows.

[Ruan Ruan: Planting?]

[Ruan Ruan: You can plant these too?]

[Joshua: Yeah, the other fully grown ones were bought to be put in vases as decorations.]

[Joshua: But Hugh also bought a small box of seeds.]

[Joshua: He said he wanted to plant them together with me. The growth period takes one year. By the time I completely pass my transformation period, this seed will have grown up. It’ll be the witness of our time together.]

[Joshua: [Blushing], he’s really romantic.]

Ruan Chen’s hand typing on the screen shook slightly.

Seeds.

Lux had also said he bought a crate of… saplings.

The optical computer lit up again.

[Joshua: I think this meaning is really great. Ruan, you can also try bringing it up with Admiral Lux.]

[Ruan Ruan: Bring up what?]

[Joshua: Planting a plant together to witness your feelings!]

[Ruan Ruan: …]

[Ruan Ruan: He and I are different from the two of you.]

[Joshua: [Puzzled]]

[Ruan Ruan: Anyway… it’s just not necessary.]

Just as he finished typing and sent this sentence, another private chat notification popped up.

[Lux: Ruan Ruan.]

[Lux: I unboxed the crate of saplings. [Image]]

[Lux: Shall we plant them together?]

Ruan Chen: “…..”

He typed out [Plant it yourself], then deleted it.

After a moment, he typed [I’m going to sleep, let’s plant it another day]. After staring at it for a few seconds, he deleted it again.

A few seconds later, Ruan Chen tossed the lid aside and sat up from the conch bed.

Ruffling his hair aggressively, he resignedly turned off his optical computer, propped himself up to crawl out, and swam toward the living room.

An exquisite incubation vase sat on the coffee table in the living room, containing a small amount of sand and pebbles.

Two saplings were placed beside it, looking very delicate.

Lux was still sitting on the sofa, typing away on his optical computer, not noticing him.

Ruan Chen approached and discovered that the screen showed their private chat window.

“…” He let out a soft cough. “Have you figured out how to plant them?”

Lux raised his head, blinked at him, thought for a moment, and said, “Not yet.”

Ruan Chen pouted. “Move aside a bit, let me take a look for you.”

He sat down beside Lux, adding, “Such tiny saplings, and your hands are all claws and fins. Don’t end up snapping them in two seconds.”

He only came out to help because of this, it had absolutely nothing to do with whether it was romantic or not.

Lux let out an “Mm” and smiled. “I won’t touch the saplings. I’ll help you smooth out the sand, and you can plant them.”

Ruan Chen stared for a few seconds at the tiny sprouts, which weren’t even as large as his fingernail.

As someone who had once managed to kill even a cactus, he didn’t feel very confident.

“There’s a tutorial here, take a look.” Lux moved the optical computer in front of him.

“Got it.” His inner thoughts exposed, Ruan Chen buried his head and picked up a tiny sapling. “Do your thing and leave me alone, I know how to plant it.”

“Alright.”

Ruan Chen’s fingers trembled slightly as he peeled away the sapling’s packaging.

He swore he had never been this careful in his life.

With great effort, he finally finished unwrapping the two tiny sprouts. Turning his head to look, Lux had already arranged the sand inside the incubation vase, leaving a small hollow in the middle, waiting for him.

Ruan Chen held the saplings in his palm. His arms shook non-stop as he lowered them.

Amused by the sight, Lux wanted to reach out to help, but his hand was quickly pressed down by Ruan Chen’s small claw. “Don’t move!”

He knitted his brows, looking very solemn. “You’re too dangerous, stay away from them.”

The merman was held back and could only watch blindly, looking a bit aggrieved. “…I bought these.”

Since Ruan Chen had decided to plant these two little things, he would definitely take full responsibility for them to the end.

He shielded the front of the incubation vase. “Even if you bought them, it won’t do. Now that I’ve planted them, they’re under my care.”

Lux lost his laugh. “Alright.”

He looked again at the two unevenly planted saplings in the vase, pointing at the slightly taller one on the left. “This one is mine.”

After saying that, he pointed to the shorter one next to it. “This one is Ruan Ruan’s.”

Ruan Chen: “…”

Ruan Chen scooped up a mound of sand under the shorter sprout. “Fine then. My sprout will make a late comeback and will definitely grow stronger than yours.”

The merman disagreed with his words, insisting on making a bet with him.

Ruan Chen refused to back down either. The human and the merman labeled the two tiny sprouts “Lux” and “Ruan Ruan,” agreeing to record the growth status once a week, and neither was allowed to secretly add fertilizer.

Placing the incubation vase on top of the display cabinet right in the center of the living room, Ruan Chen looked at their masterpiece, actually feeling a tiny sense of achievement.

Before going to bed that night, Joshua posted the plant he and Houston had planted together in his personal space.

Moments later, Lux also posted an update. The picture showed the tiny saplings they had spent ages fussing over, and the caption was simply: “Anticipation.”

Ruan Chen stared at this new update for quite a while.

After a long time, his face flushed as he turned off his optical computer.

The next day.

Ruan Chen had done shooting and helped a merman pup find her father yesterday; his amount of exercise had seriously exceeded the limit, causing him to sleep straight through until noon.

Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, Lux hadn’t woken him.

Ruan Chen arrived in the living room, finding no sign of the merman.

His stomach rumbled with hunger. He ate two cans of food on his own, then approached the incubation vase with a straw in his mouth to check on the saplings.

The tiny sprout on the left labeled with Lux’s name really seemed to grow faster. Even though he had piled the sand higher, after one night, it had actually leveled up with the sprout on the right again.

Just as Ruan Chen reached out his hand, preparing to pile the sand under the right sprout a bit higher again, he heard the sound of Lux opening the door.

“Ruan Ruan, you’re awake?” The merman’s upper body was clad in his military uniform, looking like he had just returned from handling official business.

Ruan Chen let out an “Mm.” “Where did you go?”

“The battleship will arrive at Ocean Planet tonight,” Lux stated truthfully. “I went to the military headquarters to hand over some tasks. When we land, we might have to deal with the Imperial Family.”

Having won this battle, the merfolk were all very excited, and the Imperial Family wouldn’t pass up such a good opportunity to consolidate their position.

Of course, Lux wouldn’t easily let them snatch the credit away either.

He didn’t elaborate on these matters, glancing at the opened cans nearby, and asked Ruan Chen, “Are you full?”

Puzzled, Ruan Chen said, “Yes.”

Following that, he heard Lux say, “Rest for a bit, then head to the training hall to spar?”

After saying that, Lux smiled again. “I’ve admired Ruan Ruan’s combat skills for a long time since seeing them before.”

“…” Ruan Chen couldn’t handle compliments well. He bit down on his straw and agreed, “Sure.”

The training hall Lux spoke of was a private combat field inside his residence. It was a bit smaller than the one on the X-battleship, but it was fully equipped, and the floor was entirely covered with soft mats.

Having not fought for a long time, Ruan Chen warmed up on the spot.

The merman before him had already changed out of his military uniform, wearing only a well-fitting, highly stretchable undergarment that perfectly outlined the defined contours of his upper body muscles.

Comparing himself to Lux, Ruan Chen suddenly felt a bit inadequate.

But his pride wouldn’t allow him to show weakness in front of Lux.

Ruan Chen assumed a standard stance and curled his fingers at the merman. “Come.”

Lux retracted his usual playful smile, his pale gold eyes locking onto him instantly.

The tension of being targeted by a predator suddenly assaulted Ruan Chen’s brain.

The next instant, the water flow before him was abruptly sliced open, and the merman charged toward him with the speed of lightning—

Virtually by instinct, Ruan Chen twisted his waist and dodged to the side.

Missing the strike once, Lux didn’t pause.

Subjected to a continuous onslaught of rapid attacks, even though the merman was controlling his strength, Ruan Chen still gradually found himself stretched thin.

He also quickly entered the zone, his eyes opened wide as circles, trying to find a flaw on the merman’s body.

Suddenly, Ruan Chen’s eyes lit up.

He immediately reached out to grab at Lux’s unstable waist and abdomen, wanting to disrupt his footing.

Unexpectedly, the moment he moved, both of his arms were firmly caught by the merman.

Ruan Chen felt a bit annoyed. “Again, I didn’t perform well.”

Lux chuckled softly. Instead of letting him go, he flicked his tail fin, using the momentum to pin Ruan Chen onto the soft mat in this very position.

With his arms pinned high above his head, Ruan Chen grew alert. “What are you doing? You said it was a spar, you can’t…”

Lux lowered his eyelashes, gazing down at him with those pale gold eyes.

Ruan Chen swallowed hard.

“Ruan Ruan is so amazing,” the merman drew closer, his voice very low.

His words weren’t an exaggeration. Back at the military academy, the only one who could trade over a dozen moves with him was an old instructor.

Later, as his techniques grew sophisticated, no one could last this long under his hands.

He had long heard of the martial arts Ruan Chen displayed. Although there were only fragmented materials available, it still couldn’t deter the fanatic lovers of those combat techniques in the merman world.

Lux was one of them.

Being praised by him, the vigilance in Ruan Chen’s eyes dropped a bit. “This is called racial advantage, you’re bullying me. If you weren’t a merman, you definitely wouldn’t be able to beat me.”

Lux let out a low chuckle. “But I am a merman, so Ruan Ruan can only let me bully him.”

Ruan Chen: “…”

“Ruan Ruan.” Being very close in this position, the color of Lux’s eyes deepened. “Ruan Ruan is so beautiful.”

Ruan Chen’s soft body and his helpless state of being pinned in his arms without being able to resist triggered the deeply buried wild instincts in the merman’s bones.

Even the fins on the sides of the merman’s ears spread open along with it.

He was very excited.

Before Ruan Chen could analyze the meaning behind these words, he saw the merman lower his head.

He wanted to kiss him.

Ruan Chen: “!”

His eyes widened.

In a flash of lightning, Ruan Chen immediately twisted his head to one side.

Yet to his surprise, Lux stopped at a distance less than two fingers away from his lips.

He wasn’t going to kiss him.

Ruan Chen’s heart beat like a drum, his throat swallowing repeatedly from nervousness.

Lux gazed at him quietly for a few seconds.

He asked in a low voice, “Ruan Ruan, spend the Mate Festival with me, okay?”

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