I Woke Up To Find Myself Being Kept By A Mermaid – CH48

Chapter 48

Ruan Chen leaned against the window of the flying shuttle, watching Lux converse with the Imperial Family alongside several other high-ranking military generals.

He didn’t spot the purple-tailed merman who had provoked him several times before—that brainless Prince Thayn.

After wrapping up the public address to the citizens on stage with the Imperial representatives, Lux stole a glance in his direction and began swimming back toward the shuttle.

Ruan Chen quickly shrank back from the window and sat up perfectly straight in his chair.

“Ruan, honestly, this still depends on your own wishes,” Joshua leaned over and whispered. “If you really can’t accept it, you can talk it out properly with Admiral Lux and reject him.”

Ruan Chen: “…”

I’ve already been hoodwinked by him into nodding my agreement.

What made him feel the most mortified wasn’t even that. It was the fact that when he had agreed… seeing Lux look so ecstatic, he had actually thought spending a festival together sounded quite nice, since it was just a matter of keeping him company.

But now that he knew the truth, Ruan Chen completely could not look at the so-called Mate Festival with a straight face anymore.

A bold idea began to coalesce in his mind.

Ruan Chen asked tentatively, “If I agree but then don’t actually go through with it, what will happen?”

Joshua paused. “Uh… nothing much, probably.”

Ruan Chen’s eyes lit up.

Then he heard Joshua add, “The consequence would just be the merman having a mental riot once? I’ve never seen Houston have a mental riot, but from his description, it might be kind of like a headache. He said as long as it doesn’t happen frequently, they can just grit their teeth and bear it. Either way, it won’t have any impact on you.”

“…” Ruan Chen deflated. “I see.”

“Ruan Ruan.” Before he could think it through further, Lux had already returned.

Ruan Chen’s body went rigid. “Ah?”

The merman had already familiarly bent down to scoop him into his arms. “Everything is handled. Since we still have some time, let’s head to the Royal Breeding Center for a mental energy evaluation, shall we?”

Ruan Chen’s attention wasn’t on the words he was saying at all.

He realized that the moment he saw Lux lean down to pick him up, his body had immediately opened his arms to cooperate with the motion. It had practically become a subconscious habit.

When he didn’t respond for a long moment, Lux lowered his head. “Ruan Ruan?”

Ruan Chen snapped out of his daze. “What? What mental energy evaluation?”

Amused by his tense little expression, Lux smiled as he repeated, “A mental energy evaluation. I submitted a request earlier for the Imperial Family to elevate your security level, remember?”

Hearing him put it that way, Ruan Chen relaxed slightly. “Oh…”

He had almost let slip a sentence like I don’t want to have a mental blend with you. Thank goodness he had stalled and hadn’t said it aloud.

Otherwise, he would have totally humiliated himself.

Griping Lux’s clothes, he shifted slightly, pursed his lips, and said, “Then let’s go do the evaluation. They won’t make things difficult for us, will they?”

“They won’t,” Lux replied calmly. “With me around, no one here dares to make things difficult for you.”

The voice sounded right above Ruan Chen’s head, low and deep, making his ears itch slightly.

It originally wasn’t a big deal, but the next second, he caught sight of Joshua winking and making faces at him.

Ruan Chen: “…”

He turned his head away and kept his expression rigid. “Don’t talk big.”

“I’m not talking big.” Lux nodded to Joshua and the others in greeting, then said in a voice only Ruan Chen could hear, “Protecting my partner is my mission.”

“I didn’t say I agreed to be your partner.” Ruan Chen’s ears tingled. “Don’t misinterpret my meaning. I’m just spending a festival with you, that’s all.”

After saying that, he added a threat: “If you keep talking nonsense like that, I’ll back out.”

If things look bad when the time comes, I’ll be ready to bolt at any moment. Ruan Chen calculated in his head.

The merman fell into a suspicious silence for a few seconds upon hearing this.

Then, he smiled faintly. “Alright, then protecting Ruan Ruan is my mission.”

Ruan Chen: “…”

I can’t be bothered to deal with you.

The Royal Human Breeding Center was somewhat different from the other four breeding centers; they weren’t responsible for awakening humans, and there were barely any researchers here.

After listening to Lux’s explanation, Ruan Chen felt that it was more like an association. It was only responsible for grading the other human breeding centers and allocating research funds based on the evaluations.

Aside from that, all conclusive examinations had to be conducted here.

Only the examination results provided by the Royal Breeding Center would be recognized; those from other breeding centers didn’t count.

Ruan Chen sneered at this.

Wasn’t this a classic case of holding onto power without doing any actual work?

Upon arriving at the venue, Lux’s subordinates were all barred outside. He accompanied Ruan Chen into the main hall and found that quite a number of people from the Imperial Family had gathered—even the King had been alarmed.

Ruan Chen felt a bit nervous, but Lux didn’t even seem to bother with superficial courtesy like bowing to the royals.

“Admiral Lux, you cannot accompany him during the evaluation,” the evaluator stepped forward and said.

Lux stated, “I need to ensure his safety.”

“The evaluation won’t go wrong. As long as the responsible mermen are present, it will be fine. Why are you going in there to cause trouble?” The Merman King sounded vaguely displeased.

But Lux completely refused to buy into it. “My human must remain within my line of sight.”

“You…” The old duke beside them couldn’t hold back anymore. “Could your human really experience an issue right under the noses of so many guards? This is one of the highest security areas!”

Lux gave him a cold, sidelong glance. The old duke immediately shrank his neck, yet he still couldn’t swallow his anger. “Are you implying that you suspect the Imperial Family will do something to your human?”

The corners of Lux’s lips curved slightly. “I have never said such a thing.”

“You! You are simply…” The duke pointed a sharp claw at them.

Ruan Chen knitted his brows and turned his face away. Lux immediately shielded the back of his head with his palm, drawing him into his chest and rubbing gently to comfort him.

“Enough!” The Merman King interrupted him. “Then you can go in with him and see with your own eyes whether anything goes wrong.”

The way he said it made it sound as if Lux and Ruan Chen were the ones in the wrong.

Ruan Chen clutched Lux’s shoulder, feeling a bit uncomfortable in his heart.

Lux cast an indifferent glance at the Merman King, then carried Ruan Chen and followed the evaluator.

As they passed the members of the Imperial Family, Ruan Chen’s ears twitched, catching some whispered murmurs.

“Too arrogant.”

“Just because he won a single victory, he doesn’t even respect the King.”

“If this keeps up, Ocean Planet will end up entirely in his pocket.”

“I’ve never seen a military commander more insolent than him.”

Ruan Chen looked up.

Lux had clearly heard what these mermen said as well, but he seemed completely used to it, not even giving them a single extra glance.

They were still on someone else’s turf, and they truly needed the Imperial Family’s evaluation results, so they couldn’t openly break ties just yet.

Ruan Chen furrowed his brows tightly. Quietly poking his small head out from Lux’s shoulder, he flipped the middle finger at that group of mermen.

A bunch of idiots.

Once I get the evaluation results, your doom will come.

The mental energy evaluation went unexpectedly smoothly. With Lux watching from the side, the evaluators’ hands were practically trembling as they held the instruments.

A moment later, the evaluator transmitted the test data from the optical computer to Lux and the other mermen. “This human’s mental energy is indeed at a high level. We detected that the mental energy pollution caused by the Zerg recedes rapidly under the influence of his mental energy, and can even be completely cured.”

After listening to the report, the Merman King let out a lukewarm “Mm.” “Then let it be as you wish.”

Now that the evaluation results certified by the Royal Breeding Center were in hand, even he had no way to stop Lux from elevating Ruan Chen’s security level anymore.

Having secured the certified results, Lux carried Ruan Chen, preparing to leave.

As they passed the members of the Imperial Family once again, the duke from earlier whispered into another merman’s ear, “His human still looks like he’s only in the preliminary stage of transformation after all this time. He probably doesn’t like him at all…”

“Yeah, with a personality like his, we can’t wait to stay far away from him. It’s even more impossible for him to win a human’s favor.”

Ruan Chen couldn’t take it anymore. Propping himself up against Lux’s shoulder, he straightened his upper body and tapped open the translation function of his optical computer.

“Ruan Ruan?” Lux almost failed to support him.

“You, yes, you.” He pointed a finger straight at the merman duke and curled his finger. “What are you muttering over there? Do you have the guts to repeat what you just said out loud?”

The duke hadn’t expected a human to dare to make such a move.

He indeed didn’t dare to actually repeat those words in front of Lux. For a moment, he was left speechless, his face turning entirely pale and blue.

Ruan Chen wrapped an arm around Lux masterfully. Under the merman’s astonished gaze, he said to the group of Imperial mermen, “Who told you he hasn’t won my favor?”

He intentionally hugged Lux very tightly and raised his chin. “If I don’t like a merman like him who can win battles on the front lines and coax me to be happy at home, could it be that I’d like insidious little fish like you who only dare to secretly talk bad and play tricks behind people’s backs?”

Ruan Chen patted Lux’s shoulder. “He’s a model partner, the kind who can casually walk down the street and have fanboys and fangirls chasing him down for autographs, understand?”

After speaking, Ruan Chen turned to look at the duke from earlier. “What are you staring at me for? Weren’t you quite articulate just now? Why aren’t you continuing?”

Merman Duke: “…”

He had always been the object of adoration; when had he ever suffered this kind of grievance?

The expressions of several Imperial Family members turned wonderfully complex for a moment, and a vein practically popped on the merman duke’s forehead.

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out again, Lux caught Ruan Chen’s tiny hand and pulled him back into his embrace.

He raised his eyes, and a cold, violent wave of mental energy surged forth from him as the center, sweeping over the mermen.

The Imperial Family members present immediately felt a needle-like pain and pressure, and the words that had rushed to the merman duke’s throat were forced right back down.

The Merman King was the only one who showed a mild reaction, yet his face was as dark as a block of ice.

After a long silence, he finally squeezed out a sentence: “Enough, what is the meaning of all this bickering? Freeman, apologize to Lux.”

“Your Majesty, I…” The duke named Freeman wanted to say something more, but Lux’s mental energy was simply too terrifying.

His lips trembled for a long time. “Very… very sorry, Admiral Lux.”

Lux let out an “Mm.” “Apologize to him, not to me.”

“…” Freeman gritted his teeth. “I’m sorry, to this… partner of Lux. I have offended you, please accept my apologies.”

Ruan Chen raised his face proudly, mimicking the airy tone his grandfather used to scold him with: “Fine, seeing how sincerely you’ve repented, we won’t hold it against you. Remember to go back and reflect on yourself properly.”

After they left, Duke Freeman almost entirely fainted from anger.

Back on the flying shuttle, Lux set Ruan Chen down, smiling with immense joy. “Thank you, Ruan Ruan, for defending me.”

“…” Ruan Chen’s lower legs swayed, and he turned his head away. “They were talking about you like that. If word got out, it would humiliate me too.”

Lux’s eyes were still shining brightly. “I can do more than just coax Ruan Ruan to be happy.”

The tips of Ruan Chen’s ears began to grow hot. “Don’t give you an inch and you take a mile, I was just…”

Before he could finish, Lux drew close to his ear and murmured in a low voice, “Your clothing, food, safety, and happiness—as long as it’s something you want, I will give it to you.”

The merman’s voice was quite a bit lower than usual. He was truly happy, and the words he spoke seemed to carry a searing heat.

Ruan Chen’s heart gave a sudden thud, as if scalded by his words, and his face instantly turned bright red. “You are not allowed…”

“Hmm?”

“You are not allowed to always say these… weird things!” he snapped in embarrassment.

Lux blinked. “But I like you, so I just want to say it to you.”

Ruan Chen: “…”

He stiffly shifted the topic: “I’m hungry, let’s hurry back, I want to eat.”

Lux chuckled softly. “As you command!”

Counting the days on his fingers, Ruan Chen still saw the Mate Festival arrive a few days later.

Ever since he had spoken those words at the Royal Breeding Center, he could clearly feel that the merman had become even more dependent on him.

Or perhaps it was because the Mate Festival was approaching; just as Joshua had said before, the merman would display a need for his partner.

Although it hadn’t reached that kind of need yet, Ruan Chen, who already knew the truth, still spent every day on pins and needles.

Yet he couldn’t make it too obvious, to avoid letting the merman detect anything unusual.

Lux had gone to the military headquarters early in the morning, saying he needed to finalize the details regarding elevating Ruan Chen’s security level.

Ruan Chen sat alone on the sofa, waiting for him to return.

As time ticked away, the words Joshua and Kurt’s partner had spoken echoed repeatedly in his ears.

Unable to bear it, he rubbed his face aggressively.

Ruan Chen opened his optical computer and searched for content related to the Mate Festival.

The search results shared things on an even grander scale. With a red face, he looked through a few, but the more he looked, the more he felt he couldn’t handle it, so he shut down the computer.

With Lux…

Deep communication.

No way.

Ruan Chen felt he still couldn’t accept it.

Why not just slip out?

Once he dragged himself through this single day, he could just say he… went to visit a netizen’s house.

It was only for one day anyway. If he wasn’t physically present, Lux wouldn’t be able to do anything to him.

Making a prompt decision, Ruan Chen packed a few cans of food and drinks into a small travel pack, slung it over his back, and bolted from the house.

The merman guards at the entrance noticed him and were just about to stop him, but Ruan Chen gave them a sweet smile and let out a few “meow meow” sounds, successfully pulling the wool over their eyes instantly.

Running out of Lux’s residence, Ruan Chen found a secluded little shop and sat down in a corner.

He wanted to message Joshua to ask if he could take him in for a day, but then he immediately remembered that Joshua also had to accompany his partner…

At a time like this, how would the other person have the time to entertain a third wheel like him?

It was a bit frustrating.

Ruan Chen ruffled his hair.

[Lux: Ruan Ruan.]

[Lux: Where did you go?]

The moment the message popped up, Ruan Chen nearly jumped right off his chair.

In a flurry, he turned off his optical computer.

How was he so fast?

His appearance was simply too conspicuous, and passing mermen kept glancing in his direction.

Ruan Chen shrank further back into his seat.

After sitting for another ten minutes or so, Ruan Chen’s hair had practically been clawed into a bird’s nest by himself.

Lux’s message notifications kept chiming continuously.

He didn’t dare to look at them at all.

Lux must be worried sick.

Would he get so anxious that he’d experience a mental riot…

Once this thought cropped up, it was like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, impossible to stop.

The scene from his dream where Lux painfully endured a mental riot was suddenly remembered in perfect detail, spinning around in Ruan Chen’s mind.

If a mental riot happened too many times without a human to soothe it, it seemed they could actually die.

The message notifications on the optical computer stopped.

Five minutes later, Ruan Chen couldn’t stay put any longer.

He had to go back and check. In case Lux really died at home because no one was there to soothe him…

He pushed off the chair and shot rapidly toward the storefront, pulling open the door and rushing out.

“Hey, you forgot to take your things!” The shop assistant called out, holding a bag of human-exclusive cans and a few small milk bottles, looking completely bewildered.

He didn’t run into Lux on the road. Ruan Chen glanced at the flying shuttle and confirmed that the merman hadn’t left the house.

He stopped at the entrance, his throat swallowing hard.

As if detecting his presence here, the main door suddenly swung open.

Ruan Chen looked up, running right into Lux’s pair of golden eyes.

The merman’s lips were pressed into a perfectly straight line, and his pale gold eyes were completely devoid of emotion.

“Lu… Lux…” Ruan Chen felt guilty. “I just… went out for a stroll… Ah!”

Before the words fully left his mouth, he was forcefully pulled inside the door by the merman.

Lux’s movement was too fast; by the time Ruan Chen saw clearly, he had already been pinned down onto the clam bed.

“Ruan Ruan…” The merman’s golden eyes narrowed into slits as he sniffed near his neck, seemingly confirming his scent.

Ruan Chen didn’t dare to move a muscle.

A moment later, Lux raised his head from the crook of his neck, gently pinched his chin to force him to meet his gaze, and asked in a dangerous tone, “Why did you run?”

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