I Woke Up To Find Myself Being Kept By A Mermaid – CH49

Chapter 49

Ruan Chen’s eyes opened wide into perfect circles. “I…”

The distance between the merman and him was a mere few centimeters. He watched helplessly as Lux’s gaze shifted from meeting his eyes to slowly lowering his long eyelashes.

His eyes traveled all the way down from the bridge of his nose to his lips, and then stopped.

The memory of the last time he had been pinned down in the training hall like this was still fresh in his mind, and Ruan Chen instinctively sensed danger.

He bent his knee to press against Lux’s abdomen and argued deceptively, “I didn’t run. I just went out for a bit. Don’t tell me I don’t even have the right to leave the house?”

Lux finally pulled his attention back from his lips.

He said softly, “Then why didn’t you reply to my messages?”

Ruan Chen’s lips moved slightly. His mind was still spinning rapidly, trying to concoct another lie, when he heard Lux continue, “There are four fewer cans and three fewer bottles of drinks at home.”

Ruan Chen: “…”

How could this merman keep track of every single item in such a massive cabinet of canned snacks so clearly?

“That is your food intake for a whole day. Why did you take food out with you?” After Lux finished speaking, he waited for an explanation.

But Ruan Chen didn’t know how to open his mouth.

Only two thin tops separated Lux and him. The merman’s slightly cool body temperature and defined muscles could be felt with absolute clarity, and the fish tail pressing against his knee was harder than metal.

The size difference resulting from their racial advantage was simply too massive; Ruan Chen stood absolutely no chance of resisting.

Worse yet, he was completely in the wrong here—caught red-handed running away without a word.

“Ruan Ruan… give me an answer.” Failing to get a satisfactory response, Lux flicked his tail fin impatiently. It brushed against Ruan Chen’s ankle, creating a ticklish sensation.

He couldn’t help but shiver all over.

Ruan Chen tried to buy time. “Let go of me first. You’re crushing me, it’s uncomfortable.”

Lux’s lowered eyelashes trembled slightly.

After these few minutes, he had managed to regain a bit of his sanity, and his slit pupils softened considerably.

Holding the soft human in his embrace felt incredibly comforting. Lux stared at him for a few more seconds before reluctantly propping up his body to let him go.

Once released, Ruan Chen almost wanted to pull back to create more distance.

But the merman’s gaze remained fixed so tightly on him that he forced his legs to stay put.

Forget it.

I shouldn’t trigger him right now.

Otherwise, if I really trigger him into a state where something goes wrong… I’ll be the one suffering in the end. It’s not like I can beat him anyway.

Ruan Chen could only pretend to sit down across from Lux as if nothing had happened. After carefully analyzing the current situation, he decided to speak the truth: “I found out yesterday what happens during the Mate Festival.”

For a moment, Lux didn’t comprehend. “What?”

“…Don’t play dumb.” Ruan Chen regained his confidence at the thought of this. “I only agreed to it before because I didn’t know. If I had known you guys would… during the Mate Festival…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say those words. After sputtering for a long time, he muttered, “I wouldn’t have agreed to spend this festival with you.”

Lux listened and fell silent for a few seconds. “You could have discussed this with me.”

Ruan Chen looked at him in disbelief. “Discuss?”

Discuss what?

Once he was hoodwinked by the merman into a mental blend, whether Lux would even recognize him or listen to him would be entirely unknown. Based on what Joshua and Kurt’s partner had said, and given how much Lux liked him, there was no guarantee Lux wouldn’t force him to…

Ruan Chen thought of the public posts he had searched up on his optical computer; the explicit content on them made his ears burn hot. “You won’t even be able to control yourself after the mental blend, so how could I discuss it with you… I’m not stupid.”

Lux knitted his brows, looking somewhat hurt. “No matter what happens, I will never hurt Ruan Ruan.”

“You bit me the very first time we met!” Ruan Chen glared at him.

The merman, burdened by his prior record, instantly fell into silence.

Lux touched the tip of his nose and looked toward Ruan Chen. “That was the first time I heard your voice, and I had been enduring mental riots for decades, which is why I lost control.”

Ruan Chen narrowed his eyes suspiciously and didn’t reply.

Lux redoubled his efforts to coax him. “It’s different now. Look, since that time, I have never lost control again.”

“Back at Base X, your singing had such a powerful influence, yet I controlled myself too, didn’t I?”

That actually seems true.

The memory of his humiliating microphone-hogging behavior that day drained quite a bit of the anger out of Ruan Chen’s initial confrontation.

He pursed his lips. “That still doesn’t mean I can trust you completely.”

Lux blinked and asked softly, “Why?”

“You’re so strong. You can pin me down on the bed whenever you say so, just like back in the training hall.” Ruan Chen felt a wave of defensive embarrassment. “What if you really… lose control? Who am I supposed to go to for justice?”

The moment he finished speaking, he heard the merman let out an involuntary chuckle.

Ruan Chen bristled. “What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?”

Lux let out a soft cough and mumbled, “No, you’re entirely right. Ruan Ruan has a strong awareness of personal safety, which deserves praise.”

Ruan Chen: “?”

Who are you trying to placate?

Before he could lose his temper, he heard Lux add, “Actually, every merman is affected differently during the Mate Festival. Ruan Ruan ought to have a bit of faith in me; I won’t be influenced by mental energy so easily.”

“I have already experienced many mental riots, and I carried myself through all of them alone in the past,” the merman said calmly. “I am highly experienced in this regard and know how to keep myself under control.”

With things put that way, the vast majority of the anger Ruan Chen had failed to build up dissipated completely.

“Then…” Remembering the purpose of his frantic return, he asked hesitantly, “Can you manage on your own?”

Lux looked at him intently for a few seconds. “Ruan Ruan… can you really not trust me just this once?”

The way he said it sounded as sorrowful as could be, as if he had suffered some monumental grievance.

Ruan Chen had originally thought about fleeing and leaving the merman at home, reasoning that whatever happened would be none of his business.

But now that he had failed to harden his heart, it was naturally impossible to truly disregard him and leave him to endure a mental riot all by himself.

He said hesitantly, “Aren’t you unaffected right now anyway…”

Unable to bear the merman looking at him with such a pitiful expression, Ruan Chen’s brain felt numb, and his mouth moved faster than his thoughts: “I only came back because I didn’t want you to die at home. I’ll help you soothe your mental energy, but if you dare to do anything else, I’ll…”

“Absolutely not.” Seeing him agree, Lux’s eyes lit up instantly. “Without your consent, I will absolutely not touch you.”

“Really.” He grasped Ruan Chen’s small hands and squeezed them affectionately. “Ruan Ruan, trust me.”

Ruan Chen’s face flushed hot. Pulling his hands back, he stiffened his neck and said, “Alright, alright, I agree, so stop getting touchy-feely.”

“Let me know if you start feeling uncomfortable.”

Lux’s eyes flickered, and he smiled. “Okay. Thank you, Ruan Ruan.”

Ruan Chen sat back down on the sofa. Only after calming down did he realize what he had just agreed to.

A mental blend…

Lux entered the bedroom, looking as though he wanted to rest.

Ruan Chen curled up in a corner of the sofa, covering his face in utter embarrassment.

Just consider it… playing the good guy and saving this merman’s life.

Besides, looking at him just now, Lux didn’t seem to be bluffing.

Although this merman was usually anything but serious, he had never lied to him when it came to major matters like this.

It was just a single mental blend anyway. The sensation was actually very pleasurable; experiencing it one more time wouldn’t be a loss for him either.

If Lux displayed what Joshua called… the desires only adults have after the mental blend.

Then he would just strictly reject him.

Thinking up to this point, Ruan Chen felt at ease.

The entire daytime passed without incident. The merman rested on the bed to preserve his physical strength, waiting for the mental riot that could arrive at any moment.

As dinner time approached, Ruan Chen was still repeatedly searching for topics shared about mental blends on his optical computer when a muffled groan suddenly sounded from the bedroom.

“Lux?” Sensing something was wrong, he turned off his optical computer and looked over.

Lux looked identical to the state he had seen in his dream, and it appeared even more severe.

His long fish tail hung powerlessly on the bed, and his tail fin drooped listlessly.

Ruan Chen could actually feel the merman calling out to him for help—an experience he had never felt before.

The water currents seemed to be wrapped entirely in the painful emotions Lux was enduring; he felt downcast, helpless, and carried an unconcealed longing for him.

Even so, Lux kept his promise, making no move to interfere with Ruan Chen’s judgment.

He merely waited quietly for him to make a decision.

It was as if even if Ruan Chen suddenly gave up on soothing him and left him completely alone, he wouldn’t offer a single word of objection.

Ruan Chen swallowed hard, running right into Lux’s golden eyes, which looked more fragile than ever before.

His heart softened completely, and he swam toward the merman.

A look of pure delight instantly surfaced on Lux’s face. Once Ruan Chen swam close, he curled his fish tail and pulled Ruan Chen right to his side.

“Ruan Ruan.” His open ear fins were trembling, and his voice was faint and brief. “Ruan Ruan… it hurts so much.”

Seeing the merman show such vulnerability before him made Ruan Chen’s breathing hitch.

He knelt on the bed, pressing his hands against the merman’s shoulders. “Close your eyes.”

Lux closed his eyelashes submissively as told.

Ruan Chen took a deep breath, fully prepared himself mentally, and gently leaned his forehead against Lux’s.

The moment their cool skins touched, Ruan Chen felt a sudden lightness wash over his entire body.

A dense, seamless sensation rippled outward from the point where they met, and the water currents throughout the entire room fell completely silent with a soft hum.

It felt as though the world had been put on pause.

Lux’s mental energy climbed up entwined, wrapping Ruan Chen up strand by strand.

A wonderful sensation that reached deep into his soul made him unable to suppress a tiny whimper.

It was too…

Too comfortable.

Compared to this mental blend, the previous one had been nothing more than a shallow taste.

The merman’s mental energy continued to permeate Ruan Chen’s mind, guiding him to sway along.

An ethereal comfort spread all the way from his head down through his entire body.

By the time their mental energies were completely integrated, Ruan Chen found himself unable to handle it fully.

“Lu… Lux…” he panted in a tiny voice.

The merman had opened his eyes long ago, his soft gaze resting on Ruan Chen’s constantly trembling eyelashes.

He used his fish tail to encircle the human in his arms, wrapping around him affectionately.

“Ruan Ruan…”

Joshua hadn’t been wrong.

The higher the mental compatibility, the more rampant a merman’s need for their partner would be on this day.

Reaching a perfect match, the possessiveness screaming wildly in his bones had nearly shattered Lux’s sanity.
The depths of his eyes were dark and heavy, as if a storm were brewing inside.

But there was one point Joshua hadn’t mentioned.

This kind of need was actually mutual.

It wasn’t just the merman who would be affected; after a mental blend, the human would also experience desire for their partner.

However, since this only occurred when both parties were already a couple, desiring each other was only natural, so Joshua hadn’t explicitly emphasized it.

Ruan Chen felt his body growing hotter and hotter, the temperature rising continuously.

He opened his eyes. “Lux, I—I feel so strange…”

“Am I sick?” He felt completely at a loss.

It was too strange.

Even the sound of his own voice sounded as soft and delicate as a cat’s mewing.

His face and neck were flushed beyond measure, and his eyes were completely watery.

He raised his head, running right into the merman’s gentle eyes.

Ruan Chen suddenly felt an impulse.

His gaze slid downward onto Lux’s thin lips.

As if testing the waters, he tilted his head up to look at the merman once more.

He was cautious, yet eager to try.

“What does Ruan Ruan want to do?” Lux’s low, slow voice enchanted him, gradually pinning him down onto the bed like an overbearing presence. “Why do you keep looking at me?”

Ruan Chen’s breathing grew faster and faster.

The small gills near his ears flapped in rapid succession.

His throat swallowed hard, his eyes still staring directly at Lux’s lips.

“I want to…”

Want to do what?

He felt a bit lost again.

Lux took his hand, guiding him to trace downward from the side of his face, outlining his lips.

The sensation of skin touching lips sent an intense wave of stimulation rushing straight into Ruan Chen’s brain.

His arms shook violently, yet he still didn’t understand what he was supposed to do. “Lux…”

His voice carried a hint of a sob.

Suppressing the intense heat in his eyes, Lux leaned down close, still refusing to let him off: “Want what? Say it out loud.”

In Ruan Chen’s field of vision, nothing remained except his moving lips and a glimpse of the tip of his tongue hidden from view.

He choked back a breath. “I… I want to…”

He truly couldn’t take it any longer, his eyes flushing entirely red with urgency.

Ruan Chen snapped his head up, pulled the merman’s collar down, and pressed his lips firmly against his.

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