I Woke Up To Find Myself Being Kept By A Mermaid – CH57

Chapter 57

When Ruan Chen and Lux returned to the human breeding chamber, Li Meng had already been dried off and placed back inside his room.

After his initial encounter with the mermen, he no longer hid away like before.

Ruan Chen asked Lux to release him. “I want to talk to him for a bit longer to say goodbye, and then we’ll head to the administrative center?”

Earlier, Lux had suggested going to the administrative center to change Ruan Chen’s name. Ruan Chen had detested the two characters “Ruan Ruan” on his optical computer for a very long time, so of course he agreed without the slightest hesitation.

“No rush. It’s still early, and the administrative center isn’t far from here.” Lux signaled the nearby researcher to open the chamber door, sending Ruan Chen back into Li Meng’s luxurious private suite.

Hearing the movement, Li Meng turned his head, raising an eyebrow. “Why is your face so red?”

Ruan Chen was already accustomed to his tone and sat cross-legged on the sofa. “Look in the glass at your own face before you talk about me.”

“?” Li Meng’s expression stiffened upon hearing this, and he actually turned his head to check his face against the glass.

Sure enough, just as Ruan Chen had said, his cheeks were flushed crimson.

Li Meng: “…”

He remained stubbornly tight-lipped. “I just had a scuffle with that dumb fish who can’t even swim straight. I used too much force, that’s why it’s red. You got red from being kissed. We are not the same.”

Ruan Chen’s eyes widened. “When did I ever…”

Forget it. Lux had already said this was just a little brat; he wouldn’t stoop to his level.

Ruan Chen got to the main point: “I have things to take care of in a bit, so I came in to say goodbye.”

“You’re leaving?” Li Meng’s expression changed instantly.

Realizing his tone was too eager, he pursed his lips slightly. “Then are you coming back after you’re done?”

The brat’s attitude was changing quite fast.

Ruan Chen found it amusing in his heart. “I’m not coming back. I’m going home with… my partner, Lux.”

“Oh.” Li Meng visibly deflated. “Fine then.”

After all, having just learned about that terrible news, Ruan Chen was thinking of how to offer him a few words of comfort.

Li Meng, however, beat him to it. “Don’t you find it boring staying with those mermen all day?”

Ruan Chen froze. “Why would it be boring?”

Li Meng stole a glance at Lux behind him. “Your merman husband looks so fierce. Plus, your ages are so far apart. Don’t you guys have a generation gap when you talk?”

“…” No matter how many times he heard it, Ruan Chen still couldn’t look at the words “merman husband” with a straight face.

He let out a soft cough. “He has a very good temper. There are no issues… with our communication.”

Furthermore, Lux was very happy to listen to him speak and was willing to accept new concepts from the human world.

Ruan Chen quietly stole a peek at Lux. The latter had an arm resting on the handrail outside the door, just happening to listen to their conversation.

He had most likely heard what Li Meng just said; his face was currently devoid of expression, and the emotion in his eyes was unreadable.

“Hey!” Li Meng couldn’t watch any longer. “You’ll have plenty of time to be intimate with him when you go home. Do you have to throw glances at each other while talking to me?”

Ruan Chen turned around, and Li Meng added, “You’re leaving right away anyway. Hurry up and chat with me a bit more, stop looking at him.”

He was trying to use fierceness to mask his reluctance to let him go.

“I’ll come visit you often when I’m free later. Besides, you can also make friends with the merman nurses here.” Ruan Chen’s heart suddenly softened. “They are all very friendly, so try to be a bit friendlier to them too.”

As he spoke, he recalled that when he first woke up, he had been just as panicked and bewildered as Li Meng, striking out at everyone. Thinking about it this way, Ruan Chen felt even more protective and sorrowful for this kid.

“No matter how friendly they are, they’re still mermen,” Li Meng muttered with his head lowered.

Ruan Chen didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

Thousands of years had passed since the world he existed in. He understood the logic that no living creature could endure forever without perishing, but letting Li Meng accept this fact in a short amount of time would probably not be easy.

He patted the other’s head. “I promise I’ll come see you often, don’t be sad.”

Li Meng waved his arm. “Who’s sad? I’m not sad. Go on then, go date your old monster. I don’t need your company.”

Ruan Chen: “…”

He knew he couldn’t maintain a good attitude with this brat.

After speaking, Li Meng flipped the clam bed up, crawled inside to wrap himself into a ball, making it blindingly clear that he was throwing a tantrum and didn’t want to talk to him anymore.

Ruan Chen couldn’t do anything with him and said goodbye, not knowing if he heard it or not.

—

Lux carried him out. Ruan Chen thought of something and asked, “Does Li Meng also need to take a mental compatibility test? I think he had quite a good time playing with Vincent, why not let them test?”

If he could find a merman he liked sooner, he would also be able to step out of this shadow faster.

To his surprise, Vincent waved his hand. “Oh, come on, I was just messing around with him.”

Ruan Chen: “?”

Vincent scratched his head. “Even if I sold myself along with my family’s manor, I still couldn’t afford the testing rights for this human.”

Lux rubbed Ruan Chen’s nape. “If he actively requests to take a compatibility test with you, you won’t have to pay any money.”

Vincent instantly froze.

Ruan Chen: “It can actually work that way? Vincent, then perform well. He should like you quite a bit.”

A flush crept onto Vincent’s face, and he stammered for a long moment, sounding hesitant: “I… oh, come on, what I like are humans with golden hair and green eyes, and I prefer the gentle and cute type. Although he is also very good, but…”

Lux let out an ambiguous “Mm.” “Forget it if you don’t like him. I was originally planning to make an exception and approve a vacation for you, allowing you to come cultivate your feelings with him.”

“Ah?” Vincent was dumbfounded.

—

The mermen crowding around to cause trouble outside the Western Sea Breeding Center had already been cleared away by the military. Only a portion of mermen who strictly followed order remained to queue up and register, wanting to take a compatibility test with Li Meng.

Vincent looked back and forth at those mermen for a long time, finally unable to suppress himself from leaning close to Lux’s side. “Lux…”

Lux raised his eyelids. “Speak.”

“About the vacation approval you mentioned just now…” Vincent spoke with extreme caution. “I thought about it, and I think I still want to strive for the testing rights with Li Meng.”

“Do you truly like him, or do you feel his breed is precious, and bringing him out can bring you honor?” Lux knew his childhood friend’s character inside out; the words Vincent had spoken when he first declared his preference for purebred Huaxia humans were still vivid in his memory.

Seeing Vincent fail to answer, Lux curled his lips slightly. “Come find me once you’ve thought it through clearly.”

Ruan Chen was a bit surprised that Lux would reject Vincent like this, stealing several glances at his face.

Once they entered the flying shuttle, the merman lowered his head. “What’s wrong? You keep looking at me.”

“Nothing…” Ruan Chen blinked. “I thought you didn’t like Li Meng.”

After all, he had been called an old monster several times in a row by him. Although Lux hadn’t clearly shown it, Ruan Chen had still caught his expression. The kid was sharp-tongued, and the words he spoke were truly not very pleasant to the ear.

“I don’t really like him,” Lux stated bluntly.

Ruan Chen pursed his lips. “Then why were you still so invested?”

Lux lowered his head and smiled, answering besides the question: “I only like Ruan Ruan.”

A wave of warmth hit Ruan Chen’s heart, and he pushed him further away. “I’m talking about serious business with you, don’t mess with me.”

“How is this not serious?” Lux drew close again. “It’s because I see you care about him so much. Since Ruan Ruan’s friend is looking for a partner, I must invest myself into it.”

The way he put it meant it was entirely for Ruan Chen’s sake, casting Li Meng aside completely out of fear of upsetting his human.

Ruan Chen couldn’t help but laugh. “How did you suddenly become so good at coaxing people?”

Lux: “I saw your mood wasn’t very good when you were chatting with him.”

Ruan Chen was dazed.

Even this minor change couldn’t escape his eyes.

“I’ve been thinking just now about how to make you a bit happier.” Lux shifted him higher up in his arms, letting Ruan Chen sit at the junction where his tail met his waist. “Tell me about it, why are you pouting?”

“…” Ruan Chen braced his arms. “I’m not pouting, I just feel… he’s so small, and the moment he woke up, his family was completely gone. It’s quite tragic.”

The line Li Meng had spoken—”no matter how friendly they are, they’re still mermen”—kept spinning in Ruan Chen’s mind.

“He will adapt after a period of time.” Lux smoothed down his black hair.

Ruan Chen let out a sigh. “I know. It was a natural disaster, there’s no helping it. I just feel a bit… suffocated in my heart.”

“That’s why I wanted to accompany him more, or find a partner he likes sooner, which can also help him step out faster.”

Lux didn’t reply, tightening his embrace a bit more and resting his chin gently against Ruan Chen’s shoulder crook.

Ruan Chen thought for a moment. “Lux…”

“Hmm?”

“I suddenly have an… exceptionally unrealistic idea,” he said in a small voice.

Lux: “Tell me about it, how unrealistic is it?”

Ruan Chen swallowed hard. “If I say it, don’t feel offended.”

Lux stated resolutely, “I won’t.”

Only then did Ruan Chen speak: “I’m wondering if we can establish a land world on this planet? Replicate it according to our planet. It doesn’t need to be very large; after all, there aren’t that many humans in total anyway.”

“Just… something that can make us feel an environment identical to our mother planet.”

He felt a bit anxious after finishing his words, waiting for Lux’s response.

Lux held him in his embrace, lowering his head to speak: “Actually, many years ago, a human once proposed an idea identical to yours.”

Ruan Chen was stunned. “Really? Then why… was it ultimately not accomplished?”

“Because at that time, our conflict with the Siren race was exceptionally fierce,” Lux narrated this piece of history calmly. “Furthermore, back then, the military was completely under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Family, lacking independent research and development capabilities. Our combat strength couldn’t keep up, and on top of that, the weapons used to deal with the Zerg couldn’t be deployed underwater, as they would pollute our own living environment.”

“Therefore, our territory was far from being as vast as what you see today.” Lux gestured for him to look out the window. “An environment like Ocean Planet was fundamentally unsuited for human survival to begin with, and you guys were entirely too weak compared to the Siren race, lacking the ability to protect yourselves.”

Ruan Chen pursed his lips.

But it had to be said that Lux was speaking the truth. Whether it was genuinely facing off against the mermen, or facing the Sirens or the Zerg, the vast majority of humans could only submit to their fate.

“Back then, there weren’t four breeding centers either, only the Royal Breeding Center. The human base that was established was right ahead, though it no longer exists now,” Lux said.

Ruan Chen raised his head, signaling for him to continue.

Lux blinked his eyes. “The Siren race was very clever. They discovered that they couldn’t gain any advantages by confronting us directly, so they turned their gaze toward the weak humans.”

“Ah…” Ruan Chen faintly had a guess, saying nervously, “Then what happened afterward? You guys wouldn’t let them get their way, right?”

Lux laughed and rubbed his earlobe. “I wasn’t around back then.”

Ruan Chen’s ears turned red, feeling embarrassed. “…Oh.”

“The Siren race launched a sudden raid on that human base. This incident is recorded in the Imperial Family’s top-secret archives. Since it concerns the face of the Imperial Family, they hid it very tightly, and my clearance only allows me to know a general outline.” Lux’s intonation lowered considerably. “Back then, to protect those humans and evacuate them safely, the losses were devastating.”

“This incident was too massive of a blow to us.”

“That’s why the establishment of a human habitat was never brought up again afterward.”

Ruan Chen fell silent.

After a long while, he felt a bit dejected. “I thought of things too simply.”

The flying shuttle fell silent for a brief moment.

Lux then added softly, “Actually, if you truly want to do this, it isn’t hard.”

Ruan Chen snapped his head up. “What?”

“Resolve the Siren race completely, just like we did with the Zerg.” Lux met his gaze, his pale gold eyes completely serious. “Once Ocean Planet truly settles into stability, we can establish another habitat for you guys.”

For a split second, Ruan Chen was almost touched by the ambition in his eyes.

But immediately following, he quickly calmed down. “How can it be as simple as you say?”

If it could truly be resolved, it wouldn’t have dragged on until now.

Lux lifted his chin, touching his forehead affectionately against his as he smiled. “Does Ruan Ruan not believe me?”

“…” This distance was close over the limit, and Ruan Chen almost instinctively cast a downward glance at Lux’s lips. He pulled his gaze away from those pale, thin lips. “I didn’t say I don’t believe you. Having a dream is a good thing, but it also needs to align with reality.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the merman leaned in close and pecked at his mouth.

It was so fast that Ruan Chen didn’t even have time to react before Lux had already pulled back a bit. “In the past, we couldn’t beat the Zerg either, and were even on the verge of being annihilated by them.”

“Now, it’s their turn to be on the verge of extinction.”

He stared at Ruan Chen without blinking. “Those failed pasts lacked me, and they lacked you.”

“Therefore, how the future will turn out shouldn’t be judged using these things, shouldn’t it?”

Ruan Chen failed to find a single flaw in his words for a moment.

He only felt this merman was truly arrogant.

This was the first time Lux had brought up such a topic in front of him.

The usual Lux would crack jokes, brawl and play with him, causing him to almost forget that this merman had occupied the highest echelon of the military purely relying on his own strength, and could still cleanly and efficiently process the external threat of the Zerg while facing off against a cunning Imperial Family.

He had ambition too, and his ambition was massive.

At the same time, he possessed the strength to back it up.

Ruan Chen’s lips moved slightly.

Lux drew close to him until their noses touched. “Ruan Ruan, this isn’t called unrealistic. This is just temporarily unaccomplished.”

“As long as you want to do it, it can definitely be done.”

Ruan Chen felt he had been enchanted by Lux.

Otherwise, how could he, like a little kid, have his blood boiling just from a few short sentences?

But with such a beautiful proposal, saying he didn’t want it would absolutely be against his heart.

Under Lux’s expectant gaze, he opened his mouth and said, “I want to.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to be together with you.” Ruan Chen lowered his eyelashes slightly, then once more met Lux’s gaze without dodging or avoiding. “We will resolve the Siren race, find the secret regarding the transformation between humans and mermen they mentioned, and then…”

Saying such a wild wish for the first time, Ruan Chen’s heartbeat was a bit fast. “And then you will accompany me to re-establish a land world together, letting you see what the planet I once lived on looked like.”

The smile around Lux’s lips widened. “Sure.”

Kissing him on his nose, the merman praised, “Brilliant ambition. This is my Ruan Ruan. Shall we pinky swear again?”

Ruan Chen reached out his hand and hooked fingers with him just like before, then stamped thumbprints.

Releasing Lux’s fingers, he thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “You are not old.”

Lux paused.

Ruan Chen pursed his lips to suppress a laugh. “Don’t take the words Li Meng spoke to heart.”

The merman’s face had changed color upon hearing that phrase “old monster,” and Ruan Chen had actually taken it all in.

He stroked the back of Lux’s hand. “And even if you are an old monster, it doesn’t matter.”

Lux lowered his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of danger: “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t say I mind you… I mean, once my transformation period is cured…” The tips of Ruan Chen’s ears flushed hot, and he said rapidly, “I will accompany you to be a several-hundred-year-old old monster together.”

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