Chapter 242
Rong Heng, having grown up taking care of his younger sister, was no stranger to feeding a child. Before Little Li Hua learned to use a spoon on her own, nearly every meal was fed by him. He was exceptionally skilled at this task and, in fact, occasionally missed it now that Little Li Hua no longer needed him to feed her.
He picked up the bowl, took a few pieces of roasted meat, and gently blew on them to cool them down before bringing them to the little mermaid’s mouth.
Ika, seeing him pick up the meat, thought he was going to eat it himself. His cheeks puffed slightly, and he looked at Rong Heng with a hint of grievance but didn’t try to snatch the food.
Yany Yang is hungry. Give Yany Yang food!
To his surprise, the next moment, Rong Heng brought the fragrant roasted meat to his lips, demonstrating by opening his mouth and softly saying, “Ah—.”
Ika instinctively opened his mouth, and the savory, tender, and slightly crispy roasted meat slid in, its delicious flavor exploding on his taste buds.
So good!
His eyes widened in delight.
Lang Ze and Lu Li, who had been watching Ika closely, perked up. After all, this was the first time they had cooked a meal themselves, and they were eager for a positive reaction.
Although Ika couldn’t speak, his emotions were written all over his face. His bright blue eyes practically spoke for him, and his expression of pure enjoyment was unmistakable—a reaction more genuine than any words.
Lang Ze immediately puffed up with pride, standing taller as he said, “Tastes good, right? I made it myself!”
Hearing this, Rong Heng looked slightly surprised.
“Lang Ze, you know how to cook?” He glanced at the two meat dishes Lang Ze had brought. Judging by appearance, they didn’t look much different from the ones his mom made.
“Impressive,” he said sincerely.
Lang Ze, already proud, felt even more delighted at Rong Heng’s compliment.
I can cook, and it’s delicious. That’s amazing!
Still, seeing his friends around him, Lang Ze didn’t take all the credit and offered a small, humble acknowledgment. “Xing Xing and Liu Liu helped too. It wasn’t just me.”
Rong Heng nodded. “You’re all amazing.”
The other cubs who had helped in the kitchen smiled brightly at the praise.
Ika tilted his head slightly, his blue eyes full of innocence and curiosity. There was no longer any trace of the wariness or fierceness he had displayed upon arriving.
As for the hostility he had shown aboard the spaceship, it had completely disappeared—he seemed like a different person altogether.
In the corner, watching quietly from a distance, the Creek couple smiled with relief and joy. They wanted to approach but hesitated, worried their presence might disrupt the harmony of the scene before them.
In Ika’s heart, he likely still harbored resentment toward them…
The couple exchanged glances, each seeing the bitterness in the other’s eyes. For now, however, Ika’s health took priority. Repairing their parent-child relationship would have to wait.
“There doesn’t seem to be any problem here. You two should get some rest,” Li Sinian said, noticing the dark circles under their eyes.
“Once you’re well-rested, we can catch up properly.”
Watching the harmonious and loving scene among the children, Li Sinian couldn’t help but reminisce about his own youth. He also thought about how long it had been since he last reunited with Creek, his longtime friend.
Creek nodded. There was much he wanted to discuss with Li Sinian—particularly parenting advice.
Although it was a bit late to learn how to be a parent, better late than continuing to make mistakes.
“Then we’ll leave Ika in your care.”
With that, the Creek couple returned to their room to rest. Li Sinian pulled up a chair under the shade of a tree near the wall, watching the children from afar. He kept an eye on them while giving them space to interact freely.
Rong Heng, meanwhile, continued feeding the little mermaid.
Lang Ze and the others, after watching for a while, gradually dispersed. Having spent so much time cooking, their lunch break was over—it was time to start studying.
Considering their new companion couldn’t leave the water, they decided to move their desks and chairs to the open space near the pool so Ika wouldn’t feel too lonely.
As Ika accepted bites of food from Rong Heng, he curiously observed the other cubs studying their literacy lessons.
Whenever this happened, Rong Heng would remind him gently, “Focus on eating.”
At first, Ika didn’t understand and just looked at Rong Heng before continuing his usual behavior. Only when Rong Heng gently turned his face forward did Ika realize what he meant.
Okay, no watching others while eating.
The little mermaid tilted his head back and fixed his gaze unblinkingly on Rong Heng, his beautiful eyes filled entirely with the boy’s reflection.
Rong Heng felt a bit uncomfortable under Ika’s intense stare. He avoided eye contact and focused on feeding him—the savory roasted meat slices, the soft and tender steamed taro, and occasional spoonfuls of lotus root soup.
No matter what Rong Heng fed him, Ika obediently opened his mouth, his cheeks puffing as he chewed, looking utterly content.
When Rong Heng tried to feed him again, Ika, feeling full, gently pushed his hand away and shook his head. He even picked up a piece of roasted meat and held it up to Rong Heng’s mouth.
“You’re full?” Rong Heng asked.
The little mermaid nodded enthusiastically, continuing to offer the meat. His sparkling eyes practically spoke for him.
Rong Heng didn’t waste it. In the nursery, where resources were scarce, the cubs were taught from a young age not to waste food. In the past, he had even finished off the frozen scraps his little sister left behind.
And now, since this was real meat, he certainly wouldn’t let it go to waste.
Rong Heng finished the remaining food easily, as there wasn’t much left. He didn’t feel overstuffed either.
The now-full little mermaid lay lazily at the edge of the pool, letting out a small yawn. Though he was clearly sleepy, his gaze remained fixed on Rong Heng, as if afraid that closing his eyes might make him disappear again.
Rong Heng glanced at him, then at the other cubs diligently studying nearby. When his eyes landed on Lang Ze, he paused for a moment.
Turning back to Ika, Rong Heng hesitated before softly saying, “In the future, don’t randomly touch other people’s ears. It’s rude, okay?”
The little mermaid rubbed his eyes and yawned again, looking at Rong Heng with confusion.
Seeing his innocent expression, Rong Heng felt a headache coming on.
But with his experience raising his little sister, he had plenty of patience. He thought of it as taking care of a toddler—though, in Ika’s case, he seemed like a very large toddler.
With that in mind, Rong Heng leaned down slightly to expose his lion ears, pointing to the furry ears on his head. “If you want to touch, you can touch mine. But you can’t touch anyone else’s, okay?”
Lang Ze had a good temper and was easy to placate, but if Ika upset Ran Lie…
Although Ran Lie had mellowed out recently, he was still intimidating and relentless when it came to dealing with enemies. Even Rong Heng couldn’t best him in a fight now.
Frowning, Rong Heng felt worried for Ika’s future interactions. Meanwhile, the oblivious little mermaid happily reached out and began stroking the lion’s ears.
Seeing his carefree, smiling face, Rong Heng sighed. He decided not to lecture further and let it go.
I’ll just keep an eye on him and teach him little by little. He’ll learn eventually.
Ika continued to stroke Rong Heng’s soft ears, looking up at him with a bright smile. “Yang Yang,” he said.
His pronunciation was becoming clearer, and his voice was no longer as rough as before. It seemed that practice was paying off.
Rong Heng reached out and patted the little mermaid’s head. After a while, when Ika started rubbing his eyes again, Rong Heng said softly, “Take a nap. I won’t leave. When you wake up, you’ll see me again.”
As if he understood, Ika shook his head vigorously, wrapping his arms tightly around Rong Heng and resting his head against his chest.
But gradually, the little mermaid couldn’t fight off his drowsiness. His tight grip on Rong Heng’s hands slowly loosened, and his breathing became steady and even.
Rong Heng gently stroked Ika’s now dry and soft hair, his expression softening.
He considered removing the little mermaid’s hands, but…
Glancing at the cold, hard edge of the pool and then at the soft and fragile figure nestled in his arms, he decided against it and stayed where he was.
He stared at the shimmering water, his mind drifting to thoughts about Ika’s future. Will he always sleep in the pool? Wouldn’t that be too uncomfortable?
Sitting upright, deep in thought, Rong Heng didn’t move until his legs began to go numb. He then turned to the corner where Li Sinian had been silently keeping watch and motioned for his father to come over.
Li Sinian noticed the gesture and hurried over.
Before he got close, he saw his son’s stern gaze and a “be quiet” gesture.
Li Sinian glanced at the little mermaid sleeping in his son’s arms and felt a pang of bittersweet emotion.
He had spent so much time and effort trying to get his son to barely accept him, and their father-son relationship had only recently become somewhat harmonious. But this Ika… the little guy had just arrived and was already so close to Rong Heng, receiving his meticulous care and attention.
Even as a father, Li Sinian couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
Still, he managed to control himself. Ika’s closeness to Rong Heng was clearly helping alleviate the symptoms of his bloodline berserk condition, which was undeniably a good thing.
Softening his steps, Li Sinian carefully approached. After hearing his son’s request, he nodded and quickly left. When he returned, he carried a soft cushion and a blanket.
Li Sinian placed the cushion nearby, and Rong Heng carefully removed Ika’s arms, gently laying the little mermaid onto the cushion. He then took the blanket from his father and draped it over Ika’s back, covering his smooth, fair skin.
Once everything was settled, Rong Heng didn’t immediately leave. Instead, he looked up at the increasingly intense afternoon sunlight.
Understanding his unspoken concern, Li Sinian retrieved a parasol from his spatial button, opened it, and positioned it next to Ika, shielding him from the harsh sunlight.
As the crease in Ika’s brow relaxed, he buried half his face into the blanket, seemingly comforted by its familiar scent. Only then did Rong Heng stand up, stretching his numb legs.
After loosening up, Rong Heng grabbed his father by the arm and led him away, ensuring they wouldn’t disturb Ika’s rest.
“Dad, I’m going to step away for a bit. If Ika wakes up, could you message me?” Rong Heng said quietly as they reached the corner where Li Sinian had been standing earlier.
Li Sinian glanced at the little mermaid by the pool, who had been so carefully looked after, then back at his son, whose expression was serious. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to find Su Su,” Rong Heng replied.
Only then did Li Sinian nod, watching as his son walked away. He looked up at the sun overhead and sighed softly before stepping further into the shade.
