Chapter 248
That night, Rong Heng and the little merman watched videos together. Since they played at normal speed, each video lasted quite a while, and they ended up staying up two hours later than usual.
Eventually, it was the base AI’s reminders that prompted the two reluctant boys to turn off the holographic screen and lie down to sleep.
The bathtub had a temperature control feature, so Ika didn’t feel cold lying in the water.
After a while, Ika couldn’t resist sitting up, gripping the edge of the tub with both hands and resting his chin on the back of them. His bright blue eyes gazed unblinkingly at Rong Heng’s sleeping face.
The room was dimly lit, with faint light filtering in through the window, casting a hazy glow that barely outlined Rong Heng’s features.
Even so, just watching him like this made Ika feel content.
However, it seemed Rong Heng sensed his gaze. Slowly, he turned his head, opened his eyes, and looked at him.
Catching the little merman’s gaze, Rong Heng paused for a moment and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ika whispered, “I… I can’t sleep.”
“Is the bathtub uncomfortable?” Rong Heng asked, sitting up.
Ika shook his head. He was used to being in water, and the bathtub was far more comfortable than a cramped water tank.
He stared at Rong Heng with his big, watery blue eyes, his voice tinged with unease. “I’m afraid that when I wake up, you’ll be gone again…”
Hearing this, Rong Heng recalled how upset Ika had been earlier that day when he left to change clothes and returned to find the little merman heartbroken.
A pang of guilt struck him. If he hadn’t disappeared so suddenly years ago, breaking his promise and leaving Ika with this lingering fear, perhaps Ika wouldn’t be feeling this way now.
“Don’t worry,” Rong Heng said softly. “I promised you—this time, we won’t be separated.”
He extended a hand toward Ika.
Seeing this, Ika immediately reached out and tightly grasped Rong Heng’s hand.
He felt Rong Heng’s fingers gently squeeze his in return.
The little merman’s lips curved into a wide smile, his unease completely replaced with happiness.
“Go to sleep,” Rong Heng said.
“Mm!”
Ika obediently lay back down. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard Rong Heng begin to hum a soft tune—a lullaby well-known in the Tes Empire.
Listening to the soothing melody and Rong Heng’s gentle voice, Ika finally felt completely at ease.
He closed his eyes and drifted peacefully into dreams.
Rong Heng’s humming gradually faded. The lullaby was one he had often heard Yan Ya hum to comfort Little Li Hua when she was little, and he had picked it up naturally.
Though he’d intended to lull Ika to sleep, he ended up dozing off himself as he hummed.
The night deepened quietly.
The next morning, Rong Heng woke up naturally, thanks to his internal clock. Opening his eyes, he found that Ika was already awake.
Their hands were still clasped together, and the beautiful little merman was leaning over the edge of the bathtub, smiling brightly at him. In his clear, melodious voice, Ika greeted him, “Good morning, Yang Yang!”
Rong Heng froze for a moment before his thoughts returned.
“Good morning.”
He pulled his hand back, rubbed his eyes, and sat up.
Noticing Ika’s still-bare upper body, Rong Heng averted his gaze and said, “I’ll find some clothes for you to wear later.”
“Okay, thank you, Yang Yang!”
Ika happily flapped his tail.
After freshening up, Rong Heng brought out some toiletries for Ika. Once Ika finished brushing his teeth, Rong Heng wrung out a towel and, with practiced ease, wiped Ika’s face.
It wasn’t until midway through that he realized this was Ika and not his sister, whom he had cared for since she was little.
But… seeing the way Ika closed his eyes and looked so content, Rong Heng hesitated only briefly before continuing.
This was something he was used to doing—it came naturally to him.
After washing up, Rong Heng changed into a fresh set of clothes and was immediately greeted with applause and praise from the little merman.
“Yang Yang, you look so handsome!” Ika’s eyes sparkled with delight, as if there wasn’t a single thing about Rong Heng that he didn’t like or admire.
Rong Heng, a bit embarrassed by the compliment, noticed Ika’s messy blue curls. He walked over and took a comb out of his storage pouch.
Just as he was about to hand it over, Ika exclaimed in surprise, “Yang Yang, are you going to comb my hair? I’m so happy!”
Rong Heng: “…”
Well, it’s not like he hadn’t combed his sister’s hair before.
He moved behind Ika and started combing his hair, beginning at the ends and working his way up. His movements were practiced and gentle, smoothing out Ika’s curls bit by bit. Ika closed his eyes in contentment, his expression radiating happiness.
Having Yang Yang by his side felt so wonderful…
And the fact that Yang Yang hadn’t changed at all from when they were young made it even better.
The corners of Ika’s eyes reddened slightly, but he blinked hard, forcing back the tears before Rong Heng could notice.
Soon, Rong Heng finished combing Ika’s long, waist-length hair.
Looking at the voluminous, soft curls, which were just as thick as his sister’s, Rong Heng hesitated for a moment before saying, “Do you want me to tie it up for you? Maybe braid it?”
Leaving it loose was fine, but tying it up would be more practical.
“Sure!”
Ika agreed cheerfully, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “Yang Yang is amazing. You can even braid hair!”
Rong Heng pulled out a hair tie and shook his head modestly. “I’m not that good. Xue Wei’s braids are much prettier.”
Her styles were always intricate and flawless, with not a single strand out of place. Unlike him—whenever he braided Little Li Hua’s hair, it always turned out a bit messy. He could never figure out why the same hair behaved so differently in Xue Wei’s hands.
“I think Yang Yang’s braids are the best!”
Ika pouted slightly, insisting, “I only want Yang Yang to braid my hair. No one else is allowed to touch it!”
Hearing this, Rong Heng couldn’t help but smile. Faced with such wholehearted trust, anyone would feel delighted.
To honor that trust, Rong Heng put extra care into braiding Ika’s hair.
He first braided two small sections near Ika’s temples as decorative pieces, then gathered them together into a long fishtail braid.
Ika already had an androgynous beauty, but with the braid framing his delicate features, his face was fully revealed. Soft, wavy bangs fell naturally across his forehead, giving him the appearance of a porcelain doll—elegant and stunning.
Using the water’s reflection to admire his new hairstyle, Ika looked up at Rong Heng and asked, “Yang Yang, do I look good?”
Rong Heng stared at him, momentarily dazed. Then, with a soft sigh, he said, “You look beautiful.”
The kind of beautiful that Little Li Hua would absolutely adore.
He shook his head, pushing those odd thoughts out of his mind. Ika was his good friend—wouldn’t it be great if his sister liked him? What was there to be unhappy about?
Rong Heng put the comb back into his storage pouch, then pushed the bathtub into the bathroom. After changing the water, he rolled it back to the window in the bedroom and said to Ika, “You can enjoy the view here. I’ll go eat first and bring your breakfast afterward.”
After a moment of thought, he added, “Once your tail changes back into legs, I’ll take you to the dining hall to eat.”
“Mm! Okay!”
Ika nodded obediently, his voice soft and tender as he said, “Eat well and come back soon. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
Although he didn’t want Yang Yang to leave his sight, he didn’t want to annoy him either.
Looking at Ika like this, Rong Heng couldn’t help but think of his little sister when she was younger. Back then, the little girl had clung to him in the same way while trying hard to act mature.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Rong Heng patted Ika’s head. A sudden sense of relief washed over him. Luckily, both he and Ika were boys—they wouldn’t need to grow apart as they got older.
Otherwise, he didn’t know how much more saddened he’d feel about the inevitable distance growing between himself and his sister.
He opened the window, letting in a breeze that brought fresh air into the room.
“I’m leaving. If you need anything, just call Xiao Zhi. It will help you,” Rong Heng said, before adding with some concern, “Right, Xiao Zhi?”
Although Ika was technically older, being sent to the cub care center and registered under Su Su meant he could be considered one of the cubs here, right?
A holographic screen appeared reluctantly in midair, and a single word appeared slowly: [Yes].
Rong Heng sighed in relief, while Ika smiled politely and said, “Thank you, Xiao Zhi.”
Ika had only wanted to show his polite and well-mannered side in front of Rong Heng, but he was surprised to see the holographic screen respond with a slowly appearing: [You’re welcome].
The little merman blinked.
Having been raised by a robot butler, he was very familiar with artificial intelligence. Such a response felt oddly uncharacteristic of a robot.
Was it some special programming?
“Well, I’m off.”
Finally, Rong Heng left the room, heading to Xue Wei’s place as he had promised the night before to pick up Little Li Hua.
Little Li Hua had dressed in the training clothes A-Yan had prepared for her. Her hair was intricately styled, adorned with small, round pearls that made her look dazzling.
“Brother, you’re here!”
Little Li Hua ran out and leapt into Rong Heng’s arms. “Look! Sister braided my hair!”
“Mm, it’s beautiful,” Rong Heng said, glancing toward Xue Wei in the room. Compared to Little Li Hua’s intricate appearance, Xue Wei was much simpler, wearing only a small hairpin at her temple.
The three of them were about to head to the dining hall when they saw Lu Li step out of his room.
“It’s the little monkey!”
Little Li Hua shouted, “Brother, that’s the little monkey who stole my paintbrush!”
Lu Li held a palm-sized little monkey in his hands. Hearing the commotion, he glanced over but paid no attention to the monkey’s chittering. Instead, he walked straight toward Little Li Hua and the others.
“Liu Liu, this monkey…”
Among the three, Xue Wei had the closest relationship with Lu Li, so she greeted him first.
“Chirp chirp!” The little monkey chattered angrily at her.
“Don’t be so rude,” Lu Li reprimanded. The little monkey immediately quieted down.
It was clear the monkey wanted to leap out of Lu Li’s hands, but some invisible force seemed to restrain it, making escape impossible. As a result, it looked extremely frustrated.
While the monkey was clearly agitated, Lu Li seemed quite pleased.
It seemed that the unexpected events from the previous day had pushed him to make a breakthrough in his spirit-controlling technique. He could now bind the monkey to his side and prevent it from running wild.
Addressing the curious stares of Rong Heng and the others, Lu Li said, “Let’s go to the dining hall. I have something to tell you.”
Rong Heng and Xue Wei nodded, while Little Li Hua reminded him, “Liu Liu, you promised to draw the little monkey for me!”
“Mm, I haven’t forgotten.”
Lu Li smiled faintly. Once they reached the dining hall and everyone was seated, he stood up. Holding the sulking little monkey, its chin resting on its hand in annoyance, he began introducing it to his friends.
“This is another version of me—a manifestation of my innate ability,” Lu Li explained. “You can call it Liu Liu.”
He paused before adding, “As for me, you can call me Lu Lu from now on.”
