The little mermaid disliked Shen Mingsu and was unmoved by Xing Zhinan's outstretched hand. He seemed fixated on Yan Chi, insisting on being held by him. Whenever Yan Chi made a move to hand him over to someone else, the little mermaid would sob and cry.
"Eeya..." The little mermaid's eyes were red-rimmed. He cried quietly, only his lips pursed, his curled eyelashes wet with tears, which rolled down his eyes and condensed into pearls within seconds.
Yan Chi quickly hugged and comforted him, gently patting the little guy's back. "Okay, okay, I'll hold you, baby, don't cry."
The little mermaid's soft body clung tightly to Yan Chi, his chubby little hands reaching out to hug his neck, babbling and cooing, as if afraid Yan Chi would hand him over to Shen Mingsu and Xing Zhinan.
Shen Mingsu's face was incredibly sour. He gritted his teeth, glaring at the little fish brazenly occupying Yan Chi's arms.
"You can't even handle this?" Xing Zhinan patted Shen Mingsu's shoulder. "What if one day, your Teacher Chi suddenly wants a child? Won't you be dying of jealousy?"
Yan Chi already loved children, and was so good to those who weren't his own. If he really had his own child, who knows how much he would spoil him?
Shen Mingsu had clearly realized this as well, his expression one of utter despair. But to go against Yan Chi's wishes and cause him even the slightest unhappiness, Shen Mingsu wanted to slap himself.
After a long while, Shen Mingsu looked at Yan Chi, who was comforting the little mermaid, and sighed, "I should be more magnanimous."
Xing Zhinan's eyes widened, as if he were seeing him for the first time. "You actually have such awareness! You've practically transformed yourself in love!"
Shen Mingsu: "..."
He couldn't tell if this person was praising him or insulting him.
"So, why is this little fish so attached to Xiao Chi? Just because he has a tail now?"
Shen Mingsu watched as the little mermaid stuffed Yan Chi's hair into his mouth, then coldly grabbed his short hand, freeing a strand of hair from the little mermaid's grasp.
The little mermaid stared at him with wide eyes. Shen Mingsu, intending to ease the tension, curled his lips into a smile.
"Waaah..." The little mermaid cried, wagging his little tail and clinging tightly to Yan Chi's neck, not daring to look at Shen Mingsu again.
Shen Mingsu was silent for a moment, then turned to Yan Chi and said, "...I've tried my best."
Some people are naturally likable to children, while others are naturally disliked by them. Clearly, Shen Mingsu was the latter.
Yan Chi wanted to laugh at his dejected look. "It's okay, I'm here."
The little mermaid was quite frightened by Shen Mingsu. He clutched Yan Chi's collar tightly, "Ma...Mama..."
Yan Chi: "...?!"
This...he really thinks of me as his mother?!
Xing Zhinan laughed heartily, explaining to the bewildered couple, "Among the merfolk, it's always the females who care for the young in the incubation cave. He's just mistaking you for his mother, hahaha!"
Yan Chi sighed, "I'm not a merfolk, and I'm certainly not your mother."
But the little merfolk didn't understand him at all, only resting its soft cheek on Yan Chi's shoulder, murmuring "mama" in a tearful voice. Its pitiful appearance was utterly irresistible.
In the short few minutes they were talking, two more hatching sounds rang out. Yan Chi followed the sound and found two merfolk eggs about to hatch in a corner of the cave.
Shen Mingsu, fearing two more little merfolk would call Yan Chi "mama," pulled him back, "Change your legs back first."
"Okay."
Yan Chi's fishtail transformed back into legs. The little merfolk's eyes widened at this sight; with its current understanding, it couldn't comprehend where Yan Chi's fishtail had gone.
He sniffed Yan Chi with his little nose, making sure the scent hadn't changed, before leaning against Yan Chi's chest, sucking his fingers, and slowly falling asleep.
Yan Chi took out the little mermaid's finger and looked at the two mermaid eggs that were hatching.
Another ten minutes or so passed, and the two mermaid babies hatched successfully, both with light pink tails. They were both covered in a layer of sticky mucus, and they were unusually well-behaved when Shen Mingsu wiped them clean.
Shen Mingsu exclaimed in surprise, "These two are so well-behaved!"
"Well-behaved? They're frozen with fear." Xing Zhinan picked up the two little mermaids and held them in his arms. Only then did they begin to cry.
Shen Mingsu: "..."
The two little mermaids cried pitifully, their little heads looking around, unable to find their mermaid elders. They trembled with fear, and no one could soothe them.
The crying woke the sleeping blue-tailed mermaid in Yan Chi's arms. The little mermaid looked at its siblings unhappily, "Eeya!"
The two light pink mermaids stopped crying when they saw him and reached out to him.
"Eeya!" The little mermaid clung to Yan Chi's arm, looking warily at the other two mermaids, clearly unwilling to share them.
Yan Chi was both amused and exasperated. He said to Xing Zhinan, "You'll have to hold them for now."
Xing Zhinan's mind was filled with the cries of the little mermaids. "These are much harder to take care of than our Xingluo."
The three of them waited a while longer, making sure the mermaid eggs showed no signs of hatching, before taking the three little mermaids back to school.
...
It was evening in Yunzhou. As Yan Chi and Xing Zhinan walked through the campus carrying the little mermaids, every student who saw them widened their eyes in surprise, their gazes shifting between Yan Chi and Xing Zhinan, finally settling on Shen Mingsu with a strange look.
Shen Mingsu could tell what these brats were thinking just by looking at their expressions. He squeezed out a voice through clenched teeth, "They're not our children, we found them."
The students nodded in agreement, then turned and left, still discussing it amongst themselves.
"How scary! I thought Teacher Xiaochi had dumped the principal and found someone else, and now he even has three kids."
"What a coincidence, I thought so too."
"So Teacher Xiaochi is still with the principal? Isn't he tired of him?"
Shen Mingsu couldn't take it anymore. "Say one more word and I'll clean the whole school."
The students immediately fled.
Yan Chi, holding the little mermaid in one arm, smiled and took Shen Mingsu's hand. "Alright, they're just kids, don't worry about it."
The little mermaid, having had a good sleep, was drinking water from the bottle Yan Chi had given him. Hearing Yan Chi speak, he immediately tilted his head back and looked at him intently. After he finished speaking, he even made a serious "ee-ee" sound, as if echoing him.
Shen Mingsu was sullen. Pointing at the little guy, he deliberately tried to scare him, "I'll send you away later."
The little mermaid didn't understand what he was saying and reached out to grab his hand.
Shen Mingsu decisively withdrew his hand, causing Yan Chi to miss his target.
Upon reaching Xi Chang's house, the three little mermaids seemed to sense a familiar presence and became restless, their short, chubby tails wagging incessantly.
"Uncle, Teacher Xiao Chi?" Shen Chang Le was watering the flowers in the yard when he saw Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu return. He put down the watering can and walked over.
Shen Chang Le was momentarily shocked upon seeing the little mermaid in Yan Chi's arms. He looked at Shen Mingsu, his eyes lighting up with joy: "This is... my little brother?"
Shen Mingsu ruthlessly shattered his illusion. "The neighbor's."
Shen Chang Le: "...Oh."
Xi Chang, from next door, rushed out at that moment. He looked flustered and, upon seeing the little mermaid in Yan Chi and Xing Zhinan's arms, walked up to them in disbelief.
His gaze remained fixed on the little mermaid. He reached out, as if to touch her cheek, but hesitated, unable to bring himself to do so. "This...this is..."
"These little mermaids have just hatched in the Azure Sea," Yan Chi slowly explained the changes that had occurred in the Azure Sea. "...The little mermaids in the cave should hatch one after another in the next few days. When they're back at school, you'll need to take care of them."
Xi Chang listened blankly, muttering in a daze, "So I'm not a freshwater fish after all..."
His previous memories were long gone. Xi Chang had always thought he'd been at school since birth; it turned out he'd forgotten his original home.
Xi Chang felt a sense of familiarity with these three little mermaids, a resonance from his bloodline. He took the two light pink mermaids from Xing Zhinan's hands.
The little mermaids were exceptionally docile in Xi Chang's arms, burying their heads in his neck, inhaling his scent.
Xi Chang looked at the little mermaid in Yan Chi's arms, somewhat embarrassed; he couldn't carry so many.
"Let me help you put them in," Yan Chi said considerately, turning to Shen Mingsu and Xing Zhinan. "You two go back first, I'll be back in a bit."
With that, Yan Chi carried the little mermaid to Xi Chang's small courtyard.
Xi Chang's outdoor swimming pool was very spacious, the water clean, with toy balls and rubber ducks floating on the surface.
Two light pink little mermaids were placed in the pool. At first, they were very reserved, always holding onto Xi Chang's hand.
Xi Chang gently nudged their little tails. "It's okay, it's safe."
After confirming there was no danger, the two little mermaids began playing with the balls. The mermaids seemed to enjoy this tossing game, entertaining themselves with smiles on their faces.
But when it was Yan Chi's turn to put the little mermaid in the water, an accident occurred.
"Eeya!" The little mermaid clung tightly to Yan Chi's neck, refusing to let go, even when Xi Chang tried to hold him.
He even bared his teeth fiercely at Xi Chang, revealing his toothless gums.
Yan Chi sighed, "He's probably not familiar with the current environment. Let me hold him a little longer so he can get used to it."
Xi Chang was a little upset by the little mermaid's rejection, but nodded, "I'll stay with him."
Actually, Xi Chang liked this blue-tailed little mermaid the most, because his tail was also blue.
Yan Chi and Xi Chang walked around the yard with the little mermaid. Xi Chang had no memories of the [Azure Sea], and he was curious about this place, "Is it fun there?"
Yan Chi met his clear, azure eyes, thinking of the lifeless sea, and paused, "It's not very fun now, but it will change drastically in a few days. You can go and see for yourself then."
Xi Chang nodded happily.
Behind them, Lin Heng, seeing that Xi Chang hadn't returned for so long, couldn't help but come out. He immediately recognized Yan Chi beside Xi Chang. "You're back so early..."
As Yan Chi turned around, Lin Heng's voice trailed off, finally disappearing into the wind.
Lin Heng stared blankly at the little mermaid in Yan Chi's arms—blue eyes, blue tail, exquisitely beautiful. Xi Chang was beside him, both smiling warmly.
What day is this?
Lin Heng was momentarily uncertain.
Yan Chi was about to greet Lin Heng when he saw Lin Heng walk up to him absentmindedly, his voice weary and heavy, "This child...who gave birth to him?"
Yan Chi: "?"
Why ask that right away?
Yan Chi stammered, "...Mermaids incubate the eggs."
"Oh, who laid the eggs?"
"..." Yan Chi found the question strange. Not only that, Lin Heng's entire demeanor was odd, as if he had suffered a major blow. "The mermaid mother laid the eggs, who else could it be?"
Lin Heng: "Then who is the mermaid mother?"
Yan Chi choked, glancing sideways at Xi Chang, wanting to ask him what was wrong with Lin Heng today. Had just making him lead the shift driven him this crazy?
“I don’t know him either.” Yan Chi bounced the little mermaid up a bit, and seeing that Lin Heng insisted on an answer, he said, “His mother isn’t alive yet, is she? I’m not really sure…”
All the mermaids are dead, so this little mermaid’s mother must be gone too, waiting for her father to wake up and bring them back to life.
Lin Heng paused, realizing he seemed to have misunderstood something. “This child… isn’t yours?”
Xi Chang looked at him coldly. “Heh…”
Yan Chi was even more shocked and speechless. Who gave birth to him? Him or Xi Chang?
It couldn’t be him, could it? He’s not even a mermaid.
"Teacher Lin, are you alright?" Yan Chi took two steps back, gently reminding him, "If you're under too much stress, you could go see Teacher Youyou."
Lin Heng saw the other two little mermaids playing in the pool and finally realized he had gone astray. He rubbed his temples. "Sorry, I got too excited. I meant, where did you get these children?"
"Oh, I see." Yan Chi breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Heng's question had been quite frightening. He briefly explained the situation regarding the mermaid hatching cave, "...We'll discuss it with the director to see how to accommodate them, but until then, the little mermaids can only stay here."
Lin Heng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead without changing his expression and calmly nodded, "Okay, I'll take care of them."
Yan Chi smiled, "Thank you for your hard work."
Fortunately, Yan Chi was slow to react. Lin Heng guiltily hummed in agreement, "It's nothing."
A low chuckle sounded from the doorway. Shen Mingsu leaned against the wall, looking at Lin Heng with a half-smile. Lin Heng knew he must have figured out the misunderstanding.
Shen Mingsu walked to Yan Chi's side, put a hand on his shoulder, and was then bitten by the little mermaid. He pressed the little guy's head down, "Let's go, Teacher Chi, give the little mermaid to them, let's go home for dinner."
The little guy was already familiar with Xi Chang's scent. When Yan Chi handed him to Xi Chang, he didn't cry or fuss, but his eyes followed Yan Chi the whole time.
Yan Chi was a little reluctant to part, and patted the little guy's head, "I'll come see you again tomorrow."
Then he and Shen Mingsu turned and left.
The little mermaid remained dazed, watching their retreating figures, tilting his head slightly, "Ee-ya?"
Xi Chang smiled, seeing how well-behaved he was, and kissed his chubby, pale cheeks. "So cute, baby."
But after Yan Chi disappeared from sight, the baby's eyes reddened, and he began to cry at the top of his lungs, "Waaaaah—"
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Xi Chang frantically tried to help. "Why are you crying? Did I hold you too tightly? Are you hungry? Do you want some milk?"
But the little mermaid just cried, wanting nothing, his voice almost hoarse from crying. Seeing him cry, Xi Chang's eyes also reddened. He turned to Lin Heng, "What should we do? He keeps crying..."
"I'll hold him." Lin Heng took the little mermaid into his arms, but in his arms, the little mermaid cried even harder.
The infectious crying even made the little mermaid in the pool cry. She stopped playing with her toy ball and focused intently on dropping pearls. Xi Chang had to go and comfort them.
After finally calming them down, she turned around and saw that the little mermaid in Lin Heng's arms was still crying. Now Xi Chang was about to cry too.
Not far away, Yan Chi heard the crying and was a little worried. Shen Mingsu took his hand and comforted him, "Little mermaids always need to interact with their kind. Don't worry too much. Although Xi Chang is unreliable, with Lin Heng around, everything will be fine."
Yan Chi thought about it and agreed.
Let them be.
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