Shen Mingsu took Chu Xi to the classroom. Chu Xi sat obediently on his little chair, unusually well-behaved today, watching Shen Mingsu leave without crying or fussing.
Shen Mingsu asked curiously, "Aren't you going to cry?"
Chu Xi glanced at him, pouted, and lowered his head to play with his turtle toy. His eyes clearly conveyed: not Chichi, no whining, no crying.
Shen Mingsu felt awkward. Seeing Ahui come to take care of the children, he greeted her and then wandered over to the next classroom.
Today, the little mermaids weren't reacting as strongly as yesterday. Only a couple of them were secretly shedding tears; the rest were drinking their milk obediently with the teacher's help.
The old man smiled kindly at them, his wrinkled hands gently stroking the little ones' heads. "Good boy/girl, eat well, grow tall and strong so no one will bully you."
The little ones nodded, showing their empty bottles to the old man, receiving a beaming praise in return.
Perhaps it was the gentle, loving aura the old man possessed, mellowed by time, that made the little merfolk so fond of being with him, leaning against his shoulder or clinging to his back.
Shen Mingsu leaned against the wall, silently watching their close grandfather-grandchild relationship, then turned and left.
The old man turned back to look at him, a hint of gratitude in his cloudy eyes, and hugged the little merfolk who had climbed into his arms, softly calling, "Good boy."
The kindergarten teachers all had their own tasks. The old man stayed in the classroom to look after the children, while Li Huai and Qiu Yunshu went to the dormitory to bring the little merfolk, who was still lazing in bed, over.
Feng Wang followed closely behind Li Huai. He disliked crying children and frowned at the sound of their tantrums.
"Is he your brother?" Qiu Yunshu asked curiously, glancing at the fierce-looking Feng Wang before scrutinizing the icy Li Huai. "He's been following us."
Li Huai smiled. "My brother's worried about my safety."
"How could he not be worried at school? This is the safest place I've ever been." Qiu Yunshu didn't understand Feng Wang's behavior, but she could empathize. "Actually, I have an older brother too. He's incredibly good to me, and he cares about me a lot."
Li Huai was surprised. "Does your brother trust you to work at the school?"
"No, he does. That's why he said he'll come to see me often." Qiu Yunshu felt happy thinking of her brother. "I was bullied terribly when I was little, and my brother saved me. If it weren't for him, I would have died long ago."
"Isn't your brother your biological brother?"
"No, he found me." Qiu Yunshu shook his head, his expression somewhat forlorn, clenching his fists. "Sometimes I feel like he just treats me like a pathetic dog on the street, giving me some food as charity..."
His emotions shifted so drastically that Li Huai was taken aback. "Why would you think that?"
Qiu Yunshu lowered his head in self-consciousness. "Because I'm really useless."
Li Huai was bewildered by his sudden outburst of negativity. He wanted to comfort Qiu Yunshu, but she had already composed himself and smiled at him. "Sorry, you must have found this amusing."
Li Huai shook his head. "Don't overthink it. Your brother is definitely concerned about you."
"Thank you for your kind words." Qiu Yunshu smiled faintly. He turned and saw Shen Mingsu standing not far away. Like a student caught by the director, he immediately lowered his head obediently and whispered, "Good morning, leader."
Shen Mingsu grunted in response, his indifferent dark green eyes glancing at Qiu Yunshu before coldly looking away.
Li Huai and Feng Wang greeted the principal, then began searching for Yan Chi. The two were always inseparable, but Yan Chi was nowhere to be seen today.
Shen Mingsu, knowing they were about to ask about Yan Chi, preemptively said, "His father is awake. Go tell him, and don't ask anything else."
Li Huai and Feng Wang exchanged a glance, said "Understood," and were filled with curiosity. Teacher Chi's father? Did their father know Teacher Chi's father?
...
The sea surged, and the awakened mermaids were rebuilding their homes. On a small island suspended high in the sea, Yan Chi sat on the cliff edge, watching the sea gradually regain its vitality.
The mermaids had already planned to bring their little mermaids home once they had finished rebuilding their homes.
Yan Qingyuan sat beside him, the sea breeze ruffling his long hair. He quietly studied Yan Chi's features, focused and earnest. His gaze was so direct that Yan Chi thought he was about to say something, but he remained silent for a long time.
"You..." Yan Chi turned to look at him, "What do you usually do?"
A blank look flashed in Yan Qingyuan's eyes, "Nothing much, just sit here and look at the scenery."
Yan Chi had only been here a short while when he felt bored. On this island that [I] had conjured, the trees and flowers grew according to a set standard; there were no insects, animals, or birds... monotonous and uninteresting.
Accustomed to lively atmospheres, Yan Chi found it difficult to adjust. He was even more surprised by the monotony of Yan Qingyuan's life. "No one to talk to? Or why don't you go find some friends and play with them?"
Yan Qingyuan frowned, puzzled. "Why should I go find them?"
"Aren't you bored?"
"It's alright."
Yan Chi pursed his lips, looking at Yan Qingyuan like he was a troubled student, circling around him.
Under his gaze, Yan Qingyuan subconsciously tensed up. Had he said something wrong and angered Xiao Chi? What should he do next? Yes, he needed to coax him.
A cup of warm milk tea appeared in Yan Qingyuan's hand, which he handed to Yan Chi. "Here, have some."
Yan Chi took the milk tea, glanced at him hesitantly, and sat down beside him again. Some things couldn't be rushed; they needed to be changed slowly.
That day, Yan Chi stayed by Yan Qingyuan's side, and after witnessing his day, he was amazed.
Yan Qingyuan wasn't particularly interested in anything. He'd either take a nap on the deck chair in the courtyard or sit somewhere lost in thought. Sometimes, when he looked out to sea, he'd catch a fish with a particularly bright color, examine it briefly, and then toss it back in without much interest.
Yan Chi spent the whole day with him, feeling utterly drained, as if he were about to become depressed himself.
"Bang!"
A large fish, over two meters long, was thrown at Yan Chi's feet. Startled, Yan Qingyuan frowned, and the fish turned to dust and vanished in the wind.
"This fish..." Yan Chi glanced down. Several mermaids were directly below the small island in the sky. They smiled happily at him.
A female mermaid held glittering golden jewels in her hands. "Thank you for saving us. Please accept these gifts, or whatever you desire, we can find it for you."
Mermaids are a grateful race. After learning that Yan Qingyuan had resurrected them, they tried every means to repay his kindness. They would occasionally throw fish onto the island, make ornaments from precious coral, and retrieve jewels from the shipwreck…
They wanted to give Yan Qingyuan everything they could.
Yan Qingyuan ignored them, but the mermaids persisted.
"You can try accepting their gifts; that is their way of expressing their gratitude," Yan Chi said, tugging at Yan Qingyuan's hand and looking up at him. "Give it a try."
He intended to change Yan Qingyuan's cold and aloof attitude towards others.
Unable to refuse Yan Chi, Yan Qingyuan hesitantly accepted the gifts from the merman tribe. He glanced at the jewelry and gave it all to Yan Chi. "If you like, I can give you more."
Yan Chi smiled. "I don't want these, but you can keep them. They're not just cold objects; they're meaningful gifts."
A look of confusion crossed Yan Qingyuan's beautiful phoenix eyes. He didn't quite understand Yan Chi's words. Pearls, gems, gold, jade—he could have as many as he wanted; they weren't worth Yan Chi's effort.
What did "meaningful" mean? Yan Qingyuan didn't understand, but he nodded anyway and arranged the gifts throughout the house.
As long as Yan Chi liked them, nothing else mattered.
That night, the bright moon shone over the sea, the tide lapped against the shore, the sea breeze was damp, and a dim lamp lit the small courtyard. Yan Chi and Yan Qingyuan sat under the osmanthus tree, a distance between them.
Yan Chi yawned, his eyelashes damp with natural tears. For some reason, he always felt drowsy when he was near Yan Qingyuan.
He unconsciously moved closer to Yan Qingyuan, his voice slurred with sleepiness, almost like a pleading voice, "Come back to school with me tomorrow, and come back tonight."
The environment greatly affects one's mood, and Yan Chi wanted Yan Qingyuan to experience something vibrant, instead of just drifting along here.
After saying this, Yan Chi couldn't resist the sleepiness and fell asleep on Yan Qingyuan's shoulder.
Yan Qingyuan looked down at his delicate features and softly hummed in agreement. He covered Yan Chi with a blanket, and the two snuggled together in the night.
Meanwhile, far away at school, Shen Mingsu couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He threw back the covers and got up. He couldn't stand it anymore; he had to go find Yan Chi now.
The Azure Sea was now completely occupied by [I], and Shen Mingsu never expected to be kept out. He angrily pounded on [I] transparent membrane, "I'm here to see my wife! Let me in!"
A line of text appeared before Shen Mingsu:
—You were not invited.
Shen Mingsu nearly vomited blood from anger. He wasn't invited?! Did his relationship with Yan Chi require an invitation? Did a son-in-law who married into the family have no rights?!
Of course, Shen Mingsu only dared to think these words in his heart. If he angered Yan Qingyuan, he had a million ways to make Yan Chi leave him.
The next morning, the sun rose over the sea.
Yan Chi had slept soundly. Upon waking, he stretched, feeling exceptionally refreshed. Looking down, he found himself lying on Yan Qingyuan's recliner, covered with a soft blanket.
But Yan Qingyuan wasn't there.
Yan Chi searched everywhere for his father, finally finding Yan Qingyuan at the edge of the cliff.
Yan Qingyuan was dressed in thin clothes; his slender figure seemed to be blown away by the sea breeze. He sat leaning against a tree trunk, staring at the sea. The warm sunlight bathed him in a warm yellow glow, outlining his delicate features.
He inexplicably resembled an orange cat lazily sunbathing.
Yan Chi walked to his side. "What's wrong?"
Yan Qingyuan's tone was slow. "A few players just came."
"Players?!" Yan Chi was startled. "How come there are players here? What did they do? Where are the mermaids?"
"[Azure Sea] is no longer a dead world, so players can come in. I chased them all out."
Yan Qingyuan had sensed the players the moment they stepped into this world. He immediately killed the players who wanted to farm experience points and decreed that this world would never be open to players again.
Yan Qingyuan cared about his image in Yan Chi's eyes. "Don't worry, no more players will come here."
Yan Chi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."
Suddenly, he realized it was Monday, and his first class was on Monday. Yan Chi panicked instantly and hurriedly said to Yan Qingyuan, "Dad, take me back to school quickly, I'm going to be late!"
This spontaneous "Dad" made Yan Qingyuan pause for a moment. His amber eyes lit up noticeably in that instant, and he seemed to come alive.
"Okay."
In an instant, Yan Chi found himself on campus. It was already time for class, and before rushing off to work, he reminded Yan Qingyuan, "There's a botanical garden to visit on campus, and a shopping street outside. Here's my teacher's card. Take it; use it to buy whatever you want. Don't just grab something and leave."
"Go home when you're tired. You know where home is, right?"
Yan Qingyuan nodded gently. "I know."
"Okay, remember to remind Shen Mingsu to pick up Chu Xi this afternoon. Also, Zhinan lives next door. Go visit him if you're bored."
After giving him detailed instructions, Yan Chi hurriedly ran towards the teaching building. Yan Qingyuan, holding his teacher's card, smiled, looked around the campus, and headed towards the botanical garden.
He wanted to see every place Yan Chi mentioned.
Yan Chi ran wildly, only to run into Shen Mingsu, who was returning from taking Chu Xi to school. Shen Mingsu was overjoyed to see him and opened his arms for a loving hug.
He knew Yan Chi wouldn't want to leave him!
Yan Chi dodged the hug like an eel, glanced quickly at Shen Mingsu, and the two brushed past each other. He ran off without looking back, casually tossing out, "I'm going to be late for work, talk to you later!"
Shen Mingsu: "..."
What to do when your wife is a workaholic?
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