Chapter 17: Okay

Chapter 17: Alright

A living giant clam, once dehydrated, can survive only a single day in high temperatures. For deep-sea creatures, the human-comfortable range of around 20 degrees Celsius is already considered scorching. When room temperatures drop to between zero and a few degrees, they can endure for about three days.

Unfortunately, the next day dawned with a blazing sun over the sea—a cloudless sky stretched for miles, and sunlight blanketed the entire ocean.

Fortunately, when Deng Xi awoke and pulled Little Mute to investigate, the clam’s shell had already fully opened and would never close again on its own. Inside, its glistening, pearly flesh and organs were clearly visible.

Deng Xi’s eyes lit up.

The meat of the giant clam was exquisitely delicious—and there was so much of it! He and Little Mute could feast for days.

The last time Deng Xi had eaten a giant clam was when he’d discovered the shell he now used as a bed. Back then, it took him several days to finish the entire clam; he didn't need to hunt at all, always having meat for every meal.

In a generous mood, Deng Xi decided to share most of the clam with Little Mute. Recalling how he’d done it before, he used a small stone shard to methodically scrape out all the innards from the shell.

In the past, Deng Xi would have simply torn into the clam meat raw. But now, he had learned to slice it delicately with a stone shard, just like Little Mute, and gracefully offered him a thin piece.

After a moment, however, Little Mute didn’t take it.

Deng Xi turned and noticed that the silver-tailed merman was gazing vacantly at the clam meat on the reef, his gaze distant, lost in thought.

It was strange. Normally, Little Mute was the one who handled food preparation. But this time, Deng Xi had done everything himself, and the silver-tailed merman hadn’t reacted at all.

Deng Xi wiggled his fingers in front of Little Mute’s face. Si Jisheng lifted his eyes slightly and instinctively tilted his head in confusion—a mannerism he’d copied from Deng Xi but had now turned into a habit.

So docile.

Deng Xi’s eyes crinkled with delight as he tentatively brought the thin slice of meat to the silver-tailed merman’s lips, attempting to feed his adorably baffled Little Mute.

The chilled clam met his lips, and Si Jisheng instinctively parted them slightly. The stoic merman was fed a sweet-salty morsel by the golden-haired, blue-tailed little mermaid.

Only when the taste exploded on his tongue did Si Jisheng realize—belatedly—that he had just been fed by hand like some tamed creature by the blue merman.

His fingers curled slightly, his throat working as he swallowed stiffly. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to take over the task of preparing the giant clam himself.

But Deng Xi, now delighting in this feeding game, playfully pinned down the silver-tailed merman’s hand, cheerfully insisting, “Let me! I can do it!”

He puffed up proudly, declaring, “I’ve already learned how!”

He was clever—he could manage this!

The blue merman was practically vibrating with energy.

Si Jisheng compressed his lips, his face unyielding.

Deng Xi sliced off another piece of clam meat with the stone shard and held it to the silver-tailed merman’s lips. “Ah—”

As if humoring a child.

Si Jisheng’s expression grew even colder, his entire body radiating frost. But Deng Xi remained utterly unfazed, gazing at him expectantly, determined to play this little game.

Finally, Si Jisheng allowed his lips to part slightly—only for Deng Xi to quickly slip the morsel in.

The sweet clam flesh was forced down awkwardly, like swallowing gravel. Delicious, but uncomfortable.

Deng Xi’s wet golden strands fluttered in the sea breeze, a few sticking to his smiling eyes, his dimples, and his petite, pinkish nose.

Suddenly, he reached out and prodded Si Jisheng’s sulking face, pressing his fingertips against the corners of his lips and tugging them upward.

“Don’t be mad.”

Suddenly remorseful for teasing Little Mute, Deng Xi withdrew his hand and pressed the stone blade into Si Jisheng’s hand. “You can feed me too.”

The residual moisture from Deng Xi’s touch still marked his face. Si Jisheng wiped it away with the back of his hand, heaving a quiet sigh before finally taking over the task of preparing the giant clam.

A quick glance confirmed that Deng Xi had done a remarkably thorough job.

The stone shard had been sharpened, the unwanted organs efficiently excised, and the clam meat sliced into even, delicate pieces, meticulously arrayed.

It was hard to believe that just a month ago, Deng Xi had been a blue merman who ate raw fish straight from the sea, tearing into his meals without a second thought.

Deng Xi was actually quite clever.

He adapted quickly—whether to the silver-tailed merman or the strange metal ring. His ability to learn was strong; after watching Si Jisheng prepare food just once, he could replicate it the next time.

Though a little clumsy, he rarely made mistakes.

He was also good at shedding bad habits, no longer eating food without proper preparation.

The blue merman was well-suited to being introduced to a new world.

One that might be dangerous, noisy, and utterly unfamiliar to him.

But Si Jisheng was there.

His brow furrowed slightly as he absentmindedly picked up a thin slice of clam meat and held it to Deng Xi’s lips—one after another—until a small, pitiful voice interrupted him.

“Little Mute… I’m full.”

Only then did Si Jisheng realize he had spaced out again.

Deng Xi gently pushed his hand away, his blue eyes clear. “You haven’t eaten yet. You should have some.”

Si Jisheng shook his head slowly.

Deng Xi blinked in confusion. “Little Mute doesn’t want to eat?”

Another shake of the head.

This time, the refusal was different.

Si Jisheng glanced at the vast blue sky and the deep ocean beyond, where sea and horizon merged seamlessly—like the gradient of the blue merman’s tail, as pure and soft as nature itself, untouched by haze.

The tension in his brow eased slightly as he finally began to eat. Deng Xi, however, sensed that for a fleeting moment, Little Mute seemed… a little lighter.

Deng Xi blinked, puzzled.

After the meal, they sliced the remaining half of the clam meat and wrapped it in seaweed.

Deng Xi carried the meat.

Si Jisheng dragged the shell.

Together, they returned to the nest. Deng Xi placed the silver-tailed merman’s seaweed bed inside his own finely crafted old shell, then moved the seaweed he had originally stacked in the old shell into the new one.

With a satisfied clap of his hands, he declared the task complete.

Looking back, he noticed the silver-tailed merman had dragged the shell back into the corner again. Deng Xi glanced at his lonely shell bed in the vast open space.

The silver-tailed merman turned and left the nest, heading off to who knows where.

On the surface, Deng Xi obediently arranged his new bed, but secretly, his eyes kept darting toward the silver-tailed merman. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Time for action!

Deng Xi swam over to the old shell that the silver-tailed merman had effortlessly dragged into the corner. Placing both hands on the shell's lid, he silently counted: 1, 2, 3! Go!!!

The little mermaid put all his strength into it, his face flushed with exertion. His pale skin revealed bluish-purple veins, making him appear even more fragile. His fingertips whitened from gripping so hard as he pulled and pulled with all his might.

A minute later, the old shell hadn’t moved at all.

Deng Xi slumped onto the shell lid, exhausted.

Back when he first moved this shell, he had asked a big whale to help carry it and then called upon a dolphin to push it into the nest with its head.

So it wasn’t that the shell had gotten lighter—it was just that the mute one was that strong.

After resting for a while, Deng Xi tried a different approach. He closed the shell and tried a different direction. If dragging didn’t work, maybe pushing would?

The little mermaid vigorously swished his blue tail fin, stirring up currents inside the nest. By the time Si Jisheng returned, he found Deng Xi sprawled on the old shell, which had moved only about half a meter from its original spot. His gill flaps fluttered rapidly, as if he were completely worn out.

Si Jisheng slowly closed his eyes, pausing at the entrance of the nest without entering. The moment Deng Xi saw the silver-tailed merman return, he sprang up from the old shell bed, clasping his hands behind his back and bowing his head. "I-I was just… I’m sorry."

The old shell now belonged to Little Mute, and moving it without permission was very rude.

Si Jisheng’s expression remained unchanged. He swam over, placed a hand on the shell, and then simply watched Deng Xi in silence.

Suddenly, Deng Xi understood—Little Mute wasn’t upset. Instead, he was asking what Deng Xi wanted to do and was offering to help.

The dejected little mermaid smiled faintly again. Deng Xi pointed beside his new shell. "I wanted to move it next to mine. I want to sleep near you."

Si Jisheng caught his breath. He glanced at the beaming, foolishly blue merman, who had no idea how ambiguous his words could be taken.

Deng Xi waited until the silver-tailed merman silently dragged the old shell to the spot he’d indicated before sitting down on the fully open rose-colored shell, his long blue tail curling against the ground, golden hair floating in the current.

Now, Deng Xi’s and Si Jisheng’s shells were side by side, a meter apart, their openings facing each other. When Si Jisheng sat down as well, they ended up face-to-face, the distance between them reduced to almost nothing.

But Deng Xi was delighted. Flicking his tail, he asked, "Little Mute, where did you go earlier?"

Si Jisheng lowered his gaze and opened his palm, revealing some clay and a few colorful coral branches. Since he’d dug the clay by hand, his fingers were stained black with dirt.

Deng Xi looked surprised, then pointed at himself. "For me?"

Si Jisheng nodded and offered them.

Deng Xi cupped his hands together, and the clay and coral branches were placed into his palms, getting them dirty in the process.

He accepted them carefully, not minding the mess.

Because he knew—these were tools Little Mute had specially gathered for him to decorate his new shell.

Deng Xi turned slightly and carefully dipped a coral branch into the clay. "Hmm…" He frowned in thought. "Where should I stick this?"

Si Jisheng quietly watched as the blue merman worked busily, decorating the new bed.

The colorful rose-colored shell, adorned with equally colorful coral branches and smudges of black clay, looked not pretty at all, despite Deng Xi’s relentless rearranging. Its charm had dropped several notches compared to the old shell.

Even Si Jisheng, who never cared much for appearances, had to look away.

After working hard for what felt like ages with no visible improvement—just getting himself covered in clay smudges, turning into a grimy little mermaid—Deng Xi simply smiled, unbothered.

But then, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and pulled off a cluster of coral branches Deng Xi had painstakingly attached. His eyes widened in outrage. "Little Mute! What are you doing?!"

Si Jisheng paused as he was removing them, then pointed at the two shells. Without a word, the clear difference between them was made obvious.

Deng Xi understood. "Does Little Mute think it’s ugly?" He reattached the coral branches Si Jisheng had removed, then swam back to show off the decorated new shell before the silver-tailed one.

The golden-haired and blue-tailed little mermaid cocked his head and smiled. "But I think it’s beautiful. We searched for this shell together for so long, and the coral branches are a gift you specially brought for me."

"It’s meaningful and very pretty."

Pretty?

Si Jisheng knit his brows in confusion.

Deng Xi explained, "It’s not pretty because of how it looks—it’s pretty because Little Mute is here. That’s why it’s beautiful."

Si Jisheng’s silver eyes went blank for a moment, as if struck by a sudden realization.

Deng Xi continued, "Because Little Mute is here, I dared to move to this dangerous but fish-rich part of the sea. This shell is like a memento, a promise that you’ll stay in our new home forever."

Without him…

Deng Xi would still be a poor blue merman, never eating his fill, forced to survive on seaweed despite being a carnivore.

If he weren’t here…

Deng Xi would still fear large creatures, always running from dangerous sea life. Even when terrified, he’d have to sing—and if one day his song failed… then after Si Jisheng left, he’d die somewhere no one would see.

Si Jisheng had never realized so clearly before.

Just how fragile this blue merman before him was—how difficult life would be without him.

The silver-tailed merman slowly raised a hand and touched Deng Xi’s cheek, gently wiping away the clay smudges with his fingertips. The dirt just showed how clean Deng Xi had originally been.

Si Jisheng wiped away every last speck of clay from Deng Xi’s face—yet without them, the blue merman only looked even cleaner.

In a hoarse, soft voice, Si Jisheng murmured, "Deng… Xi?"

Deng Xi’s eyes sparkled. "Yeah!"

He was here.

Si Jisheng repeated the words in his heart over and over. The sentence was too long, and his impaired speech required immense effort to form it coherently. The first, second, third… tenth attempt…

Each time he spoke, even he couldn’t understand his own words. Yet Deng Xi listened attentively, never tiring, his head tilted upward as if he could listen forever.

On the thirty-sixth try—

Si Jisheng finally managed a somewhat coherent sentence. "If… I had to leave… for a very… faraway place."

"Would you… come with me?"

Through all thirty-six attempts, the anticipation in Deng Xi’s eyes never dimmed. His gaze reflected only Little Mute’s figure, trying hard to get closer to him each time.

Deng Xi's eyes crinkled with a smile as he asked, "Where are we going?"

Si Jisheng replied hoarsely, "F-far... v-very far."

"Sounds good!"

Author's note:

Alright, I'm late again, but considering how much I posted today, forgive me (completely unrepentant).