Chapter 42: Can’t Find It

Chapter 42: Nowhere to Be Found

Dinner tonight was pasta and pan-seared fish fillets, along with a simple vegetable salad dressed only with olive oil. Si Jisheng prepared double portions of each, and fearing Deng Xi might not be accustomed to the flavors, he also made a plate of marinated raw oyster sashimi.

He placed everything on the suspended table by the pool.

Deng Xi habitually waited for Little Mute to carry him to the transparent chair beside the suspended table for meals.

But Si Jisheng merely pushed the flying chair next to the table and set the dinner on its small tray.

Deng Xi was a little displeased.

Yet, he had brought this upon himself.

He lowered his eyelids, quietly picked up the human fork, and, regaining his composure, twirled a small bite of the pasta Little Mute had mentioned, tasting it tentatively.

The steaming pasta, coated in tomato meat sauce, was al dente, with a sweet and tangy flavor. It was delicious.

The pan-seared fish fillet had also been meticulously diced, leaving Deng Xi no opportunity to use a knife.

The vegetable salad was cool and crisp, and the oysters, sprinkled with sea salt, offered a flavor Deng Xi had never experienced.

But mermaids had small appetites. Deng Xi only ate a little of each dish, leaving the rest for Si Jisheng to finish.

After the silent dinner, Si Jisheng rose to clear the dishes. Deng Xi watched Little Mute’s retreating back, then maneuvered the flying chair to the pool’s surface. Awkwardly bracing himself with his arms, he slowly leaned towards the water. Finally, he closed his eyes and tumbled from the flying chair into the pool.

Water splashed everywhere.

Deng Xi was now drenched, like a drowned guppy. He vigorously flicked his tail, reaching up to push the levitating flying chair to the shore.

He could no longer wait for Little Mute to carry him back into the water.

Deng Xi had to learn how to take care of himself when Little Mute wasn't around.

When Si Jisheng returned to the pool, he found the flying chair empty. The little mermaid, soaking wet, leaned against the edge, his drenched golden hair plastered messily to his face. Yet, a wide, triumphant smile beamed on his face. "Even without Little Mute carrying me, I can get back into the water by myself."

So impressive!

Si Jisheng rolled up his sleeves and let out a soft sigh. Kneeling by the pool, he asked, "Can you take off your clothes?"

Deng Xi’s proud expression faltered. He guiltily looked down at the human clothes, now completely soaked.

The wet gauze, thin and translucent, clung to the little mermaid’s body, intensifying the feeling of being confined. Deng Xi tugged uncomfortably at the loose collar, raising his hands to try and untie the dress’s ribbons himself.

But under the silver-tailed man’s calm gaze, after struggling for a long time, he made no progress, only tangling it further into an impossible knot.

"Don’t move."

Si Jisheng leaned forward, using his fingertips to untie the gauze ribbons. His silver eyes narrowed, and he meticulously undid them. Once the collar was fully open, he reached into the water, his mechanical glove grasping the flowing hem of the gauze dress.

"Hands up."

Deng Xi obediently raised his hands.

The next second, the clinging gauze dress was lifted upwards, over his head, and completely removed.

The feeling of confinement vanished instantly.

Si Jisheng picked up the dripping wet gauze dress, preparing to leave, but Deng Xi tugged at his sleeve. Blinking his blue eyes, he asked, "Will Little Mute sleep in the water tonight?"

Si Jisheng paused. "There’s only one shell."

Deng Xi’s face fell in disappointment.

With only one shell, if Little Mute were to sleep with him in the water, they would have to squeeze into it together. That would mean not only their bodies embracing but also their tails likely touching.

Deng Xi lowered his head, troubled. "Alright then."

Si Jisheng hesitated before leaving. He opened the educational video Dr. Li had sent to Deng Xi’s light brain. "If you get bored, contact me through the light brain."

Deng Xi nodded.

Si Jisheng left the pool, heading to the study to handle the official duties sent by his adjutant.

After the silver-tailed man left, Deng Xi lay alone by the edge, quietly watching the video on the blue screen and listening to the instructor’s voice. Unconsciously, he drifted off again.

When he woke again, it was already dark outside.

The pool lights were off, with only the moon’s clear light shining on the water, reflecting fragmented sparkles.

The light brain had long since finished playing the video, its screen dark and dim.

Deng Xi awoke in the darkness, still a little disoriented. He lay still for a while before swimming towards the lonely large shell in the corner.

Just like the round, pristine white shell he had given Little Mute in the ocean, would the red coral glued onto this one also have been placed there by Little Mute’s own hands?

Curious, Deng Xi poked it with his hand.

Afterward, he instinctively turned around, but could only see the empty pool surface and the darkness behind him. Under the moonlight, only his solitary reflection shimmered on the water.

There was no trace of the rose-colored shell he and Little Mute had found together, no familiar seaweed bed in the grotto, nor the shimmering silver tail coiled upon it.

Nothing at all.

Deng Xi opened the smooth white shell and quietly curled up inside, hugging his large tail. But he had already slept for a long time; no matter how tightly he closed his eyes, sleep wouldn’t come.

He opened his eyes again, staying quietly in the dark for a while before tentatively activating his light brain. The blue screen appeared in the darkness, illuminating the little mermaid inside the shell.

"Little Mu—"

Deng Xi only spoke the first two words, then paused. After connecting the call, what would he say when he saw Little Mute?

Did he want to sleep with Little Mute?

But he couldn’t say that.

Deng Xi turned off the light brain again, quietly tilting his head back, idly blowing small bubbles, and looking through the water’s surface at the night sky beyond the transparent dome of the pool.

The human world’s night sky had no bright moonlight, no myriad stars. Thick gray clouds covered the crescent moon, leaving the entire night sky empty.

Suddenly, Deng Xi sat up. He swam out of the large shell and sank to the bottom.

Deng Xi had not yet explored the deep abyss beneath the pool. After several days in this "ocean," he still hadn’t fully explored this sea area.

Deng Xi had become a mermaid neglecting his ocean.

Since he couldn’t sleep tonight, why not go on an adventure?

Deng Xi flicked his tail and dove into the underwater abyss beneath the pool.

This deep abyss was inhabited by only a few small fish resting. Deng Xi swam around the area but did not venture too deep, wary of potential dangers, nor did he disturb the sleeping sea creatures.

Instead, he swam towards the passage connecting the abyss to the open sea. Passing through a cluster of coral reefs, he emerged into the vast, boundless ocean, his blue tail swaying as he moved through the water.

Deng Xi swam far, far away, breaking the surface under the moonlight.

He leaned against a protruding reef, idly splashing the water with his fan-shaped tail fin, feeling the cold, salty night breeze. Wide-eyed and far from bored, he counted the stars in the night sky.

Back in the ocean, if Deng Xi couldn’t sleep at night, he would also swim to the surface in the middle of the night, lie by the reefs, and count stars until he fell asleep.

But there were far too few stars in this night sky.

Deng Xi finished counting them all too quickly. He couldn’t help but glance at the light brain on his wrist, then forced himself to look back at the starry sky and recount the stars.

"One, two, three…"

He wished Little Mute were here to count with him.

***

"Ding—"

The light brain chimed, and the call connected.

Si Jisheng wearily closed his eyes for a moment, setting down the documents in his hand to look at the blue screen of the light brain. The video call showed the entrance gate of the Manor in District A.

The image flipped, revealing his adjutant’s dark face, obscured by the night. "Marshal, please grant access. I’ve brought what you requested."

As he spoke, the adjutant couldn’t help but twitch his brow at the thought of the rose-colored shell stored in his airship.

Their Marshal had fallen in love and seemed like a completely different person—last night’s mermaid gauze dress, this morning’s Barbie glitter pink personal flying chair, and now this excessively girly rose-colored shell bed.

The mere thought of their Marshal sleeping in something like this was such a stark contrast that the adjutant couldn’t help but feel a chill.

He cleared his throat, and once the gate access opened, he dragged the shell bed out of the airship and handed it to the robot butler.

Mission accomplished, the adjutant wasted no time fleeing District A, as if fearing that lingering even a second longer would lead to assassination by the Marshal, who now knew his true feelings.

Love is terrifying, the adjutant thought.

The robot butler carried the shell bed all the way into the manor’s villa, taking it to the master bedroom on the third floor.

A knock sounded at the door, and the running water in the bathroom soon stopped. Si Jisheng, bare-chested and clad only in combat pants, bypassed the mechanical gloves resting on the suspended table and opened the door. His gaze fell upon the rose-colored shell bed—one he had searched long and hard to find a similar style for.

He tapped the light brain on his knuckle, checking his call log for what felt like the hundredth time.

He reconfirmed that it wasn’t a problem with the light brain, but that truly no calls had come through.

Taking a deep breath, he bent down to lift the shell bed, which was taller than a person, from the floor, effortlessly carrying it down to the glass-walled pool room on the first floor.

Because it was late at night, the pool was completely dark. Si Jisheng didn’t turn on the lights, fearing Deng Xi might already be asleep. He moved quietly, dragging the shell bed into the water until he reached the corner where the pearly white shell was supposed to be.

He set down the rose-colored shell, his silver eyes lifting slightly, and his movements froze instantly.

The pearly white shell lay wide open, but the blue-tailed merman who should have been sleeping peacefully inside was nowhere to be found. Si Jisheng activated the light brain’s operating system, and in the next instant, the entire pool lit up.

Under the cold fluorescent light, the pool was empty—no trace of the blue tail.

His breath caught.

A shimmering silver tail tore through his combat pants, instantly appearing in the water as the silver merman plunged into the depths, searching the abyss where the blue tail might be.

Before long, Si Jisheng resurfaced. Remembering something, he opened his light brain and placed a call.

Right, they weren’t in the ocean now.

They were in the human world.

This wasn’t the past. He could simply contact Deng Xi through the light brain.

The first call was rejected.

On the other end, Deng Xi was startled by his suddenly glowing light brain. Not knowing what he had pressed, the blue screen dimmed again.

The second call was also rejected.

Deng Xi had never received a call before. The blank blue screen displayed only a generic black avatar and two buttons—one red, one green.

He pressed the red one.

The blue screen fell silent again.

Cocking his head, Deng Xi rested against the reef.

Was this thing broken?

The third, fourth calls…

The calls came faster each time, their frequency betraying a hint of panic.

By the sixteenth call, Deng Xi hesitantly pressed the green button.

"Ding—"

The blue screen revealed a pair of silver eyes, dark and intense, and a voice low and deep, tinged with a suppressed urgency.

"Where are you?"

Author’s Note: My merman, my wife ran away 🙂

There will be a second update before midnight~