Chapter 60: Strawberry Flavor

Chapter 60: Strawberry Flavor

Both non-humans and families with non-human members would resent those who shattered their peaceful lives.

The young merman, newly arrived from the sea to the human world, didn't fully grasp the difference between non-humans being publicly known or hidden among normal humans. He lowered his gaze, pondering for a long time, then slowly, still half-understanding, asked, "Would it make a difference if they weren't known?"

Si Jisheng paused, then patiently explained, "They could live among normal humans, not be abandoned by their families due to public opinion, and live better lives."

Deng Xi pursed his lips, asking in confusion, "Did Little Mute abandon them?"

Si Jisheng was taken aback.

Deng Xi couldn't help but hug Little Mute tighter. "I would never abandon my people or my family just because of what others say."

Deng Xi was perplexed. "Little Mute isn't the one who hurt them. Dr. Li said you took them in, protected them from bad people." He grew anxious, but his limited understanding made his comfort clumsy. "Was it Little Mute who cut off their ears and tongues?"

Before Si Jisheng could speak, Deng Xi denied it himself. "No, it was other bad humans who did that." He enunciated each word, "When those bad people captured me, it wasn't Little Mute's doing. Instead, Little Mute saved me."

Si Jisheng began, "Because you wanted to find me—"

Deng Xi reached out and covered Little Mute’s mouth, silencing him. A hint of anger in his voice, he asked, "If I hadn't encountered bad people, couldn't I have found Little Mute safely, without getting hurt?"

Si Jisheng tried to part his lips, but the small hand covering his mouth tightened further. All he could see was the puffed-out, sulking cheeks. In the end, he could only concede with a slight nod.

Only then did Deng Xi's eyes crinkle into a smile.

He didn't want Little Mute to take the blame for the bad deeds of others.

He had watched that trial video—though he hadn't yet discussed it with Little Mute. Even if he didn't fully comprehend it, Deng Xi knew that Little Mute must have been in a difficult position back then.

He had no other choice.

Besides, the video hadn't played to the end. Who knew what truly happened afterward? The worst-case scenario was that the truth had been buried all along.

It was utterly unfair.

For the sake of humans, he had revealed their identity, only to be hated by humans anyway. Deng Xi had thought that Little Mute, who helped non-humans, would be liked by them. But in reality, Little Mute was also disliked by non-humans.

No one liked his Little Mute.

Deng Xi moved his hand from Little Mute’s mouth and wrapped both arms around the silver-tailed merman’s neck, burying his face against it.

Even though he wasn't the one being disliked, Deng Xi felt as if he had suffered a great injustice. He mumbled, "Has Little Mute ever experienced living in the deep sea?"

"If you accidentally wander into the territory of a large sea creature, they patrol the surface every day. The moment they detect anything unusual, they'll treat you as prey and fiercely tear you apart."

"You can only hide in dark underwater caves, too afraid to swim out. Every time you open or close your eyes, all you see is darkness—not a single ray of sunlight."

The young merman had hidden in that cave for nearly a month.

"Every night, you sleep fitfully, afraid you’ll be discovered. Since you don’t dare swim too far, you can only eat the nearby seaweed. But once the seaweed is all gone, you have to starve."

The mechanical hand resting on Deng Xi’s back clenched momentarily. Si Jisheng said nothing, asked nothing, simply listened in silence.

Deng Xi seemed to regress to that dark, lightless environment, shrinking in fear, unable to stop a slight tremor.

Si Jisheng patted him gently, soothingly.

A long, long time passed before Deng Xi’s emotions finally settled a little. Because they were so close, his exhaled breath turned into damp mist in the cold airship, brushing against the exposed side of the silver-tailed merman’s neck.

Both merfolk and mermaids were accustomed to the cold depths of the ocean, preferring to keep the airship’s temperature low.

They huddled close for warmth.

Deng Xi whispered, "I stayed there for so long, I thought I would wither away like the seaweed I had plucked, lonely in the depths of the cave." He added softly, "Closing my eyes forever in the darkness of the deep sea."

Si Jisheng’s voice was hoarse. "That wouldn't happen."

Deng Xi curved his lips, asserting, "Yes, it wouldn't."

"Hiding like a starfish burrowing into the sand, refusing to change—then all we can do is helplessly accept reality." Deng Xi struggled for the right analogy, "But we're not starfish. We can't survive by just filtering plankton from the seawater while buried in the sand."

"If we do that, all we'll be waiting for is to vanish into the ocean before our own eyes."

Si Jisheng asked softly, "So, did you make a change?"

Deng Xi rubbed his eyes, which were red from the dark memories, and proudly lifted his head. "I left the cave. But not long after, the pod of predators found me."

The prey had stopped hiding.

"Even though I was scared, I used my song to break through their encirclement and left that territory."

"Excellent."

"And then?"

"Then I found a safe part of the sea. There weren't many fish, but there was so much seaweed to eat—enough to last a very, very long time."

Deng Xi counted on his fingers. "I even found a really beautiful den and moved in. Every morning when I opened my eyes and pushed aside the shells, I could see sunlight streaming down through the water."

Si Jisheng agreed softly, "That must have been beautiful."

Deng Xi nodded. "I didn't have to hide anymore, didn't have to be afraid of being discovered. I could swim up to the surface every day."

Sometimes the sky might be bright with sunshine, other times there’d be storms that churned the waves. But no matter the weather, Deng Xi could always enjoy it.

Deng Xi tilted his head. "Does Little Mute understand now?"

Si Jisheng countered, "Understand what?"

Deng Xi said earnestly, "I also think Little Mute is amazing for daring to leave the den, unafraid of being discovered by normal people." He smiled. "Leading the non-humans who'd been hiding in darkness to make a change."

Absolutely amazing!

"You'll definitely, definitely break through the encirclement too."

And bask in the warm sunlight shining on the sea's surface.

Si Jisheng already knew all this.

His cold fingertips gently brushed through the golden hair spilling over Deng Xi’s back.

If Deng Xi could grasp it, he wouldn't remain trapped in an inescapable dilemma either. But understanding something intellectually and bearing its full weight were two different things.

The draft of the *Non-Human Convention*, meant to address the entire galaxy, had been submitted to the Galactic Alliance three years ago. But aside from the Empire’s Elder Council obstructing it, the other star systems in the Alliance disagreed.

As long as the issue of non-humans losing control remained unsolved, they were no different from the universally despised insectoids.

The gene inhibitors at the treatment center had undergone countless updates, but a permanent solution still eluded them.

They could suppress genes, but they could not change them.

Si Jisheng touched Deng Xi's eyelid, wiping away the damp traces, and responded softly, "Mm, we will."

Deng Xi wasn't quite satisfied. "It's 'definitely'."

Si Jisheng only gave a slight nod.

The airship came to a sudden stop, catching Deng Xi off guard as he abruptly floated into the air, clutching Silver-tailed in fright.

After standing up, Si Jisheng held Deng Xi and bent down, placing him steadily on the ground.

Deng Xi tentatively stepped onto the floor, reluctantly letting go of Little Mute, but soon, he took his hand again, being led step by step off the airship.

After descending from the lawn where the airship landed, they reached the garden outside the manor. But without the owner's careful tending, it remained exactly as it was when Deng Xi moved in.

The blossoms had withered, and the grass had faded.

Ahead, the robot butler meticulously swept fallen leaves.

Deng Xi reached out sadly to touch the shriveled petals. "They're about to disappear."

Si Jisheng said, "Autumn is coming."

Deng Xi asked curiously, "When the ocean currents grow warmer and spring arrives, will they bloom again?"

Si Jisheng gave a firm answer. "Absolutely."

They returned to the manor's entrance. Si Jisheng narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the pile of delivery boxes on the ground, then turned to the robot butler behind him. "Why weren't these taken care of?"

The butler replied mechanically, "These have not been opened by the master."

Si Jisheng frowned slightly. He didn't recall shopping online these days.

Deng Xi, pleasantly surprised, let go of Little Mute's hand and carefully picked his way through the boxes, about to touch one when he was pulled back.

Si Jisheng eyed the entrance cluttered with boxes. "Be careful, wait a moment." He instructed the butler, "Move them inside first."

Finally, he turned to Deng Xi. "Are these all yours?"

Deng Xi bobbed his head eagerly. "Yes! I bought them all!"

Every time Deng Xi attended class, he couldn't resist getting distracted. Over time, he felt too embarrassed to disturb Bunny, leaving the idle merman to lie sprawled alone on the carpet, scrolling through his tablet.

Deng Xi couldn't understand the star network. After just a few glances, he'd inevitably end up in the shopping site he knew.

Many human items were things Deng Xi had never seen before, and they looked so beautiful. Fascinated, he couldn't help but want to bring them home to play with.

The packages were piled up in the living room's open space. Each time Deng Xi tried to rush over, Si Jisheng firmly pulled him back, making him walk slowly.

Afraid Deng Xi's weak legs might stumble if he ran.

Deng Xi's shoes were left at the entrance. In pristine white socks, he sat cross-legged on the fluffy carpet. Worried he might get hurt, Si Jisheng used the thorned dagger he always carried at his waist to carefully open each package before handing them to Deng Xi.

A little whale-shaped pillow.

A delicate pink glass vase.

A pearl-encrusted artificial shell. "This is for the little jellyfish—its new home!"

And a two- to three-meter-long artificial giant clam shell, made entirely of silver and adorned with tiny coral reefs. Deng Xi said, "This is for Little Mute."

His bright silver tail sleeping in a rose-colored shell would look completely out of place.

Si Jisheng continued unpacking. When he pulled out the next item, he froze, thinking he'd misread. But upon opening it, he confirmed it.

His breath caught.

"Why did you buy this?"

Between his gloved fingers, he held a thin, square, pale pink package, giving off a faint strawberry scent.

Deng Xi replied guilelessly, "The commercial said it can be blown up like a balloon or filled with water for playing."

It was a strawberry-flavored, textured condom.