Chapter 61: Popular Science

Chapter 61: An Educational Moment

The promotional video for Star Network Mall, designed to highlight the product's thin yet impermeable nature, had an 18+ purchase restriction. They never imagined an adult customer would actually buy it to use as a balloon.

Si Jisheng opened the communication interface with his adjutant. The unsent message was a notice to take down that promotional video. He paused, then, with a sigh of resignation, deleted it character by character.

He hadn't thought it through.

Si Jisheng glanced sideways, meeting Deng Xi's bewildered gaze. He sighed faintly, stuffing the entire pink box into the pocket of his tactical pants. The heavy thud of his black boots echoed as he turned and ascended the stairs, leaving Deng Xi blinking his blue eyes in confusion.

Only when the dark figure had completely vanished did Deng Xi, clutching his newly acquired little whale pillow, belatedly realize that Little Mute had taken his balloon.

When Si Jisheng returned, Deng Xi eagerly sat upright. As Little Mute approached, the little mermaid tugged at the black tactical pants, fumbling at the pocket.

A press revealed nothing inside.

Deng Xi, incredulous, reached into Little Mute's pocket and searched again.

Still nothing.

Si Jisheng lifted the wandering hand, stating flatly, "Confiscated."

Deng Xi froze for a moment before reacting. "No, give it back." He whined accusingly, "Little Mute stole my balloon."

Si Jisheng knelt down. "That's not a balloon."

Deng Xi gazed at Little Mute with his clear blue eyes, awaiting a reasonable explanation.

Si Jisheng's lips moved slightly, but ultimately, he said nothing. After a moment of silence, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly. "Want to buy something else?"

Deng Xi pursed his lips. "No."

Deng Xi seemed far more sensible than the silver-tailed one. "That one was pink and had little strawberries."

Si Jisheng met Deng Xi's gaze, unyielding. "No."

Deng Xi pressed his lips even tighter, stubbornly glaring at Little Mute.

Si Jisheng narrowed his silver eyes slightly.

Instead of being intimidated, Deng Xi grew even angrier. He turned his head away, arms crossed, sulking and refusing to glance at the silver-tailed figure behind him.

After a moment of silence, Si Jisheng rose from the ground.

Hearing the movement, Deng Xi couldn't help but prick up his ears, thinking his protest had worked. But after waiting for what felt like an eternity, he received no comfort from Little Mute. Instead, the rustling sounds of movement continued behind him.

Unable to resist, Deng Xi turned his head and saw Little Mute silently unpacking the delivery boxes, meticulously sorting and arranging each item.

If it was a toy Deng Xi wanted to play with, it was placed on the carpet where he sat cross-legged.

Nothing was out of place.

But the little mermaid, ignored by the silver-tailed one, grew even angrier.

Deng Xi let out a loud huff.

Si Jisheng acted as if he hadn't heard.

By the time everything was tidied up, the fuming little mermaid had unconsciously puffed out his cheeks. Only then did Si Jisheng crouch in front of him, his tone as calm as usual, though Deng Xi felt Little Mute's indifference mirrored his earlier refusal to comfort him.

Si Jisheng said, "Foot."

Deng Xi grudgingly extended his leg.

One of the long white socks hanging loosely around his calf was pulled off. The other, due to Deng Xi's restless movements, had bunched up around his ankle, loose and sagging, and was slowly removed by Si Jisheng.

He fetched a pair of slippers. "Put them on."

Deng Xi crossly refused. "No."

Si Jisheng sighed softly. "Dinner's ready."

Deng Xi looked down at his rumbling stomach, hesitated, then shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not hungry."

Si Jisheng thought for a moment. "Then play for a while. Come eat when dinner's ready."

And with that, under Deng Xi's shocked gaze, he stood up and left. Si Jisheng had always meticulously controlled Deng Xi's diet, carefully considering the little mermaid's appetite and ensuring each meal was scientifically balanced for optimal energy intake.

But today, he unusually instructed the housekeeping bot to retrieve various sweet, raw seafood from the cold storage.

Deng Xi climbed up from the carpet by himself, padded barefoot across the floor, moving slowly toward the pool with a quiet pattering sound.

The little mermaid, sulking with his head down, walked for a while before remembering something. He turned around and hurried back to the flying chair, retrieving the little cookies he had originally intended to give to Little Mute today.

Not giving them to Little Mute anymore!

He confiscated them too!

Deng Xi decided stubbornly—this would be his dinner tonight. He wouldn't eat with Little Mute.

He slowly made his way to the poolside, his legs giving out as he sat down. He shrugged off his clothes, hugged the cookies, and transformed into his blue tail, swimming back to his shell bed on his own.

Then he curled up inside and snapped the shell shut with a loud "clack."

Hugging his big tail in the darkness, Deng Xi secretly ripped open the cookies. He wanted to fill his grumbling stomach, but the cookies tasted strange after soaking in seawater, and crumbs scattered all over the shell bed.

After choking down a small bite, Deng Xi couldn't stomach any more.

When Si Jisheng finished preparing dinner, he didn't find Deng Xi obediently playing with toys on the living room carpet. Knowing where to look, he walked to the pool and, unsurprisingly, saw the discarded human clothes tossed carelessly on the shore.

The once open white shell in the corner was now tightly shut.

Si Jisheng also removed his clothes, transforming into his silver tail, and swam to the shell at the bottom of the pool. He rapped gently on it.

A shuffling noise came from inside the shell, but it didn't open.

Si Jisheng waited patiently. He rapped once, then again, a third time...

On the fourth knock, the shell cracked open slightly. His sharp silver eyes caught the cookie crumbs floating out with the water's current. A hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.

The merman's voice, distorted by the water, sounded playfully coaxing when softened, as if coaxing a little fish. "Dinner's ready. Are you hungry?"

Deng Xi clutched the little cookie tightly, lips pursed. His voice, transmitted through the shell and seawater, came out even sulkier. "I'm not hungry."

"Oh?"

The tightly shut shell suddenly swung open, flooding the interior with light in an instant. Deng Xi frantically tried to hide the cookie behind his back, blurting out defensively, "Little Mute can't just open my shell like that!"

The little mermaid's hiding attempt was plainly visible under Si Jisheng's gaze. Tactfully ignoring it, he chose to save Deng Xi's pride and said seriously, "You can't skip dinner just because you're sulking."

Deng Xi noticed Mute seemed about to relent and quickly said, "Then give the balloon back to me."

Si Jisheng repeated, "It's not a balloon."

Deng Xi frowned in confusion. "Then it's a water bubble!"

Si Jisheng denied, "Not a water bubble either."

Deng Xi, like an inquisitive child, asked, "Then what is it?"

Si Jisheng fell silent for a moment. "Let's eat dinner first."

Still refusing to tell him.

Deng Xi turned away in a pout again, though he made sure to rehide the biscuit as well.

Si Jisheng watched Deng Xi’s back as he turned away, golden hair slightly scattered across the shell, some strands drifting in the seawater, revealing the elegant arch of his shoulder blades. His blue tail curled tightly, the fins drooping in defeat.

As if refusing to turn back unless told.

He knew this matter couldn’t be dismissed so easily—the more he withheld, the more Deng Xi’s curiosity would grow.

"Really want to know?" The silver-tailed merman leaned down, bracing himself against the shell. When Deng Xi turned his head, he found himself unexpectedly beneath Mute’s lowered silver gaze.

For some reason, Deng Xi suddenly sensed a hint of danger. He shrank back warily but still nodded in curiosity.

"Its scientific name is a condom, also called a contraceptive," the silver-tailed merman’s voice was low, each word carrying clinical detachment. "It’s a barrier device used during sexual intercourse." (From Baidu Encyclopedia)

Deng Xi’s blue eyes widened.

The silver-tailed merman’s thin lips parted, uttering one embarrassing phrase after another. "In mermaid parlance, it means that before a female mermaid mates with a male mermaid..."

"The condom covers the mermaid’s breeding cavity."

Every word carried an unspoken violation.

Deng Xi’s ears flamed red. Flustered, he wished he could snap the shell shut immediately.

As he grabbed the shell’s edge to close it, the silver merman’s pale arm forcefully held it open, chiding sternly, "Listen properly."

Deng Xi’s delicate, translucent golden gills trembled violently. He forced out each word with difficulty, whispering in surrender, "I get it, stop talking."

"I don’t want to hear anymore."

"You're not allowed."

"Its purpose is to separate the male’s sperm from the female’s eggs, which can create life. Even if the male mermaid forms a knot and signals the desire to reproduce, the female won’t produce eggs afterward."

Despite the neutral tone and serious expression, every word felt crude, vulgar, and obscene.

"Moreover, it doesn’t affect the pleasure during the process."

Deng Xi finally couldn’t take it anymore. His face flushed red as he thrashed his tail, sitting up to cover the silver-tailed merman’s expressionless lips in complete surrender. "You’re not allowed to say anymore."

The clinical explanation came to an abrupt halt.

With Deng Xi sitting up, the hidden biscuit was exposed, drifting aimlessly in the seawater inside the shell.

Deng Xi could block his front but not his back.

When he noticed the silver-tailed merman’s gaze lingering thoughtfully on the half-eaten biscuit—the one he had taken a small bite from—

Si Jisheng asked again, "Still want to play with the balloon?"

Deng Xi mumbled, "Not anymore."

"Still buying random things?"

Deng Xi hesitated for a long moment.

Si Jisheng watched him quietly. Even with his mouth covered, his voice still carried authority. "Hm?"

Cornered, Deng Xi gave ground. "I’ll show Mute before buying."

Si Jisheng wasn’t finished yet. "Still hiding biscuits and skipping dinner?"

Deng Xi couldn’t take it anymore. He glared at the silver-tailed merman, utterly aggrieved. "You’re so mean."

How could Mute be like this!

Si Jisheng picked up the biscuit floating in the water, tilting his head slightly to free his mouth from Deng Xi’s grasp.

Deng Xi tried to grab it but was dodged. Flustered, he explained, "Bunny’s mother gave this to me. I wanted to share it with Mute."

"I wasn’t hiding it to eat it myself."

After listening, Si Jisheng ate the last bite of the biscuit in one go before commenting, "It's good."

"Ready to eat your dinner now?"

"Fine."

Author’s Note:

The Marshal actually has ten thousand ways to deal with a disobedient little mermaid.