Chapter 36: Clingy

Chapter 36: Clingy

Jiang Xun couldn't help but laugh. "No, no translation needed there. We're just going to look around."

Liu Hai breathed a sigh of relief.

They quietly entered the coral exhibit, listening to the guide explain facts about coral. They took photos with children and generously allowed them to touch Liu Hai's tail.

Next, they arrived at the seagull exhibit, Feng Yan's domain. At the entrance, stalls sold Feng Yan-style seagull costumes. Many parents, indulging their children's interests, and even young adults who enjoyed it themselves had bought the costumes, resulting in the entire exhibit being filled with people dressed as seagulls of all ages.

Jiang Xun couldn't for the life of him tell which one was Feng Yan—until one seagull started leading the crowd in a seagull mating dance.

Jiang Xun: "..."

Liu Hai: "That one's probably Feng Yan, right?"

Jiang Xun clapped a hand over Liu Hai's eyes. "Don't make eye contact. I feel like if you do, he'll rope us in—"

But it was too late.

Feng Yan rushed over and encircled them in the middle of the crowd, breaking into a wild, circling dance with the other "seagulls."

After just two twirls, Liu Hai happily joined in.

Though he didn't have legs, his springy tail allowed him to keep up with the seagulls' movements effortlessly. Meanwhile, the real seagulls above them cawed behind the glass, as if watching the spectacle and mocking them.

For a moment, Jiang Xun wondered: Were they here to watch the seagulls, or were the seagulls here to watch them?

The Siren Company's biopark had always steered clear of animal performances—but occasionally, humans performed for the animals instead.

All voluntary, mind you.

Jiang Xun closed his eyes.

"I'm back!" Liu Hai bounced around in a circle before expertly hopping back onto the wheelchair. "Alright! Let's go to the next stop!"

"Is the next stop where we'll see Luo Luo and Nini? Is Kong Tela there too?"

Jiang Xun shook himself out of it. "Maybe."

"Dr. Su Mei is also there this time, so we'll get to see the other penguins too."

However, when they arrived at the penguin exhibit, they saw Luo Luo and Nini, as well as Dr. Su Mei and the other penguins she had brought—but Kong Tela was conspicuously absent.

Dr. Su Mei greeted them warmly and kindly explained, "Dr. Kong Tela has already left for the Siren again."

"Again?" Jiang Xun was surprised.

"Jiang Xun, didn't you know?" Liu Hai looked at him worriedly. "Did you two have another fight?"

Jiang Xun: "..."

"Heh." Dr. Su Mei piped up helpfully, "Do you need me to play messenger? You haven't been blocked, have you?"

"No, thank you," Jiang Xun cleared his throat. "Probably not."

Liu Hai sighed. "'Probably' doesn't cut it. Have you not messaged him at all lately?"

"Jiang Xun."

He patted Jiang Xun's shoulder with worldly wisdom. "You should reach out to him sometimes too."

Jiang Xun smiled helplessly, bracing against the wheelchair. "Are you giving me a lesson now, Sensei Liu Hai?"

"Xiao Jin says I'm better at making friends than you," Liu Hai boasted, nose in the air. "I can teach you!"

"Alright," Jiang Xun relented with a sigh. "Then, what do you suggest I do now?"

"First," Liu Hai said seriously, "establish where you stand!"

"Jiang Xun, don't tell me you've never once told him you consider him a friend?"

"Even if you've known each other for a long time and naturally dispense with mushy talk, it's still important to say it out loud sometimes!"

"How do I confirm it?" Jiang Xun seemed to actually mull it over. "If I suddenly message him and say, 'I really do consider you a good friend,' wouldn't he think I'm drunk?"

"Though I don't drink."

Liu Hai tilted his head. "Don't humans have any friend-making customs?"

Dr. Su Mei also mused thoughtfully. "Pinky promise?"

Jiang Xun winced.

"That won't work," Liu Hai said authoritatively. "A Yu told me pinky promises are for kids. Adults don't do that."

"Adults do everything with contracts..."

His eyes lit up. "So, Jiang Xun, why don't you and Dr. Kong Tela sign a friendship contract?"

Jiang Xun: "...That's out of left field."

"Hmm, but now that I think about it, it might actually work." Dr. Su Mei smiled warmly. "There's an endearingly awkward earnestness to it."

"Ah, how nice. You're still at the age where you have friend spats. When you get to our age..."

Jiang Xun glanced at her. "I heard you and Dr. Citrus are very close friends."

"Ah, yes." Dr. Su Mei chuckled. "We've been best friends since childhood. Now we're more like golden girls."

Jiang Xun allowed himself a smirk. "I also heard you two had a little tiff not long ago. Something about..."

"A certain doctor holding two ice creams and biting the tips off both."

Dr. Su Mei looked away sheepishly. "Ah, well..."

"Tch." Liu Hai said wisely, "Humans are so childish."

Dr. Su Mei grumbled under her breath, "That's because she drank the first sip of my milk tea before that. It was just returning the favor."

"Hmm." Liu Hai wavered. "Put that way, it does seem a bit..."

"Right?" Dr. Su Mei nodded slightly. "Between friends, it's hard to point fingers—especially when you've been together for so long that your lives are inextricably intertwined. You can't sort it out, not even in court."

"So, don't try to sort it out." Liu Hai tilted his head. "Just cut loose when it's time to cut loose, and patch things up when it's time to patch things up."

"Exactly." Dr. Su Mei patted his head with a smile. "You've already got the hang of the wisdom of human relationships!"

She gave Jiang Xun a meaningful look. "But some people seem to have a hard time with making friends, don't they?"

Jiang Xun: "..."

Liu Hai eagerly said, "Need me to write it for you?"

"Shouldn't we be done for today?"

His eyes sparkled as he spoke, "Does that mean I can call it a day and go home? Ah, I've always envied the moment when everyone leaves the lab saying, 'Off work!'..."

"One last stop," Jiang Xun sighed. "We still need to visit a beluga whale friend. You can go into the water and play with it for a while."

Even from a distance before reaching the beluga exhibit, they could already hear the beluga's high, clear calls.

Liu Hai's excited expression gradually faded. He hesitated and turned back, "Sounds like it's crying for its mom..."

"Mm," Jiang Xun led him forward. "It's not an ancient species recreated through genetics. It was injured and got separated from its group, then rescued and brought here."

"There were a few attempts to release it back into the wild, but it couldn't survive on its own. It's quite clever, though—every time, it returned beaten up, seeking human help. In the end, it had to stay here for good."

"Its name is Weil."

"Actually, they were hoping you could cheer it up, but there's no pressure. Everyone already understands why it's sad."

"Belugas live in groups. It must be feeling lonely."

"So... it really is calling for its mom..."

"Mm—" Liu Hai thumped his chest with a sense of responsibility. "Leave it to me! I'll do my best to cheer it up!"

Entering the beluga exhibit, Liu Hai got in the water and greeted the beluga, "Hello!"

The beluga stared at him in shock, then turned to look at a tanned, muscular caretaker standing by the poolside. Suddenly, it let out a loud, baby-like cry.

"Huh?" Liu Hai looked confused.

The beluga thrashed and howled in the water, like a child having a meltdown.

After listening for a while, Liu Hai's expression grew complicated. He suddenly reached out and covered the beluga's mouth.

The beluga's eyes darted to him. Liu Hai lowered his voice and warned, "Hush, or I'll take him away."

The beluga nodded eagerly, up and down.

Liu Hai patted it and swam over toward the edge of the pool. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed the caretaker approaching.

The caretaker seemed nervous. "Is Weil okay? It seemed like he was throwing a tantrum just now."

Liu Hai opened his mouth, then pulled Jiang Xun aside and muttered, "We can't tell him yet!"

Jiang Xun raised an eyebrow but agreed.

"He's being clingy. He says his mom isn't allowed to leave work—he wants to sleep with his mom tonight," Liu Hai explained. "He thought I was here to compete for attention, that his mom had found someone new."

As Jiang Xun listened, something felt off. "Wait, this 'mom'..."

Liu Hai pointed at the caretaker. "Him."

Jiang Xun: "..."

"This caretaker, 'sir'."

Jiang Xun emphasized the word "sir," "is clearly a man."

"That's what I thought at first too," Liu Hai nodded in agreement. "But upon reflection, maybe I understand humans too well."

Jiang Xun was puzzled. "What?"

"I can tell human genders apart," Liu Hai declared confidently. "But to marine animals, human gender doesn't matter at all."

"So, a 'man-mom' can still be a mom!"

Jiang Xun: "...Who taught you 'man-mom'?"

Liu Hai admitted, "Xiao Jin."

"So," Jiang Xun rubbed his temples in silence, "this 'tragic' beluga isn't actually the sorrowful, isolated outcast everyone imagined. He's... just a mama's boy?"

"That's not fair," Liu Hai stood up for him. "It's probably related to his childhood experiences. Don't you humans always talk about how one's childhood and early trauma shape a person?"

"He got separated from his family when he was young, so now he's attached to his caretaker."

The beluga seemed to realize Liu Hai was speaking up for it and swam closer, letting out soft, whimpering sounds.

Jiang Xun asked uncertainly, "What's it saying now?"

"He's asking me to convince the caretaker to stay the night," Liu Hai translated. "He says when he was sick before, the caretaker brought a bed and slept here with him. He wants to know if he can do that again tonight."

"He wants my help because the caretaker doesn't seem to understand him."

Jiang Xun: "...There are night staff here, though."

"Guards won't do," Liu Hai shook his head. "He wants the caretaker."

"Heh." Jiang Xun laughed. "If he's this clingy, maybe he should see a vet. Maybe he's not a beluga—just a puppy who can't be alone."

Liu Hai objected, "So what?!"

"Animals don't understand why humans have so many things to do!"

Jiang Xun noted, "You seem to be really sticking up for him."

"Because I'd love to cling to you too, Jiang Xun," Liu Hai said proudly. "But I'm better behaved. I know you have work, so I can play with others or by myself."

Jiang Xun: "..."

Liu Hai asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well." Jiang Xun paused. "Then... should I bring a thicker blanket to the tank tonight?"

Author's Note:

Liu Hai (proudly): This seal's got great self-control!