Chapter 42: Fate

Chapter 42: Fate

Huan Hai and Liu Hai stared at each other for a moment, then Liu Hai broke the silence. "Have you been staying in the north lately?"

"Yeah." Huan Hai slowly sank into the pool. "My schedule opened up, and I wasn’t in the mood for anything, so I told my agent I’d rest here for a while."

"There’s a big hospital in the north that treats children with congenital diseases. I’ve been volunteering there recently."

"Since the kids don’t realize how clueless I am, as long as I play with them, they think I’m really great."

Huan Hai sighed. "Honestly, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt needed like this."

Liu Hai, munching on a hot dog, asked, "Do you really want to be needed?"

"Yeah." Huan Hai snapped back to reality. "Wait, have you been eating this whole time?"

"Do you not care about weight management at all?"

Liu Hai paused mid-bite. "Come on! You humans invent all these delicious foods and then stress over this stuff! You guys are so contradictory!"

Huan Hai stayed silent.

"But you’re a merman," Liu Hai added, remembering something. "So I’m not talking about you."

Huan Hai scratched his head. "Whatever, go ahead and eat."

"I don’t think I used to pay much attention to it either..."

"After my debut, everything just felt different."

Liu Hai finished the sausage and licked his lips. "Honestly, I don’t get any of this. I thought feeding you something tasty would cheer you up, but you can only eat so little. It just makes you look even sadder."

Huan Hai stayed silent.

"But..." Liu Hai rested his chin in his hand and looked at him. "The fact that you can overthink so much from my casual remarks and keep bringing up the past probably means... this is the answer you’re looking for."

"You already know what to do, don’t you?"

"After all, from the sound of it, there’s not much you can do."

Liu Hai idly swished his tail. "But are they really bored because you started speaking more properly?"

"Could it be that you just got boring, and they couldn’t figure out why, so they guessed it was your accent?"

Huan Hai: "...But I can’t think of a reason either!"

"And you’re not even going to comfort me? Now I feel worse!"

"It’s fine!" Liu Hai gave him a thumbs-up. "Getting back your spark is progress too!"

Huan Hai just facepalmed.

"Besides, why you became boring—that’s something only you can answer." Liu Hai handed him a piece of candy. "Take this and think things through."

"Maybe you’re just hangry!"

"Ugh, fine—" Huan Hai glanced at Liu Hai’s snack bag, then suddenly stood up with determination. "Screw it! Today, I’m pigging out! And then... I’ll just work it off swimming!"

"Ah!" Liu Hai perked up, tail wagging. "I can help with that! I can take you swimming! I’m super fast!"

Huan Hai shoveled chips into his mouth, almost tearing up, and mumbled in confusion, "But... if someone else helps me, does that even count as exercise?"

Liu Hai blinked. "Come on, it’ll be fun!"

Huan Hai swallowed the chips and gave in. "Fine, I’ll swim with you. So how do we do this?"

"I’ll give you a ride!" Liu Hai gestured enthusiastically. "Then I’ll pull you along! You just hold your breath!"

Huan Hai immediately panicked. "Listen, you might not be in the industry, but this looks kinda... gay! If we get caught, people might think we’re fanservice!"

Liu Hai looked confused. "Shipping what? Food?"

Huan Hai stayed silent.

Liu Hai reminded him, "Hold your breath!"

Huan Hai sighed, took a deep breath, and Liu Hai eagerly got into position. "Ready?"

"Go!"

With a flick of his tail, he cut through the water and dragged Huan Hai racing through the pool.

Huan Hai gasped.

Meanwhile, at the Northern Research Institute.

Jiang Xun’s device lay on the table, displaying the live footage from the pool’s security feed.

The meeting went on as usual, though he occasionally glanced at the screen.

"With this, we pretty much have confirmation," Laurence said with a grateful smile. "Thank you for your help. Now we can proceed with the next phase."

"We should see results in about a week. At that time, we’d like to invite you all to witness them together."

Jiang Xun nodded. "Sounds good. If anything unusual happens in the meantime, feel free to contact us."

Laurence’s expression softened. "Thank you so much."

"Oh, I’ve prepared some treats—no need to be polite. Just some baked goods. I think Liu Hai would enjoy them too."

Jiang Xun glanced at his phone screen.

The snack bag in Liu Hai’s arms was rapidly emptying. And that idol, Huan Hai, seemed to be getting way too close to Liu Hai.

Jiang Xun slowly narrowed his eyes.

Laurence followed his gaze and smiled warmly. "Looks like he’s made a new friend."

"Are you all having dinner together later? You could take some food from our cafeteria back with you... Oh!"

Laurence’s eyes widened as he watched the screen, gasping in surprise.

"What? What happened?" Xiao Jin jumped up nervously. "Is Liu Hai okay?"

"No." Jiang Xun’s expression was complicated as he watched Huan Hai being dragged through the water at high speed by Liu Hai. "Looks like someone else is suffering."

Xiao Jin: "...We should probably get back soon?"

"Otherwise, I’m afraid we’ll have some explaining to do to his agent later."

"Hmm." Jiang Xun watched as Liu Hai fished the person out of the pool, the two playfully wrestling in the drying area. For some reason, he felt conflicted.

He stood up. "Let's head back as soon as possible."

...

By the time they returned home, Liu Hai and Huan Hai were no longer playing in the pool but were instead busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner for everyone.

The manager, who had arrived earlier, had initially just been watching, but eventually couldn’t resist joining in to help.

Liu Hai sat in his wheelchair, giving seasoning suggestions, looking every bit the master chef. "Mmm! Pretty good! Just a little more sugar."

"Got it!" Huan Hai turned to comply, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the others had returned.

"Wow…" Xiao Jin said in awe. "You’ve only known each other for, like, a day? And you’ve already got this handsome guy willingly cooking for you?"

Liu Hai cocked his head. "You’re back so early? We were hoping you’d arrive just in time for dinner!"

"Huan Hai said he wanted to thank me, so he’s making dinner for everyone!"

"Though I’m not really sure what he’s thanking me for…"

Huan Hai stuck his head out from the kitchen. "Thanks for not being much help but keeping me company all day. Somehow, I feel a lot better now."

Liu Hai grinned back at him. "You’re welcome!"

Huan Hai sighed and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Ah, everyone’s back," the manager greeted them cheerfully. "Wash your hands and get ready to eat—it’ll be ready soon!"

"Well, well—" Xiao Jin raised an eyebrow. "Huan Hai aside, spending an afternoon with Liu Hai must’ve cheered you right up."

"Why’s the manager so happy too?"

The manager scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah, is it that obvious?"

"Because this hopeless guy’s been moping around for ages. It’s rare to see him so eager to cook—seems like he’s coming out of his shell a bit."

"Haha, well, it’s a good thing either way."

"I’m not *that* hopeless," Huan Hai muttered as he brought out a dish. "No need to be so polite. Before my debut, I worked at a restaurant and learned a thing or two from the chefs."

Liu Hai looked concerned. "Only a trick or two? Will it be okay?"

"Tch." Huan Hai shoved a bite into his mouth. "You already tasted it earlier!"

Liu Hai chewed thoughtfully. "Let me taste it again for you."

Jiang Xun sighed helplessly. "Seems like it tastes pretty good."

"Oh, right! Jiang Xun, wait a sec!" Liu Hai whizzed off in his wheelchair and soon returned, pressing something into Jiang Xun’s hand. "This is for you!"

Surprised, Jiang Xun opened his palm—it was a box of mint-flavored chocolate sticks.

Jiang Xun: "..."

Liu Hai proudly planted his hands on his hips. "I saved these from Huan Hai! He ate so many later!"

"Ahem." Huan Hai rubbed his nose awkwardly. "It… wasn’t *that* many…"

He glanced guiltily at the manager.

The manager’s expression was complicated. "Just for today, I’ll let it go."

Jiang Xun put away the chocolate sticks, mussed Liu Hai’s hair, and smiled at Huan Hai. "He remembers I like these, so he wouldn’t let anyone else have them."

"Sorry about that."

Xiao Jin sneaked a glance at him. "...Boss, you don’t look sorry at all."

A Yu nodded in agreement. "He’s clearly showing off."

"Hmm?" Jiang Xun smiled. "Is it that obvious?"

"Ahaha." The manager gave a nervous laugh. "Let’s eat, let’s eat!"

Jiang Xun cheerfully guided Liu Hai to the table. Huan Hai did seem much more relaxed than before—though whether it was thanks to Liu Hai, the snacks, or the exercise was hard to say.

"You know, I really do have a connection with mermaids," Huan Hai said thoughtfully, surveying proudly the table full of food. "First, I debuted because of a mermaid, and now, thanks to a mermaid again..."

He patted Liu Hai’s shoulder with a grin. "Eat up, Mermaid King."

A Yu’s expression turned odd. "Mermaid… King?"

"Yep!" Liu Hai raised his head proudly. "We agreed—he’s the Mermaid Prince, and I’m the Mermaid King!"

"Because he can’t outswim me!"

A Yu nodded along. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Ah." Xiao Jin, for some reason, felt a competitive streak. "But if we’re going by that logic, doesn’t our boss also have a strong connection with mermaids?"

She gave Jiang Xun a meaningful look, signaling that he couldn’t lose. "It’s fate!"

Jiang Xun stopped short with his chopsticks, looking pointedly at Liu Hai. "Well… it started with a mermaid. After that, maybe fate has its own plans."

"Like how Kong Tela was so obsessed with mermaids, but in the end, fate gave him two penguins. That turned out pretty well, didn’t it?"

"Ah." Liu Hai suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of which, have you patched things up with Kong Tela yet?"

Jiang Xun: "...That’s not the point here."

Liu Hai sighed. "So that’s a no."

He patted Jiang Xun’s shoulder sagely. "You can’t keep putting it off! Need my help?"

Jiang Xun humored him. "I leave it to you, Your Majesty."

Author’s Note:

Jiang Xun: He’s totally oblivious.

Liu Hai: Heh heh! [confetti]