Chapter 59: Truth

Chapter 59: Heart-to-Heart

Liu Hai swam around in the sea. Without hands, picking up sea urchins was inconvenient, so he’d find them and then signal Xiao Jin to come help.

Xiao Jin and A Yu still seemed to be searching for "Liu Hai." Even while playing with him, they’d occasionally surface to call out his name.

Watching their concerned expressions, Liu Hai couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt—he was making them worry again.

But even by the time they returned, he still hadn’t managed to change back to his half-merperson, half-seal form.

"In the end, Liu Hai still didn’t come back," Xiao Jin sighed gloomily, casting a complex look at the seal lying on the boat with them. "At least this little sweetie is willing to come back with us."

Jiang Xun brought over a towel and tossed it over Liu Hai’s head. Just as he was about to habitually ruffle his fur, Liu Hai suddenly turned and nuzzled into A Yu’s arms.

"Ah." A Yu was flattered but also somewhat guilty, sneaking a glance at Jiang Xun.

Jiang Xun: "..."

A Yu steeled herself and began drying Liu Hai’s head, while Xiao Jin egged her on from the side: "Ooh—look who’s the favorite now, A Yu! He really likes you!"

A Yu closed her eyes: "...Please, stop talking."

"Huh?" Xiao Jin was puzzled. "What’s the matter? Being liked by our adorable little guy—what’s not to like?"

She pointed at A Yu accusingly. "Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth! This is an opportunity many people dream of!"

"Yeah," Jiang Xun replied flatly. "Lucky you."

"See?" Xiao Jin nodded approvingly. "Even the boss says so!"

A Yu: "..."

She really didn’t seem to understand at all.

After Liu Hai nearly knocked Jiang Xun over twice, deliberately rested his tail on Jiang Xun’s foot three times, and rejected Jiang Xun’s food offerings four times, the group finally belatedly reached a consensus—he seemed to be giving Jiang Xun the cold shoulder.

Once they were away from Liu Hai, Xiao Jin looked serious. "Boss, this is a big problem. What exactly did you do to make him angry?"

"Wait, did he suddenly turn into this because of you? Did you make him so mad he turned into a seal?"

Jiang Xun closed his eyes. "Impossible."

"He's not exactly scientifically possible to begin with," Xiao Jin mused, tapping her chin as she let her imagination run wild. "For example, maybe he got angrier and angrier about something you did, swelled up, and then—*pop!*—turned into a chubby seal!"

Jiang Xun: "..."

A Yu pressed earnestly, "Did nothing at all happen?"

"Probably... not." Jiang Xun thought carefully. "Yesterday, he just invited me to sleep underwater with him..."

Xiao Jin jumped in: "And you agreed?"

"No." Jiang Xun hesitated but answered honestly. "I refused."

Xiao Jin gasped in mock horror. "You actually refused to sleep with him?! You, the most heartless man in the world!"

Jiang Xun averted his eyes, lacking confidence. "...But I ended up sleeping with him later."

"He wasn’t angry then."

Xiao Jin frowned. "Maybe he dwelled on it in his sleep and got angrier?"

"Could he have dreamed of something upsetting?"

Jiang Xun said firmly, "How could I have made him angry in a dream?"

Xiao Jin mumbled under her breath, "That’s not exactly scientific either..."

"Hmm, we still don’t know the reason." A Yu suggested, "In that case, why not try how Liu Hai would handle this?"

Jiang Xun paused. "Liu Hai’s usual approach?"

A Yu answered honestly, "Just talk to him straight."

Jiang Xun: "..."

Xiao Jin looked at Jiang Xun worriedly. "Ah? Isn’t that too hard for the boss?"

"Give it a try," A Yu encouraged, meeting Jiang Xun’s gaze. "Maybe... this is also an opportunity."

***

That night, Liu Hai still slept in his usual room.

He lay dejectedly by the pool, studying his reflection in the water.

Cute and round, but seemingly useless.

Someone knocked on the door and entered. Liu Hai knew who it was but didn’t even lift his tail, still facing away, staring sadly at the water.

Jiang Xun wasn't used to being ignored like this and hesitated for a moment before working up the courage to sit down beside him.

Liu Hai finally peeked at him. Just as Jiang Xun tried to force a smile, Liu Hai looked away again, using his short flippers to push himself a little farther away.

Jiang Xun: "..."

He sighed softly.

"The moon's so full tonight," he said, looking up at the sky. "If Liu Hai were here, he’d probably say it looks like an egg crepe or something."

Liu Hai also looked up, silently retorting in his heart: *Not at all! Hand-kneaded flatbreads aren’t that round—the irregular, handmade ones taste the best! This moon looks more like an egg yolk.*

But he didn’t make a sound, merely squinting as if he couldn’t understand human speech, pretending to be a sleeping seal.

"I was thinking..." Jiang Xun lowered his eyes. "Maybe Liu Hai disappeared because... he had come to dislike me."

Liu Hai secretly opened his eyes, stealing an uncertain glance at him.

"Sometimes, I envy him." Jiang Xun chuckled softly. "For me, being honest about sadness is harder than solving the universe's mysteries."

"I can’t do what he does—call things cute when they are, say ‘want to touch’ when he wants to, ‘like’ when he likes something..."

He looked at Liu Hai and hesitantly reached out, resting his hand on Liu Hai’s furry head.

This time, Liu Hai didn’t pull away, merely blinking his big, dark eyes at him.

Jiang Xun breathed a little easier and continued, "So, I don’t really understand how he can just... speak his mind."

Liu Hai looked quietly into his eyes, thinking guiltily to himself: *Well, it’s not like he says everything—he does have some secrets of his own.*

Jiang Xun closed his eyes, slowly relaxing his usually straight posture, and said softly, "I can't be that open, nor can I handle emotions expressed so directly."

"I instinctively avoid it because I seem to have gradually realized..."

"My feelings for him aren't completely sincere."

Liu Hai blinked blankly.

Jiang Xun couldn't help but cover his eyes, letting out a helpless chuckle—even now, he couldn't speak his true feelings to those eyes.

With Liu Hai's eyes shielded, he finally spoke: "But I really like him."

"It's just that I've recently realized my feelings for him might not be as pure as his... Ah!"

Before he could finish, Liu Hai had already knocked him over by the pool.

"Mmm..." The fluffy, round seal looked at him with teary eyes, as if about to cry.

"Uh, what's wrong?" Jiang Xun was caught off guard. "Did I say something wrong?"

"What's the matter?"

Liu Hai just buried his head in Jiang Xun's chest, refusing to let go, whimpering like a needy pup.

Jiang Xun had no choice but to lie down—thankfully, Liu Hai was mindful of his weight and only pressed his head against him.

Jiang Xun patted his head gently and asked softly, "Will he come back?"

Liu Hai didn't answer, but Jiang Xun somehow felt he already knew.

After a while, Liu Hai seemed to calm down. Jiang Xun sat up slightly and found him already fast asleep, looking utterly comfortable.

Jiang Xun sighed silently.

After a brief internal struggle, he decided not to wake him. Maintaining his position, he messaged A Yu: "Are you awake?"

"Please bring a blanket to the poolside, quietly."

A Yu was confused but obliged.

He pushed the door open quietly, peeking inside cautiously, only to see Liu Hai sprawled out, fast asleep with his head on Jiang Xun's stomach.

...Looks like they've reconciled.

Or maybe he's just sleeping soundly.

True to his scientific nature, A Yu took out his phone and typed, holding it up to ask: "Did you patch things up?"

Jiang Xun glanced at the seal lying on him and replied uncertainly, "Probably."

A Yu: "..."

He glanced at the peacefully sleeping Liu Hai and silently asked again, "You're sleeping here?"

Jiang Xun helplessly mouthed silently in response: "He just fell asleep."

A Yu gave him a complicated look and nodded slightly.

He understood.

Like when a cat deigns to sleep on you, even if your legs are numb, you'd endure it to let it sleep a little longer.

It's not like sleeping on the pool floor once in a while would hurt the boss... probably.

A Yu handed Jiang Xun a blanket with silent sympathy and quietly left the room.

***

The next morning, Jiang Xun's biological clock woke him up on time.

He opened his eyes, his thoughts clearing as he stretched his shoulders and neck, only to find none of the expected stiffness from sleeping on the floor all night.

Sitting up slightly puzzled, he realized he was lying on Liu Hai's favorite soft cushion, snugly wrapped in a blanket.

...Liu Hai wasn't beside him.

Jiang Xun sat up abruptly and hurried to the poolside, calling out: "Liu Hai!"

With a splash, a familiar figure leaped from the water. Liu Hai drenched him without warning before crossing his arms proudly. "Ta-da! I'm back!"

He proudly wiggled his tail fin. "See? Nothing's changed, right?"

Glancing at the drenched Jiang Xun, he looked away sheepishly. "This, uh... is payback for always looking at me with such a troubled expression lately!"

"Originally, I was planning to go out and get some space."

The Seal King launched into an obvious fib. "But this adorable little creature told me someone seemed to miss me, so I figured I might as well... Whoa!"

Jiang Xun pulled him into a hug.

Liu Hai's eyes went round, his tail fin fluttering excitedly underwater.

Jiang Xun let out a long breath: "Welcome back."

"Mm." Liu Hai replied obediently.

Jiang Xun pushed his wet hair back, humoring him. "Alright, after being away for a day, you must be hungry, right?"

"I'll go shower and change, then get you something to eat."

"Mm." Liu Hai patted his stomach.

He wasn't that hungry—after all, he'd stuffed himself yesterday—but since Jiang Xun offered, he'd accept.

As Jiang Xun turned to leave, Liu Hai caught his sleeve again.

"What is it?" Liu Hai gazed up at him and whispered, "I'm... not that honest either."

"I lied."

"Mm." Jiang Xun smiled faintly. "I know."

Liu Hai lifted his gaze. "Also, Jiang Xun these past few days... had a strange scent."

Jiang Xun: "...I shower every day."

"Not that kind of smell." Liu Hai sighed. "It was sour and tangy."

"I thought maybe something was bothering you, so I wanted to play with you more, hoping you'd feel better."

He let his head droop slightly. "Then I realized you only smelled like that when you were around me."

Jiang Xun: "..."

"I just realized it was me who made you unhappy." Liu Hai picked at the pool tiles glumly. "And then, I remembered... Jiang Xun has never once called me cute or said he likes me."

"So, I kept clinging to you, thinking that spending more time with you would cheer you up—but maybe that was just wishful thinking."

"You don't really want me around..."

As he spoke, he batted his eyes at Jiang Xun expectantly.

Jiang Xun: "..."

He knew he should deny it at a moment like this, then casually say something like "You're cute" or "I like you."

But for him, that was way too hard.

Jiang Xun gritted his teeth and spoke: "I—"

"Heh." Liu Hai shook his head. "It's fine, I already know."

"Some things Jiang Xun just can’t say out loud, but I can sense it, you know?"

Author's Note: Liu Hai: See what I mean? I knew Jiang Xun couldn’t possibly not like me! [sunglasses]