Chapter 51 Thai Salty Cheese Black Tea

Chapter 51: Thai-Style Salted Cheese Black Tea

“I don’t believe it.”

That was Li Hanchuan’s first reaction.

His second reaction was that his gentle wife must have been coerced into saying those inexplicably harsh words before leaving him so decisively and mercilessly.

His third reaction was that maybe there really was a type of mermaid in the world that looked exactly like a baby seal!

He didn’t lie to me…

He didn’t lie to me!

“Ruifulodite!”

The Alpha took two large strides forward in his military boots, his hands gripping the railing so tightly that veins bulged, his eyes glaring furiously at the boundless sea.

The waves suddenly grew calm and gentle, as if clearing a path for Little Dumpling’s return home.

His frail, powerless little wife from the arranged marriage had left just like that—without any room for discussion, without even leaving a single ripple behind.

He even took the certificates of honor and pineapple buns with him. Maybe he just forgot his husband and would come back for him later? Li Hanchuan’s emotions were like a rollercoaster, changing drastically within seconds.

But deep down, he knew the truth was exactly as Rui Rui had said.

Everyone else was equally stunned. No one had expected that such a tiny marine creature would have the audacity to climb into the bed of the formidable Major General Li, completely capturing his heart, only to leave without a second thought.

One lady covered her mouth and trembled as she said, “Rui Rui… was actually a deceiver…?”

“Shut up!” Major General Li roared, his eyes red with rage.

His menacing expression terrified everyone, making him seem like a beast enraged beyond reason. Almost immediately after his roar, a signal pierced the air from the sky.

Looking up, it was the Morse code light show that the commander and his comrades had rehearsed—spelling out “I love you” in English. It was the most romantic thing Li Hanchuan’s literal-minded brain could come up with.

But he never expected that his little wife didn’t love him.

The Alpha gritted his teeth, his sharp, cold expression revealing a hidden sorrow under the ensuing light show.

He hadn’t even had time to cancel the performance.

Drones and fireworks took to the sky, illuminating the rotund figure of the baby seal mermaid against the night sky. Aside from the intentionally added scale patterns, no one could see anything mermaid-like about it.

It was a near-perfect match to the seal that had just escaped!

Li Hanchuan’s vision darkened—he had been foolish to this extent.

The performance was too loud, like a grand courtship ritual ending in failure. Every exploding firework felt like a stinging slap to his face.

Only after the show ended did the Alpha gather his personal guards. The commander, now stripped of all warmth, exuded an icy, oppressive aura, his cedar pheromones carrying an intense, domineering pressure.

His face was pale with fury, his teeth clenched so hard it seemed he might crush the railing.

“Use every means possible to catch that seal—” The Alpha frowned, as if unaccustomed to his wife’s new identity, then clenched his jaw tighter, his gaze turning darker. “Bring. Him. Back!”

“Yes, sir!”

A unified roar from the male soldiers echoed across the cruise ship.

The overwhelming atmosphere carried a fierce determination to find him, dead or alive.

But Li Hanchuan specifically ordered that the baby seal must not be harmed in any way—he had to be brought back safely.

The adjutant and host Ji Yanxing helped see the guests off. The night’s events involved a federal scandal, and even without being reminded, no one dared to speak of it recklessly.

Major General Li had always had a good reputation among the people—low-profile and avoids trouble. Now, he had completely lost face in front of his trusted aides and friends.

He couldn’t pinpoint where this overwhelming sense of humiliation came from.

His usually tall, proud posture and slightly raised chin now slumped in defeat.

His disheveled hair tousled by the chilly sea wind, he sank into the shadows, gloomy and defeated, sitting alone in the elaborate moon-sea backdrop.

“It’s late, Hanchuan,” Ji Yanxing said. “Come inside for now.”

Major General Li waved a hand dismissively, saying nothing.

Having been unilaterally dumped on a day he had been eagerly anticipating, Ji Yanxing knew he was hurting and didn’t press further, deciding to offer him a friends-and-family discount for the cruise.

After a few words of comfort, he left.

Just then, the adjutant approached against the sea breeze, saluting and reporting, “Major General, there’s still no trace of the young master!”

Li Hanchuan’s tall frame stiffened.

They were at sea—Ruifulodite’s domain. No matter how intimidating they were on land, they couldn’t match his ability to leap into the ocean with a single bound.

Searching for him was like finding a needle in a haystack—a nearly hopeless endeavor.

Equally hopeless was the Alpha’s love. It was the first time he had ever loved someone—his first love, first kiss, first night, all given to that little fraud, body and soul laid bare.

And after devouring him whole, the little fraud simply wiped his mouth and left.

Even taking two pineapple buns with him.

The thought made Li Hanchuan’s throat taste metallic, as if he might vomit blood from rage. He sneered while replaying the events: “Pineapple buns… pineapple buns. How could they be so delicious? How could anything be that delicious! And what about me?”

In Ruifulodite’s heart, Li Hanchuan was worth less than nothing!

The adjutant, exhausted from searching for hours, suddenly heard his superior rambling. Before he could react, the towering figure stood up and violently smashed the moon lamp!

The Alpha gritted his teeth, yanking down balloons and streamers like a whirlwind, throwing them everywhere.

“Ruifulodite, you have no heart!”

Everything he had painstakingly arranged like a love-struck teenager was now meaningless. He was a complete joke.

The adjutant stood by helplessly, unsure what to do.

“Major General, please calm down. The young master must have had his reasons…”

The enraged figure suddenly froze. “Reasons?”

Li Hanchuan stood in the howling sea breeze like a lost dog. His adjutant, who had served him for years, had never seen him like this.

The Alpha’s eyes were red, his world slowly crumbling.

“He doesn’t want to see me at all anymore.”

-

Li Hanchuan couldn't stand staying on the cruise ship for another moment. By the time he returned to his luxury flat, the sky was beginning to lighten, and the faint, sweet scent of berries still lingered in the air.

The commander, who could go days without sleep during missions, found himself staring blankly.

So quiet.

The house was so big. Even before, when he came home, it was often quiet—his young wife might not be home, or perhaps he was asleep.

But this time, the silence felt like a knife to his heart.

The Alpha still remembered the secret joy he felt when he first brought Rui Rui to this house. He remembered the rainy night on the rooftop when he was drawn into a tender embrace, his wife humming a lullaby to smooth his furrowed brow.

That's just how it is—no matter how painful or sorrowful, as long as one is alive, they must move forward.

Li Hanchuan slumped down blankly on the sofa.

His mind, as if triggered by an automatic response, recalled the time he was so exhausted he fell asleep, and Rui Rui had gently and softly nestled against his chest, trying to get closer to him.

Back then, their relationship wasn’t even that good.

Was that all an act too?

The Alpha took a few sharp, ragged breaths, frowned, and stood up to fetch water from the kitchen.

But the dining table turned out to be an even greater source of memories. The Omega’s content expression while eating was just too adorable—back then, Li Hanchuan had wanted to cook for him for the rest of his life.

He was on the verge of breaking.

Every corner of this house reminded him of Rui Rui.

Not long ago, they had passionately had sex in so many places—surely the Omega’s flushed and bewildered face as he wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him wasn’t an act, was it?

The thought of that plump, ungrateful little thing possibly seeing him as just a cook or a tool for pleasure made Li Hanchuan’s rage boil over.

His expression darkened, and he felt like wrecking the whole place.

But after holding a raised vase in the air for a long time, he eventually put it back down carefully.

No.

What if his young wife was just sulking? What if he came back?

Ashen-faced, Li Hanchuan took out the ring that was intended for exchange and worn together. His large, bony hand trembled slightly as he put it on himself.

The pigeon-egg-sized diamond meant for Rui Rui glinted painfully in his eyes.

Military duties were mounting, and the Alpha should have taken the chance to rest. But the moment he closed his eyes, a wave of agony washed over him. He missed his wife so badly that he simply didn’t sleep.

With a stern, icy demeanor, he headed to the Double-Headed Eagle Building.

The higher-ups were already aware of the situation, discreetly passing the news among themselves. Even lower-ranking officers had heard about it.

Everyone looked at Major General Li with an indescribable pity in their eyes.

"A seal? How could a seal disguise itself as a mermaid? That little Omega has some nerve!"

"Hey, I’ve seen the Young Master Seal—blonde hair, blue eyes, stunningly beautiful. You’d have to see it to believe it... No wonder Major General Li loved him so much."

"Semi-feral beastmen with low socialization prefer to live in their true forms and usually stay in their habitats for life. Once that seal ran away, he’s not coming back."

"Ah, Alphas—who doesn’t know what they’re like?"

"Maybe once a real mermaid comes back, Major General Li will move on in no time..."

Major General Li didn’t know how people were talking about him, and he didn’t want to know.

As one of the victims, dealing with rumors wasn’t his concern. When higher-ups came to see him, his expression alone was enough to make them uneasy.

The Alpha was distant and uncommunicative. If anyone tried to get him to talk, he’d take his anger out on everyone indiscriminately.

The big boss had no choice but to leave.

"Major General, the places the young master frequently visited are all listed here. I’ve compiled them into a route map for your review."

Dubin Bodyguard presented a bound document.

Major General Li coldly took it and tossed it aside, appearing indifferent, as if he were gathering all the information to settle the score later. Dubin Bodyguard withdrew sheepishly.

The Alpha was analyzing the frequency and motives of the hyena gang’s crimes within the federation over the past year.

The screen showed multiple surveillance replays merged together.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

A strange noise came from the video, and Major General Li narrowed his eyes.

This was the prehistoric beast incident at the old palace ruins. He had pulled it up again to see if there was any connection to the hyenas.

That day was foggy, and the surveillance footage from blind spots was blurry, but something faintly visible could be seen.

"Boom—"

After a few sounds, confused voices suddenly rose one after another within the ornately styled European architecture.

Soon, Omegas were yelling about hauntings and collectively rushing outside, causing chaos.

Major General Li crossed his arms: "..."

If the ghost was outside, why were they running out of the building?

His expression went blank for a moment before he leaned forward abruptly, rewinding the video a few seconds.

Among the fleeing figures was a plump Little Dumpling!

Halfway through the "boom," he jumped out of the pool in a panic and joined the escape, even picking up a little hamster in his mouth along the way—quite the good Samaritan.

He remembered Rui Rui later giving an interview to the press, winning over the public.

Major General Li hadn’t expected to stumble upon such an unexpected discovery while reviewing old cases. He felt both frustrated and at a loss for words.

He clenched his fist.

No wonder his young wife had dissuaded him from investigating further—turns out he knew he was the one responsible all along!

With such a guileless appearance, he sure knew how to stir up trouble every day.

Clicking on the next video—

A street view, rare footage the tech department worked hard to restore.

This was from the day Rui Rui first arrived in the human world. The adjutant was taking him to the hotel when they encountered hyenas causing chaos on the streets, throwing the scene into chaos.

Qi Mu, responsible for protecting the Major General's wife's safety, realized no one was in the car and was instantly terrified.

As if afraid the chaos wasn’t enough, the fool, to make it easier to search, reverted to his African elephant form and trumpeted through the streets: "Young Madam—!"

Li Hanchuan frowned.

In the video, a soft, small figure could faintly be seen inching toward Qi Mu before being shaken by the elephant’s cry!

It then turned around and scurried away, waddling as it went.

Li Hanchuan sank into his leather chair and closed his eyes: "..."

This Omega was heartless indeed, leaving without a second thought, but he himself had been too slow, too oblivious—suspicious clues were everywhere, full of holes, and he only noticed them now.

If only he had known earlier.

His little wife wouldn’t have been so terrified as to run away.

Feeling suffocated, Li Hanchuan finished his necessary work and, with Dubin Bodyguard's route map in hand, set out almost delusionally to search along the path.

He hoped the food-loving Omega would appear, if only for a moment, to give him a chance to explain.

Though he didn’t know what to explain, and it shouldn’t have been him explaining, Li Hanchuan couldn’t care less—as long as he could keep him from leaving, anything was fine.

He couldn’t accept never seeing him again, couldn’t accept their relationship ending so unclear and abrupt.

Why should he?

He would catch Rui Rui, lock him up, and have him day and night until he never dared to run again.

Filled with rage, Li Hanchuan headed to the mall his wife often visited. He was almost going mad, sitting in the car lost in thought, almost believing Rui Rui was still by his side, smilingly asking what he wanted to eat.

Then treating him and his soldiers to some foreign baked naan.

The Alpha stepped out of the car with a scowl, searching urgently as if ready to ransack the place. The enthusiastic shop assistants all dared not approach.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Still nothing.

Traces of Rui Rui were everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. Li Hanchuan’s heart gradually filled with pain.

Until he passed a donut shop, where an LED screen played a low-quality ad—

Edited from surveillance footage, produced at rock-bottom cost.

The little round sesame-ball gestured with a paw, ordering the server to stack at least twenty donuts. Donuts of various flavors stacked like a circus act, towering into the sky.

Then the round figure suddenly vanished.

Li Hanchuan thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and frowned as he moved closer to the screen.

With a sudden crash, baby seal squashed all those donuts flat!

Then he grabbed them and devoured them in one bite: "Ah-um!"

The adorable sparkle in his eyes was exactly the same as the day he left him. Despite himself, Li Hanchuan was moved.

Even a hard-hearted Alpha officer like him found it cute—it was only natural ordinary people couldn’t resist.

Rui Rui’s video became the shop’s promotional ad, and thanks to him, business became busier than ever.

"Sir... sir?" The shop owner approached timidly.

This customer was strange—he’d been watching the ad on loop for an hour, not buying anything, not saying a word. Tall and imposing, he stood there, and neither staff nor customers dared come near.

Finally, the owner stepped forward, smiling awkwardly: "What can I help you with? This seal isn’t for sale, though."

The Alpha snapped back to attention.

"Please send me a copy of this video."

Li Hanchuan wasn’t leaving empty-handed. Holding his phone carefully, he walked away, only to spot his wife on the mall’s giant promotional screen.

A new movie had released its trailer.

The main characters were wrestling, while in the background, by the fountain, baby seal stuck his bottom out, playing the part of a giant pebble.

Extremely dedicated, not moving a muscle.

How dare they. Li Hanchuan’s face darkened instantly, and he called to order someone to edit out all scenes of his wife’s bottom!

He didn’t get in the car, instead walking along a shaded path blanketed in thick golden maple leaves.

It seemed he truly didn’t understand Rui Rui at all...

The little one had done so many things, and he hadn’t been part of any of it. He had fallen short.

Li Hanchuan knew people feared him—how could he command respect otherwise?

But when it came to Rui Rui, it only made him sad. A round little marine creature, summoning great courage to come to his side, must have been filled with such fear and unfamiliarity—no wonder he was always teary-eyed.

And he had scared him so often at the beginning.

At this thought, Major General Li, sentenced to a wife-less existence, stood frozen and slapped his own face twice. He didn’t even know where to direct his self-hatred.

A loud, sharp buzzing sound approached—a grade school was just ahead.

Li Hanchuan remembered there was a stationery stall here, filled with unofficial merchandise of his wife. He squeezed the official Rui Rui plushie on his belt and approached, hoping to cling to memories.

Nearby, a few children were sweating profusely, clearly having just finished playing wildly.

Huffing and puffing, they huddled together discussing: "What should we do? We only have one dollar left, but I really want ice-cold water and extra-spicy fire noodles!"

"Then ask the owner if we can buy half a dollar’s worth of water and half a dollar’s worth of noodles..."

"That way we can each take a sip, just a small taste."

As they spoke, six little moles' eyes kept sneaking glances toward Li Hanchuan, but none dared approach.

The Alpha stared at the crumpled dollar bill and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

"Want some snacks?"

The baby moles all shivered, huddled together. A slightly older girl mumbled, "Hi, Major General! Brother Rui Rui said before that if we see his husband, we can... we can ask for snacks..."

"He said his husband is a Federal General, a great hero, and we could turn to him if we need help."

Li Hanchuan paused, the ash-like dimness in his eyes seemed to stir with embers, a light kindling within.

"He really said that?"

Soon, each baby mole received a hundred-dollar bill, squeaking excitedly as they dashed toward the vibrant snack stall, not forgetting to wish the couple a lasting marriage.

-

Unless Rui Rui showed up voluntarily, Li Hanchuan would never find him.

Gradually losing track of his wife, the Alpha got more and more irritable, his disorder flaring up again, worsening day by day.

He tried to bury himself in work.

As a result, colleagues all over the building suffered, knocked sideways by the top Alpha’s pheromones, turning the place into something as chaotic as a regular zoo.

The old turtle couldn’t take it anymore and filed a complaint with upstairs.

The higher-ups, aware of what he was going through, granted Li Hanchuan leave, telling him to see a doctor and take some time to rest and relax.

On a whim, Li Hanchuan headed straight for Hua Yunlian’s villa.

"Is Dr. Chen home?"

Hua Yunlian was looking after the kids. Seeing his brother, who had grown increasingly distraught since losing his wife, he hesitated but eventually opened the door.

"Hanchuan, have a seat."

Dr. Chen came out of the study, and several children immediately rushed over, yelling, "Daddy!"

Seeing the cozy, warm atmosphere of this family of five, Li Hanchuan felt like a lost dog, his heart sank. Unable to hold back, he blurted out.

"Chen Wang, did you know all along that Rui Rui is a seal?"

So he was here to accuse him. Chen Wang had expected this day and replied calmly, "Yes."

Li Hanchuan’s pheromones were clearly going haywire.

But as a Beta, Chen Wang couldn’t sense it.

The unprepared Hua Yunlian was hit hard, transforming into his leopard form with a dissatisfied growl. The cubs also shifted into little leopards, mewing at Li Hanchuan.

Their cries melted the iron-hearted major general’s heart. He whispered, "I’m sorry. Uncle Li hasn’t been himself lately."

Stepping past Hua Yunlian, who stood protectively in front of him, Chen Wang looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I was wrong to hide it from you, but do you know how I found out?"

"Rui Rui was participating in a protest to protect vulnerable beastman groups. He collapsed on the street from exhaustion and was carried to my hospital by passersby. He didn’t even have time to change back to his human form. Did you know that?"

Li Hanchuan’s hands, resting on his knees, clenched tightly, his brow furrowing.

Uncertain of what he was thinking, Chen Wang cautiously continued, "He’s younger than all of us. You can imagine how difficult it is for a pretty but clueless Omega to survive on his own..."

"So," Li Hanchuan said darkly, "the false pregnancy was fake too?"

Dr. Chen, who had just managed to get things back on track, now felt guilty again.

He struggled to say, "Yes, he wasn’t falsely pregnant. He just gotten fat."

The painful surgery and the weakened state were all made up.

To his surprise, the seemingly furious Major General Li suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing his face almost gratefully, and muttered, "...Thank God."

His little wife hadn’t suffered through all that. Thank God.

"Never seen you like this before. Pull yourself together," Hua Yunlian said, shifting back to human form and patting his shoulder, insisting he stay for dinner.

But Rui Rui had become a permanent part of Li Hanchuan’s life. Even after grilling meat, he instinctively picked up a piece to put in his little wife’s bowl.

After a moment of stunned silence, Li Hanchuan realized the Omega had abandoned him.

No progress at all.

He hadn’t found Rui Rui, nor had he located the mermaid who had driven his wife away.

The next day, he bought a ticket to return to the Northern Territory. Before departing, his father and Mrs. Luo, hearing about his romantic misfortune, taunted him mercilessly.

Li Hanchuan warned them that if they said another word, he’d dig up their precious eldest son from his grave and desecrate the body.

The commander, dressed in neat casual attire, returned to his homeland as wished.

Feeling depressed with no outlet for his emotions, he went to his mother’s grave and muttered to himself, "Mom, my wife ran away. She doesn’t want me anymore."

The only response was the sound of dry leaves falling.

Soon, his phone rang.

Mi Su’s chirpy voice came through:

"Heard you’re looking for a mermaid. The other day, when Rui Rui and I were eating ice cream, there was this Alpha who smelled strangely delicious... meow, the one you beat up at the bar, the one who smells like crispy fried fish."

"He said things to Rui Rui like ‘I’ve finally found you’ and ‘please accept me,’ then he kissed Rui Rui’s feet and even took that thing out to show him!"

"Then this crispy fried fish Alpha was hauled off to the police station, meow~"

Li Hanchuan quickly pieced together the key information, growing more enraged with each word, wishing he could tear the culprit to pieces.

Suddenly, something clicked. He shot to his feet, snarling with hatred, "Mermaid Alpha?"