Becoming the Keeper of an Alluring Merfolk - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Give Me the Egg

Little Coco, playing with a ball in the pool, was very curious about the new Jiao-person. Whether Jiao-person or merperson, black scales and hair were rare and mysterious.

“Sister… you are beautiful,” Little Coco was unusually gentle toward a newcomer.

In the face of such a compliment, Zheng Zheng seemed much colder, completely unresponsive.

Little Coco was a bit hurt. This attitude inexplicably reminded her of Jian Xu. Moreover, Song Xiu and Shui Se always catered to her every need, and never ignored her words. She faintly sensed that this person was not only difficult to get along with but also somewhat strange.

When Song Xiu came to feed later, Zheng Zheng was not in a cage and was still free-swimming. Strangely, she didn’t actively swim over for food.

“Zheng Zheng, right? It’s time for lunch.” Song Xiu spoke gently, without prejudice.

Since her injuries hadn’t healed, Song Xiu even opened a sea urchin specifically for her. Zheng Zheng hesitated for a while before slowly swimming over, and the first thing she said was about Shui Se: “Why isn’t Shui Se coming to eat with us?”

“Shui Se likes to eat the staff meals with me,” Song Xiu answered truthfully.

“Does she usually eat human food?”

“Yes.”

“I want to eat human food too.” With that, she put the sea urchin back into Song Xiu’s small blue bucket for fish food.

Song Xiu shook her head.

Zheng Zheng snorted, turned, and swam away.

Little Coco, taking advantage of Song Xiu’s distraction, snatched the sea urchin: “If she doesn’t eat it, I will!”

Song Xiu smiled helplessly, stroked her head, and after feeding the other merfolk, she left one portion by the pool edge and departed.

In the institute’s underground laboratory, a merperson with ice-blue hair and tail floated pale-faced in a two-meter-wide fish tank.

Jian Xu knocked on the glass unhappily after entering: “Time to eat.”

Xiao Hen weakly clung to the edge of the tank, enduring Jian Xu’s rough feeding.

“I saw Shui Se yesterday,” Jian Xu said while washing her hands with disinfectant after feeding.

When she heard the name Shui Se, Xiao Hen’s eyes clearly brightened: “How is she?”

“She’s dating her feeder.”

“What! Then, Jian Xu, can you tell Shui Se for me, to absolutely never pluck off that scale?” Xiao Hen said anxiously.

Jian Xu found it amusing: “Since you know this is wrong, why do you do this to yourself?! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?!”

Xiao Hen was frightened and backed away, anxiously moving her ice-blue tail, but then thought her reaction might anger the other person further, so she swam closer again: “I’m sorry, I apologize, but the situation is already irreversible…”

“And why should I bear the consequences of your actions?” Jian Xu sat on the sofa, crossing her legs. She was tired of the pressure from all sides. She, who found even taking care of a succulent a bother, was forcibly tied to such a troublesome and affected creature. She truly hadn’t had a peaceful day.

“Please, Jian Xu, or… can I meet Shui Se, just once? I want to tell her personally.”

“Xi Hen, you say every day, think every day, that you love me the most, like me the most, care about me the most. But actually, your longing for Shui Se outweighs your love for me, doesn’t it?”

Xiao Hen shook her head: “If what I said made you unhappy, I won’t do it again.”

Jian Xu didn’t want to continue the conversation. She got up to leave, but Xi Hen anxiously flipped out of the fish tank.

She clumsily transformed her legs and ran awkwardly behind Jian Xu, carefully pulling on the hem of her clothes: “Can I hug you? I’m entering the pseudo-spawning period tomorrow. I need… I need the comfort of a mate.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Jian Xu roughly shook off her hand, opened the door, and left, leaving deep water marks on the hem of her clothes.

Xiao Hen held back her tears. Tomorrow was bound to be difficult.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory, Shui Se had a nightmare. She dreamed that Xiao Hen was confined in a cramped space, crying and saying she wanted to see her.

She woke up with a start, seeing Song Xiu in front of her, mopping the floor.

“What’s wrong, Shui Se? Had a nightmare?” Song Xiu walked into the bathroom and gently hugged Shui Se. “Don’t be scared, I’m here.”

“I dreamed of Xiao Hen. She’s not doing well, and I want to see her.” Shui Se’s voice was shaking. The dream had been too real, so real that Xiao Hen’s weakness was visible.

“I’ll ask Jian Xu and see if I can arrange a meeting.”

“Will it be difficult for you?”

“No. As long as you want it, I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

Song Xiu put a lot of effort into it, but Jian Xu wouldn’t agree to Shui Se seeing Xiao Hen. Song Xiu had no choice but to propose seeing her alone.

When she reached the second glass door of the underground laboratory, Song Xiu was stunned.

In the fish tank, the frail Jiao-person was floating in the water, sleeping, cradling a translucent, pearlescent egg.

Even though she was sleeping, her ear fins were constantly wide open in alert.

She turned to ask Jian Xu: “What happened to her?”

“She’s using all her body’s nutrition and energy to supply this fake egg until her body really can’t handle it anymore. Then she’ll realize it’s just fake.”

“This must be the pseudo-spawning Shui Se mentioned, right? Is there no solution to this?”

“There is. But I don’t want to do it.”

“What is it?”

“Comforting her.”

“You’re not willing to do something that simple?”

“No, I’m not willing, because I don’t like her at all. It’s been entirely one-sided from beginning to end. You have no idea how many eggs I’ve thrown away.”

“That’s enough, Jian Xu, stop talking.”

Their conversation startled the sleeping Xiao Hen. The ice-blue Jiao-person frantically hid the egg behind her.

Song Xiu noticed the hand hiding the egg was trembling. The egg was much larger than she expected, and it was empty inside, seemingly containing nothing but water.

Song Xiu opened the door and slowly approached, wanting to offer some comfort, but before she could speak, she startled the other into a stress reaction.

“Don’t come closer!” Xiao Hen suddenly retreated excitedly, the water splashed by her tail wetting Song Xiu’s clothes. “Jian Xu will be angry. My baby and hers cannot be seen by others.”

“Song Xiu, come back in a few days. Right now, her eyes are only on me. Anyone else approaching her is a threat.”

Song Xiu nodded, retreated, and completely left the underground laboratory.

Behind her, Jian Xu turned and walked into the room. Xiao Hen instantly calmed down, staring intently at her while clutching her egg.

“What are you looking at? Do you know you missed another chance to see Shui Se?”

“Is she… Shui Se’s feeder?”

“Mhm.”

Xiao Hen’s eyes turned red: “Why didn’t you remind me?”

Jian Xu was irritated: “Isn’t it enough that I told her to come back and see you in a few days? You really want too much.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Give me the egg.”

“No.”

“It’s fake, you know that.”

“Still no. You won’t give me a hug, but my baby will.”

Jian Xu sighed helplessly. If this continued, Xiao Hen’s pseudo-spawning period would only get longer. She could only force herself to approach the fish tank.

“Come here.”

Xiao Hen was disbelieving. She quickly swam closer, afraid Jian Xu would change her mind.

Jian Xu embraced Xiao Hen with one arm. Looking at Xiao Hen’s ingratiating smile, she used her other hand to forcefully pry the egg out of her arms, her face devoid of expression.