Stop Eyeing My Pretty Caretaker - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

After picking Javier up and returning him to the bathtub, Jian Chen doubled back to the sofa, where he sat with the red panda, holding its paws to “discuss life.”

At first, Dudu kept his eyes open, looking at Jian Chen earnestly.

Later, with his legs kicked up, he grew drowsy.

Jian Chen “played the lute to a cow” for a while, realizing it was futile, so he picked Dudu up and carried him back to the square cabin on the second floor.

After a long, tiring day, the red panda quickly drifted into a sweet dreamland under the cover of night.

Jian Chen brushed the red panda’s head with his fingertip, leaned down to kiss him, turned off the light, and stepped out of the room.

Before leaving earlier today, he had heard the little merman speak for the first time. Though the pronunciation was still infantile, from any perspective, it was an extremely significant event.

In the past, Jian Chen’s knowledge of merfolk was scarce. He knew their preferred diet, habitats, daily routines, and swimming speeds, but remained clueless about other aspects. It was only a few days ago that he learned merfolk could communicate with humans and that, before death… they would produce a final “masterpiece” song.

Regardless, he would protect Javier.

If the little merman could communicate with him, Jian Chen felt he could no longer treat the little guy as just an independent animal species. Compared to fish, Javier was… more akin to a human.

He had no right to trap him in the research institute. However, since merfolk kin were virtually non-existent in the wild, releasing Javier prematurely would force the cub to face unimaginable natural threats.

Thus, Jian Chen decided that until Javier could fully express his own will, he would temporarily reside in the home he shared with Austin.

But seeing the little merman sneak out today to decorate the Christmas tree, Jian Chen wondered: was the bathtub too stifling for Javier?

Would the research institute be a better choice?

Jian Chen walked into the bathroom and found the little merman leaning against the edge of the tub.

His chin rested on his arms. Atop his golden hair sat a red Christmas hat, its little white pom-pom drooping slightly—he looked lonely and well-behaved.

Hearing Jian Chen enter, he immediately pushed away from the edge, straightened his body in the water, flicked his tail twice, and rested his small hands on the tub, his eyes following Jian Chen.

Jian Chen leaned down to help tidy the hair flattened by the hat. He whispered, “Javier, you called my name today, remember?”

Javier nodded.

Jian Chen was gradually discovering that the little merman could understand his words and communicate through simple actions like nodding and shaking his head. It was truly wondrous.

Jian Chen asked tentatively, “Does the cub know any other words?”

The little merman spoke again, his soft voice carefully articulating the syllables:

“Jian… Chen.”

Jian Chen was stunned. He crouched down, resting his arms on the edge of the tub, and asked, “You only know how to say my name?”

The little merman closed his mouth, seemingly thinking. Then, a new pronunciation emerged:

“Austin i-is…”

Jian Chen: “?”

The little merman’s voice was very small and soft, the immature tone cutting out involuntarily. He laboriously finished: “…not human.”

Jian Chen: “…”

He seriously felt that Austin needed to reflect on why even such a tiny merman was calling him “not human” (inhumane).

But at the same time, Jian Chen was pleasantly surprised. Javier had spoken two sentences in one day. At this rate, he wouldn’t need to reach Vianne’s age before he could communicate with Jian Chen without barriers.

“Anything else?” Jian Chen asked.

The little merman seemed stumped. He blinked his eyes, looking at a loss.

Seeing this, Jian Chen quickly comforted him with appropriate encouragement: “Our cub is already very impressive! You learned two sentences in one day.”

Even if the second one was a bit of a personal attack.

However, Javier didn’t seem happy despite the praise. He tilted his head slightly with a confused expression, feeling as though Jian Chen hadn’t understood his second sentence.

Jian Chen held the little merman’s hand—more accurately, his webbed claw. Because Javier was so young, there was a faint, thin membrane connecting the base of each finger. As he aged, the webbing would become more powerful and hardened, especially for a clever male merman like Javier.

Jian Chen had high hopes for the little merman’s future.

But for now…

Jian Chen weighed his words and tentatively began to ask for the merman’s opinion: “Cub, do you want to go back to the research institute?”

“Is it too stifling here?”

“Tomorrow I’ll bring the tank from the institute over so you can return to the reservoir sooner.”

Jian Chen finished and watched Javier’s expression. Under normal circumstances, Javier would usually nod obediently in agreement.

But Jian Chen did not get the expected reaction.

Instead, he saw the little merman staring at him blankly.

A moment later, tears went patter, sliding down his cheeks.

Jian Chen: “?!!!”

Why was Javier crying?

Had he said something wrong just now?

Jian Chen reached out to wipe the little guy’s tears, but the moment he touched his cheek, Javier lowered his head and used both hands to pull the edge of the Christmas hat down.

It seemed… he didn’t want Jian Chen to see him crying.

Jian Chen panicked instantly. This was the first time he had made a cub cry; he had no prior experience with this.

After all, no cub is usually able to understand speech at four months old. Jian Chen reached out to wipe the tears from his jaw while coaxing: “Cub, I’m not chasing you away. If you like it here, you can stay forever.”

“I only meant that the reservoir is larger, has a beach and fish, and is more comfortable than a bathtub.”

“But everything is up to Javier to decide,” Jian Chen said.

The tears wouldn’t stop so easily. Even after Jian Chen finished speaking, they continued to fall.

He couldn’t be appeased immediately.

Crying is a normal physiological habit for cubs, but the little merman had always been so well-behaved that Jian Chen almost forgot he had his own emotions and desires.

Jian Chen went to the living room, found several gift boxes, carried them back to the bathroom, and placed them in front of Javier.

The little merman froze, his attention seemingly captured. He looked at Jian Chen with wet eyes.

Jian Chen was well-prepared. These boxes were of various sizes. He opened them one by one in front of the little guy: there were candy boxes, star lights, chocolates, a half-human-sized plush doll…

Like Doraemon’s pocket, Jian Chen’s warm voice said slowly: “These are all for our cub, not for anyone else.”

Following Jian Chen’s figure, the little robot walked in sensibly from outside, holding six or seven gift boxes in its arms as well.

The little robot indicated: “Is this enough? If not, there are more.”

Javier’s gaze swept over the abundance of gifts, his water-blue pupils reflecting the shimmering lights of the colorful boxes.

To the little merman, this felt like a grand banquet.

He shook his head.

Javier raised a small hand and touched the Christmas hat that was slightly too large for his head.

He seemed to be saying: “I only need this.”

The little robot explained: “The first gift Javier opened today the Christmas hat was bought by Mr. Jian Chen.”

Jian Chen understood.

Suddenly, a warm, bittersweet feeling flooded his heart. Jian Chen reached out to straighten the hat and tucked the drooping pom-pom behind the head, letting the merman’s hair be nestled inside the red hat, revealing his beautiful eyebrows and ears.

The night grew deeper.

Jian Chen stood up and followed the little robot out of the bathroom.

The robot said goodnight to Jian Chen and turned to adjust its buttons; it was about to enter standby mode. Should the master or the two cubs show any abnormalities, it would quickly activate and enter an emergency state.

Jian Chen called out to the little robot.

The robot: “?”

Jian Chen leaned down and pulled a gift box from behind him.

The box wasn’t large but was beautifully wrapped. Jian Chen untied the bow, tore off the wrapping paper, and pulled out… a red knitted scarf.

The color perfectly matched the Christmas theme.

Jian Chen unfolded the scarf, holding one end in each hand, and wound it around the robot’s neck, layer by layer.

Finally, he tied a light knot.

“There,” Jian Chen said.

The little robot’s expression didn’t change, nor did it respond; it seemed to have crashed.

It hadn’t been programmed for this. After being given a gift by its master and having it personally put on… it didn’t know what kind of response or facial change to make.

Jian Chen didn’t mind. “You’ve worked hard lately, Bennett.”

The name “Bennett” was one Jian Chen had given the little robot a few days ago.

The robot’s internal storage was vast, with computing power far beyond human reach. According to its internal system, the name seemed to mean: The Blessed One.

Jian Chen gave animals and cubs foreign names purely because it meant he didn’t have to worry about surnames it was convenient. Since the robot’s first master was Austin Cole, Jian Chen felt it was only natural for the robot’s full name to be: Bennett Cole. No problem there.

Once entered into the program, the little robot knew it had a name: Bennett. Previously, it had no such concept, only a factory serial number: 07300.

After a long pause, the robot slowly displayed an expression: “Thank you, Mr. Jian.jpg”

Jian Chen smiled and patted Bennett’s head: “You’re welcome. Go get some rest.”

The night grew quiet. The sound of fireworks outside faded into silence, leaving only the faint glimmer of lights the final traces of Christmas.

Jian Chen stretched, came around the corner, and passed through the living room, intending to go straight upstairs to sleep.

He had to wake up early for work tomorrow. The New Species area included the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Little Phoenix that he had raised personally. He also needed to retrieve data on the merman’s growth rate to customize a bathtub large enough to last Javier through the winter; by summer, he could move into the swimming pool.

Of course, this was all based on the assumption that the little merman wouldn’t change his mind and find it boring before moving back to the institute’s reservoir.

Also, the Christmas decorations needed to be taken down. It would be too much work for the little robot to do alone.

However, just as he reached the living room, in the darkness, Jian Chen doubted his eyes. A tall figure seemed to be sitting on the sofa.

Who else could it be but Austin?

Jian Chen thought the man had gone to sleep as soon as he entered the house. He hadn’t expected him to be sitting on the sofa in the living room all this time.

Could he be waiting for him?

Jian Chen found it hard to believe. He wasn’t certain, because such thoughts usually turned into slightly awkward scenarios in his experience, so he didn’t overthink it.

“Austin?”

Jian Chen rubbed his eyes, somewhat surprised: “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

From this angle, Austin was indescribably handsome. The night sketched the man’s profile, making even his strands of hair appear clear. His features were superior and deep, so handsome they made the heart skip a beat.

“Jian Chen.”

The man’s voice was slow, magnetic, and deep, with a hint of huskiness: “Where is my Christmas gift?”

At the same time.

Air Defense Station Headquarters.

A staff member at the top of the tower pushed a button, entering aerial monitoring mode.

Afterward, he walked into the pantry to brew a cup of coffee.

What unlucky soul has to work the night shift on Christmas?

It was him.

All his colleagues had gone home to spend the holiday with their wives and children; only he, a lonely soul, had been pushed to take the shift.

With a long sigh, he held his steaming coffee, his gaze drifting aimlessly toward the grand, majestic panorama of the sky.

Technology advanced rapidly, but there were still mysteries in the blind spots that humans could not decipher.

In the year 2269, only six years had passed since the first space migration. Monitoring for extraterrestrial invasions day after day like this felt like a redundant, fantastical task.

The man took off his cap, grabbed a coat from the bench, draped it over his shoulders, and planned to catch a nap.

Before falling asleep, he looked down at his watch 23:41.

Lights flickered outside, reflecting the glow of thousands of homes.

Today was another peaceful day.

The man found a comfortable position, closed his eyes, and entered a light sleep.

A few minutes later, the monitor suddenly flashed.

For just a split second, the man’s eyes were stung by a brilliant red light. He opened them groogly; there seemed to be no abnormality.

He closed his eyes again.

The next second, the alarm instrument suddenly shrieked violently!

The sound was almost deafening. The man sat up in a shock. This alarm had never rung once since the Air Defense Station was established.

And this sound meant… an extraterrestrial intrusion!!

The man broke into a cold sweat, his palms trembling as he pressed the buttons to activate the entire main console. The tracking images responded quickly, projecting a long-range visual of the intruder.

When he looked closely, the man’s eyes widened in disbelief, his lips turning pale.

“That’s a dragon?!”