The Merman I Picked Up Is Too Delicious - Chapter 2

The moment Luo Qingyan decided to save the man, her mind was already racing with a plan.

Her grandmother’s first-floor bathroom had a bathtub. She rushed to the bathroom first, turned on the faucet, then grabbed a ladle to scoop some water, sprinkling it all the way back to the living room. After that, she dragged the man along the wet trail toward the bathroom.

The man’s lower body was a fishtail, which became smooth upon contact with water, making the dragging relatively manageable.

However, once in the bathroom, getting the well-built man into the bathtub was no easy task. Fortunately, Luo Qingyan worked out regularly and was fairly strong. She used a stool for leverage and, after exerting immense effort, finally managed to shift him into the tub.

The water in the bathtub wasn’t enough yet, and with only one faucet running, it was filling too slowly. Ignoring her exhaustion, she quickly grabbed a basin to fetch water from other places, the bathroom, the kitchen, anywhere she could, to add to the tub. She made several trips back and forth until the water level rose above the man’s abdomen, at which point she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After pouring the last basin of water into the tub, Luo Qingyan couldn’t help but take a closer look at the man. A mermaid inexplicably appearing in her home, it was truly unbelievable, and she remained skeptical about the reality of the situation.

The man was exceptionally handsome, with no trace of makeup. In this internet age, could someone so good-looking remain unknown? Was he an entertainer? Filming a prank show? But breaking into someone’s home to film would be illegal, wouldn’t it? And her grandmother and aunt would never agree to such a show.

The tail, it looked too real, beautiful, and undeniably alive. The bathtub was sizable, but the man’s fishtail was long and large, unable to fit entirely inside. The end curled up outside the tub like a blooming flower. Luo Qingyan couldn’t resist reaching out to gently touch the tail fin, it was smooth, elastic, and warm.

Her gaze traveled upward along the fishtail, settling on the junction where it met the upper body. The transition was seamless, with scales that didn’t appear to be glued on.

If this were a human disguised as a mermaid, there would surely be flaws at the connection point. With that thought, Luo Qingyan couldn’t help but reach toward the man’s abdomen. To ensure her own safety, she had to verify the truth, even if it meant doing something intrusive.

Her hand emerged from the water, touching the scales, then the skin. She used her fingernail to scrape the edge of a scale, attempting to peel it back.

Suddenly, the man in the bathtub shuddered violently, his eyes snapping open to stare directly at Luo Qingyan, his face filled with panic as he scrambled backward. But trapped in the tub, there was nowhere for him to go.

Luo Qingyan quickly withdrew her hand, flustered and embarrassed. Coming to her senses, she realized her actions had been no different from harassment, it was far too presumptuous. At a loss, she heard Chestnut barking and quickly shifted her attention to the dog. “Chestnut, stop barking! Quiet!”

Chestnut actually stopped barking, since the commotion in the bathtub had ceased, and obediently leaned against her leg, watching her.

She could feel the man’s gaze fixed on her as well. There was no point in avoiding it, she had to face it head-on. She lifted her eyes to meet his.

Seeing the man with his eyes open clearly now, Luo Qingyan realized he was quite young, with a touch of college-student innocence. His entire demeanor was on high alert, like a fiercely wild cat.

“It’s perfectly reasonable for me to check your situation when you suddenly appear in my house wearing a mermaid tail, isn’t it?” Luo Qingyan spoke with confidence, after all, in today’s society, she was the one in a vulnerable position. “You were barely breathing earlier, and I went through a lot of trouble to move you into the bathtub. Wasn’t it you who asked for water?”

The man remained silent, cautiously observing Luo Qingyan.

“What exactly is going on with you? Why did you appear in my house? Is your tail… real or fake? Why are you dressed like this?” Luo Qingyan crossed her arms, scrutinizing him in return. “Can you speak?”

The man still didn’t utter a word.

Luo Qingyan frowned slightly. “Fine, I’ll just call the police and let them handle it.”

“Don’t call the police!” the man finally spoke, his voice remarkably clear.

“You can talk?” Luo Qingyan’s expression relaxed a little. “Then tell me what’s going on with you. I won’t call the police only if you give me a good reason not to.”

A troubled expression crossed the man’s face. He hesitated, thinking for a moment before speaking softly, “I… I’m not human. I’m… a mermaid. I’m injured and need to recover. I can’t leave on my own for now. Please don’t tell anyone about my existence, they’ll capture me.”

The mermaid before her was quite polite. Luo Qingyan curled her lips into a slight smile. “Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad person?”

The mermaid’s eyes widened briefly, a flicker of panic in them before he tried to steady himself. “You helped me. You’re not a bad person. I… I’ll leave once I’m healed, and I’ll repay you.”

“How will you repay me?”

“What… what do you want? I can give you valuable things.”

“In situations like this, shouldn’t you offer yourself in marriage?”

The mermaid couldn’t hide his astonishment. His eyes darted around nervously, and he shrank back slightly, his ears gradually turning red.

This mermaid was truly innocent, getting flustered over a simple joke. A sense of pity rose in Luo Qingyan’s heart. “I won’t force you into anything. Tell me about these valuable things. Are you planning to go into the sea to fetch them for me? What if you take the chance to run away?”

“We mermaids are very trustworthy!” The mermaid looked at Luo Qingyan with sincere eyes, the blush on his face not yet fully faded. “If I promise something, I will definitely do it.”

“You’re still quite young, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You seem like you haven’t reached adulthood yet, a young boy.”

“I am an adult! We mermaids come of age at three hundred years old, and I’m over three hundred years old.”

“So, you’ve just reached adulthood? That really is still quite young.” Confirmed, this was a little merman. Luo Qingyan smiled faintly.

“I… anyway, I’m an adult. My promises are valid.”

So that’s what the little merman was worried about. How adorable. The smile on Luo Qingyan’s face deepened. “Alright, I believe you. But, going back to the initial doubt, you need to prove to me that you’re a real mermaid, right?”

“Prove it?” The little merman looked down at his tail, moved it slightly, and then glanced back at Luo Qingyan.

“Well, in this day and age, special effects makeup is very advanced. That’s why I earlier…” Mentioning what happened earlier made Luo Qingyan a bit embarrassed. She scratched her neck. “Ah well! Better safe than sorry.”

“I’m very weak right now…” The little merman showed a troubled expression, but was still thinking seriously. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. “Humans can’t stay underwater for long, but I can remain submerged indefinitely.”

After saying this, he slid his upper body downward until his face was completely submerged. He kept his eyes open throughout, entering the water with perfect calmness. Even underwater, he continued blinking naturally while looking at Luo Qingyan, showing no discomfort whatsoever. He even slightly parted his lips to demonstrate how easily he could open his mouth underwater.

So adorable! Luo Qingyan covered her mouth to suppress her giggles, completely charmed. Though unbelievable, she was convinced the person before her was a merman , a handsome, innocent merman.

Well, there are many unbelievable things in this world, aren’t there?

“Alright, I believe you’re a merman.” Luo Qingyan showed a friendly expression. “What’s your name?”

The little merman’s eyes darkened as he pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry, mer people can’t casually tell humans their names.”

Though still submerged, Luo Qingyan could clearly hear his voice, confirming he was no ordinary person but truly a merman. She leaned forward slightly. “Then what should I call you? Xiaomei? Xiaoyu? Little Mermaid?”

His relaxation was evident as Luo Qingyan didn’t press about his name. “Any… of those would be fine.”

“Then Xiaomei it is! That’s a protagonist’s name!” Luo Qingyan crouched down, pulling over a stool to sit on. “You can come up now. By the way, while you’re recovering, is there anything I can do for you?”

The little merman emerged from the water, his gaze following Luo Qingyan’s movements, shifting from looking up to meeting her eyes directly. After some thought, he said cautiously, “I need food.”

“Food? What do you eat?” Luo Qingyan was quite curious. “Fish? Or seaweed? Please don’t tell me you eat pearls or something, I couldn’t afford that.”

“No pearls. I eat both fish and seaweed.”

“Do you eat human food?”

“I probably can.”

“Probably? You seem to know quite a bit about humans. How did you learn all this?”

“Through studying. We have teachers and books.”

“Books? Paper can survive submerged in seawater?”

“Specially made ones.”

“So advanced? Hey!” Luo Qingyan suddenly thought of something important and leaned forward slightly. “From the sound of it, mer people are quite impressive. Then how did you get injured? You weren’t caught in some sea god power struggle, being pursued and forced to come ashore, were you? Am I in any danger?”

“No…” The little merman furrowed his brow slightly. “I can’t tell you why I’m injured, but you won’t be in any danger.”

“Really?” Luo Qingyan’s face showed she was half-convinced, half-doubting. “How did you end up in my house? Was it through that black pearl?”

“Yes, but it’s broken now.”

Luo Qingyan wanted to ask why it broke, but suddenly remembered that Chestnut had carried the pearl home. If Chestnut had bitten and damaged it, the conversation would become awkward. She decided not to ask and changed the subject. “How long will it take for you to recover?”

“I’m not sure, but it probably won’t be too long.” The little merman’s voice grew gradually softer, seeming weak and exhausted.

“Are you sleepy?” Luo Qingyan noticed his eyes weren’t as wide open as before, as if he wanted to sleep. “Do merpeople need to sleep too?”

“Mmm… I’m very tired and need to rest.” As he spoke, the little merman’s eyes were nearly closed.

Whether the little merman was truly tired or just pretending, Luo Qingyan felt they had talked enough. After all, the most important matter remained tightly sealed in the little merman’s lips, and there was no need to probe further. Besides, she needed some time to process everything. So, she stood up and said, “Then rest well. I’ll leave a whistle in the bathroom later. If there’s an emergency, blow the whistle. Do you know how to blow a whistle?”

“Yes,” the little merman replied, his eyes already closed.

“Alright, that’s settled then. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Outside, the wind and rain raged fiercely.

…

The events of the night had been so extraordinary that even after lying in bed, Luo Qingyan’s heart remained unsettled.

“Chestnut,” she called out, rolling over to the edge of the bed and turning on the small night light. She saw Chestnut curled up in his dog bed, fast asleep. Normally, Chestnut slept outside, where he would bark if anything unusual happened, serving as a kind of alarm. But tonight, she had been afraid he might get hurt, so she let him sleep in her room. Looking at him now, it seemed Chestnut had lost all his usual canine vigilance today.

Perhaps the little merman truly was harmless to both humans and animals.

Afraid of waking the sleeping Chestnut, Luo Qingyan didn’t get up and stayed lying in bed. This time, she cleared her mind, letting go of her wandering thoughts, and focused on the sound of the rain outside.

The rain fell steadily, not only soaking the earth but also dampening the air. G City was in the south, and though it was late summer turning into early autumn, the weather was still somewhat warm. The cool, moist air should have felt comfortable as it enveloped her, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of desolation.

Autumn was a season of harvest, but also a season of withering.

Gradually, Luo Qingyan began to feel tired, exhausted all over, and then, she fell asleep.

The night grew deep.

…

The next day, the sun shone brightly, a beautiful day.

When Luo Qingyan woke up, she felt as though she had experienced a wondrous dream the night before. Now that the dream was over, she found herself clinging to it with deep nostalgia.

So, was it a dream, or was it real?

A flicker of panic crossed her heart. Ignoring Chestnut, who was leaping excitedly at her legs, she turned and hurried downstairs.

At the bathroom door, she hesitated. Suddenly, everything seemed to darken before her eyes. She was afraid that the other side of the door would be empty.

Deep breaths.

After taking several deep breaths, she finally mustered the courage to raise her hand and slowly open the bathroom door.

There, lying in the bathtub, was the beautiful little merman, shimmering like a rainbow.

Luo Qingyan’s tense nerves instantly relaxed. “Good morning,” she said.

The little merman blinked, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Good morning.”