The Merman I Picked Up Is Too Delicious - Chapter 5

The moment the power went out, Luo Qingyan had the urge to curse out loud.

Just as she had mustered her resolve and ignited a spark of hope, everything around her plunged into darkness, as if the heavens were telling her, “Impossible.”

Truthfully, she wasn’t very confident. True love was something exceedingly rare. The little merman had mentioned that a mermaid’s idea of true love differed from that of humans. Besides, time was not on her side. To make an unfamiliar merman fall in love with her within three or four months, for them to genuinely love each other, it sounded like a fairy tale, and she lived in reality.

The darkness felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over her head, and she was thoroughly displeased!

Suppressing her anger, she reminded herself that now was not the time to lose her temper. There was still a sulky little merman in the bathroom! Not knowing whether he was afraid of the dark, she quickly turned on her phone’s flashlight and hurried to check on him.

The moment she opened the bathroom door, Luo Qingyan’s frustration vanished completely.

The bathroom was transformed into a sea of stars, breathtakingly beautiful.

The little merman’s tail actually glowed, shimmering brightly in the dark! It wasn’t a harsh light but a soft, gentle glow like that of a luminous pearl, dotted with sparkling points of light. It resembled the Milky Way, the aurora in the sky, or the blue tears of the sea, absolutely stunning.

The light from his tail made the rippling water sparkle, reflecting across the bathroom walls like a dream.

“So beautiful!” Luo Qingyan couldn’t help but exclaim as she walked over to the little merman. “Can all mermaids’ tails glow like this? So, you’re not afraid of the dark even deep in the ocean! How amazing, how romantic!”

Hearing the praise, the little merman felt a hint of pride and flicked his tail. “I can control it.”

As his tail moved, the soft glow shifted. Upon closer look, his scales shimmered like gemstones.

“No wonder mermaids are wary of humans, or rather, don’t particularly like them,” Luo Qingyan murmured, her gaze fixed on his tail. She blinked and then looked up at his face. “With such extraordinary beauty, even 3D modeling couldn’t replicate your looks. It’s no wonder others might envy you. And your glittering tail, isn’t that exactly what humans seek in gemstones? If you have the ability to cure cancer, humans would undoubtedly flock to you. Beyond that, there must be other remarkable traits that make people green with envy. It’s a good thing mermaids are powerful, otherwise… you might have gone extinct.”

Faced with her praise, the little merman’s ears didn’t turn red this time. Instead, he met Luo Qingyan’s gaze. “Every species has its unique traits, but humans are overly greedy. Of course, not all humans, most are just complex in nature.”

Seeing the serious expression on the little merman’s exquisite face, Luo Qingyan found him utterly adorable. She leaned in closer. “I’m growing fonder of you by the day. I might really fall in love with you. But what about you? How can I make you fall in love with me?”

The little merman tried to face Luo Qingyan directly, but her gaze was too intense for him. In the end, he averted his eyes, turning his head toward the wall and lifting his chin with an air of pride.

Just then, Luo Qingyan’s phone rang.

“The food delivery is here. I’ll go get it,” she said with a smile before leaving the bathroom.

…

Because of the power outage, it was dim outside.

Luo Qingyan hadn’t had time to fetch a backup light, so she still relied on her phone’s flashlight. With the darkness and the small light source, she first called out to let the delivery person know she was coming, then carefully made her way forward step by step.

The delivery driver hadn’t turned off the electric scooter’s headlight, making the area outside a bit brighter and the handoff went smoothly.

After getting the takeout, Luo Qingyan was about to head home when her neighbor auntie called out to her from a distance.

“Qingyan, what kind of light do you use at your place? It’s so bright!” The neighbor auntie held a flashlight in one hand and a half-eaten apple in the other. “My Youyou said your light sparkles and looks especially pretty!”

It took Luo Qingyan a moment to realize she was talking about the little merman’s glowing tail in the bathroom. The light must have been shining through the bathroom window, which had frosted glass, so she usually didn’t close the blinds. She smiled slightly and said, “Oh, it’s a crystal ball light. Is it really that bright? It seems normal from inside.”

“Where did you buy it? Do you have a link? My Youyou likes it, so I want to get her one too.” The neighbor auntie hurried over to Luo Qingyan, followed by a little girl of about five or six, Youyou.

“Auntie, your light is like the Snow Fairy’s lamp. It’s so pretty.” The little girl shyly hid behind the adult, peeking out only her head. It was clear she had mustered up the courage to speak because she really liked Luo Qingyan’s light.

“Ah, you should call her sister!” The neighbor auntie bent down and tried to push the little girl out from behind her. “Don’t hide! be more confident!”

“Her mom is only two years older than me, so ‘auntie’ is fine.” Luo Qingyan smiled while quickly thinking of an excuse. “That light, I think I bought it while traveling. I can’t remember where exactly. You could try searching online for ‘crystal ball light.’ Um… I have something to attend to, so I’ll head back now. Bye!”

“Oh, alright, I’ll look it up online then.” The neighbor auntie waved the apple in her hand. “Crystal ball light, right?”

“Yes!” Luo Qingyan nodded while backing toward her house, afraid the neighbor might want to come inside to see the light.

“Okay, thanks!”

“You’re welcome!”

After saying goodbye to the neighbor auntie and the little girl, Luo Qingyan returned inside, placed the takeout and her phone on the dining table, then stepped out again. She checked for any presence outside using the light and sound, and after confirming no one was around, she quietly slipped out.

She wanted to go around to the side and see how much light was actually shining through the bathroom window and just how bright it was.

One look, and wow! It was genuinely bright, standing out prominently in the darkness. She even suspected that after she left the bathroom, the little merman had intentionally made his tail glow brighter and started dancing around in there.

She hurried back inside and returned to the bathroom.

“Xiao Mei, you can control the brightness of your tail, right? Dim it down, the darker, the better. People outside can see it.” After entering the bathroom, Luo Qingyan set the takeout she was carrying on the sink and went to close the blinds.

“Is it because humans like it? Aren’t you afraid of attracting others?” After closing the blinds, she picked up the takeout from the sink. Chestnut, who had been excitedly hopping around at her feet upon smelling the food, was gently blocked by her outstretched leg. “Chestnut, you can’t eat this.”

“Why can’t Chestnut eat it?” the little merman asked, blinking curiously.

“Many human foods aren’t safe for dogs. Barbecue is high in oil and salt, it can easily cause inflammation in dogs.” Luo Qingyan explained while unwrapping the takeout. “Also, things like raisins and chocolate are practically poison to them. It’s like how in the ocean, not everything is edible. Most jellyfish are toxic, I’m sure you don’t eat those, right?”

“Got it.” The little mermaid nodded, her attention already captured by the barbecue.

“Let me grab another stool to use as a table.” Luo Qingyan noticed the little mermaid’s anticipation but didn’t want her to keep holding the takeout bag. She placed the bag on the chair she had been sitting on and turned to fetch a stool.

Chestnut didn’t follow Luo Qingyan but stayed by the chair, propping his front paws on it and standing on his hind legs to get as close as possible to the food. His nose twitched incessantly.

“Chestnut, you can’t eat this,” the little mermaid said softly from the edge of the bathtub.

Chestnut, fixated on the food, ignored everything else and began pawing at the takeout bag.

“I know your sense of smell is sharp, and having food right in front of you must be incredibly tempting. I get it,” the little mermaid reached out to stroke Chestnut’s head. “But you really can’t eat it. Barbecue isn’t good for you.”

Chestnut stopped jumping and nudged her hand with his head before tilting his head back to lick her.

When Luo Qingyan returned with the stool, she was greeted by this heartwarming scene. “Chestnut seems to really like you. Come to think of it, he’s the one who found you. Did you try to get his attention back then?”

The little mermaid paused her stroking for a moment, then lowered her gaze and continued. “Not exactly…”

Luo Qingyan now understood that if the little mermaid was being vague, it was best to just listen. The other was injured and unsettled, carrying many secrets. Prying wouldn’t help and might even do harm. She picked up the takeout bag from the chair, sat down, and opened it. “Try the pork belly first. It looks perfectly grilled.”

As soon as the foil wrapping was opened, the aroma of the barbecue surged forth.

The little mermaid took a skewer of pork belly and took a bite, her eyes sparkling like stars. “It’s delicious! Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, it practically melts in your mouth.”

“Your description…” Luo Qingyan placed the opened takeout bag on the nearby stool. “Good thing Chestnut can’t understand you, or he’d be drooling with envy.”

“Why aren’t you eating?” the little mermaid waved her skewer. “It’s really, really good!”

The barbecue smelled amazing, and Luo Qingyan wanted to eat, but the surroundings. Even with the partition in the bathroom, they were still in a restroom. The thought alone killed her appetite. “I… I’m not hungry. I ate a lot for dinner earlier. You go ahead.”

“What did you have for dinner?”

“Western food, like grilled steak. If there’s a suitable Western restaurant that delivers, I’ll let you try it sometime. For now, let’s have some barbecue beef!” Luo Qingyan took a skewer of beef from the takeout bag and handed it to the little mermaid. Suddenly, she remembered something important. “Oh, by the way, do mermaids have any dietary restrictions? I remember you said mermaids can eat human food, but there must be some differences, right? Is there anything mermaids can’t eat?”

The little mermaid took the beef skewer. “Things we can’t eat, probably not, as long as we avoid dangerous foods.”

“Mermaids are truly fascinating. You can survive in both saltwater and freshwater. Hey! Can you?” Luo Qingyan suddenly recalled how mermaids in stories could transform their tails into legs and wanted to ask if the little mermaid could do the same. But her phone rang abruptly, cutting her off.

“I’m going to take a call. Pick whatever you like to eat!” She reached out to adjust the takeout bag, turning its opening toward the little merman, then stood up and walked outside.

When she picked up her phone from the dining table, she noticed the incoming call was from an unfamiliar number.