Chapter 55
“Earn, earn how many star coins?”
Assistant Xu stared at the optical brain in shock: “How did that question end up in the common phrases?”
The surrounding employees stared at them, and Assistant Xu quickly pulled the scooter away from the entrance.
“MuMu, you just pressed a random button, right? It’s too difficult for a mermaid to understand these…”
He and the mermaid didn’t attract much attention, however, because today was the day Wen Corporation was auditioning mermaid spokesmodels, and many people were entering the building with mermaid cages.
MuMu, seeing the other mermaid cages being pushed in a single direction, gripped the wall and pointed:
“Awoo!”
Its grip was strong, and Assistant Xu was pulled to a stop: “Not that way, we’re going to the office to wait for your master.”
MuMu stubbornly refused: “Growl!”
‘Cooperate with whatever it wants to do, follow the scooter and keep it safe.’
Assistant Xu remembered his boss’s instructions and let go:
“Fine, drive yourself, I’ll follow behind…”
“Whoosh—”
Before he could finish, the scooter sped off, disappearing around the corner.
“!?” Assistant Xu gave chase.
He clearly remembered that the scooter he had had modified for MuMu had the slowest speed setting.
Where did the speed limit go?
Assistant Xu, almost losing his shoes, stopped, panting, hands on his knees.
Losing the Admiral’s mermaid would be a career-ending disaster.
But even an Olympic sprinter couldn’t catch up!
He stopped a passing employee: “Have you seen a speeding mermaid?”
“?” The employee scratched his head. “No, but if you’re looking for mermaids, they’re all at the spokesperson auditions.”
“Thank you!”
Assistant Xu ran towards the audition area.
Many mermaids had signed up, their owners queuing outside the audition room, one mermaid cage per person.
But at the end of the line, one mermaid was breaking the pattern—
It was driving a scooter, waiting patiently.
“MuMu!”
Assistant Xu breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over: “Why are you here?”
“Awoo.” Because everyone is queuing, I can’t cut in line, can I?
“There are many mermaids here, do you want to be with your own kind?” Assistant Xu gripped the scooter, not daring to let go again. “Let’s go inside and watch.”
Inside the audition room, there was a panel of judges.
Assistant Xu sat down in the judges’ seats, startling MuMu, who grabbed his arm:
“Whoo?” Can you just sit anywhere?
Assistant Xu pointed at the pool in front of them, whispering: “Look, a mermaid.”
MuMu glanced at the other judges nervously, afraid of being kicked out.
But the judges simply nodded at Assistant Xu, not saying anything.
MuMu, seeing this, sat up straight, pretending to be the sole “mermaid judge.”
“Awoo—ah—”
A mermaid in the pool, directly in front of the judges’ seats, was huddled at the bottom, crying continuously.
“No, it’s too scared of humans, impossible to film, let alone be a spokesperson.”
One judge shook his head, and the others agreed:
“The previous mermaids weren’t beautiful enough, and this one, while stunning, is too timid.”
“Choosing a mermaid spokesperson is a pipe dream, which mermaid in the interstellar world would cooperate with a camera crew?”
“If only the masked streamer was here, he could tell us what the mermaid needs, maybe we could calm it down…”
MuMu’s attention was drawn to the beautifully dressed mermaid in the pool—
Found Yi Yi!
“Judges, I apologize, my mermaid isn’t used to being outside.”
Yi Yi tried to comfort her mermaid by the pool, but it only shrieked louder.
She sighed deeply and said dejectedly: “I’m wasting your time, I’ll take her back…”
“Awoo!”
A loud mermaid cry suddenly came from the judges’ seats.
Yi Yi instinctively replied: “Does this judge have a comment… mermaid?”
MuMu’s expression was serious, radiating an air of authority.
Assistant Xu gripped the scooter tightly: “MuMu, shush! No loud noises here.”
“Woo.” But I promised Yi Yi I’d help, I can’t break my promise, and if it causes trouble…
MuMu patted its chest with a determined expression:
“Awoo!” I’ll take responsibility for my actions!
Assistant Xu almost knelt before it: “Little ancestor, I’ll take you to play with other mermaids, okay? Let’s not disrupt the auditions.”
MuMu threw off its blanket and jumped.
“Splash!”
Now there were two mermaids in the pool.
MuMu swam straight towards Yi Yi: “Pull yourself together!”
Yi Yi glanced at it and continued wailing: “Legged one, take me home! The legged ones out here are terrifying, I can’t deal with them!”
MuMu crossed its arms: “I know a way to improve your status in the family.”
“Really?” Yi Yi immediately stopped crying. “Can I do whatever I want at home?”
MuMu raised an eyebrow: “That depends on your performance. Do as I say…”
Outside the pool, the judges exchanged glances.
“Assistant Xu, why are you here? We’ll submit a report later.”
Assistant Xu’s brow twitched: “There are some… special circumstances.”
The judges immediately tensed: “Are you here to evaluate our work?”
“That mermaid he brought must be a test of our ability to handle unexpected situations!”
Assistant Xu rubbed his nose: “Don’t overthink it, just focus on your work.”
“Yes, yes!” The judges, convinced this was an evaluation, became even more focused.
When they looked back at the pool, the wailing Yi Yi had calmed down.
“What happened? Its mood suddenly stabilized?”
“Good news, as long as this beautiful mermaid stays calm, we can film!”
“Mermaid owner, excellent work, you can resume the audition.”
Yi Yi, also seeing her mermaid so calm for the first time, froze by the pool.
MuMu surfaced and called out to her, as if reminding her:
Time for the audition!
Yi Yi finally reacted, raised her hand, and commanded: “High five!”
Yi Yi glanced at MuMu.
‘If you make the legged one happy, she’ll treat you better, and you’ll be able to rule the house.
So ignore the other legged ones, they’re not important to you, focus on her!‘
Yi Yi lazily swam towards Yi Yi and high-fived her.
Yi Yi was so happy she almost fainted and extended her other hand: “Other hand, high five!”
Yi Yi complied.
Yi Yi clutched her chest, overwhelmed with emotion, and silently declared:
Masked streamer, Yi Yi really has changed, I hereby declare you the person I trust most in this life!
“Clap, clap!”
MuMu sat by the edge of the pool, applauding their cooperation.
Yi Yi chuckled: “Thank you, mermaid ‘judge.'”
“Awoo!” You’re welcome, my valued top gifter.
The judges gave Yi Yi high scores:
“Impressive, follows its owner’s commands, quite intelligent.”
“I remember ‘Yi Yi’s Mermaid Yi Yi’ is a popular streamer, she has a following, choosing her as a spokesperson would generate buzz.”
After a brief discussion, they said to Yi Yi: “Congratulations, your mermaid has advanced to the second round of auditions – filming.”
Then they turned to a silent figure in the corner: “Cameraman, we have a mermaid for the second round!”
“Tsk, I thought I wouldn’t have any work today.”
The cameraman, wearing a baseball cap, approached, his eyes scrutinizing Yi Yi:
“This one?”
“The most beautiful mermaid we’ve seen so far,” a judge said cautiously. “Are you not satisfied?”
“Satisfied? Far from it!”
The cameraman said passionately: “I’ve said it countless times, choosing a model isn’t just about looks, it’s about spirit! Do you understand spirit?”
The judges looked troubled: “But this is a mermaid, using model standards seems too harsh…”
This was Wen Corporation’s first time choosing a spokesperson, and they were taking it very seriously, hiring a top interstellar photographer.
This photographer was known for being “picky.”
If it didn’t meet her standards, she wouldn’t shoot it; if it didn’t inspire her, she wouldn’t shoot it; if it lacked spirit, she wouldn’t shoot it.
Her portfolio was small, but every piece was a masterpiece, guaranteed to win awards.
“Mermaids are indeed difficult to shoot, I’ll lower my standards slightly.”
The photographer turned on the studio lights, aiming them at the center of the pool: “Let’s try a few shots. I’m telling you now, if I’m not satisfied with these, there won’t be an official shoot.”
“Awoo!” Bright lights, I can’t handle it!
Yi Yi, terrified by the lights, dove to the bottom of the pool, swimming frantically.
Most mermaids disliked bright lights, mistaking them for the sun, prolonged exposure to which could dry out their scales.
“Awoo, awoo.” Yi Yi, don’t be afraid, it’s not sunlight, pay attention to your legged one!
MuMu splashed the water by the edge of the pool, shouting its advice.
This caught the photographer’s attention.
“Can we shoot the blue mermaid too?” The photographer suddenly became interested. “I have a feeling it would be perfect for my lens!”
The judges waved their hands: “We’re only shooting the one in the water.”
The photographer shrugged: “Fine.”
Yi Yi, holding a small dried fish, tried to attract her mermaid’s attention:
“Yi Yi, look here!”
Yi Yi, smelling the snack, surfaced, and the photographer quickly took a few shots.
“No, no…” The photographer browsed through the pictures, frowning. “This looks like something from a cheap photo studio, not art at all.”
The judges tried to reason with her: “It’s just for a product endorsement, not a photography exhibition.”
“Still no, it would lower the quality of my portfolio… wait a minute.”
The photographer seemed to have discovered something, sending the pictures to the judges’ optical brains: “Actually, there’s something redeemable here…”
“?” The judges opened the pictures, puzzled.
Silence filled the audition room for a long moment, then everyone’s gaze shifted towards the edge of the pool—
The little mermaid with the blue tail, splashing playfully.
MuMu tilted its head: “Awoo?” Need something?
“This one, right?”
“Yes, it’s in the background.”
The judges zoomed in on MuMu at the edge of the picture:
“Such a strong presence, just a small figure in the corner, but it steals the spotlight.”
“Its camera presence is incredible! Like a seasoned livestreamer, always practicing in front of the camera.”
“I finally understand what the cameraman meant by ‘spirit’…”
MuMu, listening to their chatter, touched its ear stud and sent Wen Ming a voice message:
“Awoo, roar!”
Master, they’re saying I’m going to be a star!
