Chapter 56 Part 1
Silence fell over the live stream for a moment, then the barrage comments exploded, refreshing at an incredible speed.
[??? What kind of head did Doctor Wu just mention? I didn’t quite catch it.]
[A fish head and a human body? Isn’t it supposed to be a mermaid? A human upper body and a fishtail?]
[What’s going on? Not a mermaid, but a kappa (a Japanese water demon)?]
[Human head and fishtail: Okay! Fish head and human body: No way!]
[So that’s why his scales are only on his upper body…Save me! I don’t want to see a fish-headed monster! That’s terrifying!]
[Like the carp spirit in Journey to the West? So ugly.]
See? They were right, Chengde Medical Clinic’s live streams were always full of surprises.
The last time, it was an accidental connection with a deceased novelist, their first encounter with a ghost, and now, a new illness.
A fish-headed human!
Well, it was still technically a merman, right? Half-human, half-fish? Just… not the beautiful kind.
Su Chenyu sat by the pool, stunned. He had been dreaming of competing in the Olympics, bringing glory to his country, and if that didn’t work out, becoming the world’s first merman prince, a national treasure, and now this?!
“Fish head and human body?” Su Chenyu choked out the words, his throat constricting.
Absolutely not!
He might be shallow, but he could accept a human torso and a fishtail, but not a fish head and a human body.
Su Chenyu was the undisputed school heartthrob, his looks unmatched.
And now, he was going to become a fish-headed monster?!
“Doctor Wu, no, I can’t accept this! I really can’t!” Su Chenyu, his earlier excitement gone, was on the verge of tears.
He couldn’t bear to imagine what he would look like, how could he even live?
Han Ye, although unlucky with his shrinking height, going from 180cm to 168cm, he was still human.
168cm wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t uncommon, and he was still handsome.
But him? A giant fish head! How could that be acceptable?
A human with a fishtail, that was a mermaid prince adored by all. A fish head with a human body? That was a monster for research, a fish demon to be hunted!
Wu Heng, hearing this, was slightly relieved, he wasn’t so out of touch with modern aesthetics after all. Even he couldn’t accept a fish head and a human body.
The students, no longer interested in the swimming class, sat by the pool, watching the live stream.
The PE teacher, his earlier excitement fading into disappointment, had lost his Olympic hopeful.
A girl, seeing Su Chenyu’s dejected expression, placed a clean towel around him, and another student offered him a cup of water.
His classmates were kind.
“If I really become a fish-headed monster… a fish-man, can I still live on land?” Su Chenyu, trying to process his condition, asked seriously.
Wu Heng replied, “You’ll be amphibious, the ocean will be your second home.”
Su Chenyu: “…”
He had never thought the term “amphibious” would apply to him.
And the ocean, his home?
The entire four point seven three million square kilometers of China’s maritime territory would be his?! Was this even a loss?
But he had thalassophobia! He didn’t want to live there! And the ocean was dark and vast, what was there besides water? He couldn’t even access the internet, unless they discovered a Dragon Palace under the sea.
Then Su Chenyu suddenly realized something even more horrifying and asked, his voice trembling, “Wait, so I’m not just seafood, but deep-sea seafood?”
Wu Heng nodded. “Indeed.”
[Hahaha, sorry, I couldn’t help but laugh. A deep-sea mermaid? At least it’s still deep sea, same origin as everyone else in the comments.]
[So, from the sea, I’ve never heard of mermaids from rivers.]
[As someone from inland China, seafood here is much more expensive than freshwater fish. Being deep-sea seafood is technically an upgrade in value, isn’t it?]
[I love watching ocean documentaries, the appearance of deep-sea fish… indescribable, I wonder what kind of fish head it would be, ugly or not.]
[A shark head? If it’s a shark head, it could be pretty cool! With that bite force… one bite, one child… he’d have to register with the police!]
Su Chenyu looked at his live stream, once filled with praises for his good looks, now with discussions about seafood cuisine, and some even suggesting recipes for fish head.
He then noticed verified accounts like “China Fish Expert,” “Oceanography Department Head,” and “Polar Ocean Park” enter his live stream.
Probably having heard the news, they were all here to gawk at him like he was a new species.
[Marine Expert XXX: Streamer, are you a mammal or a vertebrate now? Can you breathe underwater? Or do you need to surface like a whale? The current world record for holding your breath underwater is twenty-four minutes.]
Su Chenyu: “…”
How would he know?! He had been a landlubber his whole life until yesterday!
Wu Heng said, “Once his ears transform into gills, he’ll be able to breathe freely in the deep sea.”
Su Chenyu touched his ears, a chill running down his spine.
Seriously?! His ears would turn into those disgusting gills?
His only experience with gills was removing them when cleaning fish!
But his words made the marine experts excited.
[Fishmonger with Twenty Years Experience: There’s also water pressure in the deep sea. What kind of fish is this? How deep can he dive?]
Wu Heng saw the number of viewers exceed ten million, even though it was a weekday, during working hours.
To protect his patient’s privacy, and Su Chenyu’s safety, Wu Heng said with a smile, “I don’t know, he’ll have to test it himself.”
[Doctor Wu probably knows but doesn’t want to say.]
[+1, but I think even if his illness isn’t cured, Su Chenyu can still find a government job.]
[Seriously, he can get a government job either way, and I’m still struggling for a civil service position, cries]
Instantly learning how to swim after growing scales, potentially joining the national swimming team.
Becoming a merman, his stunning looks boosting national tourism.
Even as an unsightly fish-man, if, as Wu Heng said, he was a deep-sea species, wouldn’t the underwater archaeology department want him? If he could withstand the pressure, he could explore the countless shipwrecks, filled with priceless artifacts!
The ultimate underwater archaeologist.
Or, at the very least, he could help search for foreign spy devices. Surely there was a place for him.
Su Chenyu, looking at the barrage comments, netizens planning his future career, thought, did anyone remember he was a medical student?
He made one last attempt, “But I still prefer being a mermaid, with a human upper body and a fishtail…”
Fan Tu, lurking in the live stream, agreed, you could die, but not die ugly. She figured she should meet with her stupid brother’s former roommate, a fellow sufferer.
Su Chenyu’s dream of being a mermaid prince was shattered. He looked at Wu Heng on the screen and asked, “Doctor Wu, what should I do now? Medicine, or… surgery?”
Surgery to remove his head? Medicine, definitely medicine.
Wu Heng smiled, “Medicine. I’ll have someone deliver it to you later.”
Su Chenyu, looking at his smile, had a bad feeling, he repeatedly thanked him.
After ending the call, it was almost lunchtime, so everyone went back to the locker room to change.
Su Chenyu, for his image’s sake, stuffed the small fin on his back into his backpack. It was autumn, and everyone was wearing jackets, so the scales on his body and arms were hidden. His attire was even quite stylish.
Besides the student cafeteria, there were other restaurants on campus.
Su Chenyu, wearing a mask, avoided the cafeteria, going to a restaurant with Fan Xuan.
As soon as Han Ye, having just finished class, entered the private room, he saw the table filled with fish heads.
Steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers, fish head tofu soup, fish head casserole, braised fish head… all fish head dishes.
Han Ye: “…”
Really obsessed with fish heads now?
Fan Xuan chuckled. “He’s replenishing himself.” (like cures like)
Seeing Su Chenyu pick at his food listlessly, they thought he was worried about his illness and were about to ask when he suddenly said, “If I really become a fish-headed human, will I get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from eating my own kind?”
It was human-to-human transmission, not fish-to-human.
But Han Ye and Fan Xuan, considering his condition, didn’t bother arguing.
“Can’t bring yourself to eat it?” Fan Xuan looked at the fish heads and suggested, “Should we… feed you fish food instead?”
Su Chenyu: “…”
He had never eaten fish food in his life.
Just then, a knock on the door. They thought it was the waiter, but a young man in patched clothes entered.
“Doctor Chen, what brings you here?” Han Ye and Fan Xuan, who had met him before, greeted him.
“Doctor Wu asked me to deliver some medicine.” Chen Zhao made himself comfortable and, seeing the fish heads, immediately sat down.
No wonder, those who enjoyed fish head truly knew its unique deliciousness.
Su Chenyu watched as Chen Zhao devoured a fish head, his own head aching. Was this the fear of witnessing cannibalism?
He asked quickly, “Doctor Chen, how do I take this? These two packets… seem different?”
“The white one contains pills, one pill a day to delay your transformation into a fish-man.”
“The yellow one is herbal medicine, boil it with well water, and you’ll be cured in seven days.”
Su Chenyu thought, obviously he would choose to be cured, but then, if that was the case, why give him a choice?
Su Chenyu asked, “What if I choose the pills?”
Chen Zhao smirked, “Then Doctor Wu wants you to take me on that Dream Cruise.”
He had heard that the cruise cost 49,999 yuan per person. He had never been on a luxury cruise before. A paid vacation?
Working for Wu Heng? One word, awesome!
Before, working for the Xuanmen, his master had made him hitchhike three thousand kilometers. Now, from the Li residence to the medical university, just a short distance, he could even take a taxi.
What an upgrade!
