Chapter 16
From Dai Rong’s account, MuMu learned that Wen Ming’s unusual mental seascape was caused by a rare disease.
Wen Ming’s father was the first recorded case of this disease in interstellar history. His mental seascape had collapsed during a battle with the Zerg, affecting both enemies and allies on the battlefield.
He had died shortly after getting married, his wife, Dai Rong, pregnant with their child.
Human understanding of this rare mental seascape disease was limited.
After Wen Ming’s birth, he exhibited the same resistance to mermaid soothing as his father, and they realized the disease was hereditary, and even more severe in the next generation.
From then on, Dai Rong shifted her research focus to this rare mental seascape disease, devoting all her energy to the lab.
She wanted her child to live…
“While others rely on mermaid soothing, Wen Ming has been suppressing his mental seascape with soothing agents.”
Dai Rong looked down at MuMu: “You’re the first mermaid he’s ever raised.”
MuMu rested its cheek on its arm, listening obediently to the story:
“Awoo?” And then?
“Suppression is not a solution. Wen Ming’s mental seascape, without soothing for so long, accumulated pressure until it reached a critical point. Just like his father, he faced a mental seascape collapse on the battlefield…
He barely managed to regain his sanity, but his mental seascape was damaged as a result.”
Dai Rong paused: “You mermaids can sense a damaged mental seascape, right? Most mermaids avoid Wen Ming like the plague.”
MuMu traced the pool wall with its finger, lost in thought: Is she referring to the broken mental seascape tree?
Although Dai Rong knew the mermaid couldn’t understand, looking into its clear eyes, she couldn’t help but confide:
“The damaged mental seascape causes him constant pain, and the more desperately I try to treat him, the worse his condition becomes…”
“?” Why?
Dai Rong’s mood darkened further, staring at the picture of the young Wen Ming, not continuing the story.
“Whoo, whoo?” MuMu tried to prompt her, but Dai Rong remained lost in thought.
It also quieted down, swimming closer to Dai Rong, maintaining a safe distance.
According to its observations, this distance wouldn’t scare humans…
Dai Rong reached out and happened to touch its head: “Are you comforting me?”
Soothing began from their point of contact, faint and weak, the lowest grade of soothing among low-grade mermaids.
For Wen Ming, MuMu’s soothing wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t as effective as a soothing agent.
According to Dai Rong’s assessment, it was an unqualified mermaid.
However…
Dai Rong stroked MuMu’s hair. It was smooth and soft, a result of regular and meticulous care.
When she stopped, MuMu would nudge its head upwards, rubbing against her palm.
Dai Rong smiled in relief: “Perhaps you’re the one who will ultimately heal him…”
After her husband’s death, Dai Rong’s obsession with curing Wen Ming had become a demon.
She had to race against the countdown of Wen Ming’s deteriorating mental seascape, immersing herself in the lab, spending less time with him than the nanny robot.
Later, Admiral Wen Ming was a god of war on the battlefield, feared by all; Wen Ming, founder of Wen Corporation, had a damaged mental seascape, pitied by all.
The psychological gap was enough to crush even the most gifted individual.
During this time, Dai Rong’s messages to Wen Ming always revolved around one topic:
‘How is your mental seascape lately?’
‘Are you out of soothing agents?’
‘You have to get a mermaid, soothing is the only way to cure you.’
…
Deprived of love, Wen Ming lost interest in life.
He even saw Dai Rong’s efforts as a way for her to make up for her regret of not curing his father.
“Staying alive” became the source of Wen Ming’s pain.
“MuMu, I still want him to live.”
Dai Rong looked at MuMu: “But I can’t do it alone.”
MuMu nervously tensed its fins.
Dai Rong said seriously: “He’s been through so much, he desires nothing, he seems cold and aloof, but he’s actually a very good person.
Will you help me heal him?”
MuMu hesitated to nod.
“…Gurgle?” How? Will I be taken to the lab for experiments?
This task was too difficult for a low-grade mermaid.
Dai Rong stroked it again: “I’ll continue to search for a cure; you stay by his side, keep him wanting to live, give him what he wants most.”
MuMu suddenly understood: Earn star coins for him!
Dai Rong placed her hand over MuMu’s: “It’s a deal.”
“Awoo.”
“Beep beep!” The home butler interjected at the wrong time. “Mermaid detected to be active for an extended period. Deactivate sleep mode?”
Dai Rong glanced at it, muttering in confusion:
“How did the home butler’s casing get so damaged?”
When she looked back, the mermaid’s head was slowly sinking below the water…
MuMu: Playing dead.
Dai Rong: It fell asleep so quickly.
“Maintain sleep mode,” Dai Rong whispered as she passed the home butler.
She left the mermaid room, closing the door behind her.
There was still a long time until Wen Ming got off work.
Dai Rong turned on the projector in the living room and randomly selected a drama.
It was the most popular romantic melodrama in the interstellar world right now, and the plot had just reached its climax, with the male and female leads searching for each other in the pouring rain, calling out each other’s names.
Dai Rong watched with a blank expression.
Just as she was about to change the channel, she suddenly felt a gaze on her back.
She turned around, but found no one, only the mermaid room door swaying slightly in the breeze…
“?” She was sure she had closed the door.
Dai Rong turned back, increased the projector’s volume by two notches, and focused on any sounds from behind her.
‘My love, where are you? Even if the rain floods this planet, I still have to tell you those three words…’
“Hmm…”
Dai Rong quickly looked back—
The little mermaid was peeking through the crack in the door, its mouth open in rapt attention.
Waiting patiently, success!
Dai Rong: “You like watching this?”
“Gasp!” Caught red-handed, MuMu retreated into the mermaid room like a turtle into its shell.
“…”
When Dai Rong entered the mermaid room, the water surface was calm, as if nothing had happened.
She pushed the mermaid cage to the edge of the pool and asked tentatively:
“Want to watch together?”
A few minutes later, the mermaid cage door was open, and MuMu, gripping the frame, was pushed to the living room sofa, watching the melodrama with Dai Rong.
To be precise, only MuMu was watching.
The plot was predictable. As soon as the male and female leads ran into the rain, Dai Rong knew they would miss each other several times before finally meeting.
As expected, they kept passing each other, as if their vision was impaired, not noticing each other at all.
“Woo… ah… eek~”
The little mermaid was on the edge of its seat, its grip on the cage frame tightening with every near miss.
The cage frame was about to be crushed…
Finally, after a fateful simultaneous turn, the male and female leads ran towards each other, embraced, kissed.
‘Even the heavy rain can’t extinguish our love.’
‘I love you!’
Water can’t extinguish it? Love = super flames?
MuMu rested its chin on its hand, becoming more and more confused: “Awoo?”
Dai Rong explained: “They’re expressing their feelings for each other, a wonderful emotion.”
MuMu looked bewildered: “?” What emotion?
Dai Rong, who had given countless academic reports at interstellar conferences, was momentarily at a loss for words when facing a mermaid:
“Love… even someone who’s never experienced it will instantly understand it when the moment arrives.”
MuMu seemed to understand, its attention quickly shifting to the next scene.
Dai Rong breathed a sigh of relief…
When Wen Ming returned home, a harmonious scene greeted him in the living room.
He walked directly to the mermaid cage, his tone disapproving:
“MuMu hates being in the mermaid cage.”
“Really?” Dai Rong looked surprised, glancing at the little mermaid’s comfortable posture as it watched the drama. “I didn’t notice.”
“?”
Wen Ming placed a hand on the mermaid cage and bent down slightly: “MuMu?”
MuMu glanced at him, then immediately returned its attention to the projection.
Dai Rong: “It’s very focused. I heard mermaids like moving pictures, and MuMu especially so.”
The protagonist in the drama was crying, and MuMu sniffled, its eyes also welling up.
Dai Rong added: “It even seems to understand some of the plot. So human-like.”
This was the first time Wen Ming hadn’t been greeted enthusiastically by the little mermaid upon returning home.
He subtly shifted half a step, blocking the mermaid cage’s view of the projection.
“Awoo!” You’re blocking my view!
MuMu reached out and tugged at him, looking up pitifully, as if it would do anything for just another glimpse.
“… .” Wen Ming sighed and moved aside.
“I understand, it’s really impossible to resist that look.” Dai Rong chuckled. “After watching the latest episode, I even bought premium access for it.”
As she spoke, she met Wen Ming’s gaze, her smile slowly fading:
“Why didn’t you reply to my messages on the day of the thunderstorm? Did you have problems with your mental seascape?”
“No,” Wen Ming said indifferently. “Slight agitation, it’s fine now.”
Dai Rong nodded silently.
It seemed this was their only common topic, and the melodrama’s background music became the only sound in the living room…
MuMu, embarrassed by the atmosphere, fidgeted and patted the mermaid cage:
“Awoo, awoo!”
Dai Rong found another opportunity to speak: “MuMu, don’t you want to watch anymore?”
“Awoo!” I want to watch!
MuMu cried out tearfully: “Woo…” But if I don’t make some noise, I’m afraid you two will continue to be awkward.
This family will fall apart without the little mermaid.
“It’s feeding time, it must be hungry.” Wen Ming pushed the mermaid cage towards the mermaid room.
Dai Rong turned off the projector and followed them to the door of the mermaid room.
Wen Ming stopped by the pool and tapped the cage. MuMu understood and plopped into the water.
It grabbed the mermaid bowl and tapped the side of the pool, “Doo, doo, doo,” urging him to start feeding it.
Wen Ming, however, slowly rolled up his sleeves as if deliberately testing the little mermaid’s patience, taking his time adjusting them.
MuMu stopped tapping, sensing something was wrong, and reflected—
Did I forget to welcome Master home today?
“Awoo—”
MuMu cried out dramatically, raising its arms, spinning around, and splashing water playfully.
After a few spins, it gave Wen Ming a smile: “Hee hee.” Is that enough?
Wen Ming raised an eyelid lazily and looked at it: “Continue.”
“…Hmph.” Childish Master.
Wen Ming stopped teasing it and retrieved the fish food from the cabinet.
He observed MuMu’s expression from the corner of his eye, his hand brushing over the row of fish food bags. When it passed a certain bag, the tip of MuMu’s ear twitched happily.
Wen Ming selected that one: “Want this flavor?”
The little mermaid had already held the mermaid bowl out to him…
Dai Rong, standing at the door, was dumbfounded.
This expression was quite out of character for her, but she couldn’t help it.
“Feeding a mermaid involves two steps: pouring the fish food into the mermaid bowl and placing the bowl by the pool.”
Dai Rong stared blankly at the scene before her: “So what are they doing…”
Had she been cooped up in the lab for so long that human-mermaid interactions had evolved to this point?
