Hi Master, Little Mermaid Will Support You! 29

Chapter 29

“Awoo?” What’s wrong with your mental seascape?

MuMu focused its mind and entered Wen Ming’s mental seascape pathways.

The break in the trunk looked like it had been struck by an axe, even more frightening than before.

Energy surged outwards, and MuMu tried to block it, but was pushed back by the sheer number of particles…

“MuMu.”

Wen Ming gently shook the little mermaid, waking it: “No need to soothe.”

MuMu gestured frantically: “Boo, boo!”

The break has become this—big, what should we do!?

Wen Ming calmly applied the ice pack to MuMu’s waist, as if it wasn’t his mental seascape that was in trouble:

“Your body is weak after the intolerance reaction, don’t soothe, wait until you’ve recovered.”

“…?” MuMu swatted the ice pack away, sat up, and looked at Wen Ming.

“Awoo.” I’ll only be weak for a while, but you’re facing a life-or-death situation!

Wen Ming was silent for a few seconds, then looked away, picking up the ice pack from the floor: “That’s enough ice for today, tomorrow we’ll…”

Before he could finish, MuMu hugged him and started another round of soothing.

Soothing consumed a lot of a mermaid’s energy. MuMu’s forehead was quickly covered in a fine layer of sweat, its cheeks flushed unnaturally.

Wen Ming gently touched its face with the hand that was holding the ice pack.

“Mmm!”

MuMu shivered from the cold, its soothing interrupted, and it glared at him angrily.

“I’ll increase the dosage of the soothing agent.” Wen Ming carried it back to the mermaid pool.

MuMu protested, grumbling and clinging to him.

Wen Ming: “The soothing agent is more effective.”

Instantly, the mermaid closed its mouth.

“Good night.”

The little mermaid, as if it hadn’t heard him, lowered its head and picked at the pool wall.

“MuMu… MuMu.”

Wen Ming stubbornly repeated its name until MuMu looked up, and he said “good night” again.

“Awoo.” Good night.

The little mermaid’s clear eyes reflected Wen Ming’s image, its world revolving around him.

Wen Ming’s heart stirred, and he reached out to touch its head.

MuMu lifted its head expectantly, closing its eyes, waiting to be petted.

But his hand didn’t land…

MuMu peeked, urging him: “Woo.” Pet me!

The energy particles around Wen Ming became agitated again.

“?” MuMu straightened its body and nudged his hand with its head.

Wen Ming retracted his hand, gave it a brief, hesitant hug, and left the mermaid room…

MuMu: ???

There’s something wrong with Master, and it’s not just his mental seascape!

Humans are so difficult to understand…

MuMu curled up at the bottom of the pool, sighing in exhaustion and dejection.

‘The soothing agent is more effective.’

Wen Ming’s words had stung a little, but it knew they were true.

MuMu was used to being judged for its “extremely weak soothing ability,” and it had never really cared, but now it wondered:

Are all Jiao Ren’s soothing abilities weak?

MuMu rubbed the bruise on its waist: “Whoo!” It hurts here, and my heart hurts too.

Its heartache only lasted one night.

The next morning, Wen Ming had someone install soft padding around the edge of the mermaid pool.

“I rarely get this kind of job.

Unless it’s for a particularly strange and stubborn mermaid that keeps bumping its head against the pool wall, no mermaid owner installs padding.”

The worker was talkative, chattering away at Wen Ming: “Does this mermaid have similar quirks?”

“Mmm.” No.

“Really? Then why install…”

The worker paused, glanced at the mermaid floating on the surface, then looked back at Wen Ming:

“Was that you just now?”

Wen Ming nodded helplessly.

MuMu snickered underwater.

The talkative worker continued: “Why switch to padded walls? Waterproof materials are much easier to maintain.”

“Awoo!”

The mermaid leaped out of the water, deliberately showing its bruised skin.

The worker instantly understood: “Oh, oh, the mermaid bumped itself, so you’re renovating the pool to prevent further injuries!”

MuMu secretly preened, the tip of its tail sticking out of the water and slapping the surface as if applauding the guess.

A strange light flickered in the worker’s eyes:

Bumped itself!

“So you specifically requested seashell-patterned padding because the mermaid likes it.”

Even though Wen Ming hadn’t said a word, the worker spoke with certainty.

MuMu mentally moved the worker from the “stranger” category to “close friend.”

It happily swam to the edge of the pool, tracing the seashell pattern with its fingers.

The worker took it as a new conversation starter: “Mermaids really are unintelligent, it must think the pattern is real seashells, look, it’s trying to pry them off!”

“…” MuMu stopped, its face falling.

The worker became even more animated: “Oh, it can’t pry them off, it’s angry!”

“Growl!” What’s your job? Professional chatterbox?

MuMu moved the worker from “close friend” to “acquaintance.”

The worker’s gaze was glued to the mermaid’s tail: “You’re such a dedicated owner, its tail is so smooth and shiny, so beautiful…”

Wen Ming suddenly spoke: “Are you finished?”

The worker’s attention snapped back: “Ah, yes, it’s installed. Contact me anytime if you have any maintenance issues.”

Wen Ming opened his optical brain’s payment interface: “How much?”

“No need to pay, no need to pay!” The worker waved his hands repeatedly. “I know your situation.”

MuMu: O^O

Everyone knows how poor we are.

The worker, worried that Wen Ming would insist on paying, quickly left.

“Ahem, I know Wen Corporation is yours.”

The worker paused at the door, looking at Wen Ming, who had followed him out, and scratched his head sheepishly:

“You’ve given me so much business, so many company projects, I have to thank you for this small favor!”

“The company continues to work with you because you’re diligent and responsible.”

Wen Ming transferred the payment: “Thank you for your hard work.”

…

Back in the mermaid room, MuMu was mumbling something, whimpering softly.

Wen Ming watched it counting on its fingers like a child learning arithmetic and chuckled:

“What are you calculating?”

“Awoo.” Calculating how many star coins it costs to raise me.

MuMu’s face was drawn with worry: “Woo.” This already struggling family has so many extra expenses because of me.

It quickly swam to the edge of the pool, trying to be optimistic:

“Awoo, awoo!” But I’m still somewhat useful, I paid this month’s property fees!

After spending so much time with the little mermaid, even without understanding its language, Wen Ming could infer some information from its actions, expressions, and tone.

For example, now, MuMu was as close to Wen Ming as possible, its chin resting on the soft padding, its eyes sparkling with anticipation:

“Woo?” Aren’t I great?

Praise me, and pet me please.gif

Wen Ming responded to its expectations, placing his hand on its wet head.

‘It loves it when I stroke its hair when it’s acting spoiled… you must have seen that expression, so adorable and content.’

As MuMu’s eyes crinkled into crescents, Wen Ming’s hand froze.

“Awoo?” Why did you stop?

Wen Ming’s hand moved from the top of MuMu’s head to the tip of its ear.

MuMu felt a pang of disappointment.

It had thought they had developed a silent understanding: Head pats for praise, ear rubs for reassurance.

Master hadn’t given it a proper head pat in a while!

MuMu grabbed Wen Ming’s hand, trying to place it on its head.

But it noticed the injection marks on the back of his hand.

MuMu paused, sensing the surrounding energy. Sure enough, Wen Ming had suppressed it all.

The soothing agent really was more effective than its soothing…

MuMu’s mouth turned downwards, and it released Wen Ming’s hand.

Wen Ming turned and picked up the mermaid bowl, preparing its meal.

MuMu watched him leave the mermaid room, then gathered its own hair and stroked it.

A mermaid’s hair is special, able to stay submerged in water for long periods and dry quickly out of water.

MuMu’s hair was naturally curly and didn’t dry as quickly as other mermaids’.

It was still damp, and its hand was covered in water droplets.

“Boo?” Does Master think my hair feels unpleasant to touch?

A dark glint flashed in MuMu’s eyes…

“Beep beep!”

The home butler, on standby in the mermaid room, blared its alarm: “Alert: Mermaid exhibiting self-harming behavior!”

“Clang!”

The mermaid bowl slipped from Wen Ming’s hand.

Before it even hit the floor, Wen Ming was already running into the mermaid room.

“MuMu!”

MuMu rarely heard such panic in Wen Ming’s voice and looked up in surprise.

Its hair, usually long, now barely grazed its shoulders.

And the lower half of its hair was clutched in its hand, dripping sadly into the water…

The home butler stood by the pool, repeating the alert: “Mermaid exhibiting self-harming behavior, vital signs currently stable!”

Wen Ming approached, held MuMu’s hand that was clutching its hair, and asked with difficulty:

“Why did you cut your hair?”

MuMu simply “awooed”: Because it was in the way.

In MuMu’s memory, when it was young and living in the ocean as a Jiao Ren, all the adult Jiao Ren had short hair.

Long hair could hinder hunting and fighting, and since they didn’t know how to care for it, they kept it short.

But the mermaids here all had long hair.

“Awoo, awoo.” Don’t listen to Little Butler’s nonsense, what “self-harm”? Hair doesn’t hurt!

MuMu was about to demonstrate, gathering another handful of hair.

Wen Ming grabbed its wrist, his expression complex: “Because you don’t like your hair?”

MuMu blinked and shook its head.

“You thought I didn’t like it?” Wen Ming unconsciously tightened his grip.

“Ouch!” MuMu cried out in pain, struggling.

Wen Ming loosened his grip but didn’t let go: “I’m sorry.”

“Boo, boo.” It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Wen Ming sat on the padded wall and lifted MuMu into his lap.

MuMu, caught off guard, landed against him and quickly grabbed the small blanket, seeing that his clothes were getting wet.

“It’s okay.”

Wen Ming took the blanket and wrapped MuMu’s upper body in it to keep it warm.

“MuMu, don’t worry about getting me wet.” Wen Ming stroked its short hair. “And don’t overthink it just because I didn’t pet your head.”

MuMu felt the warmth of his hand on its head and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Such beautiful hair, how could I not like it?”

“Awoo…” So you do like it, I would have kept it if I had known.

MuMu sighed regretfully.

“I like your short hair too.” Wen Ming soothed. “Just be the little mermaid you want to be.”

MuMu purred contentedly like a cat being petted.

“I don’t know what your previous owner expected of you, but now you don’t have to please anyone.”

MuMu unconsciously touched its ear, where the “Number 55” tag had once been.

Wen Ming noticed its small gesture and also stroked its ear, murmuring softly:

“I was wrong to worry that petting your head would remind you of him.”

MuMu: ?

Wen Ming’s voice was husky: “I should erase those memories completely.”