Hi Master, Little Mermaid Will Support You! 42

Chapter 42

Valentine’s Day, considered the most romantic day in the interstellar world.

According to star records, it was on this day, thousands of years ago, that the twin blue moons deviated from their orbits and began to approach each other.

The day of their strongest gravitational pull was named “Valentine’s Day,” and a saying was passed down—

Soulmates are destined to find love on this day.

Wen Corporation.

As Wen Ming walked through the office area, he was met with several resentful glances.

“Assistant Xu,” he called him into his office. “Are there any complaints about the recent workload?”

Assistant Xu shook his head: “They probably want the day off.”

Wen Ming checked the star calendar: “It’s not an official holiday.”

“…Indeed,” Assistant Xu sighed inwardly, a typical Admiral Wen statement.

“Some employees have dates with their partners, some are planning to propose, and some are hoping for a fateful encounter on the streets.

They say Valentine’s Day is magical, you can even fall in love with a fish in the water, haha…”

Assistant Xu’s laughter became strained, and he awkwardly adjusted his glasses.

Wasn’t it funny?

Only the sound of Wen Ming flipping through documents filled the office, and Assistant Xu returned to the topic of work:

“Admiral, I’ve sent the departments’ progress reports to your optical brain…”

“Just the completion status will suffice.”

Assistant Xu was stunned: “What status?”

“Departments that have completed their work can leave early.” Wen Ming explained. “Today’s clock-out time won’t be recorded for attendance.”

He looked at the motionless Assistant Xu: “Do I need to repeat myself?”

“No, no!” Assistant Xu’s face lit up. “I’ll send the announcement right away.”

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed the announcement, eager to share the good news in the department heads’ group chat.

‘Colleagues! Although the Admiral isn’t interested in love, he’s graciously granted us flexible working hours, today only, so let’s boost our efficiency!’

“Assistant Xu.”

Wen Ming’s sudden voice startled Assistant Xu, and the message, meant for the department heads, was accidentally sent to Wen Ming’s optical brain…

As Wen Ming opened his optical brain to read the message, Assistant Xu closed his eyes in despair.

How could he make such a blunder?

“You sent it to the wrong person.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll resend it.” Assistant Xu breathed a sigh of relief. “Did you call me just now, Admiral?”

Wen Ming’s tone changed subtly: “Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?”

Was the Admiral testing his dedication to work?

Assistant Xu carefully replied: “I have a date, but that’s after work.”

“You have a partner?”

“Yes…” Assistant Xu suddenly found Wen Ming’s tone strangely familiar.

Like when Wen Ming asked about mermaid care, a clumsy, hesitant tone.

Assistant Xu reconsidered his announcement, the phrase “the Admiral isn’t interested in love” might need revising…

“Do you have someone you like, Admiral?”

“I can’t possibly like him… at least not that kind of like.”

As he said this, Wen Ming’s expression was far more animated than when he had heard the words “Valentine’s Day.”

Assistant Xu instantly understood: The Admiral was clueless!

“Are you sure you don’t like him? How about this, I’ll ask you a few questions to determine if you have feelings for him, and you can assess your own situation.”

“Okay.”

Assistant Xu cleared his throat: “First, do you unconsciously favor him?”

Among a group of mermaids, his gaze was always drawn to MuMu, finding it the most beautiful, no, the most beautiful little mermaid in the entire interstellar world.

Wen Ming fiddled with his pen, hesitating: Does that count?

“Second, are your protective instincts towards him growing stronger?”

Wen Ming imagined someone trying to harm MuMu, and the energy particles in his mental seascape clamored to tear that imaginary person apart…

Double kill!

“Third, have you experienced uncontrollable possessiveness towards him?”

Overwriting every trace of Professor Yin in MuMu’s memories…

Triple kill!

“Admiral, if you squeeze any harder, that pen will break!”

Assistant Xu wiped away the sweat on his brow: “So, three questions, two affirmative answers indicate romantic feelings.”

Wen Ming leaned back in his chair: “What if it’s all three?”

“…Just admit it, you’ve fallen hard.” Assistant Xu said with certainty. “My advice is to confess today, the success rate of confessions is higher on Valentine’s Day.”

It wasn’t that Assistant Xu was eager to push him, but of all the people he knew, Wen Ming was the most decisive.

During his student days, Assistant Xu had often read news articles praising Wen Ming:

“Admiral Wen, the strongest mental seascape in centuries, the most formidable wall of interstellar humanity.”

“A master of both strategy and combat, Admiral Wen’s decisive tactics led to victory against a larger Zerg force, repelling their invasion.”

When Wen Ming had retired from the battlefield, everyone thought he would fade away, focusing on healing his mental seascape. Then he had abruptly changed careers, his new brand rising meteorically.

Assistant Xu still remembered the first time he had seen Wen Ming during his interview at the newly established Wen Corporation—

Calm but sharp, with an aura of unwavering decisiveness.

No news article could capture the awe he had felt.

In Assistant Xu’s eyes, someone as decisive as Wen Ming wouldn’t hesitate over a confession.

Unless… he had fallen for someone he shouldn’t have?

Assistant Xu looked at Wen Ming’s troubled expression: “Is it someone of the same sex?”

He understood from Wen Ming’s silence: It was more than just someone of the same sex.

“If it’s a minor, absolutely not!” Assistant Xu said gravely. “Relationships with minors are against interstellar law…”

“No,” Wen Ming interrupted.

He opened the topmost document: “Bring me the design samples for the new product packaging.”

Assistant Xu immediately returned to work mode: “Understood.”

Once alone in the office, Wen Ming opened his optical brain…

A strange anonymous post appeared on the StarNet forum.

OP: What should I do if I’m in love with my mermaid?

1st Reply: It’s rare to see a pet post on Valentine’s Day, it’s all lovey-dovey couples and singles looking for dates.

2nd Reply: It’s normal to love your mermaid, OP’s mermaid must be very well-behaved.

3rd Reply: Try having a destructive mermaid, OP, imagine coming home to a house trashed by your mermaid, how would you feel?

4th Reply (OP): Adorable.

5th Reply: Uh, what if your mermaid is disobedient, eats random things, and costs you a fortune in medical bills, would you be angry?

6th Reply (OP): No, I’d be worried.

7th Reply: Dude…

8th Reply: You guys aren’t being harsh enough, what if the mermaid bares its teeth at your neck, threatening you to give it full access to your house, would OP still be so tolerant?

9th Reply: I’m dying of laughter, is the person above filming a sci-fi movie?

10th Reply (OP): Already gave it full access.

The following replies were filled with question marks.

37th Reply: Full access to a mermaid? Does OP even treat it like a mermaid?

38th Reply: Wait, I have a bold theory, could OP’s “love for his mermaid” be the Valentine’s Day kind of love?

39th Reply: Absurd! OP and the person above should exchange contact information and seek therapy together.

40th Reply: Is OP lonely in real life?

41st Reply: You’re the mermaid’s owner, it’s normal to love it as a pet. If you feel something beyond that, it’s just an illusion.

42nd Reply: Mermaids are different from humans, they only care about water and food, and procreation during mating season. I don’t think they have emotions.

…

“Admiral?”

Wen Ming snapped out of his thoughts, noticing he had unconsciously written on the document:

‘Mermaids are different from humans.’

He frowned, covering the words with his hand, and asked: “What is it?”

Assistant Xu reported on the departments’ progress: “I’ve checked them all, no problems.”

The prospect of leaving early had unleashed everyone’s potential, and all departments had finished ahead of schedule by the afternoon.

Wen Ming nodded: “You can all leave.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Admiral!” Assistant Xu left the office with a cheerful expression.

When the office quieted down, Wen Ming removed his hand, staring at the words he had written and murmuring softly:

“Mermaids are different from humans…”

In the empty Wen Corporation building, he repeated the phrase, as if speaking to someone.

“Ding!”

A notification popped up on Wen Ming’s optical brain: “The channel ‘Mermaid Language Simultaneous Interpretation,’ which you follow, has started a livestream.”

Wen Ming clicked on the notification.

The chat was flooded with [Happy Valentine’s Day], and the masked streamer was just as much of an oddball as Wen Ming:

“Valentine’s Day?”

[Seriously, streamer, did you just emerge from a secluded mountain retreat? How can you not know about Valentine’s Day?]

Master never mentioned it…

The masked streamer asked nervously: “Is it an important holiday? Do workers get the day off?”

[Maybe, if you have a nice boss.]

The streamer breathed a sigh of relief: That’s good, Master’s stingy boss wouldn’t do that.

He began the livestream: “The connection method has been improved. I’ll be connecting with two viewers each livestream, one randomly selected from those who sent small gifts, and the top gifter on the leaderboard.”

[He changed it because he connected with Qi Xuan last time, right? He must have cheated.]

[That Mermaid Expert has been taken away by the Interstellar Anti-Fraud Bureau, and Qi Xuan has been fired by Qi Corporation. /Clapping/]

[The leaderboard competition is fierce, the big spenders are flexing.]

[The competition is too intense, I can only afford a flower. /Wen Corp bless/]

[Why Wen Corp bless? Shouldn’t you be forwarding koi fish for good luck?]

[It’s trendy to post the Wen Corp logo now, their competitors always self-destruct, Wen Corp is the god of luck in the interstellar world!]

“Now connecting with the randomly selected viewer, hello!”

“Hello, masked streamer.” The man said with surprise, “Wen Corp truly is a lucky charm…”

“?” The streamer pursed his lips shyly. “Could you repeat that? I didn’t understand.”

[Knowing that the savior of interstellar humanity is such an adorable little streamer, I’m… even more excited.]

[Don’t say things our precious streamer doesn’t understand! Kick him out! Connect with me!]

[Agreed! /Jealousy is consuming me/]

The man waved his hand: “It’s nothing important, let me show you my mermaid first.”

The camera focused on the mermaid pool, where a listless adult mermaid lay. Hearing the sound, it glanced at them, then closed its eyes again indifferently.

“It’s been like this for a while now, refusing to eat or drink.”

The man took out a snack, and the mermaid turned its head, cried out, and curled up into a ball.

“Just like that, it won’t even eat its favorite snacks anymore. I took it for a checkup, the doctor said it’s not sick, could it be a psychological problem?”

“That’s what it thinks about you too.”

“Huh?”

The masked streamer’s tone was complex: “It’s questioning your mental state, asking why you separated it from its precious Little Green.”

“Little Green?” The man scratched his head, trying to remember. “When I took it to the Mermaid Center, there was a green mermaid named Emerald…”

The masked streamer clapped his hands: “That’s it, your mermaid likes Emerald!”

[A lovesick mermaid wasting away! Quickly contact Emerald’s owner and let them reunite.]

[Valentine’s Day mood is in full swing, even the mermaid language livestream is talking about love, haha.]

The Comment Assistant read a gossipy comment: [Streamer, streamer, do you have someone you like?]

“Yes!”

The masked streamer lifted his chin slightly, as if hinting that the person he liked was the best and most perfect in the entire interstellar world.

[I can’t imagine how heartwarming it would be to hear the streamer confess with that lovely voice. /Covering face and smiling/]

“Confession…” the streamer’s pronunciation became unclear.

But how can a mermaid confess?

MuMu had translated for so many mermaids, would there be someone who could translate for it one day?

Just one sentence would be enough:

‘When you kiss my forehead every night, the gurgling sound I make means I like you.’