The Little Mermaid Fell for the Jiaoren 108

Chapter 108: Side Story 5: Birthday

“Birthday? Is it Bunny’s birthday today?” Deng Xi tilted his head and asked curiously, “What’s a birthday?”

Bunny also seemed to be stumped. He thought for a moment. “My dad said that it’s when I came out of my mom’s stomach.”

Deng Xi understood. It meant a shell-hatching day.

He already knew that human babies and merman cubs were born in different ways.

But Deng Xi had already forgotten which day his shell-hatching day was. It had been too, too long. He had been living alone in the ocean, and no one had helped him remember. Slowly, even the little merman, who was not good at remembering things, had forgotten.

He only vaguely remembered that he was supposed to eat a cake on his shell-hatching day.

Mmm, Deng Xi thought for a moment. He still couldn’t remember if he was supposed to eat a seaweed clump cake or a fishie cake on his shell-hatching day. In his memory, he seemed to have always eaten a clump cake.

But the cakes in the human world were much more delicious than the clumps.

Deng Xi thought of the small bite of strawberry cake that he had finally managed to get the little mute to give him yesterday, and he couldn’t help but purse his lips. “Then will Bunny have a cake to eat?”

Bunny nodded his head. “My mom said she’ll buy one for me!” He looked very expectant. “My mom also said that I can take it over and eat it with Xiaoye.”

Deng Xi was also very expectant. “Can I eat it?”

Bunny nodded his head, and his white fur swayed. “Can I invite big brother to my birthday party?”

Birthday party?

What was that?

Deng Xi could now walk independently and skillfully without holding onto the wall. He was led by Bunny to the shelter at the treatment center.

The gene-suppressing drug had already been popularized. The aliens on the imperial star were the first to enjoy the high-efficiency policy. The alien cubs in the shelter now looked like normal human children.

The hall, which was usually used for classes and reading, had been beautifully decorated by the cubs. Balloons of various sizes, which had been blown up, were flying in the air, colorful. A crookedly hung colored sign said “Happy Birthday,” and there were also piles of small gifts—all of which were small snacks and candies that the cubs had been given by the nurse sisters on a daily basis.

Only Deng Xi, who was attending a birthday party for the first time, had not brought a gift. He stood there, at a loss. Then he was run over to by Bunny, who led him by the hand into the crowd. “Big brother, come and eat the cake.”

Dr. Li had already prepared the cake in advance.

Deng Xi said in a small voice, “I’m sorry, Bunny. I didn’t know I had to prepare a gift.” He touched the pocket of his hoodie and took out a lollipop that he had secretly taken from home behind the little mute’s back. His blue eyes curved. “This is a candy that I really like to eat. Happy birthday! Bunny.”

Bunny took the lollipop. “Thank you, big brother.”

The little merman was surrounded by the alien cubs. He watched as Xiaoye and the others, with a great sense of ritual, pulled the curtains, closed the door, and turned off the lights. They closed their eyes and made a wish to the cake with lit candles, and then began to sing the birthday song with great enthusiasm.

It was extremely lively.

Deng Xi was given a large piece of cake by Bunny. He did not finish it all. He scraped a little of the sweet cream and held it in his mouth, his eyelids curving. Then he placed the remaining cake in a small corner where it would not be easily touched by the noisy cubs.

By the time Dr. Li had come looking for him, the cubs in the shelter had already started smearing cream on each other’s faces. At this time, Deng Xi was carefully hiding in a corner, watching the cubs play with a curious gaze.

The cream was delicious, but it would be sticky if it got on his body.

The little merman chose to watch from a distance.

When the door opened, the golden-haired youth, who was holding his portion of the cake, slightly raised his blue eyes and, at a glance, saw a black and gold corner of clothing by the door.

His eyes instantly lit up.

Si Jisheng was still not used to appearing in front of the alien cubs. He had come to pick up the little merman who had had enough fun.

“Little Mute!” Deng Xi, who had run over, called out happily, “Are you done with your work?”

Si Jisheng replied with a short sound.

The little merman chattered, “Today is Bunny’s birthday! I was invited to the party. Little Mute, look! This is the cake I got.” He held up the portion of the cake in his hand, and a shallow dimple appeared at the corner of his upturned lips. “I only ate a little bit. The rest is for Little Mute.”

He didn’t notice at all that the man’s gaze was lingering on the corner of his lips. His voice was deep. “Don’t move.”

Deng Xi tilted his head in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Dr. Li had thoughtfully closed the door to the shelter. Now, outside the corridor, there were only the two of them.

The man, without any warning, bent down and placed a gentle kiss on the corner of the youth’s lips. With a slight purse of his lips, he tasted the sweetness of the cream on his taste buds.

Deng Xi belatedly realized that there was cream on his mouth. His blue eyes continued to curve slightly. “Is there any more?”

They had kissed so many times that the little merman would not be so easily shy anymore.

Si Jisheng: “No more.”

Deng Xi: “Then Little Mute, eat the cake with me!”

This piece of cake, after Deng Xi had eaten a little bit at a time, did not have much left. The two of them shared it, and it was finished in a few bites.

The little merman, who had been forbidden from eating sweets for a long time, wished he could scrape all the cream off the paper plate.

Si Jisheng threw away the used paper plate and fork, then went to pinch Deng Xi’s cheek, his palm resting on his chin, and lifted it. “Does it not hurt anymore?”

The little merman, who had just endured the pain, would very righteously demand that the silver Jiaoren do this and that. The moment Si Jisheng said no, he would pitifully lie on the bed and weakly curl up in the quilt.

He had no way of dealing with Deng Xi.

After a few times, the disadvantages became obvious.

The consequence of letting Deng Xi eat too many sweets was that the little merman’s teeth began to ache. A single candy would cause a small, sour pain for a while.

Fortunately, after a check-up in the treatment pod, it was not serious, but it was obvious that quitting sugar was a must.

Deng Xi obediently raised his head and opened his mouth, letting the little mute look inside. He dragged out the last syllable, stickily. “I haven’t eaten for so many, so many days.”

Si Jisheng replied with a sound. “Mmm, then why was there one less candy in the snack cabinet this morning?”

Deng Xi’s eyes were dazed, and he closed his mouth guiltily.

Si Jisheng asked in return, “Mmm?”

Deng Xi stammered and confessed everything. “I didn’t eat it. I gave it to Bunny as a birthday present.”

Si Jisheng reminded, “You also ate yesterday.”

He had only eaten a small piece. Deng Xi hummed in his heart.

The youth took two steps forward, buried himself in the man’s arms, and hugged his neck, refusing to make a sound.

He was always like this. The moment he did something wrong, he would start to be a rascal.

Si Jisheng also did not make a sound.

But the little merman had other ways.

“Hug.” Deng Xi rubbed against the silver Jiaoren’s slightly cold cheek. “Little Mute, hug.”

Si Jisheng’s thin lips were tightly pressed together, unmoved.

So Deng Xi stood on his tiptoes again and placed a small stamp on the corner of the little mute’s lips, and kissed him.

Si Jisheng resignedly picked him up.

Deng Xi knew that this matter was over. He lay on the little mute’s shoulder and suddenly asked, “When is Little Mute’s birthday?”

Si Jisheng spat out two cold words, “I forgot.”

On the war-torn E Star, no one would remember such a boring festival.

Deng Xi lowered his eyelids with some regret, but soon, he comforted him in a small voice, “I forgot too.” His blue eyes curved slightly. “I’ll accompany Little Mute.”

Si Jisheng’s steps paused slightly. He had never paid much attention to these festivals. It was only at this moment that he realized that he seemed to have never asked Deng Xi about this.

“Why did you forget?”

“I just forgot. I was still so young at that time. There were no cakes in the ocean. I could only go and pick seaweed to make clumps and stack them together.”

Deng Xi recalled for a moment. “But that seaweed clump cake was so tiring to make, and I couldn’t finish it. It was so big, and it would taste bad if I ate too much.” He did not look sad. On the contrary, he whispered in the little mute’s ear and complained, “It was so troublesome, so I didn’t want to celebrate it.”

“Is Little Mute also like this?”

“I forgot.”

Si Jisheng stopped and said abruptly, “It’s not troublesome.” His slightly lowered silver eyes met his dazed blue eyes. “You can have another piece of cake today.”

Deng Xi’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

By the time they got home, the pre-ordered cake had already been brought to the living room table by the mechanical butler. It was a very, very large cake, even bigger than Bunny’s birthday cake today.

The color scheme was very beautiful, the type that the little merman would like.

Si Jisheng taught him how to use the provided knife to cut the cake, and evenly divided it into six equal portions. When one of the small pieces of cake was placed in front of Deng Xi, the lights in the living room suddenly went dark without any warning.

The entire manor was plunged into darkness.

Before Deng Xi could react, in his dim line of sight, a low, magnetic male voice sounded by his ear. It was a little cold, but it was recited very slowly. “Happy birthday.”

Since he had forgotten, he might as well treat today as his birthday.

In the darkness, Si Jisheng waited for a small, soft reply. “Happy birthday to Little Mute too.”

His breathing, for some reason, suddenly hitched.

After a long while, the deep and cold male voice sounded again. “Come here.”

Deng Xi was extremely obedient. He extended his hands in the darkness and slowly fumbled his way over. Bit by bit, he moved closer. He first touched a face, then his eyebrows, and then the familiar thin lips. “Little Mute?”

His waist was hugged tightly in the next second.

It was too sudden. Deng Xi frantically moved back. His arm hit something, and the sticky and cold cake fell on him.

Because his clothes were lifted, his body was covered in cream.

Soon, a beast-like whimper sounded in the darkness. Deng Xi pushed the person in front of him. “Didn’t you say we were eating cake?”

Si Jisheng’s voice still had no fluctuation. “Mmm, we are.”

Only Deng Xi knew what a malicious thing he was doing. The little merman let out another small “sob,” and his tears wet his cheeks. He said with a sob, “Don’t eat anymore.”

“It hurts.”

“Sob… I can’t suck out the cream.”

“Bad.”

“I hate Little Mute.”

“What’s that?”

This time, he finally got a reply. “Strawberry.” He paused for a moment. “Do you want to eat it?”

Deng Xi nodded his head in a daze. The next second, his blue eyes instantly widened, and his hot body began to tremble.

How could he be like this?

So bad.

Too much… how could there still be…

So mean.

Deng Xi was repeating the little mute’s bad words in his heart, but in reality, the weak little merman could only cling to the silver Jiaoren’s body and lie on the man’s shoulder and neck.

He was shedding tears with a “patter.” Any more outrageous actions would only be met with the little merman hugging the silver Jiaoren even more tightly.

Because the “abuser” in front of him was also his only protector.