Chapter 95
Having lived with Shen Baizhou for several years, Shen Yan knew exactly what kind of trouble that brainless octopus could cause.
He was always up to something, like that time he tricked Xing Nuo into wearing a duck costume, which had resulted in a very grumpy little cub.
He “accidentally” hit Shen Baizhou on the head with a ladle, a fake smile on his face.
“Oops, my hand slipped.”
Shen Baizhou, a red mark appearing on his forehead, crossed his arms and glared at Shen Yan.
“Are you picking on me?”
Shen Yan chuckled coldly, taking off his apron.
“You’re just realizing that now? I thought I was being quite obvious.”
Xing Nuo, still pondering the existence of mermaids, quickly intervened, his voice soft and sweet.
“Big Brother not on purpose. He tired from cooking.”
He then turned to Shen Yan, patting his hand.
“No angry. Teacher said…good children…always polite.”
Whenever Shen Wen wasn’t around, Xing Nuo had to act as a mediator between his two older brothers.
Shen Baizhou, for Xing Nuo’s sake, just snorted and didn’t say anything.
“Come on, Xing Nuo, let’s go. We’re not eating with this black garbage bag.”
Shen Yan, whose true form was a mass of darkness, was, in Shen Baizhou’s eyes, a useless garbage bag.
Xing Nuo, picked up by Shen Baizhou, his face serious, corrected his brother.
“Not! Big Brother not black…not garbage. And even if bag…vewy useful good bag.”
Shen Baizhou chuckled, carrying Xing Nuo to the balcony, and said, “Fine. Let him be a good garbage bag then.”
He pinched Xing Nuo’s cheek playfully, watered the plants on the balcony, and, with a swift, destructive hand, plucked several blooming lilies.
Xing Nuo, like a little adult, put down the small watering can and stopped his brother.
“No pick! Daddy said…flowers need gwow.”
Shen Baizhou stopped, looking at the trembling flowers with a bored expression.
“Fine. Here, Xing Nuo, Big Brother give you something nice.”
He glanced back at Shen Yan, making sure he wasn’t listening, then crouched down and discreetly slipped a small, round pearl into Xing Nuo’s hand.
“Shh! Don’t let Shen Yan see. He’ll steal it.”
Xing Nuo was about to say that Big Brother wouldn’t steal from him, but Shen Baizhou covered his mouth, and he could only nod.
Shen Baizhou tucked the pearl into Xing Nuo’s pocket and casually returned to the living room.
Xing Nuo, feeling like he had done something wrong, his hands and feet stiff, also sat back down on the sofa.
He kept touching the pearl in his pocket.
Shen Baizhou went to school in the afternoon, and Xing Nuo, after washing up, was put down for a nap by Shen Yan.
When he woke up and went to the small garden downstairs to play in the sandbox, he had completely forgotten about the pearl.
Another little boy from a different kindergarten class, seeing Xing Nuo building a sandcastle, dug a large pile of sand with his small shovel.
“Xing Nuo, look! Sand for you! Enough?”
The little boy liked Xing Nuo, who was sweet and well-behaved, unlike the other messy and noisy children.
He considered himself the leader and naturally took Xing Nuo under his wing.
Xing Nuo, his face slightly dusty from the sand, looked at the pile of sand and nodded.
“Enough. I build big castle. Zihao, you want help?”
The little boy beamed, revealing his big, white teeth, and joined Xing Nuo.
“Okay! I carry sand…you build!”
His mother, watching him, his eagerness almost palpable, thought his tail was wagging like a propeller.
She glanced at Shen Yan, who was taking pictures and videos of Xing Nuo, and couldn’t help but be impressed.
This older brother is quite handsome too. What good genes their family has.
Having seen Shen Yan several times, she felt comfortable enough to approach him and strike up a conversation.
“Xing Nuo’s brother, I heard you’re still single?”
Shen Yan, saving the pictures on his phone, hummed indifferently.
The boy’s mother, sensing an opportunity, launched into her matchmaking spiel.
“My cousin’s daughter just graduated from graduate school. She’s a lovely young woman! And her family is well-off. Would you be interested in meeting her?”
Shen Yan, uninterested, his voice cold, refused.
“No.”
He didn’t like humans.
The boy’s mother, persistent, continued. It was rare to find a young man like Shen Yan, successful, with his own company, and so patient and attentive to his little brother.
“I see you’re very good with children. When you get married, you can have your own. You won’t have to spend all your time with your brother. Your own child will be different.”
Shen Yan frowned, his expression cold, and glared at her.
“I don’t like children. Understand?”
Although he acknowledged humans’ resilience and strength, they weren’t his kind, and his wariness outweighed his admiration.
Xing Nuo was the only exception.
And, “I won’t have my own children. I only have one little brother.”
He didn’t want to pass on his bloodline, creating some kind of monstrous abomination. He would just kill it.
The boy’s mother, her face flushing at his blunt rejection, walked away, muttering:
“What a strange man. What’s so great about having a little brother?”
Shen Yan ignored her and, seeing that Xing Nuo had almost finished his sandcastle, called him over, suppressing his annoyance.
“Xing Nuo, time to go home for dinner.”
The orange glow of the setting sun was fading, the air turning cool.
Xing Nuo, having finished his sandcastle, hummed and ran over, tilting his head up so his brother could wipe his face.
Shen Yan cleaned his dirty face and hands with a wet wipe and led him home.
The little boy, who had been helping Xing Nuo carry sand, looked up, seeing him leave, and ran after him.
“Xing Nuo! It’s the weekend tomorrow! Are you coming to play? We can build another sandcastle!”
His mother, exasperated, grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away.
The little boy’s cries of “I want to play with Xing Nuo!” faded in the distance.
Xing Nuo scratched his cheek, glanced back, and then obediently followed his brother home.
After playing in the sandbox, Xing Nuo took a bath, smelling clean and fragrant, and went to bed.
The round pearl in his pocket fell out, rolling to his feet. He bent down and picked it up.
The clear, blue and white pearl, with streaks of gold, like captured sunlight, shimmered in his hand.
As he looked at it, a beautiful underwater scene appeared before his eyes.
Colorful fish swam around him, and a few green turtles paddled over, circling him curiously.
Xing Nuo, thinking he was dreaming, rubbed his eyes, and bubbles floated from his mouth.
“Blub, blub.”
The sound of the bubbles startled him, and he looked around, his head turning.
He suddenly realized he was actually underwater!
He could swim! He kicked his legs, trying to swim upwards.
But before he could even start his doggy paddle, he realized his legs had become a shimmering, golden fishtail!
His eyes widened in shock, and he touched the smooth, scaled tail, his fingers tracing the golden patterns.
The tail moved like his legs, the beautiful, translucent fins swaying gently in the water.
“How I become fishy?”
He opened his mouth, realizing that not only had he become a merman, but he could also talk underwater!
He froze, stunned, unsure what to do.
A green turtle swam over and nudged his hand with its head.
Other fish also gathered around him, rubbing against his arms and tail.
Xing Nuo, surrounded by the colorful fish, pushed them away with his hands.
But merpeople were naturally attractive to fish, and the fish, mostly simple-minded creatures, not understanding his intentions, continued to circle him.
Although they weren’t very big, the sheer number of fish was intimidating.
Xing Nuo, not even having time to process his transformation, his heart pounding, swished his tail and swam upwards.
The fish followed him, swimming faster than he could with his unfamiliar tail.
Not used to his new appendage, he instinctively tried to kick his legs, his tail flailing, sending him tumbling downwards.
Fortunately, he was underwater, surrounded by water, so falling didn’t hurt.
Like the Little Mermaid taking her first steps on land, Xing Nuo clumsily swished his tail, trying to get used to the water and his new form.
He pushed the fish away with his hands, but they kept coming back, nuzzling him affectionately.
Xing Nuo, exhausted, gave up and floated there, trying to understand what was happening.
