Chapter 3: Legs
The sunset was a painter’s casual smear across the sky. Orange-red and deep blue intertwined, forming a brilliant and magnificent oil painting.
Inside the house.
The warm glow of the sunset streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, adorning the cool-toned space with a touch of warmth.
Fei Zhiyan stood outside the kitchen downstairs, waiting quietly with his eyes lowered.
The chef opened the can of formula, feeling a little puzzled. Why had Mr. Fei suddenly asked him to prepare baby formula? As far as he knew, there were no very young children in the house.
He thought for a moment before looking up to ask, “Sir, should I pour the milk into a baby bottle?”
Fei Zhiyan looked up, his brow furrowed. He pondered for a moment before saying, “Go ahead and pour it in.”
A two-year-old child… should be using a baby bottle, right?
Fei Zhiyan wasn’t sure. He had never bothered to raise a child himself, let alone pay attention to what they needed to eat or drink.
Holding the prepared bottle, Fei Zhiyan walked upstairs, still thinking to himself that raising a child was truly a hassle.
The moment the bedroom door was pushed open, Nuonuo, who was on the bed with the tip of his tail flicking, turned his little head.
“Baya—”
Nuonuo happily crawled towards Fei Zhiyan, but as soon as he reached out his hand, a baby bottle was thrust into it.
“Drink up,” Fei Zhiyan said, crossing his long legs as he sat on the sofa.
“Ya?”
Nuonuo, who had never drunk milk before, held the bottle and tilted his head in confusion.
During his two years in the transport pod, to maintain the necessary energy and nutrients for his body, the System had fed him nutrient solutions directly. Although they were tasteless, one dose could last for a month or two, making them perfect for long-distance travel. Even so, the System, fearing Nuonuo wasn’t getting enough nutrition, would always secretly give him extra.
Although he’d never seen a baby bottle, drinking milk was an instinctive act. Nuonuo quickly figured it out without being taught, holding the bottle and taking a small sip.
The moment the sweet, fragrant milk entered his mouth, bing! Nuonuo’s little eyes flew wide open. His wide, round eyes seemed to be in disbelief that something so delicious could exist in the world.
“Good, ya—”
Coming back to his senses, Nuonuo held the bottle with both hands and shook it excitedly at his papa.
Fei Zhiyan watched Nuonuo’s delighted expression and let out a soft “tsk” with his arms crossed.
Just how miserable had his life been before, to be this happy over a single bottle of milk?
Nuonuo latched onto the nipple, his little cheeks puffing out as he sucked with all his might. In one go, he finished more than half the bottle.
In just a few blinks of an eye, not a single drop of milk was left.
Unable to get any more milk, Nuonuo lowered his head and shook the bottle several times.
“Pa, yaya…”
Nuonuo, who still couldn’t speak much, started babbling in his baby language again. Fearing his papa couldn’t understand, he even held the empty bottle high with both hands to show him.
Fei Zhiyan rubbed his forehead and had no choice but to go downstairs and make another bottle. If it weren’t for the fact that the child had a fishtail and couldn’t be taken out, Fei Zhiyan would have just thrown the little cub to the chef to deal with.
He went through too much formula.
After downing three whole bottles of milk, Nuonuo’s little belly was round and full. He let out a milk-scented burp and finally stopped eating.
The last sliver of light outside the window was swallowed by darkness, and the row of streetlights outside the villa lit up one by one.
After washing up, Fei Zhiyan saw Nuonuo rolling around on the bed, hugging his tail and giggling foolishly about something. He walked over, hoisted the boy up, and took him to another bedroom.
Nuonuo, still unaware that he was about to be sent away by his papa, was full of energy after eating and drinking his fill, happily wagging his fishtail.
“Pa—”
Fei Zhiyan carried the child to the room next door, pushed the door open, and placed him on the bed.
“Go to sleep.”
Although Nuonuo couldn’t speak well, he could understand many words. Knowing his papa wanted him to sleep, he, wanting to be a good baby, immediately lay down and closed his little eyes. However, his fishtail still twitched from time to time, betraying the fact that he wasn’t asleep yet.
Fei Zhiyan looked at the child’s obedient appearance, paused for a moment, but still turned and left.
Hearing the door close, Nuonuo felt something was not quite right and secretly opened his eyes.
The chandelier above cast a soft glow, but the room was empty.
Confusion filled Nuonuo’s eyes. He tried calling for his papa a couple of times: “Pa—”
Receiving no response, Nuonuo hugged his fishtail and pursed his lips, unease slowly creeping into his little eyes.
006, however, was quite happy. “Your papa is gone!”
Finally, a peaceful night’s sleep.
Although it didn’t understand why Fei Zhiyan hadn’t harmed Nuonuo, it was naturally for the best to stay as far away from a dangerous person like him as possible! By tomorrow morning, it would have gathered enough energy, and they could leave this place and go live in the sea!
Hearing 006’s words, Nuonuo’s eyes instantly filled with moisture.
“No, ya, Papa, wuu—”
Nuonuo had finally found his papa, he wanted to sleep with his papa.
He started to cry, crawling towards the door to find his papa.
A wall away.
Fei Zhiyan was on his phone, instructing Fei Han, who was on another continent, to thoroughly investigate the local biological laboratories, especially those involved in creating mermaids.
As the President of the Yunzhou Council, Fei Zhiyan’s methods were ruthless and unforgiving. He had made countless enemies, both openly and secretly. Furthermore, his recent annexation of the Jaran region in Daizhou had caused a global uproar. The President of the Baizhou Council had even publicly stated that he did not recognize Yunzhou’s claim over Jaran.
However, Fei Zhiyan had never paid any mind to that old man’s words. His expansion of territory had not slowed in the slightest; on the contrary, it had become even more rapid. Of the world’s four continents, half were now in Fei Zhiyan’s grasp.
Although his opponents’ assassination and ambush tactics were endless, to Fei Zhiyan, they were just a bunch of people lining up to die.
On the other end of the line, Fei Han was slightly taken aback by his father’s words but nodded in agreement. “I understand. Has Baizhou been up to something again?”
Fei Zhiyan thought of the soft little merman next door, and the coldness in his eyes dissipated slightly. “It’s nothing. They just sent me a little trinket. It’s quite interesting.”
Connecting this to the previous words, Fei Han didn’t even have to think to guess that the “little trinket” was likely a merman.
There’s actually a lab in this world that can create mermaids?
A hint of curiosity appeared in Fei Han’s usually indifferent eyes.
After briefly giving his instructions, Fei Zhiyan was about to hang up when he heard the sound of a child’s sobbing from nearby.
Fei Han, on the other end of the line, also heard the sound and couldn’t help but frown.
“That’s all for now. Focus on your experiments.”
Fei Zhiyan hung up and was about to head to bed. But hearing the increasingly pitiful cries from next door, he paused his steps and eventually walked out.
In the bedroom, Nuonuo, unable to stand because of his fishtail, couldn’t open the door. He could only sit in front of it, wiping his little tears and crying for his papa.
006 wanted to persuade Nuonuo, but for a child, parents are the closest people. 006 couldn’t bear to slander Fei Zhiyan in front of Nuonuo and could only fret in secret.
Just as Nuonuo was about to cry himself tired, the door slowly opened outwards.
Fei Zhiyan stood against the light, staring in silence at the child’s eyes, which were swollen like walnuts.
“What are you crying about? Why aren’t you sleeping properly?”
The moment Nuonuo saw his papa appear, he felt utterly wronged. He hurriedly lifted his little arms, wanting a hug.
Fei Zhiyan disliked being too close to people, especially physical contact, which made him feel uncomfortable and disgusted. He had already refused the child’s requests for a hug several times before.
But right now, the little merman’s eyes were filled with fear and panic, tears streaming out as if they might flood the bedroom. His once sparkling eyes were now covered by a gray haze of sadness, which made Fei Zhiyan feel somewhat irritated.
Outside the door, Fei Zhiyan stood in a standoff with Nuonuo, remaining silent for a long while. Just as 006 thought he was going to leave heartlessly, it was shocked to see Fei Zhiyan actually crouch down and lift Nuonuo into his arms.
006 felt that its visual module must be malfunctioning. It was so dazed for a moment that it nearly went offline.
Nuonuo pouted, his little bottom resting on Fei Zhiyan’s arm. His chest heaved with hiccuping breaths from crying so hard.
“Pa, no… no…”
After “no-ing” for a long time, Nuonuo took a deep breath and continued to babble on.
Fei Zhiyan, half-shrouded in shadow, listened quietly with his eyes lowered.
Having finally finished telling his papa everything, the color slowly returned to Nuonuo’s flushed little face. He gripped the front of Fei Zhiyan’s shirt tightly, as if afraid his papa would disappear again.
Hearing the child finally finish, Fei Zhiyan shifted his legs and carried the child back into his own room. “You should be sleeping.”
Seeing that his papa was going to put him back on the bed alone, Nuonuo struggled fiercely, letting out small whimpers as the tip of his nose turned red again.
“No, ya, Pa!”
Nuonuo’s grip had wrinkled Fei Zhiyan’s shirt. His short fishtail was curled up high, and he stubbornly refused to go onto the bed.
For the first time, Fei Zhiyan experienced how difficult a small child could be. He was like a little sticky bean bun, stuck to him, impossible to pull off.
Already exhausted from a long day, Fei Zhiyan felt his own mind growing tired. He glanced at the crumpled clothes in his arms and the little teary-eyed bean bun. He closed his eyes and finally let out a breath.
“Forget it. Let’s sleep.”
Giving in, Fei Zhiyan lay down with Nuonuo in his arms. He used his free hand to take off his glasses and leaned back on the pillow, rubbing his forehead.
The moment he was on the bed, Nuonuo snuggled deeper into Fei Zhiyan’s embrace, smearing snot and tears all over his papa’s shirt. His little eyes were still red, as if he had suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
After all that fuss, Nuonuo had little energy left. It wasn’t long before he fell into a deep sleep in his papa’s arms.
Fei Zhiyan lay on the pillow, thinking. The sound of Nuonuo’s light breathing and the faint, sweet scent of milk made him feel drowsy as well.
He looked down at Nuonuo’s angelic sleeping face and thought to himself, He’s so well-behaved when he’s asleep, why is he so noisy when he’s awake? He truly was a lab-created merman, not at all like the fierce, independent wild ones.
His consciousness gradually drifted. Fei Zhiyan, who had originally planned to leave after Nuonuo fell asleep, closed his eyes and drifted off as well.
The morning sun was bright and brilliant, casting a warm glow across the wooden floor of the bedroom.
Before Fei Zhiyan was fully awake, he heard a “papa” sound by his ear, accompanied by a series of giggles.
He frowned and, the moment he opened his eyes, was met with Nuonuo’s magnified face.
The little merman cub’s eyelashes were long and curled, as thick as a row of tiny brushes, casting a faint shadow on his lower eyelids. Nuonuo’s soft, fair little cheek was pressed tightly against Fei Zhiyan’s, making him feel an incredible itch, as if he were being tickled by a feather.
Fei Zhiyan couldn’t believe he had actually fallen asleep like that. His frown deepened as he raised a hand to push the little one away.
Seeing his papa was awake, Nuonuo’s little eyes lit up with joy. He eagerly lifted his little feet.
“‘Wegs, Pa!'”
Fei Zhiyan rubbed the bridge of his nose and followed the little one’s chubby finger…
His beautiful, sky-blue fishtail had, impossibly, turned into a pair of fair, tender legs.
