MASG chapter 182: Extra 22

◎ “I want one too.” Mo An competed with the little fish fry for affection without the slightest embarrassment. ◎

One big fish and one little fish were kneeling by the edge of the bed, their arms stretched straight upward. One was holding a cup of water, and the other was holding an alarm clock.

“When are you going to let us put our arms down?” In truth, they had only been holding the position for a few minutes, but Mo An had already begun acting pitiful according to the usual routine. “They’re so heavy. My arms are already sore.”

Xia Yu sat on a chair by the window, reviewing the footage of their spending at the bar. Fortunately, what Mo An had given A’Manqi was fruit juice.

Seeing that Xia Yu ignored him, Mo An quickly signaled to A’Manqi with his eyes. You can learn by analogy, right? I already set an example for you. The rest is up to you.

A’Manqi’s kneeling posture was far from proper. Strictly speaking, he was leaning against the headboard and not exerting any effort at all. What should he do now? Cleverly, he blinked his eyes, let his eyebrows droop, and said, “Ugh, Xia Yu, I’m so tired…”

“Yeah, we did rehabilitation today and went to the swimming pool too. We’re already exhausted, and now we have to kneel as punishment after coming home,” Mo An added fuel to the fire. “We’re going to die from exhaustion.”

Only then did Xia Yu lift his eyelids to look at him. “No strength to kneel as punishment, but enough strength to watch electronic dancers perform? And even make toasts?”

“It wasn’t that I insisted on watching. It was him.” Mo An indicated A’Manqi with his eyes, deciding to throw the blame away first. “He was curious!”

Huh? Huh? Huh? A’Manqi opened his mouth wide and looked at Mo An. Big Fish, what are you talking about?

“He was curious?” Naturally, Xia Yu did not believe that. “How old is he? What could he possibly be curious about? Would he even know what electronic dancers are?”

“He was curious precisely because he didn’t know.” Mo An was completely fearless, since Xia Yu would never really get angry. “Come on, I just wanted to show him something fun. These days he’s either in the laboratory or doing rehabilitation. He hasn’t seen anything new. I originally wanted to take him to the recreation room, but A’Manqi said he didn’t want to go.”

As he talked, Mo An’s arms gradually lowered until he completely escaped the punishment.

Seeing Big Fish lower his arms, A’Manqi immediately lowered his as well. Both mermaids had accurately calculated Xia Yu’s soft heart.

Xia Yu did not make them raise their arms again. He simply said, “He’s still young. His eyes haven’t fully developed yet. Looking at those things is too harsh on them. What if it damages his eyesight?”

“Then I won’t take him there anymore, okay?” Mo An rolled across the bed and stopped directly at Xia Yu’s feet, kneeling on one knee as he spoke. “Don’t be angry with me anymore. I won’t do it again. Besides, the dancers I showed him today were very healthy dancers. They wore long sleeves and long pants, and the dance was a very healthy bunny dance!”

A’Manqi copied Mo An’s movement and rolled toward Xia Yu as well. Unfortunately, his tiny body could not maintain balance, and he rolled straight onto the floor.

Helplessly reaching for the bedsheet, he called out, “I fell down, Xia Yu. Hurry and give me a hug.”

Xia Yu immediately closed his wristband and picked A’Manqi up first, rubbing his forehead as he said, “Alright, just this once.”

Mo An finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yay, we passed this round. Thanks to A’Manqi’s use of the suffering tactic, the little fish fry had already grasped the essence of it.

“But.” Xia Yu cleared his throat again. “There won’t be a next time. Until A’Manqi’s eyes finish developing, he can only look at electronic screens for a short while each day.”

“Okay, I won’t look anymore. Xia Yu, don’t be angry. I won’t do it anymore.” A’Manqi wrapped his arms around Xia Yu and rubbed his reddened forehead against Xia Yu’s chin.

Mo An hurriedly stood up. Understanding the essence was enough. There was no need to go this far.

That night, A’Manqi was unwilling to sleep at the edge of the bed. Lying on Mo An’s shoulder, he asked, “I want to sleep in the middle. I want to sleep in the middle.”

“No.” Mo An refused immediately.

“I’m very small. My eyes still haven’t finished developing. I want to sleep in the middle.” A’Manqi tried to climb over him but was promptly lifted back to where he had started.

After being set back down, A’Manqi pursed his lips, looking as though he was about to cry.

“Don’t cry. Don’t try to scare me with tears. I already used that trick when I was little.” Mo An took out a small glass bottle in advance. If the little fish fry dared cry, he would immediately start collecting them. “However… it’s not impossible for you to sleep between us.”

The moment he deliberately left things hanging, A’Manqi instantly returned to normal. His grievance expression vanished without a trace.

“Tell me.”

“The day after tomorrow, come to the harbor with us and try going into the sea.” Mo An intended to push him a little.

“Will Xia Yu come with me? And you?” A’Manqi did not want to enter the sea, but the temptation was too great.

Mo An nodded as if it were obvious. “Of course. We’ll just swim around in shallow waters and then come back ashore.”

“Alright. Then I’ll go.”

As soon as he agreed, A’Manqi began climbing toward the middle of the bed, finally succeeding in crossing the mountain that was Mo An. Happily, he lay between the two large pillows and even tucked himself under the blanket.

When Xia Yu climbed into bed later, he saw one big fish and one little fish both staring at him as if they had been waiting for a very long time.

“Why are you both so energetic? Aren’t you sleeping yet?” Xia Yu wiped his hair.

After getting into bed, he instructed Jingwei to turn off the lights. Immediately, one hard little head burrowed into his embrace, and one hard big head moved toward him as well.

Xia Yu was nearly squeezed off the bed and quickly stopped their nonsense.

“Alright, alright. Time to sleep!”

“Hold me.” A’Manqi hugged Xia Yu’s arm.

“I want one too.” Mo An competed with the little fish fry for affection without the slightest embarrassment.

Xia Yu could neither laugh nor cry. “How am I supposed to hold both of you at the same time…? Alright, go to sleep!”

“I don’t care. I want to lean against you.” Mo An continued moving his head until his forehead rested against Xia Yu’s.

A’Manqi happened to scoot downward a little. Small as he was, he nestled between the two adults and buried his face in Xia Yu’s chest.

This is so nice. This place is so nice.

Contentedly, A’Manqi closed his eyes. This was the best incubation ground in the world.

Another day passed.

Above Qingyao City, the sky was blue and filled with white clouds. There was no wind.

A’Manqi arrived at the seaside once again. This time, the ocean seemed much friendlier than before. The sea breeze no longer felt icy against his face. Instead, it made him itch.

107 had come with them as well. He entered the water in advance and greeted the sirens beneath the waves.

“Come on down, Mo An! Xia Yu! The water is so warm here!” 107 swam around excitedly.

“Oh, you’re back again!” Jennifer raised her glass toward them in greeting.

“Hello, ma’am. We’ve come again.” Xia Yu politely returned the greeting. “Where’s Talos?”

“He went out. He can never sit still.” Jennifer walked over to tease the little fish. “My, my, you’re so small. I really can’t tell you’re a mermaid.”

A’Manqi immediately clenched his fists. “I am! Of course I am!”

“Then let us have a look.” Jennifer rubbed his little cheek.

This time, not only was A’Manqi going into the water, Xia Yu and Mo An were accompanying him as well.

Mo An entered first. In the ocean, his black fish tail no longer seemed so large, though it still scraped against the reefs with loud crashing sounds.

A’Manqi remained fearful and uncertain of the ocean. Xia Yu personally carried him into the water.

“It’s alright. Look, everyone is here.” Xia Yu descended the wooden ladder and gradually entered the sea.

107 extended an arm to support both of them.

The Blue Jellyfish was naturally close to the sea, and Xia Yu also felt a sense of familiarity, as though he were returning home.

As seawater soaked him, A’Manqi became completely drenched. At last, Xia Yu and 107 released him simultaneously to see whether he could float on the surface.

But only a few seconds later, A’Manqi flipped over and sank!

“Oh no!” 107 hurried after him.

This time, A’Manqi had prepared himself and taken a deep breath beforehand.

After sinking into the water, he did not dare open his eyes and simply let his body fall downward. Xia Yu sank alongside him, patting his back encouragingly.

Suddenly, a hand supported A’Manqi’s little belly.

Only then did he open his eyes and see a mass of long black hair.

The same thing that had frightened him away last time.

Meng Qingqing held him up. Her waist-length black hair spread through the seawater, creating a vivid shadow.

A’Manqi observed her, and she observed this artificially created little fish.

No matter what, he truly was a descendant of a mermaid. There were obvious gill slits on the sides of his neck.

With those, he was no longer human but a fish.

It was just that this eye color and scale color had never been seen before. Something like this probably could not survive in nature.

“Hello.” This time, A’Manqi greeted her first.

“Hello, A’Manqi.” Meng Qingqing replied in the language of the mermaids. “We are sirens.”

This time, A’Manqi could understand. He nodded at her.

Meng Qingqing was very satisfied. If he could understand the language of the mermaid, then he truly carried the bloodline of Haisiruola.

At that moment, A’Manqi’s legs completely transformed into a fish tail. His tail fin swayed with the current, looking as though it had come alive.

Mo An swam around A’Manqi twice, first taking Xia Yu’s hand before saying to A’Manqi, “Hold on to my neck.”

A’Manqi immediately climbed onto him and lay on Mo An’s back as they swam through the sea.

The seawater here was different from the seawater in the laboratory. It tasted better!

Sunlight pierced the surface, illuminating even the sand below. A’Manqi counted the little fish and tiny crabs, wanting very much to be friends with them, but they all swam away in fear.

How unfortunate, A’Manqi sighed.

Carried along by Mo An, Xia Yu went a long time without needing to breathe.

This section of sea had been warmed by the sunlight, turning Mo An into black gold.

Mo An’s fish tail occasionally brushed against him.

At some point, the tail brushing him changed color.

“Hm?” At first, Xia Yu thought he had seen it wrong.

Without realizing it, A’Manqi had begun moving his own tail through the water.

The ocean had awakened his instincts.

He himself was completely unaware of it and thought Mo An was still doing all the swimming. He had never felt his own strength.

Only when Mo An, Xia Yu, and 107 all stopped did he become stunned.

“A’Manqi, you can swim now?” Mo An asked.

“Me?” A’Manqi looked downward.

Good heavens, his fish tail was moving!

It moved exactly like Mo An’s, 107’s, and Meng Qingqing’s—left, then right—stirring the seawater.

Curiously, he twisted his waist a few times. His waist moved the tail, and the tail moved the fin, carrying him straight toward the surface.

Throughout the ascent, 107 stayed beside him, clapping from time to time and cheering him on.

Come on! Come on!

Watching the surface draw nearer and nearer, A’Manqi finally leapt out of the water.

So this is what it feels like to be a mermaid?

He splashed back into the sea, flipped his body gracefully, and charged toward the surface once more.

By the time he leapt again, Mo An and Xia Yu had both surfaced and were watching A’Manqi’s fish tail trace a beautiful arc.

“So he really can swim. It just needs to be activated in the ocean.” Xia Yu smiled with relief.

“Xia Yu! Xia Yu! I can swim now!” The little fish fry who had just learned to swim was the most excited of all, endlessly circling around them.

107 kept saying, “Slow down, slow down,” but how could A’Manqi slow down? All he wanted was speed.

In the end, Mo An scooped him up and held him in front of himself.

“Very good. This is very good. Starting today, you’re a qualified mermaid.” Mo An finally relaxed completely. “When you turn eighteen, I’ll personally take you to meet Haisiruola.”

“Haisiruola… I can go when I’m eighteen? Then I’ll grow up properly!” Although A’Manqi had no idea who Haisiruola was, the name somehow felt familiar.

“Then you’d better work hard. Becoming a strong mermaid isn’t easy. Hahaha.”

Mo An wrapped an arm around Xia Yu and first kissed the center of his forehead.

Wait.

It seemed he had forgotten something.

That was right. Yesterday should have been the day he injected his medication. Otherwise, the anxiety disorder would start recurring.

But why was he perfectly fine today?

Mo An did not know either.

Perhaps it was because A’Manqi had arrived.

He had come to think of him as Xia Yu’s child.

“That’s wonderful! We can all swim together from now on!” 107 flicked his tail across the water’s surface, creating a wall of water.

Sunlight struck it, and a perfect rainbow appeared above everyone’s heads.

Xia Yu wrapped an arm around Mo An’s waist and held A’Manqi’s little hand.

That’s right.

From now on, they could swim together.

 

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Author’s Note:

A’Manqi: From now on, I’m sleeping in the middle!

Mo An: Depends on my mood. Hehehe!

Xia Yu: You two are so childish…