04

 But as soon as the mermaid looked away, Xing Hongyi felt regret.

He quickly cupped the mermaid's cheeks in his large hands.

"So small, smaller than my hand," Xing Hongyi thought.

The man's hands were strong and bony, with calluses on his fingertips, making the mermaid's small face appear even more delicate and tender.

Xing Hongyi was afraid his rough skin would make the mermaid uncomfortable.

But these thoughts only flashed through his mind. More importantly, Xing Hongyi said urgently, "Baby, look at me again."

The mermaid seemed genuinely annoyed by him.

Looking wasn't an option, and not looking wasn't an option either.

The mermaid instinctively wanted to slap Xing Hongyi with his tail, but his tail had long since disappeared, so Xing Hongyi felt a soft foot pressing against his chest.

Every part of the mermaid was exquisite; her legs were like jade, her toes like pearls, and her ankles and toes were a faint pink.

(It's all deleted, and it was just a description of the feet! Nothing actually happened, please, Mr. Clear Broth, be the judge!) This

made Xing Hongyi thirsty.

Then he saw…

every detail replayed in his mind, as if imprinted there.

Xing Hongyi felt he was going crazy. Even

a little sweetness was making him lose control.

The next second, as if sensing Xing Hongyi's perversion, the mermaid raised her other foot and stepped directly on Xing Hongyi's face. With a slight push, Xing Hongyi, already half-kneeling and dizzy from the fragrance, fell to the ground.

"…Idiot…" she stammered, as if she didn't speak often, but her enunciation was clear, her voice like the crisp sound of a wind chime, carrying a subtle yet captivating magic.

Xing Hongyi froze.

He then sprang to his feet like an excited wolfhound, pounced on the mermaid, and embraced her, exclaiming excitedly, "Baby, you can talk?!"

The ability to speak meant they could communicate, and communication meant they could exchange sweet nothings. He could speak unilaterally, as long as the mermaid wanted to hear.

But the mermaid ignored him, and because of Xing Hongyi's overbearing behavior, she slapped him several times. Unlike her limp legs, the mermaid's arms were slender, yet surprisingly strong.

Meanwhile, the subordinate waiting in the car saw clear handprints on Xing Hongyi's cheeks, more than one, and was holding someone wrapped in a blanket, exactly like that day, completely covered. But this time, the head was only lightly covered by a coat, leaving a small opening. The subordinate, with sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of a white, jade-like nose.

That tiny detail was enough to scald the subordinate, causing him to abruptly avert his gaze, his attention elsewhere.

The partition was raised.

The subordinate could neither see behind nor hear anything.

He could only speculate and fantasize based on the limited information he had gleaned.

His personality must be fiery.

What did he look like? He must be very beautiful

… He really wanted to see.

His heart, pounding in his chest, materialized at that moment, feeling as if countless ants were crawling on it, an unbearable itch, yet utterly helpless.

Back at his residence, Xing Hongyi told the servants to stay in his room and not come out. He carried the mermaid to the bedroom.

The mermaid struggled midway, and Xing Hongyi had to use considerable strength to subdue him. After putting the mermaid down, Xing Hongyi went to his wardrobe and found an unworn silk nightgown.

After taking the clothes out,

he saw the mermaid slowly standing up, supporting himself against the wall. His face was filled with curiosity and confusion, his head slightly lowered, his long, straight hair cascading down, covering most of his body, revealing only a pair of straight legs. The mermaid was looking at his own legs,

like a kitten just weaned, filled with curiosity about everything.

Comparing a mermaid to a kitten seemed inappropriate, but that was Xing Hongyi's first thought.

Xing Hongyi's heart melted.

He stepped forward to help the mermaid up, saying, "Baby, how did you stand up by yourself? Can you walk? Does it hurt?"

The story of the mermaid was still widely known. Xing Hongyi hadn't felt anything before, but now he was a little scared. He was terrified that the mermaid would feel even the slightest pain; walking on a knife's edge was torture.

But looking closely, the mermaid's expression was innocent, her eyes bright and lively, clearly showing she felt nothing.

Xing Hongyi was relieved.

He picked up the mermaid and started dressing her. If he didn't dress her, he wouldn't be human anymore; he would turn into an animal.

But Xing Hongyi didn't want the mermaid to think he was an animal. Although

the mermaid seemed bewildered, Xing Hongyi knew she had her own thoughts and ideas. He wanted to make a good impression on her and make up for his previous image.

This was Xing Hongyi's first time serving someone, but he enjoyed it and found it very easy. However, his clothes were still too big for the mermaid. The neckline was just right, but a large expanse of her collarbone was exposed, and the sleeves were also too long.

Xing Hongyi folded up his sleeves, revealing the mermaid's soft, boneless little hands.

He subtly pinched them a few times, resulting in the mermaid's hands turning red.

Once dressed, the mermaid's slender figure looked like she was wearing adult clothes, but to put it more suggestively, it was a boyfriend shirt play.

Now, Xing Hongyi had no more regrets.

He found new slippers, half-kneeling to put them on the mermaid, and said, "Baby, didn't you want to walk earlier? I'll teach you."

The so-called "teaching" meant helping the mermaid slowly adapt to using her suddenly appearing legs.

The mermaid was clever and quickly learned, pushing Xing Hongyi away and walking on her own.

Xing Hongyi rubbed his fingertips together, ultimately restraining himself.

From then on, Xing Hongyi carried the mermaid everywhere, even sleeping close to her, despite her protests.

Unfortunately, apart from calling him an idiot that time, the mermaid never uttered another word.

Xing Hongyi's attempts to coax her were futile.

Not knowing when the mermaid would turn back, besides preparing clothes and supplies, Xing Hongyi also had his subordinates order a huge swimming pool to be built as a precaution. His current outdoor pool was too small; Xing Hongyi wanted to give the mermaid something better.

Because the jewelry and decorations in the glass tank at Xing Minzheng's villa caught Xing Hongyi's attention, he figured the mermaid would like them, so he took out some jewelry that others had offered and let the mermaid play with it.

Sure enough, the mermaid's usually uninterested face lit up with delight, and his eyes brightened considerably.

However, the mermaid was very simple-minded; he seemed to only like things that sparkled. He would often hold a translucent gemstone up to the light, close one eye, and look at it with the other, the colorful light reflecting off his face, making him even more breathtakingly beautiful.

And then there was the food.

Xing Hongyi didn't know what the mermaid had been eating, so he prepared all sorts of dishes for her to try: Huaiyang cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, domestic cuisine, international cuisine, strong flavors, mild flavors—he let the mermaid try everything.

As for raw food, Xing Hongyi was afraid the mermaid would get an upset stomach.

Finally, Xing Hongyi discovered that besides having a particular fondness for steamed sea fish, the mermaid also liked some sweet dishes.

Xing Hongyi himself preferred salty food, but after discovering the mermaid's tastes, he would hold her while feeding her fish, and then shamelessly put empty chopsticks in his own mouth.

It was unclear what he was eating.

Under Xing Hongyi's actions, the mermaid looked at him with increasing disdain.

Xing Hongyi stopped going to the company, but he wasn't idle either; he switched to working from home. After all, how could he provide a good life for his precious mermaid if he didn't earn money?

He spent all his free time with the mermaid, even keeping an eye on her while working.

The walking mermaid often ran around the villa, and Xing Hongyi, not wanting others to see his precious pet, had to give the maids time off and clean up after her himself. He also hired hourly housekeepers and a chef on a regular basis.

So when the mermaid got bored, she would run to the living room and play somewhere, which often made Xing Hongyi anxious and restless when he couldn't see her while working. Desperate, he immediately commissioned a huge terrarium for his office, along with a television and a bunch of picture books for children.

The mermaid was indeed attracted, sitting in front of the terrarium observing the hermit crabs inside.

Besides this, Xing Hongyi, like Xi Long, tirelessly repeated his name to the mermaid, trying to get her to remember him.

But the mermaid ignored him.

Xing Hongyi, settling for second best, held up the peeled crab meat and coaxed, "Baby, what's your name? Tell your husband, okay?"

"Husband's name is Xing Hongyi, easy to remember, isn't it?"

The mermaid pretended not to hear. He clearly understood. Xing Hongyi didn't know if the mermaid was naturally able to understand, or if Xing Minzheng had taught him. This made Xing Hongyi feel intensely jealous.

Why was his younger brother so lucky? Even on a business trip, he could meet a mermaid?

His baby, his darling.

Why wasn't he the first person to meet a mermaid?

What Xing Hongyi was thinking, the mermaid didn't know. He lowered his head and ate the crab meat, accidentally biting Xing Hongyi's finger. If Xing Hongyi hadn't been quick, a chunk of flesh would have been bitten off his finger by the mermaid's sharp teeth.

Mermaids weren't human after all, no matter how similar they looked.

He seemed to consider humans as part of his diet.

Xing Hongyi didn't mind too much and occasionally indulged the mermaid.

This meant he often had to call the family doctor.

As for paying someone to voluntarily offer their flesh, Xing Hongyi hadn't considered it. Of course, this isn't to say that Xing Hongyi is morally superior; quite the opposite, he's a complete scoundrel.

But eating meat is such an intimate and ambiguous affair.

How could he let someone else do it?

Xing Hongyi was somewhat obsessed with feeding the mermaid, as if the two were completely intertwined, and no one could ever separate them again.

Moreover, perhaps the mermaid's teeth contained poison, but every time the mermaid actively bit him, Xing Hongyi experienced a hallucinatory pleasure amidst the intense pain, a pleasure that made his head numb.

Then one day, the mermaid sat in the garden pavilion, surrounded by blooming pink and white roses. He wore custom-made white clothes, and from afar, he appeared unrealistically beautiful, like smoke, like mist, like quicksand, as if he might slip through one's fingers at any moment, impossible to hold.

Fear gripped Xing Hongyi's throat, leaving him rooted to the spot, unable to move.

These days were too beautiful, like the most perfect fairy tale, making Xing Hongyi almost forget that the mermaid was stolen from his younger brother.

Perhaps he knew, but he ignored it all.

But what is not his will never truly belong to him.

No matter how hard he tries, it will be in vain.

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