TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 32

The large tail soaked in water shifted slightly in the balcony fish pool. After handing over the underwear, Yu Su waited for a long while without any reaction from the man. He raised his head out of the water and asked,

“What’s wrong? Why are you just standing there?”

Chi Yanxing’s tone was a little strained. “It’s nothing.”

Yu Su gave an “oh.” “I know my tail is pretty. You don’t have to stare yourself silly.”

Chi Yanxing: “……”

He was holding Yu Su’s small underwear in his hand, with piles of Yu Su’s seaweed masks stacked at his feet. For a moment, he genuinely didn’t know which one he should be more stimulated by.

After thinking it over, the man hung the little white underwear on the balcony, then bent down and opened a small box of seaweed mask.

Yu Su reached out. “Give it to me. Once I finish taking care of my scales, I’ll let you touch my tail.”

Chi Yanxing didn’t hand it over. Instead, he said in a negotiating tone, “Can I help you apply it? I won’t hurt your tail.”

Yu Su was stunned. “Didn’t we agree you’d only touch my tail?”

A casual touch and actually getting hands-on were completely different levels, okay?

Since when did this alpha start adding unilateral clauses to the agreement?

“…The process is pretty complicated. You won’t know how. I’d better do it myself,” Yu Su refused.

Unexpectedly, Chi Yanxing said, “Then you apply the front, and I’ll help with the back. You can’t really reach the back very well anyway, right?”

Logically, that made sense—but Yu Su still felt like something was off.

He hesitated. “This… doesn’t seem very appropriate, does it?”

“What’s inappropriate?” Chi Yanxing said seriously. “I just want to help my little fish maintain his tail. I’m not kissing you, and I’m not getting you pregnant. You can relax.”

Yu Su looked at his earnest face, then thought about how Chi Yanxing always indulged him and never refused any request. He couldn’t help but wonder if he really was being a bit overly cautious.

“Then… you watch first and learn?” Yu Su said reluctantly.

The alpha nodded, his expression as serious as if he were discussing work at the company.
“No problem. I’ll study carefully.”

Yu Su sighed as if he had no other choice, then used his sharp nails to peel open the delicate packaging of the seaweed mask. “Let’s start with one box. It’s probably only enough for one side. We’ll have to open a new one for the other side later.”

“I already contacted the shop manager today,” Chi Yanxing said. “From now on, whenever new seaweed masks arrive, they’ll deliver half of them directly to you.”

Yu Su didn’t react as dramatically as before. He just sighed.
“You really are the best human. It’s such a pity that that little mermaid never got to wait for you.”

Chi Yanxing didn’t follow up on that uncomfortable topic. He silently watched as Yu Su scooped up a handful of seaweed paste, slapped it onto his tail with a plop, then spread it with a push and a smear.

…He’d thought it would be complicated. Turns out it was that simple.

Still, Chi Yanxing stayed close, carefully watching every single movement Yu Su made.

“Did you see clearly?” Yu Su said. “The seaweed paste is fine and sticky. You have to apply it along the direction of the scales—never against them.”

The alpha nodded. Stroking in the right direction was something he’d learned very quickly lately.

Although Yu Su hadn’t maintained his tail in a long time, his technique was still there. Before long, he’d finished applying the mask to the side of his tail that was resting on the edge of the pool.

Propping his arms on the opposite edge, he chatted casually with Chi Yanxing across half the pool while waiting for the mask to set.

“In the sea, every pair of mermaid partners is lifelong. Take my father, for example—he met my mother when he was fifteen, had me as a little fish egg at eighteen, and even now their relationship is still very good. I’ve always taken my father as my role model. Every day in the ocean, I wanted to grow into a strong mermaid like him. It’s just a shame I was born taking after my delicate mother. I don’t resemble my father much, whether in looks or build.”

Watching the relaxed flicking of Yu Su’s tail tip, Chi Yanxing said, “You’re already very good just the way you are.”

“You’re the only one who indulges me unconditionally like this. If it were A-Ning, he’d definitely mock me.”

It was the first time Chi Yanxing had heard Yu Su mention someone like a peer. He asked,
“A-Ning… is he your friend?”

Yu Su nodded. “Yeah. He’s older than me. We grew up together. I was small when I was young, so he was always by my side protecting me. Most mermaids are pretty emotionally indifferent—we come and go in the sea without lingering. Aside from partners, it’s rare for two mermaids to be purely close friends.”

A rare sense of unease rose in the alpha’s chest. “Then… has A-Ning found a partner?”

“Not yet. He’s still a jobless wandering fish,” Yu Su said lightly. “But he’s much stronger than me. It won’t be hard for him to find a little female. By the time I return to the sea, he might already have one.”

Chi Yanxing gave an “oh.” “Hopefully he finds one soon. Then you can give him the mermaid tail skirt you bought as a congratulatory gift.”

Yu Su nodded in agreement.

“This side is almost dry,” Chi Yanxing suddenly reminded him. “Should we switch to the other side?”

Yu Su reached down and touched it, then rinsed his tail in the water. “Then I’ll lean on the edge of the tank, okay?”

“That side’s too far,” Chi Yanxing said. “Come over here. I can reach you.”

Yu Su visually estimated the length of the large tank—it did seem that way. So within the two-to-three-meter space, he turned himself around, facing Chi Yanxing. He stretched his arms forward and rested them on the edge, propping up his chin.

In this position, Chi Yanxing only needed to lower his head slightly to see the pair of shoulder blades embedded in the mermaid’s pale back.

They fluttered gently with each breath.

Yu Su curled his tail and poked the alpha’s chest with his fin.
“Go on. Apply it. I’ll give you a chance to ‘touch fish.’”

Chi Yanxing bent down, scooped up a fingertip of seaweed mask, and slowly moved closer to Yu Su.

The little white underwear fluttered above his head. The alpha spoke in a low voice. “It’s my first time touching a fish. I’m a bit nervous. Can the little fish give me some encouragement?”

Yu Su lifted his eyes, puzzled. “You’re touching me, and I have to encourage you?”

For once, the alpha revealed a shameless side. “Can you? I really want it.”

Yu Su clicked his tongue. “Fine, fine. What do you want? Some praise?”

Chi Yanxing didn’t answer.

Yu Su didn’t get the chance to say anything else either—because someone leaned in, taking advantage of the way he had his head tilted up, and sealed his lips directly.

The water in the tank splashed out as the tail suddenly stirred, soaking most of the alpha’s chest. Chi Yanxing pressed one hand against Yu Su’s neck, while the other—slick with seaweed paste—moved down and spread it along the back.

He had said he could reach it, and he meant it.

Yu Su’s eyes widened as he watched the man in front of him lower his long lashes, felt a warm hand mixed with sticky, wet seaweed glide smoothly down from his waist.

Yu Su nearly flared his scales in shock.

But Chi Yanxing held him firmly in place, personally carrying out what he himself had described as something comfortable.

The seaweed mask only reached about thirty centimeters below the waist—but Yu Su was a fish, not a human. He could curl his flexible tail all the way up to his chest. Having witnessed this more than once, Chi Yanxing leaned in even closer, blocking the mermaid’s muffled sounds with his mouth, then boldly smoothed his hand along the fish tail in one motion.

And just like that, the magnificent tail tip with its gauzy fins was caught in the alpha’s hand.

Chi Yanxing grabbed a solid handful of fish.

Heavy with desire—and with a newly surged jealousy.

A gust of night wind passed by. It was unclear whether it ruffled the water in the tank or the lake in one’s heart. Yu Su’s nostrils flared as he suddenly realized that being a fish made him more capable of enduring this suffocating kiss than being an omega ever was.

“……”

He really wanted to curse.

He twitched the tip of his tail, not daring to use too much force for fear of tearing the fin gauze—but Chi Yanxing noticed immediately and released him at once.

The alpha lifted his head slightly, rinsed his fingertips in the water, and said, “There’s still a lot that hasn’t been applied yet. Shall we continue?”

Yu Su: “……”

If I believe you again, I’ll be a clownfish!

–

The Jian residence.

“Raokong said he’d come back today—why isn’t he here yet? He even had me specifically call you back.”

Jian Feng carefully peeled a grape and fed it to his partner.

“No idea. Don’t worry about him—he’s already an adult.”

Yu Miao glanced at Jian Feng, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly, his pupils a very pale amber.

“That’s your child. You should usually care a bit more.”

Jian Feng frowned, then quickly relaxed again in front of his partner. “Didn’t he say recently that he found his omega? He’s already at that age—we need to let go when it’s time.”

Yu Miao paused, then suddenly sighed. “Yes… time really does fly. It’s already been twenty years. Back then—”

“Dad.”

Interrupted, the two of them turned their heads. Jian Raokong, whom they’d just been talking about, walked in through the door.

Yu Miao responded, “Why are you back so late? It’s almost nine.”

Jian Raokong smiled. “I went to check on something.”

Jian Feng said, “What could be so important that you went to such lengths—and even made your father wait this long?”

The young alpha blinked amber eyes identical to Yu Miao’s. “There really is something important I want to talk to you about.”

As he spoke, Jian Raokong walked over and placed the paper documents in his hand on the table.

“I spent half the day collecting these materials. They’re about a young omega.”

Jian Feng’s tone sharpened. “Didn’t you say a few days ago that you’d already found the person you admired? If I remember correctly, he was a doctor named Wen Bie?”

Yu Miao also looked at his son.

Facing the two dangerous gazes, Jian Raokong hurried to explain, “Yes—but these are two separate matters. In fact, I only came to know this omega, Yu Su, through Doctor Wen.”

Yu Miao spoke up in surprise. “The surname Yu?”

Jian Feng also reached out and picked up the one or two pages, flipping through them.

Jian Raokong continued, “Yes. He’s the omega of the Chi family’s top-tier alpha. He was only exposed recently. That young President Chi is extremely protective of his beloved—these two pages were something I gathered with great difficulty.”

Yu Miao frowned. “Why are you investigating someone else’s omega?”

Before Jian Raokong could answer, Jian Feng spoke while looking at the page. “A mysterious person with no known background? Appeared suddenly, and initially used a wheelchair—suspected leg disability?”

Only then did Jian Raokong continue,
“At first, because this omega was suspected to be disabled, I paid some attention—because I remembered Father mentioning that Dad also used a wheelchair for a period when he was young. Later, when I heard Wen Bie say his surname was Yu, I casually asked, ‘Yu as in Yu Meiren?’ And that President Chi—who normally gives nothing away emotionally—very clearly paused.”

“Before that, the conversation had been completely normal. This President Chi didn’t seem to care about the big issue of disability at all, but instead reacted to those ordinary words.” Jian Raokong said. “That was just the trigger. After that, I discovered something even stranger.”

Jian Feng kept reading the materials and hadn’t spoken again since.

Jian Raokong rested a hand on Yu Miao’s knee and lowered his voice.
“Dad—Chi Yanxing has deep-sea pheromones. I asked around about his schedule. Some time ago, he went to the seaside because of pheromone issues. After that trip, he came back with an omega by his side who can suppress his pheromone backlash.”

“And that omega is extremely delicate and beautiful—and many of his habits are strikingly similar to those of…”

Jian Feng put the documents down and finished the sentence: “…a mermaid, right?”

Yu Miao took a deep breath.
“So what you’re saying is—I have a clansman who was bitten and claimed as an omega by a human?”

Jian Raokong nodded slowly. “And this suspected clansman even shares your surname. Dad—how many merfolk actually have this surname?”

Yu Miao thought back to a long time ago. “Not many. But there were scattered groups. Merfolk are born free—even surnames can be chosen at will. Back then, my older brother chose the character ‘Yu.’ He said we were mermaids—turned around, that’s Yu Meiren. It sounded nice and was easy to remember. During the years we lived in the northern seas, he often taught me that when introducing myself, I should say ‘Yu as in Yu Meiren,’ not ‘Yu as in belonging to…’”

Jian Feng recalled that when he had first met Yu Miao, that was indeed how the other party had introduced himself.

“So Chi Yanxing’s strange reaction to those words was very likely because he’d heard someone introduce themselves that way before. Coupled with the suspected mermaid identity of the omega by his side…” Jian Raokong continued. “Dad—although I rarely had the chance to meet your merfolk elder brother, I’ve heard Father mention that not only were the two of you twin fish eggs, you also found your respective partners in the same year. The difference was that he chose someone of his own kind, while you encountered a human.”

Jian Feng set the paper down on the table and fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“And more than that—because your father was the smaller, weaker egg of the twins, once he came ashore he became the weaker omega among humans. Shortly after you were conceived, news also came from the sea that the other twin had good news as well. Raokong, the materials don’t list an exact age, but you’ve seen him—how old does that child look?”

Jian Raokong subtly clenched his fingers.
“Around twenty. No older than that.”

Yu Miao stood up at once, disbelief filling his voice.
“Are you saying that Chi Yanxing not only hauled one of my kin ashore—but that the one he pulled up is actually my most respected elder brother’s child?”

Jian Feng also stood and patted his shoulder.
“Shui Shui, don’t get worked up. Thirteen years ago, when you took Raokong back to the sea to recuperate, did you ever see that little mermaid?”

Yu Miao looked close to breaking down.
“How could I have seen him? My brother was furious with me. Ever since I came ashore, he’s never once reached out on his own. I don’t even know what his child is called, or whether the child is male or female. And since I conceived as a human, I had no idea that carrying a fish egg meant returning to the sea to recover. It was only later—when Raokong’s tail didn’t fully form—that I slowly realized the truth. With my brother’s temper, the fact that he even bent the rules back then and guided us back to the dangerous northern seas was already an act of extreme mercy!”

How could he possibly allow the younger brother who, in his eyes, had gone astray to come into contact with his pure-blooded child?

This unusual family spent more than half an hour sorting through everything from start to finish. In the end, Yu Miao sat down on the sofa and rubbed his forehead.

“Could it be that we’re overthinking things? How could something so coincidental happen? Besides, my brother and I were twin eggs—we looked extremely alike. But Raokong just said that child doesn’t resemble me at all…”

Jian Raokong checked the date on his phone and decisively changed tack.
“The Chi family is preparing to host a gathering within the circle soon. It seems they plan to formally introduce this younger brother. Whether this is true or not—we’ll know if we attend. Dad, will you go with me?”

Yu Miao slowly opened his eyes. His brows were tightly knit, his emotions clearly still caught between shock and turmoil.

“Of course we’ll go together. If we’ve noticed something like this, we can’t just ignore it. I’m a fully grown merfolk now. That child might not be able to sense my vocal frequency, but I’ll definitely be able to sense his. All it will take is for him to speak a single sentence…”

Then he would know for sure whether the Chi family’s famously elite alpha had truly pulled a mermaid from the sea and claimed him as his omega.

And whether that mermaid might very well be his own nephew.

—

Chi Yanxing activated the tank’s automatic cleaning system and lowered his gaze to the mermaid who had been moved onto the large platform beside it.

After being carried out, Yu Su curled himself into a familiar position, hugging his golden fish tail to his chest. Sparse droplets of water were still trickling down along his scales.

“Little fish?”

Yu Su gave a weak little hum in response.

“Did it feel good this time?”

“……”

“Just you wait. When I get back to the sea—when I turn into a big, fierce fish.”

Chi Yanxing chuckled softly, his tone full of contentment.
“Alright. The water’s almost finished changing. Go to sleep early.”

Dreams contained everything.

Chi Yanxing guessed that Yu Su’s tail probably wouldn’t disappear anytime soon. He turned his gaze back to the tank, watching the clear water fill it again.

Ever since the sea fish had been relocated, he hadn’t bothered replenishing the tank with transported seawater. Now it seemed this matter needed to be put back on the agenda.

After all, he had an even more delicate “big fierce fish” to raise now.

After such an exhausting day, Yu Su was completely spent. After being manhandled by Chi Yanxing once more and returned to the tank, he sank straight down almost instantly.

Chi Yanxing watched as Yu Su turned over in the tank, his large tail gradually submerging fully into the water. Standing beside it, he spoke softly:

“Good night. Have a sweet dream.”

—

“Can we go now?”

“Probably… be careful. That’s nearshore, you know. Honestly, you’re such a tiny fish—why are you always thinking about sneaking out?”

The little mermaid spoke in a babyish voice.
“This is a chance I worked really hard to find! My father’s gone back north these days, and my mother dotes on me anyway. Even if we’re discovered, it’ll be fine! A-Ning, come with me, okay? I heard a new group of sharks showed up over there. Let’s compete and see who can chase more!”

A-Ning rolled his eyes speechlessly, his green tail—one size larger than the golden one beside him—swaying.
“Can you have a little ambition? All you think about is chasing sharks. Why don’t you chase some little females instead?”

Yu Su let out a long “Ah—!”
“A-Ning, you’ve changed! We agreed you’d only play with me!”

“Playing with you is one thing, but I’m almost fifteen this year. You’re only seven. According to merfolk customs, I’m already at the age where I should be looking for a partner.”

Yu Su sighed in disappointment.
“Alright then… so are you going or not?”

“I’m not interested in humans at all. Mm… but I can escort you.”

Only then did Yu Su lift his small face and smile.
“Thank you, Brother A-Ning. You’re really nice.”

“You’re such a weak little fish—if I don’t keep an eye on you, what if you get hit by a fishing boat?” A-Ning said. “Let’s go. There’s a small cave beneath the coral reef. You go play—I’ll sleep there and wait for you. Don’t go too far. Remember to come back and call me.”

Yu Su happily replied with an “Mm.”

The two merfolk swam one after the other through the sea. It was the first time since his birth that Yu Su had approached the nearshore. When he saw the white coral reef in the distance, he even grabbed A-Ning’s tail and sighed in awe:

“So beautiful!”

“This part is white. But the northern sea where Uncle Yu once stayed — everything there is red. From far away, it shines like human rubies — so beautiful,” A Ning said casually. “When you grow a bit bigger and stronger, you’ll be able to go north on your own.”

Yu Su immediately wagged his tail even harder.

“Big fierce fish, big fierce fish — the little fish is going to become a big fierce fish!”

A Ning burst out laughing.

“You’ve still got a long way to go. Keep training.”

Since he’d said he would wait for Yu Su in the coral cave, A Ning really did stop by the coral reef.

“My ears are listening, you know. You can play near the shore, but absolutely don’t go up onto the beach. If you get stranded, I’ll have to risk myself going up there to drag you back.”

Yu Su said, “I won’t. I won’t cause trouble. Brother A Ning, help me keep this secret — as long as Father doesn’t find out. Next time I’ll help you lure those little females out, okay?”

A Ning immediately got excited.

“Really? You little fish — say what you will, that baby face of yours is pretty deceptive. I’ll remember that!”

“Mhm!”

The white coral reefs stretched for nearly a kilometer, magnificent even from afar. Under such an enormous ecosystem, a mermaid not even a meter long was practically insignificant.

Yu Su blended perfectly into his surroundings.

The sunlight that day was unbelievably good. Beneath him was blue, and on him was blue as well.

“I wonder where Father went… He rushed off in the middle of the night. But that works out well for me,” the little mermaid muttered to himself. “A brave hunter needs to go out and train. Always hiding in Mother’s arms — how could I ever become a big fierce fish— Ah! Sharks!”

Yu Su had come out specifically for these big guys today. Seeing them, he slapped his tail excitedly.

“Sharkies, slow down! Play with me!”

But those sharks were clever. Feeling something off, they flicked their tails and turned away, not paying Yu Su any mind at all.

Yu Su panicked. He’d finally managed to sneak out — how could they just leave?!

Even as a fish barely a meter long, Yu Su still possessed a mermaid’s natural swimming speed. Within a few breaths, he caught up to the heavy sharks.

Following the group of meat-eaters, he patted one tail here, smacked another flank there.

“So solid… I wonder if their meat tastes good or not…” Yu Su swallowed.

But he was just one little fish. Better not make too big a scene — if humans noticed something strange near shore, that would be bad.

The noon sun beat down on the sea, making the near-shore fish sluggish. Only Yu Su darted around happily like some silly little rich kid’s pet fish.

He had no idea how long he chased the sharks. By the time he finally stopped, satisfied, the sunlight had already turned slanted.

He poked his head above the surface and looked toward the beach a few hundred meters away.

“Ah… I really want to go up and play… I wonder what humans look like. Are they as pretty as little fish?”

Yu Su blinked, raised his head a bit higher, and tried to see farther.

The cool seawater rose and fell beneath his nose, carrying a faint, fresh, mysterious scent.

The little mermaid twitched his nose — and his eyes suddenly lit up.

He glanced back toward the white coral, then at the shoreline, hesitated for a second, then gritted his teeth and dove toward the beach.

He was still just a fish kid, not even a meter long. The soft sand near shore couldn’t possibly strand him, Yu Su thought confidently. He followed that intoxicating fresh scent, swimming quickly — until from several dozen meters away, he clearly saw a pair of long human legs.

Yu Su slammed on the brakes.

H-h-human?

Bare legs — really a human!

The mermaid couldn’t contain his excitement and curiosity. He hid in the water and waited. For a long time, the human still didn’t move.

This human… looks so dumb… What’s so interesting about just staring at the ocean?

Yu Su dove down, dug out a small piece of broken coral from the sand, and whack — threw it.

A dumb, slow human — perfect to mess with!

After the first throw, the person still didn’t react, so Yu Su gathered more little pebbles and shells and bombarded him over and over.

Finally, the person spoke.

“Who’s there?”

“This is my father’s newly purchased private beach. Unauthorized diving is not allowed.”

Yu Su blew a few bubbles.

Private beach? Well, this is my private ocean!

He didn’t surface, just listened to that pleasant voice ramble on. It was fine at first — but when he heard words like “pretending to be a ghost,” he couldn’t hold back anymore. He stuck out his short arm and splashed water — but…

The water arced up and then fell back down. Without any solid weight, it barely reached half a meter.

Yu Su: “…”

And the moment his arm slipped out of the water, everything outside suddenly went quiet. Then those legs stepped closer fast, and before the little mermaid could react, a hand grabbed his paw.

Yu Su: “!!!”

It’s over! It’s over it’s over it’s over!

The little fish was going to be taken away and cooked into fish soup!

And not only did that person grab his hand, he wasn’t satisfied — he even bent down into the water, clearly trying to touch his hair. Yu Su instinctively flicked his tail to attack, then jerked his head up and burst out of the water — not elegant at all — his soft, half-long hair plastered wet across his face.

Through the strands of wet hair, Yu Su shouted,

“Touch me again and I’ll let the sharks bite you!”

The person froze, then after a moment said with surprise,

“You’re… a mermaid?”

Shocked and furious, Yu Su didn’t think — he bared his little sharp teeth and bit down.

The taste of blood flooded in. His vision swayed. Somehow, his soaked hair slipped down around his ears — and when he moved his lips, he suddenly realized…

Everything around him had changed completely.

He was on a spiral staircase, being held in the arms of an enlarged version of a little human. The other person’s clear voice somehow sounded deeper and more magnetic now, and those dark eyes stared straight at him. Then he distinctly heard—

“Have you cooled down?”

The little mermaid’s eyes widened. He heard the sound of pearls scattering across the floor, and along with it came a familiar, sorrowful childlike singing echoing by his ears.

The tapping—thud, thud, thud—on the glass traveled through the water. Yu Su woke from his dream in fright and suddenly flicked his tail, sitting upright. Chi Yanxing was standing by the bright aquarium, holding a bowl of freshly cooked sweet porridge.

He said, “Time to get up and eat, little fish.”

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