TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 35

Yu Su was so nervous his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his throat.

His voice came out breathlessly. “Y-You remember…? Then, then does that mean—”

“It’s you.”

Even though he had slept for more than ten hours, the man somehow looked even more gloomy and exhausted than before.

“Come here, Yu Su.”

Yu Su didn’t dare agitate Chi Yanxing now, so he did whatever the other man told him to do.

The soft patter of slippers sounded as Yu Su went around the large pale-yellow bed and hurried over to Chi Yanxing’s side.

“…W-What exactly did you remember? Is it really me? That lucky little fish, the little merperson who met a handsome human—is that really me?”

Chi Yanxing said nothing. He only asked, “How did you get through those six months or so?”

Yu Su gave a small “Ah,” initially not understanding what he meant, but then he immediately realized.

“So… that toy I lost when I was little was actually the big pearl in your study?! That pearl was my merperson companion pearl—the one I had no memory of and could never find?!”

Chi Yanxing’s gaze remained fixed firmly on Yu Su. After a few seconds, he reached out and brushed the stray hair away from Yu Su’s ear.

“It was yours. I took something that belonged to you. I promised I would come back to find you the following weekend.” Chi Yanxing struggled to say what came next.

But the promised following weekend had turned into thirteen years.

And throughout those thirteen years, he had never once returned to the seaside.

Had his little fish waited day after day during those six months or so? Yet the private beach had already been purchased and secured, so not even a human who could offer him a little comfort could get in.

He could only wait.

Until, eventually, he became heartbroken and realized the other person wasn’t coming. Then he sang himself a song so that he could forget the existence of Chi Yanxing.

And after that, he left everything to fate.

Perhaps fate simply couldn’t bear to watch such an adorable little fish wander aimlessly beneath the sea, and so it allowed them to meet again on that beach.

Then he had become a mature and cold alpha, while his little fish was still just as innocent and pure. Only, no one knew what he had gone through to change his chubby little back into slender, delicate shoulder blades like a butterfly’s wings.

There were countless emotions in Chi Yanxing’s eyes. Yu Su only had to look once before feeling so oppressed that he could barely breathe.

Chi Yanxing seemed so sad, so heartbroken. Remembering everything connected to Yu Su had caused the alpha to temporarily lower the hard armor he wore on the outside, revealing the vulnerable heart hidden beneath.

Awkwardly, Yu Su wiped at the corners of Chi Yanxing’s eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. If you cry, I’m going to cry too. And then you’ll have to catch all the pearls that fall—”

Chi Yanxing took hold of his hand and said, “I met you chasing sharks in the shallows. I spent half a month with you. The day before I left, you gave me your pearl. But my memories of that pearl may not have lasted even an hour.”

“Yu Su, there’s something I have to tell you. Thirteen years ago, on that hazy moonlit night, I had already met one of your parents.”

Yu Su’s heart jolted.

“You… met one of them? Who? My mother? My uncle?”

“No. Your father. A deep-blue tail, with the aura of a predator.”

Yu Su was so shocked that he was rendered speechless.

It really was his father…?

His father had erased Chi Yanxing’s memories… No wonder Chi Yanxing had forgotten everything so completely. Yu Su had never seen prey escape from his father’s song.

But… why had his father appeared on the beach? And where had he gone during those first two weeks? Why had he happened to return just in time to encounter Chi Yanxing?

It was all simply too absurd.

And yet every bit of it had really happened.

Yu Su gripped the edge of the blanket tightly. He glanced at Chi Yanxing and gritted his teeth.

“We’re not holding this party anymore. Come back to the ocean with me. Let’s go look for clues about what happened back then!”

Why had everything happened so coincidentally? Why had his father been so angry at the time that he hadn’t even given Chi Yanxing a chance to explain? And how had even Yu Su himself been kept completely in the dark?

Merfolk couldn’t interfere with one another’s minds. Even his father had no way to erase Yu Su’s memories. Yet he had never once told Yu Su the secret of why Chi Yanxing had stopped coming to the beach.

Not until Yu Su hypnotized himself—

Chi Yanxing closed his eyes for a moment and reached out to stop the agitated Yu Su.

“There’s no need to go to the beach. Maybe we can find out the truth tonight. Trust me, Little Fish.”

–

“Jian Ruokong, how do I look? I won’t be rude when I meet Su-Su, will I?”

Yu Miao stood in front of the mirror.

Jian Ruokong had already changed into a formal suit. Standing behind his father, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you. Come on, Dad, it’s almost time—”

Only then did Yu Miao nod. As he followed Jian Ruokong out, he continued asking, “Have you prepared the meeting gift? Even if he isn’t your uncle’s child, there’s a very good chance he’s one of our kind.”

Jian Ruokong had practically reached a firm conclusion about this already.

That delicate omega was almost certainly a merperson, and the fact that President Chi had agreed to let Doctor Wen conduct a paternity test meant that he had probably already grown suspicious of their family.

Everyone knew exactly what was going on. The Jian family had figured out that Yu Su existed, while Chi Yanxing had almost turned their family’s secret upside down in his search for answers.

Most likely, the only person still worrying about something as trivial as having to get pricked by a needle was his little cousin.

“Everything’s ready. I specifically went to the storage room of a jewelry shop and picked out pieces that aren’t even available for sale—unique pieces that will never be put on the market.”

Only then was Yu Miao satisfied.

Jian Ruokong opened the car door for him.

“Don’t worry, Dad. Little brother will like you.”

“I hope so.”

The entire Chi household was exceptionally lively today. The temporary beta servers hurried back and forth, while Uncle He practically wished he could split himself into eight people. Fortunately, when Chi Yanxing saw how exhausted he was, he reassigned some members of his security team to help.

Yu Su had already changed into formalwear—a little white suit. With countless thoughts weighing on his mind, he rested his chin on his hand and leaned against the third-floor balcony, looking down at the brightly decorated grounds. Even the area around the swimming pool had been adorned with clusters of blue flowers.

“Sigh…”

The alpha stood behind him.

“Don’t sigh, Little Fish. I’m here. I’ll handle everything.”

Yu Su said, “The important thing is that I actually knew you all along. You were just the one who forgot. I can understand why you encountered my father, but how did I forget too? I must have been so heartbroken back then.”

Chi Yanxing couldn’t bear to hear Yu Su talk about being heartbroken anymore.

“It’s okay. Let’s not think about the past. From now on, once we figure out a few more things, we can just think about the future.”

Yu Su smiled. “You really know how to comfort people. Oh—wait, isn’t that Doctor Wen? He came so early!”

“It’s not early anymore. It’s already eight. The party starts at eight-thirty. For now, it’s just the visiting period. Little Fish, shall we go downstairs?”

Yu Su gave a small “Ah,” then suddenly became a little timid.

“Now?”

Chi Yanxing nodded.

“After tonight, the entire city of Haicheng will know that you are my, Chi Yanxing’s, omega.”

Sigh… There were still a whole bunch of things they hadn’t figured out, and Yu Su had no idea why Chi Yanxing insisted on holding tonight’s party. He seemed determined not to turn back.

Of course Chi Yanxing wasn’t going to turn back.

He had recovered his memories, but the painful past couldn’t make him retreat. That naive young alpha from thirteen years ago had long since grown into a man capable of standing on his own. Whether it was the Yu Su from his childhood or the Yu Su standing beside him now, Chi Yanxing had always cherished him and wanted to spoil him.

He would feel the same no matter who came for him.

It was just that the pot had already reached a rolling boil. If he didn’t lift the lid now, the pressure would eventually hurt him instead.

The elites coming and going had all been carefully selected heirs of prominent families—young and energetic, gathering in groups of three or five to exchange little bits of gossip.

“This is incredible. I’ve known Young Master Chi for so long, and this is the first time I’ve ever stepped through the front door of the Chi residence!”

“Heh. However you manage to walk in today, a few hours from now you’ll have to walk right back out the same way. A perfectly matched pair like that isn’t something people like us can even dream of, is it?”

“I heard that little omega’s legs might have some problems. Apparently, he was even in a wheelchair a while ago…”

“What does it matter to you whether his legs have problems or not?”

A voice came from behind the gossiping crowd.

The few wealthy young omega heirs turned around and saw that it was the alpha from the Jian family who had spoken.

He was not someone to provoke.

The group laughed awkwardly and quickly scattered.

Jian Ruokong glanced at his father’s unpleasant expression and quietly comforted him.

“Dad, don’t worry about those people. It’s not worth getting angry over them.”

Yu Miao snorted.

“Ugly souls.”

Jian Ruokong understood that, fundamentally, his father was a merperson—a member of a completely different species from humans. Aside from their own family, very few people ever received praise or compliments from his father.

And now people were gossiping behind the back of his weak, pitiful, helpless little brother.

What was more, this little cousin had managed, in just these few days, to climb all the way to the number-one spot in his father’s heart.

Jian Ruokong helplessly led his father forward. The one in the sea was a total brocon, and his father’s admiration for his older brother was no less intense.

Now that they had encountered such a precious little darling who had come ashore all by himself and was so lovable, of course his father would want to hold him in the palm of his hand.

Uncle He had been instructed long ago to keep a close eye on the Jian family’s movements. The moment Jian Ruokong appeared, Butler He personally went over and led them to the small garden partition beside the swimming pool.

“I know Mr. Yu doesn’t care for crowds, so our master specifically instructed us to leave this area open for you. The two hosts are currently on the other side. Please wait here with Young Master Jian for a while. Our master will come personally to receive you shortly.”

Yu Miao nodded and gestured for Jian Ruokong to hand over the gift he was carrying.

“Sorry to trouble you. Young Master Chi is young and accomplished, but what he’s been missing all these years is a partner to accompany him. I’m very much looking forward to meeting that little one.”

Jian Ruokong followed along with a smile, putting on a perfect display of courtesy.

Butler He was a shrewd man as well and immediately picked up on the implication in Yu Miao’s words.

These two distinguished guests clearly hadn’t come for the Chi family at all. They had come because of the little omega. No wonder their master had specifically instructed him to look after them.

There was probably more going on here than met the eye.

Uncle He called over a server and had drinks and desserts brought to Yu Miao and Jian Ruokong.

“Please make yourselves comfortable. I’ll go attend to the other guests first—”

Yu Miao gave a slight nod.

After Butler He left, Yu Miao finally raised his eyes and began surveying the surroundings.

When the Chi family’s villa halfway up the mountain had originally been built, it had been marketed as a quiet place for retirement. In simple terms, it was somewhat removed from the city, but it made up for that with its enormous grounds, easily large enough to accommodate a small banquet.

The little garden partition was right beside the pool. Yu Miao turned his head slightly and immediately caught a familiar scent.

Seawater.

Chi Yanxing had certainly put some thought into this.

It looked like the little merperson had probably spent time here.

Jian Ruokong also bent down and stirred the water in the pool with his fingers.

“Dad, there really does seem to be something off about this. Considering Chi Yanxing’s reputation and personality in our circle all these years, even if he met an omega who could resolve his pheromone problems, there’s no way he would go this far—let alone make such a grand public announcement about the other person. This doesn’t look like he’s just playing around. He’s clearly planning to marry him.”

Yu Miao said nothing, but his silence was obviously an acknowledgment of Jian Ruokong’s conclusion.

In the short time the two of them had been standing there, the crowd outside had grown considerably denser.

Everyone who could make it here was smart. With such a good networking opportunity, after gossiping about the Chi family for a while, everyone had gone off to expand their own connections.

Meanwhile, Yu Su was already on the verge of being knocked unconscious by the overwhelming mixture of perfumes surrounding him.

He couldn’t pinch his nose or scrunch up his face. So Yu Su struggled to maintain a beautiful fish-like smile as Chi Yanxing introduced him to one heavyweight guest after another.

People were constantly coming and going around them, and every single person who met Chi Yanxing had to exchange greetings with him. That meant Yu Su had to keep smiling too.

After quite some time, having collected a mountain of compliments about his appearance, Yu Su was finally whisked away by Chi Yanxing to the side of the swimming pool so he could get some fresh air.

“All right. I’ve basically made sure they remember your face. If you ever run into trouble outside, you won’t be bullied or obstructed.”

What Chi Yanxing wanted to give Yu Su was the distinguished status represented by the Chi family of Haicheng—not merely to tell everyone, This is my omega.

Although Yu Su still couldn’t fully understand the significance of it.

“Little Fish, I don’t know if you remember that young alpha we met at the hospital that day?”

Yu Su nodded.

“I remember. He was really handsome too, and he gave me some water.”

Chi Yanxing paused before continuing.

“He came today as well, and he brought a very distinguished guest with him—his father. Once you’ve rested a little, shall we go meet them?”

Yu Su had thought his rounds of socializing were finally over, only to discover there was another one waiting for him.

“Whaaat? I don’t want to go. I’m really tired. I didn’t sleep well last night, and then you recovered your memories this morning. My head is a complete mess right now. I feel like I could just dunk my head into this pool and rinse my brain out. Forget it, Chi Yanxing—”

Chi Yanxing was silent for several seconds.

“Do you remember what I told you? That we might be able to learn the truth tonight. Perhaps we can find some answers through the Jian family.”

Yu Su looked utterly bewildered.

“The Jian family? What do they have to do with this?”

Chi Yanxing raised his hand and pointed toward the small garden partition set up separately across the pool. Jian Ruokong, tall and broad-shouldered, was standing there, and Yu Su recognized him at once.

“Little Fish, Jian Ruokong’s father—the other male head of the Jian family—is here too,” Chi Yanxing said slowly. “He has the same surname as you. His name is Yu Miao—Miao as in the character with three water radicals. Do you know him?”

Yu Su was even more confused.

“I don’t know him. Why would you say that?”

Chi Yanxing’s gaze darkened as he spoke bluntly.

“Because that Mr. Yu from another family is very likely one of your kind.”

Yu Su: “……”

What???

What was Chi Yanxing talking about?

But wasn’t that Jian Ruokong’s father? Shouldn’t Jian Ruokong’s father be a human omega?

How could he possibly be a merperson?

A merperson who had even had a child on land?

Yu Su’s worldview, which he had barely managed to reconstruct that morning, collapsed all over again.

And this time, it completely shattered.

Clusters of blue flowers crowded around his feet. Yu Su followed the swimming pool with his gaze toward the small garden partition on the opposite side, and at precisely that moment, Yu Miao happened to look over as well.

Yu Su: “！！！！！”

He grabbed Chi Yanxing by the elegant sleeve.

The first thing he said was:

“You go first. I’ll cover your retreat! Your brain absolutely cannot get hurt again!”

Alpha: “…………”

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