LSDWTWHA chapter 14

Chapter 14

As the morning sunlight streamed through the skylight and illuminated the surface of the swimming pool, Su Su sprang out of the water with a flip.

He had counted the days; it had been exactly a month since he last took the medicine, marking a good day to take it again.

Su Su was full of confidence, believing that this time he would surely succeed in becoming human.

In light of the previous experience, he reverently held the capsule in his mouth and thought for a moment: “I want to become human! I want to become human! I want to become human!”

“Dinner’s ready!” The robot Xiao You pushed a live fish through the door. After Qi Hanyi returned and instructed him to continue feeding Su Su, it seemed Xiao You had given Su Su a new identity — Qi Hanyi’s pet shark.

Thus, he fed him with live fish on a regular schedule, just like feeding a pet.

“Gulp.” Hearing the call for dinner, Su Su instinctively made a swallowing motion, and the capsule slid down his throat.

The capsule’s coating dissolved in gastric acid, and the drug took effect. Halfway through eating, Su Su tilted his head and fell asleep.

A silent transformation quietly occurred in the pool; the silver-white shark disappeared, replaced by an alluring siren-like mermaid.

But the change did not stop there; the mermaid’s fish tail scales gradually faded, transforming into fair, straight, and slender legs.

During his time off, Qi Hanyi did not change his routine. He rose at six, finished morning exercises by seven, had breakfast, and began remote work at eight, handling some matters of the expeditionary force. At noon, he had lunch and took a two-hour nap. If there was work in the afternoon, he would continue; if not, he would enter the full-system simulation training system, completing a series of training from starship piloting to mecha operation and battle simulations.

In the evening, just as Qi Hanyi finished his training and took a shower, drying his still-wet hair with a towel, he received a communication from the head of the family.

Qi Xingli straightforwardly ordered, “In two days, at Mo’s family’s birthday banquet, bring your mermaid partner to make an appearance.”

At that moment, Qi Hanyi was still unaware of the changes happening with Su Su and made excuses according to the previous plan: “She hasn’t differentiated yet; it’s not convenient for her to go out.”

“Hasn’t differentiated? What’s going on?” Qi Xingli retorted, displeased. “I heard this mermaid princess was already in her differentiation period. After spending so many days with you, she hasn’t differentiated? Could it be that she has already differentiated or was swapped out for some other mermaid?”

Qi Xingli’s suspicion was not baseless; Qi Hanyi was oblivious, but Qi Xingli was aware. Generally, the marriage wine consumed before departure contains substances that stimulate differentiation, so mermaids typically start differentiating upon seeing their betrothed.

But now, the mermaid had not differentiated, and given the unexpected events that occurred the day she was supposed to be wed, Qi Xingli naturally considered the possibility that someone had tampered with Qi Hanyi’s marriage.

“I’ve verified his identity; there’s no issue,” Qi Hanyi said with a calm facade, lying.

“Then at the banquet in two days, I expect to see you both together. If I don’t, I’ll have to personally visit you and your fiancée.”

After saying this, Qi Xingli hung up the call.

This last remark carried a warning. If there were no issues with identity, then the lack of differentiation must suggest problems elsewhere.

Qi Xingli knew his grandson better than anyone. He had his suspicions about what Qi Hanyi might do, but he would not give him any opportunities.

If the mermaid wasn’t seen at the banquet that day, he would personally visit to confirm the existence of this granddaughter-in-law.

Qi Hanyi put away the communication device, a frown creasing his forehead.

It seemed it wouldn’t be so easy to fool his grandfather.

Finding someone to attend the banquet wouldn’t be unreasonable, but the risk involved in finding a sufficiently beautiful human to play the role of a mermaid and accompany him was significant. With such short notice, the chances of being discovered by his grandfather during the transaction were high, as was the risk of exposure afterward…

Qi Hanyi hurried downstairs to ask Su Su if there was any way to become human by the day after tomorrow.

As long as he appeared at this banquet with the differentiated “mermaid,” it would likely alleviate some pressure from his grandfather for a while, buying more time for his plans.

As he descended, he happened upon his loyal butler, Li Shu, looking for him: “Young Master, are you going to see the mermaid? Just so happens Xiao You said she has been sleeping and hasn’t even eaten lunch. I’m afraid she might be ill.”

“Hasn’t eaten lunch?” Qi Hanyi paused, glancing at Li Shu. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Li Shu answered honestly, “It’s just one meal; it’s not a big deal, and I was afraid of disturbing you.”

Indeed, under normal circumstances, it was not a big deal. Qi Hanyi often neglected meals when busy with work, sometimes eating only once a day.

But Qi Hanyi knew Su Su had been raised as a shark, with hunting instincts ingrained in nature, often going hungry in the sea, making it unusual for her to not have eaten.

Suddenly, a saying from many years ago came to mind, something he heard from his mother’s doctor: “Mermaids distanced from the ocean may suffer from severe psychological issues, leading to insomnia, loss of appetite, depression, and anxiety. This is collectively referred to as Ocean Syndrome.”

His gaze darkened. “If any problems arise, report to me immediately.”

“Yes.” Li Shu hurriedly responded.

Seeing the serious expression on Qi Hanyi’s face filled Li Shu with concern, and he followed along, keeping pace with him toward the room by the pool.

Qi Hanyi pushed open the door to the pool hall.

Li Shu knew the rules and halted outside the door. “I’ll wait here; you can instruct me if needed.”

What answered him was the heavy sound of the door closing.

Su Su had felt hungry since waking up. The desire to eat was stronger than ever.

The pool still had a few live fish he had just killed, and without a second thought, Su Su reached to grab one. He instinctively flicked his fish tail, only to realize that it was gone.

Choking on water, Su Su discovered not only his fish tail was missing, but his gills were also gone. He instinctively touched his face, and was in disbelief—he had really become human!

He couldn’t even be bothered to check what he looked like, as a wave of overwhelming hunger flooded his mind again. He seized a dead fish, clambered ashore, and began to eat it without care for his image.

Fortunately, his teeth and digestive system still retained their shark-like strength, allowing him to avoid getting choked by the fish’s tough scales and bones.

After devouring three fish, his hunger finally subsided a bit. Just then, he heard the sound of a door opening behind him.

Was it Xiao You bringing food?

Su Su turned, only to find the newcomer was not Xiao You, but his betrothed—an incredibly cute human.

What was his name again?

His hunger-clouded brain could only recall dish names at that moment.

Thus, Su Su blurted out, “Hubby?”

Qi Hanyi stood frozen in place.

He had come to ask Su Su if there was a way to temporarily become human.

But upon pushing the door, he saw the back of a youth sitting next to the pool.

He was seated beside the pool, one long leg curled up, the other hanging naturally into the water, already appearing human.

The boy had an attractive body outline; though slender, he was covered in a layer of thin muscle definition, with long and well-proportioned bones.

His hair was silver-blue, flowing smoothly down to cover his lower back. His skin was startlingly pale.

Even though they were of the same gender and even lived in the military barracks together, the moment Qi Hanyi laid eyes on him, he couldn’t help but feel a primal urge to look away.

With a forceful slam, Qi Hanyi shut the door, his hurried movements betraying an unexpected panic.

When Su Su turned around, Qi Hanyi felt his steady heartbeat suddenly skip a beat, before it raced to catch up with the rhythm.

Yet, his expression remained stoic, unchanged from usual—he seemed like a meticulously functioning machine, just experiencing a minor malfunction, unrelated to him at all.

The boy was strikingly beautiful, almost eerily so, with a scale-like embellishment at the corners of his eyes and remnants of blood at the corners of his mouth from eating fish.

He looked back at Qi Hanyi with a naivety and innocence, casually calling out “Hubby,” as if it were simply a flippant remark, yet it alluringly stirred feelings of desire, like a captivating siren.

Qi Hanyi felt his throat dry and tighten, instinctively avoiding the boy’s gaze, ripping open the buttons on his training jacket, tossing it onto Su Su: “Put it on.”

“Okay.” Su Su grabbed the clothes and studied them for a few seconds. He remembered he had to put his arms into the sleeves.

When Qi Hanyi turned back, he noticed Su Su had put the garment on backward—not just inside out, but upside down, with the neckline at his waist.

Su Su also realized the outfit wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong. He had seen humans wear clothes this way; why did it look odd on him?

Qi Hanyi sighed in resignation.

“Come here.”

“Stand?” Su Su moved his two long legs, but they moved independently, making it hard for him to break free from the pull of gravity.

Just as he was about to slip and fall into the water, Qi Hanyi quickly caught him.

Su Su fell into Qi Hanyi’s embrace, feeling his warmth through the thin fabric.

Qi Hanyi had a clean, fresh scent, reminiscent of the sky after a storm.

Su Su instinctively sniffed, an unexplained excitement bubbling up from within.

He was pressed up against a cute human!!!

Su Su couldn’t help but rub his face against Qi Hanyi’s chest.

Mmm, it was pleasantly firm and very elastic.

While he was lost in this delightful moment, he suddenly heard a low, suppressed voice: “Don’t move!”

At the same time, both hands pressed down on his shoulders, pushing him back a bit.

“Huh?” Su Su blinked innocently, looking at Qi Hanyi, who was gradually building a storm in his eyes, perplexed: Don’t humans like to be close?