LSDWTWHA chapter 34

Chapter 33

After Xiang Chen left, only Su Su and Qi Hanyi remained in the room.

Su Su finally calmed down from the shock of Qi Hanyi’s awakening. However, recalling the tension from earlier still gave him some lingering fear, and he started talking about the events of the day in a somewhat disjointed manner.

“Do you know how scary that was!” Su Su slapped Qi Hanyi’s chest and sat up straight. “When I came into the room, you were just lying there, and I couldn’t wake you up no matter what I did. Your grandfather told me to sing to you, but I can’t sing! I had to go online for help. A kind girl told me that mermaid hybrids can’t differentiate, and I couldn’t save you with singing. She said this is what you called a mental force collapse, and that it could be fatal!”

Qi Hanyi quickly pieced together what had happened from Su Su’s words. His head still throbbed painfully, and his usually sharp mind felt dull and rusty.

He thought that after he fainted in the military, someone must have informed his grandfather. His grandfather likely realized he hadn’t followed his instructions to let a mermaid treat him. But for now, he probably hadn’t figured out that Su Su wasn’t a differentiated mermaid; he just thought that he was unwilling to cooperate with the treatment and forced Su Su to come to his room to sing to him while he was unconscious, hoping this would wake him up.

Su Su continued to chatter away, still perched on Qi Hanyi’s body, using his hands animatedly in the air, swaying slightly with his movements. “Then your body suddenly started getting colder and your face looked wrong, so I asked that girl again. She said that your body was affected by the mental force and that you had to be awakened quickly, or else you might die.”

He was only wearing an undershirt. After the commotion, he looked a bit disheveled, the hem of his shirt rolled up and revealing a glimpse of his nicely shaped waist, adorned with a thin layer of silver scales that, rather than looking strange, appeared oddly enticing.

Qi Hanyi stole a glance but quickly turned his gaze away, feeling a sudden heat.

Su Su was oblivious. “I tried so many methods to wake you up! In the end, you just stopped breathing, and I was really scared. I thought you were going to die! Thankfully, I tried the artificial respiration that the girl taught me, and finally, you woke up.”

Artificial… respiration? Qi Hanyi recalled the soft sensation on his lips and that little tongue that sneakily poked around, hesitating to speak.

That behavior could hardly be called artificial respiration.

But it certainly saved him. If Su Su’s obvious presence hadn’t shattered the dream, he didn’t know if he would have suffocated to death in it.

To think he had impulsively kissed the other person for so long, in retrospect, it seemed he was the one being more excessive.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Qi Hanyi said, his voice still hoarse and speaking slower than usual.

“Hmm, that’s what you should be thanking me for,” Su Su replied, nodding modestly. Hearing Qi Hanyi’s gratitude made him feel a wave of relief and joy. Among sharks, there was no concept of mutual assistance, but for the first time, Su Su realized that saving someone was indeed a joyous thing.

Oh, it wasn’t the first time either; he had saved Qi Hanyi twice already. The first time was pulling him out of the sea.

Such an impressive person like Qi Hanyi had been saved twice by him.

With that thought, Su Su felt even more proud. His still-growing fish tail was practically waving in the air.

What should he thank him for?

It was the first time Qi Hanyi heard such a response, and paired with Su Su’s assertive demeanor, he found it amusing and cute.

His mouth involuntarily curled into a smile, and Qi Hanyi didn’t realize just how gentle his gaze toward Su Su was at that moment.

“Hmm, you look really good like this,” Su Su noticed the change in Qi Hanyi. For the first time, he saw Qi Hanyi looking so gentle, with a warm smile, like sunlight piercing through the ocean surface, illuminating the crystalline white sands below and reflecting shimmering light.

The beautiful young man leaned in greedily toward Qi Hanyi, close enough that they could share each other’s breath. Suddenly, he felt a bit parched and a wave of desire surged within him—not hunger, but a deeper, more obscure longing.

He didn’t know what to do. Images of their recent kiss flashed through his mind, and he could still remember that tingling sensation.

Was it supposed to be like that?

At the moment their lips touched, Qi Hanyi returned to his senses. As the pain in his head gradually subsided, his foggy consciousness became clear. He belatedly realized how inappropriate their current position was, recalling Xiang Chen’s knowing glance. Qi Hanyi showed a hint of confusion, “What are you doing?”

“I want to bite you,” Su Su licked his lips and said earnestly, “Not hard, just like before, is that okay?”

“Not right now,” Qi Hanyi turned away his face. Though his complexion was still pale, his ears turned red, “Get off me first.”

“Oh.” Su Su innocently scrambled off Qi Hanyi, as if the one who had just been acting inappropriately wasn’t him at all.

“Put your clothes back on,” Qi Hanyi sat up and picked up Su Su’s outer garment that had been tossed aside. Upon glancing at the scales on Su Su’s body again, he paused slightly, realizing that the effect of the medicine Su Su had taken was likely wearing off soon.

Once Su Su had tidied himself up, Qi Hanyi dressed himself too. As he opened the door, aside from still looking a bit pale, he had basically returned to his usual state.

Xiang Chen stood at the door and, upon seeing Qi Hanyi emerge, put on an exaggeratedly surprised expression while scrutinizing him, “So quick?”

Qi Hanyi ignored him. After thinking for a moment, he knew that nothing could have happened between the two of them in the room. Even if Xiang Chen had his misconceptions at first, he must have understood by now that he was just pretending to be clueless.

He turned to the butler Zhang Shu who was waiting by the side, “Where’s the head of the family?”

Zhang Shu replied, “In the study. He was notified after you woke up.”

Urgent footsteps echoed in the corridor; while they were speaking, Qi Xingli had rushed over, hurrying, his expression tense. Only when he saw Qi Hanyi standing safely in front of him did he visibly relax.

“Head of the family,” Qi Hanyi called out.

Qi Xingli glared at Qi Hanyi with a cold face, “Don’t call me that.”

Qi Hanyi lowered his head, a hint of guilt clouding his eyes, “I worried you.”

Qi Xingli jabbed a finger at Qi Hanyi, exploding with rage, “What were you worried about? The Qi family isn’t your sole inheritance!”

Qi Hanyi bit his lip, fully aware that his grandfather was genuinely angry and scared, shedding his usual air of dignity and aloofness, like a child throwing a tantrum with such words.

However, regarding the use of the mermaids for treatment, they held different opinions. He wouldn’t compromise with his grandfather on this matter and could only play along for now.

“I’m fine now. I won’t die here. I promised you that I would take on the burden of the Qi family, protect the Empire, and uphold the family’s honor.”

“You sure remember what you said!” Qi Xingli’s gaze was sharp as an eagle, staring intensely at Qi Hanyi. “The family clearly has differentiated mermaids, yet you hide in the military camp. When symptoms show, I thought you were deliberately trying to make me angry!”

Xiang Chen sensed the awkward atmosphere and took a step forward, “Qi grandfather, it’s certainly Qi Hanyi’s fault for not getting treated properly. However, the patient has just recovered and needs nurturing. Why not reschedule the training? Let me check his condition first.”

Only then did Qi Xingli’s expression soften a bit. “Who has time to train him? He’s awake, I should go back now. The emperor has summoned me to the palace for a meeting, there’s no time to babysit him.”

“Alright, then. Take care, grandfather,” Xiang Chen promptly agreed.

As Qi Xingli took a couple of steps out but then turned back, glaring at Qi Hanyi, who was bowed down and silent, and then glanced at Su Su, who was peeking from behind. Finally, his gaze landed on Su Su, “You’re Yi Qing?”

“Ah?” Su Su was taken aback for a moment and then nodded, “Ah!”

Qi Xingli’s tone was stern, yet it conveyed a sense of gratitude, “Thanks to you for this incident. If you want any rewards, you can tell me.”

“A reward?” Su Su mused. He didn’t really need anything now—he had food, drink, and things to play with. All he wanted was for Qi Xingli to leave quickly, so he could go back to playing games in peace.

So, he said, “Then don’t scold Qi Hanyi. He definitely didn’t want to get sick.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the corridor varied.

Qi Xingli froze for a moment, then seemed to recall some past stories, his eyes revealing a hint of emotion. It was as if he was seeing Su Su for the first time, examining this so-called granddaughter-in-law seriously, instead of merely viewing him as a tool mermaid.

Qi Hanyi was more surprised, not anticipating that after leaving like that last time, Su Su not only wanted to save him but even came to his defense. This silly fish probably didn’t even realize how valuable a favor was to Qi Xingli.

Xiang Chen’s gaze was far more ambiguous. He thought that he had indeed seen correctly—these two, even without taking that final step, surely had some feelings for each other. Especially this mermaid hybrid, who had previously worried about Qi Hanyi’s comfort and now asked for leniency on his behalf. There was no way he wasn’t fond of Qi Hanyi.

Tsk, such a beautiful and innocent mermaid; how did that ice block Qi Hanyi deserve him?

Qi Xingli said, “From now on, Qi Hanyi will be entrusted to your care. You will live in Qi Hanyi’s room starting today, and sing to him every day until he fully recovers.”

This was exactly what Su Su was thinking. He knew Qi Hanyi’s body wasn’t fully healed yet and could faint at any moment, which posed a danger. With himself there, it would facilitate saving the person if necessary.

Su Su raised his chin, “Qi Hanyi is the one I saved. Even if you didn’t say so, I would take care of him. Otherwise, it would be for nothing.”

Although this wasn’t particularly respectful, to Qi Xingli’s ears, it was more reassuring than many humble promises.

Qi Xingli nodded in satisfaction, gradually understanding why Qi Hanyi had chosen to keep this mermaid around. He held a face as beautiful as Qi Hanyi’s mother, yet they were different. This mermaid was pure, straightforward, and passionate. More importantly, he treated Qi Hanyi sincerely.

A satisfied look surfaced in Qi Xingli’s eyes, and for once, his tone softened, “You’re a good child. Perhaps I was too harsh on you before. As long as you can take good care of Qi Hanyi, the Qi family will certainly treat you well. I will grant you a special communication channel; if Qi Hanyi misbehaves or bullies you in the future, you can directly tell me. That previous request doesn’t count. My promise to you still stands; you can contact me if you need help with anything.”

He operated on his terminal for a bit, and Su Su received a notification that a special contact had been added at the bottom of his interface, without a name, photo, or number, but it was possible to communicate directly.

Qi Hanyi looked at Qi Xingli in surprise. It was his first time seeing his grandfather show such a warm attitude towards a mermaid. He knew Su Su’s personality was likable, but he hadn’t expected even Qi Xingli would be moved.

However, what surprised Qi Hanyi more was Su Su’s kind-heartedness toward him. He didn’t know how to respond and could only take a bit more care of the other person.

Qi Xingli left with his entourage.

Qi Hanyi saw him to the door.

Xiang Chen watched as Qi Xingli got into the shuttle, secretly giving Qi Hanyi a thumbs up and leaning over to whisper in his ear, “To be able to please the old man, your mermaid is quite impressive.”

Su Su followed behind, twitching his ears. His hearing was sharp, and he clearly heard what Xiang Chen thought was a whispered secret: “I’m not trying to please anyone. I only spoke my mind.”

“Cough, cough, cough!” Xiang Chen suddenly erupted into a loud coughing fit.

Qi Hanyi shot him a cold glance for his act.

The loyal butler, Zhang Shu, asked with concern, “Doctor Xiang, are you unwell?”

Xiang Chen waved his hand and theatrically clutched his chest, “I just, suddenly choked on dog food.”