LSDWTWHA chapter 69

Chapter 68

The hall fell silent, a pin drop could be heard. No one expected Su Su to admit this, after all, impersonating someone in such an important marriage was completely different from using a fake identity in a game. In a game, as long as Su Su’s strength was real, his identity was not so important.

However, Qi Hanyi’s marriage partner was the mermaid princess, a marriage personally bestowed by the emperor. How could it be changed just like that?

This was also the reason the Mo family believed they could leverage this to control Qi Hanyi. In Mo Shan’s view, even Qi Hanyi would be unable to shield Su Su in this matter; instead, he could be punished for deception.

But now Su Su calmly acknowledged this fact as if he held a winning card at the gambling table, waiting for the opponent to place their bets, only for the opponent to sit down and act like they were about to flip the table.

Even Mo Shan, who had always been strategic, was momentarily taken aback, regretting that he had acted too soon and had pushed the opponent too tightly.

Mo Shan took a sip of tea, and the bitter aroma calmed his emotions. It was fine; Su Su’s problem was far from as simple as a name. He was not only not Yi Qing, he wasn’t even a mermaid; his gender was also wrong. He was a male mermaid hybrid, which neither improved Qi Hanyi’s condition nor allowed the Qi family to continue their lineage. Such an identity held no value for the Qi family, and the head of the Qi family would never protect him.

Feeling he still held the upper hand, Mo Shan was about to speak.

But he heard Su Su, as if exploding, spill all his information: “My name is Su Su, and I am a male mermaid hybrid shark.”

“Cough cough cough.” Mo Shan was choked by the tea.

Male, mermaid hybrid, shark!

Among the guests, quite a few who were timid even dropped their chopsticks, looking bewildered, as if to say, “Who am I? Where am I?” They had not expected that attending a gathering could lead to such an astonishing revelation. Normally, they would delight in this kind of gossip, but now the subject of the gossip was right there, and he was the heir of the most untouchable Qi family. They had lost their appetites and wished they could become deaf at that moment.

Su Su, completely unaware of the storm he had stirred, proudly lifted his chin towards Qi Hanyi, relishing in the act of turning over others’ cards, leaving them with nothing to counter with.

Rather than be used by those with ulterior motives as leverage, it was better to disclose his identity outright and plan ahead.

Qi Hanyi did not stop him; he even indulgently served Su Su some food. He was already familiar with Su Su’s mindset—“No one can use my faults against me, if I can’t live well, neither can you; let’s break the net and kill the fish.” Qi Hanyi’s current reaction was completely within his expectations.

“Mermaid hybrid? Aren’t mermaid hybrids unable to transform into human forms? General Qi, what exactly is going on here? Didn’t you take the princess Yi Qing? You don’t seem surprised, did you already know his identity?” Mo Shan bombarded him with questions, appearing as if he was genuinely astonished and at a loss for what to do.

Qi Hanyi did not budge, raising an indifferent brow, a trace of disdain in his eyes, retorting, “I was unaware that the president of a business club had any authority to question my affairs.”

He generally did not like to pressure others with his identity, as everyone was an heir from top families operating in different fields. However, if we were to discuss official positions, the business club was merely a civilian organization, and its president was just a nominal title, while his status as a General of the Expeditionary Force was entirely valid.

Mo Shan hit a hard wall, but he concealed his discomfort; he nearly bent his chopsticks in his hand.

But he managed to suppress himself. A small annoyance could ruin a grand strategy; he was not someone to act impulsively.

“I have overstepped my bounds; General Qi, please do not hold it against me. Indeed, this matter is for the noble council and the emperor to decide, where would a businessman like me need to worry?” Mo Shan said, pouring himself a glass of wine as if the earlier incident had never happened.

“By the way, before the banquet started, many guests complained to me about how difficult it is to manage their mermaids at home. I might say something that sounds unpleasant, and I hope the mermaids present don’t take it to heart. Well, they do carry some animal instincts; if they don’t listen, naturally they must be disciplined. Once they feel the pain and fear, they will listen.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the mermaids who had just been snacking or worrying about Su Su instantly showed anger. Especially the young mermaids who had recently married; they had moved to the human world. Although there were many restrictions, they lived quite comfortably, and even if their husbands were not particularly loving, they at least made an effort for the dignity of the nobility. No one would dare speak such words directly; it showed a complete lack of respect, as if they were mere pets to be disciplined at will.

Yet what opened their eyes even more came next.

Mo Shan clapped his hands, and five mermaid girls walked into the center of the hall.

Mo Shan introduced, “These are the mermaids we received at our training center last quarter; they have successfully graduated and are now being sent back to reunite with their husbands. This will also let all of you guests see the results of our training.”

Once he finished speaking, he gestured, and the mermaids gathered in the banquet hall returned to their partners.

Unlike the mermaids at the banquet, these girls bore no trace of innocence or playfulness; only fear and an eagerness to please remained. They knelt submissively next to their partners, heads down and waists bent while serving them food: peeling shrimp, deboning fish, removing seeds from fruits, even carefully shelling sunflower seeds. Their wine glasses were filled as soon as they reached the bottom. These tasks usually belonged to servants, but they performed them effortlessly, appearing to enjoy them.

Yet even with this sort of submission, some were still dissatisfied. A junior member from the Mo family suddenly acted out, splashing tea onto his own mermaid’s face: “How am I supposed to drink such hot water?”

The tea was indeed boiling, steaming as it splashed onto the mermaid’s face, causing her to shudder violently. She bit her lip hard, refusing to cry out. After a brief pause, wiping the tea leaves off her face, she meekly apologized: “I’m sorry, I was careless and almost burned you; please punish me.”

Nearby, a young mermaid couldn’t bear it any longer, stood up abruptly, and pulled the apologetic mermaid aside. “What is this? Why are you apologizing to him? We marry humans as partners, not slaves!”

Then she turned and glared at the man: “Did you not know to let it cool before drinking? You find it too hot but splash it on your partner’s face?”

“No, it’s my fault. My husband punishing and teaching me is his way of showing love,” the pulled-away mermaid hastily shielded herself in front of her partner, looking numbly at the young mermaid who was trying to defend her, shaking her head: “I should have blown on the tea to cool it down before serving it to my partner. It’s my fault for letting my partner bear the risk of being burned. Partners provide us with food and clothing; we should be grateful and strive to repay them. Any negligence is ingratitude, and it is unacceptable.”

Hearing this seemingly brainwashed rationale, the expressions of the other mermaids turned grim. The vast majority of them had never been to the so-called Mermaid Training Center, only hearing vague rumors about such a place.

They could not imagine the kind of experiences that could turn an innocent mermaid girl into someone completely unrecognizable within just three months. The reality of that place was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

Meanwhile, the expressions of the humans in attendance varied. A few showed signs of discomfort, and one person claimed to feel unwell and left with his mermaid partner. However, the majority treated it as entertainment, displaying interest, yearning, or even fervor in their eyes.

“The results you all have seen. As long as mermaids are trained using the correct methods, they can be completely obedient to their partners. Naturally, the mermaids who come here will have to suffer a little. If any guest is particularly fond of their mermaid and can’t bear for her to suffer, then they should not come asking about it.”

“Moreover, in my view, for nobles to marry mermaids is a huge grace; it allows them to come from their confined underwater caves to our Imperial Capital, enjoying a life that ordinary humans cannot even experience, and all that is required is for them to bear a child or two.”

“Additionally, if not for this reason, mermaids would have been extinct hundreds of years ago. Our humanity’s benevolence is what has allowed them to survive to this day. If any mermaids do not know how to be grateful and dare to criticize those who provide for their lives and protect their families, then they should indeed receive proper education. What do you all think?”

Mo Shan observed the diverse reactions of the crowd, a gleam of shrewd calculation in his eyes, and announced loudly: “The training center is always open to all of you; interested guests can find me privately after the banquet to discuss.”

Just as his words fell, the young mermaid who had just expressed her thoughts caused an uproar at the banquet, pointing at her partner, who was the school officer Zhu who had started complaining about her wanting to learn starships: “If you dare send me to the training center, you can forget about seeing me again in your life.”

“Threatening your partner is never a good behavior. Officer Zhu, I have seen many mermaids like your wife; if you are willing to entrust her to me, I guarantee that after three months, you will have a well-behaved and obedient one,” Mo Shan suggested with a smile.

The officer Zhu ignored the scoldings directed at his partner, chuckling awkwardly: “That would trouble Mr. Mo.”

“You dare!” The young mermaid pointed at her partner angrily, and suddenly two robots appeared from behind, one on each side to restrain her and drag her away from the banquet scene.

Officer Zhu did not turn to look back, simply expressing gratitude to Mo Shan and asking, “What about the compensation…?”

“Oh, mentioning compensation makes it seem like we’re strangers; this matter is not for business. I purely wish to make friends with all of you talented individuals,” Mo Shan waved his hand and smiled. To him, money was the easiest thing to earn; the connections and power held by these nobles were far more valuable. Gaining their favor was worth much more than a mere monetary exchange.

Watching one of their own being taken away like that, many mermaids displayed sorrow for their kin. Meanwhile, their partners seized the opportunity to reprimand and warn their own mermaids to behave better at home, threatening to send them to the training center if they misbehaved.

After watching enough of the farce, Su Su felt somewhat drained. Were the mermaids being taken away pitiful? Of course, they were, but what did it have to do with him? Were the fish he had bitten to death not pitiful as well?

“Let’s go.” Su Su put down his chopsticks, as if he had just come for a meal: “I’m full.”

Qi Hanyi nodded and pretended to lead Su Su away. However, as they reached the outside, they ran into the butler, who kept obstructing them, saying that there were special performances prepared for General Qi and he hoped he could spare some time to participate. Then, he said the host had matters of cooperation to discuss with General Qi and wished for him to stay. Finally, he mentioned that their shuttle had been accidentally damaged, needing to wait a bit longer. In short, he was trying every means to delay them.

It wasn’t until Mo Lin led several people in defense bureau uniforms forcefully surrounding them that Mo Lin pulled out a council’s decree, giving Su Su a meaningful glance, then reciting to Qi Hanyi: “The elder council has just urgently passed a resolution. The mermaid hybrid Su Su impersonated the mermaid princess, deceiving the upper authorities, mocking humans, and damaging the nobility’s reputation. He is to be placed in the Mermaid Training Center for confinement until the circumstances are clarified, after which I will report to the emperor for further decisions.”

After reading it, he seemed a bit apologetic: “Hanyi, I’m sorry, I just received this news from my father and didn’t have time to inform you in advance.”

He sighed, “I don’t know how you and the elder brother suddenly got into this situation. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding; our families are closely connected, and both you and my brother are capable individuals. Just have a good talk; you can surely resolve the issues. As for Su Su, don’t worry, he will be safe on our Mo family’s territory; I will help you keep a close watch on him.”

“Should I also go to the training center?” Su Su’s spirits finally lifted. He thought the serious matter had arrived after watching the drama for so long. He cheerfully waved at Qi Hanyi, smiling like a child about to go on a picnic with friends: “I’m off now; don’t miss me too much.”