No matter how chaotic things were on the star network, Yu Mian was currently rolling up his sleeves in the study, trying his best to fish his golden conch shell out of the water.
“So, this is the conch shell. At first, it was just a small fish…”
Holding the conch shell, Yu Mian attempted to start his explanation to Huo Ting, only to realize that the man behind him was still staring intently at his ankle.
The feet that had transformed back from a fish tail still bore a circle of delicate, light-gold scales around the ankles. Under the light of the study, they shimmered beautifully.
“…”
‘Was this guy even listening to the explanation?’
Being stared at like this made Yu Mian subconsciously want to hide his ankles. After all, not fully reverting to human form felt strange, he felt like an inhuman being.
“So, after Huo Yan discovered you, he just went along with it and asked you to attend the parent-teacher meeting?”
Noticing Yu Mian’s attempt to hide his ankles, Huo Ting finally shifted his gaze back to him.
He had already guessed a lot, but he really hadn’t expected that this unexpected sense of familiarity would turn out to stem from here.
“And back then, even though you clearly knew me and Hals, you pretended not to.”
Yu Mian: !
Being directly “called out” by Huo Ting about this incident, Yu Mian’s ears instantly felt hot.
Why couldn’t this guy let him explain things in order?
He needed time to spin a better story…
“I just couldn’t transform my legs at first, so I had to stay in the study. Later, I gradually managed it and asked Huo Yan to take me out once. I didn’t expect to run into you…”
“And if I had directly said I knew you, wouldn’t it have been really weird and scary for someone to suddenly appear in the study?”
Flustered, Yu Mian began rambling nervously to explain himself. Huo Ting, however, caught onto a few key pieces of information in this long-winded explanation, his gaze falling on the golden conch shell in Yu Mian’s hands.
After a moment of silence, he looked back up at Yu Mian.
Weird?
If he were to believe in his grandfather’s old story from the start, then all of this could actually be perfectly explained.
But Huo Ting was increasingly certain that Yu Mian had no idea about his grandfather’s story.
Because Yu Mian was holding the conch shell with great openness, chattering on about his “business venture”, from his first book “Contract Marriage” all the way to “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King”…
“So, you approached me and Hals back then to gather material for your writing.”
Huo Ting, who had been quietly listening all along, finally spoke, summarizing in a way that left Yu Mian momentarily speechless.
“Um… I didn’t mean it like that!”
For some reason, Yu Mian felt a strange sense of guilt, as though he had been accused of something.
It was as if he were a scumbag fish.
“And I always paid the rent.”
Clutching the golden conch shell tightly, Yu Mian tried to cover up the awkwardness of having once worn a vest.
Yet in the next moment, instead of listening to Yu Mian’s endless “excuses,” Huo Ting squatted down and examined the circle of scales on Yu Mian’s ankles.
“So, these can’t fully transform back, and they sometimes fall off.”
Though phrased as a question, his tone was more like a statement.
“Uh… yes. Is it weird?”
Yu Mian grew a little nervous at how close Huo Ting suddenly was.
“No, it’s beautiful.”
Surprisingly, the usually taciturn Huo Ting responded with a rare candidness, directly addressing Yu Mian’s nervousness.
The study fell into sudden silence.
For some reason, Yu Mian felt an overwhelming urge to flee the room.
“So, you’re not surprised at all?”
Recalling Huo Yan’s shocked expression when he first saw him as a mermaid, Yu Mian finally realized something strange about his interactions with Huo Ting.
That was, from start to finish, Huo Ting’s emotions had been unusually calm.
“…I found a scale before, so I had some guesses,” Huo Ting admitted after a brief pause.
Yu Mian: !?
Yu Mian was shocked.
Had his scales been shedding so much that they could be casually picked up by someone?
A tragic moment in his fish life.
“Next week, we’ll see a doctor.”
However, Huo Ting was still very concerned about the circle of scales on Yu Mian’s ankles.
After all, for most special races, the inability to completely hide their traits often indicated some kind of physical abnormality.
“See a doctor?”
Why had the topic suddenly shifted to visiting a doctor?
Yu Mian admitted that whether in his past life or this one, he had always avoided seeing doctors whenever possible. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have worked himself to death meeting deadlines.
“I don’t think it’s nec…”
“I’ve already made an appointment for next week. After all, those skincare products you used before can’t replace proper medication.”
Just when Yu Mian tried to evade, Huo Ting directly followed up with this information.
He had originally planned to leave a note for the resident in the study before he left, but now it seemed even more convenient to address it directly.
Yu Mian: “…”
Hugging the golden conch shell tightly, Yu Mian felt a headache coming on. Everything was turning out completely different from what he had imagined.
Somehow, he was being dragged to see a doctor for his tail… even though Granny Delanchii had said he was just growing.
“Shouldn’t we be thinking about how to respond right now?”
“How do you want to respond?”
Sensing Yu Mian’s reluctant agreement, Huo Ting’s lips curved slightly.
“I actually have a plan. Would you like to hear it? It’s about those materials you gave me earlier…”
Yu Mian obediently sifted through the documents on the desk, pulling out a list of ingredients and opening his lightbrain to show Huo Ting the outline for his new book.
Watching Yu Mian skillfully navigate the light brain, Huo Ting gradually understood how this resident had “started a business” in the study.
No wonder he had insisted on scheduling times for using the study.
Yu Mian, on the other hand, began explaining his plan earnestly.
“…This way, we can include the recipe in the book, and then shoot a tutorial video. That way, more people will know how to cook it.”
“And if we both appear in the video, people will believe we’re not the same person. But we won’t need to show our faces, just our hands.”
After finishing his explanation, Yu Mian realized the plan hinged on one critical factor: Huo Ting’s willingness to participate.
This guy was usually so busy with work. Would he have time for something like this? Especially something as seemingly unserious as cooking?
“Okay.”
But just as Yu Mian nervously awaited an answer, Huo Ting agreed without hesitation.
“Let me know one or two days in advance, and tell me what preparations are needed.”
Yu Mian subconsciously turned to look at Huo Ting behind him, only to find that Huo Ting was also gazing down at him.
He subconsciously wanted to flick his fish tail, only to remember he had already transformed back to human legs.
“Then it’s settled…”
Lowering his voice, Yu Mian stared at the final explanation he had posted on his StarBlog, forced to face the most daunting issue yet.
“But how are we supposed to explain this to your grandfather? This is too strange!”
The old man had gone out for a while, only to return and find that his grandson suddenly had a houseguest living in the study.
And not only that, but it had taken this long for the truth to come out, and Huo Ting was made to take the blame for the vest.
If he were Huo Ting’s grandfather, he’d definitely suspect he was a monster.
But just as Yu Mian was lost in thought, Huo Ting gently “rescued” the poor conch shell that was on the verge of being crushed in Yu Mian’s hands.
“Maybe he’ll just be happy about it.”
“Huh?”
Yu Mian looked at Huo Ting in confusion, finding such reassurance unconvincing.
“This conch shell…do you recognize it?”
After a long silence, Huo Ting finally asked tentatively.
“Uh, I think it was once sent to me by my parents a long time ago. But they’re not around anymore, and I can’t find them…”
Yu Mian didn’t notice the subtle tone in Huo Ting’s voice.
Or perhaps, even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t have been able to guess its significance.
After all, his carefree parents had long forgotten about the playful promise they had made with Huo Yuejiang.
Maybe being carefree was a trait shared by this family of optimistic parents.
“…”
Watching Yu Mian’s straightforward explanation, devoid of any unnecessary emotion, Huo Ting’s expression shifted subtly.
At least, this way, as long as his grandfather didn’t slip up, that playful promise between elders could be treated as nonexistent.
“Grandpa might actually explain why this conch shell brought you to the study.”
Huo Ting offered a vague explanation, successfully piquing Yu Mian’s curiosity and surprise.
His amber-colored eyes seemed to reflect a faint golden shimmer, and his long eyelashes, characteristic of mermaids, resembled butterfly wings.
When he focused entirely on you, there was an indescribable feeling.
Perhaps this was why it was impossible to get angry at him, even if he had suddenly become a “famous author” in the blink of an eye.
Strangely, Huo Ting felt an urge to reach out and touch him.
“…Ah!”
Yu Mian suddenly covered his eyes, and only then did Huo Ting realize he had unconsciously extended his hand.
