After a night, Lu Xi successfully transformed and gained legs. He was taller than Li Shu, and Li Shu’s clothes were a bit small on him. Li Shu could only call his older brother and ask him to bring some clothes when he came over.
Li Yan received the call while he was in a meeting. Although he was curious about why his younger brother had such a request, he still asked his secretary to buy the clothes.
Li Shu found a towel for Lu Xi to wrap around himself, while he half-lay on the sofa, handling lab matters.
Even though he had left the base, he couldn’t neglect the experiments over there and needed to monitor for any unusual movements in the base. It was obvious that Jiang Tao and his group were up to something.
Li Shu didn’t plan to keep these people around anymore. Previously, he was too occupied with more important matters to deal with them. Once things were settled here, he wouldn’t leave any of them behind.
The original owner was obsessed with research and didn’t care about these issues, which had led to the current consequences. Li Shu was different. He liked to have control over everything. Sometimes he is magnanimous, but he really can’t tolerate even a grain of sand in certain aspects.
He was now sore in the waist, legs and throat, and he slumped on the sofa, not wanting to move, directing Lu Xi, who had just acquired two legs, to do things. On the coffee table was a cup of warm water with honey which was prepared by Lu .
After taking a sip and tasting the sweetness, Li Shu asked curiously, “What did you put in this?”
“Honey,” Lu Xi sat down next to Li Shu, holding his shoulder and letting him lean on himself. “Yasu said this is good for the throat.”
“He told you this too?” Li Shu raised an eyebrow. He thought they only discussed matters of their clan, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Lu Xi nodded. Sirens were very passionate creatures, and taking good care of their partners was very important to them. Yasu had experience and, knowing his king’s intentions, had carefully told Lu Xi some important points without him needing to ask.
These were exactly what Lu Xi needed. He listened carefully and remembered the key points. Now, he was using them.
He placed his hands on Li Shu’s waist and kneaded it slowly.
The pressure was just right, easing Li Shu’s soreness. He half-closed his eyes comfortably, leaning on Lu Xi’s shoulder, drowsy.
After transforming into a human form, Lu Xi’s appearance underwent some subtle changes. But his handsome features didn’t diminish in the slightest and he was still outstanding. He would definitely stand out in a crowd.
This was the scene that Li Yan saw when he came back: his younger brother was snuggling with a strange man and leaning on him intimately. He stopped, unsure if he should interrupt his brother.
Lu Xi was the first to notice someone else in the room. Despite appearing human, he hadn’t lost his sensitivity to external auras. He sensed Li Yan as soon as he approached.
He tried his best to control himself from harming Li Yan. Merfolk had a strong sense of territory, and it reached its peak after bonding with a mate. Especially just after mating. During this period, they are in a satisfied but tyrannical state— they would kill any intruder in their territory.
If he hadn’t remembered that the intruder was Li Shu’s brother, his close family, he wouldn’t have made the effort to restrain his instincts.
Compared to their loyalty to their mates, familial bonds among merfolk were very weak. The young stayed with their parents for only two years before being driven away. In addition, competition among siblings was fierce. Lu Xi was alone and had no particular attachments, otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed on land for so long.
Humans were different from them, Lu Xi knew this very well. Just as the researchers at the base observed him, Lu Xi also observed this somewhat similar species. After several months, even though he stayed at the base without coming out, he had learned everything he needed to know.
He knew the intruder was Li Shu’s blood-related brother. He couldn’t understand how human brothers could be so harmonious. Both brothers cared for each other, and there was a subtle warmth flowing between them.
This feeling was incomprehensible to Lu Xi. He had never experienced such emotions. Apart from some faint memories of time with his parents, he had spent his long life alone. It was only a short period of time from his weak years to becoming invincible. Once he conquered all difficulties and could easily catch his prey, he felt bored.
Yes, bored. He roamed the seabed, and no creature dared to approach him within five hundred miles. The deep sea held countless dangers. Before he fully matured, he had to stay alert and fight against potential threats. But once he fully matured, these were no longer problems.
When he thought he would spend the rest of his life like this, he was caught by humans, injured, and brought to the base. Life at the base was as boring as in the deep sea, except for the intelligence of humans.
His injuries slowly healed. He could have left directly, but an inexplicable force urged him to stay, and then he met his Li Shu.
Then everything changed.
It was as if colorful paints were injected into a black-and-white world, bringing vibrant colors to his life.
Gently nuzzling the person in his arms, Lu Xi’s voice was soft and slow: “Brother is back.”
He remembered that in human society, partners would follow each other in addressing elders. Since Li Shu called this person “Brother”, Lu Xi also followed suit.
Li Shu turned his head and met his older brother’s complicated gaze.
“Brother.”
He moved out of Lu Xi’s arms. Lu Xi had been giving him a massage, and they ended up snuggling together. Li Shu, drowsy from Lu Xi’s actions, hadn’t noticed Li Yan’s arrival.
He didn’t sleep for most of the night and now had to make up for the sleep. His body was extremely tired, but his mind was excited. He nestled on the sofa, enjoying the compensation from the culprit responsible for his condition.
Although the compensation often included occasional kisses and nuzzles, the hands that eased his muscle soreness successfully made Li Shu surrender.
Feeling comfortable, Li Shu was less particular about certain things. He could sense that Lu Xi was trying to please him, and he indulged in it.
When massaging Li Shu, Lu Xi was careful to control the pressure, mindful not to be too forceful as humans were delicate. Yasu had specifically reminded him to control the strength of his hands, otherwise there was a high possibility of causing secondary injury to the human.
Last night, he had been very careful at first, but later, ahem, later he lost control of himself. Fortunately, no bleeding occurred.
Seeing his partner about to leave his arms, Lu Xi felt a surge of reluctance. Even though he knew it was just a short separation, he didn’t want to let go. He wanted this person to stay in his arms forever and never leave.
This intense possessiveness didn’t emerge suddenly; it had been gradually accumulating. Before he realized it, it had taken root in his heart, entwining with this person, unable to be removed.
Li Shu’s wrist was caught. He turned back to look at the additional hand on his wrist. This hand was very fair, with long, slender and strong fingers that held his wrist with an unyielding force.
“Who is this?” Li Yan had walked up and put the bag he was carrying on the coffee table. “I got the things you asked for.”
He had been curious why Li Shu wanted clothes in this size. Even though he didn’t often see his younger brother, he knew his clothing size. His brother’s size was two sizes smaller than what he had bought. Now, seeing this man who behaved intimately with his brother, there was no need to ask anymore.
But who was this person?
Li Yan felt a strong sense of incongruity from this man. This feeling was intense and definitely not his imagination. His younger brother had always been disinterested in social interactions since he was a child. He disliked the back-and-forth of business exchanges. One could say his brother was as pure as a blank sheet of paper in terms of interpersonal communication.
On coming closer, Li Yan noticed this man was only wearing a bathrobe, but it was clear he was an excellent man with handsome features and a well-proportioned body. Searching his memory, he confirmed he didn’t know such a person, but the man’s appearance seemed oddly familiar.
His mind filled with more questions. Li Yan’s expression remained calm, only the small ripples in his eyes revealed his thoughts.
Li Shu straightened his clothes before explaining to his older brother, “Brother, this is Lu Xi.”
“You said he’s Lu Xi?!” Li Yan exclaimed, unable to maintain his calm expression, “But isn’t Lu Xi…”
Isn’t Lu Xi a merman? He didn’t finish the question because he met a pair of crimson eyes. There was no need for further explanation. This was the most compelling evidence.
“They can turn into humans?” Li Yan no longer cared to control his emotions. Since no one else was around, it didn’t matter if he lost his composure.
“They can, but it requires certain conditions.” Li Shu explained his hypothesis.
“This is really…” Li Yan took a long time to find his voice. He looked at his fatigued brother, and realized, “So, you two are together?”
Last time he left, Lu Xi was still a merman living in seawater. If Lu Xi could turn into a human before, there would have been no need to go through such trouble to bring him out of the base.
“Brother, Li Shu is my chosen partner. I will protect him well.” Lu Xi sat next to Li Shu, still holding onto his wrist.
“Partner?” Li Shu had already told Li Yan about the purpose behind the appearance of merfolk, so he wasn’t surprised by this result. But knowing his carefully raised brother was taken away, especially by a different species, made his feelings complicated.
Seeing Lu Xi’s possessive actions and guarded posture, Li Yan felt choked up. He wanted to learn more, and even thought of informing the family and letting them decide, but the urgent matter at hand took priority.
He poured himself a glass of water to calm down, “We’ll discuss your situation later. I’ve already made arrangements on my end. We’ll meet at the agreed location days from now, in the afternoon.”
Now that Lu Xi could turn into a human, things were much more convenient.
