Yu Mian registered a new account and sent a friend request to the editor while opening the second private message request from Bai Lande.
The next moment, the system automatically sent the whole incident of Bai Lande’s live broadcast to Yu Mian.
Only then did Yu Mian realize that the surge in his data after his latest update was closely related to anchor Bai Lande’s live broadcast promotion.
No matter what, he definitely owed him a thank you, so Yu Mian quickly approved the request.
[Bai Lande: Hello!]
To his surprise, the other party instantly accepted and even replied.
In fact, Bai Lande had been observing Yu Mian’s profile page.
The avatar was a default random image, and the page was completely blank. It looked like a brand-new account with absolutely nothing on it—so mysterious!
In Bai Lande’s mind, he instantly pictured a poor young man living in a remote star system, someone who had only recently figured out how to operate their light brain, appearing entirely out of place in the online world.
But how could someone like this write such a novel??
At that moment, Bai Land became very curious about what the author looked like and how old they were.
[Fish: Hello?]
[Bai Lande: WOW, you actually replied! Are you a real person??]
[Fish: Yes~ Thank you so much for promoting my book on your live broadcast today. It was a huge help.]
However, Yu Mian didn’t realize that Bai Lande had stumbled upon his work by accident and it was originally featured in his live broadcast’s humor column.
Seeing the sincere gratitude from this young author, Bai Lande, uncharacteristically, felt a twinge of embarrassment and his face flushed slightly. He suddenly felt like he’d met an honest person.
[Bai Lande: Ahem, it’s no big deal. I was following your updates anyway, so I just shared the latest chapter with everyone. I didn’t expect it to have such a great effect. Honestly, I should be thanking you instead.]
[Bai Lande: By the way, what do you think about trying a collaboration? I’ve noticed that our combination seems to work really well!]
Bai Lande quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic.
However, this time, the other side repeatedly displayed “typing…” for several moments, yet no message appeared.
Bai Lande thought, ‘Why does this author seem a bit clumsy? Even typing is so slow.’
[Fish: Sorry, I think I need to grab some food first. I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Can we discuss the collaboration in detail shortly?]
[Bai Lande: Dizzy from hunger? Damn! Go eat quickly! I’m not in a rush.]
The message confirmed Bai Lande’s suspicions. This author was indeed fragile.
Could it be that he stayed up all night to finish updating and still hadn’t eaten?
In reality, the reason Yu Mian took so long to reply was that the mental power he had deliberately reserved was inexplicably drained by hunger. As a result, he almost collapsed again.
Unexpectedly, the system suddenly pulled out a box of nutrient solution, startling Yu Mian into catching it.
“Where did you even get this?”
It was already embarrassing enough borrowing the light brain to write. Now he was consuming what seemed to be someone else’s food supply, making Yu Mian’s scalp tingle even more.
The little system replied casually, [From the fridge in the lounge of the adjacent room. There’s plenty of it—all top-grade nutrient solutions.]
[Besides, not drinking it would be wasteful. The staff periodically throws them out and replaces them.]
[Hunger depletes mental power to compensate.]
Holding the nutrient solution, Yu Mian finally confirmed one thing: the little system truly lacked human reasoning and operated entirely on instinct in many areas.
“Thanks for finding food for me, but humans shouldn’t take things from others without permission,” Yu Mian tried to explain.
[But the operation of small worlds is based on equivalent exchange. Everything is interconnected.]
[Even your presence in this aquarium will eventually lead to some related plot tasks. Drinking a little nutrient solution in advance doesn’t matter.]
To his surprise, the system responded to his concerns seriously.
“Huh?”
“Then what do I exchange in return?”
Yu Mian suddenly felt uneasy. ‘Would I have to leave star coins in the study as rent or internet fees?’
That would be so bizarre.
Besides, the owner of this study hadn’t returned since that day.
[Don’t worry. Drink it first. When the time comes, daily tasks will be triggered to balance it out. A few bags of nutrient solution aren’t a big deal.]
[You’ll probably get tasks like cleaning the study or something like that.]
The little system didn’t seem to care at all.
But Yu Mian clutched his stomach, unable to bring himself to drink it.
Knock, knock, knock…
Just then, there was a soft knocking at the door!
The knocking was so light, as if trying not to disturb something, and it sounded low to the ground.
Yu Mian suddenly realized a possibility.
“It’s you!” The small water bottle!
“You’re awake!”
The moment Huo Yan poked his head through the door, two lowered voices exclaimed simultaneously.
“Ah, you’re finally awake!”
Huo Yan, with his small backpack, dashed over to Yu Mian, but carefully stepped back half a step, afraid of stepping on his fish tail.
“Are you hungry? This time, I brought an extra meal!”
The little ball rummaged through his backpack and quickly pulled out a lunchbox. The next second, he noticed the nutrient solution Yu Mian was holding.
“What? Why are you drinking nutrient solution? It’s awful! I only drink that stuff during school survival training!”
Before Yu Mian could react, Huo Yan swapped the nutrient solution with the lunchbox in his hand.
“Here, here! I asked Qiao Ni and the others to make it. What kind of flavors do you like?”
When the box was opened, the dishes inside were so lavish it was hard to describe. A variety of dishes had been prepared, allowing for a selection to taste.
“… Is this really for me? How did you know I was awake?”
Looking at the lunchbox in his hands, Yu Mian was so moved by this small warm bottle that he nearly burst into tears.
For the first time, he didn’t feel like he had transmigrated into the protagonist of one of Yu Hua’s realistic literary novels.
**Yu Hua is a Chinese author known for his profound and diverse literary works that often explore themes of humanity, suffering, and the socio-political realities of modern China. His writing tends to be both deeply emotional and sharply critical, often blending elements of absurdity, dark humor, and tragedy.
‘There were still some good people in the world! How could this little water bottle be so warm-hearted!?’
“Don’t mention it! I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time! But they wouldn’t let me near the study. I kept my head down for days, pretending to be good, and finally got permission to come alone to study and do research for my homework.”
“I figured you might wake up, and if you did, I’d share half my food with you!”
As Huo Yan spoke, he dramatically pulled out piles of homework and worksheets from his backpack and spread them across the desk with a bitter look on his face.
“Why are you looking at me? Eat quickly!”
But seeing Yu Mian’s sparkling eyes, Huo Yan no longer had the intention of focusing on his homework. Instead, he crouched beside him, propping his chin on his hands and urged him to eat.
At that moment, Yu Mian suddenly realized this little guy might think of him as some kind of virtual pet to be fed.
But still, he was so touched!
“By the way, are you a mermaid? Were you brought here along with this aquarium?”
While Yu Mian ate silently, Huo Yan finally couldn’t help but ask.
For several days, he had been wondering about why there was a mermaid in his cousin’s study.
But no matter how much he questioned Qiao Ni and the others about the aquarium, they wouldn’t reveal anything.
After much thought, there seemed to be only one possibility.
This little fish might have been packed into the aquarium while still asleep, along with a shell or something!
That is, the little fish was probably sleeping and was packed up with a conch shell or something and put into the aquarium!
So, his cousin probably had no idea there was a super beautiful mermaid hidden in his study!
A secret only he knew!
Just thinking about it made Huo Yan so excited he couldn’t sleep. He wished he could visit the study every day just to take a look.
It was so magical! And he was so incredibly beautiful, even more stunning than the mermaids described in fairy tales.
No, he was even better!
Even the way he ate was captivating.
Huo Yan rested his chin on his hands, and the more he watched, the more he liked it. If he had a fluffy little dog tail, it would definitely have been wagging nonstop by now.
“I suppose I am a mermaid for now… but why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?”
Yu Mian, who was usually carefree, felt a little embarrassed when being stared at.
“Because you’re so beautiful.”
Huo Yan almost seemed to be covered in flowers, and he subconsciously blurted out the truth.
!
Yu Mian hadn’t expected that in just a few days, this little water bottle had transformed into a straight shooting monster. He was momentarily speechless and felt slightly embarrassed.
Still, it was still quite interesting to be complimented so sincerely by a child.
“Thank you. You’re cute too.”
“And thank you so much for bringing me food. I was really hungry when I woke up.”
Although his mental power could sustain his body, this was the first time since entering the novel that Yu Mian had eaten his fill. He felt a profound sense of relief and happiness, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to pat Huo Yan’s head.
The previously shy Huo Yan lit up immediately at his praise. “Then I’ll bring you food every day, okay?”
“Huh? You can come here every day?”
Faced with his question, Huo Yan started counting on his fingers hesitantly.
“I think I can, at least until my cousin comes back…”
“So this study belongs to your cousin?”
Yu Mian glanced around the room and couldn’t help but become curious about the owner of the study.
“Yes, sort of. He grew up here when he was little, but he doesn’t visit the old house much anymore, so it’s been left unused.”
“But he’ll be back next week!”
Huo Yan finished counting his fingers, suddenly startled.
Time had flown by so fast. Next week, his cousin’s starship will arrive at Central Star early in the morning!
Hearing this news, Yu Mian subconsciously felt a wave of nervousness as well.
“What will happen when he comes back?”
“I’m not sure what he’d do if he found you. But he’s always hated keeping pets, including this aquarium.”
Huo Yan turned to look at the large aquarium, deep in thought about what to do.
Should he secretly take him away?
Or just tell his cousin he wanted to keep him?
“By the way, would you like to move to a new home?”
“Huh?”
Yu Mian was caught off guard by Huo Yan’s bold suggestion and didn’t respond for a moment.
“Move? How?”
“Do you mean sneaking out of this aquarium?”
Yu Mian glanced at the aquarium behind him and suddenly realized something.
If there were many things he couldn’t do alone while stuck in the aquarium, having Huo Yan as a little helper might make them possible!
In a sense, could he even have Huo Yan take him to explore the interstellar world outside? Maybe even return to the original owner’s rented apartment to check on the situation?
“Exactly! You can turn back into a little fish, and I’ll find a small glass jar to put you in. Then I can carry you away! I’ll be leaving Grandpa’s house once my summer vacation ends.”
“My family’s garden has a big fountain with lots of aquatic plants and flowers. When summer comes, it’s full of vibrant colors and looks absolutely beautiful.”
“The best part is that my parents rarely come home since they’re always traveling to different star systems for research. So you wouldn’t have to worry about being discovered!”
Seeing that Yu Mian didn’t reject the idea, Huo Yan instantly lit up like a proud peacock displaying its feathers, wishing he could pluck out all his beautiful feathers to show Yu Mian.
