As Yu Mian floated lazily in the water, flicking his tail with a sigh, the private residences surrounding Starry Sky Lake began to light up one by one.
Among them, Ernis’ mansion, where tonight’s party was being held, was brilliantly illuminated.
“Ernis, are you saying we have a new neighbor? Then why didn’t you invite him over!”
A young man holding a sparkling drink looked curiously at Ernis, who was sighing nearby.
“Because I think I might have scared him off.”
Ever since Ernis returned, he couldn’t stop thinking about the scene in the middle of the lake. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted saying the wrong thing at the time.
“Scared him off? By you?”
The young man widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Yes, but I think he’s the best-looking aquatic descendant I’ve ever seen.”
“Well, since he’s a neighbor, there should be opportunities to meet again in the future, right? But seriously, did everyone read Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ new book yesterday?”
However, the young man was clearly more interested in discussing Yu Mian’s new book “Reborn Once Again”. As soon as this topic came up, the atmosphere of the entire party became lively.
“Of course! It wasn’t enough at all. Now I refresh several hundred times a day.”
“The new book’s character setup is just too captivating, but what I can’t understand is how two brothers turned out not to have a blood relationship!”
“Shouldn’t the one most worried after reading it be Ernis? After all, he really does have a younger brother.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, ahhh! My brother and I are both biological siblings, okay? We both have the crab shell trait!”
As a devoted fan of Fish Soup Noodles, Ernis was so enthusiastic that he had collected an entire room full of physical books and various merchandise. This was no secret in their circle.
It was even rumored that Ernis had enlarged and pasted a screenshot of what was suspected to be Fish Soup Noodles’ silhouette on his wall, making him really look like a sasaeng fan.
What made Ernis feel both happy and tormented was that as someone with a younger brother, reading the new book “Reborn Once Again” brought about an indescribable sense of weirdness.
He had to suppress the urge to rush to the hospital for a DNA test while reading.
Fortunately, both he and his brother could clearly form crab shell-like textures on their arms, which undoubtedly confirmed they were biological brothers!
Meanwhile, Yu Mian knew nothing of what was happening. Instead, he slept comfortably in the lake until dawn. There was an indescribable sense of relaxation in his fishtail.
“Time to go home~”
Taking advantage of the morning light reflecting on the lake’s surface, Yu Mian had Little Dandelion carry him back home.
However, as soon as he returned home feeling satisfied, he found a note on the table.
—Back already? – Huo
“Oh no! I completely forgot about Huo Ting… I told him I’d be back last night.”
Holding the note, Yu Mian felt a sudden sense of panic. He couldn’t even tell when exactly this note had been left in the study.
If he hadn’t replied at all, wouldn’t Huo Ting know he hadn’t come back?
Why did this strange guilty feeling feel like being caught by a dormitory supervisor doing rounds?
Yu Mian quickly wrote a reply and slipped it under the door to Huo Ting’s living quarters.
Having stayed up all night working on documents, Huo Ting heard the movement and opened his door to find the note.
—Got it. – Huo
However, after receiving the reply, Yu Mian looked at the concise note and couldn’t help but write another one.
—Did you wait up all night? Q.Q
Fortunately, Huo Ting quickly replied to Yu Mian’s nervous question.
—No, I just woke up. – Huo
“Thank goodness! At least he didn’t actually wait up all night…”
Yu Mian heaved a sigh of relief after reading the note.
“But that two-legged beast did wait up all night!”
Before Yu Mian could completely relax, the fish in the aquarium began to chime in.
“Huh?”
Yu Mian immediately turned to look at the aquarium.
“Absolutely! Every now and then, there’d be knocking at the door. It was driving us insane.”
“Wuuu, that’s right! That two-legged beast is way too much.”
“…”
Yu Mian’s scalp tingled as he listened to their complaints and looked back at the note in his hand.
Was this the first time Huo Ting had lied to him?
Clearly, he had waited up all night but claimed he had just woken up?
“So… he’s mad at me, right?”
Examining the notes once again, Yu Mian felt that although Huo Ting’s tone was consistent with his usual style, something about it felt subtly off.
[EMMM… Considering you did say you’d only be gone for the night, if he found out you hadn’t returned and worried you were in trouble, he might indeed feel some subtle emotions according to human behavioral norms.]
The system silently pulled out a manual titled “Comprehensive Guide to Human Behavior” and began analyzing the situation.
Ever since its host complained that it lacked human common sense, it had taken up studying in its spare time.
“What kind of ‘subtle emotions’ are you talking about?”
[For example, feeling like you don’t see him as an equally important friend, leading to a mix of heartbreak, sadness, mistrust, and feeling undervalued, which might cause him to question your friendship.]
“…What kind of nonsense is written in that book?”
[You don’t believe me?]
“…”
Yu Mian felt a headache coming on.
As he wrestled with his dilemma, he noticed that Huo Ting had already left the house. Peering out from the windowsill, he saw Huo Ting’s car driving away into the distance.
[Usually, he leaves for the military department at 7 a.m., but today he left at 6:28. Do you think it’s because he didn’t want to receive another note from you, so he just left?]
The system struck another blow.
Yu Mian collapsed onto the desk in frustration, only to wince and grab his head with a sharp intake of breath.
He collided hard with that young man yesterday while swimming.
What was odd was that the spot he had hit felt as hard as a shell. It had only hurt a little at the time, but now it was starting to swell.
[That guy was probably a crab! No wonder you’re bruised. Should we put some ointment on it?]
The system abandoned its book and focused on examining Yu Mian’s forehead, which was starting to look a bit swollen.
“But we don’t have any ointment right now.”
Yu Mian rubbed his head, feeling listless as he worried over whether Huo Ting was actually angry.
And since Huo Ting had left, there was no way to send him another note.
[Why not use the account he left you? Order something, and Qiao Ni will deliver it as if it were Huo Ting’s package.]
Thinking back, the little system looked through the drawer and helped Yu Mian find the note with the login details.
It was after helping to sooth his mental power that Huo Ting gave this private account but Yu Mian had never used it.
Now that the system had brought it up, Yu Mian stared at the note and realized that Huo Ting had given him quite a number of things over time.
Was he treating him like a character in a game, endlessly supplying resources?
“Alright, let’s use it. I’ll repay him for every star coin spent.”
Yu Mian turned on the light brain, carefully logged into Huo Ting’s account and then logged into the shopping website.
However, this was Huo Ting’s personal account after all. After placing an order for some ointment, he did not touch it anymore.
Meanwhile, during a military meeting, Huo Ting’s light brain buzzed softly.
After opening it and taking a look, his originally expressionless face showed a flicker of surprise.
The previously unused account had just been used to order ointment.
So he came back late because he was injured while out?
”
Yu Mian remained blissfully unaware of the chain reaction his action would trigger.
Soon, when the delivery arrived, Qiao Ni saw that the recipient was listed as Huo Ting and helpfully brought the package upstairs.
Yu Mian ran out of the study to retrieve the express delivery and found that this was indeed very convenient.
“Since it’s addressed to Huo Ting, no one would dare open it. It’s delivered straight upstairs. Maybe if Shaxs wants to send something… Ow!”
[I’m applying the medicine, don’t speak!]
The little system carefully dabbed some ointment on a cotton swab and applied it to Yu Mian’s head. Unexpectedly, the pain was so intense that Yu Mian’s tail curled involuntarily.
“Why does it hurt so much?”
“Because that crab’s shell seemed to be slightly toxic. The broken skin got infected, so it needs disinfection.”
The little system, inexperienced in applying medicine, nervously tended to Yu Mian, who looked utterly pitiful.
“Ugh, my eyes are so itchy…”
Yu Mian’s eyes started to sting from the stimulation, and he couldn’t help but rub them several times.
Was it so painful that it made him tear up?
“Huh?!”
[Eh?!]
However, as he rubbed his eyes, Yu Mian and the little system both stared at his palm in shock.
Lying there was a perfectly round, lustrous little pearl!
Its brilliance was dazzling, with a faint golden hue.
[I get it now!!]
The small system exclaimed suddenly.
[Remember the task reward from the second book, “Pearl of the Deep Sea”?]
“Yes, but nothing ever happened, so I thought it was just a loss. So it’s actually… a tear pearl!?”
Yu Mian’s thoughts immediately flew to countless legends about mermaids, like the tales of tears turning into pearls. He never expected it to be real.
“So that’s why mermaids can afford to maintain their tails.”
After all, when short on money, they could just pinch themselves, shed a few tears, and have pearls to exchange for star coins, right?
“But this isn’t an ordinary pearl. You definitely shouldn’t sell it casually!”
The little system guessed Yu Mian’s fleeting thought and promptly warned him while inspecting the pearl in his palm.
“This kind of mermaid pearl, if kept nearby or placed under your pillow while you sleep, has a significant restorative effect on mental power. It even ensures sweet dreams!”
“That amazing?”
Yu Mian suddenly felt grateful for the “little crab” he bumped into at the Starry Sky Lake yesterday. If it weren’t for that, he might never have discovered this reward.
While Yu Mian was resting his chin on his hands, admiring the pearl, an idea struck him.
Meanwhile, to Yu Mian’s surprise, Huo Ting returned home earlier than usual that day.
But when Huo Ting took the special medicine and wanted to go back to his room to write a note and send it to the study, he paused unexpectedly and looked at the small pouch on the carpet in the lounge.
