09. I don't want to!

It's just like raising a child; you have to worry about everything.

Thinking about children, Xi Zhengyu couldn't help but wonder what kind of child he and Xie Shiyu would have in the future.

Is she a well-behaved and adorable little mermaid, or a cheerful and lively child?

Just as he was about to say something, Xi Zhengyu immediately pulled himself back on track, his expression serious.

You've only been married a short time and you're already thinking about having a child? How pathetic!

Xi Zhengyu cursed himself in his heart.

"Xi Zhengyu, your dark circles are so big!" Xie Shiyu's voice rang out. Xi Zhengyu came back to his senses and looked at the big screen. He saw her lying on the edge of the pool, her big, bright eyes staring at him without blinking.

The fish tail behind her swayed back and forth, creating ripples on the water's surface.

The handprint on his face had faded, and Xi Zhengyu nodded slightly, "It's good that it's gone."

"Have you not been resting properly lately?" Xie Shiyu continued to ask, and then said in a serious tone, "Grandpa Amu said that not resting properly is bad for your health."

"Yeah, I've been pretty busy lately," Xi Zhengyu nodded in response, his voice devoid of any emotion.

But deep down, he felt a sweet warmth in his heart, knowing that his newlywed wife was taking care of him.

Yes, I'm happy...

Though happy inside, Xi Zhengyu didn't show it on his face. He spoke in a calm voice, "I'll go back after I've settled things here. Silly Fish, practice walking well during this time."

"But I don't have legs." Xie Shiyu frowned and muttered when she heard the task he gave her.

“Every adult mermaid can turn her fish tail into legs.” Xi Zhengyu said, looking at her mermaid tail, which was very beautiful.

"I don't know..." Xie Shiyu said, lowering her head in shame. "Grandpa Amu didn't teach me. He said I would live in this sea area for the rest of my life, so I didn't need to learn."

After speaking, Xie Shiyu raised her head, blinked her bright blue eyes, looked at him very seriously, and asked with a smile, "Then can you teach me?"

"I will definitely study hard!"

Seeing Xie Shiyu looking at him like that, he reluctantly nodded and accepted: "Fine, since you're my wife."

The two chatted for half an hour. Xie Shiyu noticed the time; the TV series she had been watching yesterday was about to release a new episode.

But the video call showed no signs of ending. Xie Shiyu thought for a moment and said, "Xi Zhengyu, you should go and rest. It's already ten o'clock. Not getting enough sleep is bad for your health."

She is now a mermaid who has just come of age, or a mermaid who has lived in the sea for twenty years. Being a little naive and silly is just right.

"You need to go to sleep, eat well, and take good care of your body." He finished with a bright grin. "So now you should go rest, we'll talk again tomorrow!"

After saying that, she waved to him sweetly, "See you tomorrow, goodnight!"

She hung up the video call immediately after speaking, and as soon as the video ended, Xie Shiyu raised her hand and tugged at her cheek.

I was laughing so hard my legs were about to freeze.

I feel like I'll be playing a naive and innocent character for a while now.

This really tests her acting skills, considering that when she was a star, she mostly played villainous supporting female characters.

I opened the video app, and a news article immediately popped up.

The title was very attractive, so Xie Shiyu clicked on it.

The Miller family actually did something like this—they kidnapped mermaids and forced them into prostitution!

The Miller family?

Xie Shiyu, filled with doubt, began her investigation and discovered that the Miller family was actually Nellisa's family.

However, this viral news was released only half an hour ago. Xi Zhengyu's speed is truly amazing!

China speed.

Xie Shiyu wasn't in a hurry to watch that silly, sweet drama anymore; she just kept refreshing it online.

[Baiyun: After looking into it, all I can say is amazing!]

[God of the Ocean: Please let us mermaids return to the seabed! You humans are the most wicked creatures!]

Please protect me: a leopard can't change its spots.

[Great White Shark: I'd rather they made us into sashimi than see the desperate and miserable expressions on my companions' faces.]

[Jellyfish: First seated senator, please step down. Is this how you treat us while you're sitting there?]

[...]

Xie Shiyu leaned against the great shark water ball, the whole fish sinking in, the cool and refreshing feeling making the fish very comfortable.

She was holding the robot's smart terminal, constantly watching the comments section, which was filled with insults from the mermaids.

They were all using very foul language; you could tell everyone was very angry.

Humans have used every means to salvage them from the deep sea, yet these same people have persecuted them from beginning to end.

Those dark hundred years are still vivid in my mind. Even though the Mermaid Act has been in effect for two hundred years, these hypocritical humans still scoff at it.

She was in a good mood at first, but as Xie Shiyu scrolled through her phone, she became heavy-hearted.

There was a feeling in my heart that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Pray, my fellow mermaids! We can never return to the deep sea. The ocean god has abandoned us, and we can no longer find our way to the planet Aquamarine… The prophecy has come true.

Upon seeing this abrupt comment, Xie Shiyu's heavy mood vanished instantly.

What prophecy?

What other prophecies circulating in the mermaid community are unknown to her?

Grandpa Amu didn't tell the original owner either!

Also, does the phrase "the god of the sea abandoned us" refer to the mermaids on the shore?

Xie Shiyu stopped reading gossip and went to find prophecies about the mermaid circle.

Hey, I've looked all over but can't find it.

As time passed, the older generation of mermaids gradually passed away, and the so-called prophecy was no longer known to anyone.

"You're talking so mysteriously, like you're afraid I'll find out," Xie Shiyu complained.

—

"I don't want to!" Nelisa was immediately unhappy when she heard her father tell her to apologize to the mermaid. "Dad, I don't want to apologize to her. She's a slut, a vixen. Apologizing to her will lower my status!"

She's the granddaughter of the first councilor; there's no way she'd apologize to that vixen Xie Shiyu!

"Can you please stop being so willful?" Nellisa's father, Andrei, scolded sternly, his face dark. "Can't you see that the family business has been affected?"

Within just one hour of the scandal breaking, billions of Starcoins had evaporated, and if this continues, the losses will only increase.

"Do you still want to buy some pretty little dresses?" Andrei coaxed. He was the only grandson in the entire Miller family, so they had to spoil him.

She never experienced maternal love growing up, but everyone in her family doted on her.

This also led to Nellisa developing her current spoiled personality.

“If you don’t apologize, Grandpa’s position will be affected, and Dad’s company might go bankrupt,” Andrei tempted. “All you have to do is apologize.”

After saying that, she played the victim again, saying, "Can you bear to see your father burdened with hundreds of billions of dollars in debt?"

Hearing her father say that, Nellisa bit her lip and said very reluctantly, "I'll apologize."