Xiao Qi's calves disappeared, transforming into a long, slender, white fish tail with shimmering silver light, which stood out brightly in the ocean currents, like a piece of silk sprinkled with jewels.
The two fish tails, one red and one white, complement each other beautifully.
Xiao Qi's heart skipped a beat. He tentatively shook it, and the white fishtail immediately swung nimbly, as if it belonged to him, agile and nimble.
"Brother Xiao is a mermaid baby too! No wonder Wanwan liked him so much as soon as she saw him!"
Wanwan excitedly hugged Xiao Qi's neck, overjoyed. Then she let go of his arm and swam around him in circles, her red tail occasionally surfacing and reflecting a dazzling light.
It took Xiao Qi a while to accept that he was a mermaid. He recalled how Wan Qiusui had tricked him and pushed him into the water during the celebration. He had never been in deep water before, but he was able to swim with ease. All his doubts seemed to have a reasonable explanation.
His dark eyes shone with a light brighter and gentler than the shimmering seawater. He looked at the jubilant children around him, his shoulders slumped, and the invisible pressure that had been weighing on his heart for so long seemed to be released in an instant.
The sea, like a loving mother, graciously embraced the two little ones.
Immersed in the water, Xiao Qi felt a deep sense of belonging for the first time, unsure whether it was because he was a mermaid and belonging to the sea for the first time, or because Wanwan was a mermaid like him.
It was as if a hole had been opened in his heart, and Wanwan had been put inside.
The two little mermaids swam in the ocean for a long time, until the seawater cooled and the sun set, before swimming back to the shore.
The moment their fish tails touched the sand on the shore, they transformed back into human legs.
Having never experienced such a strange phenomenon before, Xiao Qi couldn't help but stomp his feet on the ground, his serious expression seemingly confirming in his mind whether his legs could still move as flexibly as before.
Seeing his serious attempt, Wanwan clutched her stomach and laughed for a long time. The two little ones were having a great time in the sunset. It wasn't until nightfall that they went their separate ways.
Overjoyed, Wanwan skipped and hopped all the way back to find Wan Suizhou, squatting down to examine the interesting seashells along the way.
If they saw anything oddly shaped, they would carefully pick it up, wipe the mud and sand off their clothes, and then carefully put it into their pockets.
When I arrived home, it was already dusk. Wan Suizhou's study was brightly lit, the door was ajar, and he was reading a letter under the lamp.
The letter came from the capital, and it was full of news from the capital. Wan Suizhou's white eyebrows were furrowed together, and as time went by, they became more and more furrowed.
The lamplight flickered on the letter, and Mr. Wan's worried face was bent in the small heat of the candlelight.
"Alas, Marquis Xi Ning is probably quite difficult to deal with!" Wan Suizhou stroked his beard anxiously and muttered to himself.
"Grandpa, who is the Marquis of Xi Ning?"
A clear, crisp voice suddenly rang out from below, causing Wan Suizhou's hand to tremble and almost drop the letter directly onto the candle flame.
Wanwan lay on his knees, looking up at her grandfather.
Her round eyes were full of curiosity, sparkling in the warm candlelight. She seemed puzzled by her grandfather's hurried appearance.
"What's wrong, Grandpa?" Wanwan asked, tilting her little head.
"fine."
Wan Suizhou reached out and touched her head. Wanwan could clearly feel her grandfather's rough hand trembling slightly, which made her even more puzzled.
"Grandpa has something to do and has to go out for a while. Wanwan, why don't you wait for Grandpa at home?" Wan Suizhou asked Wanwan affectionately.
Wanwan nodded sincerely.
Wan Suizhou then placed the letter in the open box under the desk, stood up, and hurriedly walked outside.
It was drizzling outside, and Wan Suizhou was in such a hurry that he hadn't brought any rain gear.
Wanwan had some doubts, but she didn't investigate further. After her grandfather left, she mischievously climbed onto his tall chair.
As her field of vision suddenly rose, a small surge of excitement rose in Wanwan's heart, and her two little legs swayed happily.
She wanted to see what it would feel like to look at the ground from this angle, and as she looked down, she noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground. She tilted her head and looked at it for a while, then lightly jumped off the chair, picked it up, and examined it closely.
It's the letter Grandpa just read; it must have fallen out because he was in such a hurry when he left.
Wanwan turned the letter over, revealing it densely covered with writing. Although she couldn't recognize the characters, she could tell that each one was elegant and graceful, a world apart from her own scribbles.
She leaned closer and looked at each character one by one, finally finding the two characters she recognized: "Xiao Qi".
"Huh? Why is Brother Xiao's name on it?"
Wanwan muttered to herself, "It must be a letter from Brother Xiao. Grandpa didn't have time to give it to Brother Xiao, so I'll deliver it to him."
Without hesitation, Wanwan carefully folded the letter and placed it with the pile of delicate seashells in her pocket. She then opened a small oil-paper umbrella and stepped into the rain.
The rain was light; the ground was damp but not yet flooded. Dewdrops condensed on the grass and flowers, and the sky was a hazy gray, giving the illusion of something pressing down on you.
Wanwan lifted her small skirt with one hand and held an umbrella with the other, arriving at Xiao Qi's study in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Xiao Qi's study was also ajar. Wanwan pushed the door open with practiced ease. Xiao Qi looked up when he heard the sound, and when he saw it was Wanwan, his cold eyes immediately softened.
“Brother Xiao, there’s a letter from Grandpa about you. It mentions something about Marquis Xi Ning. He must know someone like that, Brother Xiao.”
Wanwan entered the house shivering, hugging her arms because of the cold.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi's eyebrows suddenly shot up, and the gentle warmth in his dark eyes was instantly replaced by a cold killing intent. Before Wanwan could react, he suddenly stood up with such force that the candlesticks on the table shook.
"Marquis Xi Ning?!"
Xiao Qi shouted and repeated it, his voice trembling, as if suppressing a raging fire that was about to burst into the sky, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly.
Wanwan's small body trembled. She had never seen Xiao Qi so excited before, and a little frightened, she hesitated for a moment before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the letter. She spoke much more cautiously, "Wanwan brought the letter..."
Xiao Qi noticed Wanwan's fear and realized he had been somewhat rude. He quickly apologized and then took the letter to read it carefully.
He read the letter extremely quickly, his eyes following it as he moved, a fine layer of sweat seeping from the tip of his nose, a faint blush gradually rising in his eye sockets, and a surge of emotion welling up in his dark pupils. Wanwan could almost hear his increasingly heavy breathing.
Wanwan didn't understand it, but she had already realized that this letter was extremely important to Xiao Qi.
She dared not be as carefree as before, but instead huddled in a corner, quietly waiting for Xiao Qi to read the letter.
Time passed by, and after finishing reading, Xiao Qi slumped back into his chair, utterly exhausted, and fell into a sudden silence.
He then rested his elbow on the table, silently supporting his forehead with one hand, seemingly lost in thought.
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