Chapter 47 Tender Waves
The hotel where Luo Qingyan and Xiao Nanyu stayed was very close to the sea; they could see the ocean from the window of their room.
Luo Qingyan loves looking at the sea, but she doesn't want to get close to it; her inner worries and fears always linger. The little male merman would occasionally mention to Luo Qingyan the need to experience the sea, but he would never force her.
The two spent their days in H City leisurely and peacefully, tasting delicacies they had never tried before, strolling around in beautiful places, and falling asleep soundly in each other's arms...
The little male merman quietly stayed by Luo Qingyan's side. He had originally planned to patiently wait for the other to gradually change on his own, but as time went by, the other seemed to stagnate, and even showed signs of regressing, becoming increasingly depressed and fearful. So, he felt that he should step in and pull the other forward.
-
That day, the two woke up during their midday nap in the sunshine.
Luo Qingyan enjoys the warm sunshine, so the two of them never close the blackout curtains during their afternoon nap, only the sheer curtains that let in light. At this moment, the warm yellow sunlight paired with the white sheer curtains is exceptionally beautiful.
"Want some water?" The little merman woke up faster. He propped himself up and looked at the person next to him. "Your lips are a little dry."
Luo Qingyan was still a little dazed. Lying completely on the bed, she snuggled against the soft pillow and said, "Can't you kiss me if your lips are dry?"
"You're dehydrated, one kiss isn't enough." The little merman reached out and flicked Luo Qingyan's nose. "Drink some water first, I'll get you some."
Luo Qingyan stretched and said, "Then you can kiss me after I finish drinking the water."
"Okay." The little merman slowly lifted the thin blanket, then sat on the edge of the bed and got dressed.
Luo Qingyan glanced at the little male merman who had his back to her. He took off his pajamas, picked up a shirt, and prepared to put it on. As he did so, the muscles in his back became particularly defined, making him look very attractive.
A smile crept onto her lips. She then propped herself up and moved slightly toward the edge of the bed, before stretching out her hand and touching the other person's back with her index finger. It wasn't just a light touch; she slowly slid her finger along the muscle lines.
The little merman turned to the side, puzzled: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much, I just think your back is very beautiful."
"Then... I'll not wear clothes for now?"
Luo Qingyan chuckled and withdrew her hand, saying, "No need, no need, that's not what I meant."
"What...does that mean?"
"Can't you understand what I mean?" Luo Qingyan propped his head up with one hand, his eyes flashing. "When I touch you with my fingers,... what do you feel?"
"How does it feel?" The little merman tilted his head in thought. "A little itchy."
"That's all?"
The little merman squeezed the shirt in his hand, looking puzzled.
"Alright, alright." Luo Qingyan let go of her hand and lay flat on the bed again. "He really is a pure-hearted little merman."
The little male merman thought for a moment: "If you think my back is beautiful, shall we go swimming?"
"Huh?" Luo Qingyan turned her head to look at the little male merman, her brows furrowing slightly, revealing a puzzled expression.
"We won't go into the sea, just to the hotel's indoor swimming pool," the little merman quickly added. "I haven't swum in a while and I'd like to get back in the water. You can try touching the water too. Can you swim?"
"Yes, I can swim freestyle and butterfly." Luo Qingyan wasn't sure if she actually wanted to swim right now, but she answered the question first. "I even participated in swimming competitions when I was in school!"
"You won the championship?"
"That's not the point." Luo Qingyan narrowed his eyes, ignoring the little merman. "Just being able to participate is already quite good!"
"Oh, that's right, many humans can't swim!" The little merman paused for a moment, "Then, shall we go swimming later?"
Luo Qingyan stared at the ceiling, thought for a moment, and, not wanting to disappoint the little male merman, said, "Okay."
-
The hotel's indoor swimming pool is heated, and the water is not cold and very clear, but because it is not summer, there are not many people swimming there.
Although Luo Qingyan had changed into her swimsuit, she was still covered with a towel. She didn't really want to go into the water and dawdled the whole way. The little male merman noticed her thoughts and naturally didn't force her. So, she ended up sitting on a lounge chair by the pool and watching the little male merman swim.
This was the first time she had ever seen a male merman swim in person. She had imagined it before, but no matter how wonderful the imagination was, she was still stunned when she actually saw him swimming.
The little merman didn't jump directly into the water from the shore. Instead, he sat on the bank and dipped his hand into the water, waving it around. He wasn't testing the water temperature; he just wanted to feel the water in the pool. Then he lowered his legs, bringing his entire body into the water.
Actually, the way the little male merman enters the water is a common way for swimming beginners, but his movements are natural and harmonious from beginning to end, so smooth that people can ignore the fact that his entry method is very ordinary and only notice that his posture is very agile.
The little male merman was like a fish in water once he entered the water.
His swimming style is generally freestyle, yet it has a very unique feel. It's hard to pinpoint the difference, but it just doesn't feel like a movement humans typically perform, or rather, a movement that humans find difficult to execute. In short, it's incredibly comfortable, possessing the freedom of a fish while also exhibiting the beauty and power that humans appreciate. It's captivating; you can't get enough of watching, and every second is a surprise.
The little male merman seems to blend into the water, making it feel like he belongs in the water rather than swimming, exuding a relaxed and natural feeling at all times.
Luo Qingyan stared at the little male merman, somewhat lost in thought, until he swam to the edge of the pool and called to her, bringing her back to her senses.
"The water temperature is just right for humans. Would you like to come swimming?" The little merman wiped the water off his face and smiled.
"I..." Luo Qingyan hesitated, "How about I sit on the shore for a while?"
"Okay, I'll lead you over here."
"No need..." Luo Qingyan had barely finished speaking when the little male merman instantly stood up, climbed ashore, walked towards her, and then extended a hand towards her, as if inviting her to dance gracefully.
"To others, we seem like a lovey-dovey couple, you even have to hold my hand for these few steps." Luo Qingyan complained, but she put her hand on the little merman's hand and let him lead her to the pool.
"Shouldn't couples be together?" The little merman squeezed Luo Qingyan's hand, his eyes flickering slightly. "Be careful."
“I’m not…” Luo Qingyan paused for a moment, then smiled, “I’m not a child. It’s just a few steps, no need to be so… exaggerated.”
The little male merman pulled Luo Qingyan to sit by the pool: "If you don't want to swim, you don't have to. You can watch me swim."
“Great, the feeling of you in the water is really refreshing, like dancing, like art, as if you can see the ocean through you.”
"Then I'll keep swimming and show you," the little merman said, getting back into the water.
"You swim to your heart's content, don't worry about me. I'm very happy just watching you swim."
"good."
-
Luo Qingyan and the little male merman stayed in the pool until dinner time before leaving.
The two didn't rush to eat dinner; they went back to their room to rest for a while before leisurely heading to the hotel restaurant. When they arrived, the restaurant wasn't crowded, so they chose a window seat where they could enjoy the night view while eating.
The little merman could sense that Luo Qingyan had relaxed a bit, confirming that his initiative to do something had been useful. He had a plan in mind, and it looked like he could put it into action tonight.
-
"Shall we have some drinks?" Luo Qingyan was in a good mood. While waiting for the food to be served, she was looking at the night view outside the window and suddenly became interested.
"Drinking?" The little merman knew about alcohol, but he didn't think it tasted good, and he wasn't sure about his alcohol tolerance. He had plans for tonight, so he didn't want to be in a bad state. A hesitant expression appeared on his face.
"I... I probably can't hold my liquor well," the little merman immediately replied, but his words clearly indicated his refusal to drink. "If you want to drink, I'll have a soft drink with you. As for alcohol, we can drink it next time we go home!"
“That’s true, it’s safer to try drinking at home for the first time.” Luo Qingyan nodded. “Then let’s drink again next time, we’ll drink together until we’re drunk!”
"Okay, let's start with some delicious food today." As soon as the little merman finished speaking, the waiter began to serve the dishes.
-
Although they didn't drink alcohol, Luo Qingyan was still in a good mood. She looked at the night view outside the window for a while and chatted with Xiao Nanyu for a while. The two of them ate for an hour before it ended.
After dinner, the two took a walk in the hotel garden.
On the way back, the little merman seemed a bit reluctant to leave.
Luo Qingyan found it strange, so she asked directly, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go back? You seem... weird."
The little merman pursed his lips and thought for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and said, "I want to give you a little...surprise, which I need to prepare myself beforehand. But I don't know what excuse to use to make you stay late so I can go back to my room first."
Luo Qingyan covered her mouth and chuckled a few times: "A surprise is only a surprise when the other person doesn't know about it. How could you say it so easily?"
"Because I really couldn't think of an excuse to separate us and go back to our rooms one after the other." The little merman looked embarrassed. "Actually... it's not really a surprise, I just... wanted to make you happy."
"I'm already very happy that you're so thoughtful." Luo Qingyan said, taking a small step back and smiling. "Alright, you go back first, I'll go back later."
"Okay! Five minutes. You just need to be five minutes later than me." The little merman was overjoyed and could hardly contain his excitement.
"Okay, I'll stay in the garden for another five minutes."
"Be careful on your own, and keep an eye on the time!" The little merman took several steps backward before turning around and running away.
-
Luo Qingyan, who was in the garden, was naturally curious about what surprise the little male merman would prepare for her. She had guesses, but she tried hard not to. After all, already knowing there was a surprise had lowered the level of excitement considerably. What if she guessed the specifics and it wasn't surprising enough, which would disappoint the little male merman?
Luo Qingyan wandered around the garden for five minutes in a daze before returning to her room. On the way back, she unconsciously quickened her pace, but then she remembered the little merman preparing a surprise, and she was afraid that if she went back too early, he wouldn't be ready. So she alternated between fast and slow paces.
Fortunately, when she arrived, the little merman was already standing at the door waiting for her.
"Is everything ready? Wait for me outside so we can go in together?" Luo Qingyan glanced at the door.
"Okay, I'm ready." The little merman reached out to take Luo Qingyan's hand. "It's a very small... gift, I hope it will make you happy."
"Do you need me to close my eyes or something?"
"No need, you'll see it as soon as you open the door. I'll be behind you, pushing you inside and closing the door."
"Push me inside?" Luo Qingyan smiled and, before she could speak further, the little male merman opened the door and pushed her inside.
Upon seeing the scene inside the room, Luo Qingyan was stunned and completely forgot that she was supposed to go inside. It was actually the little male merman who pushed her inside.
It's snowing inside the room!
Snowflakes drifted down as if from the ceiling, falling gently onto the bed, table, sofa, and floor. Several patches of snow, varying in depth, were pristine white. On the table by the window, there was even a small snowman with a nose and eyes.
Luo Qingyan reached out and caught a snowflake falling from the sky. He examined it closely and felt it, then exclaimed in surprise, "It's...it's a real snowflake! How did you do that?"
The little merman brought a coat and draped it over Luo Qingyan: "I can control water, so I can naturally find a way to turn water into snow. Do you like it?"
"I love it! Of course I love it!" Luo Qingyan pulled the coat draped over her shoulders, her eyes shining. "Even if you had told me about this surprise, I would never have imagined it could be so...so beautiful! It's so dreamy! It actually snows indoors, real snow!"
"I'm glad you like it." The little merman smiled sweetly, raised his hand, and a few snowflakes around him drifted with his fingers. "I can control the size of the snowflakes, you can choose whatever you like."
"You really seem like a character straight out of a fairy tale." Luo Qingyan's eyes were a little moist. "You're beautiful and have healing abilities. I thought I had really bad luck, but I never expected... to meet you. It's so good."
"Meeting you is my good fortune." The little merman bowed to Luo Qingyan and extended his hand. "May I invite you to dance?"
"It's my pleasure." Luo Qingyan took one hand on the little male merman's hand and reached out to take off his coat with the other.
"Put on your coat, or you'll get cold." The little merman grabbed the coat, trying to help Luo Qingyan put it on. "Although I try my best to only lower the temperature of the snow, the whole room will still get cold because of the snow."
"Okay, I'll put it on." Luo Qingyan said, putting on her coat first. She looked at the little merman's thin shirt and asked, "Aren't you cold?"
"I'm not afraid of the cold."
"That's so nice, I'm so envious."
"Don't envy those things, enjoy the present." The little merman saw that Luo Qingyan had put on his coat, so he took the other's hand and said, "Let's dance." As soon as he finished speaking, music started playing from the speakers in the room.
"How did you do that?" Luo Qingyan glanced at the speaker in surprise.
"I can press the play button with water."
"I'm going to be envious again."
"What's there to envy? You have me!"
"It seems... I don't fully possess it yet?"
"I am ready to form a contract with you at any time."
Luo Qingyan stroked the little merman's hand with his fingers: "I'm talking about what humans call possession."
The little male merman pondered for a moment, then blinked: "Do you think we need to have what humans consider intimate contact before we can form a contract?"
Faced with the little merman's composure, Luo Qingyan was a little helpless: "You... are you really that calm? Yes, humans feel excitement during close contact, and it's easy for other feelings to develop afterwards. Don't mermen feel that way?"
“Mermaids can, but there are differences.” The little male merman’s expression shifted slightly. “Skin contact does affect the formation of the contract, but it’s a very small effect. The most important thing is the bond between the two of us. You really don’t need to worry.”
"Then... what if I wanted you to...?"
The little merman responded to Luo Qingyan with a kiss, then slowly pushed him down onto the bed: "If you think this is important, then of course I'll go with you."
"Follow me? Does that mean you don't want to?"
"Not really... I... think."
A passionate kiss brought the two into close intimacy.
It seemed that even a room full of snow couldn't lower the room temperature.
The kiss grew more passionate and tender.
"Wait, I..." Luo Qingyan gasped softly, "I...I want to see what you look like as you are."
The little merman paused for a moment, then tilted his head slightly: "Do you want to come to the sea with me?"
"Is a swimming pool okay?" Luo Qingyan touched the little merman's lips. "Don't you have cleaning skills?"
"OK."
-
The indoor swimming pool has limited opening hours and is closed at this time.
But there's always a way to get in, especially since the little male merman has special abilities, so there's no need to worry about surveillance.
The indoor swimming pool was dimly lit, with only a faint shimmering of water visible. The little merman, with his good eyesight, held Luo Qingyan's hand tightly as they walked step by step.
"Are you sure you want me to look like my original self?" Standing at the edge of the pool, the little male merman asked Luo Qingyan again to confirm.
“Yes.” Luo Qingyan nodded solemnly.
"Are you ready?"
"alright."
The moment the words left his mouth, the little male merman kissed Luo Qingyan, then embraced him and plunged into the water.
As she entered the water, Luo Qingyan involuntarily closed her eyes. She felt something in her mouth, which the little male fish had fed her.
"Don't be afraid, open your eyes," the little male merman's voice rang out. "My pearl is in your mouth, and you are free in the water."
Luo Qingyan slowly opened her eyes and found that she was indeed not uncomfortable at all, but rather felt at ease. Then, she saw that the little male merman's legs had transformed into a beautiful large fish tail, swaying freely in the water.
Luo Qingyan felt that she could speak, so she tried to speak: "May I touch your fish tail?"
"Of course." As the little male merman spoke, he used his pectoral and caudal fins to hug the person in his arms, then wrapped the person tightly in his arms, making it difficult for them to break free.
Luo Qingyan suddenly remembered that the little male merman used to forbid her from touching his tail fin. At this moment, she seemed to understand why she couldn't touch the fins casually. She reached out and touched the scales on his waist, feeling his slight trembling and eagerness.
She tilted her head back and kissed him deeply.
...
The surface of the water is calm, but beneath it, ripples meander.
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