C86 — A Date with the Mer

Not to mention two—Kou Dong didn’t even want to consider one.

But looking at the Siren now, its dark red eyes slightly narrowed, wearing an expression of rare calm and reassurance, those words simply couldn’t be spoken aloud.

For merfolk, whose nature was reproduction, this was already an extraordinary level of restraint. What existed in their instincts was cruelty—an all-or-nothing drive to destroy everything in order to survive.

The Siren was the only one who would take him into consideration.

This gave Kou Dong a strange feeling, as though his existence meant more than just a warm body that could be used as a nest.

At the same time, his hand suddenly brushed against something within the mountain of gold. The object felt warm to the touch, unlike the cold jewels around it.

When he pulled it out, he realized it was a crystal sphere about half the size of his palm, emitting a faint golden glow. In this dark seabed, it was the only thing that made Kou Dong’s skin feel warmth.

And it was placed at the very center of the merfolk’s treasure.

Kou Dong closed his fingers around it, feeling the gentle, non-scorching heat. “This is…?”

For some reason, the mermaid suddenly tensed its deep blue tail. It gazed at Kou Dong, fingers idly playing with his hair, thin crimson lips pressed together.

Only when it could no longer avoid the question did it say, “That day’s sunlight.”

Kou Dong didn’t understand.

“Sunlight?”

Meeting his still-confused gaze, the merfolk leader slapped its tail heavily a few times—an action that looked to Kou Dong like embarrassment turning into anger. Immediately after, it scooped Kou Dong up and swam straight upward. They passed through schools of fish of all sizes, gradually drawing closer to the bright, warm surface. Patches of radiant light spread before them, dazzling to the eye. Holding him tightly, Siren almost crashed headlong into that golden glow—

They broke through the water lightly, leaping high above the sea’s surface.

The thick fog had dissipated at some unknown time. The sea shimmered, and fragmented sunlight rolled toward them together with the waves.

The sound of the surf was close at hand.

Kou Dong saw the vast, azure sky, white seabirds gliding past just above his head. Standing at the center of this boundless ocean, he suddenly realized that the Death Sea, without its fog, was unexpectedly serene and peaceful.

—Sunlight.

He tightened his grip on the bead in his hand, feeling the sun bake him soft and warm, and finally understood what the Siren had hidden inside this sphere.

“Is it sunlight from the sky?”

Kou Dong squinted as he asked. Receiving no answer, he turned his head to look at it.

His gaze collided directly with the merfolk’s.

The mermaid’s seaweed-like hair still dripped with water, pale lashes resting thickly, half-veiling those dark red eyes.

Reflected in those pupils was no sea, no sunlight, no seabirds.

There was only the small figure of the young man, carefully treasured like a precious possession.

It hadn’t looked at anything else at all.

“…”

Kou Dong suddenly realized that every time he looked at the merfolk, he would meet its gaze.

This wasn’t coincidence—it was because the other had never once taken its eyes off him.

“Not from the sky.”

In the moment of his daze, the merfolk’s voice—elegant as a stringed instrument—slowly answered him.

Its slender fingers gradually approached the young man’s fair cheek, finally touching his lightly trembling lashes, like a butterfly about to take flight, its wings gathered and trapped in the merfolk’s palm.

Half of Kou Dong’s vision fell into darkness.

He heard the merfolk’s next words—spoken low, yet every syllable unnervingly clear, drilling one by one into his ear.

“—It was in your eyes.”

Back then, the still-undifferentiated merfolk followed the swimming boy forward, wandering through these waters, neither too near nor too far, trailing beneath him.

The boy’s exposed skin was reflected as snow-white. Cradled by the waves, his toes stretched taut and traced ripples through the water; his pupils mirrored specks of starlike light—

A radiance the merfolk had never seen before. It even forgot to sing, only clinging tightly to the chase, gazing at that unfamiliar, dazzling light.

It was at that moment that it learned what love was. After the boy turned back for shore, it treasured that small patch of sunlight on the sea’s surface.

That light became the most precious treasure in its hoard, carefully placed at the very center.

And now, the Siren possessed something even more important.

A couple of indistinct murmurs slipped from its throat, and it tilted its head slightly. Under the gaze of sky and sea, the merfolk’s vividly red, thin lips slowly drew near, finally pressing against the eyelashes of the black-haired, black-eyed human youth in its arms.

At last, it had completely claimed that light.

Kou Dong’s eyelids trembled faintly as he felt a strange, tingling sensation.

It was a kiss that could even be called gentle.

Could such a beast… really possess such tenderness?

He slowly opened his eyes and felt his waist suddenly lighten as the merfolk abruptly extended its arms, lifting him high into the air—

Like a warrior hoisting aloft, showing off a hard-won trophy.

At the same time, it let out a resounding cry. The call made the sea’s surface quiver; then, as if answering a king’s summons, countless points of silver light gathered across the waters. Schools of fish of all sizes leapt from the sea, tracing arcs through the air; vast shadows from the deep drew closer, sperm whales as large as ships spouted towering columns of water; one by one, merfolk heads emerged at the surface, gazing with longing and envy at the youth in their leader’s arms, returning the call—

The piercing cries carried who knew how far. Seabirds in the sky began to circle above him at varying heights, like a ring of snow-white garlands.

Kou Dong stood at the very center of this strange, magnificent vortex. Supported by the Siren’s strong arms, he looked down under the fervent stares. Face after face lifted toward him; he saw the undisguised jealousy in the merfolk’s dark-green eyes.

They looked at him as though he were prey that should have belonged to them.

Then the Siren drew him back before itself, straightening the magnificent crown upon his head. The enormous diamond on the crown glittered brilliantly; the merfolk’s long, slender fingers brushed the gem’s surface, then it gently smoothed a damp lock of the youth’s hair behind his ear.

It smiled faintly.

“My king—” it murmured softly, pressing a hand to Kou Dong’s lips, its voice tender and lingering.

“I crown you.”

The refracted light of the diamond illuminated Kou Dong’s eyes. Wherever his gaze fell, the native denizens of these waters bowed to him in submission. Under the witness of sky, sea, and sun, they jointly took dominion over this cruel yet beautiful new realm.

“Let them cheer,” the merfolk said, its thin lips brushing his ear, low and unhurried. “Celebrate that you belong to me.”

…

Amid the surging waves, amid the jubilant clamor of celebration, amid the cold sea wind, all things shone with dazzling light. Yet the scene before Kou Dong’s eyes gradually darkened, then swiftly receded—when he opened them again, he was already standing outside the frame.

The merfolk inside the date frame was still holding that pearl. Kou Dong wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the corners of its lips seemed to curve into a faint smile.

Kou Dong stared at the long hair drifting in the water for a long moment before finally looking away. When he turned his head, he nearly jumped—Ye Yanzhi had stood behind him at some point, staring at him with a complicated look usually reserved for a unfaithful lover.

Kou Dong: “……”

He wasn’t usually the kind of person to feel embarrassed, yet being looked at like that by his own kid made his heart inexplicably uneasy. He opened his mouth and asked, “When did you get here?”

Ye Yanzhi replied blandly, “A while ago. I didn’t see you after I finished washing the dishes.”

The way he put it—he was still doing chores, while Kou Dong had run off to go on a date with a merfolk…

Without Ye Yanzhi having to say anything outright, the little drum in Kou Dong’s heart started beating *rat-a-tat* on its own.

Ye Yanzhi said, “So who is it this time?”

He stood in front of the merfolk and finally gave a light smile. “This one?”

The merfolk in the painting slowly curled its tail inward. The slightly upturned corner of its mouth gradually drooped, drooped, until there was no trace of a smile left. Its dark-red eyes filled with grievance as it looked pitifully at Kou Dong.

Kou Dong’s nerves nearly snapped. He hurriedly said, “I’m just going out to make money to support the family—you know prices are skyrocketing these days—”

Halfway through his explanation, it suddenly occurred to him that he had no reason to panic at all.

—Why panic?

Ye Yanzhi might be his kid, but he couldn’t control whether he went on dates!

Kou Dong straightened his back again. He cleared his throat and said, “Adults’ business—kids wouldn’t understand.”

Ye Yanzhi raised one eyebrow high, his gaze sinking slightly as it landed scorching-hot on Kou Dong’s lips. “Kids?”

With just that look, the memory of being pressed onto a platform and kissed came flooding back all at once. That familiar breathing, body heat—so close they felt within reach—strands of hair brushing against his cheek—

Just thinking about it made his legs go weak.

“Don’t think about finding me a stepmother,” Ye Yanzhi said as he strode past him, unhurried. “It would affect my physical and mental health.”

…That damn brat.

Kou Dong stared at his retreating back, feeling a little wistful. Once kids grew up, parents couldn’t control them anymore—now he was even using words like that to jab at him.

Sigh. He really missed the days when his kid was only the size of a palm…

The downsides of Ye Yanzhi growing up didn’t stop there. When night came and it was time to sleep, Kou Dong realized something was off.

He used to let the kid sleep by his pillow, but with Ye Yanzhi’s current size, there was no way he could be placed there like a doll anymore.

And Kou Dong absolutely couldn’t bear to make him sleep on the couch.

…Could it be they’d have to sleep in the same bed?

Father Kou stared at his now-grown child and deeply felt that the house he bought was too small.

While he was still hesitating, the young man was already quite self-aware and had long since sat down on the bed. Seeing Kou Dong stand there unmoving for ages, he lifted his eyelids and glanced at him casually.

“Not sleeping?”

“…Sleeping.”

Kou Dong lifted the blanket and slowly crawled forward from the foot of the bed. The young man narrowed his eyes slightly, watching him inch closer like a spoiled cat that was gradually approaching his side, fluffy head poking out.

That sight made one want to run a hand over him from head to toe.

But that would definitely scare him off, wouldn’t it?

Having already experienced so much frenzied love in the game…

Ye Yanzhi lowered his lashes again, forcefully suppressing the emotions deep in his eyes.

He sat up slightly and undid the first button of his shirt.

Kou Dong jolted in shock, sticking his entire face out and exclaiming, “What are you doing?”

“Sleeping,” Ye Yanzhi said calmly. “Of course I can’t sleep in this.”

“……” Kou Dong thought to himself—you can’t sleep n-aked either!

“You slept in your clothes in the copy, didn’t you?”

“That was a special circumstance,” Ye Yanzhi said, looking down at him intently, as if searching for answers. “Don’t I even have this much freedom?” Kou Dong was practically backed into a corner, unable to come up with a reasonable rebuttal. Even if it was inappropriate, the father-son relationship was something he himself had brought up, so he could only bury his face back in the blankets, frowning as he stared at him.

He didn’t know if this brat was doing it on purpose, but his clean, neat hands unbuttoned each button slowly, half-concealing, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

And to make matters worse, he had a thin layer of muscle, beautifully defined, his V-line was faintly visible, and when he moved, his clothes made a slight rustling sound…

It was more exciting than watching a por-nographic film.

A layer of hot sweat unknowingly seeped from Kou Dong’s back, as if he had hurriedly gulped down a cup of scalding water on a hot day, his throat and body felt like it was burning.

 

He was somewhat aware of his own s-exual orientation, and when he was a dating sim streamer, he mostly chose otome games.

That was why he could look at Ye Yanzhi with such eyes.

Ye Yanzhi was sexy to both men and women.

The moment those words entered his mind, Kou Dong shuddered, thinking, “That’s awful! What kind of weird words are these?!”

Although he despised it, his heart was honest, and ut quietly agreed.

Sexiness wasn’t something one could force. Those who possessed it, even wrapped in thick robes, still evoked fantasies from head to toe; those who lacked it, even in a bikini, just looked like a lump of white flesh. It depended not only on physique, but also on a person’s expression, posture, and psychology.

Ye Yanzhi was undoubtedly a prime example of this quality.

With a soft rustling sound, he finally took off his shirt completely, tossing it casually to the side of the bed. His gaze then shifted, fixing on Kou Dong.

“Dad?” Kou Dong couldn’t bear to hear him call him that again, finally managing a weak “Mmm.”

Ye Yanzhi couldn’t help but notice his influence, a smile appearing in his eyes. He spoke slowly and gently, “Should I take off my outer pants too?”

…Outer pants?

The old father opened his mouth, then suddenly remembered something.

“Wait, son—”

You still have those lovingly bought long johns in there!

Ye Yanzhi’s hand was already at the edge.

Kou Dong abruptly covered his face, unable to bear the sight any longer.

Ye Yanzhi was now confident in his physique, and judging from Kou Dong’s expression, he clearly admired him. He deliberately slowed his movements, little by little—

Through the gap where the casual pants were being pulled down, a vibrant navy blue caught Ye Yanzhi’s eye.

Ye Yanzhi: “…”

Ye Yanzhi: “???”

He felt utterly incredulous for the first time, then looked further inside—

Another section of bright red showed itself.

The red and blue complemented each other beautifully, exuding a strong heavy-metal, agricultural vibe, instantly pulling him back to reality. Ye Yanzhi stared at the two pieces of clothing, his head buzzing for the first time.

He had never worn such outrageous clothes since birth.

The scene was like a peacock spreading its tail feathers and revealing its rear end. Kou Dong buried his face in the pillow, remaining silent for a long while before finally murmuring, “Son, Dad is sorry…”

“This is all poverty’s fault!”

Ye Yanzhi: “……”

He stood completely still, even hearing the sound of his world shattering…

And the culprit even tried to comfort him: “This color scheme looks just like Superman—one glance and you can tell it has superpowers!”

Ye Yanzhi: “……”

Ye Yanzhi was so mad he actually laughed, thinking that when the time came, he’d definitely make him properly experience these so-called superpowers in bed.

The few days of rest flew by in a blink. During those days, Ye Yanzhi repeatedly tried to change into different clothes, without a single success. At this point, he was essentially a pet Kou Dong had drawn from the exchange pool—naturally, whatever Kou Dong said he should wear, he had to wear.

As a result, Ye Yanzhi kept a long face the whole time, his mood dark from beginning to end.

Seeing him like that, Kou Dong didn’t even dare bring up the matter of the little skirt.

On the sixth day, Kou Dong received a message from Song Hong, saying that he and Ah Xue had matters to deal with in real life and probably wouldn’t be able to log in for half a month. Kou Dong guessed it was likely related to Ah Xue’s father. After discussing it with Ye Yanzhi, they felt they couldn’t delay entering the instance any longer, so he first went to the exchange pool and drew an item.

Although the mer was hard to deal with, it was very generous with mood points. Kou Dong got 47 achievement points. Added to the points he had accumulated from previous instances, it was still enough for him to do a draw and save a little for later.

Ever since coming out of the butterfly instance, Kou Dong had felt he needed a handy weapon. Fortunately, Ye Yanzhi’s “koi luck” wasn’t just talk—he actually managed to draw one.

[Item Name: Damaged Bow (Repairable)

Item Effect: Can be used to counter NPC attacks. Current accuracy: 20%.

Usage Method: Fully draw the bowstring and aim at the enemy. After complete repair, accuracy can reach 100%.

Repair Method:

– First repair costs 20 achievement points; accuracy increases to 60%.

– Second repair costs 30 achievement points; accuracy increases to 100%.

Usage Limit: None.]

Kou Dong: “…Isn’t this basically highway robbery?”

Ye Yanzhi, on the other hand, was quite calm. “This is forcing microtransactions.”

Kou Dong: “……”

Sure enough, crows everywhere were the same shade of black—there were no kind-hearted game developers in this world.

He counted the points he had left, his heart aching with every number. If it went on like this, how was he supposed to save money to buy his kid a little skirt?

Thinking of the navy-blue thermal pants he’d been made to wear, Ye Yanzhi said, “That’s fine.”

Kou Dong: “Fine?”

Ye Yanzhi thought to himself: better this way—who knows what even worse clothes you’d buy next time?

He had truly underestimated the heart of a parent.

Father Kou looked up and thought for a moment, then made a decision almost immediately.

Even if it was an item, it had to make way for his kid’s little skirt!

Sailor uniforms reign supreme!!!

If Ye Yanzhi ever found out, he’d probably crush that tiny bit of reluctance on the spot and kill him right then and there…

Before things officially began, as usual, the system’s stiff electronic voice announced the rules to him.

Kou Dong listened coldly as it droned on, his heart utterly unmoved.

His vision suddenly went black. When he opened his eyes again, his body was swaying slightly, as if he were inside a moving carriage.

An invitation card was clenched tightly in his hand.

The seal had already been broken, and on it, written in elegant cursive, were the words:

[“Dear Viscount Glen,
We sincerely invite you to Budapest to attend the grand banquet hosted by Count Kester. We believe that you and your servant will spend an exceptionally pleasant seven days here.

Your dearest friend,
De. Leglis.”

—At that time, he still didn’t know.

What he was about to step into was nothing else,

but a… devil’s banquet.

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