RAM Chapter 7

The mermaid was utterly engrossed in the drama. Right as the plot reached a crucial turning point, the screen cut to commercials. Frustrated, he flipped through channels with the remote but couldn’t find anything that caught his interest. With a disappointed sigh, he put the remote down, his hand absently wandering to his waist. The elastic waistband of his shorts clung snugly to his skin, but the space between his skin and the fabric was empty.

His pearl—where was it?

The mermaid shot upright, scattering the seaweed he’d been lounging on. As it fell to the ground, it revealed the missing pearl. He quickly bent down to retrieve it, holding it up to his chest as if calming himself.

Sure, he was the most majestic mermaid in the sea, but even mermaids were still fish. And fish didn’t have memories as sharp as humans—losing things was just in their nature. After all, hadn’t his mer-dad misplaced him a few times as a kid? Totally normal.

The mermaid gently brushed the dust off the pearl. It looked fuller and more lustrous than before. He brought it close, giving it a light kiss before preparing to tuck it back into the waistband of his shorts. But just as he was about to, he noticed something new: pockets on the sides of the shorts. What a discovery! After confirming the pockets were intact and hole-free, he happily slipped the pearl inside.

When Lu Xie emerged from the kitchen with freshly prepared dishes, he was greeted with the sight of a—well, no longer naked—lunatic sprawled leisurely on the deck chair, eyes glued to the television.

Gone were the cartoons. The lunatic had graduated to a romance drama, watching with rapt attention as the male and female leads shared a dramatic rescue scene at sea, complete with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The lunatic’s gaze was as fixed as a fish staring at bait.

Lu Xie strode forward, grabbed the remote, and switched the channel to horse racing.

The scene shifted, and the lunatic groaned in protest. “I wasn’t finished watching that!”

Lu Xie ignored him, handing over a bowl and chopsticks instead. The freshly made dishes were still steaming, their aroma filling the air.

The mermaid’s attention wavered as he accepted the bowl and chopsticks. “What’s this? For me?”

While the television blared excited commentary about the race, Lu Xie stole a glance at his chosen horse, number nine, trailing far behind. No hope there. He shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of food into his own mouth, too irritated to care.

The mermaid, meanwhile, studied the chopsticks, gripping them like weapons. His hands, built for brute strength, snapped them cleanly in half with a loud crack.

“You’ve got all that strength—why not go work construction?” Lu Xie finally gave the lunatic a glance, sighing as he got up to fetch a spoon from the kitchen. He tossed it into the mermaid’s bowl with a huff.

The seaside offered no shortage of seafood, and while the fish in the bowl was unrecognizable after cooking, the mermaid still recognized it. He took a cautious bite, the flavor different from what he was used to.

His own cooking wasn’t much to write home about—barely edible at best. Seeing the mermaid nibble at the food like he was testing for poison, Lu Xie felt a twinge of offense. “Eat it if you can. If not, leave it.”

“This isn’t what I usually eat.”

“What’s different about it?”

“I usually eat it raw.”

Lu Xie misunderstood, assuming the mermaid was complaining about the lack of fresh, raw flavor. He sneered, “Oh? What, you chase fish down in the sea and bite into them?”

The mermaid perked up, surprised by Lu Xie’s accuracy. “More or less.”

Lu Xie’s hand froze mid-bite. He didn’t even have the energy to respond. What a lunatic.

“By the way, when will I get to watch The Little Mermaid? Tonight?” The mermaid was still hung up on the movie. He couldn’t spend all his time on land, so he needed to plan his visits carefully.

Lu Xie, recalling his errands in town, nodded. “Tonight. I’m heading to town this afternoon.”

The mermaid instantly grew wary. “You have to come back early. Don’t sneak off and leave me and the baby behind.”

His sincerity left Lu Xie speechless. As if he needed to explain himself to a lunatic. He could leave whenever he wanted—what could the lunatic do to stop him?

After lunch, the crazy guy announced he was heading home. Lu Xie didn’t stop him, retreating to the kitchen to wash the dishes. When he returned, he found a pile of discarded clothes on the deck chair.

Grabbing the clothes, Lu Xie frowned. What was this lunatic thinking? Did he seriously believe he only needed to wear clothes while in Lu Xie’s shop? Did he plan to strut around stark naked once outside?

The clothes, now stained with oil, were tossed into the laundry pile. Habitually checking the pockets of the shorts, Lu Xie’s fingers brushed against a smooth, round object. Pulling it out, he found a pearl.

The pearl wasn’t particularly impressive—glowing faintly, a bit better than the last one the lunatic had brought over, but still worthless. Pearls like this were common along the coast, not worth a single coin. Lu Xie tossed it into the trash without a second thought and took out the garbage on his way to town.

By the time Lu Xie returned, the sun was dipping into the horizon, casting the sea in shades of warm orange. The day’s heat was finally fading, replaced by a tranquil coolness. He felt an unexpected sense of relaxation—until he spotted the figure standing at his shop’s entrance.

A man with waist-length silver hair, entirely naked.

What the hell?!

No more seaweed this time. Just pure, unfiltered lunacy.

“What are you doing?!” Lu Xie’s composure shattered as he shouted.

Hearing his voice, the mermaid immediately dashed over, his bare figure swinging in ways Lu Xie wished he hadn’t noticed. Grabbing Lu Xie’s arm, the mermaid looked genuinely distressed.

“Lu Xie, where’s our baby?”

Lu Xie recoiled, trying to free himself from the lunatic’s grip. “What baby?”

“The pearl!”

It turned out that after shedding his clothes, the mermaid had forgotten to retrieve the pearl. By the time he remembered and returned to land, Lu Xie’s shop had been locked up for the afternoon. He’d been waiting ever since.

Lu Xie strode into the shop, not even sparing the lunatic another glance. “What pearl?”

“The one I left in the shorts you gave me! Our baby—you’ve seen it!”

As the rolling door clattered open, Lu Xie finally remembered the pearl. Was it the same one as before? Somehow, it felt different.

“I threw it out.”

“What?!” The mermaid’s lake-blue eyes widened in horror, shimmering with emotion.

For reasons he couldn’t quite pinpoint, Lu Xie felt a pang of guilt under that accusing gaze. But he quickly masked it with a sharp retort. “Yeah, I tossed it. A worthless pearl like that—who’d want it? If you’ve got time to collect junk, go find more gold coins instead!”

“It’s not some unwanted thing! It’s our baby! How could you throw it away? Where did you throw it?”

The lunatic suddenly erupted, his expression twisting with anguish, his voice several octaves higher than usual. Normally, even when he was upset, he’d just sob pathetically. Lu Xie was momentarily stunned, unsure if it was because of his own guilty conscience. It took him a long time to react, but he still insisted on putting up a front.

“Why are you yelling? I’m so sick of your nonsense! For a dumb pearl, you’re dragging me into your madness. ‘Baby, baby’ all day long—you need to get your head checked!”

The surroundings fell into an abrupt silence, broken only by the gentle sound of the sea breeze rippling the water, the setting sun casting shimmering waves across the surface.

Contrary to expectations, the mermaid didn’t wail or make a scene. With tears glistening in his eyes and lips trembling, he turned and bolted out of the small shop, utterly furious.

Lu Xie had thought the lunatic would cry and throw a tantrum, but instead, he just ran off. Fine by him—it saved him the hassle. The kid would probably come back tomorrow anyway.

But when he recalled the look of heartache and despair in those tearful eyes, Lu Xie felt an inexplicable pang of discomfort. He hurried out after him, watching as the lunatic ran toward the shore. He called out twice, but the kid froze momentarily, then pretended not to hear and kept running.

Panicking, Lu Xie ran to the nearby trash can. Luckily, the garbage truck wouldn’t come until the next morning. He quickly rummaged through his bag of trash and fished out the pearl, wiping off the dirt. He chased after the lunatic all the way to the beach.

“Hey! That’s enough already!” Lu Xie, never one to apologize easily, barked, “If this pearl is so precious to you, why didn’t you take better care of it? It’s your own fault for being careless.”

The mermaid had thought Lu Xie chased after him to console him, only to find himself scolded instead. All the grievances he’d been bottling up over the past days surged forth.

True, he hadn’t taken good care of the baby, but wasn’t Lu Xie the other parent? He’d trusted Lu Xie, never expecting him to be so heartless, throwing it away like it was nothing.

“You’re the baby’s dad too! You’re also responsible for taking care of it!”

After the previous incident, Lu Xie had developed a fear of the sea. Even standing at the water’s edge made his legs weak. Seeing the lunatic pacing agitatedly on the rocks, Lu Xie’s head spun.

“No normal person would claim to be a dad to a pearl.” He hadn’t seen the lunatic dive into the water himself and couldn’t be sure how strong his swimming skills were. If the lunatic fell into the sea, there was no way he could save him. Lu Xie reached out a hand, “That’s enough. I found it for you—what more do you want?”

Hearing Lu Xie’s dismissive tone, the mermaid realized he still didn’t acknowledge the baby’s existence. He refused to take Lu Xie’s hand. “You just don’t want to take responsibility. You don’t admit you’re the dad.”

“What do you want me to admit? It’s a damn pearl! You’re a man! Can you stop being so dramatic?” Lu Xie’s patience was wearing thin; reasoning wasn’t his strong suit.

The lunatic, stubborn as ever, retorted, “So what? That doesn’t mean you’re not the baby’s dad.”

Lu Xie was so angry he nearly hyperventilated. He closed his eyes, licking his lips, and muttered under his breath, “Fine. Let’s pretend men can have kids, and that the kid is a pearl. Fine, I’ll even accept that. But let’s get one thing straight— you were the one who screwed me.”

The hysterical mermaid froze, stunned. He didn’t understand what Lu Xie meant by “you screwed me” or “I screwed you.” All he knew was that they had mated, and mating meant there’d be a baby.

“Are you satisfied? Mention this again, and I swear I’ll hit you.” Lu Xie gritted his teeth. Before the lunatic could respond, his phone rang. Relieved for the interruption, he pulled it out to see Lu Hui’s number. Thrilled, he shot the lunatic a warning look, signaling him to stop causing trouble, and quickly answered, “Hello? Hui-ge?”

“Lu Xie, listen to me.”

Lu Xie had a million questions for Lu Hui, but Lu Hui’s voice was low and hurried, like he was speaking under duress.

“I know you might not believe this, but I’m telling the truth. There really are mermaids. I heard it—I overheard the boss and his assistant talking. I have to follow them. When the time comes, we need to catch the mermaid before they do.”

Lu Xie was bewildered. Mermaids? Like the ones from fairy tales? His gaze instinctively shifted to the lunatic, who claimed to be a merman. Was Lu Hui crazy too?

Before Lu Xie could respond, the lunatic took a few steps back, his feet sinking into the water. A strange light enveloped his legs, and a shimmering, pearl-like tail emerged, its fins gracefully arching through the air. The moon had risen at some point, its soft light reflecting off the scales in dazzling hues.

Lu Xie’s facial muscles stiffened, his jaw clenched, and his eyes widened in shock. His pupils dilated, almost losing focus, but they still captured the image of the stunning merman before him.

“A merman? Are you talking about the kind with a human upper body and a fish tail?”

In his ear, Lu Hui’s voice was filled with excitement, as if he had already seen one himself. “Yes! A beautiful one! They even produce pearls! Do you have any idea how valuable a merman is? Millions, even billions…”

The background noise on the call grew louder, and Lu Hui hastily said, “I can’t talk now. I’ll contact you later.”

The phone slipped from Lu Xie’s hand, landing softly on the sand. He swallowed hard, his legs like lead, completely immobile.

A merman?