Chapter 16: The Jellyfish Decides to Touch Xiu’s Scale Many Times

Just then, the system panel automatically popped up.

[Lifespan +1h]

Following the principle that every little bit counts, Wen Chu, stuck to Xiu’s chest, wiggled a bit more and added another three hours to his lifespan.

He looked at Xiu with pleading eyes and pressed on, “So? Which one do you prefer?”

Xiu was silent. “…I don’t like either of them.”

“Ah,” Wen Chu said, disappointed. “The clownfish lied to me.”

Xiu now knew where Wen Chu had learned this. He shot a cold glare at the guilty-looking clownfish behind Wen Chu. “Don’t teach him ridiculous things.”

The clownfish didn’t dare to object, nodding repeatedly.

Being rejected didn’t disappoint Wen Chu too much; he had only asked on a whim.

After all, Xiu had said from the beginning that he couldn’t be his lover. He was still in the process of trying.

He snuggled deeper into Xiu’s warm embrace and asked, “Are you finished with your work?”

“Yes, I’m done. We’re ahead of schedule. We’ll rest for a bit while I figure out a new route, and we’ll set off when the sun comes out,” Xiu said, looking down at him and reaching out to touch the jellyfish’s soft bell.

He hadn’t seen Wen Chu for a whole half-day. Rushing back at dawn, it was impossible not to be moved when he saw the jellyfish扑 towards him.

This clumsy, weak jellyfish, who had been in danger because of him just yesterday and had endured no small amount of his coldness, still clung to him stupidly, his eyes and heart filled with only him.

A Siren’s heart is made of flesh, too.

Xiu tacitly permitted the jellyfish’s actions, which were a bit out of line compared to usual. Feeling the familiar cool, sticky, and soft touch under his hand, he couldn’t resist giving it a poke.

Wen Chu’s bell dented, then quickly returned to its original shape after his finger was removed.

The jellyfish truly had no sense of pain and didn’t even react to Xiu’s poke, remaining sluggishly nestled in Xiu’s arms like an orange-red, cream-filled bouncy ball that could be kneaded and squished at will.

Xiu couldn’t help but chuckle. Then he looked up at the clownfish, who were frozen in place for some reason, and said, “The matter is resolved. Aren’t you going back?”

He had already wiped the smile from his face when he looked up, showing none of the patience he had for Wen Chu.

The clownfish jolted. They didn’t even have time to say goodbye to Wen Chu before they scurried away.

The one swimming at the very front was the same clownfish who had taught Wen Chu the concept of “wife.”

The clownfish next to it barely managed to catch up, its expression still dazed. “Is he really in a relationship with Lord Siren?”

The lead clownfish was also in a daze. “I guess so?”

At first, they all thought it was a one-sided pursuit from Wen Chu, especially after hearing the shocking “puppy” thing.

But now, it seemed like something was off.

Very off.

“…Why would Lord Siren look at him with that kind of ‘in-love’ expression?!?” one clownfish couldn’t help but complain. “Didn’t he threaten us not to tell anyone he can turn human? Lord Siren doesn’t know he has a human form, right? He can fall in love with him even in jellyfish form?”

The lead clownfish: “…”

He had once lived in a pet market for a while and thus knew a bit more about human things.

Now, he said with deep solemnity, “Perhaps this is what humans call a spiritual love that transcends form.”

Wen Chu and Lord Siren must be two fish who have risen above base desires.

Otherwise, why would they be together knowing they couldn’t mate and produce offspring?

---

At this moment, the “risen above base desires” Wen Chu was diligently sticking to Xiu to earn lifespan.

After one night, his lifespan was down to 20 days and 7 hours. With the doubled decay rate, he would shrink in just over three hours.

Then his secret about the accelerated lifespan decay would be out.

Bringing up the “wife” topic was partly to make the system lower its guard, but more so to take the opportunity to get close to Xiu.

He desperately needed lifespan right now.

And he needed to obtain it without Xiu noticing.

[Lifespan +1h]
[Lifespan +1h]
[Lifespan +1h]
…

After barely pulling his lifespan up to 20 days and 18 hours, Wen Chu knew when to stop, retracting his tentacles before Xiu completely lost patience.

By now, the sun had risen and was slowly emerging from the sea horizon.

It was Wen Chu’s first time seeing a sunrise. He couldn’t help but stretch his body, peeking out of Xiu’s arm to watch.

Xiu had been about to scold Wen Chu, to remind him not to push his luck, but seeing Wen Chu’s focused gaze on the sunrise, he swallowed his words.

Forget it. This is probably the jellyfish’s first time seeing a sunrise.

He had been busy helping the clownfish earlier and hadn’t had a moment’s peace. This was the first time he had been properly alone with Wen Chu since his brief loss and recovery, and he didn’t want to spoil the mood.

Wen Chu looked at the round, crimson sun, then at the orange-red internal organs inside his own transparent body, and fell into deep thought.

Xiu just watched as the little jellyfish stared intently at the sun for a long time.

The morning sun shone on the transparent jellyfish. Even with the world ending, the ocean murky, and the planet nearly falling apart, the sun still rose as usual.

Xiu couldn’t help but wonder, what was Wen Chu thinking about, staring at the sun like that?

Was he thinking about his past in the laboratory? Or the sorrowful aftertaste that follows the overwhelming grandeur of seeing a sunrise at sea for the first time?

Only when the sun was fully above the horizon did Wen Chu turn to him and ask seriously, “So why can’t I be called a sun jellyfish?”

He was also round and red.

Xiu: …

He really shouldn’t have assumed this jellyfish was capable of any deep thought.

Xiu sighed helplessly. His chest was still covered in the slime Wen Chu had left behind.

He had been covered in the same sticky goo when they first met, but now Xiu couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed. Instead, for some strange reason, the corners of his mouth turned up.

“Because you’re more like a lighthouse. You’ve probably never seen a lighthouse. They also shine in the darkness.”

Wen Chu said “Oh,” but it was unclear if he understood.

Xiu gained a new appreciation for Wen Chu’s complete lack of common knowledge. He patted Wen Chu’s head. “The nuclear plant leak is ahead, so we can’t go that way. Wait for me to discuss a new route with the narwhal, and then I’ll teach you some common knowledge on the way today.”

“Like… how to find your way in the sea.”

That way, if Wen Chu got lost, at least he wouldn’t be lost in the vast ocean.

“Okay.” As long as he could be with Xiu, Wen Chu was happy. He agreed cheerfully.

He was still nestled in Xiu’s arms. He said stickily, “Xiu, you’re so nice. You’re even going to teach me. Does this mean you don’t hate me anymore?”

“Not as much, maybe,” Xiu said, looking away from the jellyfish towards the illuminated shallow sea.

It wasn’t apparent in the dead of night, but after daybreak, the desolation of the shallow continental shelf was on full display.

The jellyfish in his arms was the only living thing in this barren wasteland.

Xiu raised a hand and touched the necklace on his neck.

“I just suddenly feel that as long as you don’t pester me with all this talk of love and affection, it’s not so annoying to have you around.”

“Huh?” Wen Chu was stunned. “Doesn’t ‘not hating me’ mean you want to be my lover?”

Xiu couldn’t resist poking the jellyfish again. “How are you so good at taking a mile when given an inch? When did I ever say I wanted to be your lover?”

“Ah…” Wen Chu thought back carefully. It seemed Xiu really hadn’t said that.

Xiu was a bit perplexed. “Didn’t I agree to kiss you regularly? And I promised not to abandon you. Why are you so obsessed with being my lover?”

Wen Chu didn’t know the answer to that question either.

He thought about it along with Xiu’s words.

At first, he wanted to be lovers with Xiu because Xiu said they had to be lovers to kiss.

Later, Xiu agreed to kiss him, and he wanted to be Xiu’s lover because he wanted to always be by Xiu’s side.

Now, Xiu had pinky-sworn with him, saying he would never abandon him. He wanted to be Xiu’s lover because…

Wen Chu said uncertainly, “Because I want to sleep with you?”

If he really had to say what wish was still unfulfilled, it was that he couldn’t sleep on Xiu’s body anymore.

At the word “sleep,” Xiu’s movements stiffened. He then realized that the “sleep” he was thinking of and the “sleep” Wen Chu was talking about were not the same thing.

Flustered and embarrassed, he pursed his lips. “You can’t.”

Wen Chu’s words abruptly alerted him.

Because talking about overly intimate things with a jellyfish was too embarrassing, Xiu had been deliberately avoiding the topic.

But now, Xiu felt he had to make things clear.

Because his relationship with Wen Chu seemed to be sliding into an abyss he couldn’t control.

If it had been a day ago, Xiu could have been certain that he would never make a move on a newly-adult jellyfish.

But after experiencing the loss and recovery, after seeing Wen Chu unconscious in front of him once again, Xiu wasn’t sure if he could remain so firm in rejecting Wen Chu in the future.

It was one thing for Wen Chu not to understand love. If he knew Wen Chu didn’t understand and still allowed a mistake to happen, that would be irresponsible towards Wen Chu.

Because he cared, it was even more important to stop the loss in time.

“Wen Chu,” Xiu said, looking at the jellyfish and choosing his words carefully. “You should know that I agreed to kiss you because you said you would die if you didn’t, and I want to save you.”

“We have a normal relationship of rescuer and rescued. Can you understand that?”

Wen Chu nodded blankly, looking uncomprehendingly at Xiu’s suddenly serious expression.

Xiu slowly let out a breath. “Therefore, besides kissing, any excessively close contact with me goes beyond our current relationship.”

“Intimate contact, including words of love, the names you called me—these are things only lovers can do. It’s not appropriate for you to do them with me, and you shouldn’t do them anymore. I hope we can maintain our current, normal relationship.”

“A normal relationship…” Wen Chu was thoughtful. “Is sleeping together more abnormal than us kissing?”

Xiu choked for a moment. Taking advantage of Wen Chu’s lack of concept about intimate relationships, he gave a small nod.

He would take that as a yes.

Wen Chu was still thinking. “Then can I still be in your arms in the future? Can I still call you Xiu? Should I call you Lord Siren like they do?”

Xiu paused. “…You don’t have to go that far. Just keep your distance from me.”

Wen Chu remembered how Xiu had told him to keep a two-meter distance at the very beginning.

Two meters was so, so far. It was the length of a narwhal. Any farther and he wouldn’t be able to see Xiu clearly.

Wen Chu snuggled deeper into Xiu’s embrace and said in a muffled voice, “But I don’t want to keep my distance either. Why can’t we be lovers? Is it because you don’t like jellyfish?”

The system said Xiu liked good-looking things.

Thinking about it, his jellyfish appearance probably didn’t fit the human standard of “good-looking.”

Wen Chu was reasonable. He knew Xiu was right. Xiu had given him everything he wanted; he was the one insisting on being lovers with Xiu.

But wanting was wanting.

Wen Chu looked up straight into Xiu’s eyes and said seriously, “Then you should just keep hating me. I don’t want this. I want to be your lover.”

Xiu: …

Why is he so persistent?

Wen Chu was still muttering, “I won’t get lost anymore, and I won’t cause you trouble. I definitely won’t make you worry about me…”

“Stop,” Xiu said, extending his index finger and gently tapping his bell.

A helpless expression appeared on the golden-haired Siren’s face. For the first time, he lost a confrontation, defeated by the other’s persistence and unreasonableness.

And by his own uncontrollable indulgence.

Perhaps he never should have taken that first step back.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept retreating, retreating to the point where his own bottom line was now wavering.

“Let’s not talk about this,” Xiu sighed, taking another small step back. “You focus on staying alive first. We’ll continue to the North Pole. Think about it more on the way. When we get there, if you still feel the same, we’ll talk again.”

He still believed that Wen Chu didn’t understand anything. As long as he slowly instilled the correct concept of love in him on the way, Wen Chu would leave on his own.

Being lovers was not as simple as sleeping next to each other.

Forget about responsibility and understanding; Wen Chu probably knew nothing about even the most superficial aspect of mating.

Xiu’s head started to ache just thinking about it.

It was hard to even find living creatures in the ocean now. How was he supposed to find an opportunity on the way to teach Wen Chu about the concept of “mating”?

Wen Chu, however, immediately perked up. He swam around happily, all traces of his earlier pitifulness gone. “Okay!!”

Xiu didn’t explicitly refuse, which meant he might agree!

Wen Chu rubbed his hands together, full of energy, and decided to start with the most important thing.

—Earn lifespan without Xiu noticing that his lifespan was decaying at double the speed.

He would absolutely be a good jellyfish who didn’t cause Xiu any trouble.

With this thought, Wen Chu poked the system: [What exactly was that scale that ate my tentacle before? Will it break if I touch it a lot?]

Xiu hadn’t said touching the scale was intimate contact.
Didn’t say = Denied.
Wen Chu’s logic remained as smooth as ever.

It was just that that piece of scale was too soft. Wen Chu had never seen a scale that could open, so he wanted to confirm with the system just to be safe.

He had already decided he was going to touch it many times.

Touching the scale once could add a whole twenty-four hours of lifespan.