Chapter 34: All Things Reborn — His Little Jellyfish

Oh—so he just wanted his help.

Wen Chu suddenly understood.

He hurriedly said, “I’m responsible; I am a responsible jellyfish.”

Xiu didn’t want to discuss the issue of responsibility with Wen Chu while his belly was distended like this at all. He turned his head away: “You do it.”

Wen Chu carefully reached out his hand.

Not a tentacle.

The scales had just healed. He wasn’t trying to continue mating with Xiu, and using tentacles at a time like this would be a bit too excessive.

Xiu didn’t see Wen Chu’s movement; he assumed it would be tentacles again. So when warm fingers, rather than cold, slimy tentacles, touched his scales, he was so startled he nearly broke free from Wen Chu.

“What are you doing?!” Xiu looked at Wen Chu in shock.

Wen Chu was still touching the scales. Hearing this, he looked up: “Helping you clean up.”

Xiu watched as Wen Chu’s clean, beautiful hands were slowly swallowed by his scales, and how they pried his scales open.

The scales began to spit out water in small mouthfuls.

Even though the scale of this was much smaller than the complete exposure of the transparent tentacles, Xiu felt this situation made him more ashamed than any previous time.

It would have been better to just use tentacles.

Xiu wanted to pull away: “Let go, I’ll do it myself.”

Wen Chu looked at Xiu with great concern: “But your belly is too big; you can’t reach it.”

Xiu: …

Could he not say such things with such a matter-of-fact tone?

As they spoke, Wen Chu’s tentacles cleverly bypassed his lower abdomen, binding his upper body and fish tail, fixing him in place within his hands.

“It’s okay, it will be very quick,” Wen Chu’s tone was gentle and cheerful.

It made Xiu seem like the one being unreasonable.

In the end, Xiu was afraid of hurting Wen Chu and didn’t dare to struggle hard. He could only rest in the slender boy’s embrace in this extremely awkward posture, watching helplessly as his scales continuously spat water under the other’s hands.

His belly also went down little by little.

Wen Chu seemed to think the speed was a bit too slow and tentatively pressed Xiu’s lower abdomen lightly with a tentacle.

Xiu pursed his lips, forcibly suppressing a tremble and a groan.

The scales spat water even faster.

Knowing that Xiu didn’t like this, Wen Chu persisted, continuously using his tentacles to press against Xiu’s lower abdomen until only an inconspicuous curve remained.

It was the reproductive cavity deep inside.

To open that, he would have to put his whole hand in.

Wen Chu looked at Xiu, whose fish tail had gone soft, and slowly withdrew the tentacles from his body.

“All done.” He took back his hand.

The seawater quickly washed away the stickiness on his fingers, leaving only Xiu, whose scales were wide open, his chest heaving violently as he cast a confused look at him.

Done?

Xiu’s confusion was palpable, so Wen Chu obediently explained proactively: “The belly is already small; you can clean the rest yourself. I will turn my back.”

“I understand, we are just in a rescue relationship. You don’t have to worry about me crossing the line.”

Xiu looked at Wen Chu in disbelief.

So tactful? Was this really the same jellyfish who had f*cked him for two days and one night?

…It seemed it really was.

Xiu suddenly realized that Wen Chu’s goal had been very clear from start to finish: to obtain life force from his body.

Instead, it was he who was overthinking, pondering love and non-love. How could a jellyfish understand such complexities? Wen Chu had only just learned about mating.

This made him, who had developed other feelings for Wen Chu, seem particularly sordid.

Wen Chu didn’t know about Xiu’s internal conflict. He felt he had done a particularly great job this time and was ready to turn around.

He just left one tentacle around Xiu’s waist, still worried.

He was afraid Xiu would sink to the bottom again because his tail was stiff.

Xiu watched Wen Chu’s side profile, which had already turned two-thirds away, and suddenly reached out to grab Wen Chu’s wrist.

Wen Chu was somewhat surprised: “What’s wrong?”

Xiu gently stroked his fingertips. Those subtle thoughts that were previously hard to detect finally became clear at this moment—

He not only wanted to teach Wen Chu what love was, but he also wanted Wen Chu to love him like that.

Not out of dependence or a desire for survival, but simply loving him.

“…You can continue,” Xiu said.

Wen Chu blinked.

This time, without waiting for Wen Chu to ask, Xiu actively added: “I mean, your hand can go further inside to help me clean.”

As he spoke, he guided Wen Chu’s hand to his own lower abdomen.

His belly had gone down; now there was only an indistinct curve, like early pregnancy, and his muscle lines were finally clear again.

Xiu pulled Wen Chu’s hand to touch his slightly convex lower abdomen.

“It doesn’t matter if you go here; I won’t break.”

He was the God of the Ocean; mere actions like this could not cause him harm.

He just hoped to stir at least a ripple in Wen Chu’s heart.

Wen Chu’s eyes widened slightly, looking blank and innocent. Xiu’s ears heated up under his gaze, and he looked away guiltily.

He felt like he was leading Wen Chu astray.

Wen Chu was indeed confused.

He hadn’t even started pretending to be pitiful yet—why did Xiu suddenly agree to let him continue?

Does being obedient count as pretending to be pitiful?

Wen Chu couldn’t figure it out, and if he poked the System at this time, the System definitely wouldn’t ignore him.

But since Xiu had invited him, he might as well accept. Wen Chu cheerfully turned back around and embraced the mermaid again: “Then I’m starting, okay?”

As for whether Xiu did these things to save him or because he liked him, Wen Chu consciously decided not to ask such questions anymore.

He had self-awareness.

Obedient little jellyfish get fish to eat.

…

After cleaning was finished again, Wen Chu treated Xiu once more.

After a brief moment of confusion, Xiu finally regained clarity and returned to his usual cold demeanor.

He surveyed the surrounding environment and said, “Going further forward, passing through the Bering Strait, we can reach the Arctic Ocean. Do you feel any better now?”

As the exchange hub between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the water in the Bering Strait was already much clearer than in the Pacific.

Wen Chu could also clearly feel the change in water quality. He nodded: “Yes.”

Although the environmental impact on him was negligible now that his life force had reached ninety-nine years, Wen Chu could still distinguish good water from bad.

Xiu looked at him, hesitating to speak: “Do you need to rest? Or shall we travel directly?”

He had Wen Chu constantly transferring life force and recovering, but Wen Chu had literally dragged him along and done it for a whole day.

“No need.” Wen Chu gave Xiu a strange look, not understanding why Xiu suddenly suggested resting. “I’m fine, and I’m not hungry now.”

He had been ‘eating’ Xiu for a whole day; all the pollution on his body had been swept away, and he was now more radiant than ever.

Xiu looked Wen Chu up and down. Only after confirming Wen Chu was fine did he retract his gaze and actively extend his hand: “Let’s go.”

Wen Chu paused for a moment, then slowly reached out and took the hand Xiu extended.

He pursed his lips into a brilliant smile: “Mn!”

Xiu took the initiative to hold his hand.

Xiu seemed burned by his smile and quickly looked away, opening his mouth with a sharp evaluation: “Smiling so stupidly.”

Wen Chu: …Oh.

Almost forgot he was an ugly monster.

It was hard on Xiu; he was so ugly, yet Xiu was willing to kiss him and even mate with him for so many days.

Thinking this, Wen Chu chose to lower his head, letting the translucent white veil on his head cover his face.

Xiu couldn’t help but glance at Wen Chu a few more times.

Wen Chu was very beautiful. This beauty appeared even more hazy and moving under the half-covered white veil. Whether it was his exquisite profile or the white hair cascading from under the veil, every inch of him hit all of Xiu’s aesthetic points perfectly.

So fragile, yet so beautiful.

Xiu silently looked away.

It was fortunate that Wen Chu had met him in jellyfish form at the very beginning.

If they had met in human form, he might really not have held his bottom line and started seducing a just-of-age kid.

—

On the other side.

Wen Chu happily held Xiu’s hand and swam forward, finally hearing the voice of the System that had been out of contact for a long time.

System: [I just received news that you have accumulated ninety-nine years of life force. Prepare yourself; I will take you out of this world.]

Wen Chu refused without thinking: [No, I haven’t finished the mission yet.]

System: [?]

Wen Chu: [I promised Xiu I would help him resurrect the ocean.]

The System’s voice became extremely difficult: […So you want to collect another ninety-nine years of life force from him?]

[Of course not, I am not an irresponsible jellyfish.] Wen Chu said righteously, [Before, he agreed to mate with me because he wanted to save me. Now that I don’t need saving, mating with Xiu would be wrong.]

Hearing such morally upright words from Wen Chu always carried a strange sense of incongruity.

The System fell silent for a while, then asked: [Then what do you plan to do? You can only stay for at most one hour after collecting the life force. I won’t open a back door for you.]

Wen Chu was shocked: [You didn’t say before that I could only stay for one hour. How can I pursue Xiu like this?]

System: […Pursuing Xiu is not your mission.]

System: [Besides, the next world is still him. Don’t you want to start over and perform better in front of him?]

Wen Chu was completely unconvinced and insisted: [No, the Xiu of this world is also Xiu. If I just leave, he… he…]

Uh, Xiu seemed like he would be happy.

Wen Chu paused and chose to lie to himself: [He will be sad!]

System: [He won’t be sad at all.]

Wen Chu: [Then I will be sad.]

The System sighed heavily: [You are so troublesome.]

Wen Chu: [I’m really sad, I haven’t become lovers with Xiu yet T^T]

System: […]

Wen Chu: [I’m going to cry from sadness.]

System: […I don’t care who is sad or not. After you leave, this world will freeze. Xiu’s memory will be cleared, and he will enter the next world with you. If you’re sad, go cry by yourself.]

The System resolved all problems in a few words; Wen Chu was no longer sad.

Oh, so “every world is Xiu” meant this.

Wen Chu confirmed with the System: [If his memory is cleared, he won’t remember me?]

The System’s tone was very poor: [Otherwise? Should he remember how you did it with him for two days and one night?]

[It was four days.] Wen Chu corrected earnestly.

The System was speechless. It emphasized once again to Wen Chu that he could stay for at most one hour, then hastily went offline.

Wen Chu was used to the System going offline at the drop of a hat.

Holding Xiu’s hand, he began to think seriously.

He could only stay for one hour. Xiu would eventually leave with him, so whether he resurrected the ocean or not actually wouldn’t have much impact on Xiu.

But he had promised Xiu. He wanted to fulfill Xiu’s wish and let the Narwhal Granny go home.

Even if Xiu wouldn’t have memories later, he wanted to make Xiu a little happier in the final moments.

And he had planned to do this anyway.

The Bering Strait was not long, and Wen Chu could already see the wide Arctic Ocean not far away.

He looked at Xiu’s back and whispered, “Xiu.”

“Hmm?” Xiu turned his gaze to him.

Wen Chu swam a little forward to a position side-by-side with Xiu and hugged his arm: “Am I very troublesome? I always bring you a lot of unnecessary trouble.”

Xiu said calmly: “As long as you know. So be a bit better in the future. If there’s a problem with life force, tell me immediately. I won’t help you if you hide things like this again.”

Wen Chu said “Oh,” glossing over the question.

He continued to ask: “Then if I am still a jellyfish, is it possible for you to be lovers with me?”

Xiu glanced at him: “We don’t seem to be in a lover relationship right now either.”

Wen Chu agreed: “Right, although we mated and kissed, we can’t be considered lovers.”

If his expression weren’t so sincere, Xiu would almost have thought he was being sarcastic.

Xiu sighed, looked at the simple and ignorant jellyfish, and patted his head through the veil: “Don’t think so much for now. Wait until we get to the Arctic and you recover your Lifespan; I will teach you slowly.”

Even after being held and f*cked for four days, in his eyes, Wen Chu was still that little sickly invalid from the beginning.

Wen Chu nodded.

In the past, he would have been very happy that Xiu could continue to be his teacher, but now he didn’t have the time to take it slowly with Xiu, so naturally, he couldn’t be happy.

If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have saved up ninety-nine years so quickly.

He should have stuck at ninety-eight years… oh, that wouldn’t work either. With the speed his life force dropped, he would die if he didn’t save up to ninety-nine.

This seemed to be an unsolvable proposition.

Wen Chu puffed out his cheeks.

It was all the System’s fault for not telling him earlier.

—

The parting came too suddenly. Although Xiu would leave with him, he wasn’t psychologically prepared yet.

As they spoke, they swam through the Bering Strait.

It was still early morning. Almost at the same time they swam out of the Bering Strait, the sun rose from sea level.

In view were the boundless sea surface and majestic glaciers. The glaciers extended from the land to the ocean, with deep blue cracks crisscrossing them.

A small iceberg floated slowly on the sea surface.

The sun illuminated the entire Arctic Ocean from behind it.

It was the same scene as in Wen Chu’s dream, only here there were no seals as mentioned by the Narwhal, nor patrolling schools of fish—only a dead silence.

“Are there no fish here either?” Wen Chu couldn’t help asking.

Xiu gave an “Mn.”

“Global warming, plus humans using Greenland as the earth’s final biological gene repository. Before the disaster began, the Arctic was emptied.”

“But because of this, this place became the least polluted.”

Wen Chu looked at the small pieces of broken ice on the sea surface. Only now did he realize that beneath the cracks of the majestic glaciers, black mountain bodies had long been revealed.

Even the glaciers, hundreds of millions of years old, had melted.

After wandering all the way, he finally arrived at the end of the world when he had saved enough ninety-nine years of life force, watching the sun rise slowly with Xiu.

The last time they watched the sunrise together was when they met the clownfish.

Wen Chu thought, the System said ninety-nine years to resurrect the ocean, but he would detach when he reached ninety-nine years of life force.

So the System never intended for him to really bring fundamental change to this place from the beginning, right?

Wen Chu was a bit unconvinced.

Failed to fall in love, failed to bring change—he was unconvinced either way.

But fortunately, he had prepared in advance.

Wen Chu leaned on Xiu’s shoulder. He didn’t know how much of the hour was left, so he could only cherish every minute and second with Xiu.

“Xiu,” Wen Chu said, “You said before that I don’t know what love is. I thought about it for a long time on the way, but I still couldn’t understand what love is.”

Xiu looked at Wen Chu, frowning.

Wen Chu was acting a bit strange.

Wen Chu continued on his own: “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to mate with you without your consent. In the future, I will definitely ask for your opinion first.”

“You said before that my love is very small, so I tried to love other fish, but they are different from you.”

Xiu couldn’t help interrupting: “I…”

Wen Chu looked up at him: “If, for your sake, I also love all of this, will my love become a bit bigger?”

The Ocean’s final God loved every existence in the ocean.

He loved what Xiu loved and did what Xiu wanted to do. Could this count as being closer to Xiu?

The strange feeling intensified. Xiu looked at Wen Chu, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart.

“What’s wrong with you? Did something happen? Is there a problem with your life force again?”

Wen Chu lowered his eyes, his tone unusually firm: “Can you not mention life force to me anymore?”

Xiu was stunned.

“I know you just want my life force. I’m sorry… I caused you so much trouble. I don’t know how to speak and always make you angry.”

“Next time, I will try to cause less trouble.”

Xiu said urgently: “You misunderstood! Wen Chu! Wait, if there are difficulties, we can talk slowly…”

Wen Chu reached out and touched the iceberg closest to him.

Transfer life force.

Life force flowed away rapidly. The boy leaning in the mermaid’s arms gradually turned pale.

His tentacles fell off one by one, and the veil also fell. Wen Chu forced himself to cover Xiu’s head with his fallen veil, and then turned into a gigantic jellyfish.

At the same time, icebergs rose from the ground, krill swam out from the depths, and in the distance, the first dolphin even leaped out of the sea facing the morning light.

“Wen Chu!!” Xiu’s eyes were splitting with rage, “What are you doing? Didn’t we reach the Arctic??”

“I want… to make you happy?” Wen Chu whispered.

“Because I want to fulfill Xiu’s wish.”

The gigantic jellyfish shrank rapidly. From a terrifying monster several meters long to a palm-sized little jellyfish, it took only a few seconds.

Tens of thousands of meters away, the black seawater gradually turned blue, coral and sea anemones intertwined, deformed clownfish gradually recovered their original appearance, and countless white bones in Atlantis returned to spring.

A narwhal opened her eyes blankly amidst the noise, seeing a line of incomprehensible text and a map.

Wasn’t she… dead?

Where were Xiu and Wen Chu?

Xiu and Wen Chu were in the Arctic.

Xiu cupped the jellyfish in his palm. An Arctic gull swept overhead, and seals slapped onto the ice surface.

Everything became vibrant with life in an instant.

Except for the jellyfish in his hand.

“I’ll kiss you right now, Wen Chu, get up for me! Who asked you to fulfill my wish??”

[What are you doing?? I said I could take you out!!!]

The voices of Xiu and the System rang out simultaneously.

Wen Chu finally realized where the familiarity he felt when he first heard the System’s voice came from.

But he didn’t have time to think about it carefully now.

The sensation of dying from losing life force appeared again. Wen Chu lay in Xiu’s palm and said very quietly: “Because, I want you to like me a little more…”

The sun rose. Wen Chu looked at the rising sun with difficulty.

“Say, why am I called a Lighthouse Jellyfish and not a Sun Jellyfish?”

“Wen Chu—!”

The jellyfish turned into water and flowed away through the gaps in the mermaid’s fingers.

Just as Wen Chu said, when he died, he would turn into a puddle of water and absolutely not cause Xiu any trouble.

Xiu stared blankly at his empty palm.

The changes happened too fast.

He never expected Wen Chu to suddenly transfer all his life force away.

Why?

Was it because he was too fierce to Wen Chu? Or did he cause some misunderstanding for Wen Chu? Since there was a misunderstanding, why not tell him?

He never… never thought about trading Wen Chu for a revived future…

Xiu’s platinum long eyelashes fluttered.

Fish in the distance recognized his identity but didn’t understand what had happened, only daring to observe from afar.

Xiu looked quietly at the water surface, the place where Wen Chu had disappeared.

…His jellyfish was gone.

At the same time.

In the water that slipped from Xiu’s fingertips, a cylindrical transparent object, only a few millimeters large, sank to the bottom and attached itself to a rock.

[When the natural lifespan of the Lighthouse Jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) comes to an end, it turns into a polyp and regenerates. This is the “immortality” of the Lighthouse Jellyfish.]

This was the data the System gave him.

[Wen Chu!! Are you tired of living and looking for death!!]

Amidst the System’s roar, a small bud quickly grew from the side of the polyp.

The jellyfish’s transparent umbrella popped out.

Then came the tiny tentacles and oral arms.

In just an instant, a baby jellyfish a few millimeters large grew out.

Transparent umbrella cap, orange-red interior—this was a tiny Lighthouse Jellyfish.

Wen Chu was confused: “I’m not looking for death.”

He still wanted to be lovers with Xiu; he didn’t want to die at all.

The System’s roar came to an abrupt halt.

Reborn as a tiny jellyfish, all original negative effects were cleared, and even the life force panel didn’t pop up anymore.

Because his “crisis” was already solved.

The current ocean had no pollution. As a jellyfish, he could live for a very, very long time.

Wen Chu struggled to swim upward, preparing to find Xiu and ask if he liked this gift.

But just as he swam up a little bit, a cod in the distance saw him.

The cod broke away from the school and charged straight at the jellyfish.

Wen Chu: ?!?

[Help!!!] He cried to the System while waving his more than one hundred tiny tentacles to swim up desperately.

The System was very indifferent: [You might as well die.]

Wen Chu: [QAQ]

No way, he hadn’t been with Xiu yet.

The System didn’t help, so Wen Chu could only swim desperately himself, narrowly avoiding the cod’s attacks again and again.

Wen Chu used all hundred tentacles, scrambling and crawling to float to the surface.

As soon as he broke the surface, he saw Xiu with his back to him.

Xiu was still wearing the veil he had just put on his head, standing quietly in place.

“Help!!” Wen Chu swam over quickly and slapped onto Xiu’s back with a paji.

The muscles in Xiu’s back stiffened.

Wen Chu didn’t care about that much. Like a flexible little spider, he climbed along the other’s back muscles all the way to Xiu’s arm and hid directly in Xiu’s palm.

Xiu lowered his head, his golden long hair and the white veil covering his eyes. Wen Chu couldn’t see his expression clearly and could only proactively extend a tiny tentacle to shake Xiu’s finger: “Xiu, there’s a fish trying to eat me.”

Xiu finally moved.

He slowly looked up.

A crystal tear rolled down from his long lashes and dripped into his palm.

Wen Chu, who was only a few millimeters big, was directly flooded by this tear.

“I… gurgle gurgle gu…”

Xiu cupped the little jellyfish in his palm under the sunlight, watching coldly as Wen Chu struggled in his tears.

“Wen Chu?” He said coldly.

“Gurgle gurgle gurgle… I… help…”

Xiu gave the cod lingering nearby a sharp look, and the cod quickly and tactfully left.

“Alright, it’s gone,” Xiu said.

Wen Chu finally struggled out of the sea of tears at this time. He lay on Xiu’s thumb panting: “Great, Xiu, do you like this gi—”

Wen Chu stopped halfway, looking up to see Xiu’s cold expression with red-rimmed eyes, and fell silent.

Why did Xiu look so much like he wanted to… eat him?

Xiu stared at the jellyfish for a long time.

Same voice, same appearance. Even the meeting again was exactly the same as when he first met Wen Chu.

This was indeed his jellyfish.

His jellyfish that descended suddenly like the sun and disappeared caught off guard.

Xiu hooked his lips and smiled coolly, but tears fell uncontrollably: “Like, I like it too much.”

“Wen Chu, you’d better give me an explanation, or I’ll throw you into the sea to feed the cod right now.”

Wen Chu, drowned by tears once again: QAQQQ?