A dilapidated boat, shattered by the waves, drifted at sea. A handsome man, tossed about on the debris, eventually lost consciousness and sank to the seabed.
Then, a mermaid swam by and rescued him. The two lived on a deserted island in the ocean for a few days. Yingxue deeply fell in love with the man and decided to live in the human world with him.
Before their departure, Yingxue bid farewell to Qiao Ci, "Cousin, I'm leaving with the man I love. I hope you can bless us."
As the closest supporter of the Crown Prince of the Merfolk, Qiao Ci's blessing carried a certain lucky boost, and Yingxue looked to Qiao Ci with anticipation.
Qiao Ci did not bless her, but instead stated plainly, "Merfolk and humans are completely different races. You won't have a good outcome with him. He will betray you in the future. Are you still sure you want to go to the human world with him?"
Yingxue's face instantly turned as pale as paper. She knew Qiao Ci wouldn't speak without reason; there must be a cause.
However, she loved Chen Ning. She loved him enough to willingly become human for him, even willing to die for him.
"Thank you for your advice, cousin. But I love him, and I will not regret it."
Yingxue's eyes were filled with adoration for Chen Ning, who stood beside her.
Originally, Chen Ning's eyes had flashed with a hint of murderous intent upon hearing Qiao Ci's words. Seeing Yingxue resolutely defending him, he felt a surge of pride.
"Then go," Qiao Ci said. She appreciated Yingxue's infatuation and didn't stop her further. As for the consequences, she had already stated she wouldn't regret it.
If she forcefully prevented Yingxue from leaving with Chen Ning now, Yingxue might even resent her.
Qiao Ci wouldn't do a thankless job.
*
"Do you want to go to school? To be with many friends?" Life in the sea was indeed carefree, but Qiao Ci still felt the human world was more suitable for her, so she asked Lan Ye, who was playing on Xiao Shaozi's body.
Lan Ye had a small shark send him to Qiao Ci's side. He extended his short arms and affectionately wrapped them around Qiao Ci's arm, his voice soft and cute, "Where sister is, I will be. If sister wants to go to the human world, then I want to go to school."
"Good boy," Qiao Ci truly liked Little Lan Ye. He was soft, cute, and obedient. Looking at him, Qiao Ci suddenly felt a bit of anticipation for future little ones.
Lan Ye was currently equivalent to a six or seven-year-old human. Qiao Ci obtained legal identities for the two of them and then enrolled Lan Ye in the first grade.
She had initially intended for him to start from kindergarten, but he felt he had no common topics with those brats and proactively requested to start from the first grade.
Little Lan Ye immediately attracted the curiosity of his classmates upon entering the city's key primary school because he was so incredibly cute. When facing others, he always had a detached expression, looking like an elf fallen from the heavens.
He would shy away from the advances of little girls, and others assumed he was shy.
When school ended, Qiao Ci came to pick him up.
After all, he was not yet familiar with the human world and lacked a sense of security, so Qiao Ci decided to pick him up from school every day.
Upon seeing Qiao Ci, Mo Ye, who had been walking cautiously with a tense little face, afraid of being touched by other children, lit up. He quickened his pace and ran towards Qiao Ci.
His newly assigned deskmate was a little fatty.
Seeing this, he said with a grin, "Lan Ye, is that your mom? Your mom looks as good as you."
Little Lan Ye was immediately unhappy. He stopped in his tracks and, for the first time, looked directly at the little fatty.
He very earnestly and clearly enunciated, "She is my sister."
Then, without waiting for the little fatty to react, he turned and ran towards Qiao Ci.
However, unlike other children, he didn't give Qiao Ci a hug first. Instead, he immediately took her hand, tilted his head, and sweetly called out, "Sister, let's go home."
"Mm," Qiao Ci patted his head as a reward and asked, "How did you learn at school today? Did you get along with your classmates? Did you understand what the teacher taught?"
To understand these things, Qiao Ci had specifically researched information, such as what children should do.
Little Lan Ye obediently replied, "Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, sister."
Who wouldn't like such a well-behaved child?
Qiao Ci certainly doted on him. She was about to pick him up, but Lan Ye refused.
???
Qiao Ci didn't understand.
Lan Ye pointed at some children being held by their parents and said glumly, "Only little children need to be carried. I'm already grown up."
"You're just a normal child, you can be spoiled, act cute, and throw tantrums. I will always be behind you. Don't be too precocious; precocious children are not likable," Qiao Ci teased him.
"Am I... not likable?" Little Lan Ye's eyes widened, and he looked at Qiao Ci with some trepidation.
Qiao Ci knew her words had touched his sensitive heart. She pinched his soft cheeks and smiled, "You are always an exception. Whether you are cute or not, precocious or not, you are always the most likable in my heart."
"Hehe, I like sister the most too," Little Lan Ye's face immediately lit up with joy. "Sister, what do you want to eat tonight?"
Knowing Qiao Ci liked human food, Little Lan Ye had started practicing his cooking skills at a young age. He had Qiao Ci buy him a phone, and he would watch cooking tutorials whenever he had time.
Indeed, he discovered he had a talent for cooking and picked it up quickly. The food he made was highly praised by Qiao Ci, which further fueled his passion for culinary exploration.
"I want something spicy today." It was also mealtime, and Qiao Ci felt a bit hungry and craved something spicy.
"Mm-hmm, no problem! Little Ye will arrange it!" Lan Ye patted his small chest with confidence, acting like a responsible young man.
The two went to the market together and bought the vegetables Qiao Ci loved.
Upon returning home, Lan Ye put on the cute apron he had chosen for himself and began washing and chopping vegetables.
Due to his height, he specifically found a wooden stool to stand on, making it more convenient for stir-frying and cooking.
Qiao Ci didn't need to worry about any of these things. Qiao Ci only needed to earn money to support the family. Little Lan Ye handled all the housework.
Although he was still young, he did things in an orderly fashion. Fearing he might get tired, Qiao Ci brought out Xiao Shaozi, who had just returned to the system space after transforming into a small shark. Xiao Shaozi transformed into a cute little dog.
Xiao Shaozi wore a smile on its face, but inwardly it was grumbling, "Wuwuwu, I'm just here to make up the numbers, and I still have to be exploited. It looks like floor cleaning and such will fall on me again."
A dog's life is not easy; cherish it as it goes.
Fluffy fried rice, honey-glazed chicken wings, braised pork ribs, and a Mao Xuewang that looked and smelled appetizing – it was enough to make anyone's appetite surge.
This was also the only thing Xiao Shaozi was satisfied with: being able to eat the food made by the little one was truly a great enjoyment for a dog's life, because it was incredibly delicious!