"Who are you?" A soft, sweet voice sounded from behind as she fell into thought.
Ming Yue subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound, and a tiny merman appeared before her.
The little merman's tail lay limply on the ground, but his eyes darted around nimbly, as if plotting something mischievous.
His sapphire blue eyes, like his mother's, held a clear depth. His face was young and gentle, appearing incredibly well-behaved.
This collection of contradictions in one person, for some reason, made Ming Yue feel that this child was very much like Xing Yuan. Yet, Xing Yuan had never shown a hint of cunning in front of her, always appearing gentle.
As Ming Yue was contemplating, Bei, displeased at being ignored, pouted and asked, "You still haven't answered my question! Who are you? Why don't you have a tail?"
Ming Yue crouched down, her fingers instantly solidifying as she gently touched the little merman's head.
Bei's rational mind told her she should resist, but she inexplicably felt a desire to be close to the person in front of her. This strange feeling only made her more unhappy.
Ming Yue spoke softly, "Before asking someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first!"
Bei's head felt very comfortable being petted, but she still whined in protest, "I asked you first, so you should answer my question first."
"But seeing as your massage is so comfortable, I'll reluctantly tell you my name. I am Bei, the future most beautiful merman, destined to become the leader of the merman tribe." Bei tilted her head up, her face full of pride.
Grandpa Mai said he would pass his position to her in the future, so she would be the Merman King, how majestic.
Ming Yue's movements paused. This child, strictly speaking, couldn't be more than three years old! Were merman cubs also this chuunibyou?
However, she was her child after all. Although Ming Yue still couldn't understand the principle of her birth, the fact remained. So, she also introduced herself, "My name is Ming Yue, and I am the mother of the future most beautiful merman, Bei."
"Ah?" Bei's mouth fell open, and then tears suddenly welled up in her eyes as she rushed towards Ming Yue.
Ming Yue instinctively solidified her body to catch her. Feeling the child's soft skin, Ming Yue hugged her somewhat stiffly.
"Mother, is it Mother? Mother brought another Mother back! I won't call her a big liar anymore."
Although Bei's words were a bit jumbled, Ming Yue understood. Her eyes were filled with tenderness as she gently stroked Bei's head.
She softly wiped away Bei's tears and soothed her, "Don't cry anymore, Mother is here, Mother is always here."
After finally coaxing the child, Bei suddenly spoke with a tone of abandonment, "Then why didn't Mother come to find me before?"
"This..." Ming Yue organized her words, "It was Mother's fault."
"It's just that Mother is different from you. I was an ordinary person back then and couldn't come here."
"I see!" Bei nodded like a little adult, as if she understood, but in reality, she hadn't understood at all.
"Yes." Ming Yue nodded silently, unsure of what else to say.
She was, in fact, still a child herself, and before she was ready to be a true adult, she had her own child. Naturally, she didn't know how to interact with this child.
Bei proactively extended her hand, looking at Ming Yue with longing, "Mother, take me to see that Mother! Bei hasn't seen her for a long time."
"Okay~" Ming Yue gently picked her up, completely disregarding the drain on her strength.
However, as soon as she carried the little merman to the cave entrance, Xing Yuan immediately rushed over and took the child into her arms.
Xing Yuan looked at Ming Yue's pale face, her expression full of worry, "Are you okay?"
Ming Yue shook her head and said in a relaxed tone, "I won't die, I just need to rest for a while."
Xing Yuan's expression softened, and she awkwardly stroked Bei's hair, looking at her slightly resistant gaze. "Um, Mother is tired, can I hold you, okay?"
Bei was sometimes quite sensible, and wanting to leave a good impression on this first-time mother she met, she nodded obediently.
She patted her chest with her small hands in a proper manner, declaring proudly, "Bei is already a big child, Mother can't hold me anymore. It's okay, Bei doesn't need Mother to hold her."
"Bei is so sensible." Ming Yue's eyes were gentle.
Xing Yuan snorted, unable to stand Ming Yue's affection for this little brat. She leaned close to Ming Yue's face, her expression a little wronged, "Then, am I not sensible?"
"Cough, sensible!" Ming Yue said uncomfortably.
How could such a big fish still be vying for affection with her own cub? She hadn't seemed so inseparable from herself before.
Xing Yuan smiled happily, but Bei, displeased, slapped her face and declared in a childish voice, "Mother is mine, not yours."
"Hmph! Who says?" Xing Yuan raised her head proudly, her tone full of smugness. "Without me, how could you exist! So your Mother likes me the most."
"Waa (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)" Bei, seeing that she couldn't win the argument, burst into tears, looking incredibly pitiful.
Xing Yuan looked disgusted, with no intention of comforting the sad cub.
Mermen did indeed value their offspring, but she didn't care. She only cared about the cub's mother.
Ming Yue felt heartbroken, but she was powerless at the moment. She could only give Xing Yuan a threatening look, signaling her to coax the little one.
Xing Yuan pouted unhappily, but finally yielded to her wife's authority. She bounced the cub in her arms, but the cub only let out a sob before continuing to cry, looking extremely pathetic.
Xing Yuan had no choice but to gently coax her, "Don't cry! What are you crying about? I haven't even cried yet! It's not good to bully the younger ones."
"Why should Mother cry? No! And people say it's not good to bully the younger ones!" Bei was distracted by Xing Yuan's words, and then retorted righteously.
"This... You know quite a lot, don't you!" Xing Yuan awkwardly scratched her head. What to do when the cub is too smart to fool?
Xing Yuan whispered in Bei's ear, in a voice only they could hear, "Your Mother is still here! Does Bei want Mother to see you crying so ugly? Then your Mother won't like you anymore."
"No way!" Bei retorted unhappily, but her voice lowered, clearly lacking confidence.
But Grandpa would always comfort her when she cried. If Mother didn't comfort her, wouldn't she really hate children who cry?