Weakness

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Back when he was on the Wild Planet, Bai Ling often heard the omega medics grumbling—

An alpha’s mouth is a lying thief.

Today they’re on the roof holding roses to woo you; tomorrow they’re hitting the gas and leaving you in their exhaust fumes.

So, you must never look at what they say but at what they do.

Bai Ling turned on the light, and brightness instantly flooded the room.

The merman was indeed blind, but unlike a blind person who had their eyeballs removed, his vision wasn’t completely pitch black. Sensing the faint light, Yu Chen couldn’t help but flutter his golden eyelashes, and a momentary look of bewilderment appeared in his face.

But that daze vanished in an instant. A smile tugged the corners of Yu Chen’s eyes. Like a parent picking up a child from school, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of things, thrusting them toward the bird fluff:

“My words aren’t sweet enough, but I have candy. Will this make do?”

Bai Ling was slightly stunned. He instinctively asked, “Why are you carrying candy?”

Yu Chen pinched the flesh of his cheek and said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “I came out to coax someone so of course I have to be prepared.”

Hearing it stated so frankly actually made Bai Ling feel awkward. He silently took the candy and initially wanted to put it in his pocket, but his clothes were soaking wet, so he piled them all on the small table, neatly lining them up one by one.

Bai Ling poked at the blue-and-white candy wrappers, somewhat distracted.

He stole a glance at the merman standing by the window and unconsciously clenched his palms.

A sickly, blind merman, ignoring the numerous eyes and ears outside, braved the freezing rain in the middle of the night to find him… and even climbed a filthy fire escape just to coax him, leaving him stunned for a long time when he opened the window…

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t touched.

Bai Ling watched Yu Chen take off his cloak and shake off the bits of ice.

For most people, they get a princess' tryst. But for this one, it’s a night raid on the former Emperor.

But this night raid was fought rather miserably. Not only did he fail to completely subdue his prey, but he also lost his usual composure.

Perhaps because of hostel’s poor lighting, Bai Ling felt that this guy’s long, curly hair was damp and messy, and he looked somewhat anxious, giving off the illusion that the Iron Curtain was cracking.

Bai Ling took a sip of the hard liquor with a blank face and said, “It’s truly inappropriate for you to run out so recklessly. For as many people as there are wanting the monarchy’s restoration, there are just as many wanting your life.”

Yu Chen said nonchalantly, “It’s no matter. This isn’t the first time I’ve come out.”

Bai Ling’s brow furrowed slightly as he asked, “When was the first time?”

Three years ago? Five years ago? The situation was getting worse every year. One could tell just by looking at the dense crowd of search officers and secret police outside.

Yu Chen’s lips curled slightly, seemingly in reminiscence: “Thanksgiving. You took my hand and we watched fireworks on the roof.”

Bai Ling slammed the bottom of the bottle onto the table with a thump, his fingers gripping the bottle’s neck until they turned pale.

After a long silence, he lowered his grey eyes and said, “You don’t need to go that far.”

Yu Chen wasn’t as poor as he had imagined. As the major shareholder of the Gorgon Weapon Design Bureau, if he wanted to see him, he could have simply sent a few alphas to round him up.

At the very least, he had said he would return tomorrow morning. Couldn’t the merman just have had a nice sleep, eaten breakfast, and waited for him?

But Yu Chen didn’t sit idly by.

A person in a high position should keep their emotions hidden to prevent revealing weaknesses that can be used by those below.

By doing this, Yu Chen was practically showing him half his hand.

If he harbors ulterior motives in the future, wouldn’t he be able to easily find an excuse to lure the mermaid out?

Yu Chen, as meticulous as he was, couldn’t possibly be unaware of the risks of getting struck in his weak point and having his bottom line exposed.

As if understanding his inner turmoil, Yu Chen replied lightheartedly, “At my age, I should be allowed to be a bit willful.”

Bai Ling ground his teeth in frustration. “It’s more than willful. It’s… it’s—”

He cares too much about me.

Yu Chen followed the sound and walked over, gently stroking the back of Bai Ling’s head, which was soaked in cold sweat. He smoothed his feathers and began unbuttoning his shirt without a word.

Soaked like this, he needed to get into hot water as soon as possible, or his cold would worsen tomorrow.

A child who worries him.

Yu Chen suddenly said, “Can I change my answer to the question you asked me an hour ago?”

Bai Ling struggled to remember, recalling that back at the square, he had asked what he was to him. The merman had answered: Little darling.

He had been inexplicably furious then, instinctively feeling that shouldn’t be the answer. “Little darling” sounded like a tactic for coaxing a child; it didn’t place him on equal footing.

Bai Ling shifted his grey eyes and said flatly, “What do you want to change it to?”

The merman carefully supported his arms, pulling off the soaking wet shirt that had begun to stiffen against his body, and said naturally and honestly:

“Weakness.”

Izsu Paraiso’s only weakness.

Bai Ling’s expression froze. His frozen heart began to pump warm, fervent blood once more, sending it through his vessels to his every limb.

Compared to a term like “late wife” which described a marital status, he preferred this kind of exposure of human vulnerability.

Bai Ling’s voice was still as cold as ice, but his neck gradually flushed red as he said:

“I reluctantly accept your new answer, but I still need time to verify it.”

No sooner had he spoken than he was swept off his feet. With an overwhelming strenght, he was hoisted onto the man’s shoulder.

“As it happens, a retired civil servant has nothing but time.” Yu Chen let out a soft laugh, his arm firmly gripping the base of Bai Ling’s thighs to keep him from sliding.

Bai Ling’s expression faltered. He hooked his arms around Yu Chen’s muscular, vein-lined neck, his heart thumping like a drum.

He felt as if he was placed on a steel frame; a little snack on a golden conveyor belt, being steadily transported without a bump to the bathroom.

Yu Chen carefully placed him in the bathtub and tried to feel for the water temperature.

Bai Ling stopped him immediately. “I’ll do it.”

The hot water in these small hostels was hit-or-miss, sometimes it could be freezing cold or scalding hot. Bai Ling was afraid he’d burn his hand since he couldn’t see.

Yu Chen stepped aside but didn’t leave. Instead, like a dragon guarding its treasure, he leaned against the door with his arms crossed.

His unfocused eyes looked down, and his lush golden hair fell in slight curls over his shoulders, giving him a languid yet elegant air.

—He was completely out of place in the dim red lights of the small hostel.

A presence that absolutely should not appear in a filthy street-side hostel had somehow embedded itself perfectly into this cheap background, inexplicably giving off a certain feeling…

A dreamlike, familiar yet eerie illusion.

Bai Ling lowered his head to adjust the temperature and casually stole a glance. That single look caused a surge of emotion to rise unconstrained somewhere within him. He silently bit the inside of his cheek and lathered himself with soap.

The bathroom was tiny, only four steps in total. Knowing Yu Chen was standing barely three meters away, Bai Ling’s hand became a bit clumsy while scrubbing bubbles.

“You standing there makes me feel embarrassed.”

Yu Chen had stayed there because he was afraid Bai Ling would fall in his drunken state. Upon hearing him speak, he nodded:

“I’ll close the door. Call me if you need anything.”

Bai Ling stood dripping in the bathtub, the knee of his mechanical leg locked straight. He said stiffly:

“No, I mean… you can soak with me.”

Two people being awkward is better than one person being awkward, Bai Ling convinced himself.