Chapter 1762: Mermaid Rearing Guide 34

The door to the Red Bun's breeding chamber office wasn't closed.

As Jin Chen entered, he caught a strong scent of blood, and even the air around him still held the oppressive pressure left by the agitated giant python.

He wasn't used to it, casually waved his hand to clear the smell, and stepped closer.

"Squeak! Squeak!" the little red fish's tail fin burst with many scales, feeling wronged it curled up in Lin Juan's arms to apply medicine; seeing Jin Chen enter, both person and fish glanced over guiltily.

"Sorry." Lin Juan said low, his tired eyes drooping with regret, "I didn't keep an eye on him."

Jin Chen lowered his eyes at the Red Bun, slightly raising his brow, "How serious is it?"

The clever Red Bun instantly understood the Great King's meaning, whining as it slipped from Lin Juan's warm embrace, squeaked and tried to leap into Jin Chen's arms to stir his 'fatherly love'.

The attempt to wake him failed, so Jin Chen unceremoniously tossed him into the breeding chamber—only a wisp of azure spiritual power brushed past, lowering the Red Bun's scorching tail fin considerably.

Jin Chen glanced at the still dazed Lin Juan sitting where he was, fetched a medical kit from the office, and sat beside the breeding chamber.

"Come over."

Lin Juan quietly lifted his gaze, unsure if Jin Chen was calling the Red Bun or him—then, unexpectedly, their eyes met.

He pursed his lips, his usually aloof gaze turning wary, and sat on the other side of the sofa.

When Jin Chen reached out to take Lin Juan's hand, he saw him lean back to dodge, then suddenly stiffened his body, not moving.

Jin Chen snorted, his words inevitably sharp, and continued sternly: "What, you can't even touch me?"

"No, I—" Lin Juan vexed, instinctively grabbing Jin Chen's finger, "I didn't dodge."

A mermaid's sense of smell is too keen; he fears his wounds will be revealed.

But Jin Chen did smell blood, and merely assumed it came from his scraped hand.

He slowly applied medicine to Lin Juan's arm, his thick black lashes lowering at the corners, silently revealing his coldness.

Lin Juan felt a sudden sting in his nose, lowered his head and focused on the arm he'd used to save the Red Bun from the giant python's scrape; the burning pain gradually faded.

The atmosphere fell into silence.

——

The scrape wasn't serious; as he was being bandaged, Lin Juan came to and explained what had happened that morning.

"The researcher misjudged the giant python's racial trait, leading to improper confinement; I was reviewing data in the lab when I heard the news, went downstairs, and only then found the Red Bun also playing over there."

Coincidentally, the giant python's racial trait involves fire, and it isn't an ancient species; in excruciating pain it couldn't control its ability, nearly burning the whole floor.

After explaining, Lin Juan saw Jin Chen still wearing a cold face, felt at a loss, and said again, "Sorry."

Jin Chen snapped the medical kit shut. "Is that all you want to tell me?"

Lin Juan really didn't know what else to say.

Before, they always had plenty to talk about, but Lin Juan recalls that almost all the topics were brought up by Jin Chen; even when quiet, it was Jin Chen after being coquettish and tired from playing, wanting to sleep.

But now the aloof person has become Jin Chen, yet he can't ease the tension—instead he's made the relationship that could barely sustain a couple of sentences turn stiff again.

Jin Chen picked at the sofa's edge, his fingers icy yet seething with anger.

He even took the initiative to bandage Lin Juan's wound!

How come Lin Juan still won't say a few nice words to coax the fish!

Moreover, Jin Chen isn't oblivious either; Lin Juan truly feels they will have no further interaction from now on.

It's enough to make even a fish angry.

"Lin Juan, I can take the Red Bun away now."

Jin Chen suddenly spoke in a light voice, his brows and eyes icy beyond belief, "No one here can stop me."

"I have no attachments to humanity; from now on I will never leave Mermaid City."

He tightly stared at Lin Juan's suddenly reddened eyes, "Is this what you want?"

What one feels in the heart is one thing, but hearing Jin Chen say it aloud, Lin Juan only felt his chest tighten with a dull ache, a thin mist rose in his eyes, and the hand hidden in his sleeve quietly clenched.

"I don't want—"

Perhaps the suppressed emotions had finally reached a breaking point; Lin Juan nearly broke down, lowering his head as crimson at the corners of his eyes welled up, his voice hoarse with a sob.

"I don't want you to leave; I don't want to lose sight of you."

He tremulously gripped the freshly bandaged hand, then suddenly heard a sigh.

"Alright."

Jin Chen embraced Lin Juan, his tone unhappy: "Then you should have said so earlier; you insisted on being awkward."

The long-absent embrace left Lin Juan unable to hold himself together; his eyes blurred, the handsome face before him grew hazy, he reached out to embrace Jin Chen's neck, burying his face in the shoulder, all moisture soaking into his clothes.

Lin Juan again heard a slightly discontented voice near his ear.

Jin Chen rubbed his back, feeling somewhat lost, said: "You stabbed me, drew so much blood, and still won't coax me."

"Feel it— that knife scar won't fade."

Lin Juan didn't dare touch it, his heart full of unease and regret; he slightly turned his head and quietly placed a salty, moist, bitter kiss on Jin Chen's neck.

Jin Chen still muttered, then suddenly caught a scent at Lin Juan's collar, puzzled, he pulled him close and sniffed.

"You still have wounds?" "Don't—"

Lin Juan shuddered, trying to press Jin Chen's hand to take off his outer garment, but that only made Jin Chen more suspicious, especially given his earlier unconscious flinch when touched.

Jin Chen lifted him from his embrace, one hand gripping Lin Juan's wrist, frowning as he undid his clothing.

The shocking bandages came into view, still soaked with blood, as if the wound had been torn open.

Jin Chen suddenly lifted his gaze, his eyes blazing with fury, "Who hurt you?"

Lin Juan closed his eyes, scorched by the intense gaze, his voice dropping to a whisper barely audible.

"Myself."

As soon as he said it, the pain of that night by the sea seemed to surge again; Lin Juan clenched his teeth, unwilling to let tears fall, yet they dripped one by one onto Jin Chen's hand, and even his voice sounded like a sorrowful, out-of-tune trailing note.

Jin Chen stared for a few seconds, as he thought it through, all the causes and effects connected, then he suddenly understood why Lin Juan had stabbed him.

His throat knot rolled deep, suppressing the surging emotions; he raised his hand and wiped the moisture at the corner of Lin Juan's eyes with his fingertip, and when he spoke again his low voice was also somewhat hoarse.

Don't cry, let me hug you.

Jin Chen pulled Lin Juan into his embrace again, his warm lips pressing preciously against his brow.

Lin Juan clung to his neck like a drowning person, after accepting the kiss he buried himself in the embrace, silently easing the overwhelming surging emotions.

"Blockhead," Jin Chen rubbed his back, "you're an idiot."

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +10, total 90!】

After Lin Juan's emotions eased slightly, Jin Chen half-embraced him and re-treated the wound; in the process he saw that Lin Juan was deliberately preventing the wound from healing, inevitably leading to another round of low reprimands that made Lin Juan feel extremely guilty.

Do you think you're a blood bank, you can just keep bleeding?" Jin Chen poked his head, "It seems Doctor Lin lacks basic knowledge of human physiology."

Lin Juan fell silent for a moment, tilted his head and kissed Jin Chen's chin, his moist eyes gazing at him silently.

Jin Chen: "..."

Jin Chen remained silent, Spiritual Power covered the wound and continued to heal.

Damn humans, just after making up they used a beauty trap on the fish.

Jin Chen fiercely held Lin Juan and took a few more bites.