309: Chapter 309 An old hand at eating!

The morning sunlight spilled onto the pool, creating a layer of golden ripples.

Lan Xin slowly surfaced from the bottom of the pool, her deep blue tail refracting a dreamy luster in the sunlight.

She had already been in this base for nearly two weeks.

Two weeks was enough for her to undergo subtle changes regarding everything here.

"Gurgle—"

Her stomach growled uncooperatively.

Lan Xin's face flushed slightly, and she subconsciously looked around, confirming that no one had heard that embarrassing sound.

Ever since that night when Lin Yuan gave her that bottle of strange liquid called "Cola."

She had developed a keen interest in land food.

Especially that thing called "Braised Pork."

Although she was from the Merfolk Clan and theoretically should eat sashimi.

But for some reason, every time she smelled that fragrance, her saliva couldn't stop flowing.

"Could it be... have I been assimilated by the land people?"

Lan Xin covered her face, falling into deep self-doubt.

Just then, a set of footsteps approached.

"Morning, Little Dried Fish."

Lin Yuan's voice came from the poolside, carrying a hint of lazy amusement.

Lan Xin looked up and saw Lin Yuan standing by the edge of the pool, holding a tray in his hand.

On the tray was a bowl of steaming seafood porridge and several exquisite pastries.

"Is this... for me?" Lan Xin couldn't quite believe it.

"Otherwise what? For Old Wang next door?"

Lin Yuan placed the tray on the stone platform by the pool and sat down next to it.

"Eat up, I specifically had Chu Yanran make this for you. She said your appetite hasn't been good these past few days, so she simmered it for three hours."

Lan Xin froze for a moment, a warm current surging through her heart.

She cautiously swam to the edge of the pool, rested her hands on the stone platform, and looked down at the bowl of porridge.

The porridge contained shrimp, crab meat, diced abalone, and some other seafood whose names she couldn't identify.

The aroma was intoxicating, causing her stomach to protest again.

"Gurgle—"

This time the sound was even louder.

Lan Xin's face turned bright red instantly, and she wished she could bury herself in the water.

Lin Yuan held back his laughter:

"It seems your stomach is much more honest than you are. Hurry and eat; it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Lan Xin bit her lower lip, but in the end, she couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food.

She mimicked the way she had seen humans do it, clumsily picking up the spoon and scooping a mouthful of porridge into her mouth.

The warm porridge slid down her throat, and the sense of satisfaction made her squint her eyes.

"Is it good?" Lin Yuan asked.

Lan Xin nodded, then shook her head, and finally nodded again.

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Is it good or not?"

"It's good... but..."

Lan Xin put down the spoon, looked up at Lin Yuan, her sea-blue eyes filled with a hint of confusion:

"You... why are you so good to me?"

Lin Yuan was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..."

Lan Xin lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously tracing the surface of the water:

"I've observed you. You are good to everyone in the base, but that kindness has a purpose. You give them food, you give them protection, because they can do things for you."

"But me..."

She looked up, her eyes filled with bewilderment:

"I can't do anything. I can't fight, I can't cook, and I can't even walk on land. I'm just a useless fish... why are you still so good to me?"

Lin Yuan fell silent.

He looked at the Merfolk Clan princess before him, who was a bit too innocent, and couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

This girl, her observation skills were actually quite sharp.

It's just that her conclusion was a bit skewed.

"You think I'm good to you because I want to use you?" Lin Yuan asked.

Lan Xin didn't speak, but her eyes had already given the answer.

Lin Yuan smiled, stood up, walked to the edge of the pool, and crouched down to look at Lan Xin at eye level:

"Then let me ask you, if I really just wanted to use you, why would I build this temperature-controlled pool specifically for you?"

"Why have people deliver fresh seafood to you every day?"

"Why come to chat with you when you're singing?"

Lan Xin opened her mouth but couldn't say a word.

"Because..."

Lin Yuan reached out and gently tapped her forehead:

"Every life deserves to be respected. You are a unique existence; you don't need to change for anyone, and you don't need to prove your worth."

"You just need to be yourself."

Lan Xin was stunned.

This sentence was like a ray of light, piercing through the thick haze in her heart.

Since she was little, she had heard too many words like "You must work hard," "You must be strong," and "You must carry the hopes of the entire clan."

But no one had ever told her—

You just need to be yourself.

"But..."

Lan Xin's voice trembled slightly:

"I am the last of the Merfolk Clan's royal family. My people are all dead, and only I am alive. How can I just be myself? I must..."

"Must what?"

Lin Yuan interrupted her:

"Must drive yourself to death? Must live every day in guilt and pressure? Must turn yourself into an emotionless revenge machine?"

"Do you think your people want to see you like that?"

Lan Xin's body trembled slightly.

"They let you live, not so you could live in shackles."

Lin Yuan's voice softened:

"Living itself is the greatest victory. As for reviving the Merfolk Clan or whatever... take it slow, no rush."

"What you need to do now is eat well, rest well, and adapt well to life on land."

"When you are ready, I will help you."

Lan Xin looked up, her eyes already red:

"You... you will help me?"

"Of course."

Lin Yuan stood up and brushed the dust off his hands:

"But for now, finish your porridge. It won't taste good if it gets cold, and wasting food will get you nagged by Chu Yanran; that woman is even more long-winded than my grandmother."

Lan Xin froze for a moment, then burst into tears of laughter.

She lowered her head and continued to drink the porridge, but this time, the taste seemed even more delicious than before.

After Lin Yuan left, Lan Xin floated alone in the center of the pool, staring blankly at the sky.

The words Lin Yuan had just spoken echoed repeatedly in her mind.

"Every life deserves to be respected..."

"You just need to be yourself..."

"When you are ready, I will be here..."

Lan Xin curled herself into a ball, hugging her knees, with her face buried between her arms.

Her heart was beating very fast, abnormally fast.

She had never experienced this feeling before.

It wasn't awe for the strong, nor was it gratitude towards a benefactor, but a more complex, more subtle emotion.

"What is... this feeling?"

Lan Xin muttered to herself.

Just then, a voice came from the poolside:

"Yo, Little Fish sister, what are you spacing out about?"

Lan Xin was startled and looked up to see Ye Qingyue lying by the edge of the pool, looking at her with a face full of gossip.

"You... why are you here?"

"I came to bring you snacks!"

Ye Qingyue shook the bag of potato chips in her hand:

"Brother Lin Yuan said you've been in a bad mood lately, so he asked me to come and chat with you."

Lan Xin was a bit flustered: "I... I don't need..."

"Don't be so polite!"

Ye Qingyue directly took off her shoes and stuck her feet into the water, swinging them comfortably:

"Ah—so cool! This pool is really nice, I'll come soak in it another day."

Lan Xin: "..."

This human girl seemed a bit too familiar.

"Oh right, oh right, I just saw Brother Lin Yuan walk by here, what did you guys talk about?"

Ye Qingyue's eyes were sparkling, with a "tell me, tell me, I want to hear gossip" expression.

Lan Xin's face flushed slightly: "N-nothing..."

"Liar! Your face is red!"

Ye Qingyue excitedly slapped the surface of the water:

"Did Brother Lin Yuan confess to you? Or did he kiss you? Or..."

"None of that!"

Lan Xin hurriedly denied it, her face turning even redder.

"Tch, how boring."

Ye Qingyue pouted, but quickly regained her gossiping enthusiasm:

"Then tell me, what do you feel for Brother Lin Yuan? Like? Hate? Or..."

"I..."

Lan Xin opened her mouth but didn't know how to answer.

What did she feel for Lin Yuan?

Reliance? Gratitude? Or...

"I don't know..."

Lan Xin said honestly.

"You don't know?"

Ye Qingyue tilted her head to think, then suddenly clapped her hands:

"I get it! You have a crush on him!"

"A... a crush?"

Lan Xin looked at her, puzzled.

"It's the kind where you like someone but are afraid to say it!"

Ye Qingyue acted like someone with experience:

"Symptoms include but are not limited to: blushing when you see him, your heart racing when you hear his voice, spacing out when you think of him, finding the food he gives you extra delicious..."

Lan Xin's face grew redder and redder.

Because it seemed she had checked every single point Ye Qingyue mentioned.

"How about it? Did you check them all?"

Ye Qingyue smiled triumphantly:

"Congratulations, Little Fish sister, you have successfully fallen into Brother Lin Yuan's harem pit! Welcome to our big family!"

"Ha... harem?"

Lan Xin was even more confused.

"It's... never mind, I'll explain this later."

Ye Qingyue stood up and brushed the water droplets off her skirt:

"Anyway, if you like Brother Lin Yuan, go after him boldly! We sisters are all easy to get along with, we won't bully you!"

"Of course, if you dare to steal my Braised Pork, that's another matter."

After saying this, Ye Qingyue hopped away, leaving a bewildered Lan Xin behind.

"Like... Lin Yuan?"

Lan Xin submerged herself in the water, revealing only her eyes.

Her heart was beating even faster.

In the Merfolk Clan, marriage is an extremely serious matter.

A mermaid only commits to one partner in their life, and once committed, it is for life.

Therefore, the Merfolk Clan is extra cautious when choosing a partner, requiring a long observation period.

But now...

Lan Xin had only known Lin Yuan for less than two weeks, and her heart was already racing?

Is this normal?

"No, no, it must be because I haven't eaten for too long and my blood sugar is low..."

Lan Xin tried to find a reasonable explanation for herself.

But she knew in her heart that she couldn't even fool herself with this explanation.

"Forget it, I won't think about it."

Lan Xin took a deep breath and made a decision.

Since Lin Yuan said to try and integrate here, she would give it a try.

Starting from the most basic thing—learning to walk.

Although the Merfolk Clan mainly lives in water, they also have the ability to briefly manifest legs.

It's just that this ability requires consuming a large amount of Spiritual Power and is very unstable.

Lan Xin swam to the edge of the pool, braced her hands on the stone platform, and slowly pulled her body out of the water.

She closed her eyes and focused her Spiritual Power.

The deep blue tail began to emit a faint light, then slowly split and transformed...

A few seconds later, a pair of slender, fair, beautiful legs appeared!

They were simply a top-tier pair of delicious jade feet.

A real foodie!

"Whew... succeeded."

Lan Xin breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately encountered a problem.

She didn't know how to walk.

"Left foot... right foot... left foot..."

Lan Xin held onto the railing by the pool, moving forward step by step.

But her legs felt like they weren't listening to her, soft and weak, unable to exert any force at all.

"Thump!"

She stumbled and fell directly into the bushes nearby.

"Woo... it hurts..."

Lan Xin rubbed her bruised knee, her eyes turning a bit red.

But she didn't give up.

She gritted her teeth, climbed up, and continued to practice.

Once, twice, three times...

She didn't know how many times she had fallen; her knees and palms were scraped and raw.

But she never stopped.

Because she wanted to...

She wanted to use her own legs to walk to that person.

Evening.

Lin Yuan was in the study handling base affairs when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a petite figure walked in.

It was Lan Xin.

But what surprised Lin Yuan was that she had walked in using her legs.

Although she walked unsteadily, like a child just learning to walk, she was indeed using her legs to walk.

"You..."

Lin Yuan was a bit surprised.

"I... I practiced all afternoon."

Lan Xin held onto the wall, panting as she said:

"I... I want to try and integrate here."

Lin Yuan looked at her, a glimmer of appreciation flashing in his eyes.

"Well done."

He stood up, walked to Lan Xin, and reached out to support her swaying body:

"But don't push yourself too hard, take it slow."

Lan Xin looked up, looking at Lin Yuan who was within arm's reach, and her heart began to race again.

"Lin Yuan..."

"Hmm?"

"I..."

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I... I want to eat Braised Pork."

Lin Yuan was taken aback, then smiled:

"Alright, I'll have Chu Yanran make it for you."

Lan Xin lowered her head, her ears red like cooked shrimp.

That wasn't what she originally wanted to say.

But...

Forget it, Braised Pork is also quite good.

Lin Yuan looked at her hesitant expression and roughly guessed what was going on.

But he didn't point it out.

Some things can't be rushed.

"Let's go, I'll help you to the dining hall."

"Mm..."

Their figures disappeared at the end of the corridor.