Transforming into a mermaid
When He Ruge’s mind went blank, the big white tiger suddenly lay on its side on the ground. Its tail encircled He Ruge’s waist, placing him on its soft, white belly.
The big white tiger said with a confident tone that sounded like a question turned affirmative, “Do you want to lie here for a while?”
He Ruge dumbly lay on the big white tiger’s belly. The large belly rose and fell like waves on the sea. This was the most vulnerable part of this fierce beast, yet it was now exposed without any defense, letting him get close.
“… Mr. Xi, are you ticklish?” He Ruge feared touching the sensitive spots.
“Not at all.”
He Ruge hesitantly touched the fur on the belly, which was soft and felt nice. Smooth and glossy, this fur texture surpassed that of an ordinary cat.
If an ordinary cat could be compared to a delicate beauty, then the big cat beneath him was like a stunning beauty of the highest caliber, with skin as smooth as silk. Especially under the light, each hair was crystal clear and transparent.
Although He Ruge was afraid of the big white tiger, his body honestly began to pet the fur and quickly found joy in it, starting with just one hand reaching out, then both hands. If he wasn’t unfamiliar with Mr. Xi, He Ruge would have buried his face in it.
What is a white tiger?
The belly was too soft and white, and He Ruge had completely lost his sense of direction within this large belly. Moreover, since he couldn’t see the tiger’s head, He Ruge temporarily forgot that Mr. Xi was a big white tiger.
One “affection +1” after another emerged in his mind. He Ruge diligently caressed and tried to increase his affection. Being cautiously touched by the other party, seeing the genuine joy in He Ruge’s eyes, this cognition allowed Xi Guican to enjoy dual physical and mental happiness.
Originally, He Ruge was quite light, but now as a smaller He Ruge laid on the belly, he seemed even lighter. Xi Guican dared not move at all, fearing that He Ruge might lose balance and fall off his belly.
Seeing the affection skyrocket to 87, the big white tiger couldn’t help but wag its tail a few times.
I knew it, he must like my beast form, thought the big white tiger smugly.
However, thinking that so much affection was gained only because of his beast form, the big white tiger’s body suddenly stiffened—
Could He Ruge only like his physical body?
He Ruge had no idea about Mr. Xi’s inner world. Taking advantage of Mr. Xi’s distraction, he quietly lowered his head and quickly buried his face in the belly. The soft and delicate white fur covered his face, brushing lightly like feathers against his face.
The scent of strawberry-scented shower gel lingered in the roots of the fur. He Ruge could smell a faint but comforting scent of strawberries, a magical fragrance that made him want to lie on the belly in the shape of a “大” (big) and fall asleep.
After experiencing the joy of burying his face, He Ruge quickly lifted his head and sat on the belly as if nothing had happened. If his cheeks weren’t blushing and his eyes weren’t too guilty, there wouldn’t be anything unusual.
“Sit on my back, and I’ll take you to watch cartoons,” Mr. Xi said.
He Ruge moved to the tiger’s back, wrapping both hands around the big white tiger’s neck. When the big white tiger stood up, He Ruge felt the “fear of heights” for the first time. At first, he was worried he might hit the ceiling.
They soon arrived back in the familiar room. The big white tiger collapsed into a cat pancake, and He Ruge nervously sat on its belly. With his left hand holding a bowl of strawberries and his right hand holding milk, He Ruge watched Thomas the Tank Engine with the big white tiger.
After watching for a while, He Ruge whispered, “Mr. Xi, do you want some strawberries?”
His tone was courteous.
The big white tiger lazily glanced at He Ruge and grunted. Opening its blood-stained big mouth, He Ruge took a sip of milk, set the milk aside, and intended to climb down from the belly, go to the ground, and circle around to the tiger’s head.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Xi said directly, “Don’t worry about hurting me. Even if you jump around on my body, your force is as gentle as scratching an itch.”
It was even less than scratching.
He Ruge glanced down at his small feet, feeling underestimated. He took the first step on the cat blanket, being careful because even though the big white tiger was a cat pancake, it couldn’t be as smooth as a real carpet. He Ruge walked carefully on the soft white fur, leaving footprints, just like when he and Mr. Xi walked on the beach.
After becoming a big white tiger, Xi Guican’s footprints would definitely be even larger…
He Ruge suddenly had this thought and couldn’t help but look at the tiger’s paw.
Originally leisurely on the cat blanket, the tiger paw moved involuntarily under He Ruge’s gaze, making a slight movement with its four slightly spread fingers. He Ruge wanted to rush up and high-five the paw.
“What are you looking at?” Mr. Xi asked.
“Nothing.” He Ruge quickly looked away.
He picked the biggest and reddest strawberry and placed it near the tiger’s mouth. The big white tiger wrapped its tongue around its teeth, opened its big mouth, and swallowed the strawberry in one gulp.
Red strawberry juice splattered, staining a little on the edge of its mouth. The big white tiger, who looked like it had just bitten someone’s throat, yawned. However, looking into He Ruge’s blue eyes, there was no hostility, just a sea of tolerance.
Suddenly, the fear in his heart receded like the tide. This was Mr. Xi, who loved strawberries, liked children very much, and despite looking fierce, was actually gentle. He was also great to pet, with a soft big belly.
He Ruge sat on the big white tiger’s belly, eating strawberries while watching cartoons. After finishing the strawberries, Mr. Xi took out something called a “spirit stone” and finished these post-meal desserts.
Mr. Xi transformed into a human form, holding a thick fairy tale book and sitting at the bedside, reading bedtime stories to He Ruge, who had already bathed.
This time, Mr. Xi read “The Little Match Girl”. Pale fingers lay on the deep blue cover of the book. Mr. Xi’s eyelashes drooped slightly, revealing a color of reminiscence in his eyes.
Mr. Xi seemed to be thinking of someone.
He Ruge didn’t know why, but suddenly this thought popped into his mind.
Holding the hot milk, he looked blankly at Mr. Xi, at this mysterious man who had experienced so much, loved someone, and had friends.
He Ruge knew nothing about it.
Mr. Xi finished the last sentence, closed the book, and nodded politely, “Good night.” After speaking, he hesitated for a moment, reached out, and touched He Ruge’s head.
Warm hands.
Mr. Xi, who looked cold on the outside but was warm on the inside.
“Good night, Mr. Xi.”
That night, He Ruge had another dream. In the dream, he was still a little mermaid, and a big white tiger brought over a fairy tale book, saying to him, “Will you tell me a story today?”
Silver patterns appeared on He Ruge’s legs, complementing the blood-red patterns.
…
The next morning, He Ruge went to kindergarten. Autumn Dream Valley painted a portrait of him. The little girl touched his face with her hands and then, without seeing anything, drew a portrait that looked exactly like He Ruge.
He Ruge was stunned.
“I can only draw He Ruge well.”
Autumn Dream Valley whispered softly, handing the drawing to He Ruge, “It’s for you.”
On the way home from school that day, He Ruge kept looking at the portrait Autumn Dream Valley gave him.
Mr. Xi casually asked, “Do you like it?”
He Ruge nodded. This was the first time he had received a portrait of himself, and he wanted to frame it when he got home.
“The strokes are a bit childish.”
Mr. Xi said, then suddenly pinched He Ruge’s face.
In He Ruge’s bewildered eyes, he calmly said, “Don’t let others touch your face casually.”
He then touched He Ruge’s eyebrows, “Reluctantly, Autumn Dream Valley can touch you for painting.”
Then pinched his nose, “Others can’t.”
Then he rubbed He Ruge’s little head, teaching him like a caring father, “You must learn to protect yourself, understand?”
He Ruge: “???”
“I bought you a mobile phone and a computer. When we get home, I’ll teach you how to use them.”
Mr. Xi’s next words immediately made He Ruge forget being pinched on the face. Although these two days were very fulfilling with cat petting, the joy brought by the internet was unparalleled.
After dinner, He Ruge pretended not to know anything and honestly listened to Mr. Xi’s explanation.
Mr. Xi deliberately slowed down the speed of typing pinyin, slowly tapping the keyboard to find “Thomas and Friends”.
The big face of the little train appeared on the screen. No matter how many times he watched it, He Ruge felt that Thomas was strangely ugly and wondered if it would ruin the aesthetic of the children.
“Don’t stare at screens for too long in a day; it’s not good for your eyes,” Mr. Xi advised.
He Ruge nodded like a chick pecking at rice. He hadn’t taken good care of his eyes before, and now he couldn’t afford to repeat the same mistakes.
With the addition of a computer, Mr. Xi and He Ruge’s leisure activities turned into playing two-player mini-games. Their favorite was two-player game called Gold Miner.
Mr. Xi had quick eyes and nimble hands; every grab was precise, fetching diamonds and gold effortlessly. Even with He Ruge as his teammate, who could accidentally grab dynamite or a TNT barrel at any moment, they breezed through levels thirty-something.
Speaking of quick reactions, sometimes when something slipped from He Ruge’s hand, Mr. Xi always caught it before it hit the ground, reacting so fast it was almost inhuman… well, indeed, Mr. Xi was an alien.
This made He Ruge curious about Mr. Xi’s profession.
During this time, Mr. Xi had been accompanying him to kindergarten, full-time nurturing, never having worked before. He Ruge was truly envious of Mr. Xi’s lifestyle, but he never ventured to ask about the other’s privacy.
Many things didn’t need to be known too clearly; perhaps one day Mr. Xi would suddenly leave, stealthily returning to his alien origins. Thinking of this, a piece of He Ruge’s heart suddenly felt empty.
This weekend, Mr. Xi took He Ruge to an amusement park. He Ruge rode on carousels and Ferris wheels, played bumper cars, and finally Mr. Xi bought him ice cream.
He Ruge had a great time that day. Children have poor endurance; by the time he got home, he was exhausted. After consuming the spirit stone Mr. Xi gave him, He Ruge lay down in the bathtub for a bath.
The water temperature was just right, and the bathroom was filled with the strawberry-scented steam. He Ruge unknowingly fell asleep. During his slumber, the magical patterns on his short legs began to glow and warm—
Quietly transforming into a chubby fish tail.
