Chapter 427 - 426: Extra 22: Let’s Go to Ocean Star 4 (Jiang Xia)

Chapter 427: Chapter 426: Extra 22: Let’s Go to Ocean Star 4 (Jiang Xia)

Shi Lan rolled her eyes at him. He really got carried away with a little encouragement.

But when she glanced around and saw no one else, she indulged him with a quick kiss.

Jiang Xia grinned so wide his canine teeth showed again.

The sea breeze was a bit strong. Shi Lan’s rod was getting bites one after another, but while Jiang Xia’s hair was being blown into a mess, he hadn’t even seen a single fish.

Finally, Shi Lan called over a staff member to ask if Jiang Xia was doing something wrong. Only then did she discover that the clump of bait he put on the hook each time was huge and not pressed on tightly. It would either disintegrate or fall off as soon as it hit the water. How could he possibly catch a fish like that?

Shi Lan was at a loss for words. Jiang Xia scratched his head in embarrassment. ’I was worried the fish wouldn’t have enough to eat if the bait was too small,’ he thought. ’Was it actually too much?’

The staff member glanced at the bait they had prepared for the two. Shi Lan still had three-quarters left, while Jiang Xia was already halfway through his. The middle of his container was even scraped clean...

He really was heavy-handed with the bait.

Naturally, the staff member couldn’t say much about it and simply asked Jiang Xia, "Do you need a refill on your bait?"

"Yes, please. Give me some more."

Jiang Xia didn’t stand on ceremony. After all, his target wasn’t these fish. His dolphins hadn’t arrived yet.

In truth, he was using so much bait partly because he hoped the food would attract the dolphins.

Though he wasn’t sure if it would work.

The staff member brought Jiang Xia another bucket. With Shi Lan watching him like a hawk, he obediently pinched off just a tiny bit of bait, attached it to the hook, and cast his line.

This time, Shi Lan watched closely, confirming that Jiang Xia hadn’t made any mistakes before nodding in satisfaction.

Finally, after coming up empty for so long, he caught a small fish.

Jiang Xia had been acting nonchalant, but when the fish was actually reeled in, he couldn’t help but hug Shi Lan in delight, shouting excitedly, "Lanlan, Lanlan, I caught a fish!!"

Shi Lan hugged him back, laughing along with him. She reminded him, "I see it! Hurry and reel the line all the way in before it gets off the hook."

His line was only halfway reeled in, and the fish was still dangling in mid-air, flopping around energetically.

Jiang Xia nodded repeatedly, carefully reeling in the rest of the line. Then, holding the fish in both hands, he looked at Shi Lan. "Wife, let’s have grilled fish tonight."

Shi Lan glanced down at the fish in his hands. It was tiny, probably not even a pound. It was the smallest fish she’d seen this whole time...

She was silent for a good while before she stroked his hair. "There, there. Tonight, we’ll eat the big one I caught."

She had caught a massive fish weighing over fifty pounds, and she’d needed Jiang Xia to help her haul it in.

According to the yacht’s staff, the fish was highly nutritious and delicious. Many tourists came here hoping to catch one but never succeeded.

Since the fish was so big anyway, she planned to eat some of it here and pack the rest, frozen, to take home for the other Beast Husbands and the cubs to try.

Jiang Xia glanced at the huge fish in the bucket, then back at the palm-sized one in his hands, and finally released it back into the sea with a dejected look.

The difference was just too great; he couldn’t bring himself to eat it.

The moment the little fish hit the water, it vanished in the blink of an eye.

It was the first fish he’d ever caught, so Jiang Xia felt a small sense of wistful loss. But the thrill of the catch was still there, so he decided to keep at it and aim for a big one himself.

He even made a bet with Shi Lan. "Wife, do you think I can catch a fish bigger than yours? If I do, will you wear the clothes I bought for you tonight?"

Shi Lan’s face suddenly flushed red. She glanced behind her guiltily, relieved that the staff member wasn’t there.

She shot Jiang Xia a glare. "So indecent."

But thinking about those clothes gave her an idea. "If you lose, you have to wear them."

Jiang Xia’s face reddened too, and he looked excited. Without a moment’s hesitation, he nodded. "Okay, whatever you say, Wife."

’I suspect I’ve been had...’ Shi Lan thought.

But the thought of Jiang Xia wearing those clothes piqued her interest, and her competitive spirit instantly flared.

However, Jiang Xia was destined to lose this bet. Not ten minutes later, the pink dolphins he’d been longing to see arrived.

The moment the dolphins appeared, Jiang Xia completely forgot about his fishing rod. His eyes sparkling, he pointed at the ocean. "Wife! Wife, look! The pink dolphins are here!"

Jiang Xia’s voice was so loud that even the staff on the second deck heard him.

They also saw the pod of pink dolphins in formation from the windows and couldn’t help but walk out onto the deck to watch.

Shi Lan, of course, noticed them too.

In the vast, azure sea, a group of pink creatures had suddenly appeared, like a dream made real. The mix of the fantastical and the real created a sense of unreality.

This was her first time seeing pink dolphins. Before, she had only seen pictures of them online.

The pink dolphins were truly pink all over. The skin on their heads and bodies looked sleek and glossy, as if it would be smooth and pleasant to the touch. They had large, round, black eyes that were bright and lively. Their long beaks were slightly parted, emitting a humming sound like the echo of waves in a conch shell. Combined with the clear cries of the seagulls in the sky, it created the sacred harmony of a natural symphony.

It wasn’t noisy at all; in fact, it had a wonderfully calming effect.

There were a dozen or so dolphins. They seemed to have split into two groups, crisscrossing as they leaped through the air in beautiful crescent arcs. In the instant the dolphins from both sides broke the surface and fell back in unison, Shi Lan thought she saw a chain of pink hearts, a truly magical sight.

Seeing such a beautiful scene, Shi Lan couldn’t resist recording a video, feeling even more grateful for this wonderful trip.

After gratefully tossing all his remaining bait to the pink dolphins, Jiang Xia stood to the side, piously praying with his hands clasped together. Shi Lan noticed his strange behavior and quietly crept closer. She heard him muttering, "May Lanlan and I never be separated. May we love each other forever. Thank you for your blessing, pink dolphins..."

He looked just like Wu Wu had when he wished upon a shooting star.

’Like father, like son.’

A small smile touched Shi Lan’s lips, and she whispered a response in his ear, "Mm, we will."

Startled, Jiang Xia’s eyes flew open. He stared at her, wide-eyed with panic, embarrassed at being caught. His cheeks flushed scarlet. His heart felt both sweet and shy. He made a light fist and gently tapped Shi Lan’s shoulder. "Hey! Wife, you scared me on purpose."

The scene immediately brought a meme to Shi Lan’s mind, and she laughed even more happily.

The pink dolphins performed for nearly twenty minutes before slowly passing the yacht and disappearing into the churning waves.

The two of them were about done with fishing, so the yacht started its return journey.

Since they had gone quite far out to sea, they had a grand seafood feast on the yacht on the way back. A portion of the fish Shi Lan had caught was cooked on the spot. The rest was prepared by the chef, and she stored it all in a freezer box in her Space Chain for the time being.

The freezer box was also mostly constructed from Blue Crystals. The higher the quality of the Blue Crystal, the better the freezing effect. The red and blue crystals Shi Lan carried were all top-quality.

After returning to the shore, Shi Lan played on the beach for a while.

The beaches here were regularly cleaned by specialized robots and were spotless. There wasn’t any trash to be seen in the water near the edge, either.

Shi Lan didn’t go into the water. She took lots of pictures with Jiang Xia by the sea and finally took a ride in a submarine that explored the shallows down to 500 meters before they returned to the hotel.

Ocean Star had only one large hotel. It usually didn’t have many overnight guests and was mainly used for dining, but room service was still available just in case some guests who obtained permission to stay overnight had nowhere else to go.

After dinner, Shi Lan watched Jiang Xia put on a swimming performance for her to aid his digestion. He even transformed into his beast form, but his swimming in that form was comical, resembling a doggy paddle. Shi Lan laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

As evening fell, she watched the water droplets slide over Jiang Xia’s abs after he returned to his human form. Her gaze shifted, and she remembered their bet from earlier that day.

Shi Lan retrieved the clothes she had tossed into a corner of her Space Chain. It looked a lot like lingerie. She had no idea which shop owner had duped Jiang Xia into buying it, claiming that playing with it together could deepen a couple’s bond.

The lingerie came in a set for men and women. Jiang Xia had thrown them all to her back then, but she’d taken one look and immediately tossed them far away.

Only now was she in the mood to take them out.

She took out the men’s version. Unlike the women’s version, it had an opening in the front and the back.

Shi Lan didn’t understand how it was worn at first. But after they both washed up and she saw Jiang Xia emerge wearing it, she finally understood: the hole in the back was for his tail.

And now, Jiang Xia stood shyly before her, clad in see-through black lace that failed to cover his lower half. He held his hands in front of himself, looking aggrieved and awkward. The contrast between his pale skin and the black fabric was striking, especially with the addition of his big, fluffy tail.

Shi Lan almost had a nosebleed.

She pinched her nose, swallowed hard, and walked over. She couldn’t resist reaching out and stroking his big, soft tail first.

It had barely begun, but Jiang Xia couldn’t take it anymore and pressed against her. Through his tail, a certain part of him bumped against the hand she had resting on it.

The heat made Shi Lan snatch her hand back.

Jiang Xia let out a dissatisfied and wounded whimper. "Wife, Wife... don’t you like me wearing this?"

Shi Lan looked him over again. ’This revealing-yet-concealing look is absolutely lethal.’

She couldn’t bring herself to say no. In the end, she could only push him onto the bed and express her approval with passion.

Because of that outfit, the next day Jiang Xia was back to whining and acting cute, begging Shi Lan to wear her matching piece.

In short, the two spent two passionate nights in the hotel and didn’t go out much after that.

Jiang Xia was like a little sprite who had been thoroughly ’watered’. He clung to Shi Lan, kissing her neck, contentedly feeling the sore-yet-pleasant fatigue in his body.

’The internet was right,’ he thought to himself. ’My Wife and I really are closer now.’