Qiao Ci put her phone into her pocket and said, without blushing, "You saw it wrong."
Lan Ye smiled dotingly and obediently replied, "Okay, okay, I saw it wrong. I didn't see you making a call, nor did I see you calling the police."
"Mmm, good boy~" Qiao Ci directly reached out and ruffled his hair fiercely.
Lan Ye, disregarding his messy hairstyle, seized the opportunity to wrap his arms around Qiao Ci's waist, pulling her close. His voice, husky and magnetic, said, "Since you're being so good, does sister want to reward me? I miss you~"
"Miss where?" Qiao Ci, the experienced driver, asked with a poker face.
"I miss everywhere, I miss your hair..." Lan Ye said, kissing Qiao Ci's beautiful, seaweed-like hair. Then he continued, "I miss your forehead..."
He kissed Qiao Ci's fair and full forehead again.
"I miss your cheeks."
He kissed her cheeks, not neglecting either side.
...
"I miss your moist and cute toes..."
After saying this, he transformed into his human form, knelt on one knee, and kissed the base of Qiao Ci's tail with utmost devotion...
"A Ci, I love you, I love you very, very much..."
"Mmm..."
There is no day or night in the ocean, and time is still long. For future events, please imagine them yourself ٩(●´৺`●)૭٩(●´৺`●)و...
*
At the Sea Emperor's succession ceremony, Lan Ye strode towards that supreme position.
After the coronation ceremony, he would possess the Sea Emperor's abilities and power.
Throughout the entire process, he would cast glances at Qiao Ci from time to time, as if only with her present did all of this hold meaning.
After the coronation ceremony, he slowly walked to Qiao Ci's side and, like a human knight, offered all his loyalty to his beloved princess.
Looking up at the girl, her eyes were clear but held unspeakable vows of eternal love, deep and unwavering.
He took one of Qiao Ci's hands, produced a sea-blue ring, and gently asked, "Qiao Ci, will you marry me? I will love you for all my life, until the very last moment of my existence."
"Okay," Qiao Ci replied with a beaming smile.
Who wouldn't love romance?
Especially romance given by the boy they loved the most.
"I object!!!" a sharp voice rang out.
Icana swam aggressively towards the two of them.
"I object to your union as partners!"
"Qiao Ci is just a woman nobody wants. She is not worthy of you, my dear Sea Emperor."
"Oh? If she's not worthy, then who is?" Lan Ye, after personally placing the ring on Qiao Ci, slowly stood up and looked at Icana.
"Me! My bloodline is noble, and I am a frequent visitor to the Mermaid Royal Court. I know all the etiquette and rules of the Sea Palace. Only I am worthy of becoming your one and only Sea Queen, and I am younger than her!!!" Icana stated her case confidently, recommending herself without a trace of modesty.
"And what use is that?" Lan Ye said, in a good mood and unhurriedly, "Even if you are younger than her, or nobler in bloodline, what good is it? I only love her, and I will only accept her as my Sea Queen."
Icana looked at Lan Ye heartbreakedly. Seeing that there was no room for negotiation in his eyes, she looked towards her mother for help.
Some things were not suitable for a young girl to say, but her mother was Lan Ye's mother's sister, and she could surely educate him a few words.
Icana's mother, Luosang Shen, walked over with a stern expression. She performed the basic courtesies towards Lan Ye and did not try to persuade him.
Instead, she looked at Qiao Ci and said righteously, "Qiao Ci! My sister entrusted Lan Ye to you before she died. Is this how you take care of Lan Ye for my sister? Seducing him, making him fall in love with you? How old are you? You're also from the human world, this is called an old cow eating young grass. Do you have any shame at all?"
Lan Ye pulled Qiao Ci behind him, his eyes sharp as he looked at Luosang Shen, "Qiao Ci will be this Emperor's only Queen. Are you prepared to accept punishment for humiliating and slandering her?"
Saying that, he looked at the mermaid attendant by his side, "What punishment is required for verbally insulting the future Sea Queen?"
"Lan Ye, I am your aunt!!!" Luosang Shen became enraged. "You must have been bewitched by Qiao Ci. I will invite Master Wu She to help you expel the evil spirits!!"
Lan Ye ignored her and continued to look at the mermaid attendant.
The mermaid attendant hesitantly said, "Slap, slap her one hundred times. For severe cases, imprisonment in the Dark Sea for three days."
"Then let's start with the lighter punishment," Lan Ye said, a smile playing on his lips, but his words were utterly cruel.
"Sea Emperor cousin, how can you treat my mother like this? She's only doing this for your own good. How can you punish her?" Icana stepped forward to shield her mother.
Luosang Shen looked at Lan Ye with heartache, seemingly ready to give it all up. "He is the Sea King now and disregards family ties. Let him hit. I want to see if he will hit his own aunt for a woman today!"
Lan Ye's voice was languid, "Why are you still standing there? Fulfill her request."
The mermaid attendants approached Luosang Shen...
Qiao Ci hesitated. In fact, she also wanted to hit Luosang Shen. However, she was Lan Ye's aunt. If this continued, while she would be punished, the others would surely have opinions about Lan Ye.
She took two steps forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lan Ye.
"Wait."
Looking at Luosang Shen, who was being held by two mermaids and was about to be slapped, "The mermaid race has a long lifespan, and there are no age restrictions for finding a partner after adulthood. Lan Ye and I have no blood relation, so why can't we be together? Even if your suspicion is valid, if Master Wu She's ritual still results in Lan Ye deciding to be with me, won't that mean it's not bewitchment or seduction, and we can be together?"
Luosang Shen thought she was really going to be hit, and her stern face was greatly strained. Hearing Qiao Ci's words, she opened her eyes. Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, "What if Master Wu She's magic is not enough to awaken the bewitched Sea Emperor?"
"Then what do you want?" Qiao Ci asked with a sweet smile, appearing very agreeable.
"Unless Lan Ye dates my daughter Icana for a period of time first, proving that he truly won't fall for any other mermaid, and then Master Wu She can perform the ritual." Luosang Shen was scheming in her heart, immediately seeking benefits for her daughter.
"Hit her," Qiao Ci rubbed her forehead. It was useless to reason with people like this; only hitting would work.
With a nod from Lan Ye, two mermaid attendants firmly controlled Luosang Shen. A third mermaid swung her palm, and with a series of slaps, forcefully struck her face.
To think that Qiao Ci would actually dare to have her mother hit! Icana's eyes blazed with fury, and she was about to step forward to intervene.
A faint voice drifted over, "Anyone who dares to stop this will be hit as well."
Icana paused, her steps faltering, feeling hesitant...