Yunyang was still wondering why Chu Zhiwei had suddenly called for her when she noticed the teasing look on Chu Zhiwei’s face.
She immediately realized what was going on.
The name that mutant merman kept muttering was “Yangyang”?!
Yunyang opened and closed her mouth.
Could this “Yangyang” actually be her?
There might be more than one person in the Federation with “Yang” in her name, but Yunyang felt that Chu Zhiwei would not have that expression unless she knew something.
Chu Zhiwei’s next words confirmed her guess.
“Yangyang, he’s been muttering your name every day. The researchers at the institute are sick of hearing it.”
“Do you want to go see him?”
Yunyang clicked her tongue. How many times did he have to repeat her name to annoy all the researchers?
Could this mutant merman be a chatterbox?
Her interest was piqued. “Sure. I’ll go with you this afternoon, Sister Zhiwei.”
Her five husbands visibly grew anxious.
That mutant merman had obviously fallen for their female mate after meeting her last time. Now he was trying every possible way to seduce her.
Xuan Yu was just about to speak when Qin Mo suddenly kicked him under the table.
He gestured with his eyes for Xuan Yu to look at the sixteen husbands behind Chu Zhiwei.
Xuan Yu followed his gaze.
He froze for a moment, then swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue.
They were all Lord Zhiwei’s husbands, yet only two of them were allowed to sit and eat with her.
Compared to before, their female mate was already treating them very well.
They ought to be content.
Xuan Yu pressed his lips together and abandoned any thought of interfering with Yunyang.
Chu Zhiwei was a little surprised.
Were Yangyang’s husbands really so sensible?
That was how it should be. How could an S-rank female have fewer husbands than a B- or A-rank female?
If word got back to the insect race, they might assume that the Federation had run out of males.
Chu Zhiwei nodded. “I’ll have the institute send another starship over this afternoon.”
As she spoke, she opened her optical computer and sent a message to the person in charge of the research institute. Only then did she continue eating with Yunyang.
The two females finished their meal amid laughter and conversation before Yunyang pulled Chu Zhiwei over to sit on the sofa.
“Sister Zhiwei, this is what Lulu sent you.”
“What good stuff has Lulu gotten her hands on this time?”
Chu Zhiwei opened the box. Like the one Yunyang had received, it was filled with shimmering fabrics of various colors.
“Merman silk? This is hard to come by.”
“Yangyang, you can have it.”
Chu Zhiwei pushed the box back toward Yunyang.
“Lulu probably didn’t know that I took a merman as one of my husbands a while ago.”
The most delicate-looking of her eighteen husbands smiled at Yunyang.
Mermen were naturally gifted at weaving silk. With a merman husband, Yunyang certainly had no shortage of merman silk, so she did not stand on ceremony with Chu Zhiwei.
Still, she did not forget to return the favor—
Looking at the two boxes of trinkets that their female mate insisted on carrying over herself, the five husbands fell silent.
Chu Zhiwei looked at the familiar items and laughed.
Anyone could tell at a glance that these things had come from Lulu.
She did not refuse them. Instead, she turned to her husbands and said, “A-Yun, put them away.”
Gu Yun nodded and crouched down, storing the box inside his spatial storage device.
At two in the afternoon, the starship sent by the research institute arrived at Residential Zone 3.
Besides the pilot, ten male employees from the institute had come to greet them. Every one of them was over 1.8 meters tall, and all had been selected from among the best-looking men at the Institute of Genetic Research.
The five husbands and Chu Zhiwei’s eighteen husbands all darkened in expression.
Apparently, any Tom, Dick, or Harry could come along and try to seduce their female mates now.
“Ladies, we are—”
The ten men had only just begun speaking when they met a pair of dark golden eyes.
An invisible pressure suddenly descended upon them.
Fu Shiyi withdrew his gaze, turned around, and bent at the waist before Yunyang, extending a hand clad in a white glove.
“Female mate, allow me to escort you aboard.”
“Permission granted!”
Yunyang placed her hand in his.
The next moment, Fu Shiyi exerted a slight force and swept her up into his arms before carrying her toward the institute’s starship.
The other four husbands followed close behind.
Chu Zhiwei also boarded the other starship with her husbands.
The Institute of Genetic Research on Planet X92 was not far from the residential zone. In less than twenty minutes, the starship arrived at its destination.
As soon as they disembarked, Yunyang and Chu Zhiwei were surrounded by the institute’s male employees.
“Welcome to the Institute of Genetic Research, Lady Yunyang!”
“Welcome to the Institute of Genetic Research, Lord Zhiwei!”
Yunyang had already seen the grand formations of the First Legion, so she was able to face the men’s enthusiasm calmly.
Standing in the middle of her five husbands, she looked toward the person in charge of the institute.
“Mr. Yier, take me to see the mutant merman.”
Although the mutant merman was currently the institute’s main research subject, an S-rank female did not need to go through any approval process to see him.
“Of course, Lady Yunyang. Please follow me.”
Mr. Yier naturally knew that the mutant merman had been constantly muttering Yunyang’s name lately.
He scratched his head, baffled.
Could muttering like that really make Lady Yunyang come to see him?
Then again… should the other young men at the institute try imitating him?
While Mr. Yier’s thoughts ran wild, they arrived at the laboratory where the mutant merman was kept.
“Lady Yunyang, after his contamination levels dropped, the mutant merman stopped attacking people at random. However, please continue to exercise caution.”
“I understand.”
Yunyang nodded calmly. Then, under Chu Zhiwei’s teasing gaze, she entered the laboratory with her five husbands.
The laboratory contained a gigantic enclosed pool.
The pool occupied nearly the entire room, and Yunyang’s attention was drawn to it the moment she entered.
The water was probably artificial seawater, its surface carrying a faint blue tint.
Besides the water, the pool contained a few simple decorations.
Considering the environment, the research institute had treated the mutant merman quite well.
But after scanning the pool, Yunyang still could not find him.
Pei Wenye lowered his eyes. “Female mate, it seems he’s not willing to come out. Shall we go back?”
Rong Jin also took Yunyang’s hand and rubbed his cheek against it.
“Female mate, you came all this way to see that mutant merman, yet he’s hiding from you. That’s completely unacceptable.”
Yunyang raised a brow. She knew that her two husbands did not want another rival.
But still… wouldn’t saying this have the opposite effect?
Rong Jin was about to say more when the artificial seawater in the pool suddenly began to ripple.
The enormous decorative shell on the pool floor opened, and the bare-chested merman swam up to Yunyang. He opened his mouth on the other side of the glass.
He seemed to say something, but Yunyang could not hear him.
She stared straight at the merman before her.
Like ordinary mermen, the mutant merman had blue-green hair, blue eyes, and a blue fish tail.
But his features were not delicate and feminine. There was even a sharpness to his brows and eyes.
At that moment, however, those deep-blue eyes shimmered with tears, giving him the impression that he was… incredibly easy to bully.
The little person inside Yunyang covered her face.
Oh no. Why was she already thinking about bullying him the first time they met?
It had to be because her five husbands had corrupted her over the past few days.
Yes, that had to be it.
Yunyang gave a light cough and turned to look at Yier, who had followed them inside.
Yier slapped his forehead. “That was my oversight. Please wait a moment, Lady Yunyang.”
There was no helping it. Whenever the mutant merman began muttering Lady Yunyang’s name, he acted as if he were possessed. The researchers had been driven to distraction by him, so they had installed a soundproofing device around the pool.
Once the soundproofing device was switched off, Yunyang finally heard the mutant merman’s voice.
