Ch 22: The World’s Number One Resort

Tang Huai entered the house, and the living room was quiet, the sound of his silver suitcase dragging on the floor creating a soft, scraping noise. He placed the suitcase to the side and turned on the overhead light in the living room.

The living room was spotless. Tang Huai opened the refrigerator, which was stocked with lettuce, tomatoes, canned ham… It seemed that Zheng Caie had been diligently cleaning and restocking while he was away.

Tang Huai grabbed a bottle of mineral water and took a couple of large gulps. Then, he glanced towards the third floor. The villa was built in a spiral layout, allowing a view of the second and third-floor corridors from the living room. The door to the greenhouse on the third floor was closed, and the room inside was completely dark.

He considered going up to say hello, but since it was nearly 1 a.m., he assumed Mr. Yu was already asleep. After some thought, Tang Huai finished his water and headed to the second floor, deciding that greeting could wait until the morning.

After a quick wash, he got into bed. He glanced at the three roses on his bedside table, which had already withered, their leaves dry and yellowed. He touched one, and the brittle leaves crumbled into dust. Tang Huai smiled. It was already impressive that these three cut roses had lasted this long. Perhaps tomorrow he could ask Mr. Yu for a couple more.

With that thought, Tang Huai turned off the lights and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

While Tang Huai slept, a figure crouched by the door of the third-floor greenhouse, trying to catch a glimpse of the second floor. But since the third and second floors were parallel, with a two-meter-wide corridor in between, there wasn’t much to see. However…

The figure felt more at ease. The downstairs occupant had finally returned. Though they hadn’t interacted, living alone had been unbearably lonely. Unconsciously, the figure had come to regard Tang Huai as his only friend.

So, with one upstairs and the other downstairs, they silently maintained this distant, yet comforting connection. It felt nice.

…

The next morning, Tang Huai didn’t wake up on time. It wasn’t until Hank called him that he realized he might be sick.

Over the past month, Tang Huai had been non-stop—first binding to the Island Master System, then traveling to Mexico, and making multiple trips to Sora Island for tasks. Although his body had been strengthened by the system, this kind of relentless schedule would exhaust even a Super Saiyan. After finding a thermometer, he discovered he had a mild fever of 38.6°C.

“Tang, are you alright? Should I come over?” Hank asked, concerned. He must have sensed something was off in Tang Huai’s tone.

Hank was about to travel to Los Angeles with his parents and had invited Tang Huai to join them since he knew he had returned to Mexico.

“I’m fine. Enjoy your trip,” Tang Huai replied, forcing himself to sound more energetic. It was Hank’s family vacation, and Tang Huai didn’t want to impose, especially over a minor cold. There was no need to disrupt Hank’s plans.

“I brought you two Blue Sea Fish. They taste great. I’ll give them to you when you’re back,” Tang Huai said, steering the conversation away from his illness. He had promised Hank he’d bring him back a local specialty.

“Thank you, Tang.” Hank was delighted. As someone who grew up in a fishing family, Hank had eaten fish like sardines, sturgeon, and pollock all his life. Though he wasn’t particularly excited about fish anymore, he was happy to receive something from Tang Huai.

With the topic changed, the two chatted briefly before ending the call. Hank was off to enjoy Santa Monica Beach and wouldn’t be back for a week.

After hanging up, Tang Huai rummaged through the medicine box in the living room, found some fever reducers, and swallowed them quickly.

It was just a fever. A day of rest should be enough.

Tang Huai then grabbed three bottles of mineral water from the fridge and carried them upstairs. Wearing light gray summer pajamas and flip-flops, he felt lightheaded and unsteady as he climbed the stairs. Halfway up, one of the bottles slipped from his hand and rolled down the stairs with a loud thud.

The sound of the bottle hitting the floor was jarringly loud. Tang Huai frowned. The feeling of his body being so light, as if walking on cotton, was incredibly unsettling.

Tang Huai suppressed his discomfort, went downstairs to retrieve the water bottle, and returned to his room. As he pushed open the door, he tossed the bottle onto the nearby single sofa and then hurriedly buried himself under the covers.

He just wanted to sleep.

While Tang Huai was drifting in and out of consciousness, a figure on the third floor stared in the direction of the first-floor living room, a hint of hesitation in their eyes. From the looks of it, Tang Huai seemed unwell.

The figure glanced at the clock on the wall of the greenhouse: 10:10 p.m.

After a moment of hesitation, the figure looked down at their body, feeling helpless.

…

In the second-floor bedroom, Tang Huai felt like he was trapped in a long dream. In the dream, he was wearing a dark red down jacket, walking alone through the barren canyons of Sora Island.

The surroundings were desolate; the forests were gone, the lakes were gone. All around him were endless mountains. Tang Huai wandered forward in confusion. Soon, the dark brown canyon walls turned red as if scorched by fire, growing hotter and hotter. Tang Huai only felt one thing: heat.

He tried desperately to tear off his down jacket, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t come off. The canyon turned increasingly red, eventually morphing into something like the Flaming Mountains from a fantasy movie…

“So hot…” Tang Huai muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed in discomfort, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. Half the quilt had already been tossed aside, but he was still overwhelmed by the heat, with no other sensation.

His mind was hazy, and the vase by his bedside fell to the ground as he turned in his sleep.

“Is he sick?” The figure in the greenhouse on the third floor heard Tang Huai’s faint murmurs and glanced at the clock again, now looking more worried than before.

It was already 11 p.m., and Tang Huai had been sleeping all day without showing any signs of improvement.

“So hot…” Tang Huai’s unconscious murmur continued from the second-floor bedroom.

The figure looked out the window, then at the greenhouse door, their expression shifting to one of determination. Finally, the figure placed a hand on the door, gently pressing the handle, and with a soft creak, the door opened.

The greenhouse could indeed be opened, but only from the inside.

Once the door was open, the figure nimbly crawled out. Crawling was the right word—because the figure had no legs. Instead, where legs should have been, there was a smooth, black tail fin, covered in various scars, some as long as twenty centimeters, with raw flesh exposed. The half-human, half-fish form gave the figure an air of both mystery and melancholy.

The figure paid no attention to these injuries, focusing instead on their task. After the door was open, they quickly surveyed the terrain and began skillfully climbing toward the second floor.

The ivory-white door to Tang Huai’s room opened slowly, and the figure entered.

Tang Huai’s room had been furnished by Tang Wangchun’s people, covering over 60 square meters and equipped with all sorts of amenities like a washroom, audio-visual equipment, and more. Every detail, from the design to the decorations, spoke of elegance.

The figure bypassed the sofa and reached the bed.

Tang Huai lay sprawled on the large bed, his quilt discarded to the side, his light gray pajamas twisted around his body. His temples were damp with sweat from the heat.

The figure paused, staring at Tang Huai’s face.

They knew Tang Huai was good-looking, but during their first meeting, they had been too panicked to notice. And later, the distance between them had made it hard to get a clear view. Strictly speaking, this was the first time they had observed Tang Huai up close. His features were sharp, with refined brows and clear eyes. Even while asleep, his face exuded a warmth that made him approachable.

“Water…” Tang Huai mumbled again, still unconscious.

Startled, the figure froze for a moment, but realizing Tang Huai was only speaking in his sleep, they immediately began looking around for some water.

On the sofa, there were three bottles of mineral water. He unscrewed one, poured it into a cup, and carefully brought it to Tang Huai’s lips. This was his first time interacting so closely with a “human.” His actions were filled with nervousness, but perhaps because of his caution, the entire process of giving water went smoothly.

As the cup gradually emptied, he let out a relieved sigh. On the bed, Tang Huai’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly after drinking the water.

It was summer, and the air conditioner was set to 25°C, blowing cold air directly at Tang Huai. The figure glanced at it and turned off the air conditioner with the remote, then gently pulled the blanket over Tang Huai. Though he hadn’t had much interaction with “humans,” after spending half a year in the greenhouse, he had picked up enough common sense.

Carefully, he placed his right hand on Tang Huai’s forehead. It was still warm. After some thought, he went to the bathroom and came back with a damp towel. First, he wiped the exposed parts of Tang Huai’s body, then folded the towel and placed it on his forehead.

During this time, he crushed some fever tablets and managed to get Tang Huai to take two more. By the time it was around 2 a.m., Tang Huai’s fever finally subsided.

The figure checked the time before quietly returning to the greenhouse.

In the bedroom, Tang Huai continued dreaming the same dream as before. But this time, when the flames came rushing toward him, it felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cool water over him, soothing his entire body.

He slept soundly through the night.

At 6 a.m. the next day, Tang Huai woke up feeling refreshed. At first, he took a moment to get his bearings, then realized something felt off. Tang Huai touched his forehead and found a damp towel there.

Looking around the room, he noticed the edge of the bed seemed tidier, as if someone had been there.

Feeling puzzled, Tang Huai got out of bed. He had been lying down for 20 hours, and though he felt better, his body was still a bit weak. As soon as he stepped into his slippers, his legs gave way, and his thigh hit the edge of the nightstand.

“Hiss…”

“Bang—”

Tang Huai let out a gasp of pain. Just two seconds later, a “thump-thump” sound came from the direction of the greenhouse. Before Tang Huai could react, 10 seconds later, the door to his bedroom was pushed open.

A figure dashed in.

Tang Huai looked up, and both he and the figure froze.

Tang Huai felt like he had stepped into a surreal scene. The person standing before him was half-human, half-fish, with a black tail fin. Judging by his height, without the tail, the man would have been around 1.8 meters tall.

He wore a long black cloak, reminiscent of cosplay costumes seen at conventions.

But what truly shocked Tang Huai wasn’t the fish tail—it was the man’s appearance. His shoulder-length hair framed a face that was almost otherworldly. The word “ethereal” might seem a bit cliché, but it fit—his features were striking in a way that demanded attention. Not in an ambiguous, androgynous way, but with a magnetic presence that made it hard to look away. Two scars marked the man’s face, adding a mysterious, tragic aura.

As for the other half of his face… it was covered in an intricate black tattoo. The tattoo looked like it had been slashed with a knife, filled with cuts and scars, giving it a frightening, battle-worn appearance.

They stared at each other for three seconds before panic filled the man’s eyes. Without hesitation, he turned around, his black tail swaying as he disappeared from Tang Huai’s sight.

Tang Huai rubbed his forehead. He was still feverish.

But he was certain that what he saw was no hallucination. The sound of a door closing came from the direction of the greenhouse.

Could it be… Mr. Yu from upstairs?

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️