The Tides of Fate || Yizhan Fanfic || Mermen AU

CHAPTER 004.

"How ridiculous can you be?" Zichen, hands on his hips, orange tail flailing fiercely, squealed at a sulking Zhan. "I tried to warn you all the time, but you never listened!"

"Calm down, Zichen; it wasn't like Zhan was caught meeting the human. He wasn't even caught on the surface." Xingchen chimed in but obtained a stormy glare from his older brother.

"You believe that simply because he has not been apprehended, there is no way to connect the dots. There have been tales of a mer slinking to the surface; it's only a matter of time before they know it's him!" he foamed in anger.

"But Zhan's fiance is the commander, and I am sure he will not let anything happen to him," Xingchen spoke again, and Zhan's expression altered into one of annoyance. He shot Xingchen a look.

"I do not need Yibo to rescue me." He huffed, then crossed his arms over his chest.

With an almost-venomous expression, Xichen regarded him. How could one mer be so foolish and blind at the same time? "Yibo is quite unfortunate to have been paired with you. You are so ungrateful," he tsked and shook his head. "I think you should stop coming here."

Simultaneously, Xingchen and Zhan exhaled. "That is not possible, Zhan is my closest friend." Xingchen gave a start.

Zichen clenched his jaw. "It is evident that he is too impetuous for both his safety and the safety of others around him. Having already been caught once, I can not afford for him to take us down with him in the near future. I have heard stories of what happened to mers who go out to the surface; our laws are not kind to such mers. And I promised father and mother never to be among those foolish mers. Nothing about the surface is particularly noteworthy. The human world and our world are different. We are not supposed to ever meet or become entangled in their mess. I am sorry, Zhan, but I will not allow Xingchen and me to be implicated simply because you are trying to be rebellious by pursuing temporary leisure. Unless you stop going to the surface, you must stop coming here." He finished in a stoic tone, his eyes devoid of emotion.

Zhan looked at Zichen in disbelief, then sighed, his chin dropping. He looked at Xingchen, who looked like he was about to burst into tears. He looked back at Zichen and bowed lowly. "I'm sorry, Zichen. I will go home now."

With his arms crossed over his chest, Zichen nodded in acknowledgment and watched as Zhan swam out of his salon.

"Zichen!" Xingchen yelled in outrage. "You are so cruel to Zhan!"

Zichen looked at his younger brother. "Do you believe that is what I want to do? Zhan is my younger brother, just like you, and I watched you two grow up together. But you will stop seeing him unless he understands that his actions affect not only himself but also the people around him. I am doing this for him," he couldn't afford to have him and Xingchen incriminated for covering his tail.