Li Leyou had originally assumed that this had nothing to do with her. After breakfast, she was about to wander around and find something to do when Lao Um called out to her.
“Come meet someone. His name is Bamer,” Lao Um introduced his guest.
The middle-aged man named Bamer had brown hair, blue eyes, and a very prominent nose. The smile lines around his eyes and mouth were deep, making it obvious that he was someone who smiled often.
He smiled warmly at Li Leyou.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Li Leyou. I hope we’ll get along well.”
While Li Leyou looked confused, Lao Um carefully watched her expression.
“Bamer is the most outstanding young member of the Jervis family. He currently runs several real estate businesses and is also one of our most trusted partners.”
“I invited him here today because I’m planning to give you some of the properties under my name. He’ll be handling the arrangements.”
Li Leyou was stunned.
She had never intended to trick some old man’s way into getting a pension…
Wait, no!
She had never intended to swindle an elderly person’s inheritance!
“I don’t want it!”
She immediately put both hands behind her back, ready to make a quick escape.
“If you don’t want it, we can discuss it another time,” Lao Um said.
Although she didn’t want the inheritance, the fact that he gave up so easily somehow bothered her.
Why didn’t he persuade me a little more?
My resolve isn’t actually that strong!
“Let’s forget about that for now. Today, let’s just consider this a chance to make a new friend. Bamer and I have quite a bit of history together.”
Lao Um pulled out a chair for her.
Li Leyou had no choice but to sit down.
“Bamer looks very much like his ancestor, Hamer—the navigator you once rescued from the waves. Do you think he looks familiar to you?”
It wasn’t me who rescued him, Li Leyou thought. How could I possibly recognize him?
She shook her head.
“No.”
Lao Um nodded.
“Looks like you don’t remember Hamer either. That’s good.”
“If you forgot me but remembered him, I would be very unhappy. I might even take my anger out on Bamer.”
Bamer laughed.
“Yes, I was actually worried that if you said you remembered me, Mr. Lao Um might get angry and throw me into the sea to feed the sharks. That would be unfortunate.”
Were they joking?
Li Leyou glanced from one man to the other. Feeling that she shouldn’t be left out, she decided to play along.
She suddenly looked enlightened.
“Oh! I think I remember now. Hamer was the one with a big nose, just like you, right?”
The faint smile disappeared from Lao Um’s face.
Bamer’s cheerful smile gradually froze as he watched Lao Um’s expression change.
No one spoke.
Suddenly, the sound of the waves seemed much louder.
Realizing that nobody was laughing, Li Leyou hurriedly explained:
“I’m joking! I really don’t remember him at all! You were the one who said he looked like his ancestor, so I just guessed!”
Lao Um gave her a faint smile before reassuring the stiff-looking Bamer.
“Don’t be nervous. I simply got lost in a memory for a moment. You know how older people are. We tend to reminisce about the past and lose ourselves in our thoughts.”
“Hahaha, it’s fine, it’s fine! Why would I be nervous? I grew up under your watch. I know better than anyone how kind and forgiving you are.”
Despite his words, Bamer quickly stood up and excused himself.
He says he’s not nervous, yet he literally used the bathroom as an excuse to escape.
Li Leyou was genuinely nervous.
During that brief silence, the expressionless Lao Um had seemed rather frightening.
Could his former lover really have had something to do with Hamer?
He’s still bothered by it after all these years?
But none of this had been her doing. She hadn’t rescued that man.
What was this called?
The previous generation planted the tree, and the next generation gets hit by the falling fruit?
“Actually, I have you to thank for saving Hamer,” Lao Um explained. “He was a nobleman at the time. Later, when I came from the sea onto land, it was through his help that I was able to enter human society.”
“Hamer was an excellent partner. He believed in repaying kindness. After his death, his descendants continued working with the merfolk, right up until today.”
Then aren’t they on good terms?
Li Leyou secretly pouted.
Why did you have to say such scary things earlier?
While Lao Um and Li Leyou chatted in the garden, Bamer was in the study with He Ping, checking documents and signing them one by one.
After signing his name, Bamer stamped the seal of the Jervis family and sighed.
“Mr. Lao Um really is generous. These properties alone are enough to make Ms. Li Leyou the youngest billionaire on the wealth rankings. I can already imagine what her future will look like. Everyone will be scrambling to get close to her.”
He Ping organized the documents while familiarizing himself with the various businesses and properties that he would soon be helping manage.
Lao Um had already told him that after his death, He Ping would stay by Ms. Li Leyou’s side and serve her for several years.
He glanced toward his longtime employer and mentor in the garden.
“Mr. Lao Um has always been generous toward the people he cares about. Isn’t that why Mr. Bamer received his special favor as well? You became head of the Jervis family at such a young age.”
Bamer rubbed his prominent nose.
Because he resembled his ancestor so closely, Mr. Lao Um had always treated him somewhat differently from the other members of the Jervis family.
That special treatment made his brothers and sisters jealous.
But only Bamer knew what being treated differently by Lao Um actually meant.
When Lao Um was good to someone, he was very good.
But after spending enough time with him, you also learned that his moods could change without warning.
Sometimes Bamer even wondered whether his legendary ancestor had truly been a good friend of Mr. Lao Um.
After all, when Bamer had stayed by Lao Um’s side and been taught by him, he had certainly been put through the wringer more than once.
But today, Bamer finally began to understand something.
Could his ancestor actually have been Lao Um’s rival in love?
After discovering this possible secret, Bamer finished his work and immediately left.
He didn’t even dare stay for lunch, afraid that Lao Um might become upset simply from looking at his face.
That afternoon, Li Leyou didn’t see Lao Um anywhere.
Su Wei was dozing in a rocking chair in the small sitting room, so Li Leyou wandered aimlessly around the castle.
She eventually spotted Grandpa He Ping carrying some things.
The books and documents looked heavy. As he passed by her, one of them slipped from his arms and fell to the floor.
Li Leyou walked over and picked it up.
“Let me help you. Where are you taking these?”
When He Ping saw her, he smiled.
“These are some of Mr. Lao Um’s belongings from the past. We’re moving them from the study into the storage room. If you have some free time, it would be wonderful if you could help.”
Without hesitation, Li Leyou took half of the things from his arms.
She had assumed they were important business documents.
But once she picked them up, she realized they were more like old magazines and books.
The top one even had a photograph of Lao Um printed on the cover.
“If you’re interested, you can take a look. Quite a few of these contain interviews with Mr. Lao Um published by major news outlets in the past.”
Grandpa He Ping enthusiastically pulled out several yellowed newspapers.
“There are even older ones. Some of these newspapers are older than I am.”
Indeed.
The newspaper he casually pulled out was dated 1830, making it more than 170 years old.
Printing technology at the time had been primitive. The images were black and white, but even through the grainy quality, Lao Um’s beauty was impossible to conceal.
In fact, the absence of color seemed to make his striking features even more pronounced.
The surrounding scenery was blurred, while his gaze toward the camera was filled with the weight of countless untold stories.
Li Leyou squatted in the storage room and began flipping through the well-preserved historical records.
He Ping watched her bury herself in the books with satisfaction.
Good.
It wasn’t a waste to dig out these old things and put them in front of her.
For his own reasons, he hoped that after reading these records, Ms. Li Leyou would understand Mr. Lao Um a little better and perhaps become closer to him.
Satisfied with his carefully arranged plan, He Ping dusted himself off and elegantly left, giving Li Leyou a quiet place to read.
Li Leyou didn’t notice his departure.
She held the newspaper from 1830 and began reading the report.
It described a speech delivered by Lao Um. With the help and support of his partners, he had successfully established Haizhou as an independent autonomous region and became its first governor.
Before that, when the country was still under a feudal system, he had even been granted the title of count.
He owned countless businesses, but his most profitable enterprise was jewelry.
The precious gems he brought from the depths of the sea were extremely sought after at the time, earning him an enormous fortune.
She continued flipping through the newspapers.
Throughout centuries of history, Lao Um’s name appeared again and again.
…
Li Leyou only skimmed through the records, but several hours passed.
The stack beside her feet covered less than a century of history.
And there were still several bookshelves in the storage room filled with records about Lao Um.
She suddenly realized just how vast and profound his five-hundred-year life must have been.
He was practically a living piece of history.
And the woman she was supposedly replacing—the lover from his past—wasn’t even mentioned in these enormous historical records.
She existed only in Lao Um’s memories from the time when he still lived in the sea.
Yet even after all these years, Lao Um still remembered her.
Compared with the fickle and short-lived nature of humans, the merfolk’s devotion seemed just as incredible as their long lifespans.
Are all merfolk like this?
She stood up to stretch her numb legs.
Giving up on reading any further, she grimaced and stomped her feet before limping toward the door.
At the staircase leading down to the lower level, she ran into Lao Um.
He was covered in moisture.
His hair was still wet, and droplets of water clung to his cool, pale skin.
“What happened to you?”
He froze when he saw the way she was walking.
“…I sat crouched down for too long.”
Li Leyou’s feelings toward him had become incredibly complicated.
Without realizing it, she instinctively straightened her posture when he approached.
Lao Um came over and supported her.
The cool dampness of his hand made her shiver.
He seemed to notice, but instead of letting go, he tightened his grip.
Yet his manner remained remarkably gentle.
“I’ll help you sit over there for a while. Perfect timing. The sunset outside is beautiful. We can watch it together.”
That evening, Li Leyou didn’t spend much time watching the brilliant sunset over the sea.
Instead, she found herself turning her head toward Lao Um several times.
His youthful face and the weight of his long life blended together into a unique presence.
It inspired a kind of awe that made her feel she could only admire him from afar, never dare to desecrate that mysterious beauty.
But whenever she remembered his strangely intimate behavior at night, her feelings became incredibly complicated.
That night, the lights in Li Leyou’s room remained on for a long time.
After two consecutive nights of strange incidents, did anyone seriously think she would simply turn off the lights and go to sleep?
Of course not!
Wearing long-sleeved pajamas and long pants, Li Leyou sat in a chair and waited for Mr. Lao Um to come for their nightly conversation.
First, she waited in the chair.
Then she moved to the bed.
Then she lay down on the bed.
Li Leyou held her eyelids open and thought:
Is he coming or not?
If he doesn’t come soon, I’m really going to sleep.
Late into the night, she yawned three times in a row, tears of exhaustion squeezing from the corners of her eyes.
There was still no sound outside the door.
Li Leyou rubbed her eyes.
Maybe I misunderstood Mr. Lao Um.
Perhaps he realized how inappropriate it was to come into my room in the middle of the night and disturb me, so he’s not coming tonight.
“Why are you still awake this late? Can’t you sleep?”
Li Leyou: “…”
She lowered the hand rubbing her eyes and looked toward the window.
Wait.
He didn’t come through the door.
He came through the window?!
Lao Um hadn’t originally planned to visit her that night.
But when he noticed that the light in her room was still on, he decided to come and see what was wrong.
“If you can’t sleep, would you like me to help you?”