On the aircraft, the little mermaid keenly sensed that the person beside him seemed to be in a bad mood.

But when Yu Bai secretly observed for a moment, Fu Linyuan didn’t exactly look angry.

He looked more… irritable.

Humans always seemed to have a lot of worries.

So, the little mermaid considerately chose to sit obediently in his seat and play with the shiny card he had just received, without disturbing the man beside him who looked like he was brooding over some deep hatred while staring at his terminal.

Fu Linyuan was indeed handling official business.

This year’s early Fortes patrol had disrupted many plans, and there were numerous urgent documents waiting for his review and approval.

But his attention right now wasn’t really on the files he needed to handle.

As the aircraft flew steadily forward, sunlight silently poured in through the windows on either side.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the brand’s thank-you card inside the clothing box, covered in silver glitter that sparkled even more under the sun.

They looked a bit like pretty silver fish scales.

And those pale, delicate fingers were holding the shiny card, as if folding it into some shape.

…Was the card really that fun?

As he was thinking that, Fu Linyuan sharply noticed that Yu Bai had sneaked a glance at him— then quickly looked away again.

The action was a bit cautious— and rather cute.

The small card was being flipped and folded again and again by those fair hands, and soon, its shape became clear.

It was a simple paper crane.

Back when he couldn’t go outside the lab, Fu Linyuan often folded little paper cranes for him.

Hmm… Once folded, he would give them to him.

The little mermaid didn’t know that the other had already noticed his gaze and was still seriously fiddling with the origami in his hands.

Meanwhile, Duke, who was sitting in the pilot seat, was quietly observing the atmosphere behind him, not daring to even breathe loudly.

He didn’t know why that endorsement proposal had suddenly touched his boss’s nerve, making him wear that grim face and look so thoroughly displeased.

With years of experience working under Fu Linyuan, Duke could now accurately tell whether his boss was just habitually expressionless or actually in a bad mood.

Before boarding the aircraft, Duke was completely sure— his boss had been provoked.

Tsk…

Why though?

Duke was a bit curious, but no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out.

Although the Marshal had always rejected such endorsement offers in the past, he had never shown any dissatisfaction— more like total indifference.

But just now, after hearing Duke out, his face had darkened, and his tone turned icy, like it had been dipped in ice shards: “Turn it down.”

And when Duke had seen the little mermaid earlier, he recognized that the clothes on him were from that very brand.

Thinking of that, he couldn’t help sneaking another glance at his superior— only to find that the latter seemed to be staring at the little mermaid.

Duke: ……

No way? Did the little mermaid make the boss angry?

Looking at the gloomy atmosphere surrounding his superior, Duke grew more and more convinced that it was possible.

In a flash, all sorts of tragic outcomes uncontrollably flashed through his mind, and the final scene settled on the little mermaid being drained of blood and dumped in the wilderness…

Duke shivered and quickly pushed that terrifying image out of his head.

No way… their Marshal was fierce, yes, but not that fierce… right?

Besides…

He glanced again at Yu Bai.

The little mermaid was now wearing the new disguise device. With the updated settings, aside from his hair and eye color remaining the same, his originally outstanding facial features had become plain and unremarkable once again.

But even with an ordinary appearance, the way he quietly sat there, seriously folding paper, looked especially well-behaved.

He was just… very likable.

…He didn’t seem like someone who would do anything excessive, right?

Even if he did… it must have been unintentional?

Thus, in the midst of Duke’s wild imagination, the aircraft steadily landed in an underground parking lot in the city center.

Yu Bai had no idea that in Duke’s mind, he had already turned into a poor little thing who had unknowingly angered a big bad villain. Before getting off the aircraft, he even politely waved at Duke.

Duke: …Look at that! Look! What a sensible and well-behaved child!

He couldn’t help but clear his throat. Then he turned back and asked Fu Linyuan, who hadn’t gotten off yet: “Boss, how about I wait here for you two and take you back afterward?”

That way, if the boss did get angry, he could at least step in and help defuse the situation.

Fu Linyuan: “…Weren’t you going to accompany Shen Zhichu to the hospital?”

Duke: “Pssh! He’s a grown man, just going for a follow-up exam. He can—”

Fu Linyuan paused in his movement to step off the aircraft and interrupted him: “You still haven’t submitted the report from the last military exercise.”

Duke: “…”

The Imperial Marshal turned back and gave him a cool glance: “And the handover work from the patrol hasn’t been completed either, has it? If you have so much free time, why not—”

Before he could finish, Duke surrendered with both hands raised: “Boss, my bad, I shouldn’t have thought about leaving Shen Zhichu on his own. I’ll go to the hospital right now.”

Fu Linyuan looked away: “Go.”

Yu Bai had no idea what the two were whispering about behind him. He was focused on trying to recall what the last step of folding a paper crane was.

Fu Linyuan had taught him before, but back then his health was already failing. He was rarely fully conscious, and his memory had begun to deteriorate badly.

Fold upward? No… it was downward…

Yes, downward— that’s how you make the little beak of the bird.

Carefully completing the final step of the paper crane, the little mermaid breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to turn around to look for Fu Linyuan, someone suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Hello!”

It was a cheerful and lively female voice.

Yu Bai had been completely focused on the paper crane and hadn’t noticed when she appeared, so he was startled and instinctively took a step back.

The newcomer was a petite young woman with delicate features, dressed in a professional outfit. She was using her terminal to project a small screen, showing an appointment form.

She sized up the plain-looking boy in front of her, gave a polite smile, and asked, “I’m the general manager of Betty’s Beauty Salon. May I ask… are you the Marshal’s adjutant?”

Yu Bai didn’t understand a word the young lady was saying, but since she smiled kindly at him, he instinctively smiled back.

The long-haired youth’s crescent-shaped blue eyes looked especially beautiful.

But before the manager could ask anything further, Yu Bai was pulled gently but firmly behind Fu Linyuan.

Blocking her inquisitive gaze, the Imperial Marshal showed no expression as he gave a slight nod to the female manager: “Apologies, we’re late.”

The man was already tall and imposing. When he spoke with a blank face, his natural authority made even an apology sound somewhat distant and condescending.

“No need to apologize, Marshal…”

This beauty salon was the highest-rated one on the capital star, routinely serving celebrities and public figures, so the female manager remained professional and smiling: “The public is well aware of how busy the military is. We appreciate you taking time to visit our store. This way, please.”

She gestured toward the elevator for them and asked while walking, “However, when making the appointment this morning, Adjutant Duke didn’t specify which service was needed.”

“What kind of treatment were you looking for?” she asked politely inside the ascending elevator. “If you can tell me a general direction, I’ll make a recommendation.”

“It’s not for me,” Fu Linyuan glanced at Yu Bai, who was still focused on his paper crane. “He’s getting a haircut.”

The female manager was a bit surprised but kept her smile professional. She looked at Yu Bai and asked gently, “Alright. Does this gentleman have any preferences or specific requests?”

But the little mermaid, not understanding, didn’t even realize she was talking to him.

He had no idea what kind of place this was, but as long as Fu Linyuan was there, he could keep calmly folding his paper crane, trying to make it look better.

Whatever came up, Fu Linyuan could handle it.

“…No,” Fu Linyuan replied, guessing that the unresponsive Yu Bai likely didn’t understand.

After a pause, he added, “Make it look good.”

The little mermaid seemed to really like beautiful things.

“Understood,” the female manager, picking up on something, couldn’t help glancing at Yu Bai again before turning to Fu Linyuan, “And is there any preference on the length?”

Fu Linyuan was going to say, “Just something easy to manage.”

But as he caught a glimpse of that soft-looking silver hair, the words changed in his mouth: “…Whatever, just don’t let it block his eyes.”

“Got it.”

Jotting down the customer’s preferences, the manager used the elevator’s reflective door to carefully study the client’s face.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that this long-haired youth had truly excellent bone structure—his face shape was beautiful and would suit many different hairstyles.

In comparison, his facial features, apart from those sapphire-like eyes, seemed a bit…

What a pity.

Though her expression didn’t change, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Still, with a face that fit the golden ratio, a bit of styling should still make him look very attractive.

As she thought this, the elevator smoothly arrived at the beauty salon. The female manager gave a slight bow again: “Your reserved private treatment room is ready. This way, please.”

It wasn’t until Yu Bai was brought in front of a large circular device that his attention finally shifted from the little paper crane in his hands to his surroundings.

Looking at the open side of the circular device, where there was a chair that looked extremely soft and comfortable, the little mermaid couldn’t help but move closer to Fu Linyuan and instinctively tug at the hem of his sleeve.

He was a little afraid of chairs shaped like this.

Before, he had been restrained in a very similar chair, feeling metal barbs slowly digging inch by inch into the skin of his lower back.

Sensing the inexplicable unease from the person beside him, the man’s gaze swept over the chair, then turned back and asked the female manager in a cold but polite tone: “Do you have any extra chairs?”

The female manager thought he was asking about a place to wait and rest, so she replied, “Yes, the waiting lounge is next door. Would you like to go there now?”

The Imperial Marshal rarely had the patience to repeat himself.

But feeling that slight tug at the hem of his coat, he still repeated his question patiently.

“What I meant was… do you have a chair that can be brought over?”

After a brief pause, he added, “So I can sit inside with him.”