"At least ten days," she said, glancing at the people beside her. "Yi Beixuan and Fan Xuanye will help. Bear and Su, you two help string the seaweed."
"Pfft—"
Hearing that, Yi Beixuan couldn't help but chuckle softly.
[Wow, that's kind of harsh.]
[Right? Putting Su and Sister Black Bear together is a bit insulting.]
[What's wrong with you guys? Would Mu really insult Su? It's definitely because he's worried about his health, that's why he said it.]
[Anyway, I ship them. Doesn't anyone think Su and Su Mu are a good ship?]
[So hard to ship, so hard to ship, even dogs would call it impossible.]
[Hey upstairs, keep your mischievous mouth shut. You're a fan of 'choosing a tree to nest on,' what are you shouting about here? Your ship is even harder to ship, impossible!]
"Alright." Su raised an eyebrow and nodded indifferently. Others might feel upset, but he thought it was quite satisfying.
His dream was to be a lazy fish; if no one needed him, he would be happy to be carefree.
[Huh, he just openly agreed?]
[I'm really impressed, if he had any shame at all...]
Mu Qingyun glanced at the screen and noticed the odd comments. She frowned and looked up at Su. "You're not feeling well, I—"
"I understand," Su interrupted her in time, smiling gently. "Don't pay attention to what they say, I get it all."
"Good." Relieved by his answer, Mu Qingyun finally relaxed and continued building the house.
While they were busy constructing the house, Mu Xueyao and her group finally found a spot by some rocks and were about to rest when the comments suddenly exploded.
[Princess, Princess, Mu Qingyun and the others are building a house!]
[Your Highness, they finished building the house, so no one will live in that cave anymore.]
[Yeah, this way Your Highness won't have to run around so much. The cave isn't as good as a house, but at least it can keep out wind and rain.]
[Your Highness, I feel so sorry for you, you're the glory of a planet and shouldn't have to come here just for the First Commander.]
"A house? They're building a house?"
Bai Feifei noticed the comments and exclaimed in surprise, pointing at Mu Xueyao's small screen with disbelief and a bit of resentment in her eyes.
Why, why wasn't she the one assigned to the group with Mu Qingyun?
"Are you kidding? How could they build a house? Building a house isn't that easy."
Before Mu Xueyao could speak, Deng Yijie snorted disdainfully.
[Your Highness, it's true, Cazel is helping them!]
[Right, Mu Qingyun seems to know how to build houses. They're building seaweed houses, and Cazel helped them gather seaweed from the deep sea.]
Cazel?
Seeing that name, Mu Xueyao frowned. Cazel always said he admired her most, so why was he helping Mu Qingyun?
Clenching her fists tightly, she turned and left.
"Your Highness, where are you going?" Deng Yijie hurriedly asked as Mu Xueyao turned to leave.
"To find Cazel." Her eyes grew cold, but her expression quickly changed from icy to one of grievance.
"I... I'll go with you."
"No need." She didn't look back, simply replying and quickening her pace.
Mu Xueyao walked away with an air of confidence, leaving Deng Yijie and Bai Feifei staring at each other.
"Should we follow?" Bai Feifei, lacking initiative, turned to Deng Yijie for a decision.
"No, Your Highness must have her reasons for seeking Cazel. We shouldn't interfere." Deng Yijie frowned, annoyed, and threw the things in his hands onto the ground.
He still remembered when they first arrived, the princess was very kind to him, always caring and considerate. But after being defeated a few times by Mu Qingyun, the way the princess looked at him changed.
Even if the princess tried to hide it, he could tell the emotion in her eyes was a mix of disappointment and helplessness.
"Your things... dropped." Bai Feifei cautiously reminded him while looking at the items on the ground.
But her reminder was met with Deng Yijie's angry glare. "What are you yelling for? Hurry up and pick it up!"
Throwing a tantrum for a moment, he felt much better.
"You!" Bai Feifei wanted to get mad, but considering Deng Yijie's status, she swallowed her anger and picked up the items.
…
The house was slowly taking shape. Mu Qingyun was sweating all over her forehead, but her hands were occupied with bricks, leaving no time to wipe away the sweat.
"If you're tired, take a break," Su quickly put down the seaweed and walked over, reaching out to wipe her forehead.
"I'm fine," she shook her head, not stopping her work.
"You could soak in the water for a bit. The house won't be done anytime soon; it's better to rest here. If you overwork yourself, there'll be nothing left, not the house or anything else." Cazel, relaxing in the seawater, watched them working and teased lightly.
Hearing this, she glanced coldly at Cazel but said nothing.
"Cazel!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from nearby. Mu Xueyao stood alone not far away, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes, on the verge of crying, which made her look very pitiful.
Seeing her like that, a flicker of impatience crossed Cazel's eyes. To someone who didn't know, it might seem like he was some kind of scumbag who had hurt this girl.
But thinking about her usefulness, he took a deep breath, pushed himself up from the seabed, and leapt out of the water.
Upon reaching the surface, his fishtail instantly transformed into human legs, with a model-like figure, and he slowly walked toward Mu Xueyao.
"What's wrong, Princess?"
"Cazel, you're on our team. Why aren't you helping us?" Mu Xueyao looked up at Cazel, gently tugging his sleeve and shaking it slightly.
[Ah, is the princess acting cute?]
[I want to jump in and kill this merman so the princess would be mine and act cute to me.]
[Stop dreaming, do you think typing some words on a keyboard can replace Cazel? What a joke.]
[Princess, princess, hehe, you're so pretty, I love you.]
…
Cazel naturally understood the meaning behind Mu Xueyao's words. He concealed the coldness in his eyes and forced a faint smile. "Is there anything Your Highness needs from me?"
"I told you before, whenever you need me, you can come to me anytime. I will do my best to help the princess."
But Mu Xueyao was not moved by his words. "Why are you helping others? They are our competitors after all."