Chapter 7

Cheng Shui’nan lay on the edge of the bathtub, the cool water waves flowing over his waist and abdomen. His thick black hair flowed smoothly down his back. He had been washed clean, and his curly hair revealed its natural luster, like soft, smooth silk.

Mermen were creatures carefully crafted by the Creator, breathtakingly beautiful. They lived in the ocean, the azure sky and the cold white waves created a cold temperament. Their appearance was sculpted, delicate and indifferent, like a distant, white snow mountain, unattainable.

Cheng Shui’nan lowered his eyelashes, his black eyes stared quietly at the closed bathroom door. The rippling water waves caressed his scarred body, his ear fins on both sides opened slightly, and the three black ear bones were wrapped in flesh-colored membrane, making him look even more indifferent. Until the sound of the fingerprint unlock came from the door, he suddenly woke up, his huge fish tail involuntarily slapped the water surface, splashing water all over the floor.

Cheng Shui’nan raised his neck high, his pupils were as if they had suddenly torn open a hazy black membrane, suddenly blooming with brilliant colors.

Zhang Jingzhu’s footsteps gradually approached. Cheng Shui’nan used his good right hand to support the edge of the bathtub, his whole body leaned out, until her hand reached the doorknob, he seemed startled, and suddenly sank into the water, the water surface was stirred up by waves, and he only showed his head.

“Zhang Jingzhu.” Cheng Shui’nan said softly.

Zhang Jingzhu: “Hmm, it’s me.”

She carried the bag of coarse salt to the bathtub, carefully stepping over the water marks on the floor, thinking that the bathtub needed to be custom-made, the current one was a little small for Cheng Shui’nan.

“Add some salt to the water, will you be able to adapt?”

Cheng Shui’nan emerged from the water, reached out to touch the coarse salt that Zhang Jingzhu held in her palm, then nodded, “…I should be able to adapt.”

His tone didn’t sound certain, more like an echo.

Zhang Jingzhu questioned: “Don’t you live in the sea?”

Cheng Shui’nan didn’t look right. As soon as Zhang Jingzhu finished speaking, he sadly lowered his head, and even the fish tail that had been constantly slapping the water since Zhang Jingzhu entered the bathroom sank to the bottom.

Zhang Jingzhu knew he had a lot of past experiences that he didn’t want to talk about. Since he didn’t want to say it, she wouldn’t force him.

“I…”

Cheng Shui’nan suddenly raised his head: “Zhang Jingzhu.”

Zhang Jingzhu responded without understanding.

Cheng Shui’nan gently bit his lower lip, his moist gaze focused on her, the hand resting on the edge of the bathtub reached forward, stopped in place, giving her the feeling that he wanted to hold her hand or something on her, but he didn’t dare to in the end.

Zhang Jingzhu moved forward, supporting the bathtub with her hand. The side of her palm was millimeters away from his hand.

Cheng Shui’nan lifted his eyelids and secretly glanced at her, then, thinking he was being discreet, he rubbed against her.

His body didn’t have the dry skin texture of a human, his fish tail was slippery, and his hand was no exception, as if it was wrapped in a layer of sticky liquid. So as soon as his hand touched the side of Zhang Jingzhu’s hand, she felt it.

Zhang Jingzhu was willing to indulge these small actions of his, filled with intimacy and dependence. She didn’t step back or pull her hand away, but looked at him with gentle and patient eyes.

Cheng Shui’nan blushed under her almost indulgent gaze. His body involuntarily sank into the water, but he couldn’t bear to move his hand away from hers.

She saved him, and he was reborn because of it.

If one day, she abandoned him too, then he would never see the light of day again.

The grievances and sadness that had been buried in his heart for years found someone to confide in. He was willing to tell her, to tell Zhang Jingzhu, without reservation, the secrets hidden inside that could endanger his life.

He trusted her, and he could only trust her.

“I’ve never seen the sea. I was born here…”

“My mother is a merman. She followed humans to live in the city…and gave birth to me…”

Cheng Shui’nan’s expression was indifferent, the faint pain was hidden in his eyes, only when he made eye contact with Zhang Jingzhu would he reveal his vulnerable emotions without reservation.

Zhang Jingzhu quickly said: “What happened before is all in the past. You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.”

Cheng Shui’nan leaned closer to her, his voice trembling: “I, I want to tell you.”

“Okay,” Zhang Jingzhu changed to a more comfortable position, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Cheng Shui’nan pursed his lips, his eyes filled with tears.

“My mother and I never left his home. He said that if people saw us, there would be trouble…I remember one day, my mother shed a tear, and the tear turned into a pearl. It was dazzling and brilliant. He collected my mother’s tears. At that time, I had already been born. I…I had never seen the sea. I only heard about it from my mother. It was a very beautiful, very beautiful place. She wanted to take me back to the place where our mermen had lived for generations, but…”

“He kept a close watch on my mother. He begged her to cry, begged her to shed more tears that could turn into pearls. Later, he became even more vicious, beating and kicking my mother…My mother cried for a long time, the ground was covered with pearls, until she couldn’t cry anymore…”

“My mother decided to take me back to the sea. She told me that mermen are born to belong to the sea, the human world isn’t suitable for us…I was overjoyed, waiting for my mother to take me away, but she was a merman, she didn’t have legs to walk on land. A merman who left the sea, couldn’t do anything…”

“We didn’t escape. My mother died, and I was locked up. Until I met you, I finally left that place…”

Cheng Shui’nan uttered the last word, as if he had lost his strength, and leaned against the wall of the bathtub. His eyes were moist, only a few fists away from her.

Zhang Jingzhu didn’t expect him to tell her about his past so quickly. His eyes were calm and unwavering as he spoke, as if he wasn’t talking about something that happened to him. But his trembling fingers betrayed his anxiety and fear.

What was he afraid of?

The guilt and self-blame he felt for being helpless and unable to help his mother, the despair and numbness of being abused but unable to break free and only able to live day after day.

Or…

He was going all out, revealing all his cards, all his vulnerability to her, naively and simply hoping in his heart that she would be someone he could trust…

The more affectionate he was towards her, the more the vigilance and defensiveness caused by years of abuse pulled him back, pouring cold water on him as soon as he had the thought of getting close to Zhang Jingzhu.

But this cold water didn’t make him more sober, but instead made him eager to get her answer. He didn’t need any action to prove it, just a simple sentence from her:

She was a good person, and he would believe it.

Even if she dug a trap to capture him in front of him, he would run to her without hesitation.

The information Zhang Jingzhu read from Cheng Shui’nan’s struggling eyes shocked her. The emotions in his eyes were too full, like a drowning man seeing a piece of driftwood, the intense will to survive that erupted at that moment.

Being looked at with such focused eyes, as if the whole world only believed in you, she suddenly had a strange thought. It seemed that at this moment, as long as she made a request, he would be able to do it, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

She was startled by this strange thought. Since she was a child, her father and mother had only endlessly satisfied her demands in terms of money. As for other aspects, she had never experienced them.

What does it feel like to be trusted?

What does it feel like to be treated wholeheartedly?

She had only seen small animals wagging their tails at her legs. As for her life experiences, there was only endless money and lonely nights, day after day, until she turned eighteen and became an adult. Her parents finally divorced. At that time, Zhang Jingzhu suddenly realized that she had become a stumbling block for her parents’ pursuit of happiness…

For a time, she couldn’t find her own value. Material wealth couldn’t fill the void in her heart. Until she accidentally joined the stray animal rescue group, she saw those weak lives being reborn because of her insignificant actions. She suddenly pulled herself out of the confusion and bewilderment…

Cheng Shui’nan’s desperate eyes for redemption moved Zhang Jingzhu. She wasn’t actually kind. She rescued stray animals, including Cheng Shui’nan, only to find the value of being needed and desired in them. At least this would prove that she was needed in this world.

Not dispensable.

Zhang Jingzhu placed her hand on Cheng Shui’nan’s cold, sticky back, meeting his nervous and timid gaze, she slowly spoke: “I heard what they said in the warehouse that day. They wouldn’t let you go, they kept you locked up in the warehouse, because you couldn’t cry pearl tears?”

Cheng Shui’nan nodded: “You, you…want pearls too?”

Zhang Jingzhu: “What if I said I did?”

Cheng Shui’nan lowered his eyes: “I, I can’t cry them.”

Zhang Jingzhu regretted teasing him. He looked so sad, and she quickly added: “I’m kidding you. What if you can’t cry them? I can’t cry them either. Even if you could cry them, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll keep this secret with you, okay?”

Zhang Jingzhu carefully avoided the wound on his wrist and hooked her pinky finger with his.

Cheng Shui’nan looked puzzled.

Zhang Jingzhu casually explained: “This is a tradition here. I promise you that I will keep the secret, and I won’t let anyone know about the pearl tears from my mouth. If I break the promise, I will be punished, hmm…very accurately. Believe me.”

Cheng Shui’nan suddenly pulled his hand back, holding it behind his back, his eyes wide open, looking at her in panic.

“What, what’s wrong with you?”

Cheng Shui’nan: “I don’t need you to make any promises.”

Cheng Shui’nan wasn’t reassured by Zhang Jingzhu’s words at all. On the contrary, he was still uneasy, as if he was scared by her words. He asked seriously: “What punishment would you receive for breaking the promise? We should…haven’t made the promise yet, right?”

Zhang Jingzhu was silent for a moment, and shook her head, as he wished.

Cheng Shui’nan breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his eyes, “He used to be very good to my mother, and he was very good to me…but then he changed. Zhang Jingzhu, I believe what you said, you don’t need to make any promises. You saved my life. Whatever you want to do with it, I…I’m willing to do it.”

Zhang Jingzhu: “I can have your tears too?”

Cheng Shui’nan said dejectedly: “My tears won’t turn into pearls.”

Zhang Jingzhu: “What if they could turn into pearls?”

Cheng Shui’nan blinked, his fish tail hidden under the water swayed gently. He carefully raised his head: “They’re all yours.”

Zhang Jingzhu suddenly felt as if her heart had been struck by something. Her lips unconsciously curled up: “I should thank you for your trust. I can’t really promise you that I won’t change in the future, but there’s one thing, I’m definitely different from the person you mentioned. I believe most people wouldn’t be like him. He has no conscience, but I do. Not only do I have a conscience, I wouldn’t do something as inhumane as he did. I…”

Zhang Jingzhu suddenly had a mischievous smile on her face. Cheng Shui’nan was stunned by her smile, and his face flushed even redder.

She said: “I have money. Even if your tears could turn into pearls, I would only treasure them. How could I use them to make a profit? Even if I didn’t have money, I could still work. They would still be my lifelong treasures. So…you can rest assured, live in my house, tell me what you want to eat, let’s heal our wounds, get our bodies strong, that way, if anyone bullies you, you’ll have the strength to fight back.”

Cheng Shui’nan slid into the bathtub weakly. His big eyes were watery, his bright pupils seemed to be covered with a layer of mist. He looked at Zhang Jingzhu’s hand and then at her feet, he didn’t dare to look at her face, he just hummed in response.

She said:

He could live here peacefully from now on.

So, could he stay here forever?

At first, he just wanted to find a temporary place to stay. Zhang Jingzhu saved him, and he instinctively trusted her. But now, after only one day, why did he not want to leave?

Zhang Jingzhu said softly in his ear that she was going to add salt to the water. She said that if he felt uncomfortable, he should tell her immediately. He thought to himself, how could he feel uncomfortable? He was happy no matter what she did.

He soaked in the water with coarse salt added, and his wound felt as if it was being eaten by thousands of ants, it hurt a little.

Zhang Jingzhu saw Cheng Shui’nan lying limply in the bathtub, his face like a boiled red egg. She quickly retracted her hand, not daring to add any more salt, and anxiously asked: “…How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable?”

Cheng Shui’nan: “No, I’m not.”

Zhang Jingzhu looked at him strangely. Seeing that he didn’t have any reaction of discomfort, she got up to leave. Cheng Shui’nan, who was lying in the bathtub, suddenly raised his body, and the splashing water wet her pants.

“Where are you going?”

Zhang Jingzhu thought to herself, she couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever.

“I’m going to prepare lunch.”

Cheng Shui’nan looked at her reluctantly: “Then, then I’ll wait for you.”

Zhang Jingzhu helplessly opened her mouth, didn’t say anything, and turned to leave.