Chapter 8

After lunch, Zhang Jingzhu lay in bed. She first checked the messages in the stray animal group. The group leader told her that the Labrador had been sent to the pet hospital. Its hind leg hadn’t been injured fatally, and the probability of recovery after surgery was high.

She breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but smile. Then, a local news popped up on the screen.

It was about a fire near a seafood processing factory in Suhan District.

Zhang Jingzhu’s mind buzzed. She clicked on it and read it carefully from beginning to end. Her suspended heart finally settled.

The fireworks stored in the warehouse caused a small explosion. The warehouse was reduced to rubble in an instant, and all the electronic equipment inside was destroyed.

Zhang Jingzhu’s emotions were now very subtle. She had always been a well-behaved person since she was a child. The most outrageous thing she had ever done was this matter of the merman.

At that time, she only thought about rescuing the merman, and didn’t think about whether her actions were reasonable or appropriate. When she drove the car into the warehouse, she suddenly came to her senses. Then, she bumped into Cheng Shui’nan’s frightened and painful eyes. Brother Huang’s screams and the unconscious pleas for help from the others after they slowly regained consciousness were all thrown to the back of her mind…

Their remains were found at the fire site.

Zhang Jingzhu thought that seeing the news would affect her, after all, she was largely responsible for the fire. But the opposite was true. She felt very calm, as if the incident had nothing to do with her.

Evil people can only be punished with evil.

She didn’t have anything to worry about.

The only thing that worried her was that the person behind the scenes who imprisoned Cheng Shui’nan and abused him was his father.

When Cheng Shui’nan talked about the past, although he deliberately suppressed his emotions, she could still feel his sadness. Therefore, Zhang Jingzhu didn’t ask any further.

Cheng Shui’nan’s father lived in Qingcheng City. Qingcheng City was a big city, but as if suddenly, Zhang Jingzhu felt a sense of insecurity. She might run into Cheng Shui’nan’s father at any time, or even talk to him.

Since she had brought him home, she had to protect him well.

She couldn’t let him fall into their hands again.

The most important thing now was to deal with Cheng Shui’nan’s injuries.

They came back too late last night. Cheng Shui’nan said he had the ability to heal himself, so Zhang Jingzhu wasn’t so nervous, especially when she saw that the wounds in the water were indeed slowly healing.

However, this was based on Zhang Jingzhu’s assumption that Cheng Shui’nan had a clear understanding of his own body.

Just now, she discovered that Cheng Shui’nan was not only naive, he was a complete blank slate, he didn’t understand anything. As a merman, he hadn’t even seen the sea, let alone whether his body could adapt to water with coarse salt added.

If she didn’t pay attention, it was hard to imagine whether he would endure the pain without saying anything.

Zhang Jingzhu walked into the bathroom with the medicine bag.

The water surface was calm and still, only tiny bubbles slowly rising. Cheng Shui’nan’s body was submerged below the water surface. He heard Zhang Jingzhu’s footsteps and suddenly emerged from the water, making a “whoosh” sound.

His hair wasn’t human hair. It wasn’t tightly pressed against his scalp after being wet with water. Instead, it was slightly fluffy, as if it had been treated with waterproof hairspray, and it softly hung down behind his head.

Cheng Shui’nan leaned against the wall of the bathtub, his upper body almost leaning out, “You’re awake?”

Zhang Jingzhu moved a small stool and sat beside him. She nodded and said to him: “Stretch your hand out in front of me. The medicine will heal faster if you put it on.”

“No need…the wound can heal.”

Zhang Jingzhu helplessly glanced at him. They hadn’t spent much time together, but Zhang Jingzhu had almost figured out his personality: naive and innocent, and a very polite merman. Like now, he wouldn’t take her kindness for granted and enjoy her efforts, but he would be careful, afraid of burdening her.

It was precisely because she could see through his thoughts at a glance that Zhang Jingzhu brought him home without hesitation.

Who could refuse a cute and pitiful merman?

Zhang Jingzhu directly reached out, her fingertips touching his cold, slippery skin. Before she could react, Cheng Shui’nan seemed to be stimulated and suddenly dived into the water.

The bathtub was so big, and the water surface was clear. His figure shrinking inside was clearly displayed in front of Zhang Jingzhu. She seemed to see his face turn red, his curled eyelashes blinking rapidly, and then he slowly floated up again, his two hands obediently stretched out in front of her.

Cheng Shui’nan: “Look, the wound is healing.”

Zhang Jingzhu looked down and saw that it was indeed healing, but his wrist skin was originally a translucent white color. The festering flesh and the faintly visible hand bones made her shudder. She pursed her lips, suppressing the suffocating feeling in her chest.

She raised her eyebrows and asked him: “The wound is healing, but does it hurt?”

Cheng Shui’nan: “Yes, it hurts a little.”

His two hands, which were stretched out neatly, curled up slightly, wanting to retract. Zhang Jingzhu held them.

“Don’t move.”

“Hmm, hmm…”

Zhang Jingzhu applied the medicine she had bought to his wrists. She didn’t dare to take him to the doctor, so she could only buy it herself after asking the doctor. She bought ordinary disinfectant and some pain relief ointment. She carefully applied it to both of his wrists and tied a slipknot with gauze.

Cheng Shui’nan sat quietly in the bathtub. Whatever Zhang Jingzhu asked him to do, he did. Occasionally, he would raise his lowered head, quickly glance at Zhang Jingzhu, and slightly purse his lips. He couldn’t hide the curve of his lips.

The disinfectant was painful on the wound, it hurt so much that cold sweat broke out on his forehead. But strangely, as long as Zhang Jingzhu slowly touched his wound with her warm fingertips, the pain miraculously disappeared.

A nameless restlessness and palpitation came from his chest.

Zhang Jingzhu: “Hmm…the fish tail needs medicine too. Can you do it yourself?”

Cheng Shui’nan nodded, of course.

As soon as Zhang Jingzhu finished asking, she regretted it. He wasn’t in a good condition to do too much movement, and both of his hands were wrapped in gauze.

Zhang Jingzhu blinked, Cheng Shui’nan looked obedient.

Zhang Jingzhu said directly: “Let me help you.”

She actually had her own selfish reasons. There was a thought that had been hidden in her heart for a long time.

Cheng Shui’nan’s fish tail was black, the hard, shiny scales covered from his waist and abdomen to the tip of his tail. There were wide pelvic fins on both sides of his waist and abdomen, like soft silk when submerged in water. His fin was even larger, the entire fish tail was thick and beautiful, like a luxurious diamond-studded gauze skirt, or like the Milky Way, a magnificent galaxy in the vast night sky.

She really wanted to touch it.

Now she finally had a legitimate opportunity, and she couldn’t miss it.

Cheng Shui’nan hesitated for a moment. His hesitant expression wasn’t thinking about whether to refuse her, but rather being shy. A blush appeared prominently on his pale face, and his two ear fins also retracted slightly, no longer as imposing as before. He lay down in the bathtub, his fish tail resting on the edge of the bathtub.

The huge, shiny black fish tail was presented in front of her.

Zhang Jingzhu smelled a faint fishy smell. She didn’t dislike the smell. She moved the small stool forward and carefully touched the scales at the tip of his tail, which was closest to her.

It was slippery and hard. Like a sharp blade.

Zhang Jingzhu had her fill of it. Just as she was about to pick up the ointment, the scales under her fingertips suddenly opened, clamping her finger inside. She exclaimed, and a low chuckle came from her ear.

Cheng Shui’nan smiled at her, a little embarrassed. Seeing that her face didn’t show any annoyance, he breathed a sigh of relief and gently rested his fin on her arm.

Zhang Jingzhu could feel her fingertips touching the cold flesh. The feeling was strange.

She carefully treated the wound on his fish tail. She didn’t bandage it, just told Cheng Shui’nan to wait for the medicine to absorb before putting his tail back in the water.

Zhang Jingzhu then picked up the mop to clean up the water marks on the floor. Cheng Shui’nan maintained his position, his eyes fixed on her.

His fin, she didn’t know when, had fallen to the ground. He imitated Zhang Jingzhu’s actions, gently lifting his fin, and then sweeping the water towards the drain when it fell.

When Zhang Jingzhu noticed, she couldn’t help but laugh and cry: “…I know you want to help, but you need to wait until your wounds heal. By then, you won’t be able to slack off.”

While she was talking, Cheng Shui’nan quietly swept another tail of water, then nodded.

“Hmm, I got it.”