Chapter 9

Cheng Shuinan’s physical condition was visibly improving. Initially, the bruises on his chest and back disappeared, and gradually, the gruesome wound across his fishtail began to heal, replaced by tender flesh. Finally, his wrists, perhaps due to the long-term piercing wounds, still bore two unsightly scars, even after the rotten flesh was removed and treated with ointment.

Beyond the external wounds, his complexion and health were also improving.

Zhang Jingzhu lacked culinary talent, only capable of boiling porridge and frying eggs. With a merman living in her house, she dared not hire a maid, relying solely on takeout every day. Fortunately, the merman was not picky, but he ate a lot. Zhang Jingzhu had to stagger her takeout orders, fearing that the delivery riders would gather at her doorstep.

Later, she simply gave up on takeout and started buying large quantities of meat from the supermarket, cleaning it in a pot to remove the blood foam, and then boiling it for consumption.

She had to go to the supermarket to buy food every two or three days, and each time, she couldn’t help but lament how expensive it was to keep a merman!

Fortunately, Zhang Jingzhu had no shortage of money.

Her parents were a product of an arranged marriage between powerful families. They formed a strong alliance, but their marriage lacked the sweet post-marital love often depicted in novels. Her mother, Zhao Jing, had a white moonlight, but his family was poor, and they were separated by their families. Her father, Zhang Yuanhe, didn’t have a white moonlight, but he had countless female admirers, truly embodying the phrase “a flower among flowers, untouched by a single leaf.”

In their marriage, they were undoubtedly failures, but they loved their only daughter dearly. Although they ignored each other, their ways of showing affection were similar: showering her with money.

Their competitive ways of showing love left Zhang Jingzhu both amused and touched.

On her 18th birthday, Zhang Jingzhu not only received her parents’ divorce certificate but also a property from each of them. Both were luxurious villas, one in the suburbs with beautiful scenery, and the other near a bustling shopping mall, offering convenient transportation and being located in a school district.

However, these were just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Zhang Jingzhu’s current assets were enough for her to spend for several lifetimes.

But she had been independent since childhood and hadn’t developed the habit of spending lavishly. Perhaps due to the lack of emotional affection in her childhood, she felt somewhat insecure and anxious. Her daily expenses were no different from most working people. The money in her bank account and the properties under her name were just numbers to her. She rarely had any need to use money.

However, now, her money finally had a purpose.

Her monthly salary could barely cover Cheng Shuinan’s food expenses, but she didn’t want to scrimp. She always bought the best food and various nutritional supplements. In a short span of days, her empty room was filled with various nutritional pastes and gift boxes. She didn’t care whether they were effective; if the salesperson said they were good, she bought them.

Watching Cheng Shuinan’s body improve day by day, the joy in his bright black eyes grew. His thin arms and bony chest, under Zhang Jingzhu’s persistent feeding, became healthy and strong. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the luster of Cheng Shuinan’s fishtail had changed, becoming shiny and oily. When he swayed gently, the water splashed much higher.

Zhang Jingzhu was relieved.

One day, a visitor arrived at her house.

The doorbell rang just as Zhang Jingzhu returned home after shopping. She was startled, instinctively looking around. The bathroom door was closed, and she couldn’t see inside from the living room.

Zhang Jingzhu opened the door.

It was Zhang Ning.

“Jingzhu, I sent you messages but you didn’t reply, and I couldn’t get through on your phone. I was worried something might have happened to you after taking so many days off. I came to check on you. What have you been busy with? You haven’t been to work for a week!”

Zhang Jingzhu led Zhang Ning towards the living room, apologetically saying, “Thank you for your concern, Sister Zhang. My phone must have run out of battery. I just went to the supermarket to buy things. It was still charged then. You can sit here for a while; I bought some snacks.”

Zhang Ning: “No need to bother. I’m going home soon.”

Zhang Jingzhu initially said she would take three days off, but then extended it for another week. Although Zhang Ning was a little hesitant, she agreed.

Zhang Jingzhu was now very nervous about everything, afraid that others would notice something was wrong and guess that she had a merman at home. In reality, no one would ever think of such a thing –

A merman? How could there be a merman in this world?

Zhang Jingzhu took the initiative to explain, “Sister Zhang, it’s like this. My stomach was uncomfortable a few days ago. I was planning to take a few days off to rest, but then my period came, and I didn’t have any energy. So, I just took a few more days off… Did I miss anything important?”

Zhang Ning laughed, “What could be important? To be honest, the company’s higher-ups are discussing layoffs. The autumn new product launch has been canceled. The designs and finished products we made were just awful. And recently, there have been frequent reports of drowning victims in the Night Glow Sea. The pearl yield has also decreased! And… the boss fell ill because of this, and he’s been in the hospital for several days!”

Zhang Jingzhu had read many local supernatural novels before bed, many of which were based on the recent drowning incidents in the Night Glow Sea. Every few days, another body was retrieved from the sea.

The ownership of the Night Glow Sea was acquired by Lianzhu, and the source of their pearls was the Night Glow Sea. This matter was initially suppressed, but as the number of bodies increased, it could no longer be concealed. Who would dare buy a pearl necklace produced in seawater that had been contaminated by dead bodies?

“Is Uncle Cheng okay?”

Zhang Ning: “…I don’t know about that. But he came to the company a few days ago, and he seemed fine. Just a bit strange. He used to be so gentle and refined, but now he’s a bit gloomy. Maybe something happened at home.”

Zhang Jingzhu’s father and Mr. Cheng were business friends. She was arranged to work at Lianzhu through Mr. Cheng’s connections. She also knew a little about Mr. Cheng’s family situation. She blurted out, “He lives alone.”

Zhang Ning shrugged, “Then maybe he’s just upset about making less money recently. These big bosses, they care about every penny more than ordinary people. Lianzhu’s business has been really bad lately. Many old customers have been complaining about the quality of the pearls. After the Night Glow Sea incident broke out, we received a lot of returns… even some from two years ago!”

Zhang Jingzhu chatted casually with Zhang Ning for a while. After seeing her off, her mind drifted towards Mr. Cheng.

Pearl business, surname Cheng…

Zhang Jingzhu recalled Mr. Cheng’s refined features and subconsciously pushed the thought out of her mind.

How could it be?

It couldn’t be that coincidental…

As Zhang Jingzhu pondered, she walked towards the bathroom. She realized something belatedly

Why was Cheng Shuinan so quiet?

Usually, she could hear the sound of splashing water before she even got close to the bathroom. But today, there was no sound at all.