Chapter 14

Cheng Shuinan had never been separated from Zhang Jingzhu for such a long time since she brought him home.

The shelf was filled with all sorts of snacks: beef jerky, pork floss, soft bread, and canned instant food. Self-heating meals were also neatly arranged in a row… When Cheng Shuinan first ate these things, his expression was a clear shock and satisfaction, but now .

He hid face-down in the water, his fish tail churning up waves that splashed against the rubber ball floating on the surface. He couldn’t bring himself to play, so he closed his eyes and rested, his ear fins extending outward. As dusk approached, the roar of vehicles came in, and he immediately surfaced, his hands clutching the edge of the bathtub, patiently waiting.

Until the night grew deep.

He still couldn’t wait for Zhang Jingzhu.

Cheng Shuinan felt inexplicably anxious. He pushed himself up from the bathtub and jumped out, opening the bathroom door and entering the living room. There was no light in the living room, so he bounced around for a bit before going to the half-wall window and hiding his fish tail behind the table. His cheek was practically pressed against the glass.

As time passed, the vehicles and pedestrians outside the window dwindled, gradually becoming quiet.

In the silent night, waves of intense helplessness washed over Cheng Shuinan. His calm and gentle face was replaced by anxiety and helplessness.

Zhang Jingzhu hadn’t come back. He didn’t know where she had gone or if she was safe… Besides worrying about her safety, he also blamed himself .

If… he wasn’t a merman, but a human with two legs, he could leave here and find Zhang Jingzhu.

But now he couldn’t do anything. His fish tail, out of water, was useless on land. The once shiny black tail now seemed to have lost its luster, drooping limply on the ground, dragging a long trail of water…

It was strange. He had been locked in a dark prison, enduring constant abuse, but he hadn’t experienced such intense pain as he did now. It was as if a dull knife was stuck in his chest. Cheng Shuinan’s face was pressed against the cold glass, the bright moonlight bathing his body. He gradually closed his eyes in the darkness.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, he seemed to return to that cramped house, not a prison, but the place where he had lived as a child. His mother stood before him, feeding him sweet soup with her own hands. Then, she took his hand and wrapped his fish tail in a cotton blanket, walking towards the door…

Why was she walking? Where was his mother’s fish tail?

The scene shifted again. His mother couldn’t take him away, back to the ocean they yearned for. They were intercepted by Cheng Qingyuan, and his mother soon passed away. He, however, started to feel pain in his fish tail after drinking the soup.

The “soup” he drank had a beautiful name: Sweet Dream Fragrance.

It was purchased by his mother years ago. Drinking it could transform a merman’s fish tail into human legs. His mother, for his father, was willing to change her form, but it resulted in such a tragic consequence. She wanted to drink Sweet Dream Fragrance, transform into human legs, and return to the ocean that belonged to merfolk.

But she never went back.

Young Cheng Shuinan fainted from the double blow. When he woke up, the world had changed.

The moon hung round in the sky outside the window. Cheng Shuinan opened his eyes from his dream. His dark pupils were like bottomless whirlpools. He felt like he was trapped in the dream, unable to escape. His eyes held the confusion and despair of the past.

As time passed, he was swept up in even more painful emotions. Zhang Jingzhu’s arrival had pulled him out of the darkness, allowing him to touch the warmth of the sun. The brief time he spent at Zhang Jingzhu’s home was so beautiful that he couldn’t forget it… What if all of this was just a beautiful dream he had before he died?

There was no Zhang Jingzhu in the world.

He would never be able to find his own redemption.

Cheng Shuinan curled up in fear and helplessness. The roar of the car suddenly tore through his world of pain. He slowly lowered his eyes. The cars lined up neatly below the tall building were only the size of his thumb. The sky was already bright. He stared blankly at a small brown dot below, as if he could see her face raised up.

It wasn’t a dream.

Zhang Jingzhu was back.

Zhang Jingzhu hadn’t slept well all night. She seemed to have had a dream, a dream in which Cheng Shuinan looked at her with red eyes, saying nothing, his eyes filled with grievance. She woke up suddenly, and without even eating breakfast, she rushed home.

She had brought Cheng Shuinan home, which could be considered a great kindness. She didn’t need to tell him where she was going or if she was staying out all night. She certainly wouldn’t feel guilty about not coming home.

But in fact, she not only felt guilty, but also a little nervous.

Zhang Jingzhu carried a hearty breakfast, parked her car downstairs, and inexplicably felt like she was being watched. She glanced upwards, then rushed towards the elevator, desperate to get inside.

Take a deep breath…

There’s nothing to be nervous about!

Zhang Jingzhu pressed her fingerprint and opened the door.

She was caught off guard by the pair of red eyes she had seen in her dream.

Cheng Shuinan stood before her, his fish tail stiff, his eyes red-rimmed, tears welling up inside. One hand was pressed against the wall to steady himself, while the other was curled up nervously.

“Zhang Jingzhu… you didn’t come back last night…”

Zhang Jingzhu quickly explained.

Cheng Shuinan listened quietly.

After Zhang Jingzhu finished explaining, he nodded, indicating that he was listening carefully, and then lowered his head.

Was he angry?

She didn’t think the word “angry” was appropriate. It was more like he was secretly feeling wronged. She had already explained what happened yesterday, and he was indeed listening carefully, so why was he still down?

She hadn’t slept well last night, and she rushed back without even eating breakfast, just in case he was worried… Her head was buzzing, and her eyes were sore and dry. Zhang Jingzhu frowned, as if she were hugging a puppy throwing a tantrum, and gently embraced Cheng Shuinan.

Zhang Jingzhu was exhausted. She had come home to shed her fatigue, completely unaware that her subconscious action was so shocking to Cheng Shuinan. He stiffened, his fish tail tightening, and the tears that were about to spill from his eyes stopped.

“Okay, it was my fault yesterday. I promised to come back but didn’t. I’m back now, aren’t I? Don’t be angry.”

Cheng Shuinan lowered his head, his cheeks flushed. “I’m not angry.”

How could he possibly be angry with Zhang Jingzhu?

Zhang Jingzhu let go of him, placed the breakfast on the table, and handed him her phone. “The phone I promised you. I’ve already put a SIM card in it. If something like yesterday happens again, I’ll tell you. I’m so hungry. Let’s eat first.”

Cheng Shuinan stood there, dazed, unable to recover.

For Zhang Jingzhu, it was just a meaningless hug. But for Cheng Shuinan, it was like a bolt of lightning striking him. The faint scent of Zhang Jingzhu’s body suddenly became intense, filling his nostrils. He felt like he was drowning in her scent.

Just now, he suddenly had an absurd thought that he should have found repulsive .

His mother had fed him Sweet Dream Fragrance. Would his fish tail one day turn into human legs?

He suddenly felt a longing.

Zhang Jingzhu arrived at the company just in time. She didn’t even have time to change clothes. She was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, which was almost impossible for her. But today, not only was she wearing yesterday’s clothes, but they even had water stains.

“Jingzhu, why are you wearing wet clothes? You’ll catch a cold.”

“Ah… I accidentally spilled water on myself. I’ll deal with it later.”

Zhang Jingzhu rubbed her hair helplessly.

She had hugged the merman completely out of instinct. She realized later that her behavior was inappropriate. She pretended to be nonchalant and used eating breakfast to cover up the awkwardness. When she saw Cheng Shuinan’s flushed face, as if he had been teased by a playboy, she didn’t even notice that her clothes were wet.

Before, she had only secretly touched Cheng Shuinan’s fish tail, or combed his hair out of a desire to help. He was a merman after all, his skin smooth and covered in soft, cool water. Just a slight touch didn’t feel like much. But today, this morning –

Zhang Jingzhu’s inner sweater was soaked with a large patch of water.

She had only given him a light hug… like hugging a kitten or puppy. She hadn’t even used any force, yet she ended up getting soaked!

When she had lunch with her colleagues, she felt something was wrong with her body.

Her colleagues were right. She had a slight cold.

By the afternoon, her symptoms worsened. Zhang Jingzhu’s head felt heavy and dizzy. She didn’t even drive. She took a taxi home and lay down on the bed in a daze.

The bedroom door wasn’t closed. There was a sound coming from inside. It was Cheng Shuinan.

Zhang Jingzhu closed her eyes and said, “I’m not feeling well. Don’t worry about me. Find something to eat. I’m going to take a nap…”

Cheng Shuinan stood there awkwardly.

Zhang Jingzhu’s usually vibrant face was pale and weak. She lay limply on the bed, her voice weak and breathless. She looked very uncomfortable.

He noticed that Zhang Jingzhu was shivering. His mood instantly sank. He clenched his fist tightly. He had been sick before and knew how unpleasant it felt. At that time, he had endured it with sheer willpower, but he couldn’t do that now…

He slowly approached the bed and touched Zhang Jingzhu’s forehead. It was burning hot.

Water droplets slid down his fingers, landing on Zhang Jingzhu’s cheek. She mumbled unconsciously, “…Cold, so cold.”

Cheng Shuinan widened his eyes and immediately withdrew his hand. He quickly left the room and went to the bathroom, vigorously wiping the sticky, wet palm with a towel. It was useless. His hands were still covered in water, cold water.

His eyelashes drooped, hiding the sadness within.

Cheng Shuinan found the medicine cabinet. He had learned a lot of knowledge from the tablet these past few days. And when he first arrived at Zhang Jingzhu’s home, he had been constantly injured, and Zhang Jingzhu had explained the effects of various medications to him.

The feeling of his fish tail being stiff wasn’t comfortable, especially since he had to rely on his bent fins to support the weight of his entire body. Cheng Shuinan didn’t show any discomfort. He struggled to boil water, brewed a fever-reducing medicine, and brought it to the bedroom.

“Zhang Jingzhu,” Cheng Shuinan stood half a step away from Zhang Jingzhu. He leaned slightly against the wall and gently touched her with the hand wrapped in a towel. “…You need to take medicine. Wake up first.”

Zhang Jingzhu did as she was told in a daze. “It’s so bitter.”

Her hair was scattered messily behind her head, her cheeks were slightly flushed, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her eyes were hazy and misty.

Cheng Shuinan pursed his lips and quietly leaned closer to her. “It’s bitter, but after you drink it, your illness will be cured, and you won’t feel uncomfortable anymore.”

He held the bottom of the cup, supporting the cup with his hand, and slowly poured it into her mouth. Zhang Jingzhu finished it and frowned, curling up under the covers.

He didn’t leave the bedroom. He stood there, lifted the covers, and used a towel to touch her lips, wiping away the medicine residue. Zhang Jingzhu mumbled something, but didn’t resist.

Cheng Shuinan’s eyes grew brighter. He clenched the empty cup.

Even if he was a merman, not a human, he could still take care of Zhang Jingzhu…

“Zhang Jingzhu.”

“I will study hard.”

He wasn’t talking empty words. He closed the bedroom door and took out the phone Zhang Jingzhu had prepared for him. Then, he went to the kitchen.