Chapter 16

The floor throughout the house was quickly covered with soft carpets, so much so that Zhang Jingshu didn’t even need to wear slippers. She would take off her shoes as soon as she got home, and when the weather turned colder, the floor heating would be turned on. The carpets, warmed by the heating, felt incredibly cozy underfoot.

Cheng Suinan, true to his promise, improved his cooking skills at an astonishing pace. In just a few days, he was already capable of preparing elaborate dishes with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.

As a result, Zhang Jingshu’s weight was steadily climbing.

It was also worth mentioning that something seemed to be wrong with Cheng Suinan—he had started shedding scales. The scales on his fish tail were tightly arranged, making it difficult to notice where exactly they were falling from.

Moreover, his personality had undergone a subtle shift.

In Zhang Jingshu’s impression, Cheng Suinan had always been somewhat timid and naive—so much so that calling him young and innocent wouldn’t have been an exaggeration. At the same time, he was very well-behaved and never did anything to trouble her. Yet lately, he had become unusually clingy.

One night, when Zhang Jingshu got up to use the bathroom, she unexpectedly found Cheng Suinan lying outside her bedroom door. The moment he saw her, he was so startled that he looked completely at a loss.

She told him to go back to the bathroom.

But he stammered and refused to comply.

Zhang Jingshu felt helpless. She couldn’t just let him sleep at the doorway, so she brought out a folding bed and placed it in her bedroom. However, from that night on, it was as if Cheng Suinan had marked the folding bed as his own territory—every night at bedtime, he would lie down on it early, close his eyes, and pretend to be asleep.

Zhang Jingshu wasn’t sure why she allowed this. The bedroom was a very private space, and under normal circumstances, she shouldn’t have let anyone in so easily, even if the other party was a merman. Yet she just couldn’t bring herself to make him leave.

Perhaps… his face played a big role in her decision.

Merfolk were always associated with beauty. Whether in games or television, merfolk were portrayed as breathtakingly stunning creatures.

And it wasn’t without reason.

Even when Cheng Suinan was frail and malnourished, he had left Zhang Jingshu momentarily dazed upon their first meeting. Now that he had long shed his sickly appearance, he was even more striking—his thick black curls cascaded like seaweed, his features were exquisite and almost unreal in their beauty, and his well-defined chest and back muscles flowed into a slender waist before transitioning into black fish scales that shimmered faintly, even in the dark. His massive fish tail glowed as if dusted with stardust.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Zhang Jingshu felt that his facial contours had become more mature. The youthful innocence once visible on his face was slowly fading away. His bright eyes remained the same, yet they now carried an inexplicable intensity that made her heart skip a beat.

Zhang Jingshu drifted off in thought.

Zhang Ning sat down across from her and waved a hand in front of her face. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

Zhang Ning raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her. “Jingshu, you’ve gained quite a bit of weight recently, haven’t you?”

“Huh? Really…?”

Zhang Jingshu instinctively pinched the soft flesh on her cheeks. The sensation was different from before. Like most girls, she cared about her appearance, and whenever she was idle, she would run her hands over the contours of her face. She had always thought her facial structure was well-defined, but recently, she could feel the extra softness.

Zhang Ning sighed. “Honestly, you’re probably the only one in the company who’s completely worry-free these days.”

Hearing that, Zhang Jingshu perked up and leaned in to whisper, “Is it true that Boss Cheng got arrested?”

This matter traced back to a fire several months ago. A warehouse behind the seafood processing plant in Suchan District, which had been illegally storing fireworks and explosives, caught fire and exploded. Five bodies were found inside. After further investigation, their identities were confirmed—they were subordinates of Cheng Qingyuan.

Additionally, someone reported the appearance of numerous corpses in the Luminous Sea. Since Cheng Qingyuan owned the Luminous Sea, these two incidents were suspiciously linked, leading to his arrest for investigation.

The atmosphere at Lianzhu Corporation was tense, and many employees were submitting their resignations.

“It’s true,” Zhang Ning confirmed. “We were in the middle of a meeting when they suddenly came in and took him away. I have a contact at the police station, and they told me that the bodies found in the Luminous Sea and certain extracted substances from the warehouse matched. Plus, the ones who died in the warehouse were all under his command… It’s very likely he was behind all of it.”

Zhang Ning sighed deeply. “I’ve worked at Lianzhu for years and have developed an attachment to it. We’ve come so far, yet I never expected something like this to happen…”

Zhang Jingshu reassured her, “You’re capable and experienced—you’ll shine wherever you go.”

Zhang Ning smiled wryly. “I’ll take that as a blessing… Though Lianzhu probably won’t go bankrupt so easily. It’ll likely be acquired by a new owner soon.”

Zhang Jingshu was in a great mood. Everyone in the office looked anxious, but she couldn’t laugh in front of them. She held it in all day, and only when she left the company did she allow herself to hum a tune on the way to the supermarket.

Craving more of Cheng Suinan’s braised pork ribs, she bought over ten pounds of ribs.

While waiting at a red light, her phone chimed with two notifications.

It was a message from the leader of the stray animal rescue group.

Leader: I need your help. Remember that Labrador we took in? Its hind leg was injured, but the vet said it was too weak for surgery at the time. I just took it in for surgery a few days ago, and it’s recovering well… but winter is coming, and we’ve taken in several more stray dogs. I don’t have time to care for it. Could you take it in for a few days? Or help find it a home?

Zhang Jingshu thought of Gu Xinyi, who had always wanted a dog and lived in a villa with a spacious yard.

She replied: No problem, I’ll pick it up tomorrow.

She had met the Labrador before. The group leader had taken it for a check-up—it was a healthy one-year-old dog, except for its hind leg, which had been maliciously broken by someone. Fortunately, the injury hadn’t caused permanent damage.

Zhang Jingshu loved cats and dogs, but she didn’t have the time or energy to care for a pet. Plus, she had owned several pets in childhood, all of whom had passed away in old age. She didn’t want to go through that heartbreak again.

Since Gu Xinyi adored big dogs and had even volunteered at the rescue center, Zhang Jingshu was confident she would like the Labrador.

Changing her route home, she stopped by a pet hospital to buy dog food and a pet bed. By the time she got back, it was already dark.

She unlocked the door with her fingerprint.

Cheng Suinan was already waiting at the entrance, his delicate brows slightly furrowed.

Zhang Jingshu lifted the bag of ribs for him to see. “I went to the supermarket.”

Cheng Suinan took the bag and turned toward the kitchen.

Behind him, Zhang Jingshu stuck out her tongue playfully.

A strange feeling settled in her chest—when she saw his expression at that moment, it was almost like he was a wife who had prepared a meal and waited for her husband to come home, only for him to return late when the food had already gone cold…