Chapter 19

Zhang Jingzhu was furious.

When the fishtail pressed against her, she was forcefully pushed underwater, inevitably experiencing a suffocating sensation. Even though Cheng Shuinan’s chest was beneath her, it couldn’t block the water rushing in from all directions. But soon, Cheng Shuinan lifted her out of the water, and she was finally able to take a deep breath.

Anger came quickly.

Zhang Jingzhu fiercely wiped the water from her eyelids, opened her eyes, and Cheng Shuinan’s flushed face unexpectedly crashed into her field of vision.

No matter when, his facial expression was like a small animal relying on its owner, innocent and pure. This was the first time she had seen other emotions on his face.

Fire burned in his eyes, his deep black pupils filled with undisguised jealousy.

However, the man’s obviously abnormal emotional change couldn’t overshadow the strange and unfamiliar feeling that suddenly came from her legs.

Scales were cold and hard, and even through the fabric, they were still clearly felt. But what was wrapped around her legs now:

Zhang Jingzhu turned her head.

Fine ripples danced on the clear water surface. Beneath the layers of ripples, she saw her lower body. Her house pants were wet and clung to her skin. What she was pressing down on were two legs belonging to an adult male.

Long, white, and smooth.

Zhang Jingzhu suspected she was seeing things. She squeezed her eyes shut, silently counted a few seconds, opened her eyes, and stared intently at Cheng Shuinan’s “fishtail.”

She wasn’t mistaken. It was indeed two legs.

Human legs.

A man’s legs.

Zhang Jingzhu’s face flushed red: “Cheng Shuinan! Let go of me!”

Cheng Shuinan was in a state of immense surprise and doubt. Only when Zhang Jingzhu forcefully pried his hands away did he snap out of his daze. His hands remained motionless on her waist, and he turned his head away.

He said in a daze, “My current form is no different from a human.”

He could feel that the sharp parts of his teeth had disappeared with the appearance of his legs. He gently closed his mouth, revealing two rows of neat teeth. He couldn’t help but smile. The jealousy that had burned in his eyes was replaced by the joy of his dream coming true.

His grip was terrifyingly strong. Zhang Jingzhu had long discovered that a merman who had recovered his health, although seemingly weak on the outside, had endless strength inside. For example, right now, the two slender white arms wrapped around her waist were subtly bulging with smooth muscle lines.

She was no match for him at all.

Cheng Shuinan’s refusal to cooperate made Zhang Jingzhu suspect that the creature she had brought home wasn’t a kind merman at all, but a venomous snake who had forgotten its gratitude.

Her face turned cold. “Cheng Shuinan, let go of me.”

The hands on her waist stiffened for a moment. Slowly, and clearly unwillingly, they loosened their grip. Zhang Jingzhu quickly pulled away, supporting herself on the edge of the bathtub and scrambling out, her feet slipping a few times, causing her to fall heavily onto Cheng Shuinan’s waist.

He groaned and used his hands to support her.

Zhang Jingzhu crawled out of the bathtub, turned her head, and glared at Cheng Shuinan in shame and anger. She left the bathroom.

Cheng Shuinan’s fishtail had actually turned into legs.

This was simply unbelievable.

However, the fact that mermen actually existed in this world made other strange things easier for Zhang Jingzhu to accept.

The unpleasantness that happened in the bathroom was quickly forgotten by Zhang Jingzhu. She went to a nearby mall that night and bought several sets of men’s clothes.

She didn’t want to come home every day and see Cheng Shuinan walking around naked in front of her.

Standing at the door of her house, Zhang Jingzhu didn’t use her fingerprint to open the door. Instead, she mentally prepared herself. She was worried that when she opened the door, she would see Cheng Shuinan. After all, every day in the past, he had been waiting at the door for her to come home.

The moment the door opened, her thoughts came true.

Moist air rushed towards her face.

Zhang Jingzhu raised the bag to shield her eyes: “Cheng Shuinan, you… you go back to the bathtub, no, no, this is clothes I bought for you. Change and then come out.”

She threw the bag at him.

Cheng Shuinan caught it and said, “Okay.”

The sound of his fishtail bouncing on the floor disappeared, replaced by soft footsteps.

The initial shame and anger subsided, and Zhang Jingzhu’s heart itched.

Just take a peek?

She slowly turned her head, opened one eye, and looked up along the plush carpet. There were two large, white feet, with prominent ankle bones. Above them were calves and thighs with visible muscle lines, and a slightly raised buttock…

Zhang Jingzhu covered her face and slumped onto the soft sofa.

Cheng Shuinan had changed his clothes and stood in front of her like a student who had been made to stand in a corner.

Zhang Jingzhu had never bought clothes for a man before, not even for her father. This time, she was in a chaotic state of mind when she went to the mall, and she had just grabbed things randomly. But these uncoordinated clothes were worn by Cheng Shuinan in a way that was… seductive?

Yes, seductive.

Cheng Shuinan’s frame was perfect. Although he looked slightly thin, his shoulders were broad. His thinness was simply due to long-term malnutrition, and he hadn’t had time to recover. A pure white sweatshirt covered his upper body, and he was wearing ordinary sweatpants on his lower body. He was barefoot, his ten toes stepping on the light gray carpet, making his nail color appear pink.

His hair hadn’t changed. It was curly and thick, falling behind him.

His eyes held a pool of water.

His thin, red lips were slightly curved, and his face looked helpless as he gazed at her.

This was the first time Zhang Jingzhu had seen Cheng Shuinan wearing clothes.

She turned her head away. Cheng Shuinan’s eyes were filled with grievance and pleading. As long as she met his gaze, the hard-won momentum she had built up would be like a burst balloon.

“Cheng Shuinan, let’s talk.” Zhang Jingzhu crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on his feet. She took a deep breath, slightly raised her chin, and glared at him with a commanding air.

The feeling of his feet on the ground was strange, but it was surprisingly not unpleasant for him. Cheng Shuinan tentatively took a few steps forward. He still hadn’t gotten used to walking on his feet, so he stumbled a bit and managed to stand steady.

He asked, “Zhang Jingzhu, who was that man?”

Zhang Jingzhu looked confused.

“The man who came to see you earlier… are you… dating him?” Cheng Shuinan asked the question that was bothering him.

Deep down, he hoped for Zhang Jingzhu’s denial.

But Zhang Jingzhu didn’t say anything. She didn’t nod or shake her head. She simply looked at him with a cold gaze, then chuckled: “What does it have to do with you?”

A sudden surge of inexplicable annoyance came over her. Zhang Jingzhu felt it was a mistake to talk to a merman.

Cheng Shuinan stood in front of her, feeling helpless. Because of her words, his expression looked like he was about to cry. His newly grown legs obviously hadn’t allowed him to adapt yet. He almost limped towards her, squatting down.

He opened his mouth, but Zhang Jingzhu covered it.

“Save it for another day. I’m tired now. I want to sleep.”

Zhang Jingzhu turned and went back to her bedroom. She closed the door and locked it.

As for whether Cheng Shuinan would sleep in the bathtub, on the sofa, or somewhere else that night, she didn’t care at all.

Love is the most absurd thing in the world.

The secretion of dopamine makes those who fall in love temporarily believe that love can last a lifetime. But when the hormones subside and they come to their senses from the passion, they realize how foolishly they have loved.

Zhang Jingzhu never believed in any love vows, even those that sounded heartfelt. These words, whether sincere or insincere at the time, could not withstand the erosion of time.

Did Zhao Ning and Zhang Yuanhe ever love each other?

If they did, then the ending was heartbreaking. They eventually went their separate ways.

If they didn’t, then it was even more ridiculous.

Two people who didn’t love each other could still get married and have children. The child was given the beautiful title of the fruit of love.

Love will eventually disappear.

Zhang Jingzhu never craved this thing, and she trusted it even less.

She heard Cheng Shuinan’s confession. So, she pretended not to hear his loud exclamation and covered his words, which were already stammered from nervousness.

She was satisfied with their current relationship. There was no need for further changes.

She provided Cheng Shuinan with a safe place to live, plenty of food, and allowed him to escape from the dark warehouse. In return, he prepared her three meals a day, and most importantly, he provided her with the emotional value she needed.

Trust, dependence, gratitude.

These emotions made Zhang Jingzhu feel needed.

But once it turned into love.

She would lose everything. After the initial sweetness, there would be endless arguments, and in the end, they would either spend their lives as a miserable couple or separate and never see each other again.

However, she didn’t expect that Cheng Shuinan would one day make a request to her:

A request for a deeper connection.

The moon hung high outside the window, its cold light shining into the room. Zhang Jingzhu stared for a long time before closing her eyes and hugging her curled-up body.

Her thoughts were chaotic in her dreams. When she woke up, Zhang Jingzhu had large dark circles under her eyes. She felt that her attitude yesterday had been clear enough. As long as she cooled Cheng Shuinan down, he would understand her meaning.

Let everything go back to the beginning.

They could still live together.

Just don’t mention love.

But Zhang Jingzhu underestimated the merman, who was so innocent in her heart that he was even a little timid, his persistence in love.

Or perhaps, his persistence in Zhang Jingzhu.

The first snowfall fell quietly, covering the green holly on both sides of the road with a layer of snow.

Zhang Jingzhu wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck. As expected, Lianzhu was acquired, and Cheng Qingyuan seemed to be locked up in prison. There was no news of him anymore.

These days, Zhang Jingzhu’s attitude had been lukewarm. She ignored Cheng Shuinan’s eager flattery and cautious probing. Last night, she woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and saw the man lying on the sofa, shedding two strings of tears.

Crystal clear, round and bright.

They fell to the ground, making a crisp sound.

A merman’s tears.

Zhang Jingzhu remembered that Cheng Shuinan had once mentioned his mother. After being disappointed in Cheng Qingyuan, her tears turned into pearls without warning.

So, was he finally giving up?

Zhang Jingzhu breathed a sigh of relief, but another inexplicable feeling of tightness blocked her chest.

She stepped through the snow, leaving footprints.

A shadow covered her.

Zhang Jingzhu smelled a familiar scent and raised her head in disbelief.

Cheng Shuinan stood straight in front of her. He was holding an umbrella, shielding her head from the falling snow.

“I saw it snowing outside, so I came to pick you up.”

Zhang Jingzhu didn’t know what to say to him, so she could only mumble a hum and quickly walked away. Cheng Shuinan followed close behind her, his black hair covered in snowflakes, which quickly melted in his hair.

When they entered the house, Cheng Shuinan put away his umbrella.

Zhang Jingzhu went back to her room to change clothes. When she came out again, Cheng Shuinan stood nervously at the door, his right hand behind his back. When he saw her walk past without noticing him, he quickly said, “… Zhang Jingzhu, I have something for you.”

She should have covered her ears and clearly told Cheng Shuinan that she didn’t need anything from him.

But Cheng Shuinan’s tone sounded pleading, and the scene of him curled up on the sofa, closing his eyes and crying, inevitably appeared in her mind.

Zhang Jingzhu suddenly stopped.

Cheng Shuinan turned to face her.

“This is for you.”

Cheng Shuinan raised his hand, and two pearls appeared in his palm. They were larger than the pearls that could be found in the market, full and round, emitting a faint light at night.

“I don’t have anything else to give you. Only my tears are considered beautiful. Humans seem to like them… I’ll give them to you. My tears will all be yours from now on, okay?”

Zhang Jingzhu didn’t move.

Cheng Shuinan pursed his lips. After a while, he reached out and forcefully stuffed the pearls into her hand.

“This is what I promised you. My tears, they all belong to you.”

The surface of the pearls still carried Cheng Shuinan’s body temperature. Although he could transform into legs, his body temperature was still cold.

Zhang Jingzhu lowered her eyes, silent. The high-rise building she had built in her heart seemed to collapse from the foundation, and the towering building swayed precariously.

His mother, because of human greed, left the ocean forever. And his father imprisoned him in a warehouse. These were his blood relatives. Since he had already tasted the bitterness of betrayal, how could he…

He should keep the secret of his tears turning into pearls and remain in her house as if nothing had happened.

But he gave her the pearls and looked at her gently with eyes filled with sadness and trust.

Wasn’t he afraid that one day she would change and reveal his secret, causing him to be imprisoned again?

How dare he… how dare he!

Even though he had a precedent, he still trusted her completely and without reservation.

Cheng Shuinan took a step back, creating distance. As his lowered eyelashes blinked, they concealed the disappointment in his eyes.

“If you don’t want them, you can throw them away.”

Zhang Jingzhu was slightly stunned and looked up at him.

He was tall, with long hair flowing down his back, like a handsome god. He looked sideways, staring intently at the ground. Because of her gaze, he suddenly stiffened.

He was lying.

Both his eyes and his facial expression were silently pleading, begging Zhang Jingzhu to keep the pearls and not throw them away.

The pearls in her palm suddenly felt hot. Zhang Jingzhu furrowed her brow in distress.