Chapter 32

Zhang Jingzhu received the contract and showed a wide smile without hiding her joy.

Zhang Yuanhe: “Can you tell Dad about your thoughts? Taking over Lianzhu, do you want to build it up better, waiting for the day it rises again, or do you have other plans?”

Zhang Jingzhu remained silent for a moment. To be honest, her major wasn’t related to economics. She didn’t know anything about running a company, and she wasn’t interested in it at all.

Zhang Yuanhe: “Lianzhu company was surrounded by negative news, but I still decided to use my idle funds to acquire it. I even regretted my decision after making it. Now, looking at your expression, my decision was right…”

“I’m more interested in the Nightlight Sea.”

Zhang Jingzhu felt it was necessary to tell Zhang Yuanhe her thoughts. After thinking for a moment, she said: “I’ve seen the Nightlight Sea. It’s a beautiful place.”

“You can develop tourism.”

“No, Dad. I mean, besides the areas that have already been developed, the rest should be preserved in their original state. The beauty of the Nightlight Sea is untouched by human hands. If possible, it would be amazing to build a small house nearby and live there.”

“With your boyfriend?” Zhang Yuanhe pondered.

Zhang Jingzhu admitted: “Yes, with him.”

She had received most of what people spend their whole lives pursuing money at birth. So her material desires weren’t very high, even too low.

In elementary school, the essay topic was “What I want to be when I grow up.” Other kids wanted to be superheroes, princesses, astronauts, scientists. She wrote, “I hope to be someone my parents like.”

Growing up in a family with a fake and broken relationship between her parents, her life for over twenty years had been about seeking love.

Being needed, seeking a sense of value.

It was all because she doubted her own existence.

As for now, there seemed to be nothing more important than letting Cheng Shuinan return to the sea.

“I’ll send someone with experience to manage the Lianzhu company. As for other things, you don’t need to worry…” Zhang Yuanhe pulled out a credit card and handed it to Zhang Jingzhu. “This is the money Dad has saved for you. Do whatever you want. Dad will always be your strongest support. Have you found an architectural firm for the house? Do you need my help?”

“I’ll tell Dad if I need it.”

Zhang Jingzhu’s mind was already picturing what kind of seaside house she would build. Maybe a European-style villa, or a Chinese-style courtyard, or a simple bungalow. She decided to make it a surprise.

If she just told Cheng Shuinan, she thought it would lack romance and be too plain.

Her plan to live with Cheng Shuinan by the Nightlight Sea was a major decision about their future. She should do it on a special day, carefully creating a sweet atmosphere, and make it a grand finale surprise. Cheng Shuinan would definitely love it. Maybe she could see him surprised and shy, transforming into a fishtail in front of her, his eyes filled with dependence as he looked at her.

As if she was his whole world.

After returning home, they both had things they were hiding, and their moods were worlds apart.

Zhang Jingzhu had already eaten dinner, but she ate the mini bread that Cheng Shuinan had baked because she wanted to keep it a secret. This batch was vastly different from his previous baking. The bread seemed a bit burnt. She had to pinch off the crust before she could eat it.

Zhang Jingzhu was lost in thought. She remembered the group chat where the group leader said that the area of the stray animal shelter was no longer big enough to accommodate more animals. The Lianzhu company had a large pearl processing factory, which was actually a place to imprison mermen. She could use some of the space to accommodate stray animals.

She rested her chin on her hand, holding the bread to her lips. She looked very happy, her lips curled up high.

Cheng Shuinan stared intently at her. When he saw her smile, he didn’t squeeze next to her as he usually did. Instead, he sat quietly. There was a dull pain in his chest that he couldn’t vent.

This feeling continued until bedtime. Zhang Jingzhu seemed to sense his low spirits and took the initiative to cup his face and kiss him.

“What’s wrong? You’re not happy.”

Cheng Shuinan almost drowned in her gentle inquiry. His black eyes were filled with her reflection, gradually becoming darker. He leaned his lips towards her, smelling the sweet orange scent and the faint smell of the sea. His voice sounded like usual: “Zhang Jingzhu, I want to kiss you.”

Their lips were only a few millimeters apart. Zhang Jingzhu could feel the merman’s cold breath on her cheek. The light, small fluff on her cheek trembled. Her eyelashes blinked uncontrollably, meeting Cheng Shuinan’s alluring eyes. She didn’t open her mouth. She just made a soft “嗯” sound from her throat.

Cheng Shuinan hugged her waist and pushed her back.

Cheng Shuinan left her lips. The soft spines on his tongue had a hypnotic effect. She fell into a deep sleep. He knelt beside her, his gaze falling on her beautiful face.

Then, he used his finger to pull open her shirt buttons.

Zhang Jingzhu slept soundly. Her chest rose and fell slightly. Her skin was tight and white. The scent that surrounded her was like a love potion. When it was revealed without any cover, it made him feel like fate was playing a trick on him.

Her waist and abdomen, the skin hidden there, slightly revealed a mark, as if it had been soaked in water.

It had a unique fishy smell. It seemed like scales were about to grow there… He lowered his eyelashes. He couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment.

He then checked other parts of her body. Besides her waist and abdomen, there was also a mark behind her ear. This one was worse. Not only was there liquid, but there were also a few inconspicuous granules. If it continued like this, scales might grow there.

Cheng Shuinan maintained his kneeling posture. He didn’t know how to react. When he came to his senses, several pearls had fallen on the bed, next to her body. He wiped the tears on his cheek with the back of his hand.

He lay down, reached out to hug the sleeping Zhang Jingzhu, curled up, buried himself in her embrace, and took a deep breath, as if he wanted to suffocate himself. He squeezed even tighter into her embrace. Then, he remembered what Cheng Qingyuan had said. He abruptly loosened his grip and pulled back.

He looked at Zhang Jingzhu’s sleeping face from afar.

Tears couldn’t stop flowing.

Staying here would make her body become a freak until she died. Leaving her side didn’t seem so unbearable.

In the morning, Cheng Shuinan prepared a hearty breakfast for Zhang Jingzhu. He rested his chin on his hand and quietly watched her. His eyes were dark, his emotions unreadable. He hugged her before she left home and even kissed her for a long time. After watching her leave,

Cheng Shuinan went to the address Cheng Qingyuan had left.

“You came.” Cheng Qingyuan sat leisurely on the sofa. The fabric covering the sofa was a bit old. The walls were peeling. Everything in the house showed that it was an old house, with a long history.

Even the door creaked.

It was Cheng Shuinan’s childhood home.

Cheng Shuinan suppressed his surging emotions anger, resentment, questioning but none of them were as important as Sweet Dream Fragrance. He walked over and reached out: “I’m here. Give me the Sweet Dream Fragrance.”

Cheng Qingyuan: “Don’t rush. Don’t you want to talk to me? Do you remember this place? This is our…”

“Shut up, you don’t deserve to!” Cheng Shuinan’s eyes suddenly turned red.

Cheng Qingyuan still had a gentle smile, but his eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion as he looked at his son, who looked somewhat similar to him. It was his child with Lian. Thinking of Lian, he tried to control his facial expression to appear as a kind father in Cheng Shuinan’s eyes.

“I don’t deserve it. I was blinded by greed back then. But later… I regretted it…”

Cheng Shuinan turned his head, his eyes fixed on the bare windowsill. There should have been flowers that his mother had carefully tended to, and a few irises, with their petals like fluttering butterflies, a pale purple. Now, there was nothing left.

“What’s your purpose?”

“Just a father’s concern.”

Cheng Shuinan didn’t believe him. His eyes were filled with anger.

At that moment, all the gentleness on his face had vanished. His beautiful face finally had the appearance of a deep-sea predator. His pupils were black, his eyes gleaming with a chilling coldness.

Even his hair seemed to transform into sharp weapons.

The old house smelled bad. The walls exuded a musty smell. There was a family portrait on the TV stand. It was taken by Cheng Qingyuan with his camera. A family of three, with happy smiles, frozen in time on the photo paper. As time passed, it turned yellow. Even though it was framed, you could still see the traces of time on it.

Cheng Shuinan was like a young beast. He only bared his sharp claws when he was in danger. It was just a trick to scare away danger. It had no real power to hurt.

Cheng Qingyuan didn’t care about his threat. He walked towards the photo frame, his eyes fixed on the woman with a gentle smile. After a while, he said, “You really don’t believe me. I wanted to be a caring father, but Nannan, if you were me, could you have raised him as your dearest son without any distractions?”

The windows and doors were tightly shut. The wind from all sides blew into the room, making it hum.

The hand that had been covering Lian’s cheek moved away and slowly pressed onto the boy’s face in the middle. There were two deep scratches in the middle of the thin photo paper, tearing the boy’s face into four pieces.

It showed his disgust for the boy.

The black curtain that had been pulled down before the play began fell from Cheng Qingyuan’s face. He walked to the bedroom door, pushed it open, and walked in lightly. The room where the bed had once been was occupied by a large, transparent freezer.

The woman inside, her face untouched by time, was still beautiful, as if she were just asleep, like Snow White in a fairy tale, waiting to be kissed by the prince. Her lower body was a silvery-white fishtail, dotted with brilliant shooting stars.

Next to her was a transparent bottle containing a pale red liquid.

Cheng Shuinan couldn’t believe what he saw.

He opened his mouth, his voice almost hoarse: “Mother…”

Cheng Qingyuan sat next to the freezer, his gaze falling on her cheek through the transparent glass. He spoke gently: “At first, I was indeed blinded by greed. But I also wanted you to have a good life, not to live in this small house with me. Lian is a merman, but this small house couldn’t even fit a large bathtub. She has the most beautiful fishtail, but she could only curl up inside, cramped and narrow. I just wanted her to have a good life…”

His initial wish was fulfilled. After tasting the benefits of money, the heart that only wanted his family to have a good life gradually swelled and became crazy.

Busy with his career, Cheng Qingyuan unknowingly treated Lian as a money-making tool. Lian obviously noticed this. She was depressed, and their relationship grew colder. But then, a turning point occurred

Lian was pregnant.

They were both overjoyed. But as Lian gradually felt the changes in her body, her body, which had been away from the sea for too long, became dry and withered. A fish that lacks water will struggle desperately at first. Lian was no exception.

Cheng Qingyuan covered the regret and anger in his eyes: “Mermen only have a one-month gestation period. It’s only thirty days. I watched her body get worse and worse… Nannan, you grew up by absorbing Lian’s nutrition. Your birth came at the cost of Lian’s willpower and health…”

Cheng Shuinan staggered back a step. The hand at his side clenched tightly. His nails dug into his flesh, but it didn’t pull him out of his grief. The mother in his memory always had a pale complexion. It was all because of him.

If he hadn’t existed… Would his mother still be alive and well now?

The devil’s voice echoed in the room: “Nannan, your mother almost sacrificed her life for you. If she hadn’t given birth to you, how could her body have been depleted… You want to repay your mother, right? You should help her, right?”

Lian’s sleeping face in the freezer was beautiful, but the paleness of her limbs betrayed her current state.

Cheng Shuinan lowered his eyelashes: “She’s already passed away.”

Cheng Qingyuan: “Passed away? No, no. Lian didn’t pass away. She’s just sleeping. Do you see the white solid inside? That’s a potion that can freeze the body, developed by the X Research Institute…”

The X Research Institute had been forced to shut down due to a lack of funding a hundred years ago. The research results were eventually acquired by another company, which is now the Zhihe Biotechnology Company.

“I saw my mother die in front of me.”

“So what? Now, I’ve found a way to save her.” Cheng Qingyuan said. “You think I captured those mermen for pearls? That’s a misunderstanding. Now, I just want Lian to come back to me. I’ve tried all kinds of methods. I even found people who had contact with the X Research Institute. It took a lot of money, but they finally agreed to reveal…”

Cheng Qingyuan looked at his son next to him.

He had a beautiful face that was no less stunning than Lian’s. He was once a naive and pitiful merman, scarred and innocent, but he was also stubborn, making Cheng Qingyuan grit his teeth. No matter how much he scolded or beat him, he wouldn’t shed a single tear. But now, after only a few days with Zhang Jingzhu, he could shed pearl tears.

If Lian were still alive, he would be a good father.

But now, it was impossible.

“Only mature mermen, whose tears can turn into pearls, their entire body will be filled with magical effects… Nannan, I didn’t want to hurt you at first. I tried using the blood of other mermen, but it was useless. I guess maybe you’re the only one. You and Lian are blood relatives…”

“You’re willing to sacrifice yourself for your mother, right?” Cheng Qingyuan pleaded, his eyes filled with hope.

Cheng Shuinan felt like he couldn’t breathe. His face was completely bloodless, almost sickly pale. As Cheng Qingyuan’s words fell, his whole body trembled. His black eyes showed confusion and deep sadness.

It was as if a hole had been ripped out of his chest. He slowly raised his eyes. Cheng Qingyuan’s eyes were filled with undisguised disgust and hatred.

It was as if… he shouldn’t exist in this world.

Yes, Cheng Qingyuan had been cruel to him. The young Cheng Shuinan hadn’t understood why his father had become increasingly cold towards him.

He thought of his mother, lying weakly in the bathtub, listless and always sleeping.

She had once been healthy and lively. That was before he was born.

His face grew paler. His eyes, which had lost their luster, were like they had been splashed with black ink. His fingertips curled tightly. His fishtail had transformed without him knowing. His strong, beautiful fishtail was taut, pressing against the floor. Without the carpet to cover it, the bent part of the fishtail was so painful that even the flesh hidden there was screaming.

The most painful thing was his heart.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse: “Did you lock me up in the prison because my birth hurt my mother’s body…”

Of course, it wasn’t just that. Cheng Qingyuan had also truly loved his son. But those feelings were insignificant compared to his greed. He wanted Lian to be reborn, and he needed a lot of money. Merman pearls were his tools for profit.

At first, he couldn’t lure a large number of mermen. He could only target Cheng Shuinan. As the pain he inflicted on him increased, the bond between them gradually broke.

Cheng Qingyuan went from guilt and self-reproach to indifference and ignoring him.

But he wouldn’t say any of this. He admitted that he was selfish and despicable. Now, all he wanted to do was break Cheng Shuinan’s spirit and make him willingly give up his life.

“Yes, I loved your mother very much. But it was because of your birth that she lost her life. I… Nannan, don’t blame Dad. Don’t resent me…”

“Look at your mother. She loves you very much. But now, she can only lie in a cold freezer. You must feel  for her, right? Save her.”

Cheng Shuinan’s white neck was covered in blue veins. He kept his eyes lowered, looking at his mother in the freezer, who clearly had no signs of life.

In her final moments, she wanted to take him back to the ocean.

The dark and dreary warehouse had scrambled his memories. The missing scenes slowly appeared in his mind

Lian and Cheng Qingyuan often argued, but they loved each other.

In Lian’s final moments, she didn’t want to take him away and never come back. She knew her life was about to end. She keenly sensed Cheng Qingyuan’s unusual behavior during that time. She was worried that Cheng Shuinan would be blamed after she died, so she wanted to take him to a safe place.

The wind outside grew stronger, filling the room with a howling sound.

Cheng Shuinan pressed his fishtail against the floor, his eyes closed tightly. Crystal-clear tears welled up in his eyes. He didn’t wipe them away. He let the tears slide down and turn into pearls, making a crisp sound as they hit the floor.

This sound was like a blow to his heart. The gaping wound in his heart brought back the image of the young, innocent merman, sad, helpless, and in pain.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly walked to Cheng Qingyuan’s side, lowering his eyes to look down