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Chapter 70: The Song of the Mermaid (1/2)

At the same old, worn-out pier, Shen Cheng sat on the edge, fishing rod in hand, focusing intently on the bobber, even though he was soaking wet.

Unlike before, the Mermaid was sitting beside him this time, resting her small head on Shen Cheng’s shoulder, her cherry-pink tail gently swaying from side to side.

At that moment, the Mermaid, with her cherry-pink eyes, was also fixated on the bobber, showing no signs of boredom.

Shen Cheng didn’t resist. Reflecting on his previous anxiety while searching for the Mermaid, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

When was the last time he was so anxious, so… afraid?

Was it during that downpour when he frantically searched for the missing Sugar?

Or was it when he found Milk Tea lying still in the alley near the Cat Café?

Either way, the feeling of losing and then recovering something, though joyful, was something Shen Cheng never wanted to experience again.

He inhaled the fragrance that lingered around the Mermaid and slightly refocused his mind.

The fishing rod trembled slightly, and Shen Cheng’s eyes narrowed. With a swift motion of his arm, another fish was caught with a splash.

“Ah!” The Mermaid seemed even more excited than Shen Cheng, clapping her hands enthusiastically.

After baiting the hook again and casting the line, Shen Cheng looked at the calm surface of the lake and smiled faintly, saying, “I should give you a name, shouldn’t I?”

“Mm!” The Mermaid responded in her usual brief sound.

Shen Cheng, who was terrible at naming things, rubbed his chin, deep in thought for a long time, letting the fish slip away without noticing.

A cherry-pink fish… cherry-pink… cherry…

“I’ll call you ‘Yingyu’ then.” For once, Shen Cheng seemed to come up with a decent name, and the Mermaid happily nodded in agreement, “Mm!”

“Yingyu, try saying your name, okay? Come on, Ying—Yu—” Shen Cheng exaggerated the pronunciation, trying to teach Yingyu to speak.

But Yingyu just tilted her head and looked at Shen Cheng without uttering a word.

Shen Cheng’s mouth twitched slightly: “What can you even say?”

Upon hearing that, Yingyu’s eyes curved into crescents, “Shen Cheng!”

“… ”

After a moment of silence, Shen Cheng turned his gaze back to the bobber, saying nothing more.

It was nearing dinnertime, but Shen Cheng didn’t head back. He only sent a message to Lin Yuhui on his phone.

Yingyu remained leaning on Shen Cheng’s shoulder, her faint, silly smile gradually fading, as if she truly enjoyed this peaceful moment.

Time passed quietly like this, the sky transitioning from dusk to night. After several urgent calls from Lin Yuhui, Shen Cheng looked up at the moon appearing in the night sky and knew it was time to leave.

“…Yingyu.” Finally, Shen Cheng broke the peaceful silence with a heavy heart.

“Mm?” Yingyu looked up, her cherry-pink eyes gazing at Shen Cheng.

“I have to leave now,” Shen Cheng continued.

“Mm!” Yingyu obediently nodded, jumped into the water, and waved at Shen Cheng with her usual smile, as if thinking Shen Cheng would return the next day.

Shen Cheng paused for a moment and then said, “When I say I’m leaving, I don’t mean just leaving the dock. I mean leaving this place, and we don’t know how long it will be before we see each other again.”

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