Chapter 27

As the end of the workday approached, the sky grew darker.

Zhang Jingzhu rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window.

A passing colleague teased her: “Jingzhu, your boyfriend must be very handsome. He looks so good even with a mask on. And that physique…” She gave a knowing smile. “No wonder you’ve been looking rosy these past few days. It seems like you’ve been getting a lot of handsome man nourishment.”

Zhang Ning walked by and laughed: “Jingzhu is so shy. Her face is all red. You’re such a rascal.”

“Zhang Jie, I’m not a rascal,” the colleague said, taking advantage of Zhang Jingzhu’s inattention to touch her face. “Jingzhu has gained a lot of weight recently. I was wondering what kind of good stuff you were eating. Then, I managed to grab one of the buns. It was so delicious! Jingzhu’s boyfriend’s cooking skills are amazing. I’m so envious. He’s a great guy to have around the house.”

Ever since Cheng Shuinan appeared that snowy night, many of Zhang Jingzhu’s colleagues would tease her whenever they saw her. Zhang Jingzhu listened helplessly. It was fine when it was colleagues she wasn’t close to. She could respond. But the ones who were closer were more unrestrained. They would blurt out anything!

Zhang Jingzhu really couldn’t take it anymore. She used the excuse of printing documents to quickly leave the office.

The water dispenser in the rest room must have been leaking. There was a puddle of water on the floor, and a faint dripping sound could be heard. Zhang Jingzhu picked up a mop. The water dispenser was on a regular table. The area below the tabletop was dimly lit. She extended the mop underneath and clearly touched something.

Zhang Jingzhu’s spine immediately went numb. She froze in place for a few seconds, slowly meeting the gaze of the person hiding under the table.

Thick, curly long hair, a pale, beautiful face, naked and hidden under the table. Her skin was oozing with water, soaking the ground. Although she had two legs, her white thighs were covered in dense, silvery-white scales.

It was a merman.

Zhang Jingzhu didn’t know when, but her strength had become great enough to carry an adult woman’s weight. She put the merman in the back seat and was so tired that she was out of breath. She bent over and gasped for air several times.

The merman’s condition was much better than Cheng Shuinan’s at the beginning. She looked more like she hadn’t eaten for a long time, weak and feeble. She didn’t have much flesh on her body, and her collarbones and shoulders were bony.

Zhang Jingzhu found some food and handed it to her: “Eat some snacks first. You look very weak. You need to eat something.”

The merman took it. Her arm, which stretched out, was white and soft, like a piece of jade. The silvery-white scales scattered on her forearm were more like decorations. She said thank you and introduced herself: “You can call me Xiao Mei. Thank you for the food. Are we going to your home now?”

Zhang Jingzhu glanced at Xiao Mei in the rearview mirror. She was wearing Zhang Jingzhu’s down jacket, covering her smooth body. The fur covered her neck, and the face that was revealed was exquisite and beautiful. When she looked at people, her eyes seemed to ripple like water.

Zhang Jingzhu came to her senses and said, “If you have a place to go, I can take you back. If you don’t have anywhere to stay, you can go to my place first.”

“I don’t have anywhere. Thank you,” Xiao Mei wrinkled her nose. She grabbed the leather seat of the driver’s seat with both hands. Her white fingers were particularly clear against the black leather. She asked, “You have a fishy smell on you. Have you seen my companion?”

Zhang Jingzhu nodded: “You’ll see him when you get to my place.”

“That’s great.” Xiao Mei smiled.

According to Xiao Mei, she and her parents were caught together. There was a pool specifically for holding mermen. They were locked up there. There was no sunlight or fresh air. The companions who left the pool never returned.

Xiao Mei’s parents were no exception.

After a long time, the people who kept them captive never returned. The strongest merman led them to steal “Sweet Dream Fragrance,” transform into human legs, and attempt to escape. But there were guards outside, and they were mercilessly killed. Only Xiao Mei managed to escape.

The pool where they kept the mermen was located beneath the Lianzhu company. Xiao Mei escaped to the inside of the Lianzhu company and hid in the rest room. It wasn’t until she smelled Zhang Jingzhu’s scent, the scent of her own kind, that she dared to make a sound.

Talking about the past, Xiao Mei’s eyes welled up with tears. She was still wrapped in a white down jacket, revealing only her beautiful face. “Thank you, sister, for saving me. Can you take us back to the sea?”

Half of Cheng Shuinan’s prepared dinner went into Xiao Mei’s stomach.

After replenishing her nutrition, Xiao Mei visibly bloomed like a flower after being watered. She was beautiful and dazzling.

Xiao Mei sat on the sofa, and Zhang Jingzhu sat opposite her.

Cheng Shuinan leaned against Zhang Jingzhu’s chair back. He lowered his eyes and remained silent, several times feeling Xiao Mei’s gaze on him.

Cheng Shuinan: “Just take her back. I’m staying here.”

Xiao Mei widened her eyes in surprise.

Zhang Jingzhu keenly sensed Cheng Shuinan’s sudden low spirits. She quietly reached out and grabbed his palm, smiling and saying, “Xiao Mei, don’t worry. I’ll take you safely to the beach. If you need food, I can prepare plenty for you. There’s only one bedroom in my house, so you’ll have to sleep on the sofa.”

Xiao Mei obediently agreed.

Zhang Jingzhu took out a blanket and put it on her.

When they returned to the room, the door hadn’t closed completely when Cheng Shuinan pressed her against the wall. Cheng Shuinan, who was in his mature stage, had no warning signs for his body’s changes. Zhang Jingzhu blushed and said in a weak voice, “What are you doing!”

Cheng Shuinan relentlessly hugged her waist. His thick hair brushed against her cheek, making it itchy. Zhang Jingzhu tilted her head to avoid it, but Cheng Shuinan bit her hard. His sharp teeth gnawed on the flesh of her shoulder, slowly grinding.

It was like pinching a thin piece of skin with his fingertips.

Zhang Jingzhu retaliated by pinching the flesh on his waist.

Cheng Shuinan hissed, but he didn’t let go. His voice was clearly filled with grievance and panic: “Why did you bring her back?”

Zhang Jingzhu: “She looked pitiful.”

Cheng Shuinan was silent. After a long time, he pressed his entire body onto Zhang Jingzhu, as if he wanted to embed himself in her. His muffled voice was filled with resentment: “Are you going to bring every merman you meet home if they look pitiful? If they’re male, will you treat them the same way you treat me?”

Cheng Shuinan held her lips: “Can they treat you like I do?”

Zhang Jingzhu opened her mouth helplessly.

Cheng Shuinan’s eyes were always clear and clean. Perhaps it was the warm indoor temperature of winter, or perhaps his eyes were red with jealousy from his imagined scenario. The inside of his eyelids had an alluring red hue that extended to the corners of his eyes.

He didn’t close his eyes. He stared intently and persistently at Zhang Jingzhu. The force of his mouth, which had initially been harsh, became gentle. But his eyes were relentless, demanding an answer from her.

 People need space to speak when they’re explaining something.

Zhang Jingzhu helplessly glared at him. When she needed to breathe, she finally had a chance to speak: “… Don’t be paranoid! You’ve been here for many days now. Don’t you know that it’s immoral to have your foot in two boats? Even if I do rescue a merman someday, it’s just because they look pitiful. You’re incomparable to them!”

Cheng Shuinan pursed his lips. He didn’t admit his mistake. Instead, he demanded with confidence: “I want to hear it.”

His lower lip was slightly tucked into his mouth. His eyes were moist and bright.

Zhang Jingzhu: “Hear what?”

Cheng Shuinan leaned against her: “Your last sentence. I want to hear it. Zhang Jingzhu, say it again.”

Cheng Shuinan pressed against her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. As she wished, Zhang Jingzhu repeated it:

“To me, you’re one of a kind. No one, no merman, is comparable to you.”

His arms suddenly tightened, and he pulled her down onto the soft bed.

Late at night, there was a tapping sound outside the door.

Zhang Jingzhu was a light sleeper. Usually, she was so tired that she would fall asleep immediately and sleep through the night. Tonight, because there was someone else in the house, Cheng Shuinan didn’t go wild. He just hugged her and kissed her endlessly until Zhang Jingzhu deliberately put on a serious face and told him to go to sleep. Only then did he calm down.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Jingzhu rubbed her eyes, trying to open them.

Cheng Shuinan pulled the eye mask off her eyes. Zhang Jingzhu’s vision instantly darkened. His voice became clear at that moment. He spoke with a slightly prejudiced tone: “Mermen aren’t what you imagine…”

Considering that he would be included, Cheng Shuinan clarified: “I’m an exception. But I can’t guarantee that other mermen are the same. Their temperament isn’t as pure and innocent as fairy tales describe.”

Zhang Jingzhu still thought he was jealous. She perfunctorily said, “Xiao Mei is just a little girl. She just wants to go back to the sea. Tomorrow’s a day off. We’ll take her back to the sea on the way. Don’t you always want to see the sea? We can find a beach with fewer people and spend the whole day there. How about that?”

Cheng Shuinan nodded, but he wasn’t very enthusiastic.

Zhang Jingzhu pushed him: “You’re the same kind. She should be closer to you. Go out and see what’s wrong with her.”

Cheng Shuinan: “Okay, you go to sleep.”

The moment he left Zhang Jingzhu, Cheng Shuinan’s gentle expression changed. He almost expressionlessly left the bedroom and looked directly at Xiao Mei, who was sitting on the sofa.

Zhang Jingzhu might be able to be deceived into thinking that Xiao Mei was a little girl, but he wouldn’t. When Xiao Mei arrived at the house, he smelled the cloying scent of her mature stage.

Xiao Mei, no longer childish, gently mouthed to Cheng Shuinan as he walked over:

“Kill her. We’ll be together.”