Chapter 29

The winter ocean had an unusual stillness. There were no noisy crowds or circling seabirds. The blue-green waves gently pushed towards the shore, constantly crashing against the rocks, making a swishing sound.

Zhang Jingzhu took out a folding chair and placed it on the sand and pebbles. The area she had chosen was undeveloped, a marginal zone. The shore was covered in pebbles of various sizes. It hadn’t been artificially beautified, making its natural beauty even more apparent.

The wind was strong by the sea. Zhang Jingzhu sat in the chair, her scarf covering her face, revealing only her eyes. Her hands were crossed in front of her chest.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m not cold.”

Zhang Jingzhu was practically wrapped up in a ball. Cheng Shuinan, unwilling to leave her side, was about to turn into a fishtail. His legs were covered in black scales. He squatted beside her. Mermen’s longing for the sea is innate. The ocean he had pursued for over a decade was finally before him. His heart was pounding with anticipation.

Cheng Shuinan looked up, grabbing her arm: “I didn’t have to come here now. It’s too cold in winter. We can come back when it gets warmer, okay?”

The longing in his eyes was too obvious. When the sea breeze blew, Zhang Jingzhu seemed to see his curly hair, which flowed down his back, swaying slightly, drifting towards the ocean. She extended her hand from her sleeve, her back touching Cheng Shuinan’s slightly damp cheek. His ear fins were already out, standing on either side.

Cheng Shuinan tilted his head, pressing against Zhang Jingzhu’s back.

Zhang Jingzhu: “Can you feel my body temperature? It’s really not cold. If you want to play in the sea, hurry up and go. It’s still early. If you dawdle until evening, it will be really cold.”

Her hand was still on Cheng Shuinan’s cheek. The temperature was cold, not the kind that would freeze your hand. It felt like being wrapped in sticky honey. He kept rubbing his cheek against it unintentionally.

Zhang Jingzhu didn’t pull her hand away.

She was wearing a furry hat with two soft white rabbit ears on top. The rabbit ears drooped down, covering her ears. Her eyes were bright, reflecting the distant ocean. The rippling waves were captivating.

She reached out and pinched Cheng Shuinan’s ear fin. The sharp spines retracted inwards in surprise, then immediately extended again, letting her pinch them.

Cheng Shuinan’s eyes welled up with water.

Zhang Jingzhu smiled: “Go ahead.”

Cheng Shuinan nodded. He squatted in place, not moving immediately. Instead, he slightly raised his head, pulled down a corner of her scarf, and left a wet kiss on her lips before leaving.

The moment he touched the seawater, Cheng Shuinan’s legs transformed into a fishtail.

He was a little restrained at first. The ocean he had longed for was before him. It felt like a dream. Until the cold seawater rippled across his chest and back, blue and white foam covered his waist and abdomen, and the water beneath his fishtail was bottomless, his expression gradually changed from confusion to joy. He raised his arm high towards Zhang Jingzhu, who was in the distance.

Zhang Jingzhu stood quietly on the shore. Cheng Shuinan, like a child who had received candy, his curly hair swayed in the sea breeze. His beautiful face shone brightly under the sun. His large, black fishtail gradually became accustomed to the seawater. The splashes he made grew larger, and the bubbles in the air became colorful.

She smiled genuinely.

Zhang Jingzhu was usually very afraid of the cold, but seeing Cheng Shuinan’s appearance, she was unconsciously drawn to the beach. Her black leather boots stepped on the cold, wet mud. The feeling under her feet was sticky and thick. She didn’t retreat. She slowly walked to the closest point to the incoming waves.

Cheng Shuinan stopped moving. He stood quietly in the water, revealing his white chest and back, curly hair, and handsome face. His lower body was submerged in the water. When the waves came, he was pushed closer and closer to the shore. His black eyes looked intently at Zhang Jingzhu.

He opened his mouth, his voice filled with regret: “It would be better if it were summer.”

Zhang Jingzhu squatted down and poked the seawater with her finger. It was cold and clear. She asked, “Why would it be better if it were summer?”

Cheng Shuinan swam forward: “If it were summer, I could play with you in the water. I could take you to very far places. My mother told me before that there are beautiful coral and sea fish in the seabed, and there are sea fruits that give off a fragrance.” He swam to the shallow water and sat on the shore. His eyes were filled with anticipation: “Zhang Jingzhu, would you like to see?”

Perhaps because he had touched the seawater, Zhang Jingzhu felt his whole demeanor change. Although he looked carefree in the water, his eyes were filled with unease and anxiety.

His hand, which was soaked in the water and sticky, grabbed her wrist. He spoke again: “Zhang Jingzhu, you’ll accompany me to see it, right?”

The sea breeze whistled past her ears, and the incoming waves churned up white foam.

Zhang Jingzhu cupped his face and left a light kiss on his lips: “Although I don’t know what you’re afraid of, I’ll always be with you…” She blinked, watching Cheng Shuinan’s cheeks turn from white to red. His fishtail unconsciously pressed against her legs, wetting her pants and the edge of her shoes. She asked, “Did you say something to Xiao Mei yesterday? Why are you both so strange today?”

Cheng Shuinan lowered his eyes, pulled her hand away, and pressed his cold, sticky cheek against her palm. He mumbled: “No, I didn’t say anything. I just… I just was afraid you wouldn’t like the ocean.”

His voice was soft and broken. Zhang Jingzhu vaguely guessed something: “Xiao Mei… was hurt by someone?”

Cheng Shuinan nodded.

Zhang Jingzhu didn’t say anything else. She just gently smoothed his wet curly hair and promised: “I won’t.”

It was just that the morning temperature was low. By noon, the seawater had warmed up in the sun. Zhang Jingzhu untied her scarf and put it around her neck. She had prepared a lot of food. She had planned to stay by the sea all day.

Cheng Shuinan dived into the seabed and brought up a lot of fish, shrimp, and crabs. She didn’t know where he found them in this season. Zhang Jingzhu didn’t bring anything to hold them, so she had Cheng Shuinan release them.

Cheng Shuinan said goodbye to Zhang Jingzhu and dived into the seabed. The temperature was still too low. Otherwise, Zhang Jingzhu would have liked to go down and see what was at the bottom of the sea. She took out a self-heating hot pot from the car. She ate the steaming vegetables while resting her chin on her hand and gazing at the calm sea.

She started thinking about the feasibility of something.

The Nightlight Sea belonged to the Lianzhu company. But now Cheng Qingyuan was embroiled in scandals and was nowhere to be found. The Lianzhu company was acquired by someone else, and the Nightlight Sea was transferred to someone else’s name. If

What if Zhang Jingzhu bought the ownership of the Nightlight Sea?

The Lianzhu company’s current prospects were not very bright. Coupled with the frequent body incidents at the Nightlight Sea, the price was definitely much lower than usual.

Zhang Jingzhu fell into deep thought. Her fingers wrote and drew on the sand, calculating her financial situation. If she didn’t have enough money, she could sell her real estate. That was a considerable amount of money.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a video call from Zhao Jing.

Zhang Jingzhu answered.

Zhao Jing was probably lying on Gu Linan’s lap. Although it wasn’t obvious, the texture of his suit pants was still very visible. She didn’t know that her intimate actions with her husband were exposed to her daughter. Her face was close to the screen, and her smooth, white skin, which had been nourished by beauty products, was magnified in front of her.

Zhang Jingzhu called out, “Mom,” and asked what was up.

Zhao Jing mumbled something. Zhang Jingzhu didn’t hear because she saw Cheng Shuinan poke his head out of the water. Then, his smooth chest appeared. His skin was dazzling white in the sunlight, as if it emitted its own light. It was beautiful and dreamy.

Zhao Jing: “Jingzhu, where are you? It looks like I see the sea.”

Zhang Jingzhu: “Yeah, I came out to relax on my day off. Mom, did you call for something?”

Zhao Jing finally remembered her purpose: “It’s like this. Your birthday is in a few days. Your Uncle Gu and I discussed it. We want to celebrate your birthday at the Yinxi Residence. It’ll just be our family. Mom went to try the food there, and it’s all your favorites.”

Usually, Zhang Jingzhu celebrated her birthday with Zhao Jing and her family. Her father was abroad. He usually called to wish her a happy birthday and sent a considerable amount of money.

But this year, Zhang Jingzhu didn’t want to celebrate with anyone else. She thought of Cheng Shuinan. If she went to Zhao Jing’s house, he would have to stay home alone. Zhang Jingzhu discovered that she didn’t want to be separated from him for even a day…

Perhaps clinginess is contagious?

Zhang Jingzhu: “We’ll talk about it then. I want to celebrate my birthday alone this year. The food outside all tastes the same.”

Zhao Jing: “Then come home. Aunt Liu’s cooking is very good.”

Zhang Jingzhu: “I’ve tried it. I don’t really like it.”

Zhao Jing frowned: “Jingzhu, don’t you want to celebrate your birthday with Mom? Even though we’re in the same city, you know, Mom doesn’t see you much in a year. It’s just a birthday dinner. Or do you have other plans? We can postpone it. Anyway, we have to have dinner together.”

She changed her tone and covered the phone, whispering: “Or… is your dad coming back? You wouldn’t be ditching Mom for him, would you?”

Zhang Jingzhu: “No, Dad didn’t say he was coming back. Don’t overthink it. I just…”

Cheng Shuinan suddenly walked over.

He was only wearing pants. His upper body was still bare. He had broad shoulders and smooth, alluring muscle lines. The glistening water droplets were like scattered pearls draped over him. He had transformed back into his human form. He was holding a giant clam with a wide open mouth, containing a pearl the size of a baby’s fist.

He naturally hugged Zhang Jingzhu, his cheek against her cheek. He was affectionate, his eyes gentle. His long, thick eyelashes were clearly visible even on the screen. Two faint blushes appeared on his handsome cheeks. He found Zhang Jingzhu’s lips and kissed them twice.

“Zhang Jingzhu, do you think this pearl is beautiful?”

Zhang Jingzhu was petrified. She stared blankly at her phone.

Cheng Shuinan didn’t sense the awkwardness in the atmosphere. He continued to lower his head, taking the pearl out of the giant clam. He held the round, large pearl in his hand, his eyes filled with overflowing joy. Zhang Jingzhu was completely enveloped in his chest. The cold, damp air wrapped around her body. Her heart was pounding violently.

It wasn’t shyness. It was the awkwardness and tension of being caught in a romantic moment by her parents, as well as unspeakable annoyance.

Zhao Jing’s voice changed: “Zhang Jingzhu… who is he? Why isn’t he wearing any clothes…”

Cheng Shuinan slowly raised his head and met Zhao Jing’s gaze on the video call.

Zhang Jingzhu whispered: “This is my mother.”

Cheng Shuinan’s face turned red.

Zhang Jingzhu regained her calm expression and pretended to be calm. She moved the camera away from Cheng Shuinan’s face: “Mom, don’t overthink it. He’s winter swimming.”

Zhao Jing said “oh” twice.

Gu Linan seemed to have looked at the screen curiously as well.

Zhao Jing: “…Jingzhu, you’re a grown-up now. Mom won’t interfere with your friendships. Is that why he doesn’t want to come to our house for your birthday? Mom is very open-minded. You can bring him home. It’s a good chance for Mom to meet him.”