Chapter 25: The Scale-Stripped Mermaid (5)

Bai Qian knew full well that the “Severed Tail Rebirth Test” they’d started halfway through couldn’t possibly continue tonight.

The thought of this girl’s maddening, seizure-like amnesia killed any mood she might have had left.

She slapped away the hand still ravaging her lips and propped herself up on one elbow, about to rise from the bed.

Her shoulder was pinned down hard, the grip powerful and precise, like an eagle seizing its prey.

“Climbed into my bed and now you want to run?” Yu Shaoling growled.

The girl reached out with her free hand and pressed down on the topmost button of the woman’s nightgown, undoing it like unwrapping a gift. With a light tap of her fingertip, the button crumbled into powder and scattered into the air.

Bai Qian panicked at once. Her unbound hand snatched at the one about to undo more buttons, and she hissed in frustration, “This nightgown was a half-price steal! Full price is four figures! You touch it again and I’ll beat the crap out of you!”

Yu Shaoling had no clue what the woman was saying. She stared at those red lips constantly parting and closing—their shape was gorgeous, plump and enticing. It was just the stream of gibberish spilling out that was so damn annoying.

The girl’s face turned icy as she threatened, “Shut your mouth. Don’t make me get rough with you.”

“Let me go—consider it my tough luck. I don’t want to do anything tonight. Just let go!”

Threats failing to silence the woman’s nonstop nagging, Yu Shaoling instinctively lifted her hand toward her.

Light gathered in a ring at her fingertips, about to press against the woman’s forehead. But then her gaze landed on those swollen, tempting lips, and she froze. By the time she snapped out of it, her own lips were sealed against the woman’s annoying mouth.

After a brief press, Yu Shaoling pulled back.

“Keep talking, and I’ll really punish you.”

Bai Qian was puzzled. They’d kissed again, so why could she still not understand a word the girl was saying?

Before she could think further, the second button was effortlessly shattered.

Yu Shaoling’s eyes were like a stagnant pool, showing no ripple at the stunning snowy vista sprawled beneath her.

“Answer me—who sent you here? Who told you to use such a sleazy tactic?”

In the Mermaid Kingdom, the honey trap was the vilest strategy of all.

And any mermaid who fell for it was beneath contempt.

As the future queen of the Mermaid Kingdom, she could never succumb to such a low-rent ploy.

That was what Yu Shaoling told herself.

Bai Qian had no idea what was running through her mind. Unable to stop her from undoing more, she focused on shielding the remaining buttons.

With two buttons gone, the collar gaped open wider than ever, exposing vast swaths of pale skin. Her soft, milky-white hands lifted to guard what buttons were left.

She had no inkling that far from protecting herself, the move only squeezed her ample cleavage into something even more pulse-poundingly provocative.

The supreme future queen of the Mermaid Kingdom would never fall for such a crude scheme!

Yu Shaoling repeated the mantra in her head, feeling her composure return—until her expression suddenly shifted.

Bai Qian caught the change in the girl’s face but had no time to react before her lips were claimed again.

Yu Shaoling’s eyes blazed red, her fury aimed at either this despicable human who’d tricked her with such a scheme, or at herself for failing to resist the temptation.

She didn’t stop at a mere taste this time. Instead, she poured her resentment into primal impulse, punishing the human beneath her with ruthless fervor.

When Yu Shaoling finally broke away, she didn’t retreat. She nuzzled the woman’s fever-hot cheek, her lips grazing the earlobe flushed from oxygen deprivation.

She nipped at the delicate skin and murmured in a husky voice, “Vile human… you’ve won.”

The noble queen lowered her ever-proud head to her captive.

With the hand destined to grasp the jeweled scepter, she delivered utter ecstasy to this lowly, fragile human—body and soul.

The haughty queen’s cheeks burned crimson, her gaze frosting over with untimely chill, her voice a low, magnetic rasp: “Don’t you forget what you are, daring to make me do this for you!”

Bai Qian’s lovely eyes were misted over, her pale pink fingers twitching restlessly against the woman’s hand. Her thin lips parted, her sweet, seductive voice melting bones to jelly: “Lick it.”

The proud Princess Her Highness would never stoop so low for this inferior human!

Bai Qian’s aggrieved plea sounded like a kitten’s mew: “Lick me, please.”

Her last shred of reason shattered.

That mouth, destined one day to solemnly swear before all the mermaids that she was the fated queen of the Mermaid Kingdom, was now stained with a sweet nectar that wasn’t hers.

~~~

Bai Qian had absolutely no desire to recall what she had begged for last night—that wasn’t her at all!

When she woke, Yu Shaoling was still asleep beside her, eyes closed.

She carefully lifted the covers and discovered the girl’s legs unchanged. With a sigh, she accepted her fate.

Tucking the blankets back around her, she caught sight of the girl’s brows suddenly furrowing. Bai Qian froze, but seeing she hadn’t woken, she quietly slipped from the bed.

She didn’t even pause for slippers, bolting out the door in a frantic escape.

An Yan had just opened the shop when she spotted Bai Qian, who had clearly been waiting outside for some time.

Bai Qian’s expression was perfectly composed, but An Yan saw right through her, cutting straight to the chase: “Tried it?”

The scenes Bai Qian had been desperately shoving from her mind surged back with those two words. Her ears flushed red, and under An Yan’s teasing gaze, she nodded with forced calm.

“No dice?”

“Mm.”

An Yan handed her a glass of lemon water, her tone utterly casual: “You came?”

Pfft.

Bai Qian had just sipped when An Yan’s blunt words startled her into spitting it out. She coughed violently several times before recovering.

An Yan patted her shoulder leisurely: “Wrong technique. Give it another go tonight. If it flops again, come see me.”

Bai Qian wiped the droplets from her lips: “Any other options?”

An Yan shook her head: “Not a one. But this proves that mermaid of yours isn’t your true match. When you’re ready, swing by—I’ll hook you up with someone new. Better to cut ties clean and quick, as they say. Right?”

“…”

“Something else?”

“Nope.”

“Then I’m not walking you out. My consultations aren’t cheap—stick around longer, and I’ll start the meter.”

Bai Qian hightailed it away. Rounding the alley corner, she froze at the sight of a breathtakingly beautiful girl with a stormy expression lurking by the telephone pole—clearly posted there for a while.

She hadn’t expected to see her here: “How’d you know where I was?”

Yu Shaoling advanced with a icy glare, each step ratcheting down the air pressure around them.

Halting before her, the girl’s unleashed aura hit like a tidal wave, buckling Bai Qian’s knees.

—This was the Mermaid Clan’s innate dominance over humans.

As Bai Qian teetered backward, on the verge of collapse, an arm snaked around her waist. With effortless strength, the girl hoisted her into a bridal carry.

“Naughty little captive—task done, and now you’re running?”

Bai Qian snapped back to herself, flailing against her shoulder: “Are you insane? Put me down!”

Yu Shaoling delivered a chastising swat to her squirming rear. The sensation was intoxicating; she hesitated, then released her.

“Since you crawled into my bed, you’re my captive from here on out. No thoughts of escape, understand?”

Carrying her onward, the girl continued: “We mermaids have endless ways to make you suffer. Want smooth sailing ahead? Channel that escape energy into pleasing me instead.”

Bai Qian: ?

“Hold on—what’s that supposed to mean, ‘pleasing you’?”

Yu Shaoling scoffed, setting her down and seizing her chin. Her dark eyes lingered on the plump, bitten lip: “You bold enough to climb into my bed, but too shy for my words now? Laughable, little captive, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t climb into your bed! It was my house—if anyone’s bed-hopping, it’s you hopping into mine!”

The Mermaid Princess sneered deeper: “Humans are more vile than I thought—too spineless to climb in yourself, so you trick me into yours.”

“…” That wild imagination of yours needs fixing, stat!

“Whatever. You hold no threat for me. The likes of you? I could make your life hell without trying. So heed me: play nice, do your part. Dare anything else…” A vicious spark flared in the girl’s eyes. “Don’t cry foul when I’m merciless.”

Bai Qian’s head pounded; she sensed malice lurking in those words. Scowling, she demanded: “Pardon me—what exactly do you mean by ‘the likes of you’?”

Yu Shaoling’s gaze trailed from her reddened lips to the elegant collarbone etched with lingering love bites. Her tea-dark eyes narrowed as steamy visions invaded her mind, quickening her breath. She reined it in with a sneer: “The likes of you—lowly humans baiting with your looks.”

“…”

“Little Captive, what is your goal? Seizing power? Or do you want to incite a war between humans and the Mermaid Clan?”

Bai Qian rolled her eyes and tossed out casually, “What if I said my goal is you?”

Yu Shaoling’s expression grew complicated, a tangle of emotions swirling in her eyes. At last, she let out a cold laugh. “No Mermaid Ruler has ever taken a human as their partner. Dreaming of becoming the Mermaid Kingdom’s consort is nothing but delusion. Don’t think that crawling into my bed once means I’ll see you in a new light. Even if I fall for your tricks again next time, it’ll just prove how vicious human schemes truly are.”

Bai Qian was floored. What the hell was she saying? Scumfish! It had been entirely mutual, but now she was dumping all the blame on her!

And from the sound of it, she was already pinning the blame on Bai Qian in advance for any future mistake she might make if she couldn’t resist temptation?!

The scumfish went on, “However, if you stay in line and serve me properly until I recover my tail, I wouldn’t mind giving you a few rewards to make you happy.”

“Sea Cow Meat?”

Yu Shaoling scoffed. “Looks like you’re really head over heels for me, huh? You’ve investigated me so thoroughly. But don’t even dream about it—Sea Cow Meat is far too precious for the likes of you.”

Bai Qian was speechless. As if she knew who was the one who owed her—a whole three rooms full of Sea Cow Meat that still hadn’t been handed over.

“Then what do you mean?”

A flicker of unease passed through the princess’s eyes. “Next time you pull one of these vicious tricks, I suppose I could reluctantly lick it for you again.”

Bai Qian: “…”

Any cops around? I want to report someone driving without a license!