Chapter 29: The Scale-Stripped Mermaid (9)

The regenerated fish tail of the mermaid could freely choose whether to manifest or not.

In human society, the Princess naturally wouldn’t reveal that beautiful tail praised by all.

Bai Qian hadn’t told Yu Shaoling about the time she’d fallen victim to a black witchcraft scheme.

She saw no need. With her memories restored and the Black Octopus soon to be dealt with, there was no point dwelling on the influence of the witchcraft.

Because of this, the crybaby mermaid girl had chalked up her chaotic mindset under the witchcraft’s control—back when she’d lost her memories—to mistakes she’d simply made while amnesiac.

Ever since, the little crybaby had washed her face with tears every day, half out of self-reproach and half from heartache over how she’d treated Bai Qian.

Any grievances Bai Qian had endured at the hands of Queen Yu Shaoling, the little crybaby made up for twofold.

A good morning kiss every morning, a good night kiss every night before bed.

Her form of address was no longer the hierarchical “little captive,” but the sort of sickly-sweet “darling Qianqian” that could rot teeth.

There were plenty of little daily behaviors like that—including insisting on personally helping Bai Qian change clothes. Bai Qian would wrinkle her brow and let her, but she always drew the line at the nickname.

The little crybaby wheedled and pleaded, all teary-eyed and aggrieved, for several days straight. In the end, she had no choice but to switch tearfully to the acceptable “Bai Qian.”

Before, whenever Bai Qian was sketching, Yu Shaoling would simply sit on the sofa in the studio. As long as she was in the same room, she’d quietly read her books or fairy tales.

But the crybaby Yu Shaoling now was even more terrifying than her queenly persona. She flat-out refused to stay on the sofa and dragged over a chair to sit right beside Bai Qian instead.

Her posture was as prim and proper as an elementary schooler on their first day of class. She perched on two-thirds of the seat, back straight, and watched Bai Qian work on her screen.

Bai Qian had meant to shoo her away, but when she met the girl’s imploring gaze, the words of rebuke died in her throat.

“I promise I’ll be good from now on. I absolutely won’t disturb you!”

With no other choice, the woman relented.

But she didn’t forget to warn her: half an hour of observation time. If the girl could really prove as well-behaved as promised, she wouldn’t chase her off again.

For the next thirty minutes, Yu Shaoling was the picture of an exquisite porcelain doll—silent, undemanding, perfectly content to nestle quietly at her side.

Seeing this, Bai Qian let it slide.

But it wasn’t long before the schemer beside her finally showed her hand.

A small hand crept tentatively onto Bai Qian’s thigh. Once placed, it stayed put, its owner holding her breath as she awaited a reaction.

A minute passed with no slap or rebuke. Yu Shaoling’s courage swelled. She sneaked a cautious glance and saw Bai Qian absorbed in her drawing. Emboldened, her thieving hand inched upward, on the verge of brushing Bai Qian’s soft waist—until a sharp smack from the now scowling woman sent it flying.

“Back to the sofa.”

Yu Shaoling had mastered the art of the instant mood swing. Her cherry lips pouted, and her lovely eyes quickly brimmed with exaggerated tears.

She thrust her slapped hand under Bai Qian’s nose and mewled like a little milk cat. “It hurts. My hand hurts so much, wuwuwu. It really hurts.”

Bai Qian: “…” Hurts, my foot! She hadn’t even used any force!

A mermaid’s skin was exquisitely tender. Even with deliberate restraint, the slap left an exaggerated red mark on that soft, pale hand.

Yu Shaoling kept whimpering. “It really hurts! Wuwuwu. I just regrew my tail—my body’s not recovered yet. And you hit me that hard. Wuwuwu, it hurts so much, Bai Qian. Blow on it for me, wuwuwu.”

With that, she shoved her reddened hand right up to Bai Qian’s mouth.

Bai Qian had been set on steeling her heart and banishing this clingier-than-taffy nuisance, but her eyes snagged on the “injury,” and a flicker of self-doubt crept in.

It did look pretty bad. Could it really be because she’d just regrown her tail, leaving her more fragile?

The girl was crying so pitifully. With no other recourse, Bai Qian took hold of her hand and leaned in to blow on it.

Only up close did she spot the telltale signs that it was all wrong.

Focusing in, she let out a cold laugh. “Yu Shaoling, next time you use telekinesis to fake an injury, don’t make such a rookie mistake. Got it?”

The mermaid princess blinked innocently. “What are you talking about?”

“Look at that ‘wound’ yourself. I slapped you with my hand, not whipped you. One more chance—get back to your sofa.”

Her trick exposed, Yu Shaoling shot her hand a resentful glare before rising reluctantly.

Bai Qian thought she would actually leave obediently this time. But who would have guessed—the girl zipped right back with a whoosh and plopped down on the chair again. She clung on shamelessly like a total rogue, not saying a word as she wrapped her arms straight around Bai Qian’s waist.

Her lovely face pressed against the woman’s chest, she put on the most heartbreakingly pitiful expression. “I’m really not messing around this time. I just want to hug you like this. I promise I won’t bother you at all, okay?”

Bai Qian’s face remained impassive as she pried the girl’s hands off her waist one finger at a time. “No. You’re plastered to me like this—I can’t even pick up my pen. Go away and play on your phone or something.”

When it came to raw strength, humans were no match for mermaids, of course.

Yet Yu Shaoling’s hands were still peeled away. Red-eyed, the girl stood off to the side, her gaze brimming with a heartbreaking ocean of emotions.

Bai Qian kept her eyes fixed ahead, pointedly ignoring the persistent stare burning into her from nearby as she settled back into her drawing.

Half a minute later, Yu Shaoling moved again.

She edged closer to the woman, positioning herself right behind her like some little spirit-sucking pendant. Once more, she wrapped her soft arms around Bai Qian in a gentle embrace.

The girl’s cool cheek pressed against the woman’s straight back. Through their close contact, she could sense every single movement Bai Qian made.

She liked Bai Qian.

She liked her scent, every inch of her skin, everything about her from head to toe.

She liked Bai Qian.

She never wanted to be apart from her, not for a single second.

“This won’t bother you at all. Just let me hold you like this, okay?”

Bai Qian was utterly defeated. “Haven’t you gotten your memories back? Can’t you at least keep a proper distance from me like you used to?”

“No way!” Yu Shaoling shot back with total confidence. “If I have to keep my distance from the person I like, then what’s the difference between her and anyone else?”

“But you’re way too clingy. At least give me some personal space.”

Yu Shaoling’s tone turned sour. “Then why was it okay when I lost my memories and wouldn’t let you out of my sight? You agreed to that. But now I just want to hug you, and you won’t let me? That’s not fair!”

Bai Qian: ?

“Wait a second. You’re not… jealous of yourself, are you?”

Yu Shaoling admitted it boldly. “Yeah! I am jealous! Even if I know it was me, I’m still jealous! If you don’t want me to be jealous, then you have to let me hold you like this!”

“…Fine, then stay jealous. Now let go of me. I’ve got three hours until my deadline. If I miss it, I’m kicking you out tomorrow.”

“You’re not fooling me! I saw you chatting with her this morning. Your real deadline is the twentieth of next month. Don’t try to trick me again!”

“…” Tsk. Her memories were back, and apparently so was her brain.

“Then let’s go back to what I said earlier. I didn’t mind you sitting on the sofa and watching me before. But look at you now—are you seriously not crossing the line?”

A strange flush crept over Yu Shaoling’s cheeks. “We’ve already crossed the final line between us. What other line is there that we can’t cross? And speaking of that—why wouldn’t you get intimate with me before, but then after I lost my memories, you went and initiated it? That’s not fair!”

The little vinegar jar demanded unilaterally, “So starting today, you have to make up for all those intimate moments you owed me!”

Bai Qian: ? World, just end already. She was exhausted.

The mermaid girl, who kept whining about how unfair everything was, refused to let go no matter what.

Bai Qian argued until her mouth went dry. In the end, she reached back to yank her off, but this time Yu Shaoling wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard Bai Qian pulled, she couldn’t pry the girl loose.

In the end, Yu Shaoling felt nothing, while Bai Qian was left utterly drained from all the tugging and shoving.

Victorious in her little struggle, the excited girl dragged over a chair and settled in right behind Bai Qian. The defeated woman glowered and grumbled, “Don’t lean on me. You’re heavy.”

Yu Shaoling sweetly agreed with a soft “Okay,” then rubbed her cheek against Bai Qian’s fragrant, soft body. Her eyes sparkled with joy as she confessed, “Bai Qian, I like you! I don’t think I’ve ever said that to you before. Well, I’m saying it now—I like you! I super, super like you!”

“Oh.”

“What about you?”

“Thanks.”

Yu Shaoling immediately lifted her head and lightly bonked her forehead against Bai Qian’s back. “Bai Qian, don’t you like me?”

The sudden movement jolted Bai Qian’s hand, sending her stylus scratching a long, ugly line across the tablet. She inwardly cursed the girl out, undid the mistake, then spoke calmly. “I like the version of you who’s back in the Mermaid Kingdom, taking control. And don’t forget to deal with the Black Octopus while you’re at it.”

As the Guardian of this world, even after all the ups and downs lately, she hadn’t forgotten the one and only mission that had brought her here.

As for Yu Shaoling wanting her to say she liked her?

To claim there was nothing there would be nothing short of self-deception.

But these budding feelings, these distractions of the heart that could derail the female protagonist’s path to power, were hardly something to dwell on right now.

Bai Qian had answered that way in hopes of snapping Yu Shaoling back to her sense of purpose—back to her grand destiny—rather than letting her carry on like this: a lovesick girl who refused to grow up, her head filled with nothing but how to cling to Bai Qian’s side.

The girl listened in silence. After a beat of two seconds, she quietly released the hand she’d been so determined to hold.

Only after she had left did Bai Qian snap out of it. What was this? Had she turned over a new leaf all of a sudden?

Was she sulking, off hiding in her room by herself?

Bai Qian picked up her pen again, intending to finish the last section of this design layer while the bothersome girl was out of the way.

But she couldn’t focus. Not even close.

Her mind kept drifting back to the girl’s face as she’d walked away. What had that expression meant?

Was she barricaded in her room right now, crying her eyes out?

Mermaids could cry ordinary tears without harm—as long as they weren’t blood tears, it was no different from how humans vented their emotions.

Even so, Bai Qian had witnessed that devastating scene from the original plot. It made her stomach twist at the mere thought of Yu Shaoling shedding tears, no matter the cause.

That was why the girl had always been able to use it as leverage against her.

Yet now, for the first time, Yu Shaoling had chosen to wallow in her sorrow alone. Far from bringing relief, it only weighed on Bai Qian’s chest like a boulder, leaving her breathless and unsettled.

She tightened her grip on the pen, then let out a sigh and set it aside. Fine. She would follow her instincts and check on that worrisome, foolish mermaid.

She’d barely cracked open the door when she locked eyes with Yu Shaoling—decked out in her telekinesis suit, practically vibrating with excitement.

The girl’s lovely face beamed with pure elation. There wasn’t a trace of forced bravado or lingering sadness.

Bai Qian blinked, certain she’d misread the situation. “What are you up to?”

Yu Shaoling launched herself forward, seizing Bai Qian’s hand with uncontainable joy. “Let’s head to the Mermaid Kingdom right now! I feel power surging through every inch of me. Bai Qian, trust me! Today, I’ll slice that repulsive black octopus into sashimi for you to pair with your drinks!”

Bai Qian: ?

She yanked her hand free just as Yu Shaoling started dragging her toward the door. “Hold on. What exactly did you think I meant back there?”

Yu Shaoling’s eyes sparkled like a galaxy come alive, bright enough to rival the stars twinkling within them. “You want me to hurry back, get my revenge, and claim the throne, right? In the Mermaid Kingdom, when a female ruler ascends, and her beloved is also a woman, the coronation comes hand in hand with a consort ceremony. You’ve known that from the start! So, give or take a few details—Bai Qian, weren’t you just proposing to me?”