Chapter 123

Zhao Shuqing was muttering away with Xiao Qi, the two of them exchanging a knowing high-five as if they’d just sealed some secret pact.

After dinner, Xiao Qi came running back, this time even bringing her mom’s curling iron.

“This is my mom’s,” Xiao Qi said, presenting the curling iron to Zhao Shuqing like a priceless treasure, her eyes sparkling. “It always curls hair into the most beautiful styles. So, when are we doing the mermaid’s hair?”

Lin Feng blinked in confusion. “?”

“We still have to wait a bit,” Zhao Shuqing replied, ruffling Xiao Qi’s hair and directing her to sit off to the side. She then turned to Lin Feng with a smile. “See? Everything’s ready. Are you really not going to dye your hair?”

Lin Feng glanced down at the pale locks draping over her chest, sounding a touch aggrieved. “It’s already pretty.”

“It is pretty.” Zhao Shuqing reached out and lifted a strand of Lin Feng’s light-colored hair. Perhaps because she’d been eating and sleeping well these past few days—and had just taken a bath—Lin Feng’s hair looked far better than the brittle mess it had been before. It was soft and silky, almost back to its former glory. Zhao Shuqing couldn’t resist rubbing it between her fingers, savoring the fine, delicate texture.

She’d heard that people with soft hair had soft hearts, and Zhao Shuqing thought the saying seemed to fit this mermaid perfectly.

“But it’s too eye-catching,” she whispered to Lin Feng. “You don’t want people staring at you everywhere you go, do you? Besides, too many people know you. Without some kind of disguise, you’ll get recognized in no time.”

Lin Feng was the most famous mermaid around, her photos plastered all over the internet—swimming in the water, lounging on land, singing, sleeping, every pose imaginable.

She hadn’t done anything wrong, of course, but that didn’t mean some human harboring hatred for mermaids wouldn’t try to take revenge on her. Dyeing her hair was the cheapest, simplest disguise. Add a mask and a hat, and no one would be the wiser.

Lin Feng knew this all too well, but she still felt a pang for her beautiful hair. For the sake of her safety, though, she nodded and let Zhao Shuqing go ahead with the dye job.

Zhao Shuqing had bought several bottles of hair dye in different colors during their afternoon shopping trip. Lin Feng had no interest in choosing; to her, no color could beat her natural shade.

In the end, Zhao Shuqing selected a cool brown. She and Xiao Qi crammed into the tiny bathroom to dye Lin Feng’s hair.

The three of them packed the small space to the brim. Lin Feng perched on the toilet lid while Zhao Shuqing stood in the shower stall, applying the dye. Xiao Qi handed over supplies as needed. They bustled about for a full two hours before finally finishing.

Lin Feng stared at her bizarre reflection in the mirror, noticing how even her scalp had turned brown. She shot Zhao Shuqing a look.

Zhao Shuqing chuckled awkwardly. “First time dyeing. I think it’s pretty good.” At least her whole scalp wasn’t stained.

Lin Feng mourned her lost pale locks for a moment, then examined her new color.

The brown made her skin look even fairer, and the shade Zhao Shuqing had picked was stunning. If Lin Feng had once resembled an elf, she now looked like a fresh-faced idol from a girl group audition, her porcelain skin highlighting her sharp, striking features.

“Mermaid Sis is so pretty!” Xiao Qi gazed at Lin Feng admiringly. “I want a girlfriend just like Mermaid Sis someday.”

Lin Feng turned to her in surprise, but Zhao Shuqing tapped Xiao Qi on the head. “You won’t find anyone as pretty as Mermaid Sis. Better to keep your feet on the ground and go for a childhood sweetheart.”

Xiao Qi disagreed, tilting her head back. “You got Mermaid Sis—why can’t I? I want a mermaid girlfriend too.”

Zhao Shuqing thought to herself that this kid had some guts, but she played along dead seriously. “Mermaids eat people, you know. Still want one?”

Xiao Qi hesitated. “Can she not eat me?”

Zhao Shuqing was speechless.

The kid wasn’t just bold; her heart was as big as her imagination.

In the end, Xiao Qi’s mom called her home. Reluctantly, Xiao Qi left, clutching the huge durian Zhao Shuqing had given her as a parting gift.

While blow-drying Lin Feng’s hair, Zhao Shuqing ran her fingers through the soft strands. The dye had colored every hair a rich brown, and under the warm airflow, they flowed like rippling water. There was still a sharp chemical smell, but a couple more washes would fix that.

“All done.”

Zhao Shuqing put away the blow dryer and regarded Lin Feng in the mirror. “This color suits you well.”

With her hair blow-dried, Lin Feng looked adorably like a high schooler in the reflection. Without Zhao Shuqing’s reminder, who would guess she was a mermaid?

“It’s… okay,” Lin Feng admitted reluctantly.

It was clear she still preferred her original color.

“Don’t be sad,” Zhao Shuqing coaxed her. “You’ll get used to it. And hair grows back. If you don’t like it later, we can change it again.”

Going back to that rare shell-like shade—which shimmered with iridescent colors in the sunlight—would be tough, but Lin Feng decided to accept it for now. Her life mattered more than her hair.

By the time they finished, it was nearly bedtime. Lin Feng glanced back at Zhao Shuqing. She’d helped dye her hair today—maybe Lin Feng should return the favor?

Like painting a dreamcatcher in her bedroom.

In Zhao Shuqing’s room, Pumpkin was scratching at the door of her space capsule bed, gnawing at it with her teeth in futile clicks. Finally giving up, the cat flopped down in a huff, glaring at the fish in the bedroom.

Lin Feng tied a paintbrush to a mop and hoisted it high, beginning to paint on the ceiling.

Zhao Shuqing watched as Lin Feng circled around and around, wondering how much she’d have to compensate the innkeeper for the damage. The ceiling didn’t look expensive; she could probably cover it.

While she zoned out, Lin Feng finished her masterpiece.

Circles radiated outward from the central round light fixture, flanked by elongated arcs on either side. It looked exactly like a wide-open eye.

“Why’d you paint an eye?” Zhao Shuqing couldn’t help asking. “This thing will really stop me from dreaming?”

It looked so eerie.

Mermaids killing in dreams was eerie enough, though.

Lin Feng nodded. “I don’t know the exact principle, but as long as it’s there, you won’t dream anymore—and you won’t get targeted by mermaids.”

Zhao Shuqing had been dying to ask. “Is it Xu Tang trying to get me?”

She’d had the most contact with Xu Tang. They’d worked under the same teacher for at least four years and often went out on research boats together. When Sun Chengzhou died, everyone had suspected mermaids.

Now it seemed mermaids were indeed behind it—just Xu Tang, that particular mermaid.

Lin Feng wasn’t entirely sure but nodded anyway. “Probably her. You ruined her plans, so she hates you. Making you drop dead would be easy for her.”

“Do mermaids always kill in such mystical ways?” Zhao Shuqing asked. “I figured it’d be like wild animals—raw and direct.”

“Depends on the mermaid, I guess?” Lin Feng thought for a moment. “I haven’t met many, but most prefer claws and tails. Controlling dreams is rare.”

Indeed, Zhao Shuqing had disrupted the mermaids’ plans, so it made sense they’d want her dead. With patrols thick on the streets now, the mermaids were on edge and might not target her yet. But once things calmed, they’d come for her.

As long as the mermaids lived, Zhao Shuqing would remain a thorn in their side.

Realizing this, her expression darkened.

Being marked by mermaids felt awful—like she could shatter to pieces at any moment. For now, they just wanted her to die in her sleep; who knew what came next.

Zhao Shuqing sighed, knowing she needed a way to protect herself—Lin Feng too.

“It’s getting late. Let’s rest,” she said, stepping closer to Lin Feng. Her gaze drifted to the mermaid’s abdomen. Lin Feng felt it and turned away awkwardly, not knowing where to hide.

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes darkened, her voice low. “When you have time, come to the hospital with me.”

Lin Feng clutched the mop head and bolted without looking back. Zhao Shuqing watched her retreating figure, her brows furrowing slightly.

That night, Zhao Shuqing slept straight through to dawn without a single dream.

She did jolt awake at the sight of the eye on the ceiling, but it was just a brief scare.

While washing up, she steamed some breakfast. Her fridge was now stuffed full, and she’d gathered plenty of prenatal recipes. She planned to simmer crucian carp soup for Lin Feng’s lunch, with a couple of stir-fries on the side.

Emerging from the bathroom, Zhao Shuqing spotted Pumpkin lounging in her cat bed on the balcony, basking in the sun. It reminded her that pregnant women needed sunlight too. Maybe she should invite Lin Feng for a walk.

But Lin Feng refused flat-out.

“No.”

“I’m not going out,” Lin Feng said around a mouthful of breakfast.

Zhao Shuqing could tell: this was one total homebody of a little fish.

“You couldn’t go out at the oceanarium before, but things are different now.” She placed a steamed bun on Lin Feng’s plate, trying to persuade her. “You’re in human form with dyed hair—no one will peg you as a mermaid. And I’ll be right there to protect you. A short walk should be fine.”

Lin Feng eyed the weather outside but still shook her head.

She wasn’t the same as before. She’d once gone out with Zhao Shuqing to get closer to her life, to see how humans lived and reproduced. But now, she had no such desire.

Besides… her belly was getting harder to hide.

Every day, Lin Feng noticed her growing stomach. At first, she’d thought she was sick, dying even. Over time—and with some biology lessons from ocean creatures—she realized she was pregnant.

Nature had species where both parents nurtured offspring, but more often, females handled it alone.

Zhao Shuqing had once called any pregnancy a “little monster,” so she probably wouldn’t like the one in Lin Feng’s belly…

“Even if you skip the sun, the baby needs it.”

Lin Feng snapped her head up, meeting Zhao Shuqing’s eyes.

“You want it to grow up healthy, right?” Zhao Shuqing said softly.