Chapter 138

As Gu Yao spoke those words, her heart pounded in her chest.

She knew Xu Tang had an extremely strong need for control. Gu Yao had learned that firsthand when she had been locked up before. Though this mermaid appeared aloof and indifferent to everything, once she cared about something, she would trap the other party tightly, without leaving any gaps.

Just like a giant python in the rainforest, wrapping around its prey and strangling it alive, leaving not a single crevice.

Gu Yao pretended to be calm as she looked at Xu Tang, though she had no idea how likely she was to get her agreement. The room grew very quiet, and Gu Yao feared her own heartbeat was too loud for Xu Tang to hear.

“Very well.”

To her surprise, Xu Tang agreed.

Xu Tang looked at Gu Yao and said, “I know what you’re talking about. I started as an intern myself, so I can get you a computer. But you’ll have to use it right in front of me.”

She gazed deeply into Gu Yao’s eyes. “And don’t try any tricks in front of me.”

Gu Yao swallowed nervously and nodded. “Of course. I’ll only use the computer right in front of you.”

Soon, a laptop connected to the external network arrived in Gu Yao’s hands. The mermaid who delivered it apologized to Xu Tang. “Sorry, Group Leader Xu. This is the only device we have that can connect right now. It’s an older model, and the specs might not be great. See if it works for you.”

Xu Tang glanced at Gu Yao, who was excitedly fiddling with the computer, then said to the mermaid at the door, “It’s just for browsing and studying online. This laptop is more than enough. I’ll send it back when we’re done.”

Everyone knew this human, Gu Yao, had been brought here against her will. She wasn’t supposed to touch anything connected to the outside world. But with Xu Tang watching her closely, it seemed there wouldn’t be any issues.

“Alright, then we’ll leave it to you, Group Leader Xu.”

Once the door closed, Xu Tang walked over to the sofa. She watched as Gu Yao opened the Research Institute’s official backend website. Propping her head up with one hand, Xu Tang stared at her unblinkingly.

Gu Yao knew exactly what Xu Tang was watching for. Her palms were sweating, but she kept a calm expression as she opened the live stream room. Her heart leaped into her throat, terrified that Zhao Shuqing’s face might suddenly appear on screen, blurting out something foolish like asking where she was and how to rescue her.

Fortunately, Zhao Shuqing wasn’t quite that foolish.

As soon as the live stream opened, the voice of an elderly professor filled the room. Xu Tang glanced over and saw it was Professor Su from the gene engineering department. She was wearing reading glasses and giving a lecture. Xu Tang couldn’t follow the topic, but it was clearly academic.

Seeing Professor Su’s face made Gu Yao breathe a sigh of relief. She angled the screen toward Xu Tang. “See? It’s a legitimate academic live stream, right?”

Xu Tang neither confirmed nor denied it. “I see. Study well, and don’t waste this precious time.”

Gu Yao glanced at her, then took out her prepared paper and pen to start taking notes.

In truth, Gu Yao couldn’t focus on what Professor Su was teaching at all. Her eyes kept drifting to the chat messages on the right side of the screen. Some students were asking professional questions there, but Gu Yao didn’t know which account Zhao Shuqing was using or what kind of message she might leave.

As Gu Yao focused intently on the screen, Xu Tang observed her closely.

Suddenly, Xu Tang noticed Gu Yao’s eyes light up. She leaned over to look at the screen. Professor Su had just taken a sip of water and was asking the students to check in via the chat window. A stream of 1s floated up from the side—nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Professor Su said, “Let’s continue with the rest of the material.”

Xu Tang watched for a few moments but detected nothing suspicious. The chat messages were all normal questions, and the usernames were varied with no apparent pattern.

Was she just being paranoid?

Xu Tang watched as Gu Yao lowered her head to take notes. The notebook was filled with gene-related knowledge points.

The live stream was fine. The chat was fine. Gu Yao was fine.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Xu Tang relaxed slightly but still stayed with Gu Yao through the full two-and-a-half-hour gene engineering lecture.

Professor Su said to the students, “We’ll continue tomorrow afternoon at three. Post any questions in the public chat then. That’s all for today.”

The live stream ended, and the viewer count dropped sharply. Gu Yao moved the mouse to close the window, flipped the laptop shut, and handed it to Xu Tang. “Give it back to me before three tomorrow.”

Xu Tang took the laptop with a suspicious look and gave a soft “Mm.”

The moment Xu Tang left, sweat beaded on Gu Yao’s skin. She looked down at her notebook. It did indeed record the key points from Professor Su’s lecture—because the more important information was already etched in her mind.

Professor Su must have been chosen deliberately by Zhao Shuqing. Throughout the stream, she kept having the “students” check in. Those check-ins—strings of 1s and 0s—seemed random at first, but Gu Yao recognized them as binary code.

01000110—F.

01010010—R.

01001001—I.

Fri—Friday.

Zhao Shuqing was telling her she would come to the rescue on Friday.

Gu Yao’s heart raced. She knew the same live stream at the same time tomorrow would surely have more information. For now, all she had to do was wait patiently without raising suspicion.

The next day, Xu Tang brought the laptop back before three o’clock. Once again, she sat right next to Gu Yao on the sofa, watching her study.

The night before, while Gu Yao slept, Xu Tang had thoroughly checked the notebook and found nothing unusual—just lecture notes. She had put it back exactly as she found it.

Today, it was Professor Su streaming again.

Professor Su had the same calm demeanor. She started by having the students check in, then dove into the day’s content.

Xu Tang seemed less guarded now. She even processed some files while accompanying Gu Yao’s study session, occasionally glancing at her, pouring her water, or grabbing a snack—like they were working and learning together.

Midway through, Xu Tang stepped out to the balcony to take a call. Gu Yao quickly typed a 1 into the public chat.

Professor Su noticed. Her expression paused briefly, and her gaze flicked off-camera. After a moment, she continued the lecture but casually remarked, “I have time next Friday at ten in the morning. The student who just asked that question, meet me in the classroom then.”

Gu Yao committed it to memory.

When Xu Tang returned from her call, Professor Su’s slides had already advanced. Xu Tang glanced at Gu Yao’s notebook and then looked away.

Gu Yao followed along with the stream for the entire afternoon. When it ended, she stretched lazily and handed the laptop back to Xu Tang.

“No more?” Xu Tang asked.

Gu Yao raised an eyebrow. “Hasn’t it already ended?”

But Xu Tang replied unhurriedly, “You could use it to look up some references. Next time won’t be until Saturday.”

Gu Yao’s heart skipped a beat, wondering if Xu Tang had discovered her communication with Zhao Shuqing. Feeling guilty, she averted her eyes for a moment before saying, “Then can I watch some TV dramas? There’s one I was watching that was almost at the finale, but I never got to finish it.”

Xu Tang smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll watch with you.”

After dinner, Xu Tang curled up with Gu Yao on the sofa to watch TV. It was a lighthearted historical comedy that Gu Yao had once loved dearly—she would have been upset for days over missing the ending.

But after so much time, it didn’t seem as funny anymore.

The chubby female lead ended up with her beloved, the two of them celebrating their marriage with lanterns and decorations. On their wedding night, they caused a hilarious ruckus.

Xu Tang leaned on the sofa, holding the person in her arms, occasionally stealing careful glances at her.

“Once this is all over, let’s get married,” Xu Tang said, grasping Gu Yao’s hand. She toyed with her ring finger, rubbing gently at the base near her palm, then interlaced their fingers. “What kind of ring would you like? I’ll buy it for you.”

Gu Yao froze. She stared down at their clasped hands and was silent for a long time before saying, “I don’t like any.”

Xu Tang gazed at her quietly and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

Perhaps because she had so much on her mind, Gu Yao felt a bit distracted over the next few days. She kept second-guessing herself, unsure if she had decoded Zhao Shuqing’s message correctly. What if she had gotten it wrong?

If they found out, she’d be tied up again. Gu Yao had no desire to live like that.

She racked her brains for a way to confirm it.

Just then, the three mermaids from the office shuffled into the room, shoving at each other. They froze at the sight of Gu Yao’s grim expression.

“Teacher Gu…”

One of the mermaids said, “It’s noon already. Why aren’t you going to eat? The cafeteria made stir-fried fish with garlic today—it’s delicious.”

Gu Yao propped her chin on her hand. “What’s so great about stir-fried fish with garlic?”

She rolled her eyes, then paused halfway.

Wait—their food deliveries. Who brought those?

Gu Yao shot to her feet. “You three keep working on the experiments. I’m heading to the cafeteria for lunch.”

The three mermaids shrugged as Gu Yao left and returned to their experiments.

Once at the cafeteria, Gu Yao made a beeline for the kitchen. She straightened her white lab coat at the door, then stepped inside, asking as she went, “What dishes are on the menu today?”

The mermaids in the kitchen were wary of Gu Yao by now—they felt like this human always came looking for trouble.

Gu Yao glanced around casually and raised an eyebrow. “Lion’s head meatballs today? Give me two, with some greens on the side. Is the stir-fried fish with garlic good? My lab mermaids said it tastes great—let me try some.”

The mermaid serving food wordlessly plated it up for her. Gu Yao didn’t leave right away; instead, she sniffed it and said, “Were you all chefs in human society before?”

Some mermaids nodded; others shook their heads.

Gu Yao said “Oh” and asked, “Do you catch these fish yourselves? How are they all the same size?”

The mermaids shook their heads. “They’re delivered. Fresh every morning. Teacher Gu, if there’s something special you want, write it down and we’ll get it for you.”

Gu Yao nodded. “Then get me some braised beef—using beef tendon. Can it arrive tomorrow morning?”

“Sure,” the mermaid replied. “I’ll call the supplier right away. Braised beef and anything else?”

“That’s it for now.” Gu Yao picked up her tray. “I’ll come by tomorrow morning to pick it up.”