Chapter 147

Gu Yao felt that Zhao Shuqing was implying something about her. She glared at her in displeasure. “You stinky woman, are you taking a jab at me or what?”

Zhao Shuqing looked surprised. “What did I even say?”

“Tch.” Gu Yao huffed in annoyance and went off to pack her things. She had arrived empty-handed, but now she was leaving with a bunch of bags and packages. She had even dragged in two suitcases, stuffed full of toiletries, along with clothes and shoes that she must have bought at some point.

Zhao Shuqing pitched in to help pack and spotted Gu Yao’s brand-new phone among the items.

“Hey, Gu Yao.” Zhao Shuqing asked casually, “If I were to send out my resume, where do you think I should apply?”

“You’re looking for a job?” Gu Yao stared at her in surprise as she zipped up a suitcase. “Didn’t the patent for your mermaid test paper net you tens of millions? Why are you still planning to go out and work? Don’t you want to just kick back at home and live off that?”

“If it were just me, sure, I’d love that.” Zhao Shuqing replied calmly. “But as you know, Little Fish’s situation is a bit complicated. Even if the kids end up with ordinary human intelligence and born with a pair of tail fins, I could support them just fine. What I’m really afraid of is that they’ll turn out to be uncontrollable monsters…”

If they were truly man-eating monsters that left no bones behind, Zhao Shuqing could deal with that easily enough. Her greatest fear was that the two little fish would be low-intelligence humanoid creatures who had also inherited Lin Feng’s five-hundred-year lifespan. In that case, her tens of millions wouldn’t last long at all.

Reminded by Zhao Shuqing, Gu Yao belatedly realized the issue. Her face grew a bit awkward as she muttered, “Sorry, I totally forgot Lin Feng’s situation is special.” She scratched her head and asked, “So what did the doctor say?”

“Dr. Luo said the babies are developing normally, with perfectly healthy nervous systems. But I’m still worried…” Zhao Shuqing sighed and went back to packing Gu Yao’s luggage.

Gu Yao watched her for a moment, then scooted closer and bumped Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder with her own. She tilted her head and said, “It’ll be fine. Anyway, I’ll end up all alone sooner or later. You can have your Little Fish call me godmother. I’ll leave all my assets to them. Three people raising kids has to be better than just you alone, right?”

Zhao Shuqing shot her a glance and kept stuffing things into the suitcase. “I don’t believe for a second that you’ll never fall in love again.”

Gu Yao raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry. After this mess, I know I’m not cut out for romance. I’m doomed to be single for life. Better to give it all to you than let my other relatives have it. My assets are less than a hundred million anyway—it’ll definitely help you guys out a bit.”

Zhao Shuqing eyed her. “How much is ‘less than a hundred million’?”

Gu Yao grinned broadly. “Just tens of millions, give or take.

Hahaha!”

Zhao Shuqing shook her head, though her mood lightened a touch. She said to Gu Yao, “Don’t speak too soon. What if you meet someone you really like down the line? You feel burned out now, but give it a couple of years, and you’ll have forgotten all about it. If you find the right person then, just go for it.”

Gu Yao listened with her brows furrowed, lost in thought for a long moment. At last, she scoffed, “Nah, forget it. I don’t want to hold anyone back.”

“Hey—” Zhao Shuqing started to persuade her, but then she noticed the faint dark circles under Gu Yao’s eyes. She knew Gu Yao’s face always looked rough after pulling an all-nighter. She hadn’t paid close attention when Gu Yao first arrived, assuming it was just hospital anxiety and a bad mood. But now, it was clear something was off—this woman had definitely stayed up late.

“You’re checking out today, so why were you up all night last night?” Zhao Shuqing asked. A thought struck her, and she frowned. “Don’t tell me you were watching that live stream all night?”

The mermaids’ migration had started yesterday afternoon and dragged on until late into the night. They hadn’t boarded their ships and left until the early hours of the morning. Zhao Shuqing suspected Gu Yao had parked herself in front of a live stream and watched the whole thing—otherwise, those dark circles wouldn’t be so pronounced.

Caught out, Gu Yao started glancing around evasively. “Oh, come on, what are you talking about? I wasn’t watching any live stream. Even if I was, it’d be one of those spicy streamers. No way I’d watch mermaids. You’re overthinking it. I just couldn’t sleep the night before discharge, that’s all.”

“But I never said it was a mermaid live stream,” Zhao Shuqing pointed out.

Gu Yao froze, then fell silent.

The hospital room grew quiet. Zhao Shuqing looked at her and sighed.

“Forgetting someone takes time,” Gu Yao said suddenly, her voice low. “Just leave me be. I know what I’m doing. Right now, I can’t close my eyes without thinking of her. But I promise, it’ll only be like this for a little while. I’ll get back to living properly after.”

Gu Yao looked up and smiled at Zhao Shuqing. “I’ve still got to earn money for my goddaughters. I won’t stay down forever. Don’t worry.”

At eleven o’clock, Yue Jiuchu arrived. She raised an eyebrow in surprise at the mountain of luggage and turned to Gu Yao. “Looks like the room we prepared for you is a bit too small. You probably won’t fit all this stuff in there.”

Gu Yao waved it off. “It’s fine. I’m not staying long anyway. You can’t seriously expect me to hole up there for half a year, right?”

Yue Jiuchu smiled. “The mermaids’ migration is pretty much wrapped up as of yesterday. We’re doing a nationwide sweep now to check for any stragglers. If all goes smoothly, you’ll only need to stay at the military base for two months before you can get back to normal life.”

Delighted at the news of just two months, Gu Yao perked up. Zhao Shuqing escorted her to the base, made sure she knew the way, and then left.

Yue Jiuchu even walked her out to say goodbye.

“If you want to visit Gu Yao, just give me a call. I’ll arrange for someone to bring you in—otherwise, you might not get through,” Yue Jiuchu said, standing in front of her. “I heard from Commissioner Chen that you’re looking to get back to work? I’ve got a few positions that might suit you.”

Zhao Shuqing looked up at her. “My salary expectations aren’t low, and the benefits have to be solid. Most importantly, it can’t interfere with me coming home to take care of Lin Feng.”

Yue Jiuchu nodded. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll find something perfect for you. I’ll call once it’s settled.”

Just like that, Zhao Shuqing saw her job issue resolved. She nodded to Yue Jiuchu. “Alright. If you really line something up, dinner’s on me.”

Yue Jiuchu’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she watched Zhao Shuqing drive away.

In the months that followed, the nationwide dragnet swept from south to north, scouring every inhabited nook and cranny. They naturally caught a few mermaids who didn’t want to leave, most of whom had deep bonds with their families. Their relatives wept and begged for them to stay, but in the end, the police stepped in and escorted the mermaids away by force.

Every time Zhao Shuqing saw these news reports, her heart clenched. She dreaded the thought of Lin Feng being discovered and hauled off by that mob. Being deported would be merciful—at worst, they might see her swollen belly, assume it was a monster, and beat her to death on the spot.

Fortunately, Chen Huijun’s position carried weight, and no one dared come knocking for an inspection. Ye Gui and Lin Feng remained undisturbed.

Zhao Shuqing began to wonder if she should just move in with Chen Huijun and the others permanently. Getting caught after moving out would be a real hassle.

By now, Lin Feng’s belly was huge. The twins pressed on her organs, making it hard for her even to walk. Her feet had swollen up, yet she still happily stroked her stomach each day and chatted with the babies inside.

Zhao Shuqing carried a tray of food from the kitchen, intending to bring it upstairs to her. Lin Feng could no longer manage the stairs and had to stay in her room.

She had just reached the door when her phone rang. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was Yue Jiuchu calling. Not sure why Yue Jiuchu was ringing out of the blue, Zhao Shuqing answered while pushing the door open.

“Hello?” Zhao Shuqing said into the phone. “What’s up?”

“I got that job for you pretty much squared away. I’ll be at Commissioner Chen’s house shortly to talk details,” Yue Jiuchu replied.

Zhao Shuqing remembered then that Yue Jiuchu had indeed promised to help her find work two months ago. She had assumed it fell through after so long, but Yue Jiuchu hadn’t forgotten.

“Got it. Hurry over— you’ll catch lunch just in time,” Zhao Shuqing said a few more words and hung up. When she looked up, Lin Feng was gazing at her with those sparkling blue eyes. She tilted her head and asked, “Who was that?”

“Yue Jiuchu.” Zhao Shuqing walked to the bedside, pulled over the tray table, and set the meal in front of her. “She’s coming over to talk about the job. You eat first. Call me when you’re done.”

Lin Feng’s huge belly and swollen feet kept her mostly bedridden. Even bathroom trips required Zhao Shuqing’s help.

Today’s lunch was pickled fish and stir-fried greens. There was plenty of pickled fish, and Lin Feng loved that tangy flavor. She ate it readily enough. Before she finished, Zhao Shuqing heard a vehicle pulling into the courtyard. She stepped out to the balcony and locked eyes with Yue Jiuchu, who was just getting out.

Zhao Shuqing nodded to her, then returned to the room and told Lin Feng, “Yue Jiuchu’s here. I’ll head down and chat with her for a bit. Set your dishes aside when you’re done—I’ll clear them later.”

Lin Feng nodded. “Go ahead.”

Once Zhao Shuqing had left, Lin Feng glanced at the food. She usually ate cleanly, but today she just didn’t feel right. Her belly especially was uncomfortable, with the little fish inside kicking up a storm and causing her real pain.

“Be good now,” Lin Feng murmured, stroking her abdomen. “You’re hurting me too much…”

Downstairs, Zhao Shuqing saw Auntie greeting Yue Jiuchu and inviting her to eat. Yue Jiuchu smiled and pointed at Zhao Shuqing. “I’ll talk to her first.”

Auntie said warmly, “You can chat over lunch! Dr. Zhao hasn’t eaten yet either. Sit down together—I’ll dish some up for you both.”

With that, Yue Jiuchu had no good reason to refuse. She sat across from Zhao Shuqing at the table.

As they ate and chatted idly, Zhao Shuqing finally learned what kind of job Yue Jiuchu had found for her.

“We’ve received the first batch of immortality enzyme produced overseas—a few bottles of samples,” Yue Jiuchu said between bites. “They landed this morning. We want you, as an oceanography PhD, to join the research and verify if the stuff is real.”

Zhao Shuqing was stunned. “It’s already been produced? And it’s only been two months.”

Yue Jiuchu nodded. “The mermaids have probably been working on this tech for ages, so production didn’t hit many snags. The main ingredient is mermaid blood. You only get about 0.5 micrograms of immortality enzyme per 100 milliliters, so yields are low. We’ve only got two bottles right now.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded without hesitation. “Count me in. When can I see the immortality enzyme?”

Yue Jiuchu replied, “We’ll head out right after lunch. I’ll take you straight to the laboratory.”

Zhao Shuqing said, “Sounds good.”