Chapter 27

Lin Feng’s desire to see a cat truly brought out Zhao Shuqing’s mischievous side.

Though she had no idea if Lin Feng was afraid of cats, since the Mermaid Miss wanted to see one, Zhao Shuqing had no reason to refuse. That very evening, she brought Pumpkin back home. The next morning, she lured the cat into the airline box with a can of food and headed straight to find Lin Feng.

Over the past couple of days, Lin Feng had fully adapted to life in the ecological pool. She was no longer as wary of Zhao Shuqing’s colleagues as she had been at first. She had even learned to speak simple sentences.

Like “What are we having for lunch?”, “What about dinner?”, and “What’s for a midnight snack?”

As soon as Zhao Shuqing entered carrying the airline box, her colleagues greeted her warmly. She smiled and replied, casually asking about Lin Feng’s condition from the previous night.

“Everything’s been fine,” one colleague assured her. “She just seems to love our food. I’m not sure if it’s causing any digestive issues.”

After all, Lin Feng had eaten raw fish in the ocean before. Cooked food was one thing, but all the seasonings might pose a problem.

From their time together so far, though, Lin Feng appeared to be gradually adapting to these foods. There hadn’t been any adverse reactions yet.

“We’ll keep observing her,” Zhao Shuqing said as she signed off on the paperwork. “Sticking to low oil and low salt can’t hurt.”

The colleague nodded and glanced curiously at the airline box in her hand. “What’s in there?”

Zhao Shuqing gave the box a look and grinned. “A cat.”

Under her colleague’s astonished gaze, Zhao Shuqing carried the cat to the ecological pool. She sat by the edge and patted the water’s surface. Lin Feng soon poked her head out, her damp eyes fixed on Zhao Shuqing as she smiled and greeted, “Zhao Shuqing.”

Zhao Shuqing laughed and patted the box beside her. “See what I’ve brought you?”

Lin Feng sat up curiously, eyeing the box and then Zhao Shuqing. Realization dawned, and she exclaimed in delight, “A cat?”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “That’s right, a cat.”

With that, she opened the airline box and lifted out her Little Fatty. Lin Feng peered curiously over Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder. When Zhao Shuqing turned around, cat and mermaid locked eyes.

Pumpkin caught the scent of fish and narrowed her eyes at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng’s smile froze on her face. She stared in stunned silence for a long moment.

Zhao Shuqing stroked the chubby cat’s head and said to Lin Feng, “This is a cat. Want to pet her?”

At that moment, Lin Feng had no inkling of what danger meant. She gazed blankly at Zhao Shuqing, then down at the cat, feeling an inexplicable terror deep in her gut—like the fear she felt around Xu Tang.

Zhao Shuqing took Lin Feng’s hand and placed it on Pumpkin’s head. Lin Feng let out an immediate shriek, and Pumpkin leaped forward, pouncing right at her.

Splash!

The ten-plus-pound chubby cat smashed Lin Feng straight into the water. Her scream bubbled away beneath the surface. Zhao Shuqing paled in fright and lunged to haul the thrashing cat out of the pool.

Pumpkin seemed to have found a new toy. She kicked her legs and dove back toward the ecological pool. Lin Feng wailed from below, turning the laboratory into utter chaos.

It took some effort to separate the cat and the mermaid. A colleague scooped up the green-eyed Little Fatty and carried her away. Pumpkin meowed unhappily in the stranger’s arms, her eyes locked hungrily on Lin Feng in the water, as if ready to pounce again at any second.

Lin Feng—the ocean overlord who could tear wild boars apart with her bare hands—now crouched in the water with several bloody scratches on her arms. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she wiped away tears, looking utterly pitiful.

Zhao Shuqing wanted to laugh but felt sorry for her. She crouched by the pool and comforted Lin Feng at length. Tiny pearls of tears tumbled from Lin Feng’s eyes in grievance, plopping into the water and sinking to the bottom.

Zhao Shuqing reached out and caught one. The teardrop, laced with a gelatinous substance, gleamed faintly as it hit the water, resembling a genuine pearl. She immediately grabbed a nearby tool to collect a sample. Lin Feng stared at her in a daze.

She was crying, and this woman was only thinking about taking samples?

Damn humans!

With an angry flick of her tail, Lin Feng dove back into the depths, clearly furious.

Zhao Shuqing hurriedly handed the sample to her colleague for analysis. When she turned back, Lin Feng had vanished.

She was really mad this time??

Zhao Shuqing raised an eyebrow. True, Lin Feng had insisted on seeing the cat, but it was Zhao Shuqing’s mischief that had started it all. Now that she’d upset her, it was only right to make amends. Zhao Shuqing cooed by the ecological pool all morning, but nothing worked as well as the steamed fish a colleague brought at lunchtime.

During lunch, the colleague handed over yesterday’s report.

“The mermaid’s physiological functions are 80% similar to humans, especially her blood and genes—they’re almost identical,” Ye Xun, the team lead, explained to Zhao Shuqing, pointing out a few data points. “Right here and here. Extremely similar, practically the same.”

Zhao Shuqing examined the comparison values, frowning slightly as she bit into her cucumber.

Ye Xun continued, “The genetics team’s full report will arrive this afternoon—I’ll show you then. And this part.” She flipped to a page. “The wound on Lin Feng’s tail is deep—nearly ten centimeters of tissue was severed.”

Zhao Shuqing knew that; she’d seen it when Lin Feng was first brought in.

“Mermaids should have strong self-healing abilities, but this wound hasn’t closed yet,” Ye Xun mused. “It might be too severe.”

“Any long-term effects?” Zhao Shuqing asked.

“Her current condition shows no anomalies, but given the depth, we should treat it properly,” Ye Xun replied. “An expert on this will come by this afternoon. We’ll get their opinion.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. They finished lunch quickly and prepared to examine the wound on Lin Feng’s tail together.

During those few days on land, the wound had been exposed, caked with dirt and grime. The newly healed flesh had festered again. When the expert arrived and inspected it, they decided to apply a common animal ointment and see how it went.

Lin Feng sat on the edge of the pool as Zhao Shuqing held her tail and applied the medicine. Her gaze lingered on Zhao Shuqing’s fair, slender fingers, dusted with powder as they gently rubbed it into the wound.

“If it hurts, tell me,” Zhao Shuqing said softly. “Not sure if it’ll work, but it’s worth trying.”

Knowing Lin Feng wouldn’t let anyone but Zhao Shuqing touch her, the others could only watch and occasionally guide her technique. Fortunately, applying ointment was straightforward.

Lin Feng eyed her now-bandaged tail and wrinkled her nose at the smell. She opened her mouth to complain to Zhao Shuqing, only to have an orange-flavored fruit candy popped into it. She mumbled around it, “Zhao Shuqing.”

Zhao Shuqing glanced at her. “What is it, little ancestor?”

Lin Feng thought for a moment, chewed up the orange candy, and said, “Peach.”

Of course, now she was getting picky.

Zhao Shuqing popped a peach-flavored fruit candy into her mouth and instructed her not to go back in the water for now. Then she was called aside.

“What’s up?” Zhao Shuqing asked, taking a seat at the conference table and looking puzzled at the experts gathered there.

Ye Xun, as team lead, explained, “The genetics report just came in. Since you’re here, we figured we’d review it together.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded and picked up the file in front of her. She paused at the section on Lin Feng’s age, then turned to Ye Xun and whispered, “Is this age wrong?”

Ye Xun checked it. “No mistake. By our calculations, Lin Feng is indeed around thirty to fifty years old.”

Zhao Shuqing twisted to glance at the mermaid idly splashing water by the poolside. She blurted out in disbelief, “She looks thirty??”

Everyone chuckled. Ye Xun smiled too and explained, “Mermaids live about five hundred years. By their standards, Lin Feng is still a minor.”

Zhao Shuqing choked on her words, realizing she’d asked a foolish, unprofessional question.

But for some reason, the age surprised her. Lin Feng usually seemed… pretty cute.

Zhao Shuqing sneaked another glance at her.

The ecological pool lay beneath a skylight. The sunlight streamed in gently, bathing Lin Feng in a layer of platinum glow that accentuated her pale skin and handsome features.

Her light hair draped behind her, revealing rounded, pink-tinged shoulders, a lovely collarbone, and a graceful neck.

Without that massive, beautiful fish tail, no one would guess Lin Feng was a mermaid.

Lin Feng seemed to sense Zhao Shuqing’s gaze. She turned her head slightly, meeting her eyes through the milling crowd.

Zhao Shuqing’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away, staring fixedly at the file without reading a word. After a moment, she dared to glance back and found Lin Feng still watching her calmly.

Lin Feng smiled softly and mouthed through the distance: 【Zhao Shuqing.】

After spending the day in the laboratory, Zhao Shuqing didn’t return to her dormitory until after eight in the evening.

She’d just lain down to rest when a knock sounded at the door. Gu Yao called from outside, “Shuqing, I heard you come in! Open up!”

Zhao Shuqing scrambled up and opened the door to find Gu Yao standing there with Pumpkin in her arms, shooting her a resentful glare. “How could you throw the cat in the water? Don’t you know cats hate water most of all?”

Zhao Shuqing eyed the chubby cat in her arms, figuring it was unlikely to have tattled.

But not impossible.

“How’d you know?” Zhao Shuqing asked, puzzled. Knowing Gu Yao doted on Pumpkin and would side with her, she explained preemptively, “She jumped in on her own—I barely fished her out. Counting this, I’ve saved her twice now. How’s it all my fault?”

Gu Yao pouted. “Move aside. I’m not arguing with you.”

Zhao Shuqing stepped out of the way. Gu Yao strode in, set Pumpkin down in her cat bed, and fussed over her fur in a babyish voice. “Auntie will play with you again tomorrow, okay, my precious kitty~?”

“You love her so much—why don’t you take her for a bit?” Zhao Shuqing suggested. “I’m swamped lately. Daytimes in the lab with Lin Feng, evenings writing papers. No time to care for her.”

“You think I’ve got time?” Gu Yao sighed, petting Little Pumpkin’s head as she griped to Zhao Shuqing. “Our group’s got this new project on double female reproduction.”