Chapter 41

Zhao Shuqing and Gu Yao were still tidying up on the balcony. Gu Yao had just asked Lin Feng how many days she planned to stay when a sharp scream echoed from the bedroom.

The two women whipped around immediately. Lin Feng was huddled in the corner against the wall, clutching the quilt tightly. The yellow figure looming in front of her was instantly recognizable to anyone.

“Pumpkin?”

Gu Yao’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “I forgot to close the bedroom door.”

The fat cat had one paw outstretched toward Lin Feng’s tail. Zhao Shuqing lunged forward in a flash. Amid Lin Feng’s piercing screams, she grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck and flung it toward Gu Yao.

Gu Yao caught the hefty creature in her arms. The impact nearly made her regurgitate her dinner.

Too heavy.

How was this cat so damn heavy?

Lin Feng spotted Zhao Shuqing and immediately flung aside the quilt. She threw herself forward, sobbing and shouting, “There’s a cat!”

Zhao Shuqing caught her and held her close, gently patting her back to soothe her. “The cat’s gone. The cat’s gone. You’re safe now.”

Lin Feng was terrified half to death. She had never seen such a horrifying creature before. Tears streamed down her face, turning her eyes red. She clutched Zhao Shuqing’s clothes tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gu Yao approached from the balcony with the cat in her arms. Pumpkin caught sight of Lin Feng and struggled fiercely to lunge at her. Lin Feng let out a few more panicked yelps. Gu Yao quickly tightened her grip on the surprisingly strong fat cat and asked Zhao Shuqing curiously, “Lin Feng’s afraid of cats?”

Zhao Shuqing let out a helpless hum while comforting the trembling woman in her arms. “Take the cat back for now. She can’t handle seeing it.”

Gu Yao nodded and hurried away with the cat. Pumpkin let out a series of indignant yowls as it grew farther from its “big fish,” sounding like a little leopard poised to pounce.

Once Gu Yao had taken the cat away, Zhao Shuqing wrapped her arm around Lin Feng’s waist and murmured softly, “It’s gone now. Open your eyes and take a look.”

Lin Feng sniffled and lifted her head. Confirming the room was cat-free, she wrapped her arms around Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders with a grievance and whimpered, “I’m scared…”

What kind of creature was a cat, anyway?

How could it be even scarier than Xu Tang?

The moment it had fixed its gaze on her, Lin Feng had felt her life flashing before her eyes.

Lin Feng trembled all over from crying. Zhao Shuqing spent a long time coaxing her—patting her shoulders and pressing kisses to her forehead—before she finally stopped.

Zhao Shuqing pulled out some wet wipes to clean Lin Feng’s tear-streaked face. Noticing the sweat beading on her skin, she turned on the air conditioner and lowered the temperature. Only then did she say softly, “Cats aren’t that scary, you know. Look how small it is. You wouldn’t be afraid of it when you hunt wild boars.”

Lin Feng sniffled. “It’s different.”

A cat wasn’t like a wild boar.

A cat wasn’t like anything else.

The mere thought of that plump, fierce-faced orange tabby made fresh tears well up in Lin Feng’s eyes. Zhao Shuqing smiled wryly and held her close, coaxing her a while longer. In the end, she decided to board the cat with Gu Yao temporarily.

Once she had calmed the mermaid down, Zhao Shuqing disposed of the used wet wipes outside. Gu Yao’s door stood wide open.

The dormitory housed only colleagues, so petty theft was rare. They usually left their doors open while lounging in their rooms. Today must have been no exception—Pumpkin had simply slipped out unnoticed.

Zhao Shuqing stepped to the doorway. Gu Yao sat in a chair, feeding Pumpkin treats while murmuring softly to it, as if coaxing a child.

One person soothing the cat, the other soothing the fish.

A clear division of labor.

Gu Yao glanced up at the sound. Seeing Zhao Shuqing, she raised an eyebrow. “I heard Lin Feng crying earlier. Is she doing better now?”

“Much better.” Zhao Shuqing stepped inside. Gu Yao’s room mirrored her own in layout but felt far cozier—wallpaper adorned the walls, a rug covered the floor, and the bed was made up with soft pink bedding.

Gu Yao squeezed out the last bit of treat for Pumpkin and leaned back in her chair with a grin. “So, Lin Feng’s scared of cats?”

Zhao Shuqing nodded.

Gu Yao chuckled. “I thought your beautiful mermaid feared nothing under heaven. Who knew cats would be her kryptonite?”

Zhao Shuqing sighed helplessly. “Yeah. She’d never seen one before. The first time nearly killed her with fright, and now the second time has her in tears again.”

Gu Yao laughed lightly and scooped up Pumpkin. “Sounds like one thing checks another.”

Zhao Shuqing had to agree.

“Since Lin Feng’s terrified of cats, there’s no helping it. Your Pumpkin will have to bunk with me for now.” Gu Yao hefted the orange cat by its rump. “You’re gonna chip in for food, right, Boss Zhao?”

That went without saying. The cat was hers, after all—Gu Yao was just doing her a favor.

“Let me know how much it eats, and I’ll transfer the money.” Zhao Shuqing reached over to stroke the chubby cat’s head. Pumpkin looked up at her and let out a sweet, soft meow.

Gu Yao translated, “She’s asking when you’re picking her up.”

Zhao Shuqing lifted the cat from Gu Yao’s arms and planted a kiss on its head. “No can do for a while, sweetie. Stay with Auntie Gu Yao, and I’ll get you some canned food later.”

Pumpkin meowed again, seemingly in agreement.

Zhao Shuqing adored her little furball. She showered it with reluctant kisses but eventually handed it back to Gu Yao, entrusting her with its care while Lin Feng stayed over.

With a sigh, Zhao Shuqing left Gu Yao’s place.

When could she finally have her cake and eat it too—fish and cat under one roof?

The evening sun hung beautifully on the horizon, a warm orange glow. Zhao Shuqing opened her door to find Lin Feng sprawled on the bed, hugging a pillow. The sunset’s rays bathed the headboard, making the mermaid shimmer like gold.

Lin Feng slept fitfully, her brows furrowed tightly.

Zhao Shuqing tiptoed over, raised the air conditioner temperature a notch, and tucked the quilt around her.

She glanced at Lin Feng’s tail, deciding to let her rest a bit longer before reapplying the medicine.

When she booted up her laptop, Zhao Shuqing saw a message from Shen Qingming. He had reviewed her paper and found it excellent overall but marked several spots needing revision, which he had resent with annotations.

While it downloaded, Zhao Shuqing let her mind wander.

Shen Qingming was over sixty, due to retire in a couple of years. With his strong academic record, he’d likely be rehired… No, that wasn’t it. Zhao Shuqing recalled how, in the hospital room, his cloudy eyes had suddenly lit up at the sight of the comatose Lin Feng—like he had glimpsed something long-awaited.

Long-awaited?

Propping her chin on her hand, Zhao Shuqing stared at Shen Qingming’s chat window. Professor Shen wasn’t seeing a mermaid for the first time; he had been the first to encounter a real one years ago, even making the news. Yet his reaction that day hadn’t matched a first sighting.

Shock. Panic.

Followed by an odd sense of relief.

It was strange.

Zhao Shuqing wondered why Shen Qingming had shown that expression. Was he hiding something from her?

A ding signaled the file had finished downloading. She snapped back to focus.

Even if Professor Shen was keeping secrets, they probably didn’t concern her. He was her advisor, she his student—what was she going to do, storm his house for answers?

Zhao Shuqing shook her head and clicked open the compressed file. Soon, she was immersed in revisions, determined to polish the paper overnight and send it back.

By the time Zhao Shuqing finished, it was deep into the night. She sent the updated version, surprised to see Shen Qingming still awake. He even replied with an OK hand emoji.

Zhao Shuqing typed back quickly, “It’s late, Teacher. Check it tomorrow.”

Shen Qingming responded, “No problem. I’ll just skim your changes.”

Since he insisted, Zhao Shuqing didn’t argue. If they wrapped it up tonight, she could approach Xu Tang tomorrow and get the paper published.

“Mmm… cat… cat…”

Just then, Lin Feng jolted awake. Her eyes red-rimmed, she sat up clutching the pillow and looked around in bewildered panic. Spotting Zhao Shuqing, she let out a whimper and burst into tears.

Zhao Shuqing hurried over. Lin Feng tossed the pillow aside and burrowed into her arms, clinging tightly. “Scared.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Zhao Shuqing held her gently and murmured, “The cat won’t come here. You’re safe now.”

Lin Feng nodded and peered outside. The sky had darkened completely.

Zhao Shuqing asked, “Are you hungry?”

Lin Feng turned to her. “Hungry.”

“How about some porridge?” Zhao Shuqing suggested. “There’s a bowl left from dinner in the fridge. I’ll heat it up for you.”

“Okay.”

With Lin Feng’s agreement, Zhao Shuqing smiled softly. She leaned down to kiss her forehead before heading to the kitchenette.

Lin Feng sat dazed on the bed for a long moment before it sank in. She touched her smooth forehead, realizing Zhao Shuqing had just kissed her there.

What was going on with her today?

A tail kiss earlier, now her forehead.

Lin Feng remembered how, the last time she had kissed Zhao Shuqing in this room, the woman had bolted like a startled squid.

She rubbed her forehead, cheeks flushing pink. Seeing Zhao Shuqing rummaging in the fridge with her back turned, Lin Feng hugged the pillow and flopped back down.

If not for her injured tail, she really would have wagged it.

Zhao Shuqing reheated the porridge for Lin Feng, tossing in some fresh dried shrimp to simmer a bit longer. The aroma of shrimp and fish fillet porridge wafted enticingly. Lin Feng’s hunger hit her full force as she sat expectantly on the bed’s edge.

Zhao Shuqing blew on each spoonful before feeding it to her. Every so often, she glanced at her laptop to see if Teacher Shen had replied.

But even after Lin Feng finished the bowl, there was no response.

Did it really take that long?

Zhao Shuqing cleared the dishes, washed them in the kitchen, and applied fresh medicine to Lin Feng’s tail. Seeing no reply from Shen Qingming, she finally closed the laptop.

“It’s getting late. Let’s sleep.” Zhao Shuqing turned to Lin Feng. “I’ll take the outside tonight; you get the inside.”

The dormitory bed wasn’t large—about five feet wide. Two people would be a tight fit, but they’d make do for one night and figure out an extension tomorrow.

Lin Feng rolled inward on the bed. Zhao Shuqing climbed in and pulled the quilt over her.

Now lying there, Lin Feng clutched the air-conditioned blanket and gazed at her, blinking. “Zhao Shuqing.”

“Hm?” Zhao Shuqing tilted her head. “What’s up?”

Lin Feng hesitated, then asked, “Can you… kiss me?”

Zhao Shuqing: “…Huh?”