Lin Feng’s request was far too abrupt. For a moment, Zhao Shuqing couldn’t fully process it. But then she remembered leaning down during the day to kiss Lin Feng’s tail fin, and her face instantly turned bright red.
“Stop fooling around,” Zhao Shuqing said, lying in bed with her eyes closed. “Go to sleep already.”
Lin Feng stared at her in disbelief. Sometimes she truly couldn’t understand humans. They were fine kissing her tail, but not her?
Did that mean she was somehow inferior to a ragged old tail fin?
“Zhao Shuqing…”
Lin Feng still wanted to press the issue. She scooted closer and whispered, “Just one kiss.”
Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Shuqing’s skin. She kept her eyes stubbornly shut. “Sleep.”
Lin Feng fell silent.
After a dozen seconds or so, Zhao Shuqing thought Lin Feng had finally given up. Then suddenly, she felt a pair of hands sneaking up from under the covers. She jolted her eyes open in fright.
The moment she did, her gaze locked with Lin Feng’s. Lin Feng was leaning over her, one hand propping up her body while the other had slipped under Zhao Shuqing’s shirt to touch the smooth plane of her abdomen. Caught red-handed, Lin Feng showed no embarrassment. Instead, she fixed those innocent blue eyes on Zhao Shuqing and leaned in closer, murmuring her name: “Zhao Shuqing…”
Right now, Zhao Shuqing utterly loathed her own name. The way Lin Feng said it felt like a death knell, making her heart quiver.
Being pinned to the bed wasn’t pleasant. Zhao Shuqing’s brows furrowed slightly as she reached out to steady herself on Lin Feng’s waist. In a low voice, she asked, “What are you trying to do?”
Lin Feng glanced at the hand on her waist, then looked down at Zhao Shuqing. “Kiss.”
Zhao Shuqing: “…”
She closed her eyes in despair, realizing there would be no sleep without complying. Resigned, she told Lin Feng, “Fine. But get off me first. Let me sit up.”
Seeing Zhao Shuqing agree, Lin Feng cheerfully withdrew her hands and sat obediently beside her. Zhao Shuqing propped herself up, leaned over, and pecked Lin Feng swiftly on the cheek before flopping back down with a thud.
It happened so fast, like a lightning strike—Lin Feng hadn’t even reacted.
That was it??
Lin Feng blinked, then turned to the woman who was already drifting off to sleep. Puffing out her cheeks in frustration, she thumped Zhao Shuqing’s arm. “Zhao Shuqing!”
Zhao Shuqing slanted a glance at her, then sighed helplessly and sat up again. She scratched her head before looking at Lin Feng. “Are you sure you want me to kiss you?”
Lin Feng nodded.
“Why?” Zhao Shuqing asked, puzzled. “You’ve never made such an outrageous demand before.”
Lin Feng thought for a moment, then leaned forward with both hands planted on the bed. “I like you.”
Zhao Shuqing: “…”
Damn it, her heart was pounding like it was about to explode.
But she had to stay calm.
Zhao Shuqing, Zhao Shuqing—how could she take a fish’s words seriously?
Even if it was a talking fish.
After steadying her emotions, Zhao Shuqing said to Lin Feng, “Liking someone isn’t something you say lightly. Kissing isn’t either—it’s not for just anyone. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Lin Feng nodded solemnly. “Only you.”
Zhao Shuqing was at her limit. How could a fish who could barely speak fluently deliver such straightforward sweet talk?
She pressed a hand to her forehead and gave Lin Feng a conflicted look. Lin Feng was gazing at her with brimming anticipation, those blue eyes sparkling like gems, practically begging for the kiss.
Fine… just kiss her then.
It was Lin Feng who had asked, after all.
Steel ing her resolve, Zhao Shuqing leaned in. She cupped Lin Feng’s small face and slowly lowered her head.
Lin Feng’s cheeks were petite enough to fit in one hand. Zhao Shuqing caressed the smooth, cool skin, which felt like warm jade. Lin Feng tilted her head up slightly, lips parted, allowing Zhao Shuqing to glimpse the tip of her pink tongue inside.
Kissing a mermaid didn’t feel as bad as she’d imagined.
Zhao Shuqing gently captured Lin Feng’s lips. The initial touch was cool, like kissing porcelain, but warmth soon bloomed. Lin Feng’s lips grew moist and heated, as if thawing under her own.
Lin Feng kept her eyes open during the kiss, her long lashes trembling faintly. It made Zhao Shuqing feel a bit awkward.
“Close your eyes,” she murmured to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng paused, then obediently shut them.
Zhao Shuqing wrapped an arm around Lin Feng’s waist and dipped her head again to claim her lips.
Zhao Shuqing had no kissing experience. She held Lin Feng rigidly, pressing a few light kisses to her lips. Even that was enough to blank her mind.
She was kissing a mermaid.
The realization thrilled and mortified her in equal measure. After a shallow exchange, she pushed Lin Feng away.
Lin Feng opened her eyes again and looked at Zhao Shuqing, whose face was flushed scarlet and who couldn’t meet her gaze. Lin Feng licked her lips, rested a hand on Zhao Shuqing’s knee, and called softly, “Zhao Shuqing.”
No more calling, my little ancestor.
Zhao Shuqing shot her a glare with her still-burning face, then threw back the covers and lay down, turning her back to Lin Feng. “Kiss done. Now sleep.”
No matter how Lin Feng shook her afterward, Zhao Shuqing pretended to be asleep. In the end, Lin Feng had no choice but to snuggle clingily against Zhao Shuqing’s back and drift off.
Inside the hospital room, Shen Qingming leaned against his pillow. Beside him sat the live-in nanny, who was ladling porridge for him when sounds came from the doorway.
Xu Tang stood there in a white trench coat. She glanced at the old man in the bed and nodded slightly to the nanny. “Aunt Liu, how is Teacher Shen doing?”
The night before, Shen Qingming had been working when his asthma suddenly flared up. Luckily, Aunt Liu hadn’t gone to bed yet. She rushed over at the noise, gave him his medication, and called an ambulance. They had rushed him to the hospital overnight.
Aunt Liu set down the bowl and chopsticks, standing to greet Xu Tang. “Teacher Shen is doing all right. The doctors say it was caught in time, but he needs to stay for observation.”
Xu Tang nodded and walked to the bedside. In a soft voice, she said to Aunt Liu, “Why don’t you take a break? I’ll feed Teacher Shen.”
Aunt Liu knew Xu Tang had private matters to discuss with Shen Qingming. She gathered her things and left the room, closing the door behind her.
“Xu Tang…”
Shen Qingming asked weakly from his pillow, “What brings you here?”
“To check on you, Teacher.” Xu Tang picked up the bowl and stirred it with a spoon before asking, “How did a perfectly healthy person suddenly fall ill? I heard you were still up past midnight last night.”
Shen Qingming nodded with a faint smile. “Getting old—staying up late takes its toll.”
Xu Tang smiled too. She fed him a few spoonfuls before saying, “Ever since you saw that mermaid, you’ve been restless. Are you thinking about the past?”
Shen Qingming nodded silently.
Over twenty years ago, Shen Qingming had been in his prime, in his forties with no family. He poured all his energy into research, spending nearly ten months of the year at sea. That was when he first encountered a mermaid.
“She was hiding behind the rocks on the shore, watching me,” Shen Qingming said, his cloudy eyes lost in memory. He murmured to Xu Tang, “She hasn’t changed a bit—she’s still as beautiful as ever.”
Xu Tang watched him calmly as he continued, “Back then, I was alone nearby. She swam up holding a feverish Zhao Shuqing. That was my first time seeing a beautiful mermaid.”
The young Shen Qingming stared in awe at the stunning creature before him. His gaze fell to the bundle in her arms: a four- or five-year-old girl with flushed cheeks and rapid breaths, clearly ill.
Accidents from running aground were common in those waters, especially after the violent storm a couple of days prior. Shen Qingming guessed the mermaid had rescued the human child.
Lin Feng had no name back then. She met Shen Qingming’s eyes with her gem-like blue ones and thrust the child into his arms.
“Shu… Qing…”
The mermaid uttered two words. Before Shen Qingming could even process them, she turned and dove back into the sea. Only then did he react. Cradling the child in one arm, he fumbled for his phone with the other and snapped a few photos of the departing mermaid.
Those were the first images ever captured of a mermaid.
Shen Qingming took the child to the nearest hospital and called the police, claiming he’d found her on the shore without mentioning the mermaid. The police traced her through records: Zhao Shuqing, daughter of ordinary fishermen whose boat had vanished in the storm two days earlier.
Days later, authorities confirmed the boat was lost. Zhao Shuqing was sent to an orphanage.
Shen Qingming published his paper but never forgot the child. He sponsored her education. She proved brilliant and excelling, breezing through her master’s and then pursuing a PhD under him.
“I never thought I’d see her again,” Shen Qingming whispered to Xu Tang. “She’s different from the photos now, but still so beautiful.”
Xu Tang listened impassively to the full story from back then. With no change in expression, she stirred the steaming porridge in the bowl and said slowly, “I hope Zhao Shuqing never finds out about this. You feel the same way, don’t you, Teacher?”
Shen Qingming paused, then sighed after a long moment. “I understand. I promised you I wouldn’t tell her. But who can guarantee she’ll never learn the truth?”
Xu Tang halted her movements and looked up at him. “As long as we both keep quiet, she won’t.”
Shen Qingming shook his head and murmured softly, “You still don’t understand humans…”
When Zhao Shuqing woke, she learned Shen Qingming had been hospitalized. She immediately called Xu Tang, who was right there in the room. They switched to video, saw that Shen Qingming looked decent enough, and breathed a sigh of relief.
During the call, Shen Qingming hadn’t forgotten about Zhao Shuqing’s paper. He had her make a few revisions and send them to Xu Tang afterward.
Zhao Shuqing nodded and prepared to get back to writing.
Back in the room, she saw Lin Feng still clutching a pillow in sleep. Shaking her head, she recalled how the mermaid had clung to her all night, leaving her back and waist sore. Even rolling over was a chore.
She set breakfast on the table first, then sat on the bed’s edge and patted Lin Feng’s backside. “Little ancestor, time to get up.”
Lin Feng frowned as she opened her eyes. Spotting Zhao Shuqing, she smiled lazily, grabbed her clothes, and cooed sweetly and softly, “Wifey.”
Zhao Shuqing: “…” These days were getting harder and harder to bear.
