Chapter 44

Gu Yao was a quirky girl full of wild ideas. Seeing that Lin Feng had never tried milk tea before, she immediately ordered some takeout—a Mango Pomelo Sago for Lin Feng and a grape milkshake for herself.

If there was one thing wrong with Zhao Shuqing, it was her overly high education level, which left her with zero sense of fun. She wasn’t interested in anything except burying herself in her computer to write papers for three days and nights straight. Meals? A plain bun and some pickled veggies would do just fine for her.

What was the point of living like that?

Gu Yao slurped her milk tea and remarked, “She just doesn’t have a girlfriend. If she did, she definitely wouldn’t live such a boring life.”

Lin Feng cradled the golden cup of Mango Pomelo Sago in her hands and took a sip, mimicking Gu Yao.

Hm?

So sweet.

Lin Feng’s eyes lit up instantly. She hugged the cup and gulped down half of it in one go. Gu Yao’s eyes widened in shock, and she hurriedly warned her, “You have to sip milk tea slowly, not chug it like water…”

But before Gu Yao could finish, Lin Feng’s cup was already empty.

“It’s delicious!” Lin Feng exclaimed excitedly.

Gu Yao glanced at her own half-drunk milk tea, then at Lin Feng’s empty cup. Hesitantly, she asked, “How about I order two more for you?”

Lin Feng nodded happily.

Gu Yao ordered two more cups in different flavors, and Lin Feng was thrilled. This time, she didn’t guzzle half at once. Instead, she sipped slowly like Gu Yao, occasionally pausing to chat with her.

Gu Yao found Lin Feng endlessly entertaining. She pulled her into a matching game on the tablet, switching to a few others now and then.

By the time Lin Feng had finished all three cups, she suddenly realized Zhao Shuqing still hadn’t shown up. She looked up at the tightly shut bedroom door, frowning slightly as she turned to Gu Yao. “Where’s Zhao Shuqing?”

“Shuqing… she’s probably playing with the cat,” Gu Yao replied, sticking to her earlier fib. “You know how much she loves cats.”

Lin Feng thought about it and figured that made sense. Though a bit uneasy, she lowered her head and went back to the game. But now that the thought had planted itself, she couldn’t focus. Every few minutes, she’d ask Gu Yao where Zhao Shuqing was.

Sweat beaded on Gu Yao’s forehead. As if remembering something, she stood up and said to Lin Feng, “I’ll go check on her. Wait here for me.”

Lin Feng nodded, hugging the tablet. Even when the game timer ran out, she barely noticed, her eyes flicking repeatedly to the door.

Gu Yao soon returned, carrying something.

“Shuqing’s still playing with the cat,” she said, sitting beside Lin Feng. She pulled out a bikini from behind her back. “She wants you to stay put at home—she’ll be over soon. Hey, you’ve been wearing those clothes for a while now. I bought this set and never wore it. It’d look perfect on you. Want to try it on?”

Lin Feng glanced at the clothes in Gu Yao’s hands. It was a bikini top shaped like seashells, adorned with pearls and what looked like starfish. It was pretty, but she wasn’t in the mood.

She shook her head, her delicate brows furrowing. “Where’s Zhao Shuqing?”

Gu Yao hemmed and hawed forever, desperately trying to change the subject, but Lin Feng wasn’t biting. She gazed pitifully at the door, repeating the same question over and over: “Where’s Zhao Shuqing?”

“Shuqing… she had to step out for something,” Gu Yao finally admitted. “She’ll be back soon.”

“Step out?” Lin Feng asked. “Where to?”

“To the hospital, to check on her teacher,” Gu Yao said. Then, as if struck by inspiration, she added, “You’ve never met Shuqing’s teacher?”

Lin Feng shook her head.

Finally, Gu Yao had hit on something that piqued Lin Feng’s interest. She scooted closer, pulling up Shen Qingming on her phone as she explained, “Professor Shen is a big shot in marine biology. He’s the first human in the country to see a mermaid with his own eyes. Here, check this out.”

Gu Yao held her phone screen up for Lin Feng. It showed Shen Qingming’s encyclopedia page.

As a titan in marine biology, Shen Qingming’s main research focused on mermaid habits, along with many other marine creatures and deep-sea environments.

When Lin Feng saw Shen Qingming’s photo, her eyes widened.

Besides recent shots, there was one of him in his forties—and the most famous one: the “mermaid’s silhouette.”

In a stretch of ocean, a faint figure with light hair turned its back, a blue tail arcing into the sea as it dove.

This was… that human?

Something clicked for Lin Feng in an instant. She snatched Gu Yao’s phone, as if she could dive into it herself. Her voice sharp, she demanded, “Where’s Zhao Shuqing?”

Gu Yao jumped.

Up until now, Lin Feng had been so docile and adorable—a beautiful mermaid who loved water and snacks, like a cute little critter. But now, that vibe was gone entirely. Gu Yao’s heart pounded as she watched.

Was this why Zhao Shuqing had warned her?

Lin Feng glanced up at Gu Yao, who instinctively wanted to bolt—but her phone was still in Lin Feng’s grip. Trembling, she stammered, “Sh-she went to the hospital.”

“The hospital?” Lin Feng’s brows knitted. She remembered that place; she’d just come from there. The thought made her set the phone down and swing her legs off the bed. But as soon as her tail touched the floor, pain shot through it, draining the color from her face. She stared dazedly at her tail.

Gu Yao cautiously reclaimed her phone. The case was crushed, but the device itself was fine. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Her brand-new phone, bought over New Year’s—thank goodness it wasn’t broken.

Seeing Lin Feng lost in thought over her injured tail, sympathy welled up in Gu Yao. Gently, she said, “Shuqing just went to the hospital to check on her teacher. She’ll be back soon. You don’t need to worry so much.”

Lin Feng shook her head. That man was a liar. She couldn’t let Zhao Shuqing be alone with him.

Staring down at her fishtail, Lin Feng resolved to stand anyway.

Gu Yao watched in horror as she slid off the bed, propping herself up on her tail toward the door. Fresh wounds split open one by one, blood seeping through the bandages. It hurt just to watch.

“W-wait!” Gu Yao cried, unable to bear it. She unfolded the wheelchair from nearby and resignedly said, “Don’t walk yourself. I’ll take you.”

Lin Feng glanced back, considered the throbbing pain in her tail, and obediently sat down.

Gu Yao wheeled her toward the door, but Lin Feng suddenly protested about her tail. Only then did Gu Yao remember to drape a blanket over it. When Lin Feng realized they weren’t heading the right way, she turned back questioningly. Gu Yao explained that the earlier place was a vet clinic—this was for humans, since Professor Shen was human.

Lin Feng frowned thoughtfully. Being human sure was complicated.

Meanwhile, Zhao Shuqing sat in the hospital room. She had been there for a while, not wanting to disturb Shen Qingming while he slept.

He was in a private room near the end of the floor, so it was exceptionally quiet.

Soon, the man on the bed slowly opened his eyes and saw Zhao Shuqing sitting beside him.

“Oh? It’s you.” Shen Qingming smiled at her. “What brings you here? How come you didn’t wake me when I was asleep?”

Zhao Shuqing helped him sit up, stuffing a pillow behind his back. “You were sleeping so soundly, Teacher. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Shen Qingming leaned against the pillow with a chuckle. “I was up all night yesterday and didn’t rest well. Xu Tang only just left before I dozed off.” He asked Zhao Shuqing, “Have you eaten?”

“Yes,” Zhao Shuqing replied with a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a grown woman—I can take care of myself.”

Shen Qingming laughed, gazing at her before slowly saying, “Your paper is excellent. It covers every angle. Do you… plan to publish it?”

“Hm?” Zhao Shuqing tilted her head, puzzled. “Isn’t that the whole point of writing a paper?”

“But this is the world’s first paper on mermaids,” Shen Qingming pointed out. “Once it’s out there, everyone will see it. They’ll build on your work, spinning off all sorts of new studies on mermaids.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “Isn’t that the goal? So everyone can see it and use it as a reference?”

Shen Qingming’s pupils contracted slightly. After a long hesitation, he asked, “But what if… all your data is wrong? What if mermaids aren’t what you think they are? Then all your hard work would be for nothing.”

Zhao Shuqing cocked her head, bewildered. “Teacher, why are you saying this all of a sudden? How could the mermaid data be wrong?”

Shen Qingming bit his chapped lips, clutching the bedsheet so tightly he nearly tore it.

“It was just a hypothetical,” he said with a strained smile. “This being the first mermaid paper ever, everyone else will reference your data. I just want you to double-check it.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “You’re right. I’ll verify the data again when I have time. But I don’t think there’ll be any issues—I checked it multiple times before compiling, so the margin for error is tiny.”

Shen Qingming turned his head away, eyes squeezing shut in agony.

He knew the whole world was watching Zhao Shuqing’s paper. Once published, everyone would believe mermaids were just humanoid fish: powerful in water, but weak on land with their obstructive tails needing constant moisture.

Mere animals. Fish. No threat to humans.

But was that the truth? Would her paper become the greatest hoax of the century?

Shen Qingming didn’t dare dwell on it. He was over sixty now, with few years left. He wouldn’t live to see the future of mermaids and humans.

But Zhao Shuqing was young. She had decades ahead. If she became the villain of humanity, could she bear it?

Shen Qingming was tormented.

He had no idea what to do.

“If…”

His voice trembled as he spoke, asking Zhao Shuqing, “If your entire research direction was wrong from the start, and in the end you realize you wasted your life only to get the answer ‘wrong,’ could you really accept that?”

Zhao Shuqing blinked, staring at her teacher. She couldn’t fathom why he was acting so strangely today.

Still, she thought it over seriously, then nodded calmly. “I could accept it.”