Chapter 48

When Zhao Shuqing heard that word “want” from Lin Feng, she could no longer control herself. She lowered her head, cupped Lin Feng’s face, and kissed her.

This kiss was far more fervent than the ones before. Zhao Shuqing used the tip of her tongue to pry open Lin Feng’s teeth. The mermaid’s teeth were somewhat sharp, feeling like little fangs when licked. Lin Feng’s tongue brought a cool sensation that clashed with the heat, as if it might melt them both.

Lin Feng had never truly been kissed before—her few experiences had all been with Zhao Shuqing. Now, she felt utterly dazed by the kiss. By the time she gathered her wits, she had already climbed onto Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders, pressing her entire body into the woman’s embrace.

Zhao Shuqing wrapped one arm around her waist while the other slid beneath her tail. She lifted Lin Feng right out of the chair. Lin Feng gave a startled jolt and clutched tightly at Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders.

Their lips never parted. Zhao Shuqing carried her to the bed and leaned down for another kiss.

Her hand trailed over Lin Feng’s shoulders and waist, then to the shimmering-scaled rear of her hips and tail. Lin Feng’s tail was incredibly sensitive; the lightest touch made her whole body tremble. Her brows furrowed, but she still gripped Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders, refusing to let her pull away.

“Mmm…”

Lin Feng’s eyes were red-rimmed. She felt as if she had been boiled alive, scorching hot all over.

Zhao Shuqing’s hands were like sparks igniting a fire. Everywhere they touched, Lin Feng burned hotter. In the end, she could only tilt her head back, gasping for air in deep breaths, her chest heaving like a fish stranded out of water.

Zhao Shuqing was lost in the moment too. She heedlessly licked along the other woman’s shoulders and collarbone.

There was a faint taste of sea salt.

She loved it.

Suddenly, Lin Feng’s tail quivered in Zhao Shuqing’s grasp. Lin Feng clutched the pillow desperately, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at Zhao Shuqing. Understanding dawned, and Zhao Shuqing looked down. Sure enough, that fish scale had opened again.

The slit beneath the scale had parted slightly too, revealing a glimpse of pink flesh inside.

Zhao Shuqing’s mind buzzed, going blank. She stared intently at the scale, her hand moving of its own accord to cover it.

“Woo…”

Lin Feng’s voice shifted to a whimper. Her whole body shook as she buried the side of her face in the pillow. Zhao Shuqing saw that even her neck had flushed red.

“Does it hurt?” Zhao Shuqing asked softly. “If it’s too much, we can stop here.”

As she spoke, Zhao Shuqing started to pull her hand away, but Lin Feng pressed it back in place. Her tail rubbed gently against Zhao Shuqing’s side, and she whispered,

“Don’t go…”

Lin Feng lifted her head, mustering her courage to say, “Come in.”

Zhao Shuqing sucked in a sharp breath.

Sometimes she really didn’t get it—was Lin Feng deliberately teasing her by saying things like that?

Come in? Did Lin Feng even realize what that meant?

“Lin Feng.” Zhao Shuqing’s voice trembled as she spoke. She leaned close and asked softly, “Do you know…”

“I know.” Lin Feng cut her off eagerly, pressing Zhao Shuqing’s hand in place while her tail coiled around the woman’s calf, rubbing against it. “Come in. Just you.”

Lin Feng’s tail continued to rub against Zhao Shuqing, who was sweating now, their body temperatures rising together. Held in her arms, Lin Feng went soft like a boneless fish. The persistent rubbing of that tail was driving Zhao Shuqing crazy with need. Finally, she pinched Lin Feng’s chin and kissed her fiercely.

They kissed on the bed. It was Lin Feng’s first time being touched like this. Though she tried her best to hold back, her tail instinctively wrapped around Zhao Shuqing’s waist, laying herself completely bare.

Zhao Shuqing nipped at her lips, caressing that clingy, massive blue tail. Amid Lin Feng’s soft gasps, the tail finally went limp and slid from Zhao Shuqing’s waist, hitting the bed with a heavy thud.

The impact startled Zhao Shuqing. She quickly withdrew her hand to check the wound on Lin Feng’s tail.

Fortunately, it hadn’t torn open again.

Zhao Shuqing turned back to look at Lin Feng lying on the bed. Her chest rose and fell dramatically in the aftermath, her eyes unfocused and dazed. Her slender white hand dangled off the edge of the bed, catching the moonlight in her palm.

There was still a sticky, warm sensation on her skin. Zhao Shuqing meant to head to the bathroom to wash up first, but Lin Feng tugged at the hem of her clothes.

“Don’t go…” Lin Feng looked up at her with grievance, her expression making Zhao Shuqing feel like some heartless cad who bullied a girl and then bolted.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Zhao Shuqing said softly. “I’m just going to take a quick shower, then I’ll come back and stay with you.”

Only then did Lin Feng release her grip.

In the bathroom, Zhao Shuqing stared at her hand, her ears burning hot. Closing her eyes brought back every scene from moments ago. She shook her head to clear it and turned on the shower for a sobering rinse.

This was too absurd…

When Zhao Shuqing emerged from the shower, she found Lin Feng already asleep.

She lay on her side, her tail wrapped tightly around the blanket in her arms, sleeping soundly.

Zhao Shuqing sat on the edge of the bed and watched her for a while before carefully prying the blanket free and draping it gently over Lin Feng.

Rather than climbing into bed right away, Zhao Shuqing threw on a jacket and sat down at the desk. She opened her laptop, created a new document, and after some thought, titled it “Basic Structure of Mermaid Reproductive Cavity.”

Zhao Shuqing rubbed her flushed cheeks, determined to approach this with the rigor of a true scholar.

She was confident that no one else could understand the internal structure of a mermaid’s reproductive cavity better than she did right now… probably.

Ever since that incident, Zhao Shuqing had been deliberately avoiding Lin Feng whenever she could—though it wasn’t like she could hide far. Whenever Lin Feng demanded a kiss or some petting, Zhao Shuqing would come up with all sorts of excuses to refuse.

But there were times she couldn’t say no, especially when Lin Feng’s eyes drooped pitifully and she sprawled on the bed, shedding little pearls from her eyes. Zhao Shuqing could only steel herself, pull her into her arms, and soothe her with kisses and caresses.

Lin Feng’s needs were simple enough: at least one kiss a day, and some proper intimacy every three days or so.

Zhao Shuqing figured she could handle that.

It even felt a bit bland at times.

But then she’d remember Lin Feng was a fish, and a strange sense of taboo would creep in. She’d resist even as she couldn’t withstand the temptation.

So conflicted.

So frustrating.

That day, Zhao Shuqing was adjusting the water temperature in Lin Feng’s bathtub. The weather had turned chilly with several rainy days in a row. She hadn’t let Lin Feng soak in a bath recently, but today the sun had finally come out on a clear day. The air was still cool, but a bit of sun and a soak should be fine.

Lin Feng waited eagerly beside the tub, watching obediently as Zhao Shuqing filled it. She’d ask every so often, “Is it ready yet?” When Zhao Shuqing said no, she’d just keep waiting patiently.

She was so well-behaved.

Once the water was ready, Lin Feng scooped out the clownfish and then eased herself carefully into the tub.

Lately, the two fish had gotten along well. Lin Feng always brought the clownfish along for her baths and didn’t mind sharing, so Zhao Shuqing had no reason to object.

With that done, Zhao Shuqing’s phone on the table started ringing.

“Phone!” Lin Feng called out from the tub, cradling Nemo.

“I know,” Zhao Shuqing replied. She picked it up and glanced at the screen—it was Xu Tang.

She hadn’t seen Xu Tang in a while. What could have prompted the sudden call?

After returning to the Research Institute, Xu Tang had taken the Scientific Expedition Team to the laboratory for research. Zhao Shuqing had been supposed to join them, but with her new responsibility of caring for Lin Feng, she hadn’t gotten involved with the fresh marine samples.

Over a month had passed now. Was it time for her to head back?

Zhao Shuqing couldn’t guess, so she simply answered the call before Xu Tang got impatient.

“Hello, Senior Sister.” Remembering that Lin Feng disliked Xu Tang, Zhao Shuqing slipped into the kitchen to take the call quietly.

Xu Tang hummed in acknowledgment on the other end. “Leader Ye mentioned you recalculated the data recently. What was that about?”

Zhao Shuqing explained, “I visited Teacher when he was sick. He said publishing this paper would make it the world’s first on mermaids—lots of people would base their projects on it as a standard. He told me to double-check the data.”

Xu Tang hummed again through her nose. “Is that so?”

Zhao Shuqing nodded, even though Xu Tang couldn’t see it. “I thought he had a point. I really should verify it, so I ran the comparisons again.”

“And the results?” Xu Tang asked.

“The results weren’t much different from the first trial,” Zhao Shuqing said.

Xu Tang chuckled. “If the difference is small, then go ahead and publish. It’s been almost three months since we brought Lin Feng in. We need to put some data out there.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “I understand. It should be ready to publish in the next few days.”

Xu Tang hummed again. After a pause, Zhao Shuqing asked, “Senior Sister, how’s Teacher doing? I’ve wanted to visit these past few days, but Aunt Liu says he’s not well and won’t let me.”

She wasn’t complaining, just genuinely worried about Shen Qingming’s health.

Xu Tang paused for two seconds before replying, “Teacher’s just getting on in years. His asthma was always bad, and now there are complications. The hospital wants him to stay put. Once he’s a bit better, we can go see him together.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “Okay. I hope he’s alright.”

On her end of the line, Xu Tang’s lips curved slightly upward. Her fingers toyed idly with a small gadget on the desk. Suddenly, she said, “Has Gu Yao mentioned the Genome Group’s Double Cisgender Plan to you?”

Zhao Shuqing blinked in surprise and nodded lightly. “I was just about to ask you, Senior Sister. What’s the Mermaid Dual-Female Plan? We can’t go catching another mermaid, can we?”

“Catching Lin Feng took a huge effort already. It’s probably impossible to snag a second one,” Xu Tang said. “As for the Mermaid Dual-Female Plan, the Marine Group and Genome Group are holding a joint meeting in a few days. Come over then.”

Another group meeting?

Zhao Shuqing thought for a moment. “Has the time been set?”

“Not yet, but it’ll be next week sometime,” Xu Tang replied. “Bring all your materials. We’ll discuss the details at the meeting.”

“Keeping it secret?” Zhao Shuqing asked.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Even from me?”

“Haha, everyone stays in the dark.”

“Fine,” Zhao Shuqing said helplessly. “I’ll publish the paper first, then you can let me know the meeting time.”

Xu Tang laughed and nodded. “No problem.”