Chapter 51

Xu Tang’s eyes widened. She never would have imagined that Zhao Shuqing’s second request would be something like this.

She sat in her chair, staring at Zhao Shuqing for a long while. Five minutes passed before she finally gave a slight nod. “All right. There’s no problem with either of these requests. I’ll make the arrangements. You two should rest well for now and wait for further notices about the experiments.”

Zhao Shuqing said nothing more. She stood up, gave Xu Tang a small nod, and left the office.

Xu Tang’s gaze remained fixed on the door. With an irritated flick, she brushed the stray hairs from her forehead. An inexplicable frustration churned in the depths of her eyes. She couldn’t understand why she felt so annoyed—or why she’d even grown angry when Zhao Shuqing mentioned providing her own genes.

Why?

Xu Tang just didn’t get it. Why was Zhao Shuqing so good to Lin Feng? She even wanted to have children with her.

Could she really have fallen for a mermaid?

Xu Tang’s brows knitted tightly together as she murmured to herself, “That’s impossible.”

She was definitely overthinking things.

When Zhao Shuqing returned to the dormitory, Lin Feng was nowhere to be seen. After a quick search, she found her curled up asleep in the bathtub, clutching the clownfish’s fish tank to her chest. Lin Feng’s pale hair fanned out across the entire tub, and her massive tail fin draped lazily to one side, catching the sunlight and sparkling with iridescent colors.

Zhao Shuqing’s approach must have disturbed her, for Lin Feng’s thick lashes fluttered before her eyes slowly opened. She glanced up at Zhao Shuqing, then pushed herself upright.

“Awake?”

Zhao Shuqing steadied her and scooped her up before she could fully rouse. Lin Feng instinctively wrapped her arms around Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders and asked in a small voice, “Where did you go?”

“Just to the office to take care of something.” Zhao Shuqing settled her on the bed and tucked the covers around her snugly. “The bathtub’s too hard to sleep comfortably in. Rest here on the bed for a while. We’ll head to the hospital this afternoon once it cools down a bit.”

Lin Feng burrowed deeper into the bedding and tugged at the hem of Zhao Shuqing’s clothes. “The hospital?”

Zhao Shuqing nodded with a smile. “You forgot—you’re due for your medicinal soak today, right?”

After a full month of careful nursing, Lin Feng’s injuries had healed up nicely. Combined with all the good food and plenty of rest lately—eat, sleep, repeat— she’d even put on some much-needed weight. It was finally time to start the medicinal baths.

Lin Feng had never heard the term before. She listened curiously as Zhao Shuqing explained, and once she got it, she let out a lazy yawn.

It was just a bath, after all.

She didn’t mind baths.

Grabbing hold of Zhao Shuqing’s hand, Lin Feng said, “Sleep together.”

Zhao Shuqing shook her head. “I’m not sleeping. I’ve got work to handle.”

Lin Feng wasn’t having it. “Sleep together.”

Zhao Shuqing glanced at the clock. They still had more than two hours before the appointment at the hospital. She didn’t usually nap, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn Lin Feng down. After a moment’s thought, she nodded and gently kneaded Lin Feng’s cheek. “Fine. Let me tidy up the room first, then we’ll draw the curtains and nap together.”

Lin Feng nodded obediently and let go, watching as Zhao Shuqing swept the balcony, set the clownfish’s tank on the table, washed her face, changed her clothes, drew the curtains, lifted the covers, and finally slipped into bed beside her.

No sooner had Zhao Shuqing settled in than Lin Feng scooted right over, looping an arm around her waist and humming a soft tune—as if she were the one lulling Zhao Shuqing to sleep.

The melody was lilting and familiar, a song Lin Feng had sung for her before, though this time far slower, transformed into something like a lullaby.

The more Zhao Shuqing listened, the more it tugged at her memory, like something she’d heard ages ago.

She gazed down at Lin Feng, eyes closed and head pillowed on her arm, humming away. Zhao Shuqing wanted to ask if this was the same tune from before, but Lin Feng’s voice trailed off softer and softer until she drifted off entirely, sprawled across Zhao Shuqing’s chest. Not wanting to disturb her, Zhao Shuqing cradled her close and stroked her back until her own eyelids grew heavy.

When they woke from their nap, Zhao Shuqing led Lin Feng to the sink to brush their teeth and wash up.

“Here’s your new toothbrush.” Zhao Shuqing scalded the pink one in a cup of hot water, rinsed it under cool water, squeezed on some peach-flavored kids’ toothpaste, and handed it over. “Go on, brush by yourself.”

Lin Feng took it and started brushing at a leisurely pace, her peripheral vision catching sight of the two cups on the sink.

The purple one held a black toothbrush. Hers was in the orange cup alongside the pink brush.

They didn’t match.

Seeing Zhao Shuqing brush alongside her, Lin Feng straightened up and brushed in tandem.

Once finished, Zhao Shuqing tossed her toothbrush back into its cup. Lin Feng eyed it—the bristles were all splayed out messily.

Catching Lin Feng’s look as she wiped her face, Zhao Shuqing explained, “I bought a new one for myself too. I’ll switch to it tomorrow.”

Lin Feng blinked in surprise, her eyes lighting up as she gazed at her. “Don’t want this one anymore?”

Zhao Shuqing tilted her head, puzzled. “Yeah. I’ve got a new one—why keep the old?”

Lin Feng let out an “oh” and stole one last glance at the brush before looking away. The moment Zhao Shuqing stepped out, she quietly snatched it up and tucked it into the gap behind the bathtub.

Lin Feng utterly despised the medicinal bath that afternoon.

“Stinky.” She wrinkled her nose, clinging to Zhao Shuqing and refusing to let go, dead set against getting in.

Helpless, Zhao Shuqing held her close and coaxed patiently. “I’ll give you a proper bath afterward. And it’s not stinky—just smells like herbs.”

Lin Feng shook her head stubbornly. “Smells bad. No.”

Did they think she was some dead fish?

But with the staff already wheeling over the tub, Zhao Shuqing bargained, “How about hotpot afterward? We go out to eat.”

Lin Feng started to refuse—then perked up at “hotpot.” She turned to stare. “Hotpot tonight?”

“Long as you hop in like a good girl, I’ll take you straight out for hotpot once you’re done.”

Wen Xiaoying, standing nearby, chimed in. “Yeah, Lin Feng. Just two hours, and you’re free.”

Lin Feng eyed the murky green bathwater with deep reluctance but met Zhao Shuqing’s gaze. After several minutes of hesitation, she finally gave a tiny nod, consenting to soak in the foul stuff for two hours.

Zhao Shuqing rolled up her sleeves and eased Lin Feng into the tub, then slowly—together with Wen Xiaoying—submerged her tail completely.

“Does it hurt?” Zhao Shuqing asked gently.

Lin Feng shook her head and reached out to stroke Zhao Shuqing’s cheek. “Want the spicy pot.”

Wen Xiaoying burst out laughing with a “pfft.” Zhao Shuqing nodded helplessly and smiled at Lin Feng. “Deal. Hotpot right after.”

Worried Lin Feng would get bored during the soak, Zhao Shuqing fetched some picture books. But Lin Feng had lost interest in such “babyish” stuff—except for The Little Mermaid. She ignored all the others.

A few more sick sea creatures had arrived in the hospital ward by then, including a turtle over a hundred years old that had come in choking on its food. It now lay in a pool hooked up to an IV drip.

Lin Feng lounged lazily against Zhao Shuqing, her eyes flicking toward the turtle now and then.

“What’re you looking at?” Zhao Shuqing asked.

Lin Feng leaned in and whispered, “It’s talking to me.”

Zhao Shuqing paused. “…What’d it say?”

Lin Feng’s eyes crinkled in a grin. “Not telling.”

Zhao Shuqing shot her a look and gave her waist a playful pinch.

By the time they’d finished the soak, given her a thorough rinse, scrubbed the herbal residue from between every scale, applied fresh medication, and bandaged everything up, night had already fallen.

Wen Xiaoying said her goodbyes and left. Zhao Shuqing pushed the wheelchair along as she told Lin Feng, “There’s a hotpot place nearby. We can just walk over. Hope they’ve got seats this late.”

The university district brimmed with food stalls and eateries. Students hawked wares along the sidewalks. Lin Feng, who had never ventured out before, gawked from her wheelchair, eyes wide with wonder.

Beneath the neon glow, it seemed everyone was lit from within.

So different from where she’d lived before. There, sunlight pierced the depths only by day; nights plunged into absolute darkness, where you couldn’t see your own hand. But the human world buzzed with life around the clock, day or night.

Lin Feng loved it here.

She thrived on the bustle, on strangers’ smiles. Kind pedestrians stepped aside for her wheelchair. Zhao Shuqing had fitted her with a mask and hat, making her look like a patient fresh from the hospital. Even the server at the hotpot restaurant held the door especially.

The place was packed. Mindful of the wheelchair, the owner comped them a private room and tossed in two bottles of soda.

Lin Feng took a sip of cola—sweet, but so fizzy it made her temples throb. She set it down and told Zhao Shuqing, “Want milk tea.”

Zhao Shuqing, who was adding fresh tripe to the simmering pot, glanced over and sighed. “You’re totally corrupted by Gu Yao.”

Even so, she pulled out her phone and ordered delivery. Lin Feng adored mango pomelo sago, so Zhao Shuqing got two cups—one wasn’t enough— and a plain iced coffee for herself.

The pot bubbled merrily. Tripe cooked in seconds. Zhao Shuqing fished some out, dipped it in sauce, and offered it to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng took an excited bite—then scowled. “Not spicy.”

Zhao Shuqing replied mildly, “It’s tomato base. Of course it’s not spicy.”

Lin Feng fumed.

What even was tomato? Why was it red like spicy broth?

She’d been tricked.

Both pot bases looked red; she’d assumed they were both spicy. This one tasted fine, sure—but she wanted spice!

“Want spicy,” she protested.

“You can’t handle spicy,” Zhao Shuqing said.

Lin Feng sulked. She couldn’t use chopsticks properly yet and could only poke futilely at things with her spoon. Finally, Zhao Shuqing relented with a sigh. She fetched a glass of cool water, blanched a slice of tripe, sauced it up, and fed it straight to Lin Feng’s mouth.

“Huff… huff…”

Watching Lin Feng’s eyes turn red from the heat, Zhao Shuqing tilted her head. “Still want more?”

Sweat beading on her forehead, Lin Feng nodded defiantly. “Yes.”

What a stubborn little glutton.

Zhao Shuqing shook her head fondly. Lin Feng really was bullheaded—wouldn’t turn back until she hit a wall.

The milk tea arrived just in time to save her. After half a cup of the icy sweetness, color returned to Lin Feng’s face. Zhao Shuqing kept her company through the meal, occasionally stepping out to grab sides and small dishes from the self-serve area. At home, Lin Feng never got this variety; here, she could just tap the tablet for instant delivery right to the table.

Way more convenient.

When it came time to pay, Zhao Shuqing glanced at the bill and winced—Lin Feng had gone all-in on seafood. Grimacing at the cost, she settled up and wheeled her out.

“Head home now?”

In the cool night breeze, Zhao Shuqing tucked the blanket tighter around her and adjusted her hat, then gently rubbed her spice-reddened lips with a smile. “Or since it’s not too crowded, want to go for a stroll?”

Lin Feng’s eyes sparkled. Clutching her half-finished milk tea, she asked, “Where to?”