Chapter 52

There weren’t many places nearby worth strolling around, so Zhao Shuqing pushed Lin Feng to a nearby park. A long river channel ran right in front of the park.

Lin Feng loved water and seemed quite pleased with the spot. Zhao Shuqing steered clear of the groups of older women doing square dancing and found a secluded, quiet corner to park the wheelchair.

“You can see the river from here,” Lin Feng said, craning her neck toward Zhao Shuqing. “I want to go over there.”

The direction she pointed to was the embankment closest to the water’s surface.

Plenty of people were out enjoying the cool evening air, so Zhao Shuqing crouched down in front of her, shaking her head as she straightened the blanket over Lin Feng’s lap. “Too many people around. We’ll go closer once it clears up a bit.”

Lin Feng let out a reluctant “oh” and stared at the water’s surface with longing, looking like she was dying to jump right in.

The two of them sat side by side like that. Zhao Shuqing pulled out her earbuds and handed one to Lin Feng. They gazed at the moonlight together while listening to music. It was Lin Feng’s first time listening to songs; she clutched the phone, scrolling through several tracks before settling on one she liked.

People walking their dogs, groups square dancing, others strolling with kids along the riverbank.

With nothing pressing waiting for them back home—and Zhao Shuqing’s mind full of worries—she watched Lin Feng excitedly fiddling with the music player. Snippets of various songs played in her ears.

“Lin Feng,” Zhao Shuqing said softly, resting her hand on the arm of the wheelchair. “Do you have any family?”

Lin Feng looked up at her, thought for a moment, then replied, “I suppose I must.”

What did “I suppose” even mean?

“Why do you say it like that?” Zhao Shuqing asked curiously, gazing at her. “Your parents, siblings, or any other merfolk related by blood—they’d all be family. Don’t you have… any of them?”

Lin Feng fell silent for a long while before finally murmuring with her head down, “They’re all gone.”

Zhao Shuqing went quiet at that.

She’d clearly touched on a sore spot.

“It’s okay,” she said, trying to comfort Lin Feng. “My parents passed away when I was little. We’re the same in that way.”

Lin Feng turned to look at her. Pity shone in her deep blue eyes as she gently clutched the blanket over her legs.

She knew Zhao Shuqing had misunderstood.

The “gone” Lin Feng meant wasn’t the same as the “gone” Zhao Shuqing described.

In the mermaid world, blood ties weren’t all that important. Who your parents were or what siblings you had didn’t matter. Unlike humans, who defined relationships by lineage, merfolk only cared about whether two could produce offspring together.

Lin Feng’s parents had left the deep sea long ago. She had no idea what had become of them or where they were now.

She didn’t have concepts like “hometown” or “family,” so she had no clue how to console the woman beside her.

“I…”

Lin Feng paused, thinking. She had nothing of value, no money to give Zhao Shuqing anything nice. So she offered, “How about I sing for you?”

Zhao Shuqing looked at her with interest and nodded lightly. “Sure. Sing that song you did before falling asleep the other day. I really liked it.”

Lin Feng nodded, removed her earbud, and held it in her hand as she began to hum softly.

The lilting, soothing melody drew the attention of passersby, who stopped to listen. Lin Feng’s voice was ethereal; even without lyrics, the captivating tune alone was enough to make people turn and stare.

Lin Feng paid no mind to the onlookers, but Zhao Shuqing worried it would attract unwanted attention. When she spotted people starting to snap photos and videos, she quickly wheeled her away.

They left the park and followed the riverbank until they found an empty stretch. Only then did Zhao Shuqing stop the wheelchair.

Lin Feng looked a bit aggrieved, her head bowed as she asked, “Was my singing that bad?”

Zhao Shuqing felt awkward and hurried to explain. “No, not at all. I just don’t want you drawing a crowd. It’d make it harder for us to go out later.”

Go out later?

Lin Feng latched onto the words she’d been hoping for and lifted her eyes to Zhao Shuqing. “When is ‘later’?”

Zhao Shuqing was stumped.

Lin Feng pressed on. “Can we go out together like this often? I like being with you.”

The blunt honesty left Zhao Shuqing seeing stars, her ears turning bright red.

“Don’t say things like that,” Zhao Shuqing said, turning her head away to avoid Lin Feng’s gaze. “Didn’t I tell you before? No saying random stuff in public.”

“It’s not random,” Lin Feng replied matter-of-factly. “It’s just us here now.”

So it didn’t count.

Zhao Shuqing found Lin Feng’s logic exasperating—and her ears still burning hot—so she just nodded. “Fine, fine. If it’s just us, it doesn’t count.”

Lin Feng broke into a smile at that and reached out to tug lightly at Zhao Shuqing’s pinky. Tilting her head back, she asked, “Can you give me a kiss?”

Zhao Shuqing stared at her in silence.

Seeing no response, Lin Feng’s smile faded into disappointment. “Never mind if you don’t want to…”

Zhao Shuqing always turned her down anyway, and out here, it was even less likely.

Lin Feng felt a pang of hurt. She’d even sung for Zhao Shuqing, but this stingy woman wouldn’t even give her a kiss.

Was she just not appealing enough?

Her singing was good, though.

Lin Feng turned her head away, not wanting to look at her anymore. She was about to suggest heading home when she felt hands cupping her cheeks. Then a familiar kiss landed on her lips.

Lin Feng gripped the blanket tightly in her tension. She could see Zhao Shuqing’s fluttering eyelashes up close, along with the faint dark circles under her eyes.

Zhao Shuqing opened her eyes and eased back slightly from Lin Feng’s lips. “Close your eyes.”

Lin Feng beamed. “Okay.”

As soon as her eyes shut, Zhao Shuqing’s lips returned—this time for her first real kiss. Lin Feng felt the warmth of her body, caught the faint lemon scent of her body wash, and tasted a hint of sweetness on her tongue.

Their tongues intertwined. Lin Feng’s breathing quickened. She reached up to rest a hand on Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder, as if trying to stand, but Zhao Shuqing pressed her back into the wheelchair.

Lin Feng twitched her tail, and Zhao Shuqing’s hands shifted from her waist to her lower abdomen, pressing down firmly.

“Mm…”

Lin Feng’s tail curled up. She clutched Zhao Shuqing’s wrist, but Zhao Shuqing grew unusually assertive, kissing and caressing her. The scale below Lin Feng’s abdomen parted, growing slick enough to dampen the blanket.

“…Zhao Shuqing.” Lin Feng panted against her, eyes rimmed red as she gazed up pleadingly. “I want it.”

Zhao Shuqing said nothing. She knelt in front of the wheelchair and gently pulled back the soiled blanket.

Lin Feng blushed furiously under the scrutiny, covering her eyes in embarrassment.

A soft breeze stirred the air along the riverbank, lifting strands of Zhao Shuqing’s long hair that hung down her back.

Just as Lin Feng wondered what to do next, she peeked through her fingers and saw Zhao Shuqing lean down to kiss the slick scale on her lower abdomen…

Gu Yao sprawled over her desk, lost in thought, letting out occasional sighs.

She glanced at the time on her phone: already midnight. Why hadn’t Zhao Shuqing come back yet?

Gu Yao was hungry but couldn’t decide what to eat. She opened and closed the delivery app repeatedly, browsing endlessly through the options without settling on anything.

Maybe check the fridge for something.

Gu Yao pushed herself up from the desk and glanced at Pumpkin, who was sleeping on the bed with her belly exposed. She sighed again.

How nice it would be to be a carefree little cat.

No fretting over what to eat.

Gu Yao let out another long sigh and headed to the kitchenette to forage. The fridge was barren—nothing but drinks and sheet masks, not even a tomato. With another sigh, she decided on delivery after all.

As she reopened the app, she heard noises at the door. Gu Yao leaped up from her chair and dashed over, flinging the door open. There was Zhao Shuqing pushing Lin Feng right at the entrance, about to come in.

“Shuqing!”

Gu Yao greeted her enthusiastically and bounced out. “Where’ve you two been? It’s midnight—how come you’re just getting back?”

A flush of unease crept onto Zhao Shuqing’s face, and Lin Feng’s eyes darted away guiltily. Zhao Shuqing awkwardly wheeled her inside first, not turning around as she asked, “Something up?”

“Uh? N-not a big deal, but yeah, there is something.”

Zhao Shuqing flicked on the light, bent down to scoop Lin Feng into her arms, and told Gu Yao, “Come find me in a bit. I need to get her bathed first.”

Gu Yao blinked, sensing something off in their intimate posture but not dwelling on it. She watched as Zhao Shuqing carried Lin Feng into the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water.

Left with no choice, Gu Yao called out, “I’ll lock the door for you, then. I ordered delivery—I’ll come get you when it arrives.”

With that, she thoughtfully closed the bedroom door for them.

In the bathroom, Lin Feng had already eagerly pulled Zhao Shuqing close. Her tail wrapped tightly around her, rubbing insistently, breaths coming hot and heavy.

“More…”

Amid the steam, Zhao Shuqing cupped Lin Feng’s face and kissed her deeply, dragging her hips to pin her against the bathroom wall. Water slicked their bodies.

Gu Yao had ordered barbecue and was squatting by the door, waiting idly for the delivery. Pumpkin had woken up and sat licking her fur at Gu Yao’s feet, occasionally stretching lazily and glancing toward Zhao Shuqing’s door with narrowed eyes.

Soon, the delivery rider dropped off the barbecue, and Zhao Shuqing opened her door at the same time.

Gu Yao held up the bag. Zhao Shuqing had clearly just showered—her hair still dripping wet, cheeks flushed from the heat.

“Where’s Lin Feng?” Gu Yao jangled the bag. “I got barbecue. The three of us can eat together.”

Zhao Shuqing replied flatly, “She’s worn out today. Conked right out after her bath. I put her to bed.”

Gu Yao sounded disappointed. “Aw, too bad—I ordered plenty. Oh well, I can get her some tomorrow. Hey, why’d you two get back so late? It’s almost one, sis. You need rest, and so does she.”

Zhao Shuqing bent to pick up Pumpkin, stepped into Gu Yao’s room, and smiled. “We went for hotpot, then wandered the park a bit. That’s how it got so late.”

“Really?” Gu Yao eyed her suspiciously but figured it wasn’t her business. She shut the door and walked in. “Shuqing, I’ve got something to run by you. Help me figure out what to do?”

Zhao Shuqing settled into a chair with Pumpkin in her lap, stroking the cat as she tilted her head up. “What’s that? Need my input?”

Gu Yao plopped down with a headache and cracked open a cola with a hiss. Troubled, she said to Zhao Shuqing, “The team wants me to report to your senior sister tomorrow. Should I go or not?”