Chapter 57

Zhao Shuqing could tell that Lin Feng wanted to go back. Those sea-blue eyes of hers shimmered with eagerness as she gazed at Zhao Shuqing, hesitating to speak.

Wen Xiaoying was still over there, earnestly persuading Lin Feng. “The orca that hurt you before has already been taught a lesson,” she said. “It promised it won’t do anything to you again. If it bullies you, we’ll definitely help you give it another scolding.”

Lin Feng tilted her head and asked, “Did you lock it in confinement?”

Wen Xiaoying nodded. “Of course we did.”

Lin Feng sighed. Poor orca.

She turned her head and looked at Zhao Shuqing with hopeful eyes. Zhao Shuqing calmly lifted her gaze to meet hers. After a moment, she interrupted Wen Xiaoying’s endless chatter. “Do you want to stay for dinner? I made some porridge—we can eat together.”

Wen Xiaoying blinked in surprise. “Huh? Eat what?”

Lin Feng said, “Porridge.”

Wen Xiaoying blinked again. “If it’s not too much trouble, sure, why not.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded to her. “All right, then. I’ll get the porridge ready. You keep Lin Feng company and chat with her.”

Wen Xiaoying trembled with excitement. “Really? I can?”

“Of course.” Zhao Shuqing glanced at Lin Feng. “You can get along with Xiaoying, right? No biting.”

Lin Feng wrinkled her nose in disdain. “You’re the one who bites.”

Zhao Shuqing laughed and said to Wen Xiaoying, “Go ahead. She has no trouble communicating like a normal person now, so you can tell her about the oceanarium. She’ll probably be really interested. Just don’t touch her—Lin Feng doesn’t like that.”

Wen Xiaoying nodded vigorously.

While Zhao Shuqing busied herself in the kitchen, she could hear Wen Xiaoying sitting by the bathtub, chattering away to Lin Feng about what kinds of fish had arrived last month. Lin Feng listened intently, ears perked up, occasionally chiming in with a question. “Can Nemo come too?”

Wen Xiaoying looked puzzled. “What’s Nemo?”

Lin Feng nudged the bathtub closer and tapped on the glass. The clownfish poked its head out timidly and blew a little bubble.

No one knew what they talked about after that, but by the time Zhao Shuqing came out of the kitchen carrying the finished porridge, Wen Xiaoying and Lin Feng were already getting along like old friends. Wen Xiaoying had even started reading Lin Feng’s palm.

Lin Feng still couldn’t accept being touched by Wen Xiaoying, though, so the current setup had Lin Feng sitting in the bathtub with her hands spread out while Wen Xiaoying kept hers clasped behind her back, peering and commenting.

“Your life line is really long,” she said, “and it branches a lot at first. But later on, it gets nice and clear. In palmistry, that means you’ll go through ups and downs when you’re young, but things will stabilize in your old age. All that hardship leads to sweetness in the end~”

Zhao Shuqing lightly knocked on Wen Xiaoying’s head, chiding her. “Superstition isn’t something to believe in. Besides, do you even understand mermaid palm lines?”

Wen Xiaoying rubbed her head and grinned up at her. “Shuqing, don’t knock it. This is my first time reading a mermaid’s palm, and it’s surprisingly similar to a human’s. The nails are a bit longer and sharper, sure, but the palm creases are pretty much the same.”

Zhao Shuqing shot her a sideways glance. “Dinner’s ready. Get up.”

While Zhao Shuqing helped Lin Feng dry off and change into pajamas, Wen Xiaoying hovered nearby and said, “I read in your paper, Shuqing, that humans and mermaids share about eighty-five percent similarity. That’s incredible. If she could grow legs, there’d be no difference at all.”

Lin Feng shuddered at that, and Zhao Shuqing froze. She turned to Wen Xiaoying with a frown. “What are you saying?”

Wen Xiaoying flinched at Zhao Shuqing’s expression and stammered, “I-I was just saying it offhand. Why are you getting mad?”

“What you’re implying is that Teacher and I lack professionalism,” Zhao Shuqing said, her brows furrowed. “If mermaids could really grow legs on land, our papers would all be invalidated. It could even mislead future research. That’s not something to joke about.”

Wen Xiaoying wasn’t from academia, so she didn’t know the rules, but seeing Zhao Shuqing’s sour expression told her she’d messed up. She quickly apologized. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t be mad—I won’t say stuff like that again.”

Zhao Shuqing realized she’d overreacted. After all, Wen Xiaoying had clearly been joking, and she’d taken it too seriously.

“No, I got a bit worked up too,” she said, softening her tone. “It wasn’t aimed at you. Let’s eat first—the food’s ready.”

Wen Xiaoying nodded. “I’ll go dish it out.”

Once Wen Xiaoying had left, Zhao Shuqing sighed. She knew she’d been off just now. She looked down at Lin Feng’s tail and couldn’t help recalling what Wen Xiaoying had said.

If mermaids on land could really turn into humans, then were they truly human… or mermaid?

The thought struck Zhao Shuqing as absurd, and she shook it off. She lifted the now spotless Lin Feng from the bathtub. Noticing how stiff and pale her charge had gone, she asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Feng clutched Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders and shook her head. “Nothing,” she whispered.

Zhao Shuqing assumed she wanted to return to the oceanarium. She glanced at the tail. Lin Feng’s heart tightened at the look in her eyes. She wanted to hide it, but where could she stash a tail that big? She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders tighter.

Zhao Shuqing patted her back soothingly. “Once your wound heals, we’ll go back to the oceanarium. We’ll bring Nemo too.”

Lin Feng gazed at her anxiously. “Can I really go back?”

“Yes.” Zhao Shuqing spoke softly. “The experiment just needs your genes—you’re not being locked up. You can still live at the oceanarium.”

Lin Feng wasn’t a lab subject; there was no need to keep her confined to the laboratory forever.

Zhao Shuqing wouldn’t let that happen.

If it ever came to that, she’d leave with Lin Feng.

A few days later, Zhao Shuqing received a call from Xu Tang, who asked her to bring Lin Feng to the laboratory for a checkup.

Though reluctant, Lin Feng had been through similar exams before. She resisted fiercely during the abdominal CT scan because the staff kept trying to pry open her scales. She thrashed on the bed until Zhao Shuqing intervened to complete it.

Afterward, Zhao Shuqing picked up Lin Feng’s medication.

Xu Tang had moved to a new office but still hadn’t broken her habit of drawing the curtains. The room was pitch black, which Zhao Shuqing never quite got used to.

“Here’s Lin Feng’s medicine,” Xu Tang said, placing a box in front of her. “One pill every other day. Come to the hospital once a week for checks on her egg development inside.” She added, “As for you, I’ve arranged a hospital visit. Go sometime in the next couple of days. The lab will reimburse all costs—just keep the receipts.”

Zhao Shuqing picked up the box and examined it. It looked like something from her own production, but with no date or manufacturer—like an unmarked product.

Xu Tang caught her skeptical look and smiled. “Don’t worry, it won’t harm her. These just adjust her hormones. At worst, she’ll have some side effects like… feeling overheated.”

Zhao Shuqing frowned. “Will the side effects be strong?”

“Not too bad,” Xu Tang replied. “If it’s really uncomfortable, we can stop and try something else.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded, then said to Xu Tang, “The oceanarium wants Lin Feng back.”

Xu Tang pondered for a moment. “That’s fine. Just make sure she takes the meds on schedule and comes for weekly checks. You’re free otherwise.”

Zhao Shuqing hadn’t expected Senior Sister Xu to be so agreeable. She stared in surprise. “Really?”

Xu Tang laughed. “Of course.”

Zhao Shuqing breathed a sigh of relief. She’d braced for a battle, and Lin Feng had been fretting over it for days. Who knew it’d resolve so easily?

Just as relief washed over her, Zhao Shuqing spotted a Fat Chirp plush on Xu Tang’s desk. She blinked.

She remembered Gu Yao bringing home a Little Fat Chirp plush a couple of days ago. Pumpkin, that fat cat, had snatched it and run all over the dormitory, with Gu Yao chasing after. Why did Xu Tang have one too?

Were they… really together??

Zhao Shuqing eyed the plush thoughtfully. Gu Yao’s romance seemed to be progressing suspiciously smoothly.

Xu Tang noticed her gaze. “What are you looking at?”

“Huh?” Zhao Shuqing snapped back. “Nothing. I’ll head out then, Senior Sister.”

“Take care.” Xu Tang smiled. “Don’t forget your checkup in the next couple of days.”

“I won’t.”

Leaving the office, Zhao Shuqing realized it had been ages since she’d seen Teacher. She wondered if she should ask Xu Tang to join her for a weekend hospital visit to see Shen Qingming. But on second thought, as the lead researcher, Xu Tang was probably swamped. Better to go alone another day.

Shen Qingming’s illness had dragged on for over a month without discharge. It felt off.

Zhao Shuqing resolved to visit and clear up her questions. Without a mermaid around, how had he known so much about them?

Back home with the meds, she found Lin Feng curled up on the balcony, soaking in a bathtub while watching TV. Whether she understood it or not, she was glued to the screen.

“I’m back.”

Zhao Shuqing changed shoes at the door, then leaned on the balcony frame to greet her. “What are you watching? You’re so engrossed.”

Lin Feng looked up, eyes crinkling into a smile. “Zhao Shuqing.”

Infected by her joy, Zhao Shuqing reached out to rub her cheek and leaned in for a quick kiss on her nose.

Lin Feng’s nose twitched. She eyed Zhao Shuqing. “Where’d you go? You smell like mermaid.”

Zhao Shuqing sat by the bathtub and washed Lin Feng’s pale long hair. “To the lab, to get your medicine.”

“Medicine?” Lin Feng glanced at her. “For me?”

“Mm.” Zhao Shuqing murmured, “I’ll get a checkup soon too. Then we’ll do the experiment together, so no more worrying.”

Lin Feng nodded. “When do I take it?”

Zhao Shuqing paused. “Probably tonight.”

Lin Feng had no objections. She was like a fish on the chopping block now—whatever came, came. When Zhao Shuqing handed her the pill later, she swallowed it without hesitation.

But that night, Lin Feng started feeling off.

“Mm…”

She hugged her tail, eyes reddening as she writhed on the bed, rubbing against the sheets. Spotting Zhao Shuqing nearby, she lunged toward her, voice breaking in a whine. “Zhao Shuqing, I’m so hot…”