Chapter 67

Zhao Shuqing clutched the fish scale tightly in her hand and set the chopsticks she had picked up aside.

She began to observe Shen Qingming closely.

Just a few days earlier, Shen Qingming had been unable to sit up for meals, let alone speak. He lay on his hospital bed with an ashen face, resembling a withered old man.

Back then, his eyes had been cloudy, bloodshot, and filled with fear whenever he looked at Zhao Shuqing. Now, however, his complexion glowed with health, his eyes sparkled with vitality—a complete transformation from those days. Even his appetite had improved dramatically.

He sipped the fish fillet porridge daintily with a spoon, savoring it like a gourmet delicacy.

After finishing the porridge, he left the side dishes untouched. He set down the bowl and spoon, picked up a napkin from nearby, and dabbed at his mouth. With a sigh of satisfaction, he said to Zhao Shuqing, “This is the first time I’ve tasted something so delicious.”

“Really?” Zhao Shuqing looked at him. “If Teacher likes it, I can bring an extra serving tomorrow.”

Shen Qingming nodded, looking content. “I’ll have some more tomorrow.”

No sooner had he spoken than the ward door swung open. Xu Tang walked in holding a bouquet of flowers and smiled at Shen Qingming, who was sitting up in bed. “Teacher, I came to see you.”

Shen Qingming’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Xu Tang. He hugged the flowers happily and asked, “How did you manage to come? And you brought flowers—my goodness, they’re beautiful.”

“I knew Teacher would like them.” Xu Tang noticed the empty bowl in front of Shen Qingming and asked, “Were you just having lunch?”

“Yes.” Zhao Shuqing nodded. “He had a bowl of porridge. The doctor advised against anything too hard to digest.”

“A little porridge is good for him,” Xu Tang said. “It’ll soothe his stomach.”

Shen Qingming sniffed the flowers, his eyes wide with curiosity as if he were seeing them for the first time. Zhao Shuqing watched it all and furrowed her brow slightly.

Xu Tang glanced at Zhao Shuqing. “When did you arrive? No work lately? You’ve been coming to the hospital every day.”

Zhao Shuqing turned to her. “It’s manageable. Not much to do right now.”

“Perfect timing, then. Let’s talk about some work matters.” Xu Tang patted Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder. “We’ll step out into the corridor.”

Only after Xu Tang had left did Zhao Shuqing rise. She slipped the fish scale unobtrusively into the pocket of her jeans, then opened the door and followed.

“Why discuss work at the hospital?” Zhao Shuqing asked, puzzled. “Is it about Lin Feng?”

“Since I ran into you, no need for a separate notice.” Xu Tang crossed her arms and leaned back in a corridor chair, looking up at her. “Tomorrow’s the check-up day, right? Make sure to bring her.”

“Got it,” Zhao Shuqing said flatly.

Xu Tang studied Zhao Shuqing for a moment, then tilted her head with a smile. “What’s going on? You seem off today. Did something happen?”

“Nothing,” Zhao Shuqing replied, lifting her gaze and smiling back. “I’m just thinking about tomorrow’s arrangements.”

“How are things at the oceanarium?” Xu Tang asked. “I heard they’ve even put Lin Feng on the payroll, with regular clock-in and clock-out times.”

“Yes.” Zhao Shuqing nodded and glanced at the ward door. “Senior Sister, I have something to take care of soon. Since you’re here, could you look after Teacher? I’ll head out first.”

Xu Tang gave Zhao Shuqing a long, meaningful look, then smiled warmly. “Of course. Go take care of your business. I’ll handle things here with Teacher.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. She returned to the ward to say goodbye to Shen Qingming, then grabbed her bag and left the hospital.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she pulled out her phone and made a call.

“Hello?”

A woman’s voice answered, sounding surprised. “Zhao Shuqing? Why are you calling me?”

Zhao Shuqing stood in the shade of a tree outside the lobby. “Shi Xia, I need a favor.”

Shi Xia was Zhao Shuqing’s university roommate. After graduation, she had gone straight to work at a private laboratory. Touching the fish scale in her pocket, Zhao Shuqing asked, “Can your lab run tests right now? I have something I’d like you to analyze.”

“Sure, just come over and fill out the form. I’ll put it at the top of the queue for you,” Shi Xia said. “If you’re busy, you could send it via same-city courier.”

“No need for courier.” Zhao Shuqing replied. “I’ll come by shortly.”

After hanging up, Zhao Shuqing hailed a cab at the roadside and departed. She pulled the dazzling fish scale from her pocket, and an uneasy suspicion bubbled up in her mind.

There was also that [E] Shen Qingming had scrawled in her palm that day—she still had no idea what it meant.

What word started with E?

Earth?

Enemy?

Escape?

Too many options. Zhao Shuqing couldn’t pinpoint Shen Qingming’s intent for the moment. She had planned to ask him when she found the time, but now she changed her mind.

Shen Qingming was different.

For some inexplicable reason, Zhao Shuqing felt he simply wasn’t the same man—as if he had been replaced.

Yet she had no proof.

Without evidence, she couldn’t confirm her hunch. So Zhao Shuqing resolved to have the fish scale tested first, to discover what it really was.

Upon arriving at Shi Xia’s laboratory, she handed over the scale.

“Doesn’t your research institute have a much larger lab? Why come to us out of the blue?” Shi Xia examined the fish scale with curiosity and asked Zhao Shuqing.

“This is a discreet test,” Zhao Shuqing said. “I’ll transfer the fee later, but it must stay confidential. No one else can know.”

Shi Xia, her hair tied in a low ponytail, raised an eyebrow at her old roommate and nodded. “Rest assured, client privacy is paramount here. Results for this fish scale should be ready in two days. I’ll send them directly to you.”

Zhao Shuqing frowned. “That long?”

Her own lab could do it in half a day.

Shi Xia laughed lightly and said politely, “Come on, Dr. Zhao, we’re just a small private outfit. How do we compare to your state-funded labs with all the top-tier equipment? Two days is already me rushing it for you. Don’t complain.”

Zhao Shuqing smiled helplessly. “All right, I get it.”

“Then head back for now,” Shi Xia said. “I’ll email the report when it’s done. Is your email still the same one from university?”

Zhao Shuqing nodded. “Yes, still…”

As she spoke, she froze, suddenly recalling her email.

When she had started graduate school, Shen Qingming had instructed her to create a dedicated work email. She still used her original one as well, switching between them. The university email saw infrequent use and hadn’t been accessed in ages.

Struck by the thought, Zhao Shuqing borrowed the front desk computer at Shi Xia’s company and logged in.

Dozens of unread emails flooded her inbox upon login—all from Shen Qingming. The timestamps showed they had been sent shortly after his hospitalization.

“These your teacher’s original research files?” Shi Xia peeked over curiously. “Professor Shen really looks after you. Most folks treat raw data like buried treasure.”

Zhao Shuqing’s pupils dilated slightly. She maneuvered the mouse and clicked open a compressed file, revealing its contents: videos, photos, documents, and multiple revised drafts—all present.

Every file was meticulously labeled with dates and paper titles. The earliest stretched back twenty years, to Shen Qingming’s very first publication on mermaids.

Zhao Shuqing knew precisely how precious this material was. She logged out immediately and deleted the files she had just downloaded to the desktop.

Though puzzled, Shi Xia had the good sense not to pry. She exchanged polite farewells with Zhao Shuqing and watched her leave the laboratory.

Instead of returning directly to the oceanarium, Zhao Shuqing made a detour home. She intended to download everything Shen Qingming had sent and examine it thoroughly, one item at a time.

The files downloaded swiftly, piling up one after another amid a flurry of notification chimes.

Zhao Shuqing guided the mouse to the folder containing Shen Qingming’s debut publication.

The paper featuring the world’s very first photograph of a mermaid.

The folder held raw materials: accepted photos and rejected video footage. Zhao Shuqing had pored over Shen Qingming’s paper countless times, yet she had never known he possessed video evidence.

With a nervous deep breath, Zhao Shuqing clicked on the twenty-year-old video.

The phone technology from two decades ago differed little from today—save for the fuzzy resolution. The recording evidently followed the photo session. Harried breaths emanated from the speaker, and the camera lurched unsteadily, whether from running or trembling excitement.

“Mermaid… mermaid, it’s a mermaid!”

Shen Qingming’s distorted voice rang out. The lens steadied on the serene sea as he exclaimed excitedly to the camera, “I really saw a mermaid! Oh my god, the legends are true—they really exist!”

The image jerked wildly. Zhao Shuqing glimpsed something cradled in Shen Qingming’s arms—tiny limbs that suggested a child.

Shen Qingming turned the camera on the child. Zhao Shuqing creased her brow.

Why did this little one look so familiar?

When beholding one’s own image for the first time, recognition does not strike instantly. Instead, a vague familiarity nags, with no memory of prior encounter.

Shen Qingming’s hands shook; the child’s lips were pallid, her cheeks unnaturally flushed. He angled the phone toward his own face once more, striding along as he spoke. “This child was given to me by the mermaid. I believe… I believe she wants me to save her.”

“Oh my god, mermaids really exist, and they’re so kind!” Shen Qingming burst into excited laughter. His movements grew more frantic, his short black hair whipping about as if in a sprint. He addressed the camera without pause: “The mermaid entrusted this child to me. Whatever it takes, I’ll save her. I just snapped a ton of photos. I’m publishing my first paper!”

The young Shen Qingming laughed and whooped in triumph: “I will be the first person on earth to encounter a mermaid!”

“I’m the luckiest man alive!”

“I’m the one who came closest to the truth about mermaids!”

The video ended there, the final frame frozen on the face of the child in Shen Qingming’s arms. Blurry as it was, Zhao Shuqing recognized her instantly. The child… was herself.