The mermaid had never seen Shu Tang study so hard. Initially, he thought Shu Tang was studying for a postgraduate exam, until he discovered that Shu Tang was muttering the names of several medications in her sleep.
The mermaid had a good memory and naturally knew the names of his medications.
At that moment, the monster paused for a long while.
He patted the small cat on the back, continuing until she stopped muttering in her dreams and fell into a deep sleep.
…
Indeed, as Chen Sheng thought, the mermaid was very different from Zhu Yan.
The mermaid’s thinking was very animalistic. He wouldn’t engage in games or balancing acts like Zhu Yan; even with past memories, apart from being cunning in his battles of wits with the small cat, the mermaid would not waste his cunning on others.
For the cold, fierce beast, protecting his nest, his mate, and his territory was a matter of course. As for enemies, there was no negotiation or compromise, only the merciless choice of dragging them into the deep sea to strangle them.
Thus, people gradually began to notice.
Every night at two o’clock, a tall dark shadow would disappear at the entrance of the manor.
Only around five in the morning would the monster reappear on the quiet streets, accompanied by a ticking sound.
So, those staying up late would hold their breath and not dare to make a sound.
Until the shadow disappeared under the streetlight.
In that disappearing monster’s manor, the sound of showering would reliably start every day at six o’clock.
Shu Tang wanted to understand all of the old academician’s papers and all the potions in a short time, so she always got up very early. Each time she got up, the mermaid was showering, but Shu Tang just thought it was because the air in Yan City was too dry; in the morning when applying face cream, she would press down on that tall monster and insist on spreading it on his face.
She would also rub the mermaid’s face.
The mermaid certainly knew her little tricks, but each time after Shu Tang was done, he would pinch her back, forcing Shu Tang to make a “ga” sound like a small yellow duck.
They both thoroughly enjoyed these morning games.
Until one night, Shu Tang had a nightmare. She dreamt that the mermaid in her aquarium was poisoned and died. In her dream, she was so agitated that she was running in circles.
Upon waking up and turning her head, Shu Tang realized the mermaid was missing. Still groggy, she wandered around in her shoes looking for the aquarium, and it took her a while to remember that it had just been a dream.
Coming to her senses, Shu Tang noticed that the mermaid had left little blue light spots at home, a secret code between them indicating that his spirit was nearby.
She sat down on the carpet, staring at the blue lights, still slightly terrified by the dream.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she fell asleep on the carpet.
When Shu Tang woke up, it was the sound of someone taking a shower that stirred her. Seeing the coat draped over her, she knew the mermaid had returned.
Shu Tang initially wanted to ask the mermaid where he had been, but she smelled a faint scent of blood in the air.
She paused for a moment.
Shu Tang could now distinguish the mermaid’s scent; she knew the blood wasn’t his.
In that instant, hugging the coat, Shu Tang thought a lot.
Eventually, she got up, opened the window to air out the smell, and then turned on the air conditioner’s deodorizing function. While tidying up the trash can, she saw burn holes from bullets on the mermaid’s shirt from yesterday.
After cleaning up, she casually went to embrace the mermaid who had just come out of the shower, his long hair still damp.
As the mermaid looked down and hissed at her, Shu Tang almost wanted to say to him:
Shall we go back to South Island City, please?
She knew about the house arrest of Little Chen, she had found bullet holes in the mermaid’s clothes, and she knew that during their time in the contaminated zone, Little Chen and his group had almost been annihilated.
She was a bit scared.
…
The next day, Shu Tang waited for the mermaid several times at night, and he noticed. So, every morning, he would bring back different breakfasts.
But that day, as Shu Tang went downstairs, she didn’t wait for the mermaid to return. Instead, she saw an old acquaintance, Old Wu.
Old Wu told her that Little Chen had gone to see the Founder last night; they had some matters to attend to and asked Shu Tang not to go to the research institute today, as the Founder would probably be back around four in the afternoon.
Hearing this, Shu Tang looked out the window, wanting to check the fridge to see if there was anything to offer Old Wu, but finding it empty, she decided to go to the supermarket with him.
Their manor was at the corner of the street, and at the end of the road there was only one house. It was usually surrounded by groups of children who came to pick the blue roses, but recently they stopped coming, leaving the place somewhat deserted.
The children also stayed far away from the manor surrounded by blue roses.
Shu Tang had actually heard many rumors. Occasionally, when she came out of the manor, she often saw passersby hurrying away; even within the research institute, various strange looks followed her like shadows. Sometimes, while Shu Tang was flipping through newspapers at the nurse’s station in the institute, she would see news of some politician’s mysterious death.
Now, that newspaper was still in Shu Tang’s basket, not yet taken out.
As Shu Tang approached a nearby supermarket, she heard them discussing the recent rumors of the “Rainy Night Butcher.”
People exclaimed in shock, whispering and discussing the terrifying monster.
At that time, Old Wu looked at Shu Tang with some concern, as if he wanted to say something.
Since mermaids don’t eat regular food and don’t like vegetables or pasta, they had bought a lot of tuna. In the end, it was Old Wu who drove it back.
After saying goodbye to Old Wu, Shu Tang planned to clean up the water pond in the corner of the garden, so the mermaid could stay there.
Shu Tang had not seen the mermaid flick its tail for a long time. Moreover, she was a bit worried about the mermaid dehydrating due to the dry weather here.
She spent the day sweeping up fallen leaves and petals, and cleaning. The day quickly passed by.
But she waited until five o’clock in the evening, and the mermaid had not returned.
Shu Tang had already cleaned the pond and was in the process of filling it with water. She sat on the bank, waiting for the water to fill slowly while trying to call Xiao Chen, but after several attempts, she couldn’t get through.
Looking at the small pond, she began to reminisce about the vast sea in the forbidden area.
In that moment, Shu Tang felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
She couldn’t bear to think what she would do if the mermaid didn’t return.
She even regretted coming to this city.
It was dry here, there were no fish to eat, and she worried every day about the mermaid not returning home.
She wanted to go home with the mermaid, back to the sea, where no one could hurt Little Rose, nor could anyone separate them.
…
At that time, the mermaid had actually returned. He had not appeared because he was still covered in blood and was expressionlessly dealing with the stains.
However, the mermaid heard a faint sobbing sound.
He immediately recognized it as her voice and moved towards Shu Tang.
Yet, just as the mermaid reached the flower bed, he saw a newspaper on the ground.
This ferocious creature outside was suddenly at a loss. Actually, the creature didn’t want Shu Tang to know, because he was well aware that it would reveal his ruthless, cold-blooded side, and he didn’t want to scare her.
But at that moment, the mermaid didn’t know how to explain himself.
Because what was written was indeed the truth.
After a moment of silence nearby, the mermaid resorted to the old method: he went out to buy an ice cream and clumsily handed it to Shu Tang.
The creature wanted to tell the little cat that he wasn’t as bad as the newspaper said, but upon opening his mouth, he found he couldn’t find a convincing argument and could only say: “Not bad. Fake.”
Such a feeble defense.
But when she saw the mermaid, she immediately rushed over and hugged him.
The mermaid carefully looked down at her, not understanding why she reacted this way.
Shu Tang hugged him tightly.
For quite a while after.
When the mermaid wanted to say something, he heard Shu Tang’s muffled voice: “Little Rose, I miss home.”
The mermaid knew—the home she was talking about was their nest by the sea.
So, the mermaid quieted down, gently stroked her long hair, and held her in his arms.
They both knew they couldn’t go home at this time; it would mean giving up everything they had worked for.
The mermaid couldn’t find other words to comfort her, so he whispered to her:
“Be good.”
Shu Tang buried her head in his chest.
It was as if she had really turned into a comforted little kitten.
She gradually calmed down.
…
They sat down by the pool.
The mermaid seemed to have something to ask her, hesitated for a moment, and then called out, “Tang.”
Following the mermaid’s gaze, Shu Tang saw the newspaper next to them.
Why would she be angry? She was just worried that he wouldn’t be able to come home.
All this time, the mermaid had concealed his claws and his ferocious nature in front of her, but this concealment wasn’t happiness, for he feared that she might leave him one day if she found out. It was like a sweet danger lurking beneath.
But Shu Tang shifted her gaze away and turned to the mermaid, saying, “Little Rose, if you are a villain, then I am your accomplice.”
Her eyes were clear and resolute.
Shu Tang hadn’t become cold-hearted in an instant; rather, those compassionate feelings were trivial compared to the drugs and bullet holes in the mermaid. Shu Tang was well aware that if the mermaid didn’t do these things, not only she but also her parents in South Island City would suffer.
Why should she blame her lover who protected her for such things?
The sensitive and sharp heart of the monster was melted by the kitten’s gaze.
However, the monster hadn’t forgotten the kitten’s recent fear, and worriedly flicked his tail by the pool, firmly offering her an ice cream.
—As if just eating the ice cream would comfort her and no longer make her afraid.
The mermaid watched her cautiously, even clumsily.
In fact, the mermaid was quick to learn anything; nowadays, no one would consider this silent man a fool anymore, as some of Zhu Yan’s previous indifferent traits had returned to the mermaid.
But Shu Tang noticed that no matter how much the mermaid recovered or remembered, as long as he faced her, he would revert to the awkward, helpless man he was at the beginning.
She found it cute, somehow.
So she glanced at the ice cream, leaned in, and suddenly kissed the tip of the mermaid’s nose. The mermaid instinctively backed away, and they both tumbled into the pool.
The pool was filled with petals.
Shu Tang dog-paddled around for a while before she surfaced.
The mermaid was initially a bit worried about her, but after realizing that Shu Tang was fine, he poked the little cat’s face, asking if she still felt uncomfortable?
Shu Tang reached out and splashed the mermaid’s tail with water.
The mermaid fell silent for a moment, then dove back into the pool. Shu Tang tried to run, but the mermaid’s tail swept smoothly, and she was lifted straight out of the water by that fierce creature.
She fell into the mermaid’s cold embrace.
Shu Tang yelled, “Help!” as the mermaid pretended to bite her neck—
One ferocious, the other pretentious.
But when they locked eyes, each saw themselves reflected in the other’s eyes.
Petals floated in the pool, and the evening sun filtered through the trees, casting mottled, beautiful shadows.
Shu Tang noticed that under the sunlight, the mermaid’s eyes returned to that deep, rich blue.
Like the deepest part of the sea.
Unable to help herself, she kissed his eyelids and said:
“Little rose, your eyes are so beautiful.”
The mermaid felt a tickle.
Due to their positions, she almost embraced the mermaid, their skin touching.
Her body temperature clearly transferred to him.
The mermaid let out a low pant, trying to warn the kitten not to torment him.
But merely embracing in the pool water where the blue roses bloomed was like an exceedingly romantic affair.
Their skins touched, and never before had they felt each other’s spirits so clearly.
Unknowingly, her forehead rested against his, their noses touching.
The wild beast’s cold breath intertwined with hers.
In the water, the mermaid’s tail gently swayed, like a dreamy midsummer night’s dream. Without realizing it, their position shifted to her being supported by the mermaid in the water, their hair entangling.
The lovers whispered secretly in this gradually approaching summer night:
“Little Rose, it seems there is some of your old wine at home.”
The mermaid let out a snicker, asking why she wanted to drink?
Shu Tang whispered in his ear: “To bolster my courage.”
Then she heard a deep, pleasant laughter above her head, giving her a tingling sensation in her eardrums and a quickening heartbeat.
They tentatively pecked kisses at each other, quickly becoming entwined in each other’s hair, indistinguishable from one another.
A serenade of a midsummer night drifted from afar, and the dream sank into the enchanting depths of the water.