Marking is a chaotic process.
In this secret theft, she found herself deeply attracted to the mermaid before her.
This beast meekly looked down at her, pressing her between the neck, emitting a pleasing yet urgent hoarse voice.
His pale throat bobbed up and down.
His expression seemed enchanting, but his body was tense, the bulging veins were both sexy and wild, dangerous yet fragile.
Beastliness and divinity merged into one, a contradiction like the embodiment of some desire.
She uncontrollably bit into the mermaid’s gland.
His breathing then quickened, emitting an even huskier sound, somewhat hazily calling her name in a low voice. She responded vaguely, afraid of hurting him with her bite, but just as she thought to loosen her teeth a bit, she heard the mermaid’s intolerable voice; he reached out to press her back, huskily urging her to continue.
Their breaths were damp and chaotic.
He closed his eyes, shielding that frenzied, craving gaze, tilting his head back slightly with his eyes half-closed, like a cold blue rose under a dim light, mesmerizing enough to slow her breath by half a beat.
Thus, she felt like a wanderer lost at sea, hearing the ethereal song over the waters, enchanted by the Siren’s demeanor, willingly pulled into the endless deep sea.
The seawater engulfed their heads, their hair entwining, and beautiful fishtails spread out, blue bubbles rising amidst the sound of raindrops, thus the world was soaked by rainwater, turning the night from land into a vast ocean.
He yearned for her in a husky voice, like a wild storm; and she responded to him as best she could, like a beast tamer soothing a fierce creature.
For some, marks are shackles, chains in a cage; however, for them, there was no pain whatsoever.
That night, through this painful yet joyful connection, the fierce beast found its sense of belonging, reassured countless times that he truly belonged to this little cat, and would never be abandoned.
He let out a husky laugh, rubbing against the little cat’s nose.
She was exhausted, yet did not fall asleep as usual.
She turned to rub her nose against the mermaid’s, complaining that he had again drained her of too much energy.
The good child had never done anything bad, she complained that the mermaid made her a thief, yet seeing his lazy demeanor and the pleasantly swaying fishtail, she suddenly felt this theft was very worthwhile.
If it made him happy.
Playing the thief didn’t seem to matter.
She leaned in to ask the mermaid, what does being marked feel like?
The mermaid pondered for a moment, then suddenly came closer, his beautiful nose sniffing around her neck, his cold, beast-like breath tickling her.
Shu Tang dodged left and right, eventually screaming “Help!”
Finally, the two of them fell onto the bed, laughing.
What does being marked really feel like?
She found she could distinctly feel the mermaid’s presence.
She always could, but never as intensely as now. For example, now, sniffing around in the blankets like the coin-sniffing creature in movies, she found the mermaid’s pheromones on the blanket and pillow.
Even lying opposite the mermaid, she could hear his heartbeat.
Shu Tang found it amazing.
Mermaids could also distinctly feel that connection.
Like a thin bond linking them together.
The two turned to look at each other.
Listening to each other’s heartbeats.
As if a clock was moving accurately and clearly.
…
After dinner, neither of them wanted to sleep.
Instead, they cuddled together on the sofa to watch TV.
Then, squeezed into the small sofa, the two whispered secrets.
The rain outside patted against the window.
Shu Tang was curious whether they would develop a telepathic understanding after being marked.
In her mind, Shu Tang muttered: “Little Rose is so silly.”
The mermaid immediately lowered his head, hissing at her.
Shu Tang was shocked: “Is it that perceptive?”
Of course not.
— It was because everything she thought was written all over her face; the mermaid didn’t even need to glance to know what she was thinking.
However.
At least they both accurately used two remote controls to simultaneously select the replay of the “Weather Forecast.”
The mermaid still loved this segment, watching it daily without fail. And recently, he had fallen in love with watering his tail with a sprinkler made by Shu Tang while repeatedly listening to the sound of the weather forecast.
Shu Tang remembered the days in the Bastille, listening to the radio together, when South Island City always had unending rain. They had to prepare firewood and enough food before the rainy days.
Back then, Shu Tang always bullied the mermaid, bossing him around in chores, lazing on him without getting off, even being too lazy to walk. Actually, it was still the same now.
She knew it wasn’t right. But she enjoyed how the tall mermaid couldn’t handle her, liked propping her chin and watching his tense jawline, giggling as she watched the mermaid being bossed around by her.
Listening to the weather forecast, Shu Tang suddenly felt a bit melancholic.
She was reluctant to lose this silent, submissive mermaid, whom she could bully at will. She worried that once he regained his memories, the big dummy she could bully might disappear in the blink of an eye, turning into someone completely unfamiliar.
So gradually, she stopped watching TV and just stared blankly at the mermaid.
She couldn’t bear to blink her eyes.
She knew that they could only move forward, and such attachment was inappropriate. Therefore, she could only commit to memory the appearance of the mermaid at that moment: the swaying tail, the beautiful profile, and the somewhat lazy expression.
The mermaid noticed her gaze and clearly felt the emotions within it. It was a look starkly different from pity.
Perhaps the mark really did enhance their empathetic connection, for the mermaid suddenly understood the meaning behind her gaze.
It was a look filled with attachment and reluctance.
Suddenly, she turned her head and kissed the mermaid’s pale lips, climbed onto his knees, and sat on his waist.
This large beast supported her waist to prevent her from falling.
He looked at her with some surprise.
The mermaid appeared somewhat bewildered by her gaze.
He said, “No.”
After hearing the old scholar’s words, he was very clear and certain that he would not forget.
For this monster, these were not painful memories, but rather the only sweetness in a long and arduous journey.
But aside from telling her he would not forget, he still found himself tongue-tied and unsure how to comfort her.
The monster felt a surge of overflowing love well up in his chest.
Then, amidst the background music of “The Weather Forecast,” the mermaid silently kissed her back.
He responded to her with a passionate, unwavering kiss.
…
Shu Tang and the mermaid agreed on a secret code.
The weather forecast said it would rain tomorrow.
Thus, they decided if the mermaid still remembered, he would carry a blue umbrella.
Because ten years ago, Zhu Yan did not like to use umbrellas and would only choose black ones.
This was their unspoken little secret.
*
Shu Tang didn’t know when the mermaid had left.
Because she didn’t want to watch his retreating figure at this time; she also did not accompany him to the research institute, or wait at the door, as counting the minutes would be unbearable.
So, she closed her eyes and slept a long sleep.
She dreamt that she was on the treetops of a forbidden area watching the sea, with the mermaid leaning against the trunk below; together, they watched the sun set at the end of the sea horizon.
They chatted aimlessly about what to eat tomorrow; she wanted coconut chicken, and the mermaid wanted sashimi.
In her dream, Shu Tang planned to get up early the next day with the mermaid to pick coconuts on the island.
Waking up, it was already the next evening.
Shu Tang instinctively got up to check the calendar, only to find the wall was empty.
Shu Tang, wearing slippers, went downstairs and realized for the first time how vast the mansion was; she could clearly hear the echo of her footsteps.
She turned to look out the window, only to find that it was a cloudy day, and it hadn’t rained.
She felt bewildered for a while.
But staying here, she always uncontrollably looked up to watch the clock’s movements.
Thus, she walked aimlessly with an umbrella towards the main street.
Shu Tang planned to walk outside until it was completely dark before returning home. That way, she would only feel uneasy the moment she entered her home.
As she walked through the streets, she could clearly see her own eyes reflected in the passing glass windows.
Shu Tang often felt a sense of detachment from this world, as she was neither ‘a’ nor ‘o’. Her heart still lingered in the 21st-century hometown, still missing the past, even though those memories were gradually blurring. But she always felt like a visitor in this world.
Occasionally looking in the mirror, she found it curious and interesting, like seeing herself in another world.
However, she no longer often thought about the 22nd century. She stopped staring blankly at the streets outside and rarely missed her past life.
Her timidity and reticence, ingrained in her personality, gradually dissipated due to one person’s indulgence and boundless love.
She began to feel a confidence about life. She had rediscovered a sense of reality and order.
She believed that no matter what they encountered, they would continue to spend long, happy years in this beautiful yet chaotic world.
Yet, Shu Tang still harbored some worries about the future. She feared that the mermaid might change into someone completely different, leaving her feeling lost.
She did not know how to face Zhu Yan in the photos.
If he did not remember, how could she greet him without feeling awkward?
Suddenly, Shu Tang thought it was a bad idea to leave home—
What if he did not recognize her and did not let her in? Would she be sleeping on the streets tonight?
She wandered aimlessly, walking forward with her hands in her pockets.
Shu Tang thought: If she wasn’t allowed in, she’d pretend to fall right at his doorstep and stage an accident.
She was the only one on the street carrying an umbrella.
Street lights flickered on one by one, and people cast curious glances at Shu Tang holding her umbrella.
But the weather forecast was accurate, and soon it began to rain.
In the heavy rain, a tall monster hesitantly watched the downpour, raindrops falling on his hair and slowly streaming down his pale cheeks.
Some say that the feeling of healing is like waking up from a long dream.
The monster then felt as if he had slept for a very long time, perhaps a whole decade. He vividly recalled Zhu Yan’s childhood, adolescence, and youth, and how he had turned into a terrifying monster.
What then?
The monster walked forward, slow and clumsy, almost as if he had just learned to walk.
Everyone else took shelter from the rain, but this monster, seemingly unaware, let the rain soak his fins.
Then, he remembered the blue umbrella held over his head on that rainy day.
Overcast, sunny, rainy days.
They would listen to the weather forecast huddled in the Bastille prison in all kinds of weather.
Wasn’t that a gloomy prison?
The monster thought confusedly.
She walked forward aimlessly.
In the prison, remembered as vast and gloomy.
She sat on his shoulders to hang the curtains.
She turned her head and called him “Little Rose.”
In the prison, they passionately kissed, loved, and walked on the soft sands.
Thus, on the barren land, sprouted one blue rose after another.
…
In the heavy rain, the creature sluggishly stopped and entered a convenience store.
Rain dripped from its body.
With its fins behind its ears fluttering, the creature gazed at the blue umbrella behind the cashier.
It took a long while before it remembered how to speak.
“Umbrella.”
…
In this unfamiliar city, Shu Tang walked past sliding glass doors.
People hurried by her side.
Only she moved forward without purpose.
Until her little red umbrella moved forward, seeing a little blue umbrella in the heavy rain.
The little red and blue umbrellas stood still.
They looked at each other through the curtain of rain.
Thus, everything around them turned into the background.
The noisy city quieted down, leaving only the sound of rain falling.
She said, “Little Rose?”
He hissed.
The little red umbrella dashed towards the little blue umbrella.
The umbrellas twirled, falling into a puddle.
Reflected there was a couple kissing.
They laughed.
Then, the heavy rain fell.
The world turned upside down again into an ocean.
TL’s Note: There are still extras.