By nine o’clock in the morning, since most of the shifts were cut, the night shift was also canceled, and at this time, the emergency department’s dormitory was empty.
Shu Tang lamented why she hadn’t experienced better times, then she brought the mermaid to her dormitory.
The mermaid paused.
He had been to Shu Tang’s dormitory several times before, but always appeared in the dark of night, curling up by her bed, and this was the first time he was “invited.”
Moreover, this time, he did not have to stay in a dark corner on the ground — instead, he was pressed onto her small bed by Shu Tang, watching her bustling around the dormitory.
He tilted his head, feeling a belated sense of pleasure, watching her intently as if he could never get enough.
Shu Tang opened her suitcase to pack her clothes. She had only been interning at the rehabilitation center for three months, so she didn’t have many things, and a large suitcase was enough to gather her belongings.
However, Shu Tang still had to handle paperwork at the emergency department, which was troublesome as it involved running around various departments, so she said to the mermaid, “Little Rose, I’m going to the emergency department for a bit and will be right back. Can you wait here for me, okay?”
The mermaid hissed at her, which Shu Tang thought probably meant “come back soon,” so she gave a few more instructions before closing the dormitory door and hurried towards the emergency department with her small umbrella.
Shu Tang was concerned about the mermaid, so she moved especially fast.
After half a month, when she stepped into the emergency department again, she felt as if she had been transported to another world. Half a month ago, Shu Tang was thinking about how to apply for a single dormitory and how to deal with endless night shifts. Half a month later, she had left the emergency department and become Little Rose’s therapist, preparing to move in with him.
This surreal feeling grew stronger as she noticed the curious glances from everyone and the unusually polite demeanor of Director Zhou.
Until the moment Su Yin stamped her documents, and they bumped heads.
Su Yin really wanted to ask Shu Tang what had happened during this time, but since everyone had signed a confidentiality agreement before returning, Su Yin felt Shu Tang might have really gone to some extraordinary department, and she didn’t dare to ask in a place full of surveillance cameras, so she just held back and instead asked when Shu Tang was going back to Hua University and if they should carpool.
Seeing Shu Tang’s expression, Su Yin was stunned: “Didn’t you forget about the therapist certification exam?”
Shu Tang stood there, hands in pockets, looking utterly clueless.
What exam?
Just yesterday, she was still communicating with the dean about the big issues at the research institute, sitting in meetings among 28 therapists, only to find out a few days ago that her little rose was actually a big demon.
Having absorbed such a massive amount of information, Shu Tang’s worldview was completely overturned.
It was comparable to Harry Potter entering Hogwarts.
And what did her fantastical and epic life have to do with exams?
Su Yin said sympathetically:
“Little Tang, if you don’t get the qualification certificate, you’ll be delayed in graduating.”
“You’ll be the first student in the thirty-year history of Hua University not to receive a therapist qualification certificate.”
“Haven’t you been confirmed yet? Without the certificate, you’ll be eliminated in the first round of review.”
Su Yin shook her head: poor thing, the cat that forgot to revise.
Su Yin said:
“I have the ‘Therapist Qualification Certificate Exam Questions’ and the ‘General Language Level 6’ papers here, do you want me to get you a copy?”
Holding the papers, Shu Tang left as if she was sleepwalking.
She suffered a major blow and resumed her zombie-like stride.
However, her emotions peaked after returning to her dorm.
Because as soon as she opened the door, she found the dormitory completely empty.
Images from the video that day flashed through Shu Tang’s mind—the screaming crowd fleeing, desperately clutching umbrellas looking for her figure.
She immediately turned around, grabbed her umbrella, and hurried downstairs.
*
The mermaid stayed in Shu Tang’s dormitory for a while, growing anxious as she didn’t return for a long time, continually glancing outside the door. Suddenly, “he” paused, as if remembering something.
Then the mermaid calmly pushed open the door, holding the umbrella and slowly headed towards the supermarket, following the directions from his memory.
The cashier had narrowly escaped death, and was now sharing his harrowing brush with death with a new customer.
However, a clap of thunder was heard outside—
The cashier, feeling something, stiffly turned his head.
With Shu Tang gone, the Umbrella Butcher of the rainy night, with his hollow black eyes, became utterly indifferent, and just making eye contact with those eyes brought a crushing oppression, like a tsunami.
The cashier held his breath, and everyone froze in place out of instinctive fear, daring not to move.
The supermarket, bustling just moments ago, seemed to have instantly turned into a dark and primal jungle.
The air was deadly silent.
It seemed one could only hear the deathly footsteps and the heavy breathing like that of a monster.
But if someone looked up, they would see:
The monster very politely left the umbrella outside;
The monster approached the refrigerator;
The monster took an ice cream.
Time passed, unknown how long.
The cashier, trembling, realized the rain night butcher was standing in front of him, his cold, empty eyes staring at him.
Silently, he handed over a pearl.
But the cashier was already scared stiff.
—Remembering what Shu Tang said about this costing a lot of money.
He added another pearl.
By the third pearl,
He thought the cashier was the “robber” Shu Tang mentioned.
Using his gaze to “haggle.”
The other party fainted.
Success.
Thus, he took back two pearls.
Took the umbrella.
Left.
…
Shu Tang walked a few hundred meters with her umbrella and saw a blue umbrella not far away.
She hurried over: “Little Rose, where did you run off to?”
The mermaid looked down at her.
Then slowly, took out an ice cream from her hand.
Because the mermaid’s body temperature was very low, the ice cream didn’t melt even though it was squeezed for a long time.
Shu Tang, who had just returned and couldn’t find the mermaid, was anxious and froze.
—It was the ice cream she thought was too expensive, so she hadn’t spent the money to buy it.
The lonely, sharp monster from the forbidden land had learned to shop.
And the first time it shopped, it was to win her favor.
Though the heavy rain continued, she felt her mood clear up.
The two sat down on dry steps, watching the heavy rain pattering outside.
She handed the chocolate-flavored ice cream to the mermaid, letting it take a bite.
The mermaid took a bite.
Frowned.
Its expression was a bit distorted. Unsure if it was sweet or bitter.
But Shu Tang seemed to really enjoy it.
Actually, thanks to the perks of her job, she could already afford such luxurious ice cream. However, her spending habits hadn’t changed overnight; she still found ice cream to be expensive and would not choose to buy it.
But when she tasted the ice cream “he” brought back, she couldn’t help but squint her eyes with delight.
Something took root and sprouted.
Before she even noticed, it had broken through the soil.
Shu Tang asked the mermaid how he paid, and “he” pulled out a pearl.
That day by the fire, Shu Tang told the mermaid that pearls were very valuable—so at that time, the mermaid gave most of his pearls to her, only keeping a few rough, oddly shaped ones.
Upon learning that “he” had bought an ice cream with a pearl, Shu Tang started muttering, calling him a fool easily swindled by anyone.
The mermaid watched her, listening to her complaints.
Tilting his head slightly.
She was a little trickster who said one thing but felt another, voicing her complaints.
It seemed like she disliked it.
—Then why did the corners of her mouth lift, and her eyes sparkle?
When the rain lightened, Shu Tang went upstairs to grab her suitcase, and then walked toward Zone 01 with the mermaid.
Perhaps because it had been a hectic morning and it was nearing mealtime, the place started to get crowded.
Upon seeing the mermaid, a small commotion still ensued. On that rainy night of a massive evacuation, many who hadn’t managed to flee at the first opportunity had seen the rumored monster from the forbidden land.
Someone screamed.
Others began to back away.
But since the “Rainy Night Butcher” didn’t look as horrifying as he did that night, the commotion didn’t escalate.
The crowd quickly isolated the blue umbrella.
Walking among them, yet he seemed like an isolated island.
But the tall figure didn’t dwell his gaze on those people, nor did he seem to care about the noises.
He even occasionally reached out to straighten the small red umbrella in front of him.
However, Shu Tang suddenly stopped.
The mermaid looked down at her, noticing the surrounding noises only because she had stopped walking.
The mermaid slowly looked up, gazing at the crowd.
In his dark, hollow eyes, there was an imperceptible restlessness. “He” wanted to cover Shu Tang’s ears to prevent those sounds from entering; he also wanted to immediately snatch her back to their lair, to leave this world quickly.
However, for some reason, “he” did nothing.
His lips were pale and tightly pressed, motionlessly fixed on her.
As if the sharp gazes from the crowd were trivial, yet her every move could easily devastate this towering monster.
However, Shu Tang paid no attention to those people. She closed her small red umbrella and stepped under the mermaid’s large one, handing over her suitcase to “him.”
Then she sat on the suitcase.
Turning to the mermaid, she declared:
“Let’s go!”
If this world is bizarre and extraordinary.
If everyone thinks you’re a monster.
If they think you’re thoroughly a big villain.
I will still stand by your side, as your steadfast and unwavering best partner.
The towering and frightening monster fell silent for a while.
His pale, cold lips unexpectedly curled into a subtle smile.
Together under one umbrella, they walked forward through the heavy rain.
Wherever they went, the crowd would scatter and leave.
Yet she sat on the suitcase and proclaimed:
“If you’re the wolf, I’m the jackal!”
We’ll be partners in crime, creating our own realm.
“If you’re the mountain king, I’m your loyal strategist.”
We’ll reign over our domain, isolated from the whole world.
The smile on his lips grew wider.
In the pouring rain, the monster’s raspy, contradicting growl was heard.
She was persuaded, changing her declaration while sitting on the suitcase.
—Not the dog-headed strategist.
—But the cat-headed strategist.