“The Great Leader had already retired ten years ago; his account is a private one, how he uses it is simply a personal hobby of the founding hero.”
—Of course, Chen Sheng didn’t tell Shu Tang that his phone had been blown up that very morning.
He had explained countless times that the founding hero’s account hadn’t been hacked.
……
During the hour-long conversation, the seasoned office worker, Shu Tang, calmly signed three confidentiality agreements.
Shu Tang praised herself inwardly: Being unflustered by changes is a trait of someone who handles big matters.
Chen Sheng, who had been a secretary for many years, asked softly, “Are you okay?”
Chen Sheng said:
“Actually, the big boss is a nice person. Don’t let his status put psychological pressure on you.”
But Chen Sheng didn’t continue his sentence.
Because he noticed that she was staring blankly at a cup of tea.
He remained silent for a while, then closed the door, leaving her alone for some time.
……
Chen Sheng thought that after accepting reality, Shu Tang would request to move back to the dormitory.
But she did not.
Shu Tang spaced out for half an hour, and suddenly noticed that it had gotten dark outside. That reminded her to go home, so she moved her numb legs and headed towards the restricted area.
Shu Tang believed that obtaining a qualification certificate meant she was a qualified office worker. When faced with shocking life events, she needed to maintain a professional demeanor.
So, when she returned to the restricted area, the first thing she did was to turn on the communicator placed on the rocks and changed her nickname and signature back.
Not troubling others is the principle of an office worker.
She noticed that the mermaid had not returned yet, probably encountering some pollutants. After all, if it were the former commander of the freedom army, dealing with pollutants would also be part of the duties.
So, Shu Tang decided to take a bath first, sitting in the bathtub, turned on the shower, and amidst the sound of water, Shu Tang began to reflect on how this mix-up had happened.
Actually, the surname “Zhu” is quite rare, but given her ex-partner’s behavior of riding on popularity, Shu Tang did not realize the unique significance of the surname “Zhu”.
Moreover, Shu Tang was a time-traveler, with her worldview already formed when she crossed over, so she always felt a detachment from this world. Hence, Shu Tang lacked interest in the current affairs of this world, focusing instead on whether it would rain tomorrow or what to eat.
What’s more, for the past ten years, “Zhu Yan” had been in retirement, unsearchable by name, and had also changed in appearance. It was quite normal that Shu Tang failed to notice any clues.
Shu Tang zoned out amidst the sound of rushing water.
She was supposed to be thrilled.
But she felt nothing close to happiness; instead, she felt a sadness so deep it made her want to cry.
Even though there was no strict class hierarchy in the Federation, just like the match she was paired with at the South Island base, people would disdain her for coming from an ordinary family, making excuses not to engage with her.
What if it were someone more impressive, with a higher status and background?
Not long ago, Shu Tang had imagined that once the mermaid regained his memory and fully recovered, they could buy an apartment together in South Island City.
She had speculated about the mermaid’s identity, guessing he might be a high-ranking officer at the South Island base. Calculating their combined salaries, Shu Tang figured it would take them fifty years to pay off a mortgage. Plus, she could go to graduate school, and her salary would increase once she obtained her master’s degree.
It was like their nicknames and signatures.
Kitten spent five yuan to buy dried fish. If the dried fish were worth 20 yuan, Kitten would be delighted, thinking she got a great deal and happily dragging away the dried fish worth 20 yuan;
But what if that dried fish were worth twenty million yuan, or even two hundred million?
With only five yuan in her pocket, Kitten wouldn’t be happy. She would start worrying if the vendor had given her the wrong item, start fearing the police might come knocking, and begin looking for places to hide her dried fish.
But Kitten knew well enough that a dried fish worth millions could never belong to a kitten with only five yuan.
So, she changed her nickname and signature, knowing that the deal could not be sealed for just five yuan.
Shu Tang thought: according to the typical plot in novels, what would follow is the mermaid regaining his memory and then returning to be the high and mighty leader, leaving her tragically abandoned, possibly with a generous hush payment.
But then, any potential between them would be definitively over.
If he were a high-ranking officer at the South Island base, or someone with a military rank like Chen Sheng, Kitten could proudly think, after all, a therapist with a degree from Hua University isn’t too shabby, and she is young with limitless potential;
But what if he were a former retired grand leader of the Federation?
The previously confident person began to feel uneasy.
She hid in the bathtub.
Her imagination reached its peak at that moment—
She fantasized about watching the mermaid get into a stretch limousine amidst a crowd, leaving her drenched in his wake;
Imagining that in the future she could only see that fish on TV, she wanted to go to the event to sneak a peek from afar, only to be dragged away by security and thrown into a garbage bin;
Imagining being compensated with a hush payment of fifty million… although the thought of fifty million made it slightly more acceptable.
But the increasing unease and fear overwhelmed her like a tide.
Shu Tang thought it was embarrassing to cry over something that hadn’t happened, so she turned on the shower, letting the sound of the water drown out everything else.
…
However, it was clearly an act of futile concealment.
As soon as the mermaid came ashore, its excellent hearing picked up the noise. Instantly, the expression on the fierce creature’s face darkened, its sharp fins taking on a menacing curve: the beast thought a pollutant had come ashore and hurt its little cat.
But soon, the mermaid confirmed that there were no traces of pollutants in its nest.
The mermaid then assumed Shu Tang was hurt in the bathroom, perhaps having slipped, so it knocked on the bathroom door: “Tang?”
The beast was very anxious about its little cat, frowning as it listened to the sounds inside.
Hearing no more sounds inside.
The mermaid stretched out its hand and with a snap, twisted off the bathroom door lock.
But there was no little cat fallen and unable to get up.
Shu Tang was just sitting in the bathtub, sobbing. At this moment, Shu Tang was immersed in her own world, believing she was the most pitiful and unlucky person in the world. Her brain was also a bit oxygen-deprived from the steam in the bathroom for half an hour, and her face was red.
In that moment, the monster paused—
Because she was covered in bubbles from the shower gel.
The mermaid hissed at her, a bit at a loss.
It also didn’t know where to look: because Shu Tang did not allow the mermaid to enter when she was bathing, nor to watch her bathe.
So when she was suddenly embraced, and the foam on her hair brushed against the beast’s chin, “he” stiffened for a moment, tensing all his muscles.
The mermaid didn’t understand why she was crying, so it quietly let her vent her emotions.
All this time, the mermaid was unsure how much Shu Tang really liked him, perhaps because the confession was initiated by the mermaid without giving Shu Tang a chance. Although Shu Tang would wholesale “like,” she didn’t often say much romantic talk.
But the mermaid’s perception was poor, so in his eyes, she didn’t seem to like him that much.
But at that moment, the first thing she asked “him” was:
“When you regain your memory, will you not want me anymore?”
The mermaid paused for a moment.
—I almost thought it was a question from my own soul.
Because in every moment spent with her, this beast continually interrogated its own heart:
Could there be a day when she grows tired of this monster’s poverty and dullness, and doesn’t want him anymore?
Until she started accusing him of ruthlessly throwing her into the trash bin and splashing her with water as he drove by.
Only then did the monster recover from that rigid state.
Shu Tang was uneasy and afraid, but she didn’t know how to vent these feelings.
So she started to mutter all sorts of threats to the beast she was holding.
She said she wasn’t someone who could be dismissed with five million; if he planned to seduce and abandon her, she would make him understand what it meant to be stuck with trouble. She would demand one hundred million, a billion, and squeeze all his money dry;
She said she would haunt him for a lifetime, even buy the grave next to his, so he would never rest in peace even in death;
She said she still had a photo of the two of them together; she would expose him as a scumfish and ruin his reputation.
But in reality, she knew very well that if she posted the photo online, it would be deleted immediately. If he really wanted to, just a word from him, and she wouldn’t even be able to ask for money, let alone leave the sanatorium.
The more she spoke, the more desperate she became, realizing these threats were utterly useless. If that day really came, all she could do was stand there and maybe do nothing.
—Of course, sticking pins in a voodoo doll was still an option.
So, she held back for a bit, then started to cry again, beginning to sob heavily.
And as she was crying, she suddenly heard the mermaid snickering.
Shu Tang: “…”