Picked Up an Amnesiac Little Mermaid - Chapter 7

After listening to the explanation, Shirley finally understood.

The seasoned psychologist, who had treated countless patients, scratched her hair with a ballpoint pen.

“So, you’re saying you eat together, sleep together, and have intimate contact every day, but you’re not in a relationship?”

Gu Yunyue nodded. “Yes, is there a problem?”

Shirley remained silent.

Yu Huai’s fingers stealthily reached for the edge of the crystal plate, grabbing another butter cookie. The rich buttery flavor, mingled with creamy sweetness, enveloped her taste buds—the fish had never tasted such delicious cookies before.

Yu Huai quietly fished out a small pearl from her pocket and placed it under the plate.

Fish don’t take handouts.

Just as Yu Huai extended her slender fingers to grab another cookie, a voice suddenly sounded above her head.

“May I speak with Miss Yu alone for a while?”

Shirley smiled at Yu Huai. “There are plenty of cookies to go around.”

Yu Huai’s entire face flushed instantly, like a little squirrel caught red-handed, cookie crumbs still lingering at the corners of her lips.

Her cheeks puffed up. “I-I wasn’t eating… Okay, I only had a few.”

The entire plate of cookies was gone.

Gu Yunyue said, “.”

Resigned, she wiped the crumbs from Yu Huai’s lips with a handkerchief. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

The blue-haired girl tilted her head, gazing innocently at Gu Yunyue. The peony-scented handkerbrush brushed lightly against her lips, tickling and teasing, as if the fragrance could seep into her heart.

Gu Yunyue smiled faintly. “Little glutton.”

She ruffled the girl’s curly locks. “People might think I’m starving you.”

Before Yu Huai could recover, Gu Yunyue’s figure had already disappeared beyond the door.

Her earlobes-tinged pink as she licked her dry lips, sitting stiffly in the wheelchair.

The wide, plush chair made her slender frame appear even more delicate, as if a gust of wind could carry her away.

Shirley brought out a fresh batch of warm cookies, shaped like starfish and little fish—unintentionally hitting the mermaid’s sweet spot.

Shirley smiled gently. “President Gu is a very aloof and indifferent person. I often feel she lacks human emotions. Five years of therapy have yielded limited results—even getting this esteemed guest to sleep properly has been a challenge.”

Yu Huai picked up a cookie. “Is it really that hard?”

“Miss Gu slept soundly the very first night we spent together.”

Shirley studied the overly innocent girl before her. “Do you understand what being with President Gu means?”

Shirley had met many people, but none as guileless as Yu Huai—her blue, ocean-like eyes held no impurities, clear as crystal.

“Naive” would be an understatement; she resembled a newborn untouched by society.

Yu Huai tilted her head in confusion. “Do I need to bear children for President Gu?”

Shirley asked, “Huh?”

Her prepared words of advice stuck in her throat.

Yu Huai rested her chin on her hand. “I have to sleep with her, comfort her when she’s upset, sing for her, and give her all the money I earn…”

Raising a human is so troublesome.

Having rescued her human and brought her ashore, the fish had to take responsibility.

After all, Gu Yunyue was a poor little thing who’d go mad with headaches without the fish’s songs.

Shirley was stunned for a long moment. “Wait—you don’t remember your parents or friends, have no recollection of the past twenty years, and have never even walked on land. Why would you develop such… submissive thoughts toward another person?”

She had never seen someone so eager to become another’s canary.

Sherry couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of sinful ideas Gu Yunyue had planted in this naive girl’s mind.

Yu Huai said earnestly, “My legs aren’t good (I don’t have a fish tail, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be pretty). Miss Gu not only didn’t look down on me but also made sure I never went hungry. She’s very kind.”

Sherry remained silent.

Her only request was not to go hungry…

Just what kind of mistreatment had this child endured before?

Sherry gathered her thoughts and steered the conversation back on track. “Miss Yu, normally I shouldn’t disclose a patient’s information, but your relationship with Ms. Gu is special. Her condition is very severe.”

Yu Huai clutched the hem of her skirt tightly. “What illness?”

Five years ago, on a yacht, she had witnessed her parents die in an accidental explosion and nearly drowned herself.

It had been a thunderstorm—torrential rain mercilessly pounding the icy sea, lightning splitting the sky.

Rather than saying Gu Yunyue had thalassophobia, it would be more accurate to call it PTSD.

The sight of seawater, rainy days, flashes of lightning, the sound of thunder—even the smell of salt and brine—could trigger an episode.

To her, the sea was no different from death itself.

She couldn’t face the darkness alone; fear clung to her like a shadow.

After the recent incident, Sherry had expected Gu Yunyue to lose her mind—but then she met Yu Huai.

…

Outside the door, Gu Yunyue sneezed several times. Only when the door behind her slowly opened did she stub out her cigarette, toss it into the trash, and pop a mint into her mouth before stepping inside.

The moment she entered, she was met with Sherry’s disapproving gaze.

Yu Huai spread her arms and immediately threw herself into Gu Yunyue’s embrace. “I was so nervous when I didn’t see you earlier.”

Hearing the doctor describe Gu Yunyue’s symptoms had made her heart ache unbearably.

Her human had suffered far too much.

Yu Huai’s almond-shaped eyes were red as she hid behind Gu Yunyue, her fingers gripping the sleeve so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Softly, she murmured, “I thought you’d disappeared.”

From Gu Yunyue’s perspective, she could see the girl’s trembling lashes, her warm cheek pressed against her arm—soft and gentle, more tempting than cotton candy in the sky.

Assuming Yu Huai was just being clingy, Gu Yunyue shifted her gaze to the doctor.

“How is she?”

Sherry hesitated. “My diagnosis aligns with the family doctor’s. Miss Yu lacks basic common sense and isn’t suited for modern society. She requires long-term care and observation.”

“Perhaps sending her to a sanatorium would be a good option.”

Gu Yunyue’s fingers lightly traced the delicate curve of the girl’s chin. “I can’t live in a sanatorium.”

Sherry shrugged. “So, if Miss Yu ever regains her memories, she can leave you anytime—but you, Ms. Gu, can’t live without her.”

Sherry’s heart ached for Yu Huai. “For your own health, please cherish her properly.”

“May God bless you, my esteemed guest.”

Gu Yunyue gave a faint nod. “God won’t bless me, but I’ll treat Huaihuai well.”

As Gu Yunyue and the white-coated doctor exchanged a few more words before preparing to leave, Yu Huai fished two pearls from her pocket and pressed them into Sherry’s hand.

“I’ll pay for Miss Gu’s treatment.”

Yu Huai bit her lip, wondering if she should take out a few more pearls.

A mermaid’s pearls were priceless, but for her human, she shouldn’t hesitate.

Yu Huai said, “Thank you for taking care of my Miss Gu. The cookies today were delicious.”

Sherry held the two heavy pearls in her palm, her heart melting as she returned them to Yu Huai’s embrace.

“No need, President Gu has already paid.”

Yu Huai, having failed in her attempt to be a kept woman, left the villa in low spirits, her entire fishy being feeling off.

Gu Yunyue opened the car door and draped her coat over the slender-shouldered girl. “Get in, we’re going back.”

Dizzy from the peony fragrance around her, Yu Huai tugged at Gu Yunyue’s sleeve. “Come here for a second.”

Gu Yunyue bent down, tucking her hair behind her ear, her gold-rimmed glasses glinting as she smiled at Yu Huai. “Hmm?”

Yu Huai pulled out a few fish-shaped cookies from her pocket—somewhat crushed—and carefully pieced them together before placing them whole in Gu Yunyue’s palm.

“These cookies are delicious. I saved two especially for you.”

Under the sunlight, the girl’s smile was pure, her eyes reflecting only Gu Yunyue.

“Try one.”

Praise me.

Gu Yunyue froze momentarily. She had received countless expensive gifts, every item presented to her meticulously chosen each a masterpiece.

These greasy, nearly crumbled cookies were something she wouldn’t have glanced at twice.

Yet Yu Huai had offered them to her like treasures.

A breeze passed, and Gu Yunyue’s heart began to race uncontrollably.

It felt like an onset of some deep-seated psychological condition—yet not quite.

Gu Yunyue lowered her head, her soft lips brushing against Yu Huai’s palm as she picked up the cookie and let it melt in her mouth.

The sweet, buttery treat dissolved instantly.

Yu Huai panicked, her hand frozen mid-air, unsure whether to move or not as she felt the faint, rough tickle of a tongue licking her palm.

Every crumb was gathered, not a single particle wasted.

Yu Huai’s entire fish body burned up, her ears ringing with train whistles.

This is cheating!

How could this human take such liberties with a fish!

Her eyes reddened, nearly tearful, yet she didn’t want Gu Yunyue to stop.

Gu Yunyue wiped the grease from Yu Huai’s palm with a handkerchief, then pressed a chaste kiss to the back of her hand like a knight to a princess.

“Thank you for the cookies, Huaihuai. Since my parents passed, you’re the only one who’s ever brought me snacks.”

Gu Yunyue lifted Yu Huai into the car with one arm. “Should I bring you snacks every day?”

Gu Yunyue chuckled. “I’m not a child. Why would I crave your treats every day?”

As the car passed through downtown, Gu Yunyue spotted an old-fashioned pastry shop. “Stop the car. I’ll buy you a box as an apology.”

A dark glint flickered in Gu Yunyue’s eyes. It was time to formalize their relationship with a contract.

She’d never kept a lover before, but she knew that when you found someone you liked, you used every means to keep them close.

At the word “pastries,” Yu Huai’s eyes lit up. “I want the ones with little fish designs.”

Gu Yunyue indulged her, stroking the girl’s soft hair, recalling the tenderness of her lips against that palm earlier.

I want to kiss her again.

Yu Huai tugged at Gu Yunyue’s collar outside the car, bending her stiff spine until her raven hair cascaded like a curtain.

Cupping Gu Yunyue’s face, she touched her lips.

“The doctor said you get headaches. If I bite you, they’ll stop.”

A Mermaid’s kiss, blessed by the storm.

Gu Yunyue gazed into the girl’s clear eyes, her expression inscrutable as she said, “Yu Huai, are you pitying me?”

She didn’t need pity—in some ways, pity was no different from insult.

Yu Huai shook her head. “I’m cherishing you.”