The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 18
Wincing at the pain of spending so much, Zhao Shuqing swiped her card to pay. She glared at Liang Yue with resentment—3,760 yuan, not even including the 19% service fee. Wasn’t this a bit too much?
This was a total rip-off, a shady store.
But Zhao Shuqing didn’t dare complain. Right now, she and Lin Feng still had to rely on this so-called “kind-hearted” boss to help them get through their tough situation. If they were being cheated, so be it—she’d just think of it as her Golden Week vacation expenses.
Zhao Shuqing quietly clenched her back teeth.
Lin Feng looked at her confused, noticing the anger in Zhao Shuqing’s expression. She worriedly held Zhao Shuqing’s hand, then gave Liang Yue a fierce look.
The message was clear—if Zhao Shuqing gave the word, she’d charge forward to attack.
“No, it’s fine, it’s fine,” Zhao Shuqing quickly calmed herself, fearing that Lin Feng, who didn’t really understand the law, might impulsively go after Liang Yue. Even if the woman was a bit shady, money was just something external. Life was more important.
Zhao Shuqing comforted Lin Feng gently, whispering, “Senior sister will come to find us soon. Then we’ll be safe.”
Lin Feng blinked. “Senior sister?”
“The one you met—the one who caught you. She’s our leader,” Zhao Shuqing patiently explained. Lin Feng clearly understood, her whole body tensed, and she looked away, furrowing her delicate brows tightly, as if she didn’t want to think about that person.
After all, it was Xu Tang who caught Lin Feng, and this mermaid held grudges.
Zhao Shuqing smiled and pulled out a jelly snack to cheer Lin Feng up. Lin Feng looked at the orange-flavored jelly and finally calmed down, leaning against Zhao Shuqing and nibbling on the snack quietly.
After more than half an hour, Xu Tang called to say they had already gotten on the highway. Zhao Shuqing hurriedly told her that the location given by Liang Yue wasn’t accurate, and asked them to stop at the village entrance. Zhao Shuqing would bring Lin Feng there to wait.
Xu Tang hesitated for a moment, still worried, but Zhao Shuqing felt it was fine. Finally, Xu Tang agreed.
After hanging up, Zhao Shuqing told Lin Feng, “Let’s pack up and go to the village entrance. Senior sister is coming to pick us up.”
Lin Feng tilted her head.
Zhao Shuqing smiled and didn’t say much, starting to teach her how to pack the snacks and food into the backpack. Then she went over to thank Liang Yue.
“Thank you so much today,” Zhao Shuqing said. “We’ll be going now.”
Liang Yue lifted her eyelids and waved at them.
Following Liang Yue’s directions, it took them over ten minutes to find the road at the village entrance.
It was called a road, but it was old and badly maintained. It was clear the economy here was poor. The concrete was full of potholes, and no one fixed it. The guardrails on both sides were long gone, and the few remaining ones were weathered and cracked like rocks worn down by wind.
The sun beat down harshly on the two of them. Zhao Shuqing shaded her eyes with her hand and looked at Lin Feng, who was dizzy and clearly dehydrated. Lin Feng was hugging an empty bottle of mineral water and looked completely wilted.
“Hold on a bit longer, Lin Feng,” Zhao Shuqing said, taking out another bottle of water and wetting a tissue to wipe Lin Feng’s face. She worried, “Once we get in the car, you’ll feel better.”
Zhao Shuqing looked around. There was no shade at all—no trees or walls. So she took off her jacket and held it over Lin Feng’s head to shield her from the sun.
As they suffered in the heat waiting, a few black cars appeared on the horizon not far away.
“They’re here.”
Zhao Shuqing looked toward the distant black cars excitedly and told Lin Feng, “Senior sister’s car is here.”
Lin Feng looked up at the cars and twitched her nose. Suddenly her brows furrowed deeply. She looked back at Zhao Shuqing, who was happily waving at the cars, her face full of joy.
Lin Feng reached out, tugged on Zhao Shuqing’s clothes, and pointed at the cars with a serious expression.
Zhao Shuqing looked down at Lin Feng’s face in surprise. She squatted and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Lin Feng pointed at the approaching cars anxiously and tried to stand up.
At first, Zhao Shuqing thought Lin Feng was afraid to see Xu Tang, and she even thought about how to comfort her. But when she looked up at the cars getting closer, she felt something was off.
Although the cars had the institute’s logo, Zhao Shuqing sensed something was wrong.
And the closer the cars got, the stronger her unease grew inside.
“…Go.”
Lin Feng gripped Zhao Shuqing’s clothes tightly, frowning as she said, “Go.”
Zhao Shuqing immediately understood and pushed Lin Feng’s wheelchair, running back.
She knew why she felt uneasy—it was too fast. The trip was over 120 kilometers, which should take at least an hour at best. Besides, Xu Tang and the others should still be in the city; it was impossible for them to arrive so quickly.
They weren’t from the institute. Just like the driver before, they were probably here to take Lin Feng by force.
The people in the black cars sped up as soon as they saw Zhao Shuqing running back. She could even hear the tires scraping the ground behind her.
She quickly turned and pushed the wheelchair into the narrow gap between two buildings.
Turning back, she saw the black car stop at the alley entrance. The dark window rolled down slowly, revealing the face of a stranger inside.
Zhao Shuqing didn’t dare waste time. While the car couldn’t enter the alley, she ran wildly in all directions, but since she was on foot and the place was open, the cars found ways to chase her down.
Soon, Zhao Shuqing was trapped at the alley entrance by one of the black cars.
A man climbed out of the sunroof, holding a gun aimed at Zhao Shuqing. He said coldly, “Stop running, Dr. Zhao. Come back with us quietly, and we promise not to harm a single hair on you.”
Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Shuqing’s forehead. She gripped the wheelchair handles tightly and frowned. “Who exactly are you?”
“You can think of us as an overseas organization,” the man said, glancing at Lin Feng sitting in the wheelchair. He tilted his head and added, “The world’s only mermaid belongs to a country with better research capabilities, not whoever catches her first.”
“Nonsense,” Zhao Shuqing shot back. “You’re just a bunch of bandits and robbers.”
The man laughed, then his voice turned cold. “Fine, Dr. Zhao. If you don’t cooperate, I won’t mind changing the mermaid’s caretaker.”
Before he finished, he pulled the trigger. The gunshot cracked sharply through the air. Zhao Shuqing didn’t have time to react — everything blurred, a blanket was suddenly whipped away, and a shadow loomed over her.
Lin Feng threw off the blanket and stood between Zhao Shuqing and the threat. Her tail straightened up, her bright fins on both sides spread wide, standing two meters tall like a solid wall.
Zhao Shuqing stared in surprise at Lin Feng, her eyes falling on a red streak running down Lin Feng’s arm like a winding snake.
“Lin Feng, are you… hurt?”
Before Zhao Shuqing could react more, Lin Feng glanced back at her, then quickly grabbed Zhao Shuqing by the collar and darted into a nearby alley. Zhao Shuqing was being dragged like a little chick, only hearing curses from behind and seeing buildings fly past her vision.
Holy crap, is Lin Feng carrying her while running?
So mermaids don’t just swim and walk on land — they can fly too?
Just as Zhao Shuqing marveled at how amazing Lin Feng was, a few black cars suddenly rushed out of the alley and started chasing them.
The man leading shouted loudly, “That woman can die, but the mermaid must be captured alive!”
Zhao Shuqing frowned. How could these outlaws kill people in broad daylight?
But her thought lasted only a moment before a sudden feeling of weightlessness hit her. With a splash, Zhao Shuqing and Lin Feng fell into the river.
Before losing consciousness, Zhao Shuqing couldn’t help but feel relieved — the waterproof backpack she bought was definitely the right choice.
When Lin Feng dragged Zhao Shuqing ashore, the human was already unconscious.
She laid Zhao Shuqing on a clean riverbank, then crouched down and pressed her ear against Zhao Shuqing’s chest, listening to the faint heartbeat and weak breathing. Her heart tightened.
She gently patted Zhao Shuqing’s cheek and whispered, “Zhao Shuqing.”
But the human didn’t respond. Her breath was barely there.
Humans really are fragile.
Such a weak, helpless species—how could they possibly rule the world?
Lin Feng lowered her head and looked at Zhao Shuqing’s wet face, like a dying fish. If she didn’t save her soon, she would really die.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Lin Feng decided to save this human who had been so kind to her. She placed her hand gently on Zhao Shuqing’s chest and mimicked human CPR.
Soon, Zhao Shuqing coughed up a lot of water, then slipped back into unconsciousness.
Lin Feng patted her face and kept checking her heartbeat repeatedly. Only when she heard Zhao Shuqing’s pulse steady again did she finally relax.
The beautiful mermaid sat on the riverbank guarding the unconscious human. Looking around, Lin Feng felt it was still unsafe—those people chasing them were relentless. She decided to carry Zhao Shuqing into the forest to hide.
When Zhao Shuqing woke up, the sky was completely dark.
Her head and lungs ached badly, and her whole body was sore. As she tried to cover her head and sit up, her body suddenly lost strength, and she felt like falling. Just then, a beautiful blue tail curled around her waist and slowly lifted her up.
Zhao Shuqing was stunned.
She had been unconscious in the water—how did she wake up up in a tree?
Had she somehow traveled through time or space?
But when she saw Lin Feng in the tree, she slowly came to her senses. Lin Feng helped her sit against the trunk, her blue eyes looking at her with a mix of sadness and concern.
Zhao Shuqing looked around and realized she was sitting in a giant tree, at least ten meters above the ground.
If Lin Feng hadn’t caught her just now, she would have fallen and turned into a pancake.