The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 2

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes focused on the mermaid lady’s waist and abdomen. Her waist was very slim, maybe only as wide as a palm, with a curvy figure. Because she had lived in the water for a long time, faint abs could even be seen on her belly.

If this mermaid were human, she would probably be a very popular beauty. Those who wanted to court her would likely have to line up from the ship’s cabin all the way to the deck.

Do mermaids have a mating season?

How do mermaids give birth to new life?

Do mermaids have reproductive organs like humans?

These questions made Zhao Shuqing very curious. She slowly reached out her hand to stroke the mermaid lady’s cheek. When her hand touched the mermaid’s face, the mermaid slightly froze but obediently lifted her chin, meeting Zhao Shuqing’s gaze.

“You’re really beautiful,” Zhao Shuqing praised without holding back. “You’re the most beautiful mermaid I’ve ever seen.”

After all, Zhao Shuqing had only ever seen this one mermaid, so the compliment was honest.

The mermaid’s blue eyes flickered slightly. She seemed to realize something and even leaned closer, resting her hands on the edge of the platform and sitting down right in front of Zhao Shuqing. She raised her human-like hands and gently stroked Zhao Shuqing’s face in the same way.

“Oh my god,” someone behind them gasped, and some even started filming.

Zhao Shuqing felt the mermaid’s touch. Her body temperature was very low—cool to the touch. If it weren’t for the fact that the mermaid was still breathing and had a heartbeat, Zhao Shuqing would have thought she was dead.

How could she be so cold?

The mermaid looked at Zhao Shuqing, studying her features closely, gently touching her brow bones and nose tip as if confirming something.

“Qing…”

Zhao Shuqing’s eyes widened slightly. The mermaid slowly opened her mouth, revealing sharp, triangular teeth, and clearly said one word—“Qing.”

Qing?

Qing? Or maybe… her name, Shuqing?

Zhao Shuqing was surprised, wondering if she had heard wrong. How could a stranger mermaid say her name?

After speaking, the mermaid closed her mouth, looking confused and tilting her head at Zhao Shuqing.

Zhao Shuqing frowned. She thought this might be part of the mermaid’s language with some other meaning, not necessarily calling her name. After all, they just met—why would she know her name?

While Zhao Shuqing was thinking, she caught a glimpse of the mermaid’s lower abdomen. In the area that would correspond to the human pelvic region, there was a patch of fish scales that looked different from the rest.

Those scales seemed softer than the others. Underwater it was hard to tell, but once the mermaid sat up on land, the difference was obvious.

Could this be… the mermaid’s reproductive organ?

Zhao Shuqing’s gaze locked on that patch of scales. Driven by curiosity, she reached out without hesitation to touch it.

Through her rubber glove, Zhao Shuqing didn’t feel much, but the mermaid was clearly shocked. Her eyes were full of disbelief and surprise.

“What is this?” Zhao Shuqing bent down and peeled off the scales.

Before she could see clearly, the mermaid suddenly raised her tail and slapped Zhao Shuqing sharply on the face, making her dizzy. When she came back to her senses and looked again, the mermaid had already dived to the bottom of the water tank.

Zhao Shuqing sat on the ground, stunned, blankly staring at the water’s surface. Only after a while did she realize what she had just done.

“Pfft…”

Her colleagues behind her couldn’t hold back their laughter, covering their mouths.

“Dr. Zhao, if this had happened on land, you’d have been taken away by the police.”

“Hahaha, Shuqing didn’t mean it. She probably didn’t expect the mermaid to slap her back.”

“Sorry, but this is just too funny, hahaha!”

Being laughed at by her colleagues, Zhao Shuqing sighed helplessly and rubbed her swollen cheek. She said bitterly, “Please keep this a secret, ladies. Otherwise, my senior sister will tease me forever.”

A few hours later, inside Xu Tang’s ship cabin.

“I heard you got slapped by a mermaid for being a pervert—is that true?” Xu Tang smiled, slipping on her jacket and glancing at Zhao Shuqing inside the cabin.

Zhao Shuqing helplessly held her forehead. “Who leaked this? How am I supposed to face people when I go ashore now?”

Xu Tang laughed. “You’re the first person to sexually harass a mermaid—this will definitely go down in history.”

“Senior sister, stop joking.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t joke anymore.” Xu Tang said this but her smile never faded. She looked at Zhao Shuqing and asked, “Have you finished organizing the info on the mermaid?”

“Almost done. It’s all here.”

After getting slapped, Zhao Shuqing immediately searched for documents about mermaids and learned that their tails must not be touched casually. Only very close partners can do that.

Moreover, Zhao Shuqing had peeled off the mermaid’s scales, so getting slapped was a mercy.

Xu Tang leaned against the desk, lazily flipping through the files Zhao Shuqing gave her. She had just woken up and lost her usual refined elite look, instead appearing more casual and natural. Her shiny black hair fell over her shoulders, and on her high nose bridge sat a pair of black glasses. She flipped through the files while sipping freshly brewed coffee.

“All the basic data is here.” Zhao Shuqing looked at Xu Tang and asked, “The mermaid is still very alert. Except for eating a few fish from my hand at first, she hasn’t eaten since.”

Xu Tang softly said, “Hmm.”

Zhao Shuqing hesitated, wanting to say something.

Actually, she really wanted to tell Xu Tang that the mermaid seemed to have called her name, but she felt it wasn’t necessary to spread that around. Maybe the sound was just part of the mermaid’s language with no special meaning.

But every time she thought about that mermaid sitting beside her, looking at her with those beautiful sapphire-like eyes, Zhao Shuqing felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Maybe she was just imagining things.

After briefly scanning the files, Xu Tang closed them and looked up. Seeing Zhao Shuqing a little distracted, she smiled and asked, “What’s wrong? You look absent-minded.”

Zhao Shuqing was startled and awkwardly touched her cheek. “Senior sister, I’m thinking about that mermaid. How should we study her? Could it be…”

Since this was the first mermaid ever captured in the world, Zhao Shuqing wanted to use the most scientific, rigorous, and gentle methods. After all, the mermaid looked so human-like. She didn’t want to see such a beautiful and precious creature dissected.

“Don’t worry. Whatever you think of, we’ve thought of it,” Xu Tang said, handing over the folder with a light laugh. “Let’s gather everyone later for a group meeting.”

“Okay, I’ll go notify them.”

“Shuqing.”

Just as Zhao Shuqing was about to leave to call the researchers, Xu Tang called her back. Zhao Shuqing turned, puzzled. “What’s up?”

“There’s something I want to tell you first.” Xu Tang tossed her hair, played with the tips nervously for two seconds, then said, “We need to find a dedicated researcher for that mermaid. Would you be willing?”

“You mean like a keeper?” Zhao Shuqing turned and frowned slightly. “But I just upset her a few hours ago. Am I really suitable?”

Xu Tang gave her a meaningful look, walked over, patted her shoulder, and whispered, “There was a lot of noise just now, but I haven’t told you something.”

Zhao Shuqing looked surprised.

“When the mermaid was caught, she said your name.” Xu Tang said quietly, “No one else knows yet. Even the fishermen who helped don’t know your full name, so for now only you and I know.”

Zhao Shuqing’s brow furrowed tightly. “Are you sure the mermaid said my name?”

“I might mistake other names, but definitely not yours.” Xu Tang’s bright eyes looked at Zhao Shuqing. “It’s strange, but I’m not lying. And you know once we bring the mermaid ashore, many countries and organizations will come to fight over her. Even domestically, there will be more and more institutions.”

Xu Tang’s voice grew serious. “Whether you, me, our teacher, and our team get recorded in history depends on that mermaid. Do you understand, Shuqing?”

Zhao Shuqing: “…”

Xu Tang said, “Among all the researchers, I only trust you. No matter what, you have to be the mermaid’s researcher.”

Zhao Shuqing slowly nodded. She understood the mermaid’s significance to the country and the world. If studied properly, their scientific team would be written into textbooks. As a researcher, all her efforts were for human progress, and on a more worldly level, to gain value and fame.

So she knew what Xu Tang meant. Although she didn’t want to get involved in messy power struggles, for her senior sister and her mentor, she was willing to try.

“Alright.” Zhao Shuqing lifted her eyes to look at Xu Tang. “I’ll fight for the right to take care of the mermaid. I won’t let you down.”