The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 34

Zhao Shuqing was completely stunned by Lin Feng’s kiss. She covered her face and suddenly stood up, staring at Lin Feng in disbelief. Without thinking, she stepped back several paces.

Lin Feng sat on the bed, confused. “Zhao Shuqing?”

Zhao Shuqing’s face turned bright red. Stammering, she held her cheek and shouted at Lin Feng, “Why did you kiss me out of nowhere?”

Lin Feng looked at her blankly.

During this time, Lin Feng hadn’t just been fighting at the aquarium—sometimes she would watch the humans through the glass.

News about Lin Feng at the aquarium had spread far and wide. Many people came to see the world’s first mermaid, and some even kissed the mermaid, hoping to receive her blessing for a long-lasting relationship.

Lin Feng didn’t know about these “rumors,” but she often saw men and women kissing in front of her. Later, she heard from other fish that humans liked to kiss—a sign of happiness or sadness. Kissing on the lips meant lovers, while kissing on the cheeks or forehead was for close friends or family.

Lin Feng remembered this. So today, seeing Zhao Shuqing looking upset, she leaned in and gave her a kiss to cheer her up.

But it turned out Zhao Shuqing didn’t like being kissed by Lin Feng at all.

Zhao Shuqing covered her face, her eyes red as she stared at Lin Feng. After a while, she bit her lip, closed her eyes, and asked, “Who taught you to do that?”

Lin Feng felt guilty and didn’t dare to look at her.

When Zhao Shuqing couldn’t get an answer, she stopped asking and started packing up, planning to take Lin Feng back and put her in strict confinement.

“Zhao Shuqing…” Lin Feng was nervous when she was lifted up, resting her head on Zhao Shuqing’s shoulder and quietly asked, “Are you angry?”

Zhao Shuqing carried her without saying a word.

After closing the dorm door, Zhao Shuqing carried Lin Feng downstairs. Worried someone might notice, she put a long coat on Lin Feng and wrapped a half-length skirt around her tail. From a distance, it looked like Zhao Shuqing was carrying a normal person.

Lin Feng knew she was in the wrong. Although she didn’t fully understand why, since Zhao Shuqing was upset, it had to be her fault. So she stayed silent the whole way, quietly leaning against Zhao Shuqing’s back.

Zhao Shuqing was restless too. She touched Lin Feng’s cold tail and kept replaying the scene where Lin Feng called her “wife.”

Weird.

But also kind of exciting.

Zhao Shuqing thought she must be sick—why else would she be feeling this way about a mermaid?

When they arrived at the aquarium, everyone anxiously waited. Seeing Zhao Shuqing carrying Lin Feng back, the crowd rushed forward. Zhao Shuqing frowned, put Lin Feng back in the tank, and personally locked her in.

“It was my fault for not closing the door properly yesterday,” Zhao Shuqing said sternly. “Punish me however you want, even deduct my salary.”

Her coworkers exchanged looks. Seeing Zhao Shuqing’s serious face, they thought she was really angry and said, “The mermaid’s not lost, so just be more careful next time. No need to punish.”

But Zhao Shuqing insisted, “Punish as needed, or I’ll mess up again. Deduct my bonus for this month, and I’ll write a self-criticism to post on the office bulletin board. I’ll definitely be more careful.”

After saying this, Zhao Shuqing left with a dark expression. No one dared to argue or ask why she was so angry.

Lin Feng, feeling like a scolded schoolkid, sat by the tank, sadly fiddling with the coat Zhao Shuqing had put on her.

She really seemed to have upset her…

Since Lin Feng’s escape attempt, the aquarium started night patrols.

Lin Feng was a focus during these patrols; the staff always checked to make sure she was in the tank before feeling at ease.

But Lin Feng grew more and more depressed. She couldn’t play with the other sea creatures, and Zhao Shuqing was angry and ignored her. She spent every day locked up in a small room, feeling miserable.

Zhao Shuqing hardly came to see her now, only showing up morning and night to apply medicine. Lin Feng would obediently sit by the tank, staring at Zhao Shuqing and softly calling her name.

But Zhao Shuqing always had a stern face and wouldn’t look at her. She would just apply the medicine on Lin Feng’s tail and leave.

No comforting at all.

Today was no different. Lin Feng felt sad and cried quietly by the tank, looking heartbroken.

“Shuqing, Lin Feng knows she was wrong. Don’t be so hard on her,” said Wen Xiaoying, another keeper. She couldn’t bear to see Lin Feng so upset. When Zhao Shuqing came out, Wen followed closely, quietly pleading for Lin Feng.

Zhao Shuqing remained silent and went straight into the office.

Wen Xiaoying had been a keeper for five years and loved her job. She thought marine animals were much cleaner than lions, tigers, or elephants, and caring for them wasn’t tiring. The environment was nice too. As an experienced staff member, she helped Zhao Shuqing and looked after Lin Feng.

Zhao Shuqing sat down and asked her, “How many days has Lin Feng been locked up?”

Wen Xiaoying counted, “Today’s the seventh day.”

Already the seventh day?

It had indeed been a long time since Zhao Shuqing had paid attention to Lin Feng, so no wonder she looked so upset.

Zhao Shuqing felt a little guilty. She flipped through the calendar on the table and asked, “Has it really been that long?”

Wen Xiaoying nodded. “Yeah. Lin Feng’s barely been eating these past couple of days, and she doesn’t look well. You can’t keep ignoring her like this. She might get depressed.”

Zhao Shuqing was silent for a while, then pursed her lips and said, “Well, it’s her fault for always fighting and even escaping.”

After checking the surveillance about the lipstick fish incident, it turned out it wasn’t what it seemed. The ‘culprit’ octopus had been put in solitary confinement, and Zhao Shuqing had been informed about all this. The fish keeper had apologized, too, but Zhao Shuqing hadn’t told Lin Feng about it yet.

Maybe tomorrow.

She planned to bring some good food tomorrow and then explain everything to Lin Feng.

Actually, Zhao Shuqing felt quite sorry for Lin Feng. After all, Lin Feng only had her now. But… Zhao Shuqing had to make Lin Feng understand that she couldn’t call her “wife” or kiss her.

They were different species.

Thinking about that gave Zhao Shuqing a headache. She helplessly told Wen Xiaoying, “The ban will be lifted tomorrow. I’ll have a proper talk with her then.”

Wen Xiaoying was happy to hear that and smiled, “That’s great! Lin Feng will definitely be happy.”

Zhao Shuqing pressed her lips together, thinking of Lin Feng’s beautiful eyes, and her heart lifted a little.

“Alright, it’s time to get off work. You should go home too,” Zhao Shuqing said. “See you tomorrow.”

Wen Xiaoying packed up and left. Zhao Shuqing didn’t stay long either. Before she left, she checked on Lin Feng and found her lying still by the pool. Though her heart ached, she turned and walked away.

Tomorrow. Just wait until tomorrow.

Then they would make up.

🙂 End 🙂 of 🙂 this 🙂 part 🙂

At this moment, Lin Feng was lying by the pool, her long tail dipping in the water. She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. After a long time, she slowly opened them.

Her blue tail trembled uncontrollably. Lin Feng let out a low groan and breathed heavily by the pool, like a fish out of water.

This state lasted for more than two hours. Lin Feng moaned in discomfort many times. Her body temperature kept rising—from the low twenties to thirty-six degrees Celsius. The water, which was once comfortable, turned cold. Luckily, it was summer, so she didn’t feel too uncomfortable.

She propped herself up and sat by the pool, staring at her tail.

Above the pool was a four-to-five-meter-high atrium, with a few pieces of translucent glass at the top. Moonlight peeked out from behind dark clouds and shone on the small indoor area.

Lin Feng’s chest heaved heavily, showing that something was happening inside her body. But it wasn’t painful. Her watery eyes fixed tightly on her tail, watching a faint, invisible silver glow appear on it.

The wound on her tail fin had fully healed after two weeks of careful treatment. Today, the last scale grew back.

Her full, beautiful tail moved unnaturally in the water. Lin Feng gave a low ‘woo’ sound. Under the moonlight, her dazzling blue tail, as bright as a starry river, shrank gradually—until it transformed into a pair of slender, white legs.

Human legs.

It was the first time Lin Feng had seen her legs. She blinked slightly, steadying her breathing as she reached out to touch them.

They were legs—healthy legs.

Though her left ankle still showed a clear scar, these were definitely human legs.

Great.

Lin Feng tried standing up. Though she wasn’t as tall as when supported by her tail, she felt very happy.

She was finally the same as Zhao Shuqing.

What Zhao Shuqing had, she had too; what Zhao Shuqing didn’t have, she didn’t either.

If that was the case, the human woman probably wouldn’t be angry anymore, right?

Thinking this, Lin Feng happily kicked her legs and tried walking around the pool. Her movements were stiff, but she believed that after some practice, she’d be able to walk normally.

“Zhao Shuqing.”

Lin Feng whispered, excited for Zhao Shuqing to see her transformed self. She hurried to leave but then thought of something. Looking at her bare body, she remembered humans wore clothes. If she went out like this, it would definitely cause trouble.

Zhao Shuqing hated trouble.

Where were the clothes she wore last time?

Lin Feng searched the nearby storage locker. The pool’s edge was connected to a workshop. After she came back last time, Zhao Shuqing had stripped her and thrown her into the pool, tossing her clothes carelessly into the locker. She hadn’t come to get them in the past few days.

Luckily, the locker wasn’t full, and Lin Feng quickly found the skirt and coat. After some fuss, she finally put them on.

The gate was locked, but Lin Feng wasn’t weak. With one punch, she broke the lock and easily walked out.

She hummed a tune, walking barefoot down the moonlit corridor, thinking about how Zhao Shuqing would react—would she be happy or shocked?

Just as Lin Feng proudly prepared to leave, a familiar figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

Xu Tang stepped out slowly. She glanced sideways at Lin Feng and then at the bare feet standing on the floor.

Those feet were pale and slender, the toes showing a faint pink in the moonlight—clearly fresh human feet.

Lin Feng widened her eyes slightly and instinctively took a step back. Xu Tang stepped forward, standing ten meters away, her gaze calm but filled with a hint of pity.

“The wound on your tail has healed?” Xu Tang said, looking at her. “Planning to use those newly grown feet to go find Zhao Shuqing?”