The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 57

Zhao Shuqing could tell Lin Feng wanted to go back. Her sea-blue eyes were eager but hesitant, looking at Zhao Shuqing as if she wanted to say something but held back.

Wen Xiaoying kept persuading her gently, “The orca that hurt you before has been taught a lesson. It won’t bother you again. If it does, we’ll make sure to deal with it.”

Lin Feng tilted her head and asked, “You put it in solitary confinement?”

Wen Xiaoying: “Of course.”

Lin Feng sighed, feeling sorry for the poor orca.

Then she turned and looked at Zhao Shuqing with hopeful eyes. Zhao Shuqing calmly lifted her eyelids and met her gaze. After a moment, she interrupted Wen Xiaoying’s endless chatter and asked, “Do you want to stay for dinner? I just finished making some porridge; we can eat together.”

Wen Xiaoying was surprised, “Huh? What are we eating?”

Lin Feng said, “Porridge.”

Wen Xiaoying blinked and said, “If it’s not a bother, then sure, why not.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded and said to Wen Xiaoying, “Okay, I’ll go get the porridge ready. You keep Lin Feng company.”

Wen Xiaoying trembled with excitement, “Really? I can?”

“Of course.” Zhao Shuqing turned to Lin Feng, “You’ll get along well with Xiaoying, right? No biting, okay?”

Lin Feng wrinkled her nose in disgust, “You’re the one who bites.”

Zhao Shuqing laughed and told Wen Xiaoying, “Go ahead. She can communicate normally with people now. You can tell her about the aquarium. She’ll probably be very interested. Just don’t touch her—Lin Feng doesn’t like it.”

Wen Xiaoying nodded firmly.

While Zhao Shuqing was busy in the kitchen, she could hear Wen Xiaoying sitting by the bathtub, chatting endlessly with Lin Feng about the new fish that had arrived last month. Lin Feng listened carefully and occasionally asked, “Can Nemo come too?”

Wen Xiaoying looked puzzled, “What’s Nemo?”

Lin Feng brought the bathtub closer and tapped on the glass. The clownfish poked its head out nervously and blew a small bubble.

Zhao Shuqing wasn’t sure what they were talking about exactly, but when she came out of the kitchen with the porridge, she saw Wen Xiaoying and Lin Feng getting along well. Wen Xiaoying was even reading Lin Feng’s palm.

However, Lin Feng still wouldn’t let Wen Xiaoying touch her, so Lin Feng sat inside the bathtub with both hands open, while Wen Xiaoying looked on with her hands behind her back, explaining.

“Your life line is very long and has many forks, but toward the end, it becomes clear. In palm reading, that means you went through hardships when you were young, but things stabilize as you get older. Sweet rewards after bitter struggles~”

Zhao Shuqing tapped Wen Xiaoying on the head and scolded, “Don’t believe in superstitions. Besides, do you even understand Lin Feng’s palm?”

Wen Xiaoying scratched her head and smiled up at her. “Shuqing, honestly, it’s my first time reading a mermaid’s palm. I noticed her hands are very similar to humans’. The nails are a bit longer and sharper, but the lines on her palms are much like ours.”

Zhao Shuqing gave her a side glance. “Come on, it’s time to eat.”

While Zhao Shuqing helped Lin Feng wash up and change into pajamas, Wen Xiaoying circled them, saying, “I saw in your thesis, Shuqing, that humans and mermaids share up to 85% similarity. That’s incredible. If she could grow a leg, then she wouldn’t be different from humans at all.”

Lin Feng shivered at those words. Zhao Shuqing froze for a moment and frowned, turning to look at Wen Xiaoying. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Wen Xiaoying was startled by Zhao Shuqing’s expression and stammered, “I—I was just saying it casually. Why are you angry?”

“Your words basically question my and my teacher’s professionalism,” Zhao Shuqing said, frowning. “If mermaids could really grow legs, then all our research papers would be invalid, and might even mislead future studies. This isn’t something to joke about.”

Wen Xiaoying wasn’t from the academic world, so she didn’t know the rules. Seeing Zhao Shuqing’s serious look, she realized she’d said the wrong thing and quickly apologized. “Sorry, I was just joking. Don’t be mad. I won’t say things like that again.”

Zhao Shuqing realized she’d overreacted a bit—after all, Wen Xiaoying was clearly joking, and she had taken it too seriously.

“No, I got a bit worked up,” Zhao Shuqing softened her tone. “It’s not your fault. Let’s eat; the food is ready.”

Wen Xiaoying nodded. “Okay, I’ll go get the rice.”

After Wen Xiaoying left, Zhao Shuqing sighed, feeling she hadn’t been herself earlier. She looked down at Lin Feng’s tail and thought about Wen Xiaoying’s words.

If a mermaid could really turn into a human on land, then what exactly was she? Human or mermaid?

The thought felt more and more ridiculous. Shaking it off, Zhao Shuqing lifted the freshly washed Lin Feng out of the bathtub. She noticed Lin Feng was stiff and looked unwell. Curious, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Feng shook her head slightly and whispered, “Nothing.”

Zhao Shuqing thought she just wanted to return to the aquarium. Glancing at Lin Feng’s tail, she saw Lin Feng’s eyes tense up. Lin Feng tried to hide her tail, but such a big tail was impossible to conceal. She closed her eyes and held tightly onto Zhao Shuqing’s shoulders.

Zhao Shuqing gently patted Lin Feng’s back, comforting her, “When your injury heals, we’ll go back to the aquarium—Nemo will come with us too.”

Lin Feng looked at her uneasily. “Can I really go back?”

“Yes,” Zhao Shuqing said softly, “The experiment only needs your cooperation to provide your genes. They won’t keep you locked up. You can still return to the aquarium.”

Lin Feng wasn’t just an experimental subject; she didn’t have to be locked away forever.

And Zhao Shuqing would never let that happen.

If the day ever comes, Zhao Shuqing was willing to leave this place with Lin Feng.

A few days later, Zhao Shuqing received a call from Xu Tang, asking her to bring Lin Feng to the lab for a physical checkup.

Lin Feng resisted, but she had undergone these tests before. She especially disliked the abdominal CT scan because the staff always tried to lift her scales, which made her fidget on the bed in frustration. In the end, Zhao Shuqing stepped in to get the CT done.

Afterward, Zhao Shuqing received Lin Feng’s medication.

Xu Tang had moved to a new office but still hadn’t broken the habit of pulling the curtains shut. Her room was pitch dark, which Zhao Shuqing never quite got used to.

“This is Lin Feng’s medicine. She takes one pill every other day, and she needs to come to the hospital once a week for a check-up to monitor the growth of the eggs inside her,” Xu Tang said, placing a box of medicine in front of Zhao Shuqing. Then she added, “As for you, I’ve contacted the hospital. You should find some time in the next couple of days to get a check-up as well. The lab will cover all the costs, so be sure to keep the receipt.”

Zhao Shuqing picked up the medicine and looked it over. It seemed to be homemade—no production date or manufacturer label—like some unregulated product.

Xu Tang noticed her suspicion and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, it won’t harm her. These drugs only change her hormones; they won’t affect her overall health. At worst, she might feel a bit hot or uncomfortable.”

Zhao Shuqing frowned. “Are the side effects strong?”

“Not really,” Xu Tang replied. “If it gets too bad, we can stop the medicine and try something else.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded, then told Xu Tang, “The aquarium hopes Lin Feng can go back.”

Xu Tang thought for a moment before answering, “Sure, as long as she takes her medicine on time and comes here for weekly check-ups, the rest of the time is up to you.”

Zhao Shuqing was surprised at how easy Xu Tang was to talk to. “Really?”

“Of course,” Xu Tang smiled.

Zhao Shuqing breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried they’d argue about it. Lin Feng had been troubled for days over whether she could return to the aquarium, but it turned out to be simple.

Just as she relaxed, Zhao Shuqing noticed a plush toy—a little fat bird—on Xu Tang’s desk and was a bit surprised.

She remembered Gu Yao had brought back the same plush toy a few days ago, which their chubby cat Guazi carried all over the dorm, making Gu Yao chase it around the whole building. So why did Xu Tang have one too?

Could it be… they were really together?

Zhao Shuqing looked thoughtfully at the toy, feeling Gu Yao’s romance was moving way too smoothly. Something felt off.

Seeing her staring, Xu Tang asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Ah?” Zhao Shuqing snapped out of her thoughts and quickly shook her head. “Nothing. I’ll head out now, senior.”

“Alright,” Xu Tang smiled and reminded her, “Don’t forget to get your check-up in the next few days.”

“I will.”

After leaving the office, Zhao Shuqing suddenly realized she hadn’t seen her teacher in a long time. She thought about asking Xu Tang if they could visit Shen Qingming at the hospital together over the weekend. But then she figured Xu Tang must be busy as the person in charge, so better not bother her. She’d just go by herself.

Shen Qingming had been sick for over a month and still hadn’t been discharged. It was strange.

Zhao Shuqing planned to visit and ask the question on her mind: without mermaids existing, how did he know so much about them?

Back home, she found Lin Feng soaking in the bathtub on the balcony, watching a TV drama. She didn’t know if Lin Feng understood it, but she was fully focused.

“I’m back.”

Zhao Shuqing changed her shoes at the door, walked over, held the balcony door, and greeted her, “What are you watching? So absorbed?”

Lin Feng looked up and smiled warmly, eyes curved like a crescent moon. “Zhao Shuqing.”

Zhao Shuqing smiled too, reached out to rub Lin Feng’s cheek, and leaned in to gently kiss her nose.

Lin Feng’s nose twitched, and she looked at Zhao Shuqing. “Where did you go? You smell like the lab.”

Zhao Shuqing sat beside the tub, washing Lin Feng’s light-colored long hair. “Went to the lab. Got the medicine you need.”

“Medicine?” Lin Feng looked at her. “For me?”

“Yeah,” Zhao Shuqing whispered. “I’m getting checked too in the next few days. We’ll do the experiment together, so you won’t have to worry.”

Lin Feng nodded and asked, “When do I take it?”

Zhao Shuqing paused, then said, “Probably tonight.”

Lin Feng had no objections. She was basically like a fish on a chopping block now—no point in resisting. When Zhao Shuqing handed her the medicine, she swallowed it down without hesitation.

But that night, Lin Feng started feeling unwell.

“Ugh…”

She hugged her tail, eyes red, curling up on the bed and rubbing the sheets. Looking at Zhao Shuqing standing nearby, she pressed close and cried out, “Zhao Shuqing, I’m so hot…”