The Mermaid and Her Keeper (GL) - Chapter 9

Xu Tang brought Zhao Shuqing back to her cabin and pulled up the surveillance footage on her tablet.

Zhao Shuqing took it and sat down to watch. On the screen, they saw Sun Chengzhou walk out of his cabin. He lit a cigarette and stood on the deck smoking. He seemed to be holding something while making a phone call.

“A phone call?” Zhao Shuqing asked in confusion.

It wasn’t an odd question—there’s usually no signal out at sea. The only way to contact people back home was through a satellite phone, and only Xu Tang and the captain had access to one.

The ship did have Wi-Fi, but it was painfully slow. And since everyone was out here for work, better Wi-Fi would just make it easier to slack off. So, no real effort had been made to improve it.

Now seeing Sun Chengzhou apparently making a phone call was definitely strange to Zhao Shuqing.

Xu Tang nodded slightly. “It looks like it.”

Zhao Shuqing frowned and kept watching. Sun Chengzhou kept trying to call someone over and over—more than a dozen times. He was visibly irritated, probably because of the bad signal. When he finally seemed to finish, his cigarette was almost done, but he didn’t go back inside. He just stood there, staring blankly at the dark sea.

In the middle of the night, standing alone on deck after making a phone call, just staring out at the sea… It was unsettling.

Zhao Shuqing thought the video might have frozen because Sun Chengzhou didn’t move at all. Then, more than half an hour later, he suddenly clutched his chest in pain. He turned around as if trying to go back inside but staggered a few steps and collapsed onto the deck.

And he didn’t move again.

The footage was fast-forwarded to dawn. A researcher stepped out of the cabin and discovered Sun Chengzhou lying there. He rushed back in to call for help, and that’s when everyone found his body.

Zhao Shuqing watched the footage three times, especially the part where Sun Chengzhou was staring at the sea. No matter how she looked at it, nothing stood out.

It really did look like sudden cardiac arrest.

“Then…” Zhao Shuqing was puzzled and looked up at Xu Tang. “Senior, are we sure it was just a sudden death?”

Xu Tang looked calmly at her and sat down beside her. “You saw the footage too. His behavior was strange, but nothing touched him, and there were no strange sounds or singing.”

Zhao Shuqing nodded silently.

But something still felt off in her gut. Still, all the evidence was right there. She couldn’t keep doubting her senior—especially since this incident didn’t really involve Xu Tang directly.

Xu Tang sighed, rubbing her temple. “We’re almost back to port, and now this happens. This is a serious incident. I’m definitely going to be held accountable.”

Zhao Shuqing looked surprised. “What does it have to do with you?”

“I’m the team leader, responsible for the entire expedition,” Xu Tang leaned back in her chair and sighed again. “Even if the institute understands, they’ll probably sideline me for a while. Once we’re back, there might be changes in how we handle the mermaid situation. Shuqing, you have to make sure she stays safe.”

“Senior… do you know something?”

“I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling.”

Xu Tang looked at Zhao Shuqing, gently brushing a strand of her hair aside and saying softly, “Whatever happens, protect that mermaid.”

Three days later, the research vessel reached the port.

Even from a distance, they could see a huge crowd gathered at the dock. People with long camera lenses and video equipment were pointing toward the ship, clearly waiting for their arrival.

“Whoa, why are there so many people?” The windows of the ship were packed with crew members, all talking at once. “Are those all reporters? Are we about to be famous?”

“It’s a miracle we made it back. I’ve been on edge this whole return trip, just afraid some aircraft carrier would show up out of nowhere and hijack us.”

“Oh please, if hijacking a research ship was that easy, what’s the point of having a navy?”

“Anyway, we’re home. First thing I’m doing is getting hotpot. I don’t want to see another fish for a whole year.”

“I’m just going to sleep. I’m taking my annual leave and then some. No more sea trips for me—I’m not even getting in a pool this year.”

Hearing everyone joking around, Zhao Shuqing also started craving some hotpot. The food on the ship had been so bland. Days of eating nothing but fish made her feel like she reeked of it.

“Senior, we’re almost there.”

She knocked on Xu Tang’s cabin door to remind her.

Xu Tang was getting changed. She was putting on the research institute’s official uniform—dark blue pants and a jacket with white and navy panels, the institute’s logo embroidered on the chest. She adjusted her clothes in the mirror and responded with a simple “Mm.”

Zhao Shuqing knew Xu Tang would have to face the press. This trip had been a huge success. Besides the mermaid, they had brought back tons of marine ecological samples—enough to fuel research for a year or two.

Xu Tang would need to give an official statement, especially about Lin Feng. News of the mermaid had already captured national attention, with media outlets racing to cover it. That explained the crowd waiting at the port.

Xu Tang finished tidying up and turned to look at Zhao Shuqing. Knowing that Zhao Shuqing disliked the spotlight, she said kindly, “You don’t need to attend the press conference. Take Lin Feng and head straight to the research institute.”

The institute was over 200 kilometers away. Even by car, it would take three hours.

Zhao Shuqing lit up when she heard she could avoid the cameras. She smiled, eyes crinkling. “Great! I’ll take Lin Feng back first. You catch up with us after you’re done.”

Xu Tang smiled and nodded, then walked out of the cabin with her.

As the ship docked, researchers and crew disembarked one after another. Lin Feng was kept in a large water tank—two meters long, one meter high and one meter wide. She was curled up at the bottom, bubbling in mild annoyance, while Zhao Shuqing stroked the surface of the water, occasionally reaching in to pat her head.

The moment Lin Feng appeared, the cameras started clicking like crazy. But Zhao Shuqing didn’t linger. She quickly got into a waiting car and left the port.

Meanwhile, Xu Tang made her way to the makeshift media area and began the press conference.

In the car, Lin Feng peeked her head out of the water tank and looked around curiously. She didn’t seem scared at all.

Zhao Shuqing sat beside her, amused by her wide-eyed wonder. When Lin Feng realized Zhao Shuqing was laughing at her, she pouted and huffed in protest.

“Alright, don’t be mad,” Zhao Shuqing chuckled. “Yeah, the tank’s a little small, but whose fault is it that you’re 2.3 meters long? If your tail were any shorter, we wouldn’t have had to stuff you in like this.”

The vehicle had been modified—like a transport van. Except for the driver’s seat, all the back seats were removed to fit Lin Feng and the tank.

Lin Feng glanced at her, then sulkily ducked underwater, hugging her tail.

Zhao Shuqing found this mermaid just too adorable. She couldn’t speak much, but she got angry all the time. She got mad if the food wasn’t to her taste. She got mad when moved to a smaller tank. She got even madder if she didn’t understand what Zhao Shuqing said.

She was a total little diva.

It took a lot of coaxing before Lin Feng surfaced again, finally eating a piece of preserved plum candy Zhao Shuqing offered.

Zhao Shuqing had only recently discovered Lin Feng’s love for fruity, sweet-and-sour candy. After eating fish, she always needed a piece—or she’d throw a tantrum.

After the candy, Lin Feng rested against the edge of the tank and looked at Zhao Shuqing. She tugged on her sleeve and whispered, “Shuqing…”

She could now say Zhao Shuqing’s name naturally and understood simple commands. Her intelligence was close to that of a regular human. Sometimes when she didn’t understand something, she’d use gestures instead—she was very clever.

“Are you asking where we’re going?” Zhao Shuqing looked at her and said, “We’re going to the research institute. They’ve built a big marine facility for you. You won’t have to stay in this cramped tank anymore.”

Lin Feng blinked, catching a word: “Mansion?”

“No, not mansion. Aquarium.” Zhao Shuqing pulled out her phone—now that they were near shore, the signal was back to normal. She searched for images of aquariums and played a video for Lin Feng.

“Look, this is an aquarium,” she said, scrolling through the footage. “You’ll live in a place like this. Big pools. I’ll be there every day to take care of you. You can do whatever you want.”

It was Lin Feng’s first time seeing a phone, and the moving video fascinated her. She poked at the thin little slab, turning it over and over in her hands, amazed that only one side showed images.

Zhao Shuqing laughed. “Okay, have fun with it, but don’t—”

Before she could finish, the vehicle hit a bump. Lin Feng, startled, dropped the phone.

Plop—it sank into the water tank.

Zhao Shuqing: “…”

Her phone.

She quickly reached in and fished it out, only to find the screen had already gone black.

Well, time to buy a new one.

Lin Feng looked up at her, unaware she’d done anything wrong, and tilted her head with a smile.

“You… You’re really testing my patience,” Zhao Shuqing said, giving her a look. Then she turned to the front of the vehicle, frowning.

The car was bumping along a country road—not smooth at all.

“Driver, where are you going?” Zhao Shuqing asked coldly. “Weren’t we supposed to get on the highway?”