After Teasing the Crazy Mermaid, He Actually Deceived Me into Marriage - Chapter 18

The next day.

When Si Tang woke up, she instinctively turned over in bed and slowly opened her eyes. Suddenly, she noticed someone sitting by the bedside and was startled.

Fan Yi sat there, propping his chin, watching her for who knows how long. His expression was unclear in the dim light, and when she awoke, his gaze remained steady and unflinching.

It was no longer the look he used to give his “prey,” but Si Tang couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was now.

He crossed his arms. “You’re awake.”

“Why are you here?” Si Tang blurted out, then paused.

This was his territory, so the question felt odd, but he never appeared at this hour. And especially not at her bedside.

It was eerie, indescribably eerie.

Before Si Tang could gather her thoughts, Fan Yi reached into his sleeve as if pulling something from a Doraemon pocket and produced an exquisitely gorgeous dress.

The dress was pale blue, shimmering under the candlelight as if sprinkled with crushed diamonds.

It landed gently in front of Si Tang.

“After you get up and have breakfast, I’ll take you to see the butterflies,” Fan Yi said.

Si Tang immediately nodded, her eyes filled with anticipation. She hadn’t left the cave in so long; she was almost bored out of her mind.

This time, without waiting for Si Tang to shoo him away, Fan Yi left on his own.

Once he was gone, Si Tang picked up the dress and put it on, unable to help but marvel.

It was truly stunning. Even Si Tang, who had seen many exquisite things since childhood, was awestruck.

The dress reached her ankles, fading from moon-white at the collarbone to a deep sea-mist blue at the hem. The shoulder straps intertwined in the shape of coral branches, with two strands of teardrop-shaped aquamarines dangling at the ends, emitting an ethereal chime with each step, like the lingering echoes of ancient chimes from the depths of an underwater temple.

Si Tang couldn’t tell what material it was made of.

It didn’t seem like anything crafted by human hands.

After changing into the dress, Si Tang cautiously lifted the hem and left the inner chamber of the stone cave. As she made her way through the long stone passage and reached the cave entrance, she saw Fan Yi sitting at the central long table, seemingly waiting for her to join him for the meal.

At dawn, the sunlight outside the cave pierced through the morning mist, casting a dreamlike glow over the scene. Unnamed flowers bloomed extravagantly, and a swing entwined with green vines swayed gently. The breathtakingly handsome man sat there quietly, watching her.

If not for his past misdeeds, if not for the fact that she was “imprisoned” here, she might have thought this was a beautiful dream she never wanted to wake from.

Fan Yi’s gaze fell on Si Tang as she appeared, and he felt as though she were a sprite who had wandered in by mistake, more beautiful than any goddess he had ever seen. Her dark hair, unadorned, cascaded down to her waist, and her delicate, makeup-free oval face held a hint of innocent youthfulness. Yet he knew how cunning she could be.

But she seemed lost in thought, and Fan Yi felt a surge of restlessness stronger than before rise within him. However, he quickly suppressed and concealed it.

Here we go again. What is this human thinking about now?

Si Tang absently took a seat across from him. His gaze drifted downward, settling on her bare feet.

Suddenly, Si Tang felt her ankle being grasped. Startled, she looked down and saw Fan Yi holding a crystal slipper.

“I forgot.”

Before Si Tang could react, he had already slipped it onto her foot.

He quickly released her and returned to his seat as if nothing had happened, as though what he had just done was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Si Tang remained frozen in shock.

So, were all these special treatments because they were “friends”?

Si Tang touched the tip of her nose. Since he hadn’t brought it up, she felt it was even more inappropriate for her to mention it.

Talking about words like “ambiguous” with this fish, he wouldn’t understand anyway.

After Si Tang finished her breakfast, Fan Yi led her out of the cave.

The day was clear with a gentle breeze.

Si Tang took a deep breath, savoring the long-lost feeling of freedom, even if it was only temporary.

Suddenly, a slender, jade-like hand extended beside her, palm facing upward. Si Tang glanced over and saw Fan Yi gesturing to her.

“Tangtang, stay close to me.”

“Huh?”

She tilted her head slightly, about to ask something, when her hand was abruptly and firmly grasped by his. With a slight tug, Si Tang stumbled right into his embrace.

She felt Fan Yi wrap his arms tightly around her waist.

“Hey?!”

She gasped in surprise, her vision blurring as a sharp gust of wind rushed past her ears. The powerful airflow forced her to squeeze her eyes shut.

Only when her feet touched the ground again did she slowly open her eyes.

The small island actually had a lake nestled within it. A milky-white mist drifted over the emerald-green waters, while millions of blue morpho butterflies fluttered around, composing a dreamlike symphony.

Their iridescent wings trembled like cascades of stardust.

Captivated by the breathtaking sight, Si Tang couldn’t help but exclaim in awe of such beauty.

“So beautiful!”

Fan Yi watched her delighted expression and curved his lips into a smile.

“And these.”

He opened his palm, a faint white light shimmering as several monarch butterflies awakened in his hand. Their wingtips edged in gold, they spread their magnificent wings and danced gracefully between the two of them.

If Si Tang remembered correctly, monarch butterflies were typically nocturnal.

“How many did you catch?” she marveled.

He might as well have gathered every butterfly from several small islands.

Fan Yi neither confirmed nor denied it.

After a moment’s thought, Si Tang said to him, “Let’s release them back to their homes later.”

Hearing this, Fan Yi lowered his gaze slightly to look at her. “Why? Don’t you like them, Tangtang?”

He seemed enveloped in a shadow.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Si Tang felt the air grow colder. Staring into those deep blue eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease. She couldn’t pinpoint what she had said wrong.

“I-I do like them,” she murmured, her voice growing softer.

“Then why not keep them all here?” he asked slowly, his tone gentle as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Si Tang pondered for a moment before replying, “But if we keep so many butterflies here, it would disrupt the ecological balance. Some of them aren’t suited to this environment and would die.”

“Oh?” He lightly stroked his chin, as if seriously considering her words. After a pause, he said, “I understand.”

Si Tang: “?”

“I have a gift for you tomorrow morning,” he declared, his expression brightening as if he had solved a difficult problem. He reached out and ruffled her hair. “You’ll definitely like it.”

“?”

However, the practiced way he patted her head gave Si Tang the fleeting illusion that she was a pet.

If Si Tang had known what gift she would receive the next day, she would never have answered that she liked butterflies when he asked what she liked.

At that moment, though, she was still in high spirits, admiring the fairy-tale-like scenery around her.

Under the sunlight, the young girl ran and twirled amidst the butterflies, her aqua-blue skirt fluttering brightly in the breeze. Her radiant, pure smile was etched in Fan Yi’s eyes as he stood quietly nearby, watching her intently.

Swallowtail butterflies weaved through the arc of her raised hand, accentuating the girl’s extraordinary beauty.

In that moment, Si Tang seemed to forget everything forget the identity of the person before her, forget that she was trapped on a deserted island.

Until her wrist was caught, Si Tang looked up at him in confusion.

“Are we going back already?” she asked, her tone tinged with disappointment.

Fan Yi shook his head, a slight curve forming on his lips as he said, “Want to have some fun?”

“What?”

“I’ll take you flying.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a trident flew up from the depths of the sea. Fan Yi held her tightly, spun around, and stepped onto it. He wrapped his arms around her from behind as the trident expanded to the size of a boat, carrying them toward the center of the lake. Butterflies fluttered between them, and Si Tang couldn’t help but spread her arms and laugh.

Fan Yi quietly gazed down at the girl in his embrace, his narrowed eyes growing increasingly intense.

Finally, he slowly leaned in, his voice soft and gentle as he whispered close to her ear.

“Tang Tang, will we be friends forever?”

Upon hearing this, Si Tang’s smile remained unchanged, and she answered without a second thought.

“Of course! We’ll be friends forever!”

At this moment, Si Tang only wanted to settle past grievances. From now on, she and this merman would be friends. And even after leaving this place, she would never forget that Fan Yi was her friend.

Hearing her response, the smile on his lips deepened, carrying a profound and meaningful intensity. He lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms, as if wanting to lock her forever within his sight.

Yes, Tang Tang, we are, forever friends.