After Teasing the Crazy Mermaid, He Actually Deceived Me into Marriage - Chapter 33

Imperial Capital, Si Family Manor.

In the main villa overlooking the bay, Si Tang was deep in sleep.

Her dream felt like floating among clouds both real and unreal.

“Tang Tang.”

Someone was calling her name in a low, lingering voice, their breathless whispers brushing against her ear.

Warm water swirled into turbulent whirlpools, dragging her rationality into the depths along with it.

Si Tang felt as though she were at the center of a hot spring, her neck damp and burning with a sensation as slippery and winding as a snake.

Her waist, tightly restrained, had no strength to struggle or resist. Someone was holding her firmly against their chest with an overpowering force.

Moonlight-white hair, smooth as satin, tangled with hers and spilled over her bare shoulders. Water droplets blurred her vision as she struggled to lift her head and open her eyes, trying to see the person before her clearly.

Shrouded in mist, their silhouette remained blurred. She could only vaguely make out a pair of deep, narrow blue eyes, jade-white skin, and crimson lips enough to enchant anyone.

With every fierce movement, a tail splashed waves and water droplets into the air.

The other, was not human.

“Haah”

Si Tang jolted upright in bed. In the quiet of the deep night, her panting was the only audible sound. Her trembling body repeatedly pulled her back into the dream, so vivid it felt as though she had truly been there.

This dream had recurred again and again over the past three years. Si Tang wondered if it was simply a sign of her coming of age. But the object of her dreams. a merman? She could only assume it was a figment of her imagination.

Yet the sensation left by that person in her dream was not merely physical domination. The psychological feeling of falling into a predator’s trap, sending chills down her spine, was equally profound and real.

Supporting her weak body, she got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. She removed her sweat-soaked clothes and instinctively glanced at herself in the mirror. The young woman’s skin was flawless, her face and figure seemingly gifts from the creator. Yet her cheeks were flushed, and between her brows lingered an unfamiliar, alluring charm.

She didn’t know when it started, but her face had grown increasingly enchanting, her skin almost without a single flaw so perfect it seemed unreal.

Si Tang let out a soft sigh and stepped under the shower. Closing her eyes wearily, her thoughts in disarray, she unconsciously raised a hand to clutch the fish-scale necklace hanging around her neck.

Ever since surviving the shipwreck three years ago, her memories of the three months she’d spent stranded on a deserted island had vanished overnight. Her mother’s keepsake was lost, replaced by this seemingly ordinary fish-scale necklace.

The doctor told her that her amnesia was likely due to some traumatic event during those three months, causing her to subconsciously avoid remembering.

But when she was first rescued, she distinctly recalled feeling completely

Si Tang appeared somewhat fatigued due to her insomnia. As she descended the stairs, she overheard Chen Yue’s sarcastic remarks.

“Little Tang is finally up? I heard from the servants that you’ve been coming home late quite frequently lately? It’s not that Aunt Chen is criticizing you, but since you’ve announced that you’ll be revealing your engagement in three days, you’re about to start a family. Ever since that incident three years ago, outsiders have had quite a bit to say about your situation. You really should pay more attention to your reputation and image.” As she spoke, Chen Yue affectionately scooped a bowl of congee and placed it in front of Si Xiaoye, who was si Tang nearby.

Si Tang Tang took her seat expressionlessly without saying a word, casting a glance at the chubby Si Xiaoye, who was solely focused on eating.

This was Chen Yue and Si Chenfeng’s treasured son, now five years old. Since his birth, Chen Yue had become even more arrogant and unrestrained, her pride soaring to new heights every day.

Si Chenfeng, seated at the head of the table, chimed in, “Little Tang, Aunt Chen is right. You’re about to get engaged, and once you marry into your husband’s family, you’ll represent not just the Si family’s reputation.”

Three years ago, when Si Xi changed her surname and was added to the family registry, Si Tang had already begun to discern more subtle and thought-provoking nuances in her so-called father’s behavior. She paid no attention to their pretentiousness.

Seeing her silent compliance, Si Chenfeng assumed she agreed and felt slightly more pleased. Putting down his utensils, he announced, “Today, I have another matter to announce.”

Chen Yue curved her lips into a gentle smile. Si Tang set down her utensils, picked up a snow-white napkin, and lightly wiped her hands, waiting for him to continue.

Si Chenfeng’s gaze fell on Si Tang, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Tomorrow, your sister will be moving in.”

At his words, Si Tang’s hand stilled momentarily before she resumed wiping, her movements slow and deliberate. Her cool, almond-shaped eyes lifted to meet his, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Chen Yue’s smug expression.

“Since you’ll be announcing your engagement in three days and will soon marry into another family, you won’t be living here much anyway. Your room, located in the main building facing the sea, has the best orientation. Give it to her,” Si Chenfeng continued, exuding the authoritative demeanor of the head of the household.

Chen Yue’s heart swelled with triumph. She didn’t know what had come over Si Tang a month ago, but she had suddenly expressed her desire to get engaged to the Yun family. The Yun family had taken the initiative to plan her 21st birthday banquet three days later, which, though billed as a birthday celebration, was essentially a “husband-selection banquet” meant to announce her fiancé.

Chen Yue didn’t care why Si Tang had suddenly decided to marry. To her, a married daughter was like spilled water, once Si Tang was married off, she would still have her only son, and the Si family would undoubtedly fall entirely into her hands.

If Si Tang married well, she would be nothing more than a useful tool for a political alliance. If she married poorly, Chen Yue would be all the more delighted.

Si Tang stared coldly at Si Chenfeng for a long moment, then glanced at Chen Yue’s smug, petty expression, fully aware of what she was thinking. Letting out a soft, derisive snort, she suddenly flung the napkin in her hand onto the table. The bowl of seafood congee that Chen Yue loved so much was instantly ruined, a miserable sight, with splatters of the congee staining her meticulously tailored cheongsam.

Everything happened without warning.

“Ah my dress!” Chen Yue stood up, exclaiming in shock, nearly blurting out curses about Si Tang’s lack of upbringing.

Servants rushed forward to help her clean up. The sudden commotion frightened Si Xiaoye, and the chubby little boy burst into loud, wailing sobs.

“Xiaoye, don’t be scared, don’t be scared,” Chen Yue comforted her golden child.

“What do you mean?! Apologize to Aunt Chen right now!” Si Chenfeng was seething with rage. “Xiao Xi has been in the family registry for three years already. I should have brought her home long ago. If it weren’t for considering your feelings, why would I have waited this long? Can’t you be a little more sensible? I know you resent Xiao Xi’s background, but what happened back then was my fault, I drank too much and entered the wrong room. The fact that Xiao Xi is your sister is undeniable, and she is innocent!”

It seemed as though, after all this talk, Si Tang was the petty one, while her father was the one full of affection.

Si Tang rose unhurriedly to her feet, meeting his gaze without a trace of fear. “First, I have no sister. Second, Father, it’s been too many years perhaps you’ve forgotten in your old age, but half of the Si Family Manor belonged to my mother. According to her will, that portion now belongs to me. If you bring that little white lotus back, I’ll immediately kick you and this mother-son pair behind you out!”

The Si Family Manor spanned over two thousand square meters, a luxurious estate designed and built by Si Tang’s mother during her lifetime. Si Tang held ownership of half of it.

“How dare you! You unfilial daughter! Is that any way to speak to your elders?!”

Si Chenfeng was utterly incredulous. When had this daughter, whom he had watched grow up right under his nose, become so uncontrollable?