Becoming the Keeper of an Alluring Merfolk - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Jealous Shui Se

Song Xiu individually added Jian Xu as a friend, intending to privately refuse, but then Jian Xu suddenly messaged: “No need to hide it. I know she can transform her legs.”

With no choice, Song Xiu decided to take a gamble. After reporting to the Director, she took the leg-transformed Shui Se and boarded a plane with Jian Xu to a café in the city.

She ordered many cakes and drinks for Shui Se, an indulgence that made Jian Xu, sitting across the table, feel restless and her scalp tingle.

While Shui Se was choosing more cake, Song Xiu directly asked where Xiao Hen was.

Jian Xu’s tone was slightly annoyed, stating that Xiao Hen was currently at the institute and chose not to come out herself. She asked Song Xiu to trust her, saying she wanted to get rid of Xiao Hen more than anyone else.

Song Xiu was still puzzled: “Can’t I just help take care of her if you let her out?”

“Xiao Hen has a pseudo-spawning every month now.” Jian Xu lowered her voice, gripping her coffee cup so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

After realizing what Jian Xu was saying, Song Xiu’s spoon clattered onto the plate. She quickly looked at Shui Se not far away, relieved that she hadn’t noticed their conversation.

“What do you mean, Jian Xu? What did you do to her?”

Jian Xu forced a bitter smile: “It’s what she did to me. She forcibly opened that scale without my knowledge. She treats me like a mate every single day. I’m truly in despair.”

Shui Se returned with a full tray of desserts and happily sat next to Song Xiu. She scooped a spoonful and offered it to Song Xiu’s mouth, “Try some?”

“Thank you.”

With this information, Song Xiu could barely understand Jian Xu’s previous actions, but: “You shouldn’t take it out on others.”

“Oh? Why don’t you switch places with me and try it?! Do you think you could control your emotions?”

Song Xiu didn’t want to argue with Jian Xu: “I know you’re under a lot of stress. There must be a solution for this, and I will help.”

Shui Se, who only caught half of the conversation, didn’t understand what they were arguing about. She held the spoon in her mouth, looking back and forth: “Jian Xu, don’t be mean to my Song Xiu.”

Jian Xu nearly spat blood. “I’m done talking to you two.” She left in a rage without even paying the bill.

“She’s so strange.” Shui Se tilted her head, watching Jian Xu’s angry exit, her ear fins twitching in confusion.

“Don’t mind her, let’s continue our date. Want to go shopping?”

“Shopping?” Shui Se’s eyes instantly sparkled. This unfamiliar word sounded fun.

The downtown commercial street was bustling with people. Shui Se gripped Song Xiu’s hand tightly, afraid of being separated by the crowd. Her eyes darted everywhere; everything was so beautiful, much prettier than what Xiao Hen had told her before.

Because Shui Se was so eye-catching and attracted many stares, Song Xiu was proud that everyone thought her girlfriend was beautiful, but on the other hand, she was also a little jealous.

After all, her little Jiao-person didn’t understand the inner thoughts of those people.

So Shui Se didn’t quite understand why Song Xiu was walking so fast. She wasn’t used to walking on two legs and was clearly struggling to keep up.

“Slow down, Song Xiu.”

Song Xiu slowed her pace: “Shui Se.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Do you really like me?”

“I really do.”

“If the person taking care of you wasn’t me, but someone else, and she confessed to you, would you also agree?”

This question was too complicated for Shui Se: “There are no ‘ifs.’ We met each other, there is no one else.”

“Let’s keep walking.”

“But my feet hurt so much. I might not be able to walk anymore.”

Song Xiu had Shui Se sit on a roadside bench. She knelt in front of the bench, carefully helping Shui Se take off the white canvas shoes.

“Does it hurt?” Song Xiu’s fingertips gently brushed the reddened skin.

“Mm, human roads are so hard, they are even rougher than coral reefs.”

A passing couple gave them curious glances. Song Xiu instinctively turned sideways to shield Shui Se, but her movements became even gentler.

Song Xiu pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. Through the cloth, her thumb pressed against Shui Se’s arch: “I didn’t think this through. I forgot that it would hurt if you walked for too long.”

Shui Se comfortably squinted her eyes, her toes unconsciously curling and stretching. Song Xiu’s technique was clumsy but very soothing. Every sore muscle from the ankle to the calf was tended to.

Shui Se suddenly leaned forward, her pink long hair falling onto Song Xiu’s shoulder, and kissed Song Xiu’s forehead.

Song Xiu’s ear tips instantly flushed. She lowered her head and continued the massage, but couldn’t hide the smile on her lips: “Do your feet still hurt?”

“No, they don’t.”

“Do you want me to give you a piggyback ride?”

“You’ll get tired. No.”

“You care about me that much?”

“Because it’s mutual. You’re so good to me, of course I care about you.”

“Shui Se is so sweet.”

It was already evening when they returned to the dormitory.

When Song Xiu came out of the kitchen with washed peaches, Shui Se was already exhausted and sprawled out on the bed, her pink long hair scattered across the entire surface; even her ear fins were softly pressed against her head.

“Get up and eat something.” Song Xiu poked her puffy cheek.

Shui Se reluctantly propped up her upper body and took a bite of the peach from Song Xiu’s hand. The sweet juice instantly burst in her mouth: “How can humans eat so many delicious things?”

“Eat slowly,” Song Xiu smiled as she watched her devour it.

Shui Se finished the peach down to the pit in a few bites, licking the juice from her fingertips with an unsatisfied look. Song Xiu took the pit and wiped it clean with a tissue: “Did you know? This can be made into a bracelet.”

“Eh?” Shui Se’s ear fins immediately perked up. “A hard pit can also be made into jewelry?”

Song Xiu scrubbed the peach pit clean, dried it in the microwave, then found her tool box from the drawer, took out a fine drill, and began drilling a hole in the pit. Shui Se lay on her shoulder, her breath carrying the sweet scent of peaches, curiously watching her work.

“In human culture, peach wood can ward off evil spirits. A bracelet made from a peach pit symbolizes the desire to protect an important person.”

The drill suddenly slipped, and Song Xiu’s index finger was cut. Shui Se immediately grabbed her hand and gently licked the wound with her tongue. The Jiao-person’s saliva had a slight hemostatic effect, but more than that, it was the warm sensation that made Song Xiu’s heart race.

“It’s done.” Song Xiu pulled her hand back, blushing, and continued drilling. Shui Se suddenly leaned close and lightly bit the injured tip of her finger.

“Shui Se?”

The Jiao-person shook her head proudly.

Song Xiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After sealing the peach pit bracelet with a red string with clear nail polish, she tied it onto Shui Se’s wrist. Her wrist was slender, white, and the bracelet matched perfectly.

Shui Se raised her wrist and turned it toward the light, then suddenly said, “I want to give you a gift too.”

“You don’t need to. You don’t have anything right now.”

“I can go to the bottom of the sea to collect things. There are many treasures in the shipwrecks.”

“What if you get cut? Those shipwrecks are rusty, you could get tetanus.”

“Tetanus? No wonder. A little Jiao-person went to play in a shipwreck before, and the cut never healed. It turns out it was because of tetanus.”

“There is a way to solve this. If a little Jiao-person or merperson gets a cut in the future, just bring them to humans in time for a vaccine.”

Shui Se nodded repeatedly, then suddenly hugged Song Xiu tightly: “Song Xiu, you’re so good. I don’t want to leave you.”

“I’m not good.”

“Why aren’t you good? You are very good.”

“I can’t give you a better life. I want to give you a lot, but I can’t do it yet.”

“My life is already very good. What you’ve given me is already overflowing. Both Xiao Coco and I are very grateful to you.”

Shui Se rested her head on Song Xiu’s lap, transformed back into a fish tail, held her hand, interlocked their fingers, and swayed her tail.

“Song Xiu, I can do it.”

“Can do what?”

“I’m not afraid of the pseudo-spawning anymore. I can endure it for you.”

Song Xiu still shook her head. She didn’t think the time was right, at least not now.

Shui Se sighed with regret, rubbing her cheek against Song Xiu’s hand. She had finally mustered the courage, and the other person didn’t agree.

Song Xiu suddenly scooped her onto her lap, embracing her face to face. Holding her like this felt great, as if the whole person belonged to her.

She even mischievously bounced her up and down, which scared Shui Se into leaning closer and hugging tighter.

“You did that on purpose!” Shui Se complained, rubbing against her nose, looking wronged.

“So what if I did?”

“Nothing. I won’t be mean to you.”

“My wife is so cute.”

“Wife?”

“Yes, can I call you that?”

“Of course, you can! But… we haven’t had a wedding yet, can I call you that?”

“There will be one, there definitely will be one. Trust me.”

At night, while Shui Se was fast asleep, Song Xiu went to the viewing platform for some air. She noticed the rope leading directly to the sea from the platform swaying, as if something was climbing up.

She quickly turned on her phone’s flashlight and squatted on the cliff edge to look down, only to find what appeared to be a Jiao-person or merperson with a black tail and black hair climbing up.

Song Xiu quickly helped pull the rope up. Indeed, it was a Jiao-person who looked about the same size as Shui Se. She was weakly gasping for breath, her skin shockingly pale.

“Are you a Jiao-person or a merperson?”

“Jiao… person.”

“Do you know Shui Se?”

“Shui Se? How is she in…”

Song Xiu wanted to ask more, but the Jiao-person fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion. When she woke up again, she was lying in Shui Se’s bathtub.

“I don’t want her lying in my bathtub.” Shui Se felt her territory was being occupied, and the one occupying her territory was the person she had disliked the most in the past.

The most annoying thing was that Song Xiu had brought her back from the infirmary.

So annoying.

“Zheng Zheng, you’re awake? Then can you go to the pool? This is mine, mine, mine!!”

Shui Se unhappily hugged Song Xiu, pounding her chest: “I told you I don’t like her. How could you pick her up and bring her back? Boohoohoo…”

Zheng Zheng, feeling guilty, grabbed the bath towel nearby, wrapped herself in it, transformed her legs, and ran away.

“That bath towel is mine too! Zheng Zheng, you little thief!” Shui Se was even angrier.

Song Xiu was a bit confused as to why Shui Se was suddenly so emotional. She patiently stroked her hair and asked, “What exactly did she do to you before?”

“Xiao Hen and I always played with her because she didn’t have any friends. But she spoke ill of me to the people who bullied her. I forgave her several times after I found out, but she never changed her ways and tried every means to get others to exclude Xiao Hen and me.”

“Then I definitely made a mistake. I’m sorry, Shui Se.”

“Also, let me tell you, her hair and fish tail used to be mottled colors.”

“Like Little Coco’s?”

“No! Little Coco’s colors are very pretty. Zheng Zheng’s are grayish and dull, and her hair too. She used to dye it with squid ink every day to look better. Now that there’s no squid ink, it will fade soon.”