Becoming the Keeper of an Alluring Merfolk - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: The Grand Finale

Song Xiu seriously considered many ways to manage Zheng Zheng’s temper, but found that the more she engaged with her, the more problematic she became.

Eventually, Song Xiu simply gave up trying. No matter what Zheng Zheng did or said, Song Xiu acted as if she hadn’t noticed, continued serving her meals as usual, and even secretly had her exclusive television removed.

She even dyed Zheng Zheng’s hair in a noticeably sloppy manner.

This tactic, though underhanded, was extremely effective.

Simply put, all of Zheng Zheng’s behavior was aimed at highlighting her uniqueness and seeking attention. Whether people reacted with anger or affection, it gave her a huge sense of gratification.

When no one paid attention, nothing she did worked, and she was filled with immense frustration.

In just seven short days, she already started missing Chen Mengwei.

Zheng Zheng, who usually despised everyone, initiated contact for the first time. She sat on the edge of the pool and tugged on the trouser leg of Song Xiu, who was mopping the floor: “When is Chen Mengwei coming back?”

“None of your business.”

“You! How can you be like that? I’m going to file a complaint.”

Song Xiu shrugged: “Suit yourself. I have to clock out now.”

Because of the continuous rain outside, as Song Xiu switched off the main light before leaving, the surroundings plunged into darkness.

Little Coco, resting her chin on her hands in the pool, burst out laughing: “You don’t know, do you? You’re about to be kicked out.”

Zheng Zheng naturally didn’t believe it, responding with a sharp glare: “With only me and Shui Se left as Jiao-people, how could they bear to do that?”

Little Coco balanced a ball on her head, playing as she replied: “Did you think the caregivers are just caregivers? The Director regularly reviews the reports they submit to evaluate the status of every Jiao-person and mermaid. You’re unlikable and constantly misbehaving, so the report obviously won’t say anything nice. It’s inevitable that you’ll be discarded.”

This comment hit a nerve with Zheng Zheng. She really didn’t want to return to the ocean. She didn’t want to go find the Clan Leader, where no one would tolerate her antics even more.

“So… can I still salvage this? Can I make this month’s report look better?”

“I can help you, but you have to give me all your monthly allowance and extra snacks. You also have to give me your squid ink.”

“What do you want the squid ink for?”

“Nothing, just so you can’t use it, hehe.” Little Coco smiled brightly and wickedly. She had been annoyed by how Zheng Zheng always bullied Chen Mengwei for a while now, and this small act of revenge felt incredibly satisfying.

Zheng Zheng was left with no other option. For the first time, she suppressed all her emotions, despite her usual aversion to being taken advantage of.

Little Coco, the little tutor, was surprisingly responsible. The next day, having received a double share of sea urchin, caviar, and seaweed salad, she immediately shared her plan with Zheng Zheng.

“Rumor has it that Sister Mengwei is coming back to take over as the Director. Gaining her favor is the top priority. Later, when Sister Song Xiu isn’t paying attention, use her tablet to call Sister Mengwei.”

“Song Xiu will be angry, she’s been so cold to me lately. Chen Mengwei will be even angrier, with me disturbing her rest like this.” Zheng Zheng was truly afraid that if either of them got angry, they would heavily criticize her in the report.

Little Coco crunched loudly on the caviar with her spoon: “No, she won’t. Sister Song Xiu isn’t really annoyed with us; she just wants you to understand the seriousness of the problem. Wow, wow, wow~ Eating two portions is so good! It’s so crunchy!”

Zheng Zheng, seeing Little Coco like this, actually cracked a rare smile.

“You smiled?”

Zheng Zheng immediately put on a straight face: “You saw wrong.”

“Hehe~”

These two “hehes” once again made the feigning Zheng Zheng laugh. This time, she didn’t revert to a cold face. Following Little Coco’s plan, she secretly called Chen Mengwei.

Chen Mengwei, who was eating dinner, thought Song Xiu had called her about something. She only put down her spoon and felt puzzled when the person on the other end remained silent for a long time: “Song Xiu, what’s wrong? Did something happen? Is Zheng Zheng misbehaving again?”

“I’m not misbehaving…” Hearing the familiar voice, Zheng Zheng almost cried.

“Zheng Zheng?! You’re really not misbehaving? I don’t believe it. Why else would you call me?” Chen Mengwei deliberately teased her. She was bored being idle at home. She thought she would enjoy her vacation, but after a few days of lounging, she started missing the institute.

She even wondered if she was a masochist, feeling a burst of excitement when she initially thought Song Xiu was calling for help.

Zheng Zheng, who felt misunderstood on the other end, wanted to explain but didn’t know how, so she just pitifully asked when Chen Mengwei was coming back.

“Jian Xu and I are meeting tomorrow. After that, I’ll return to the institute. After all, I still have my identity as a researcher.”

“Meeting with Jian Xu? Can the two of you really get along peacefully?”

“Zheng Zheng, do you think I can’t beat her?”

“I’m not very clear about human combat capabilities.”

“Hahahahaha, why would we fight? We’re just having a meal. She’s just very eager to know some things.”

“That’s good. Then… I’ll wait for you to come back…”

“Okay. Be sure to listen to Song Xiu.”

“I… I will.”

“Why are you suddenly so obedient? You’re doing very well.”

Zheng Zheng, who was being praised over the phone, blushed. Little Coco keenly noticed this and, after blowing a string of bubbles, inwardly complained about how all Jiao-people were hopeless romantics? Even Zheng Zheng was no exception.

Song Xiu, who was kissing her wife in her dorm room, was watching the Jiao-people exhibit’s surveillance on her smartwatch. When she heard that Jian Xu and Chen Mengwei were meeting for dinner, her shock was no less than Zheng Zheng’s.

She hoped they were truly prepared.

In reality, Jian Xu and Chen Mengwei’s meeting was quite calm. The two silently grilled their own meat, strictly avoiding the other’s half of the grill.

“Jian Xu, even if you go back out to sea on a rescue mission, you won’t necessarily run into Xiao Hen. The ocean is vast; there aren’t that many coincidences.”

“Otherwise, I don’t know what else to do… This is the only thing I’m willing to actively pursue.”

“I’m being honest: you don’t need work; you need a psychologist.”

“I saw one. It was pointless. My mind could still work before the medication, but after taking it, it completely shut down. I was like a zombie. I can’t accept myself like that.”

Chen Mengwei nodded slightly at her words. Since Jian Xu was determined to leave, whatever she said was useless. She decided to just let her go. It was a case of “out of sight, out of mind” anyway.

Because Jian Xu wanted to meet up with Song Xiu and Shui Se before she left, Chen Mengwei temporarily covered for one day after she returned.

The next day, Song Xiu and Jian Xu met at the same BBQ restaurant, drinking from the afternoon until dark. It was Shui Se who playfully poked Song Xiu’s face in surprise, alerting them that snowflakes were drifting outside. They realized the first snow had arrived.

Shui Se sweetly asked Song Xiu if she could go out to see the snow. Song Xiu readily agreed. Slightly tipsy, she personally buttoned Shui Se’s pink overcoat and wrapped a fluffy white scarf around her.

“Wife, do you want a sip of wine to warm up before you go out? I’m afraid you’ll be cold.”

“I really won’t be cold~” Shui Se initiated a kiss on Song Xiu’s cheek, then excitedly bounced out the door to enjoy the falling snow.

Jian Xu, despite her envy, finally found a chance to ask the question that had been on her mind: “So you won’t ever remove Shui Se’s scale, will you?”

“No. There’s no need to impose a risk when avoidable hardship is possible.”

“But how… how can you be sure she won’t do it herself?”

“Security.”

“Security? Because I didn’t give Xi Hen enough security… is that why she…”

“This isn’t the time to dwell on that. One of the main characters has already forgotten these things. We all need to look forward. Even if you meet again in the future, please don’t remind her of the past.”

“Okay, I understand.”

The two clinked glasses. Song Xiu drank her wine, her eyes never leaving Shui Se outside the window.

The snow was light. It took Shui Se a long time to build a tiny snowman. She held it in her palm and showed it to Song Xiu through the glass. Jian Xu was very tactful and recorded the scene with her newly purchased phone.

After saying goodbye to Jian Xu, whose accommodation was nearby, at the restaurant door, Song Xiu and Shui Se decided to walk back to their seaside house hand-in-hand. The snow had completely paralyzed Binhai City’s already struggling public transport.

Song Xiu tucked Shui Se’s hand into her coat pocket. Although her nose was already red from the cold, she stubbornly insisted she wasn’t cold. Sometimes, Song Xiu truly felt that her little Jiao-person wasn’t immune to the cold; she had just grown so accustomed to the bone-chilling cold of the deep sea that she didn’t realize the importance of keeping warm.

Once they finally arrived home, they immediately changed their shoes and into loungewear, comfortably snuggling on the sofa.

Song Xiu gently kissed Shui Se’s forehead as she held her, watching TV and snacking. She kept her arm around Shui Se’s waist, quietly watching the program until Shui Se dozed off, fully asleep in her arms.

It wasn’t until the Lunar New Year that Song Xiu, who was making dumplings with Shui Se at home, video-called Jian Xu. They hadn’t been in contact for so long, and Song Xiu wondered how she was doing and if she had seen Xiao Hen as she wished.

Jian Xu answered the call in the somewhat dim ship cabin. Because most of her crew were foreigners, she hadn’t been able to eat dumplings. She was gnawing on bread, eating canned food, and drinking instant coffee. She was incredibly envious watching the dumplings Song Xiu had specially shown her.

“So, have you seen who you wanted to see?”

“Not yet. But we’ve rescued a sea turtle tangled in fishing nets, a mermaid with a torn tail, an orca trapped between reefs… and many, many other things.”

Shui Se was drawn to the conversation. She barged into Song Xiu’s screen, wrapped her arms around her neck: “Thank you, Jian Xu. Many marine animals can’t speak, but they will be very grateful to you in their hearts.”

Jian Xu was a little embarrassed by the praise. Song Xiu and Shui Se were planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve with Jian Xu, but Jian Xu’s colleague suddenly notified her of a situation outside that required her to dive into the water for a new rescue, forcing the call to end abruptly.

Although they kept in touch after that, Jian Xu did not return to Binhai City for many years. However, the merfolk and Jiao-people she rescued who needed temporary placement were all transported to the institute.

Over these years, the Director had retired, Chen Mengwei had taken over the position, the Jiao-people exhibit was renovated, Little Coco had grown much taller, and even Zheng Zheng had begun attempting to train for the caregiver role.

Song Xiu and Shui Se were also increasingly happy, having even bought the seaside house.

Yet, Jian Xu and Xiao Hen would occasionally remind Song Xiu, making her wonder if their story was truly over.

When Song Xiu least expected Jian Xu to return, she suddenly arrived at the institute with her luggage.

The two stared at each other in front of the Jiao-people exhibit’s door.

Song Xiu spoke first: “You’re back?”

“Mhm. I’m not leaving this time.” Jian Xu smiled in response. Her hair had grown quite a bit, from shoulder-length to chest-length, and she looked much softer than before.

“Did you wait for her?”

“It’s precisely because I spent time with her again that I dared to come back. She and I are simply not compatible. I don’t have gills, and she can’t adapt to the land. Not every Jiao-person is a Shui Se.”

Song Xiu smiled and nodded: “That’s good. Let’s go eat together. I just sent a message to the group. Everyone is waiting for you in the cafeteria.”

“Great!”

-End of Main Story-