I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 22.1

Bai Qian was so startled by the girl’s completely undefended movement that, instinctively, she gave it a firm squeeze.

Yu Shaoling, caught by the sudden pain, let out a sharp cry. “What are you squeezing so hard for! I’m human now, too—you think I can’t feel pain?!”

The ambiguous posture and the suddenly sultry atmosphere vanished without a trace, shattered by the mermaid’s sheer innocence regarding human intimacy.

“Bai Qian, do you even know how to serve people or not!”

Bai Qian withdrew her hand, her face a mask of cold indifference. “I don’t. I take back what I said earlier; you should just wash yourself.”

“No! You can’t just take back your words! Isn’t there a saying in your human world? Something about spoken words being like spilled water? The water is already spilled; you can’t take it back! Hurry up and help me undress!”

Bai Qian’s lips curved slightly. “Then you probably don’t know that in the modern world, any message sent can be retracted as long as it’s within two minutes.”

The mermaid princess, having never used WeChat, was naturally confused. She knitted her brows. “What does that mean?”

Bai Qian took a step back, making a move to leave. “I’m going down to eat. Princess, you can wash as long as you like. If you want, feel free to soak here until the end of time.”

Yu Shaoling panicked and lunged to stop her. Her long-limbed advantage was perfectly displayed in that moment; Bai Qian hadn’t even taken a second step before she was yanked back to the edge of the tub.

Yu Shaoling looked down at her, wearing an expression of helpless compromise, as if she were simply putting up with a human’s bad temper. She clamped her hand around Bai Qian’s slender wrist and, once again without a hint of self-consciousness, guided it back toward that “peach.”

“The Sea Mentor was right after all. Humans have terrible tempers. Fine, if it’s because I didn’t let you press it, I’ll let you press it now. But it hurts, so you can’t just exert force suddenly like you did before, okay?”

Bai Qian: “…”

If I didn’t know exactly what I was holding, your innocent and pure expression would almost make me wonder if I was doing something perfectly normal!

She tried to pull her hand away, but the girl held it down firmly; there was no escaping.

The mermaid princess, who had been waited on her entire life, was attempting to coax someone for the first time. Seeing the human remain so stubborn, she began to lose her patience. “What else do you want?”

“Is this how you mermaids are always ‘served’ during a bath?”

“Before today, I have never let an outsider touch me,” the girl said disdainfully, giving Bai Qian a contemptuous glance. “Didn’t you say I have to follow the rules of your human world? If I weren’t currently in need of your help, you could kneel and beg and you still wouldn’t get to touch a single hair on my body.”

Bai Qian was used to her occasional bouts of arrogance and replied calmly, “Thank you. I truly have no desire to touch you.”

“Heh. Humans really love to lie. You say you don’t want to touch me, and yet, who was the one gripping me so tightly right here?”

Bai Qian felt a flash of irritation rise in her chest, ignited easily by this fish. She exhaled, suppressing her annoyance. “Excuse me, but I believe you are the one holding my hand there, Princess.”

The proud mermaid was not one to allow her words to be refuted. She gave Bai Qian a sharp, indignant glare. “I don’t care! Hurry up and help me undress, and then wash me. I’m hungry!”

Bai Qian fell silent for a few seconds. Eventually, the hollow rumble from her own stomach—protesting the lack of food—forced her to surrender. “Let go.”

Knowing that the woman was finally going to help her, Yu Shaoling obediently released her grip.

Once Yu Shaoling was dressed in Bai Qian’s clothes, her aura shifted slightly.

The arrogance in her features hadn’t faded, but the cartoon character on her oversized pajama t-shirt added a touch of adorable childishness.

“What is this?” Yu Shaoling asked, pointing at the pigtail-wearing doll poking its tongue out on her chest.

“It’s money,” Bai Qian said succinctly. “This design’s licensing fee was very expensive.”

The mermaid didn’t understand what a licensing fee was, but she understood the word “expensive.” “Are you that rich?”

Bai Qian glanced at her. “Would I dare raise you if I wasn’t?”

Yu Shaoling immediately tilted her chin up with pride. “Well, naturally. I am the most noble mermaid in the kingdom. My quality of life is not something you ‘cheap’ humans can compare to.”

Speaking of which, she suddenly grew animated. “When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is soak in a sea-milk bath. Since Sea Essence is only found in the deep trenches, I’ll settle for your human milk for now. After my bath, I—”

“Stop. There is another rule in the human world: ‘No talking while eating or sleeping.’ It means right now, you close your mouth and prepare to eat quietly. Understood?”

As they spoke, they reached the dining room.

Yu Shaoling was indeed starving, so she didn’t talk back this time. She nodded obediently. “What did you make? In our kingdom, eating is the most important thing. Even the poorest mermaid receives a piece of Sea-Beef from the state every month. Let me tell you, no mermaid can resist the temptation of Sea-Beef. Once you help me find my tail, I’ll give you a whole room full of it as a reward.”

Bai Qian brought over two bowls of rice, ruthlessly crushing the girl’s expectations. “Sorry. Forget Sea-Beef; there isn’t even any regular beef in this house.”

On the table sat two dishes and a soup. At first glance, it was overwhelmingly green. Spinach and tofu soup, and stir-fried greens. The only dish with a bit of color was the plate of scrambled eggs with green peppers.

The smile on Yu Shaoling’s face froze. She nearly flipped the table.

“What is this! Even the sea-pigs back home wouldn’t eat such pathetic food! I want beef! Bai Qian, you must go buy me beef!”

The woman sat down in front of her, gracefully picked up her bowl, took a bite of green pepper, and began to eat. She chewed calmly under the girl’s furious gaze, swallowed, and then spoke nonchalantly. “Either sit down and eat with me, or stay hungry.”

“I won’t! I want beef! Go buy me beef! That is an order!”

Bai Qian shifted her gaze to the girl’s face, meeting her cold, threatening eyes without flinching. “You want beef? Certainly. But not today. Tomorrow… that depends on your behavior. If you still refuse to accept the fact that you have become a human and are in need of my help, then I don’t see any reason for our agreement to continue.”

Yu Shaoling’s face turned a kaleidoscope of colors—green then purple. She was grateful to this human who had saved her life and was willing to help her find her tail for nothing in return. But that didn’t mean she, a noble mermaid, had to bow and scrape before a lowly human.

Equality for all? What a joke. She was an exalted mermaid; how could a lowly human be her equal?

Refusing to deign to another, the mermaid girl let out a cold laugh and stood up without hesitation.

“Fine. I agree. I’ll find my tail myself. Once I return to the ocean and slay my enemies, I will naturally repay you. As for now, I think it’s best we part ways.”

Yu Shaoling walked to the entrance with a frown. She slowed her movements, surreptitiously listening for any sound from the dining room. She heard the clink of chopsticks against a ceramic bowl; clearly, the woman was still just eating her dinner.

She felt a surge of annoyance at being ignored, but she knew she could never lower herself to say another word to that human. Carrying nothing, just as she had arrived, Yu Shaoling opened the door and strode out.

In the middle of the night, a girl walking alone on the road was bound to attract the attention of criminals. Not long after leaving the complex, Yu Shaoling was cornered at a crossroad by three young men with “rainbow” dyed hair.

The three greasy-looking punks, their eyes full of predatory lust, closed in on her. The air grew stifling, filled with their heavy breathing and the smell of unwashed hair.

The girl’s expression of disgust only angered them. The youths, who had initially intended to put on a “gentlemanly” front, exchanged a look and dropped the act, revealing their repulsive intentions.

The mermaid princess, protected since childhood, was experiencing this for the first time. For a moment, she forgot she possessed something called psychic power. Only when the fat one in the middle reached out a dirty hand to touch her did she remember.

She began to lift her hand, a faint silver light glowing in her palm. Just as the beam was about to strike the man—

THUD.

The squat, obese youth, weighing at least two hundred pounds, was unceremoniously kicked to the ground by a pair of long legs that appeared out of nowhere. His two companions barely had time to turn their heads before the newcomer swiftly delivered a kick to each of them as well.

After the chaos, Bai Qian efficiently pulled out the men’s shoelaces and tied them up, having already taught them a lesson with her fists and feet. Only then did she turn her gaze toward Yu Shaoling, who was still standing there dazed.

“This is what most humans are like,” Bai Qian said. “The greedy, disgusting humans your Sea Mentor described. So… do you still want to leave me?”

The mermaid princess’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears.

The grief of her parents being killed by the Black Octopus, the pain of her severed tail, the heartbreak of not being able to return home—all of it came rushing out like a fountain the moment she saw Bai Qian again.

The Sea Mentor had told her she was the most noble princess, born to be revered and honored. She had been taught to discard “weak” emotions like vulnerability and pity, to survive only through pride. She had always done so and never found it wrong. Her parents had loved her, but like the Sea Mentor, they had required her to maintain her stature at all times.

But in this moment, she suddenly felt as if something had struck a chord in her heart.

It was like a patch of ancient, frozen earth that an adorable kitten had accidentally stumbled upon. The kitten didn’t fear the cold; instead, it used its tiny pink paws to happily pat the ice. The surface still radiated a daunting chill, but only the ice knew that where the kitten had stepped, a tiny crack had begun to form.

“Don’t cry. Hold it back.”

Her sorrow had just reached a peak when the woman’s blunt command caused her emotions to shatter completely. The crystalline tears in her eyes could no longer be suppressed; they began to fall uncontrollably.

A sudden pink light shone brilliantly in the dark night. Bai Qian’s pupils contracted. Without waiting to tie the last man’s hands, she rushed to the girl and pulled the taller figure firmly into her embrace.

Pearl-sized droplets clattered against her collarbone. Bai Qian reached up to catch them, calmly tucking them into her pocket.

“Take another step, and I’ll kick your family jewels into next week,” she barked at the punks.

The group, who had intended to slip away while her back was turned, felt a chill down their spines and slunk back.

Bai Qian released the girl. Seeing Yu Shaoling staring at her with a look of pure grievance, she reached up and wiped the corner of her eye with surprising tenderness. The unformed pearl tears were snuffed out by the woman’s simple movement.

“No crying. Do you hear me?”

Yu Shaoling didn’t speak. Her beautiful eyes were a whirlpool of grievance, self-pity, resentment, and anger. “Why did you come out? I don’t need you anymore!”

“Oh.”

Bai Qian turned back to the three men and pulled out her phone to make a call. A few minutes later, the three men were stuffed into a police car.

Once the matter was settled, there was no reason to stay. Bai Qian turned her head. The girl’s softened expression instantly reverted back to stubbornness the moment their eyes met.

Bai Qian sighed, her voice much gentler than before. “Did your Sea Mentor not tell you that mermaid tears turn into pearls?”

Yu Shaoling argued hoarsely, “No one ever dared make me cry! I’m not crying!”

The woman pulled the rare pink pearls from her pocket and held them out. “Then what are these? I saw them fall from your eyes with my own eyes.”

The proud mermaid tossed her head. “Who knows where you picked those up just to slander me. We have nothing to do with each other now. Even if you beg me to come back, it’s no use. I’m not going!”

She waited a moment, but there was no reply. She stole a glance at where Bai Qian had been standing and saw nothing. Her heart skipped a beat; she whipped her head around and saw the woman already quite far ahead.

“Bai Qian!”

Bai Qian turned. The girl’s eyes, full of suppressed rage, were breathtaking in the dark. Yu Shaoling bit her lower lip, staring at her for a long time, before finally mumbling, “If you ask me to, I’ll go back with you.”

Bai Qian didn’t move. She just watched her quietly.

Hurt by the cold attitude, the girl’s voice took on a wet quality. “I want you to ask me! If you ask, I’ll go back!”

Her stubborn yet piteous look was exactly like a kitten that had had its tail accidentally stepped on—angry and hurt, but still scrambling into its owner’s arms for a bit of comfort.

Bai Qian sighed. “Are you going to run away again?”

Yu Shaoling sniffled. “I want beef! If you give me beef, I won’t run.”

“Understood. Come here. Let’s go home.”

Those last words were tinged with a lingering tenderness. The girl’s heart softened; she dizzily walked toward her. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already followed Bai Qian back into the complex.

Regaining her senses, the mermaid princess flew into a rage again. “You cunning human! You still haven’t asked me!”

“One more word, and there’s no beef today.”

Yu Shaoling’s eyes lit up. “Beef?!”

“The supermarket downstairs should still be open. Since we’re out, let’s take a look.”

“Okay!”

Bai Qian remembered something. “Were you trying to use your psychic power just now?”

Yu Shaoling’s expression turned fierce. “Those filthy, low-class humans deserve a lesson!”

The woman stopped and looked at her. “Head down.”

Confused, the mermaid lowered her head, only to be lightly flicked on the forehead.

Bai Qian withdrew her hand. “Don’t ever use your power in front of others, and don’t cry. Got it?”

Yu Shaoling clutched her forehead, angry and annoyed. “Why! I can do it in front of you, so why not others? Aren’t they all humans?”

“Do you want to be locked in a cage for research?” Bai Qian said, her voice flat as she recalled the images from the original plot. “Once the secret of your identity gets out, you’ll be locked in a steel cage so small you have to stay curled up. Once they know your tears turn into pearls, they’ll drug you so you can’t stop crying. Your eyes will bleed from the pain, but you won’t be able to stop. He’ll come in to bring you food, and seeing you suffering like that, he won’t be worried—he’ll be excited. Do you know why?”

Bai Qian gave a cold smile. “Because pearls with blood in them are worth more than the regular ones. And not only that, the scales on your body—”

“I get it! Stop talking, it’s scary!”

The girl was truly terrified. She was trembling, and her face was as white as a sheet.

Bai Qian stopped pushing her. “So, hide your true identity. Don’t let a third person know. Understand?”

“But the Black Octopus knows too.”

Bai Qian: “…”

“Is he human?”

Yu Shaoling hesitated, then shook her head.

“Well then.”

“Fine, I’ve got it.” Yu Shaoling looked at the woman walking a step ahead of her. “But Bai Qian… why don’t you do that?”

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