I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 22.2

The woman turned her head, the light behind her casting a soft, ethereal halo around her frame. In that moment, she looked like a holy angel.

“Because it’s you,” she said softly. “I don’t need a reason beyond that.”

Yu Shaoling felt a sudden, inexplicable heat flush across her cheeks. She looked away awkwardly, avoiding the woman’s gaze. After a few seconds of silence, she murmured, “My name is Yu Shaoling. In the Mermaid Kingdom, only my Father and Mother were allowed to call me that.”

Bai Qian smiled. “Alright. I’ll remember that.”

******

Yu Shaoling’s sleeping arrangements became an immediate logistical issue.

The original host was a solitary soul; when she bought this apartment, she had converted the second bedroom into a studio. The master bedroom was large but sparsely furnished, leaving the space feeling vast and empty.

Bai Qian’s initial thought was to have Yu Shaoling share the king-sized bed in the master bedroom. However, the moment the girl lay down, she sprang back up as if she’d been stung by a swarm of hornets.

Her small face was twisted in disgust. “I hate this thing. I want to sleep in water.”

“Will the bathtub do?”

“Yes! I like that!”

The mermaid girl climbed into the tub filled with cold water, looking perfectly content—for about thirty seconds. Then the act broke.

“Bai Qian, this tub is so cramped. Don’t you have a bigger one?”

“No.”

“What about a pool? Don’t human houses all have pools?”

Bai Qian, already at the door, turned back. “What exactly did your Sea Mentor teach you? There is a pool, but I haven’t used it since I bought this place. If you want to use it, go down and clean it yourself.”

Yu Shaoling peeked her head out of the water, resting her chin on the porcelain rim—a captivating vision of a beauty in her bath.

“I want you to wash it for me!”

“Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”

Bai Qian unceremoniously shut the door and left, ignoring the mermaid’s muffled, indignant roar behind her: “Bai Qian! I’m turning you into a sea pig tomorrow!”

Yu Shaoling huffed and lay back down. Within ten minutes of being submerged, she drifted off to sleep.

*****

The next morning, Yu Shaoling woke to sounds in the bathroom. She lifted her head to see Bai Qian standing at the sink, brushing her teeth. Forgetting she was supposed to be angry, Yu Shaoling addressed her with an air of condescending grace.

“Good morning. You humans are so rude; you didn’t even think to greet me first. I actually had to be the one to say hello.”

Bai Qian swished some water in her mouth several times until it ran clear, then glanced at her. She turned back to the mirror, dabbing her lips dry with a disposable towel before responding, “You weren’t awake when I came in. Good morning. Is that better?”

Yu Shaoling let out a grudging huff of satisfaction. She stepped out of the tub and approached the woman, curiously picking up the electric toothbrush Bai Qian had just set down. “What is this?”

Bai Qian dried her face. They were standing so close that she could see how impeccably clean the girl’s skin was—not a single pore in sight. “Do you mermaids not brush your teeth?”

Yu Shaoling scrambled back a step, her eyes filled with accusation. “You said yesterday you wouldn’t do those horrible things to me! Are you going back on your word already? You wretched human!”

Bai Qian: ?

The girl covered her mouth nervously, her voice muffled as she continued, “Don’t you dare touch my teeth! If you try to pull them all out while I’m sleeping, I will definitely turn you into a pig!”

Bai Qian blinked in confusion, then a realization struck her. She asked, amused, “Do you think ‘brushing teeth’ means pulling them out one by one, cleaning them with a brush, and then plugging them back in?”

The beautiful amber eyes shot her a look that lacked any real threat. “Well, obviously! I’ve seen through your plot. Don’t try to lie to me; our mermaid IQ is several times higher than you humans! I won’t fall for it!”

“…”

The trust between them faced a sudden crisis, all thanks to the mermaid’s unconventional logic. Bai Qian tried to ignore it and went to the kitchen, but the girl followed her, watching her with a gaze full of suspicion and guard.

Being stared at like that would break even the calmest person. Eventually, Bai Qian snapped. She led the girl back to the bathroom and meticulously brushed her teeth again right in front of her.

The guard on the girl’s face crumbled, replaced by her initial curiosity. “Is this a game?”

“A game?” Bai Qian thought about it, then shook her head. “Not really. It’s just for oral hygiene.”

Yu Shaoling stepped closer, opened her mouth, and poked the hand holding the toothbrush. “Then I want to do it too. Help me.”

Bai Qian still didn’t want to spoil the mermaid. She thrust the brush into the girl’s hand. “Do it yourself. I just showed you the steps.”

“I don’t know how! Help me!”

“Who was it that just said mermaid IQ is several times higher than ours? Perfect. It’s time to show off that high intelligence.”

Yu Shaoling’s expression faltered, her confidence wavering. “I don’t care! You help me this time! I’ll know how next time!”

Playing the part of an accidental mother, Bai Qian sighed. “Fine. Let me change the head.”

Click.

The electric toothbrush slipped from Yu Shaoling’s limp grip and hit the floor. The girl backed away several steps, her face pale with horror. Her voice trembled: “You… you’re going to change your head?!”

Bai Qian silently bent over, picked up the device, opened a drawer, and took out a new brush head. She swapped them right in front of the girl before saying, “After breakfast, I’m going to give you a crash course on common human vocabulary.”

Realizing she had misunderstood again, Yu Shaoling’s face turned red, yet she still stood tall and stiff. “You humans are just too strange!”

“Come here. Do you want to brush your teeth or not?”

Yu Shaoling sat obediently on the small stool Bai Qian had brought over. Like a child being taught by their parents for the first time, she tilted her head back with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she spotted the discarded brush head on the counter and grew upset again.

“Why did you change it? Bai Qian, you dare to be disgusted by me! I haven’t even acted disgusted by you, yet you do it first!”

Bai Qian could foresee that a serious explanation would only lead to a mountain of new questions for this mermaid novice. She made up a random excuse: “In the human world, only people who like each other share a toothbrush head.”

“Like?”

“The kind of relationship your Father and Mother had. Does that answer your question?”

Yu Shaoling nodded in understanding and finally fell quiet, opening her mouth to wait for the service.

******

As Yu Shaoling had claimed, mermaid intelligence was indeed quite high.

Bai Qian first explained the words most likely to cause misunderstandings. After ensuring she understood, she tested her with a randomized quiz. To her surprise, Yu Shaoling got every single one right after just one lesson.

The girl was clearly satisfied with the shock on Bai Qian’s face, her expression smug. “I told you. We mermaids aren’t like you low-intelligence humans.”

Bai Qian had given up on correcting the derogatory adjectives she added to “human.” She said, “Fine. Vocabulary lesson is over. Do you have anything else to ask? If not, I need to work.”

“You mentioned him yesterday… who is Tong Shaoqing? Is he human? Why should I stay away from him?”

Bai Qian answered with a question of her own: “Do you remember what I told you in front of the supermarket last night?”

Yu Shaoling’s neck stiffened, and her voice trembled. “The part about me being locked in a cage?”

“Yes. Tong Shaoqing is the person who would do that to you. That’s why you stay away from him. Understood?”

The girl was puzzled. “I don’t know him, and he doesn’t know me. How do you know he’d do that?”

The woman narrowed her eyes, her tone growing cold. “He wouldn’t just do it to you; he’d do it to any precious mermaid. So, if you ever run into him in the future, remember: never let him know what you are. Got it?”

“The Sea Mentor was right. You humans are so cruel.”

Bai Qian decided to correct her logic. “In your Mermaid Kingdom, are all the fish good?”

Yu Shaoling shook her head. “Of course not. Look at the Black Octopus!”

“Exactly. It’s the same with humans. Not everyone is a ‘Tong Shaoqing.’ Most people are like me. You don’t need to loathe all of humanity.”

Yu Shaoling looked half-comprehending. “Then how do I know if someone is a ‘Bai Qian’ or a ‘Tong Shaoqing’?”

Bai Qian was stumped. Looking into the girl’s sincere, questioning eyes, she chose the truth. “I don’t know. Some people start out as a ‘Bai Qian,’ but after you’ve been around them for a while, they might reveal themselves to be a ‘Tong Shaoqing.’ Human nature is complex; it’s not something I can explain in a quick chat. Your goal is to find your tail and get revenge on the Black Octopus. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t interact with other humans. That should solve the problem, right?”

“Then how are you going to help me find my tail?”

Bai Qian went silent. Although she knew the answer, she couldn’t give it directly. In the original plot, the severed tail grew back because the protagonist bonded with her true love.

Bai Qian made up another excuse. “This is the first time I’ve ever met a mermaid. Give me some time; I’ll help you find a way.”

She refused to believe that the original plot’s method was the only way!

Just as Yu Shaoling was about to speak, her body stiffened. Bai Qian noticed the anomaly, but before she could ask, she was shoved back onto the sofa by a girl lunging toward her.

Bai Qian was about to scold her when she saw the familiar change in the girl’s complexion. Realizing what was happening, it was too late to dodge. The girl’s burning lips were already upon her.

Her slightly parted lips gave the invader an easy entry. A flexible tongue slid into that sweet territory with practiced ease, catching the woman’s delicate tongue—pressing, teasing, forcing, inviting.

As a mermaid whose life was draining away, the girl possessed strength far beyond a normal human. Bai Qian tried to struggle, but her resistance only earned her a small, punishing nip on the lip. The hand she had against the girl’s chest slowly lost its strength.

At first, Bai Qian wanted to kick her away with everything she had, but in the end, she couldn’t help but lose herself in the lingering, inseparable kiss. Between their entwined lips, the sound of swallowing and the woman’s uncontrolled, soft sighs wove together into an ambiguous melody.

Yu Shaoling’s reason returned the moment she tasted the sweetness. She should have let go, but driven by a hidden whim she didn’t yet understand, she chose to indulge.

When the girl finally pulled away, satisfied once again, her movements were almost tender.

The woman’s face was flushed like peach blossoms, her misty autumn eyes half-closed, appearing as if they were veiled in a fine dew. Her usually pressed lips were now slightly parted. It made one want to reach out and rub that pink flesh until it turned a brilliant, vibrant red.

Yu Shaoling didn’t know what it meant to fall in love. Looking at Bai Qian like this, she only felt that in this moment, she really wanted to give her her Sea Conch.

To a mermaid, their personal Sea Conch was more precious than their very heart.

Bai Qian, ambushed yet again, was red with fury. “What was that for?”

Yu Shaoling seemed to know that her bold move was a bit impolite. Faced with the woman’s accusatory attitude, she uncharacteristically dropped her arrogant facade. Her expression held an innocence that made it hard to blame her.

“I don’t know. Back in the kingdom, I was never like this.”

“Why did you touch me?”

The mermaid explained, “I truly don’t know. Just like yesterday, I suddenly felt as if my throat were being squeezed by invisible hands. It’s eerie, and it hurts. But then, if I touch you like I just did, the symptoms go away.”

Bai Qian scoffed. “I don’t believe for a second that kissing cures diseases. Try it again and see what happens.”

Yu Shaoling grew upset instantly. “Mermaids never lie! Besides, it’s not like I like you the way Mother liked Father. Why would I lie to do something like that?”

Bai Qian thought about it; the logic wasn’t entirely flawed. Her expression softened slightly. “Then what on earth is going on? If I remember correctly, the time between last night and just now was exactly twelve hours. You can’t possibly be having these episodes every twelve hours, can you?”

Yu Shaoling was honest: “I don’t know.”

“This won’t do…”

The princess, who had never been found lacking, interrupted her immediately. “Bai Qian! What do you mean by that? Are you disgusted by me? You dare to be disgusted by me! I am the noble Princess of the Mermaid Kingdom; commoners can’t even dream of seeing me. Now, not only can you see me every day, but I’ve given you the chance to touch me because of this strange ailment! Bai Qian! Instead of being grateful, you have the nerve to be disgusted? You annoying human!”

Bai Qian’s face darkened. “I am not one of your commoners, and I have zero interest in what you’re describing. Thank you.”

” I don’t care! You aren’t allowed to be disgusted! I’m not disgusted by you, so you can’t be disgusted by me! Bai Qian, you aren’t allowed!”

“Stop. We’re off topic. I’m trying to discuss your symptoms, not whether I’m disgusted by you—”

Yu Shaoling, her face pale with anger, interrupted again. “I don’t care about the symptoms! Answer me first: are you disgusted by me?!”

Bai Qian: “…”

The mermaid took her silence as a “yes.” Her bright eyes, already burning with shame and indignation, flared with a brilliant fire. She pinned the “ungrateful” Bai Qian down. The woman had just managed to sit up, only to be shoved back onto the sofa once more.

Bai Qian sensed danger. Her brow had barely twitched when the girl’s furious kiss descended again.

If the kiss before had been a gentle breeze over the water’s surface, this one was a hurricane, stirring up massive waves in the sea. Drowned by the surf, Bai Qian lay limp on the sofa. The crazy fish had left her voice hoarse, her eyes wide as she stared at the person above her, her swollen lips unable to form a coherent word: 

“G…e…t…o…u…t!”

Yu Shaoling’s finger finally got its wish, tracing the lips she had bitten and swollen. She explored them with interest. Her voice, usually ethereal and beautiful, was now a deep, low rumble.

“Bai Qian, you aren’t allowed to be disgusted by me! I’ll ask you one more time: are you disgusted by me?”

Bai Qian gave her a massive roll of her eyes.

Yu Shaoling’s hand faltered. Her finger slid from the lower lip to the woman’s chin, gripping it with a dangerous edge to her voice. “Still disgusted?”

Bai Qian shook her head frantically. No matter how much rage burned in her heart, under this threat, she could only bury her desire to cook the fish deep inside. “No!”

Satisfied, Yu Shaoling’s expression softened. She asked with concern, “Why is your voice so hoarse? Should I get you some water?”

The woman scoffed, not refusing. “Warm. If it’s even a little bit hot, I’m pouring it on your head.”

The mermaid princess obediently went to boil water for her. Invisibly, the balance of power between them seemed to have reverted to how it was before.

A minute later, Yu Shaoling called out from the kitchen, “Bai Qian, I don’t know how! You’d better do it yourself!”

“…”

A useless fish that can’t help with anything and only makes trouble!

******

The original host was a designer. When a Guardian enters a world, the host’s professional skills are automatically retained to ensure survival.

After breakfast, Bai Qian shut herself in her studio to continue the host’s designs. Yu Shaoling knocked on the door, holding the energy-made outfit that was supposed to be soaking in a bucket.

With every step the girl took, the dripping clothes left a trail of water on the floor. Bai Qian felt a headache coming on. “Stop! Don’t you see you’re soaking the floor?”

Her tone was calm, just a bit weary, but to the sensitive mermaid, it sounded like an impatient scolding. Yu Shaoling’s face hardened, her expression shifting back to one of arrogance…

Yu Shaoling’s face filled with a sense of righteous grievance. “You’re actually scolding me over a stupid floor! Bai Qian, I am a noble mermaid, yet you value your flooring more than me! You’re a hateful, hateful human!”

Bai Qian pressed a hand to her forehead. She was convinced that, sooner or later, this mermaid and her recurring bouts of “Nobility Syndrome” would give her a heart attack.

Faced with the girl’s resentful gaze, she had no choice but to soften her voice. “The floor isn’t more important than you, alright? It’s just that when you bring dripping wet clothes in here, the whole place gets soaked. I’ll have to mop it all over again, and it’s a huge hassle. Do you understand, Your Royal Highness?”

The girl’s nose, turned a soft pink from her indignation, let out a sharp, haughty huff. “You aren’t allowed to scold me like that ever again! Do you hear me?”

“Yes, yes, I hear you. So… what did you come in here for?”

Yu Shaoling started to step forward, then hesitated and stopped in her tracks. She pointed to the garment in her hand. “Buy me a fish tank! How could you just throw my clothes into that pathetic bucket? It’s a total waste of fine materials!”

Bai Qian replied flatly, “I’m broke. Forget it. Either throw them away or leave them where they are.”

“Bai Qian!”

The woman stared back at her, her expression unmoved. She was just about to speak when she saw the girl suddenly raise her hand and deliver a sharp, stinging slap to her own face.

The crack was so loud it sent Bai Qian’s stylus clattering onto the desk.

Because Yu Shaoling spent her life submerged in water, her skin was as pale and delicate as the first snow of winter—exceptionally tender. Having delivered such a ruthless blow to herself, the area immediately swelled into a red welt. The sight of that bruised cheek was enough to make anyone’s heart tremble.

Yet, the state of her face did nothing to diminish the innate noble aura she carried as a Princess of the Mermaid Kingdom; if anything, it made her bright eyes look even more piercing.

Yu Shaoling blinked, the physiological pain forcing tears from her eyes against her will.

“Then take these pearls and exchange them for money,” she whispered. “If it’s not enough, I can keep crying.”

A pink pearl hit the floor, rolling a few times before coming to rest at the woman’s feet.

Before she knew it, Bai Qian had moved from her desk to stand directly in front of her. She raised her hand, her touch incredibly light as she brushed away another tear that was beginning to well up at the corner of the girl’s eye.

“You… I really am a lost cause when it comes to you,” she sighed. “If you ever dare to cry like this again, I’m serious—I won’t help you find your tail. Do you understand?”

Support I Don’t Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear]