I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 24.1

A cold hand slid beneath the hem of her thin nightgown. Bai Qian’s eyes flew open, and she immediately began to struggle.

The girl pinning her down brooked no resistance, lifting a leg to press down on Bai Qian’s thrashing ones. Her lips and tongue continued to wreak havoc in the woman’s mouth, but her hand stayed on Bai Qian’s waist, wandering aimlessly across the smooth skin.

Realizing that the girl didn’t actually know how to take things further, Bai Qian’s racing heart finally settled. Enduring the waves of ticklishness from the wandering hand and knowing she couldn’t overpower the creature, she gave up her struggle once more.

Yu Shaoling’s expression softened at the sudden submissiveness. Her tongue, slick with the woman’s sweetness, withdrew to meticulously lick Bai Qian’s lips over and over, until the woman was thoroughly marked with her scent from the inside out. Only then did she finally let go.

The arrogant mermaid princess declared, “You, human of unknown origin—I shall spare your life. But from this day forward, you are my private slave.”

Bai Qian: ?

Yu Shaoling straightened up, her gaze sweeping across the room before stopping on the oversized fish tank. Her beautiful eyes filled with disdain; it was as if looking at the thing lowered her status. “What is this trash? I’ll give you ten minutes to make it disappear from my sight!”

Bai Qian: ??

Receiving no response, Yu Shaoling shifted her dissatisfaction from the tank to Bai Qian. “Little slave, did your previous master not teach you the duties of servitude? Do as I say, now! Or do you want me to turn you into a filthy, low-class sea-pig?”

Bai Qian: “…”

“It’s too big. I can’t move it.”

The mermaid princess let out a cold sneer. “Useless human. I’m starting to regret making you my slave. I’ll help you just this once, but if you dare to lack the self-awareness of a slave again, don’t blame me for the punishment.”

Bai Qian’s eyelid twitched. Just as a bad feeling cropped up, a piercing explosion rang in her ears. She turned her head in disbelief. The fish tank that had been sitting against the wall was gone, reduced to fine dust by a flick of the girl’s finger.

The water that had been inside maintained its rectangular shape for a moment before turning into silk-like threads that coiled around Yu Shaoling’s fingers, being absorbed into her skin bit by bit. As the last drop vanished, Yu Shaoling looked dismissively at the stunned Bai Qian. “Such an uncultured human. You may clean up now, useless little slave.”

Bai Qian’s temper had been tempered over these months of living with Yu Shaoling. She no longer felt the same indignation at the term “little slave” as she had the first time she heard “low-class human.” She calmly stood up, went to the bathroom for a broom and dustpan, and swept up the dust. Then, she walked up to the noble princess and said slowly, “Even if you regret this later, I won’t spend the money to buy you another one.”

Yu Shaoling wore an arrogant look as if she’d just heard a joke. “Are you implying that I begged you to buy that tank? Hmph. Humans truly are the most deceitful creatures.”

“Fine. It’s late. Go to sleep.”

The princess’s face darkened again. “You, a little slave, dare to command me? Do I need your permission to decide when I sleep? Hey! You wretched human, you dare ignore me! Get up! Believe me, I’ll turn you into a pig!”

Bai Qian ignored the girl’s “Nobility Syndrome” flare-up and decisively crawled under the covers, burying her head beneath the duvet to go to sleep.

Utterly enraged at being treated this way for the first time in her life, the princess’s amber eyes swirled with a sudden storm. She raised her hand with a grim face, silently chanting a mermaid incantation, and pointed a finger at the bulge in the duvet. A silver light flashed, but everything quickly returned to normal.

She walked to the other side of the bed with a cold smirk and yanked the duvet back. The expected piglet did not appear. Instead, the woman, who had had her eyes closed, was looking at her with a look of pure resignation.

“Princess, it is truly late. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

Yu Shaoling’s face turned white and then green. Her psychic power was the strongest in the kingdom second only to her father; it was impossible for it to fail. The only reason the woman hadn’t turned into a pig…

The girl glared at her hatefully. “You terrifying human! What did you do to me? Did you drug me? You wretched human, when my power returns, I’ll turn you into a filthy, stinking, stupid sea-pig!”

Bai Qian yawned. Seeing that the girl’s reaction was similar to her previous amnesiac episodes, her mind whirled, and she decided to change her tactics.

“Since you’ve discovered it, I won’t hide it anymore. Yes, I did drug you. If you don’t listen to me, the moment the drug takes full effect, you will drop dead without my antidote.”

She had a warm smile in her eyes, but to the panicked mermaid, those dark pupils looked full of malice.

“You wicked human! We mermaids are the smartest creatures in the world! Did you think you could lie to me and make me your puppet? You filthy, annoying human!”

Bai Qian turned a deaf ear to the insults, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Don’t believe me? Then let me ask you: did you feel a sudden shortness of breath just now, as if an invisible hand were squeezing your throat? That was the drug.”

The tricked mermaid trembled. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and she bit her pale lip until it bled. It took a long time for her to accept this “fact.” Her eyes, burning with suppressed fury and resentment, asked: “So, what do you want? I’m telling you, mermaids will never be slaves to others. If you want to humiliate me like that, I’d rather die!”

Bai Qian really wanted to tell her that if she had actually drugged her, she would have made her life a living hell given that attitude. But she was too tired to argue. “If you don’t want to suffer like that again, go be a good girl and sleep in the bathtub. Oh, and on your way out, turn off the lights.”

Bai Qian closed her eyes again. Just as she began to relax, a shadow fell over her once more. Losing her patience, she snapped her eyes open, only to be startled by the overwhelming sense of humiliation in the girl’s eyes.

Yu Shaoling forced every word out through gritted teeth. “You are truly diabolical! To insult me like this… I’d rather you just killed me!”

Bai Qian: ???

The girl hissed, “A bathtub so lowly that even the commonest sea-worm wouldn’t lie in it, and you want me to sleep there! You hateful human, you think you’re so clever, drugging me when I wasn’t looking. You are absolutely filthy!”

“…” Bai Qian felt like her head was going to explode from this girl’s wild imagination. She took a breath and asked calmly, “Fine. The bathtub is out. Where do you want to sleep?”

Yu Shaoling sneered. “Your heart is so twisted. If I say I want the bed, you—”

“Fine,” Bai Qian interrupted. “Sleep here if you want. It’s late. Please, I beg you, just sleep, Princess.”

The title “Princess” sounded like pure sarcasm to Yu Shaoling’s ears. Her face was stiff with rage. “It’s not enough to humiliate my body; you have to trample on my dignity too. Fine. You’d better hope you can keep me trapped with this drug forever, because the day my power returns, I will make sure you die a very ugly death!”

Bai Qian was reaching her breaking point. “Think whatever you want. If you don’t want to sleep, go find somewhere else to stand. I want to sleep. Let me have some peace, okay?”

“Heh. You’re the one who drugged me, yet you act as if I’m the one causing trouble. Cunning human, still trying to blame me.”

This time, there was no reply. Yu Shaoling felt ignored for the first time. She looked down in resentment, only to see the woman’s exhausted face; she had truly fallen asleep.

The mermaid gave a small huff, though her voice instinctively dropped. “Humans are useless.”

She was missing many memories, but she still remembered her blood feud with the Black Octopus. Once she dealt with this human who dared to drug her, the next thing she would do was kill that octopus.

Yu Shaoling walked through the “enemy’s” house with an expressionless face. She had no memory of living here, yet looking at the various items, she felt a strange sense of familiarity. Her loathing for Bai Qian deepened. That wretched human, who knows what drug she used to plant these disgusting illusions in my subconscious.

Finally, she went to the bathroom next to the master bedroom. She saw the bathtub Bai Qian had mentioned. With a grim face, she instinctively directed her psychic power toward it. She expected nothing to happen, but with a shatter, the tub was reduced to fragments just like the large tank had been.

Yu Shaoling froze, looking at her hand in disbelief. Her power wasn’t gone? The “drug” hadn’t worked? She proceeded to destroy everything else in the bathroom to be sure.

Realizing her power was intact, she moved back to the bedroom with a look of hesitation. She aimed the same power at the oblivious woman on the bed.

Nothing happened.

Yu Shaoling frowned, thought for two seconds, and understood. Clearly, the drug’s effect only kicked in when she tried to harm this person. She gave a cold smile. Weak human, you certainly are afraid to die.

Knowing her power still worked made her hate Bai Qian a little less. With the weight off her shoulders, exhaustion finally caught up to her. She naturally pulled back the other side of the duvet and lay down, keeping enough distance between them to fit a third person.

*****

Yu Shaoling woke up early. The moment she opened her eyes, she realized something was wrong. How was she in the arms of this lowly human?!

She looked up in a rage, ready to scold her, but when she realized she was the one who had crawled into the woman’s arms during the night, her anger turned into a flush of embarrassed fury. What kind of drug is this, to make me react against my own will!

As she climbed out of bed, a slightly hoarse, natural greeting rang out behind her. “You’re awake?”

Her reaction was awkward and stiff. “You’re the one who said I could sleep on the bed! You hateful human, don’t you dare go back on your word!”

Bai Qian rubbed her eyes. Remembering that Yu Shaoling had lost her memory again, she nodded and spoke gently. “Mmh. Sleep there if you like. I’m steaming dumplings for breakfast. Do you want the beef filling again?”

Yu Shaoling stared at her with deep suspicion. “How do you know I like beef? You despicable human, did you hypnotize me?! Did you steal all my information!”

Bai Qian: “…”

“I have a name. From now on, call me Bai Qian. Got it?”

The girl gave a cold, punchable smirk. “You aren’t worthy.”

Bai Qian looked up at the clock on the wall. “The drug’s effect kicks in in one minute. If you don’t want to be in pain, I suggest you listen to me.”

The mermaid princess lifted her head arrogantly. “If calling your name is the price, I’d rather die!”

As soon as she finished speaking, that familiar feeling of suffocation returned. Yu Shaoling could feel her life slipping away, a pain that chilled her to the bone. She glared stubbornly at the woman. Her innate pride as a mermaid would never allow her to beg a lowly human for help.

Her vision blurred, and the invisible hand around her throat tightened. Just before her senses vanished completely, she thought she heard a helpless sigh. A pair of warm hands cradled her face, and a sweet breath against her lips drove back the terrifying suffocation.

Yu Shaoling’s vision cleared. Looking at the woman so close to her, no matter how much she didn’t want to admit it, she knew this person was truly beautiful. Sensing the woman was about to pull away, Yu Shaoling uncontrollably wrapped her arms around her waist, pinned her against the wall, and indulged herself for a moment.

When the kiss ended, Yu Shaoling refused to accept her own loss of control. She looked troubled, as if annoyed by her own actions. Bai Qian didn’t care; she went to wash up, but the moment she pushed the bathroom door open, the mess inside made her scream.

“You stupid fish! What is wrong with you!”

Faced with the woman’s angry gaze, the girl felt a pang of guilt, but also a rising bubble of resentment. This hateful human. I didn’t blame her for anything last night, yet she scolds me like this just for breaking some cheap trash!

Bai Qian was so angry she decided to ignore the girl for the day. Thinking about the cost of fixing the bathroom made her heart ache. There were two types of dumplings in the freezer, both handmade by her. One was pork and cabbage—her favorite—and the other was pure beef for Yu Shaoling. Bai Qian took some pork ones for herself. As for Yu Shaoling’s breakfast? Heh. She could eat air!

Yu Shaoling brooded in the bathroom for half an hour before she couldn’t take it anymore. She stormed downstairs to argue, only to see Bai Qian at the table eating dumplings by herself. She exploded.

“You’re eating dumplings without calling me!”

Bai Qian played the part of the deaf-mute perfectly. She acted as if she heard nothing, calmly dipping a dumpling in vinegar and chili oil before putting it in her mouth.

“I’m talking to you, you annoying human!” The mermaid’s voice cracked with tears of rage.

Bai Qian chewed and swallowed, then took a sip of milk. Yu Shaoling’s pride vanished instantly, replaced by a whining grievance as she called the woman’s name: “Bai Qian! You can’t ignore me!”

Hearing her name, Bai Qian finally glanced at her. Yu Shaoling didn’t have time to revert to her arrogant mask before she completely broke down at the woman’s indifference.

“Bai Qian! I hate you humans!”

The noble princess forgot her pride and the hostility between them. Her heart was full of a sudden, desperate fear that the person before her would truly never talk to her again.

Drip.

The little princess, who had been commanded by everyone never to shed a single tear, uncontrollably let fall the first tear since her birth in front of this heartless woman. A crystalline pearl hit the floor with an unignorable sound.

Bai Qian turned her head. Seeing the mix of pride and grievance on the girl’s face, her anger vanished. She forgot for a moment that this was an amnesiac Yu Shaoling. She put down her chopsticks and walked over, pulling the girl into a familiar, natural embrace.

Her voice held a trace of indulgence she didn’t even notice. “Crying again? You do something wrong and then use tears to threaten me every time. If your Sea Mentor knew his princess acted like this, I wonder if he’d jump out of the ocean in rage.”

At the thought of that ridiculous image, Bai Qian let out a light laugh. The girl in her arms had a complicated expression. She suddenly wanted to know what those lost memories were really like. The woman’s tenderness was directed at her, yet it felt as if it were being given to another “Yu Shaoling” who had disappeared.

She refused to admit that, in this moment, she was actually jealous of that other self.

******

For the next week, Yu Shaoling didn’t do anything else unbefitting of a “Noble Mermaid Princess” after that morning in the dining room. As for the twice-daily “life-saving kisses,” her attitude remained consistent: she would never ask for help, but once Bai Qian kissed her, she would take control, using her strength to “taste” the woman thoroughly before letting go.

The moment they pulled apart, her expression would turn smug and disdainful again, as if the person who had just been so feral wasn’t her at all. Bai Qian scolded her and hit her, but this time Yu Shaoling wouldn’t listen. She’d just look down at her with an arrogant face and say things like, “It is an honor for you to be touched by a princess. Don’t be ungrateful.”

Bai Qian couldn’t actually do anything to her, so she eventually gave up. The amnesiac Yu Shaoling had naturally forgotten about the Tail Regeneration Liquid. Bai Qian had forgotten it too because of the bathroom repairs. It wasn’t until she opened a drawer a month later and saw the jar the girl had tucked away that she remembered.

When Yu Shaoling climbed into bed after her bath, Bai Qian leaned over and handed it to her. The girl looked at it suspiciously. “Are you poisoning me out in the open now?”

Bai Qian was used to her remarks. “Do you want your tail back or not? This will help it grow.”

A flash of joy crossed Yu Shaoling’s face, but it vanished quickly, replaced by distrust. “How do you guarantee it works? What if it’s another poison?”

With a dark face, Bai Qian tossed the jar onto the bed beside her. “Use it or don’t. It’s not my tail that’s missing.”

Bai Qian truly missed the “crybaby” Yu Shaoling now. Although the constant whimpering was annoying, she was much more obedient and adorable than this version. She turned her back to the girl to sleep, but before she could get warm, she was called back.

Yu Shaoling opened the jar and scooped out some of the cherry-blossom-scented cream. Her gaze landed unhesitatingly on the woman’s beautiful ankles. “You try it first. If nothing happens, then I’ll use it.”

Bai Qian laughed at her attitude. “You’re the one who’s ‘drugged.’ Could you show a little self-awareness as a prisoner and stop acting like you’re the one in control!”

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