I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 24.2

Lately, Yu Shaoling had learned the art of perfunctory pragmatism. She pleaded with an expressionless face, “Please. Is that enough?”

“…”

“Then please take off your pants.”

Bai Qian bolted upright, scooting back until her spine hit the headboard. “What are you trying to do?” she asked, panicked.

Yu Shaoling looked puzzled by her reaction. “How can I apply the medicine if you don’t show your legs?”

Bai Qian breathed a sigh of relief. She reached down and hiked up her pant legs, revealing long, slender white legs that gave off a faint, enticing glow under the lamplight.

Yu Shaoling instinctively swallowed, but her expression remained neutral. She calmly began to rub the liquid onto the woman’s smooth calves.

It was autumn now, and the icy liquid made Bai Qian flinch reflexively. She was immediately held fast by the girl staring at her. Yu Shaoling gripped Bai Qian’s slender ankle—so thin it barely filled her palm—and yanked it toward her, resting that beautiful, tempting leg across her own thighs.

Her voice sounded unusually raspy. “Why are you hiding? Is it really poisonous?”

“It’s freezing!” Bai Qian snapped. “It’s cold out; who could stand having something this icy put directly on their skin?”

Yu Shaoling tutted. “You humans are such a hassle.”

Bai Qian rolled her eyes, not wanting to argue. She prepared to grit her teeth and endure the chill, but then she felt the blob of unspread, icy cream on her leg start to warm up bit by bit. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she caught a fading ring of silver light surrounding the Tail Regeneration Liquid.

Clearly, the tsundere Mermaid Princess was using her psychic power.

Bai Qian felt a secret surge of joy. “Hurry up and rub it in. The drama I’m following just updated.”

Yu Shaoling’s face darkened. “You dare command me? Don’t think that just because I’m under the influence of your drug, I’ll be at your beck and call.”

The woman immediately moved to pull her leg back, saying calmly, “Fine, I’ll do it myself. Is that better?”

As she made a move to reach for it, a hand clamped back onto her ankle. Just as before, Yu Shaoling easily yanked her back, propping the woman’s foot on her lap once more.

“Are you questioning my technique?”

“…”

Bai Qian leaned over to the nightstand, unplugged her fully charged tablet, and generously granted this temperamental mermaid temporary usage rights over her legs.

Thirty seconds later, Yu Shaoling finally pressed down on the dollop of milky-white liquid, spreading it into an even layer over Bai Qian’s skin. After finishing the last bit, her hand—which should have pulled away—lingered reluctantly.

Yu Shaoling stole a glance at Bai Qian, acting casual. Seeing the woman focused on her show, she breathed a private sigh of relief. Her hand didn’t stop; as if addicted, her palm stayed pressed against the skin that felt as smooth as curdled fat, rubbing it over and over again.

“Aren’t you done yet? My leg is getting sore.”

the sudden voice was like a clap of thunder, making Yu Shaoling flinch. She set the woman’s leg aside with an expressionless face and stood up. “There won’t be a next time. Even if you threaten me with the drug, I will never serve you again.”

Bai Qian: ??? Excuse me? I’m pretty sure you’re the one who grabbed my leg in the first place, Princess.

After waiting a week and seeing that Bai Qian’s legs hadn’t developed any issues, Yu Shaoling finally agreed to use the Tail Regeneration Liquid herself.

Bai Qian was more excited than she was. The moment the girl pushed the door open after her bath, she found the woman already waiting, having eagerly opened the jar.

“It takes seven days total, 10g each time. If we start tonight and apply it until Sunday morning, we should see results.”

Yu Shaoling took the jar from her, but under Bai Qian’s expectant gaze, she handed it right back.

Bai Qian’s face stiffened. “Do you still think it’s poison?”

The girl stared at her. “You let me apply it to you last time. So this time, you have to apply it to me.”

Bai Qian let out a tut. “Sit down then. Bare both legs. Once it’s on, don’t be in a rush to pull your pants down; let it air out for ten minutes first.”

Bai Qian scooped some out with her finger and held it up to Yu Shaoling. “It’s a bit icy. Do you want to warm it up first, like you did last time?”

The girl scoffed. “I’m not a useless human.”

Fine. Treat my kindness like dirt then.

Bai Qian stopped wasting her sympathy. She pressed the cream onto Yu Shaoling’s legs and began to rub. Yu Shaoling’s gaze was fixed unblinkingly on her. The woman looked so focused, bathed in the overhead warm light, that she possessed a beauty difficult to describe with mere words.

Yu Shaoling’s breathing slowed instinctively, as if fearing that a breath too loud would disturb this tender, moving moment. She unconsciously leaned closer to Bai Qian. By the time the woman noticed something was off, the girl was less than a fist’s width away.

Bai Qian instinctively turned her face away, but because they were so close, her warm lips accidentally brushed against the girl’s icy cheek.

In the moment their eyes met, a firework seemed to explode in Yu Shaoling’s gaze, shining with an intensity that was impossible to ignore. Bai Qian tried to pull back, but she was caught halfway. Yu Shaoling cradled the back of her head and, for the first time, pressed her lips to Bai Qian’s with a gentleness that felt like a prayer.

Compared to their previous intense encounters, this simple press of lips felt like it reached much closer to the heart.

The sword known as “Mermaid’s Supreme Dignity” had been firmly planted in her heart since birth. Yu Shaoling heard it vibrate once more, trying—as it always did—to break free from the invisible shackles. This time, she gripped the sharp hilt as well. The edges cut into her hand, but she didn’t drive it deeper as she usually did. Instead, she gritted her teeth, ignored the stinging pain in her palm, and pulled it out entirely with bloodshot eyes.

A mermaid shall never be a slave. That was the blade the mermaid ancestors carved into every descendant’s heart.

But now—

“Bai Qian, I am willing to serve you as my master.”

Bai Qian didn’t understand the meaning of that cryptic sentence Yu Shaoling whispered after the kiss. After all, in the original plot, the female lead never said such a thing to the male lead.

Yu Shaoling didn’t explain herself either. She returned to normal quickly, and everything became so peaceful it was as if nothing had happened. Bai Qian’s mission was to help her find her tail, so she didn’t ask about things irrelevant to the task.

After that day, Yu Shaoling followed the instructions faithfully and applied the medicine every day. Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. The girl felt nothing, but Bai Qian was too excited to sleep.

She woke the girl up early in the morning, urging her to finish the last bit of the ointment. Only then did her excitement settle. In the original plot, the “regeneration” happened around six in the morning. If this medicine really worked, Yu Shaoling’s legs should turn back into a tail within seven hours at most.

The moment to witness a miracle was approaching. Bai Qian wouldn’t let her leave the bed; whether it was brushing teeth or washing her face, Bai Qian brought the water over herself, serving her every need. Yu Shaoling knew what she was thinking and didn’t argue, quietly accepting the arrangement.

But after nearly eight hours, there was still no sign of the tail.

Bai Qian gave up the wait. “Are your legs itchy?” she asked, deflated.

The girl shook her head honestly.

“Do they hurt?”

Another shake.

“Do you feel… anything different at all?”

Seeing the woman’s growing disappointment, Yu Shaoling felt a pang of sympathy, but she could only shatter the expectation. “Nothing feels different at all.”

Bai Qian clutched her head and wailed, falling straight back onto the bed. She stared at the ceiling, her mind gone blank.

Was the original plot’s method really the only way? Did it HAVE to be an intimacy between the leads? Bai Qian absolutely refused to do that. If the girl still had to get involved with the scumbag, then what was the point of her bringing her home early!

But other than that, there seemed to be no other way to get the tail back.

As Bai Qian was agonizing, a head suddenly popped into her view. The girl looked at her thoughtfully. “Do you want to find my tail that badly?”

With her hopes dashed, Bai Qian’s mood was at a rare low. She snapped, “Obviously. It’s my only goal right now.”

“I know how to get it back.”

Bai Qian’s eyes lit up instantly. She sat bolt upright. “You do!”

Yu Shaoling hesitated for a moment. Looking into those bright, moving eyes, she nodded. “I’ll go beg the Black Octopus.”

Bai Qian’s face went black. “What kind of nonsense is that? What even is the Black Octopus? You’d beg him? Have you forgotten how your father and mother died?”

The girl’s expression immediately turned pained. “I know. I want to kill him with my own hands more than anyone, to avenge them.”

“Then how dare you say such a thing!” Bai Qian’s voice was full of frustration.

Yu Shaoling looked at her earnestly. “But you are more important. After I die, I will repent to my parents. For the me right now, making you happy is more important.”

Bai Qian fell silent under that tender gaze, finally realizing the depth of emotion contained in the girl’s words from the previous night. She couldn’t scold her. She just couldn’t understand why Yu Shaoling would place her on such a heart-wrenching pedestal.

What kind of human emotion does such a deep feeling belong to?

She couldn’t overthink it. She could only pull her into an embrace and tell her in her gentlest voice, “There will be a way. I will help you. Until then, you must remember: the thing that makes me happiest is seeing you return to the kingdom, reclaim what is yours, and become the next Queen.”

“Then… will you stay with me forever?”

Bai Qian narrowed her eyes. “I will.”

Bai Qian spent a week living in the city library. She scoured every piece of literature she could find, ancient and modern, domestic and foreign, but couldn’t find a single article about a mermaid’s tail regenerating.

She opened the niche forum again and scrolled through supernatural threads for half a day when a thought struck her. Nothing she had read mentioned the word “mermaid.” But the post she saw back then… that shopkeeper not only mentioned mermaids but even had a specific item like “Tail Regeneration Liquid.”

Either the woman had a wild imagination, or she actually knew something.

Bai Qian decided to try that shop one more time. If there was still no way, she would have to take the final path.

She would gamble on herself to see what Yu Shaoling really felt for her. If the gamble paid off, it would be easy—she’d treat it as a “one-night stand” and find a way to make the girl forget it temporarily.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to take responsibility, but their current goals should be aligned: revenge and career first. There was no time for romance. And if the gamble failed… she’d just lie and say the medicine’s potency increased and this was necessary to save her, then take her on “blind dates” until a suitable person was found.

She refused to believe that after all this effort, she still couldn’t get that tail back!

Bai Qian went to the library alone today. Seeing it was still early, she went straight to the shop.

The same unremarkable decor. The same woman sitting on the sofa playing cards. But unlike last time, there was a fish tank beside her. Bai Qian leaned in and realized the creature blowing bubbles inside was a miniature mermaid.

An Yan caught her expression and spoke without hurry. “Coming to ask about tail regeneration?”

Since she was being so direct, Bai Qian didn’t play games. “Yes. I was wondering if you’d be willing to tell me.”

“Did you use the stuff you took last time?”

“I did. It didn’t work.”

The woman laughed. “Of course not. That stuff was expired.”

“…And you still scammed me for 59 yuan!”

“So, I won’t charge you for your question this time.”

Bai Qian couldn’t bring herself to say thank you.

An Yan pointed to the light-blue mermaid in the tank. “Meet my wife. When she came ashore, her tail was broken too.”

Bai Qian hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. Just as she was processing the words, An Yan continued, “The way to make a mermaid’s tail grow back is simple. By the way… are you her true love?”

“What if I say no?”

An Yan shrugged. “Then you can turn left at the exit. I won’t see you out.”

“…What if I am?”

The woman raised an eyebrow and held out her hands, clapping them together three times. Clap. Clap. Clap.

“Understand?”

Bai Qian: “…” Why does this ‘speeding on the highway’ scene feel so much like deja vu?

She had thought finding the solution was the hard part; turns out, implementing it was harder.

Bai Qian decided to settle it quickly. Since she had to help with the “treatment” tonight anyway, she would take the initiative and guide the girl toward… other territory.

10:24 PM.

Yu Shaoling had her usual reaction.

Bai Qian mentally prepared herself, calmly pulled the girl close, and pressed her lips down. The girl’s hands, as usual, stopped just at Bai Qian’s waist. She was like a blind person in a maze, trying to find an exit for her desire but, having never entered that realm, could only hover piteously over the skin.

Bai Qian’s hand reached out and caught hers. She took the initiative to guide her hand, moving it slowly upward.

Yu Shaoling’s spine went numb at the movement, as if a current were crawling up her back. In her shock, her teeth grazed Bai Qian’s lip. The woman let out a low gasp, a murmured, sultry sigh that successfully ignited the tension in the air.

The girl’s movements shifted from passive to active. Like a brilliant student who could learn everything from a single example, she understood exactly what to do with just a simple hint from the “teacher.”

Bai Qian’s eyelids fluttered. Against the girl’s lips, she breathed a trembling, broken note: “I… let me.”

Yu Shaoling’s hand paused. She hesitated for a moment, about to let go.

Then, a white light flashed in her mind. She blinked…

Her eyes snapped open, and those pale amber depths had once again bled into a chilling, dark tea-brown.

Bai Qian had barely registered the sudden, sharp drop in the room’s temperature before she was shoved violently back onto the bed.

Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up, only to find herself staring—yet again—into Yu Shaoling’s cold, unfeeling eyes.

Bai Qian: “…” I am seriously about to lose it.

The girl’s icy gaze drifted down from Bai Qian’s slightly open collar, scanning her from head to toe as if appraising a common object, before finally settling on her flushed cheeks.

An ice-cold fingertip pressed against Bai Qian’s swollen lips, rubbing them with brutal force. Her voice dripped with loathing:

“******” (Who sent you? What, did you think that by crawling into my bed, I would actually want you? You filthy, lowly human!)

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