I Don't Want To Fall In Love With The Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 29

A mermaid’s regenerated tail can be hidden or revealed at will. Now that they were living in human society, the Princess naturally kept that breathtakingly beautiful tail out of sight.

Bai Qian never told Yu Shaoling about the dark sorcery that had manipulated her. She felt there was no need; memories had returned, the Black Octopus would eventually be dealt with, and there was little use in dwelling on the period when the girl’s mind had been clouded by magic.

Because of this, the once-again “Crybaby” mermaid attributed her previous erratic, cold behavior solely to the confusion of her amnesia. Since then, she had spent much of her time in tears—half out of self-reproach, and half out of heartache for how she had treated Bai Qian.

Every ounce of grievance Bai Qian had endured at the hands of the “Queen” persona was now being repaid twofold by the little Crybaby. There was a morning kiss every day, and a goodnight kiss before bed. Bai Qian was no longer the “little captive” of a superior; she was now addressed as “Darling Qianqian,” a name sweet enough to cause cavities.

Bai Qian could tolerate many of the new daily routines including the girl’s insistence on helping her change clothes but she drew the line at the nicknames. After days of piteous begging from the mermaid, they finally settled on the mutually acceptable “Bai Qian.”

Previously, when Bai Qian worked on her designs, Yu Shaoling would sit quietly on the studio sofa, content just to be in the same room while she read her fairy tales. The current Yu Shaoling, however, was far more persistent. She refused to stay on the sofa, insisting on pulling up a chair right next to Bai Qian.

She sat as upright and attentive as a primary schooler on her first day of class, watching the screen as Bai Qian drew. Bai Qian had tried to chase her away, but facing that wide-eyed, hopeful expression, the scolding words died in her throat.

“I promise I’ll be good! I won’t make a sound!”

Helpless, Bai Qian relented. But she issued a warning: the girl had a thirty-minute observation period. If she stayed as “good” as she promised, she could stay.

For those thirty minutes, Yu Shaoling truly acted like an exquisite porcelain doll—silent, still, and perfectly behaved. Seeing this, Bai Qian let her be.

However, not long after Bai Qian resumed her drawing, the girl’s true intentions began to show. A small hand tentatively reached out and rested on Bai Qian’s thigh. Finding no immediate resistance, Yu Shaoling held her breath, waiting for a reaction. After a minute of not being swatted away, her courage swelled. She stole a cautious glance at Bai Qian, saw her buried in her work, and let her audacity grow. Her hand slid further up, nearly reaching Bai Qian’s soft waist, when—SLAP—it was finally swatted away by the dark-faced woman.

“Back to the sofa.”

Yu Shaoling’s mastery of the “instant pout” was world-class. Her cherry lips puckered, and her beautiful eyes instantly filled with exaggerated tears. She held out the back of her hand, showing Bai Qian the “injury,” and whimpered like a soft kitten.

“It hurts… my hand hurts so much… waaa… it hurts…”

Bai Qian: “…” Like hell it does! I barely used any force!

Mermaid skin was notoriously delicate. Even though Bai Qian had pulled her strength, the palm strike on that soft, white hand had left a startlingly red mark.

Yu Shaoling continued her tearful protest. “It really hurts! I just got my tail back and my body hasn’t even recovered yet, and you hit me so hard… waaa… Bai Qian, blow on it for me… waaa…”

As she spoke, she thrust the reddened hand toward Bai Qian’s mouth. Bai Qian intended to be firm and chase the clingy girl away, but seeing the mark, she felt a flicker of self-doubt. It does look pretty bad. Is it possible her resistance really is lower because of the regeneration?

The girl was sobbing piteously. Bai Qian sighed and took her hand, leaning in to blow on the “wound.” But as she got closer, she realized the marks looked wrong. She took a closer look and let out a cold laugh.

“Yu Shaoling, next time you use your psychic power to fake an injury, try not to make such a rookie mistake, okay?”

The Princess played dumb with an innocent look. “What do you mean?”

“Look at this ‘bruise.’ I hit you with a flat palm, I didn’t lash you with a whip. I’m giving you one more chance: get back to the sofa.”

Her scheme exposed, Yu Shaoling glared indignantly at her own hand before standing up reluctantly. Bai Qian thought she was finally leaving, but the girl suddenly plopped right back down into the chair. Like a stubborn rogue, she didn’t say another word and simply wrapped her arms around Bai Qian’s waist.

She pressed her beautiful face against the woman’s chest, wearing a piteous expression. “I won’t play tricks this time, I promise. I just want to hold you like this. I won’t disturb you, okay?”

Bai Qian expressionlessly pried the fingers off her waist one by one. “No. If you’re stuck to me like this, I can’t even hold my stylus. Go away. Go play with your phone.”

In a true contest of strength, a human was no match for a mermaid. Yet, Yu Shaoling let her hands be removed. She stood there with red-rimmed eyes, her gaze a vast ocean of sorrowful, pleading emotions. Bai Qian ignored the soul-stirring gaze and focused on her drawing.

Half a minute later, Yu Shaoling moved again. She stepped behind the woman, wrapping around her like a soft, clingy little pendant. Her cool cheek pressed against Bai Qian’s straight back; every movement the woman made was transmitted through their proximity.

She loved Bai Qian. She loved her scent, her skin, every inch of her. She loved her so much she wished they could never be apart for a single second.

“This won’t disturb you. Just let me hold you like this, please?”

Bai Qian was officially defeated. “You’ve recovered your memories, haven’t you? Can’t you keep a reasonable distance like you used to?”

“No!” Yu Shaoling retorted with pure confidence. “If I have to keep my distance from the person I love, how am I any different from a stranger!”

“But you’re too clingy. You have to give me some personal space.”

Yu Shaoling’s tone turned sour. “Then why was it okay when my amnesiac self forced you to stay in her sight, but now that I just want to hug you, you refuse? That’s not fair!”

Bai Qian: ? “Wait… are you actually jealous of yourself?”

Yu Shaoling admitted it shamelessly. “Yes! I’m jealous! Even if I know it’s me, I’m still jealous! If you don’t want me to be jealous, you have to let me hold you!”

“Then go ahead and be jealous. Now let go. I have to submit this draft in three hours. If I miss the deadline, I’m kicking you out tomorrow.”

“You can’t lie to me! I saw you chatting with her this morning. The deadline isn’t until the 20th of next month. Stop trying to trick me!”

“Tsk. Memories are back, and apparently, so is the IQ. “Fine. But I only agreed to let you watch me from the sofa. Look at yourself now—aren’t you overstepping?”

Yu Shaoling’s cheeks flushed a strange shade of crimson. “We’ve already overstepped the ultimate boundary, what else is there left to overstep? And speaking of which, why were you so unwilling to do ‘this and that’ with me before, but the moment I lost my memory, you took the initiative? It’s not fair!”

The little green-eyed monster issued a unilateral demand: “So, starting today, you have to compensate me for all the ‘this and that’ you owe me!”

Bai Qian: ? Someone just end the world, please. I’m tired.

The mermaid, insisting everything was unfair, refused to let go. Bai Qian argued until her throat was dry, and then tried to pry her away, but this time the girl wouldn’t budge. In the end, Yu Shaoling was unfazed, while Bai Qian was half-dead from the exertion.

The victorious girl pulled her chair directly behind Bai Qian. The woman, having given up the struggle, muttered with a dark face, “Don’t lean on me. You’re heavy.”

Yu Shaoling gave a soft, sweet “Okay,” nuzzling against her fragrant, soft body. Her eyes were full of joy as she confessed: “Bai Qian, I love you! I don’t think I’ve said it to you like this yet, so I’m saying it now: I love you! I love you so, so much!”

“Oh.”

“What about you?”

“I say thank you.”

Yu Shaoling immediately lifted her head and gave Bai Qian’s back a light, playful bump with her forehead. “Bai Qian, do you not love me?”

The stylus left a long, jagged streak across the tablet because of the mermaid’s unexpected bump. Bai Qian cursed under her breath, undid the error, and spoke calmly. “I like the version of you that returns to the Mermaid Kingdom to take power. And don’t forget to deal with the Black Octopus.”

As the Guardian of this world, despite everything that had happened, she hadn’t forgotten her primary mission. As for the “love” Yu Shaoling wanted to hear? To say she didn’t feel it would be a lie. But these romantic distractions were not the right priority for the female lead’s career path right now.

Bai Qian’s answer was intended to reignite Yu Shaoling’s ambition, rather than let her remain a coddled “love-brain” who only thought about being clingy.

The girl fell silent. After two seconds, she suddenly and quietly released her hold and left.

Once she was gone, Bai Qian was stunned. Did she really just give up? Is she sulking alone in her room?

The woman picked up her pen, intending to finish the layer now that the distraction was gone. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t stop wondering: What kind of expression did she have when she left? Is she crying in there?

As long as it wasn’t tears of blood, a mermaid’s crying was just a normal emotional release. But the image from the original plot haunted Bai Qian; she didn’t want Yu Shaoling to cry for any reason. Every time, the girl managed to use that to threaten her.

Now that Yu Shaoling had uncharacteristically chosen to grieve in silence, Bai Qian didn’t feel relieved. Instead, she felt a heavy stone on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Gripping her pen tight, she sighed, set it down, and decided to follow her heart to check on that troublesome fish.

The moment she pushed the door open, she locked eyes with Yu Shaoling, who had excitedly changed into her energy-made outfit. The girl’s beautiful face was full of excitement—not a trace of sadness or forced strength.

Bai Qian realized she had misunderstood. “What are you doing?”

Yu Shaoling lunged forward, happily grabbing her hand. “Let’s go to the Mermaid Kingdom! I feel like I’m full of strength now! Bai Qian, trust me! Today! I’m going to slice that disgusting Black Octopus into sashimi for you to have with your wine!”

Bai Qian: ?

Seeing she was about to be pulled out the door, the woman hurriedly pulled her hand back. “Wait. What exactly did you think I meant just now?”

Yu Shaoling’s eyes were brilliant, shining like a galaxy of stars. “Didn’t you want me to hurry back for revenge and take the throne? In our kingdom, if a female leader has a female lover, her coronation is held simultaneously with the Consort-naming ceremony! You must have researched that already! So, following that logic… Bai Qian, were you just proposing to me?”

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