My Marriage Partner is a Crazy Mermaid - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Concern

Inside the room, the scent of fresh sea salt mingled with a faint trace of alcohol. Meng Ke looked at her, still somewhat shaken. What was Xie Yuhan doing? Was Xie Yuhan kissing her? Meng Ke’s brain was in a state of total shutdown, unable to process any information. Her mind was filled with a single sentence: Xie Yuhan kissed her!

The two were very close. Xie Yuhan was expressionless, her eyes slightly narrowed as she looked at her, appearing dissatisfied with her sudden pause, questioning her with a hint of provocation.

Meng Ke’s gaze fell upon her lips—reddened, glistening, like a fresh peach. Her lips were soft and carried an unusual chill.

Meng Ke licked her own lips. She was the type who could be persuaded by kindness but never by force, and she couldn’t stand even a bit of a dare. Taking the initiative, she raised her hands to brace Xie Yuhan’s shoulders and pressed back in.

The skin beneath her fingertips felt cool. In the bedroom, only the eye-protection lamps around the bed were on. The dim, yellow light made Xie Yuhan’s profile seem less sharp than during the day, glowing with an unreal softness.

When their lips met, they were softer than imagined, carrying that unique, reassuring sea salt scent. Meng Ke’s hand moved to her waist and slid upward. As her lips moved from the corner of the mouth to the ear, Meng Ke felt she shouldn’t be doing this—she should ask clearly what this meant.

What was Xie Yuhan’s intention? But she simply couldn’t control herself, allowing herself to drown in this gentle land.

The next day, Meng Ke slept until she woke up naturally. She rubbed her eyes. Sunlight spilled through the curtains onto the quilt, feeling warm and cozy. The sheer curtains fluttered in the breeze, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.

She had been so busy with work lately that she hadn’t slept well, it was rare to wake up on her own terms. Meng Ke propped herself up and gave a solid stretch. Halfway through the stretch, she looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and turned to stone. Why was she in a hotel?

She began to recall yesterday’s events. She seemed to be waiting for Xie Yuhan at the hotel, and then… then what happened?! Why couldn’t she remember anything?

Meng Ke clutched her head, trying to recall everything that happened after entering the hotel, but the eerie thing was that her mind was blank. Her memory felt as if a piece had been gouged out.

The turning of the bedroom doorknob snapped Meng Ke out of her thoughts. She looked over as the door slowly opened; Xie Yuhan pushed her wheelchair in, followed by Ye Xiaotong.

“Madam, you’re awake! These are the clothes I brought for you. Get up and eat, I just booked a restaurant—it’s a place the Young Lady loves, you definitely haven’t been there.”

Once Ye Xiaotong entered, her mouth was like a shelling machine, rattling off a bunch of words without slowing down her hands as she placed the clothing bags by the bed.

Xie Yuhan glanced at her. “Awake?”

“How did I just… fall asleep yesterday?”

“How should I know.”

“Then we’ll head out first. Madam, hurry and change.” Ye Xiaotong turned and pushed the wheelchair back out.

The two came and went in a flash. Looking in the direction they vanished, Meng Ke was still dazed. She mechanically took the garment bag and picked up her phone: 10:30 AM.

She had slept far too long. It wasn’t that she hadn’t slept this long before, but she had never had a blackout.

Wait—she had. That other time she went to see Xie Yuhan, she also inexplicably couldn’t remember the evening after she returned. At the time, since there were no physical abnormalities and nothing strange had happened, Meng Ke hadn’t taken it seriously. But this time was different; it was very wrong.

She was a transmigrator into a book after all, so many of her thoughts weren’t conventional. Perhaps this villain had some kind of “cheat” power… like making people lose their memory?

But what could have happened last night that would make Xie Yuhan use such a major power? She planned to test Xie Yuhan in a bit.

Meng Ke opened the bag. Inside was an outfit prepared according to her style: a white asymmetrical shirt, black suit trousers, and a gardenia brooch.

When she went out, the two were waiting in the living room. Seeing her emerge, Ye Xiaotong let out a surprised “Ooh.” “Madam, you look so good in those clothes. The Young Lady had a designer create these specifically for you.”

After she said this, both Xie Yuhan and Meng Ke looked at her simultaneously, making her feel a bit uneasy. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

Xie Yuhan: “…”

Meng Ke: “…”

Xie Yuhan actually had clothes custom-made for her? That really didn’t seem like something she would do. Meng Ke looked down at her clothes. She had plenty of money and could afford all sorts of famous brands, but she wasn’t very materialistic; she usually just bought clothes at random—some were comfortable, some weren’t.

Putting this set on, the waist and bust were a perfect fit, the fabric was comfortable, and there was a faint scent of jasmine. She hadn’t expected Xie Yuhan to have them made specifically for her.

“Let’s go,” Xie Yuhan said, turning her wheelchair toward the door. Ye Xiaotong realized she might have talked too much and fell silent as she followed.

At the car, Ye Xiaotong poked Meng Ke. “Madam, can you carry the Young Lady? The other car was taken by the young master.”

Meng Ke didn’t answer, she skillfully bent down and picked her up. Ye Xiaotong followed and quickly opened the car door.

Her body suddenly becoming airborne, Xie Yuhan instinctively raised her hand to grab her. Upon seeing Meng Ke’s face, she stopped in a panic and ended up just gripping her arm.

Looking at Meng Ke’s face, Xie Yuhan’s thoughts uncontrollably drifted back to their intimate contact last night. She looked calm, but in reality, she hadn’t taken Meng Ke seriously—she was just an “antidote.”

Yet, a novel experience is always novel; it’s like Pandora’s Box, always tempting one to explore without realizing they are facing great danger. Once in the car, Xie Yuhan closed her eyes, forcing herself not to let her thoughts wander.

Meng Ke went around to the other side to get in. As the car started, she turned to look at Xie Yuhan. Her head was tilted toward the window, and the gap between them was wide enough to fit a wheelchair. Is it my imagination? Xie Yuhan seems to be in a bad mood.

After driving for a while, Ye Xiaotong couldn’t stay quiet. “Madam, we’re going back to Yihai Villa to have Auntie Sun make us some food.”

Originally, she had booked another restaurant. Xie Yuhan usually wasn’t picky—she ate whatever was booked, but this time she had actively requested to return to the villa. Minggang and Yihai Villa were very close, so returning there was convenient. Meng Ke said nothing.

They drove for nearly an hour. Ye Xiaotong eventually fell asleep after all her chattering. Having slept enough, Meng Ke wasn’t tired at all. Xie Yuhan sat beside her with eyes closed, not speaking or looking at her. Meng Ke couldn’t put her finger on it, but her relationship with Xie Yuhan felt strange. Sometimes she felt they were getting closer, but then Xie Yuhan would jump out and remind her to find her place—that she was just a marriage partner and no different from anyone else.

When the car reached the seaside, Xie Yuhan opened her eyes. Through the window, she looked at the ocean—a transparent expanse of blue, calm and without waves.

Xie Yuhan looked at the sea; Meng Ke looked at her. Her long, slightly curled hair fell over her shoulders, the tips a gradient blue that was identical to the color of the sea. Her eyes were fixed on the shore, her gaze extending infinitely. This stretch of sea wasn’t particularly beautiful—not as nice as the main sea in Qingcheng, and Meng Ke didn’t know why Xie Yuhan looked so entranced.

The car stopped at Yihai Villa. Ye Xiaotong jumped out and ran inside, shouting, “Auntie Sun, Auntie Sun, what delicious things did you make for us?”

Meng Ke opened the door and went to Xie Yuhan’s side. She stood at the door, but Xie Yuhan didn’t move, just looking at her.

The two made eye contact. Xie Yuhan’s fox-like eyes were lethal with even a casual glance, let alone staring like this as if trying to see through her. The air stagnated for a moment. Meng Ke was usually not afraid of people looking at her, but today was different. In this bloodless war, she was the first to lose, slightly turning her head away.

“What are you looking at?” Meng Ke couldn’t help but ask.

“Take out the wheelchair,” Xie Yuhan reminded her.

Meng Ke: “…” How did I forget that? Why does my brain feel like it’s soaked in water every time I encounter her? It just stops working.

She opened the trunk and unfolded the wheelchair. Meng Ke reached out to carry her, but Xie Yuhan refused. She braced her hands against the car door and, using a clever bit of leverage, sat herself directly into the wheelchair. Meng Ke raised an eyebrow. That fluid motion suggested it wasn’t her first time; she was a flexible “cripple.”

Once seated, Xie Yuhan hit the switch, and the wheelchair moved forward. Meng Ke followed. The wheelchair automatically avoided obstacles, which was very intelligent; Meng Ke secretly planned to order one like it when she got old.

At the door, Ye Xiaotong met them. “Young Lady, Madam, Auntie Sun made fish!”

Xie Yuhan left a quick “I’m going upstairs” and departed.

“Why is the Young Lady a bit…” Ye Xiaotong scratched her head, puzzled. “She’s usually quiet, but she doesn’t normally look this low.”

Meng Ke felt the same. “A business deal failed yesterday.”

“The Young Lady has already made so much money, what’s there to be sad about over one failed deal?”

“Madam, why don’t you go up and comfort her?” Ye Xiaotong blinked, looking very harmless.

“You call her Young Lady but call me Madam?” Meng Ke asked. “Isn’t that awkward?”

Ye Xiaotong hissed. “Oh, right. What should I call you then?”

“Call me Sister Meng, or Sister Ke.”

“Okay! Then go see her.”

“Go on, go on. I’ll call you when the food is ready.”

Meng Ke had noticed a pattern: whenever Xie Yuhan came here, she didn’t go anywhere else but the fourth floor. Aside from a lounge and a gym, the only place to stay on the fourth floor was that open-air pool. But it was almost autumn now, and there was a chill in the air; the temperature wasn’t suitable for swimming.

Coming out of the fourth-floor elevator, she looked up. Sure enough, Xie Yuhan was at the edge of the pool, looking like she was about to go in. A person who wasn’t interested in anything and usually had no expression—for some reason, her only hobby was swimming, and she didn’t even change into a swimsuit for it.

Meng Ke thought about how to start the conversation as she walked toward her.

Xie Yuhan heard the footsteps behind her but didn’t move. Last night, after she and Meng Ke kissed, the scales on her body had disappeared shortly after. But just in case, she still came here; soaking in water as a mermaid allowed her to restore energy and maintain her human form longer. But from the way she reacted when she and Ye Xiaotong entered the room this morning, Xie Yuhan knew Meng Ke would come over sooner or later.

Reaching her back, Meng Ke spoke: “Xie Yuhan… I have something to ask you. Can you tell me the truth?”

“No.” Xie Yuhan turned her wheelchair to face her. “Why should I answer just because you ask?”

“…”

Meng Ke wanted to ask about last night, but seeing Xie Yuhan’s reaction, there was no chance.

“Can you borrow me some money? Liang Xiao needs it.”

“How much? For what?” Xie Yuhan asked.

“One hundred million.” Meng Ke felt she was being a bit much. “There’s some kind of problem at Minggang—not enough funds. Liang Xiao didn’t explain clearly.”

Xie Yuhan let out a soft scoff. “She’d be short on money?” She’s clearly playing with Meng Ke. That ‘shameless snake’!

“I never do a losing business deal. What’s in it for me if I lend it to you?”

Meng Ke almost lost control of her facial expression. Evil capitalism! You’re already so rich, what would it hurt to give me a bit! And I’m borrowing it, not asking for a handout!

“What do you want?” Meng Ke suppressed her annoyance. Fine, “one who takes from others is beholden to them,” and she was the one borrowing.

Ever since she finished speaking, Xie Yuhan had been observing Meng Ke. The little expressions on her face didn’t escape her eyes. This human was actually a bit cute when she was angry.

“I want you to sleep with me tonight.”

Meng Ke: “!!!” Meng Ke’s pupils dilated. Xie Yuhan’s face looked like a level-ten “ascetic” type, how could she say such scandalous things without blushing or her heart skipping a beat?

“Sleep! No problem!” She wanted to see exactly what Xie Yuhan could do.

“Go on down. I’m going to swim.” Xie Yuhan waved her off and turned her wheelchair toward the pool railing.

Meng Ke reached out and grabbed the wheelchair. It was an automatic chair, and the wheels were still turning forward. Xie Yuhan raised her hand and flipped the switch.

“Anything else?” Xie Yuhan asked, her face slightly turned.

“The temperature has been dropping lately. You… mind the time.”

The human was actually showing concern for her.

“Wordy.”

Xie Yuhan restarted the switch. Meng Ke felt the pull in her hand and let go.

How can she swim if her legs can’t walk? But she didn’t let anyone stay on the fourth floor, so no one knew how she swam.

An hour later, Xie Yuhan came down from the fourth floor, her hair dripping and draped over her shoulders. Ye Xiaotong already knew this habit; she held a bath towel in one hand and a hairdryer in the other.

“Young Lady, let me dry your hair first. Dinner is almost ready.” Ye Xiaotong held up the items.

“Where is Meng Ke?” Xie Yuhan looked around but didn’t see her. “Let her dry it for me.”

“Sister Ke… she just took a call and left. She said she was going to Min… Minggang.” Ye Xiaotong said.

If it weren’t for something major, Meng Ke wouldn’t have left so hurriedly.

Xie Yuhan was silent for a long moment, then spoke: “Call the driver. I’m going to find her.”