My Marriage Partner is a Crazy Mermaid - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Wedding Photos

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, neither speaking. Xie Yuhan shrugged indifferently. “If you don’t tell me, do you really think I won’t find out?”

With the Xie family’s resources, investigating someone’s background presented no difficulty at all. Meng Ke was being perhaps too confident using this as her bargaining chip.

“If I don’t tell you, you won’t know!”

Meng Ke was absolutely certain. She looked at Xie Yuhan with a hint of provocation; making the great villain of the book suffer a setback gave her a huge sense of accomplishment.

She was a transmigrator, after all. Even if Xie Yuhan turned this world upside down, it was impossible for her to discover where the “real” Meng Ke had gone or how she had taken her place.

Hearing this, Xie Yuhan didn’t get angry. Her gaze drifted over Meng Ke. The girl had rushed over; her clothes were casual, her hair was a bit messy, and she looked somewhat disheveled. Yet, facing her, she could still wear such a confident expression.

Xie Yuhan let out a light chuckle. Very few humans could get the upper hand in a negotiation with her. This human was truly interesting. In the three years she had been in this world, this was the first time she felt this way. It was a novel sensation.

Xie Yuhan didn’t want to dwell on this issue. Whether what Meng Ke said was true or false, it was a fact that she was involved with the Lu family. She would investigate regardless; she wasn’t in a rush for this one detail.

“Is there anything else?”

Meng Ke hadn’t come here just to offer a half-secret.

“Money.”

Mentioning it for the second time, the initial awkwardness was gone. Before Xie Yuhan could react, Meng Ke quickly added, “Liang Xiao said she wanted to borrow it. Should your company talk to her directly?”

When in doubt, push the blame to the boss.

“Understood. You don’t need to worry about the money. I’ll have someone go to Minggang tomorrow to discuss it.”

Xie Yuhan knew what Liang Xiao was up to. Since Liang Xiao had brought up the matter regarding her and Meng Ke, it wasn’t for nothing. Asking for one hundred million was a price Xie Yuhan could afford to pay.

With the most important matter settled, the night outside grew deeper. If she didn’t leave soon, it would be too late to get back. Just as Meng Ke stood up, Xie Yuhan stopped her. “The wedding plan hasn’t been chosen yet.”

“You decide.”

It was just a political marriage, not a real wedding. The Xie family’s wedding plans likely wouldn’t be half-bad.

“The islands, a hotel, or the grasslands?” Xie Yuhan gave her a general direction.

“The islands, then,” Meng Ke said. “I’ll be heading back now.”

“Wait.” Xie Yuhan looked at her. “Did you forget something?”

“Hmm?” Meng Ke ran through everything in her head, certain all business was finished. She really couldn’t think of anything else.

“The payment.” Xie Yuhan tilted her chin up slightly. “Do I look like a philanthropist to you?”

Meng Ke: “…”

Before leaving, Meng Ke had been wondering if today had gone a bit too smoothly, feeling like something was off. Hearing those words, she finally realized where the problem lay. She remembered the condition she had agreed to that day: to sleep over with Xie Yuhan.

The tension in the air instantly dissipated, replaced by an ambiguous atmosphere that slowly began to ferment. Recalling their dynamic, she felt for a moment like a paid companion Xie Yuhan had ordered. The thought made her feel numb from her toes to the top of her head.

She didn’t know if Xie Yuhan was doing this on purpose or if she had some strange, twisted hobby. Ever since they met, Xie Yuhan had kept the word “sleep” on the tip of her tongue. Yet, there had never been any excessive physical intimacy. Meng Ke didn’t understand what the significance of this act was to Xie Yuhan.

“I want to take a shower,” Meng Ke said.

“The bathroom is over there. There are spare clothes on the second shelf of the closet,” Xie Yuhan pointed toward the bedroom.

Meng Ke turned to go wash up.

As Xie Yuhan body grew weaker, it became harder for her to control her mermaid form. Her only options were to avoid human contact or have Meng Ke accompany her. Although she still hadn’t figured out why Meng Ke could restore her energy, she would take it one step at a time until Lu Jingchuan exposed her.

Entering the bathroom, Meng Ke shivered from the chill inside. It was only the beginning of autumn; how could it be this cold? Due to the exhaustion of the past few days, Meng Ke spent quite a while in the shower. When she came out, she didn’t see Xie Yuhan.

This person said she wanted to sleep, yet she isn’t being proactive at all.

Meng Ke stood at the bedroom door and looked toward the living room. Seeing no one, she called out softly, but there was no response. Worried that something might have happened, Meng Ke decided to look around. There were very few rooms on the first floor. Right next to the bedroom was another room; the door was cracked open slightly, and a faint light leaked out.

Meng Ke walked to the door. Just as she raised her hand to knock, a flash of pale blue light flickered, followed by the door slamming shut.

The heavy sound of the door closing startled Meng Ke. Her raised hand instantly clenched into a fist, and the echo of the bang rang in her ears. The world gradually went quiet, though Meng Ke’s heart was still racing. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Xie Yuhan looked out at her.

Meng Ke stood frozen in place, still shaken. Seeing her expression, Xie Yuhan knew she had frightened her. Xie Yuhan pursed her lips tightly and looked down. After a long silence, she failed to say anything, her fingers tightening around the thin blanket over her lap.

Recovering her wits, Meng Ke comforted her instead: “It’s okay, it was just a bit sudden.”

“Are you busy with work?” The light she had seen earlier looked like the reflection of a computer screen.

“No.” Xie Yuhan maneuvered her wheelchair. “It’s late.”

Meng Ke followed behind the wheelchair, her gaze drawn to the sophisticated machinery at the back of the chair. Entering the bedroom, Meng Ke’s wandering thoughts snapped back. She had looked earlier—the bedroom only had one bed. How were they sleeping tonight? Together?

Xie Yuhan moved to the side of the bed where there was a latch that perfectly secured the wheelchair. She sat there expertly, waiting for the screen to display the prompt that the wheelchair use was completed.

Meng Ke asked, “Where do I sleep?”

“The bed is large enough.”

Xie Yuhan was just about to get up. Meng Ke walked over and, with practiced ease, picked her up and placed her on the bed. Xie Yuhan was stunned; she wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to do this in the future, that she could get onto the bed herself, even if the movement looked a bit awkward to humans.

Meng Ke was very close to her. Her hair brushed against Xie Yuhan’s collarbone, bringing with it a very comfortable, pure, and natural scent. Xie Yuhan found it truly difficult to refuse.

After settling Xie Yuhan, Meng Ke walked to the other side, lifted the quilt, and climbed in. Having been through a long day, she was physically and mentally exhausted, but with Xie Yuhan lying next to her, it was hard to ignore her presence. After ten minutes of trying, Meng Ke was still wide awake.

Xie Yuhan lay there with her eyes closed, motionless. As a mermaid, she didn’t actually need that much sleep; she only did it to adapt to human life. What is with this human? Can’t sleep again.

Fine, she would find her own way. She didn’t want to waste her mermaid energy on such a trivial matter. Although they were in the same bed, it was at least 2.3 meters wide. The gap between them was large enough for one of the bodyguards from outside to lie down in.

Meng Ke rolled over to face Xie Yuhan, propping herself up on her arm to look at her. “I’ve never understood—why did you choose me for the marriage?”

In the silence before sleep, Meng Ke’s voice was low and pleasant, like a sleep-aid streamer on some app.

Xie Yuhan slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at Meng Ke. “That’s a secret. Why don’t you trade your secret for it?”

Her tone was full of teasing, she didn’t actually want to know any secrets, she was just saying it to be difficult.

“You’re the daughter of the Xie family, the richest person in Tan City. How are you so petty and vengeful?”

Xie Yuhan let out a light laugh. “Why, I thought I was quite famous out there. What’s a little grudge-holding?”

Having spent more time with Xie Yuhan lately, Meng Ke had indeed forgotten that this person’s methods went far beyond just holding grudges. Back then, the Lu family had only teased her a bit and snatched a few projects.

“I know you don’t want this marriage. Once things are resolved…”

Before she could finish, the sound of steady breathing came from Meng Ke. Xie Yuhan looked over; the girl was already asleep. Xie Yuhan felt a bit helpless. How did I forget? Being near her also has a sleep-inducing effect.

When Meng Ke woke up, the bedroom was empty. Xie Yuhan needed to change clothes and climb into her wheelchair to get up, yet such a large commotion hadn’t woken her at all. It seemed that every time she slept with Xie Yuhan, her sleep quality was exceptionally good—either a very deep sleep or a total blackout.

After a quick wash, Meng Ke found that Xie Yuhan wasn’t there. Once she was dressed and opened the door, only one person remained at the entrance. Seeing her come out, the person bowed slightly. “Madam, before the Young Lady left, she said that the wedding photos will be taken in three days. She hopes you can clear two days of your schedule.”

“Understood.” You don’t realize it until you’re doing it, but getting married was incredibly troublesome.

“The Young Lady also said that for convenience, the car is left for you.”

Meng Ke took the keys. “Thank her for me.”

This person leaves as soon as she’s finished ‘sleeping,’ without even saying goodbye. Every time she spoke of “sleeping” so flippantly, yet every time it ended like this. She really didn’t know what Xie Yuhan was thinking.

After the wedding plan was finalized, they began drafting the invitations. Xie Jiaming helped arrange all of this. She didn’t have many relatives; inviting Wu Siyi and Luo Miao was enough. As for the Meng family, whether to invite them was left to the Xie family’s discretion.

Meng Ke had Luo Miao keep a constant eye on news regarding the Lu family, while she herself worked hard at living. She had a total of three days off: one day back at Minggang, one day back at Yihai Villa, and the third day lying at home sleeping to recover her energy.

The wedding photo location was by the sea—coincidentally, it was booked for the coast of Qingcheng. Meng Ke planned to visit Liang Xiao after the shoot.

Both of them had good natural features, so hair and makeup didn’t take long, but they got stuck on the shoot itself. Three photographers carried their gear, looking gloomily at the couple. Unfortunately, these were two people they couldn’t afford to offend, so they didn’t dare say a harsh word.

After an hour of shooting, they didn’t have a single photo of them smiling. It was as if the two were competing to see who could look cooler. One photographer finally couldn’t take it anymore. He timidly raised his hand and called out, “Could you two please smile a little? Either one of you?”

Meng Ke: “…”

Xie Yuhan: “…”

“Can’t you just shoot like this?”

“You two look like arch-enemies. Can these photos even be shown to anyone?”

“Fine.” Meng Ke curled her lips slightly. “I’ll smile.”

After a few click-click sounds of the shutter, the photographer gave up. “Actually, don’t smile. I’m a bit scared.”

“Could you two perhaps… kiss?”

Meng Ke: “…”

Xie Yuhan: “…”

Meng Ke watched as Xie Yuhan’s face grew darker and darker. This was probably a no-go. The main issue was that Xie Yuhan’s legs were inconvenient, so many poses were impossible. If they didn’t even kiss under such limited circumstances, the wedding photos might really be a bit lacking.

“Let’s just smile.”

The photographers couldn’t understand why the two acted as if they weren’t even acquainted. Many couples find it hard to smile; usually, the crew tells some “cold jokes” to make them laugh and then captures the moment.

The photographer’s professional habit kicked in. “Let me tell a couple of jokes to lighten the mood.”

“A monk practiced the ‘Iron Head Technique’ on a mountain for ten years. When he finally came down, he was sucked away by a magnet.”

“Hehe and Haha were best friends. One day, Haha died. Hehe cried at Haha’s grave: ‘Haha, you died such a miserable death!'”

After the two jokes, Meng Ke and Xie Yuhan’s expressions were even worse.

“Not funny?” The photographer had specifically picked his two funniest ones.

Xie Yuhan said with a cold face, “You’re the funnier one.”