My Marriage Partner is a Crazy Mermaid - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Distance

Ever since Xie Yuhan became disabled three years ago, the Xie family followed an unwritten rule: they did not attend banquets.

Banquets held under various pretenses—to put it nicely—were merely tools for people within the social circle to make connections. A mandatory segment of any such event was the opening waltz, a “magic weapon” for quickly fostering intimacy. For Xie Yuhan, this was essentially a slap in the face. Consequently, she was rarely invited to social gatherings, large or small.

When the announcement rang out, everyone assumed it was the Xie family’s young master, Xie Jiaming. However, when they saw two men in black pushing a wheelchair through the entrance, the crowd was struck dumb.

How could it be Xie Yuhan?!

Xie Yuhan’s deeds were famous throughout Tan City, yet she was rarely seen in formal settings. People speculated that her absence was due to insecurity over her paralyzed legs, though no one dared to ask.

Xie Yuhan wore a custom gown—a water-blue, knee-length dress that perfectly concealed her legs. Her hair and makeup had been professionally styled; most of her curls cascaded down her back, while a portion was swept behind her ear and secured with a shark clip. The clip was shaped like a multi-layered lotus, giving her a sophisticated, textured look. Although she sat in a wheelchair, her innate air of nobility was not diminished in the slightest.

The onlookers’ jaws dropped in unison. Ruan Yalan was the first to snap out of it, weaving through the crowd to the door to greet the guest with immense respect.

“Miss Xie…”

Before she could finish, Xie Yuhan raised a hand to cut her off. “Don’t mind me. I’m just taking a stroll. Please, carry on.”

The rumors said she was cold and rarely spoke more than two sentences to anyone; today, they witnessed it firsthand. Ruan Yalan stood there awkwardly, unable to leave or continue the conversation.

Xie Yuhan ignored her entirely, not even sparing her a glance. She beckoned her bodyguards forward. After she whispered a few words, the well-trained guards retreated to the side to observe from the corners of the ballroom.

Despite Xie Yuhan’s arrival, Meng Ke didn’t feel much of a stir in her heart. Her focus was still on Ruan Yalan. Being a Scorpio, she excelled at holding grudges.

Meng Ke scrutinized Xie Yuhan from across the long hall. Her makeup was fresh and light, her dress stylish but not fussy. She was beautiful, like a star straight out of a movie. Xie Yuhan herself didn’t seem to care much about her disability; her fingers brushed the armrest as she activated the motor, slowly moving forward. Her direction was straight toward Meng Ke.

The banquet hall was vast and the corridor straight. The wheelchair made a soft, rolling sound against the floor. People called this woman a “madwoman” behind her back, yet in her presence, no one dared to look twice. They all pretended to be busy with their own business.

Standing beside Ruan Yalan, Meng Yingxue whispered, “Mom, what do we do?”

“We haven’t done anything wrong, so what is there to fear? Just proceed as planned. It’s actually good for her to see for herself that we aren’t treating Meng Ke differently—that she is indeed a daughter of the Meng family.”

As Xie Yuhan approached, Meng Ke did not withdraw her inquisitive gaze. She had already offended Xie Yuhan anyway; as the saying goes, “a man with many debts doesn’t itch.” She wanted to see exactly what Xie Yuhan was up to.

“Is there a quieter place?”

“Yes.”

After several encounters, Meng Ke had developed a basic understanding of her: she hated wasting words, hated it when others rambled, and disliked people getting too close.

Meng Ke had never been to “Feng Hua Xue Yue” before, but the leisurely car ride earlier had given her enough time to look it up. The people who came here were either rich or noble and loved to post photos, so the layout was easy to find.

Meng Ke led her to the second floor. On the side was an exhibition hall of about seventy or eighty square meters. It had once housed several paintings by an unknown artist, but because it was too quiet, the art had been removed, leaving the space empty. The reason Meng Ke noticed it was because of a forum thread with thousands of replies from gossip-mongers; apparently, this was where people who “hit it off” during a banquet would come…

Meng Ke walked ahead. There were still some prints on the walls, likely put up recently. Xie Yuhan pushed her wheelchair and stopped in front of a sofa. Her frequent public appearances lately weren’t because she enjoyed them, but because something was wrong with her body.

Every year, the tidal changes over a few months had a massive impact on her, and it had become even more severe in the past year. Normally, Xie Jiaming would handle the company’s business during these times. This time was no different. She had sent him on a business trip to a neighboring city, but for some reason, the contract was stalled there. Xie Jiaming was forced to stay, and the delay caused them to lose a major deal in Tan City.

This was the first time Xie Yuhan had suffered such a loss. Fuming, she had planned to go to Qingcheng to see what was going on. After a meal there, the contract issue was resolved, and they returned safely to Tan City.

Since then, her body had become uncontrollable. Every night at midnight, she would lose consciousness, and scales would involuntarily emerge. They wouldn’t completely disappear until the next day, leaving her looking like a normal human again.

This state was incredibly dangerous. Xie Yuhan had tried many methods, but nothing helped. That is, until she met Meng Ke. After staying at Meng Ke’s place for a night, her body returned to normal, and no scales appeared for several days.

Initially, she didn’t think it was because of Meng Ke. Fearing that the girl might see her scales and cause unnecessary trouble, she had intended to follow her usual pattern and send her abroad. But in the last few days, her fish tail had begun to show signs of emerging again. Her little assistant had taken her to check her “human” body, but found no major issues.

Then, after seeing Meng Ke at the hospital, her body stabilized once more. To verify her conclusion, Xie Yuhan had come specifically to find Meng Ke today.

Meng Ke turned around and looked at Xie Yuhan, asking curiously, “What are you looking for me for?”

Luo Miao was right; this person seemed to have a touch of misanthropy and didn’t like being approached. And yet, hadn’t the frequency of their meetings lately been a bit too high?! Xie Yuhan couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the Meng family’s goals for today’s banquet. Her presence could only mean she came specifically for her.

Xie Yuhan looked at the human before her. The girl’s eyes were too aggressive. This white dress was too gentle and didn’t really suit her, though the pearls in her hair added a touch of softness that balanced her out. She looked no different from any other human, so why did she have such an effect? Was it the scent on her?

The ocean embraces and purifies everything. As a mermaid, Xie Yuhan was naturally close to nature. The natural scent on Meng Ke did not seem like something artificially added.

“Come closer.” Xie Yuhan rested her hand on her knee. If she moved it two inches higher up her thigh, she would be able to feel her own hard scales.

An imperceptible curve touched the corners of Meng Ke’s lips. Despite the rumors and Luo Miao’s repeated warnings that Xie Yuhan was dangerous, they didn’t understand—the more enchanting something is, the more dangerous it becomes, and the more dangerous it is, the stronger the attraction.

After Xie Yuhan spoke, Meng Ke paused for a few seconds. Then, using a model’s gait, she walked unhurriedly toward her. She stopped right in front of the wheelchair. Meng Ke stood at 172cm; the wheelchair reached her waist. She rested her hands on the armrests.

Leaning down slightly, she drew closer to Xie Yuhan inch by inch until the other woman’s face was a blur. She blinked her eyes and whispered: “Miss Xie, is this close enough?”