Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 33

The ferry soon reached the designated location and anchored on the surface of the sea.

The guides briefly explained the diving precautions before being the first to jump off the deck. One after another, “plop” sounds rang out as the girls in the group dived into the water.

Acting as a “nanny-level companion,” Wang Wenqing took Shen Zeyu’s hand, followed behind them, and finally leaped, plunging into the sea.

The deck wasn’t too high above the water, yet even so, when her body hit the surface, Shen Zeyu—who hadn’t played in the water for a long time—felt a sharp pain as if she had hit a wall. Her body contracted instinctively. Her diving goggles were instantly fogged by the splashing waves, and everything around her was a blur of bubbles.

Fortunately, Wang Wenqing held onto her. Sensing her discomfort, she tugged at her hand and swam straight down. After descending about five meters, the bubbles cleared from the goggles, and the scenery before her eyes gradually revealed itself.

Even at a depth of only five meters, the view was already dim. Sunlight shot straight down from the surface, penetrating the green seawater like light through a lush emerald forest. Beam after beam hit the center of her vision, creating an exquisitely magnificent Tyndall effect.

It was so beautiful. The light distributed itself layer by layer, looking like a slanted rainbow.

Shen Zeyu couldn’t help but stop swimming. Floating in the water, she tilted her head to look at the cluster of light. Wang Wenqing noticed her pause and followed her gaze, immediately seeing the area of the sea shrouded in light. Understanding dawned on her, and she turned to gesture to Shen Zeyu, asking if she wanted to go over there.

Shen Zeyu shook her head and pointed downward. Wang Wenqing nodded and pulled her deeper.

The further down they went, the bluer the water became and the more silent the surroundings grew. Aside from the sound of their fins paddling the water, there was almost no noise.

Soon, they reached the seabed and saw a brilliantly blooming underwater garden. Clusters upon clusters of aquatic plants covered the reefs—seaweed in gold, red, white, and slight blue hues swayed with the current. Schools of sea fish darted between the floating kelp like tiny people in a hurried move.

As Shen Zeyu descended, she happened to encounter a patrolling school of fish. Sensing the approach of “land-dwelling bipeds,” the fish turned like a reversing train and hurried away.

Only one younger fish broke away from the group. Curious, it stopped right in front of Shen Zeyu’s goggles, wagging its tail. Shen Zeyu chuckled. Releasing Wang Wenqing’s hand, she carefully extended a finger.

The little fish tilted its head and wagged its tail as it approached her finger, giving it a sudden bite. After sucking for a moment and realizing it wasn’t anything delicious, it wobbled away.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Zeyu left Wang Wenqing’s protection and parted the seawater to dive into this underwater garden alone.

This was a world of profound silence. There was no urban clamor and no worldly entanglements. As she followed the fish through the seagrass, Shen Zeyu saw many wonderful things: conches clinging to the grass, mussels containing pearls, sea urchins hiding in the weeds, and floating shrimp…

Their movements were vivid, yet quiet—so silent it gave one the sensation of returning to a mother’s womb, peaceful and serene.

Shen Zeyu, who had initially thought she wouldn’t adapt to the ocean floor, felt like a fish in water. She relaxed completely, enjoying the dive without a care in the world.

She hadn’t wandered for long before Wang Wenqing found her again. Upon approaching, Wang Wenqing pointed to her watch and then upward, signaling that it was time to go back. Shen Zeyu felt she hadn’t had enough, but she knew that for safety’s sake, she should follow the group. She nodded and followed Wang Wenqing upward.

The higher they swam, the greener the water became. When they were about seven meters from the surface, a long, low “woo-woo” sound resonated from their side. Floating in the water, the group looked up toward the sound. To their left, a massive shadow glided over, covering the sea like a canopy that blotted out the sun.

Shen Zeyu’s pupils shook: it was a whale!

What surprised her even more was what followed. Beneath that massive shadow, a small human figure, dragging a long fishtail, swam in the opposite direction of the whale toward its tail.

The fishtail seemed to have a luminescent effect, shimmering in the water. Even from such a distance, Shen Zeyu could see it clearly.

Her heart trembled violently. At that moment, the girls led by Wang Wenqing gathered around her, pushing Shen Zeyu’s back and waist to lift her and guide her toward the “mermaid.”

Soon, the whale swam past, and sunlight spilled down once more, recreating the Tyndall effect in that area.

The mermaid flicked her tail, swimming back and forth in the sun-drenched water like a lively little silver fish, joyfully waiting for Shen Zeyu to swim over.

As she got closer, Shen Zeyu saw that the girl wasn’t wearing any diving equipment; she was only wearing goggles and a snorkel for a free-dive.

In the pale green water, the beautiful mermaid princess had her long, seaweed-black hair spread out. The skin exposed outside the silver scales was as white as snow, noble and beautiful.

Under the guidance of the group, Shen Zeyu floated to a spot a meter below her, looking up at her with eyes full of wonder.

At such a close distance, the mermaid princess leaned down, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to her side. Before Shen Zeyu could react, the princess led her through the water, swimming toward the surface.

The Tyndall light fell upon her. Shen Zeyu gazed at her from the side, her eyes never leaving her for a second. Beside her, the little princess’s loose hair drifted like seagrass, gently brushing against their joined hands.

That slight touch was like the flapping of a silver butterfly’s wings ten thousand kilometers away, stirring up a violent storm. In the silent deep sea, Shen Zeyu heard the surging roar of her own heartbeat.

Thump-thump… thump-thump…

With a “splash,” the mermaid princess pulled her through the surface. The two floated on the sea. Sunlight hit the water like gold shattered across the floor. The precious princess removed her goggles, revealing a bright, smiling face covered in droplets: “Senior Sister, happy birthday!”

Shen Zeyu froze in place.

At that moment, the sound of her heartbeat was deafening. Behind her water-filled goggles, Shen Zeyu looked at her smile and heard a “rumbling” vibration.

It was the wall around her heart, which had been dormant for so long. At this moment, stimulated by the gesture, it rose up like a damaged, ancient bronze fortress from all directions to trap her within.

The sound of her heartbeat was blocked out, but Shen Zeyu could still feel that shocking tremor. It was as if a volcano that had slept for ten million years at the bottom of the sea had come back to life—the sky was falling and the earth was rending, yet all the ripples were suppressed by the heavy weight of the seawater.

She took a deep breath, faking a look of surprise: “Huh…”

“Is today… actually my birthday?”

Given Shen Zeyu’s experience, it was very difficult for Xu Luosu to see through her disguised emotions.

Xu Luosu was also a bit dazed by her question. She blinked, her silver-dyed eyelashes covered in water droplets that sparkled in the sun. “That’s right. Today is the 12th. Did you forget, Senior Sister?”

Xu Luosu had asked Chen Ci about it before; Shen Zeyu’s birthday was November 12th, a Scorpio. The reason she had “kidnapped” Shen Zeyu to Cangnan was specifically to celebrate her birthday.

Shen Zeyu was still wearing her oxygen mask, so Xu Luosu couldn’t see her expression; she only heard her let out an embarrassed laugh. “I’ve been so busy lately, I didn’t even notice.”

Xu Luosu smiled and took her hand to swim back into the depths. “It’s okay, as long as I remember.”

“Today, let me stay with you and give you a proper birthday.”

After saying this, she pulled her goggles back down. With a surge of core strength, her fishtail slapped the water, creating ripples on the surface. In a moment, she had pulled Shen Zeyu back into the deep sea.

As part of the birthday celebration, Xu Luosu had even brought along three or four photographers to follow and film them. They filmed while they played. Shen Zeyu changed oxygen tanks twice and followed Xu Luosu in the water until she had her fill before returning to the ferry.

However, Xu Luosu’s fishtail was too cumbersome. When boarding the boat, they needed to use a rubber raft and the ferry’s hoisting equipment to lift her up. Several girls from the company came to help, trying to support Xu Luosu. But they couldn’t get the hang of it, and after a long struggle, they still hadn’t succeeded.

Shen Zeyu had been watching from the side, but seeing those hands resting on Xu Luosu’s shoulders, back, waist, and abdomen made her feel vaguely uncomfortable. She clenched her fists and endured it for a moment, but finally swam to Xu Luosu’s side and spoke softly: “Let me try.”

Xu Luosu was a bit surprised. “Senior Sister?”

The group automatically stepped aside, clearing a path for Shen Zeyu. Shen Zeyu swam to her side, wrapped one arm around her waist and back, and supported the bend of her knees with the other. She braced her entire body: “Hold on tight.”

Xu Luosu instinctively raised her arms and hooked them around her neck. In that instant, Shen Zeyu exerted her full strength. Using the buoyancy of the seawater, she lifted her up.

The people on the rubber raft hurriedly caught Xu Luosu. As they reached the edge, Xu Luosu used her core strength to tilt herself into the raft. The whole process was seamless, and cheers erupted from the sea.

Xu Luosu was stunned. Lying on the raft, she looked at Shen Zeyu with sparkling eyes: “Senior Sister, you’re so strong!”

She looked thin, but given her height and muscle mass, her weight was much heavier than an average girl’s. Shen Zeyu smiled, not caring much. “It’s just a matter of technique.”

When she was younger, she had taken good care of her body. She would exercise while drinking. She could write scripts, and she could lift people; she had quite the strength in her hands. Although she wasn’t as strong as she used to be, the foundation was still there. Someday, she would be fine.

Xu Luosu sized her up. Beneath the tight black diving suit was a very well-contoured body. She looked at Shen Zeyu’s body, then up at her face, and commented, “Truly, appearances can be deceiving.”

Shen Zeyu smiled without confirming or denying, and flicked her forehead with a finger. “Up you go.”

Once everyone was on the ferry, they all changed their clothes—except for Xu Luosu. Because the fishtail was too difficult to put on and take off, she could only sit on the deck with her knees pulled up, intending to change once they reached the shore.

When Shen Zeyu returned to the deck after changing, the photographers were taking advantage of the time to take pictures of Xu Luosu.

The sun was setting, dyeing the clouds on the horizon red. The fiery sunset was reflected on the sea, like a vibrant watercolor painting. The wet-haired mermaid princess sat with her knees pulled up in that brilliant watercolor scene, her long tail damp on the deck. She gazed sideways at the sky, her exposed silver ear-fins shimmering in the light. She looked as exquisite as if she had just stepped out of a fairy tale.

For a moment, the wind caught Shen Zeyu’s eyes. She said to the photographer holding the camera, “Give it to me. I’ll take a few of her.”

The photographer looked at Xu Luosu with some hesitation. “This…”

Xu Luosu nodded, and the man handed the camera to Shen Zeyu.

Shen Zeyu adjusted the settings and began her directions: “Profile, lift your chin slightly, be a bit more proud… yes, just like that…”

Perhaps it was due to Shen Zeyu’s unique shooting angles, but after some directing, this elf-mermaid who had fallen into the mortal world gained a hint of loneliness.

When Xu Luosu looked through the photos, she commented, “These look so lonely.”

Shen Zeyu brushed it off: “Because people are inherently lonely.” Sometimes, “little monsters” were even lonelier.

Killing time with the photography, the ferry soon reached the shore. Upon arrival, the staff who were already prepared pushed a wheelchair forward and helped Xu Luosu down.

Shen Zeyu stayed by her side, watching her sit dripping wet in the wheelchair as the staff pushed her along. She teased, “You certainly come prepared. Did you come up like this this morning too?”

Xu Luosu nodded. “Mm.”

Sitting in the wheelchair, she began to detail the day’s experience to Shen Zeyu. “Wearing the tail is so troublesome. I asked around for a long time last night before I found one that could glow. But the makeup takes a long time—applying the ears, the sequins. It was hard for the staff to get on the ferry, so I had to get ready down here before coming up.”

Her hair was still wet. From this angle, it only made her look obedient and cute.

Shen Zeyu was very good at endurance—enduring her own moods and her own emotions. She didn’t like things that were brief and beautiful; she didn’t like feelings that were shallow and went nowhere. The things she liked were like her creations: deep, bone-deep, and aimed straight at the soul.

Yet sometimes, a person runs in the opposite direction of their ideal state. For example, right now, she couldn’t stop herself from responding: “So that’s the reason you stood me up this morning? If it was this much trouble, why did you wear it?”

Beside her, Xu Luosu looked up, her tone as soft as if she were acting like a spoiled child: “I thought you would like it.”

Shen Zeyu suddenly didn’t know what to say. Xu Luosu reached out, tugged at the hem of her clothes, and looked up at her, asking carefully, “Don’t you like it?”

Shen Zeyu was silent for a long time, but finally, her hand landed on the top of the girl’s head, and she coaxed her softly: “I do like it.”

Everyone has a heart capable of admiration. She couldn’t go against her own heart, she couldn’t deny the goodwill generated in those secret, dark places. She allowed everything to happen, but she would absolutely never let herself fall again. Because that was a dynamic abyss from which there was no return, a vortex that shredded the soul, a scam that could never reach the other shore.

Shen Zeyu rubbed her wet, messy hair, her amber eyes hiding emotions that Xu Luosu could not fathom. “You worked hard. I’ll buy you cake tonight.”