The Love-Hate and Grudges Between Me and the Mermaid - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

It was exactly noon when Bu Yan found Yi An.

The phone displayed the time as 12:00 sharp.

Yi An was sitting on a bench at the entrance of the aquarium; by the look of it, she had been waiting for a long time.

Bu Yan stumbled over to Yi An, lifting her hands and feet, checking her front and back, top and bottom, left and right, performing a thorough inspection.

Only after confirming that the fish hadn’t done anything to her did the heavy stone in her heart finally drop.

Her tense brain relaxed, and Bu Yan sat on the bench with lingering fear, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Fortunately, fortunately, her wife wasn’t missing any arms or legs and was still very much alive.

Consider that fish to have a conscience.

Yi An, meanwhile, tilted her head and watched Bu Yan silently, the gears in her heart turning rapidly.

She had finally gotten rid of that damned fish.

What should she do next?

Hide Bu Yan away?

Or let her stay in this illusion forever?

Perhaps it was a side effect of staying in the illusion for too long, but Bu Yan felt the sunlight getting increasingly harsh and hot.

Especially under Yi An’s intense gaze. She stole a glance at Yi An, wondering if she should tell her the truth so they could find a way out together.

But seeing her ignorant, innocent eyes, the thought vanished instantly.

Forget it, better not tell her.

The illusion would disappear on its own; there was no need to pass her anxiety to Yi An.

Today was for going out to play!

Bu Yan took a few deep breaths in secret. Only when her mood had stabilized slightly did she extend an invitation to Yi An: “Let’s go, let’s not sit here anymore. Let’s head inside.”

“It’s a rare day of good weather.”

“Okay!” Yi An seemed to have been waiting for these words. The moment Bu Yan finished speaking, she immediately stood up, patted her skirt, grabbed Bu Yan’s hand to pull her up, and affectionately hooked her arm, pressing close to her.

She began to recount her hardships and struggles with a piteous expression: “Sister, I’ve been waiting for you, but you never showed up. I waited so long that the flowers withered.”

“In the middle of it, a bad woman came. She pointed at my nose and threatened me! She told me… told me to leave you!”

Of course, none of this had happened; it was all a little trick by Yi An to win Bu Yan’s attention and sympathy.

After she finished speaking, she stole a glance at Bu Yan.

“Frustrated” wasn’t enough to describe Bu Yan right now; she was about to explode with rage!

That fish actually dared to threaten Yi An.

Truly, when the forest is big, there are all kinds of birds!

How did the original owner get mixed up with such a thing?

She thought grumpily that the fish was no good, and the original owner was even worse!

“Don’t mind her, Yi An,” Bu Yan patted the back of Yi An’s hand, her soothing intent obvious as she spoke softly: “I won’t let you leave me!”

Yi An’s eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded obediently. She huddled into Bu Yan’s embrace, her voice full of attachment: “Okay~ Sister, I don’t believe her. If you don’t let me leave, I won’t leave. I will always stay by your side.”

“Unless, you personally tell me you don’t need me…”

Yi An’s acting was perfect. As she finished the last word, her nose twinged, and a bean-sized tear pitter-pattered down her cheek.

It happened to land on Bu Yan.

But Yan’s palm felt a sting of heat, followed by a wave of boundless guilt.

She owed Yi An too much.

She had seized the original owner’s body and hadn’t treated her well, leaving her in a constant state of panic over being abandoned or discarded.

“It’s my fault.” Bu Yan’s eyes went vacant for a moment. She dazedly patted Yi An’s shoulder, repeating over and over:

It’s my fault, and I won’t leave you.

Yi An smiled with satisfaction.

She nodded obediently, responding to Bu Yan’s words in a soft voice: “Okay, I forgive you.”

The mermaid hid in the shadows, watching this scene with cold eyes.

Inside her head, the words of her substitute or more accurately, her clone, Yi An—played on a loop:

[She doesn’t welcome you.]

[She doesn’t want you.]

[She wants you to die.]

[…]

The taste of being betrayed by a partner was not pleasant.

The mermaid’s heart let out an incomparably sorrowful wail; it was already riddled with holes. Yet her surface remained rippleless, as if these words hadn’t provoked her at all.

She didn’t care at all about what a fake had to say!

Suddenly, the mermaid seemed to discover something, and her gaze darkened inch by inch.

The human and the fake had entered that thing called the aquarium.

This aquarium was built beneath the ocean.

And right now, the ocean in reality is completely polluted…

That was one of the reasons she had come ashore.

She hadn’t created this illusion; she wasn’t sure if it was dangerous inside, whether outside monsters could enter, or if pollutants existed.

But Yi An had perfectly copied her abilities; she was the most successful experimental subject.

The illusion she created should likely be safe, right?

But what was there left to see in the current ocean? All creatures had died due to pollution; the sea was a place of dead silence.

Forget it, no matter what, she had to protect her partner.

Even if she currently didn’t like or even wanted to kill her.

Thinking this, the mermaid secretly followed.

But just as her whole body was about to enter the undersea tunnel, an invisible barrier blocked her out.

Mermaid: “…”

She tried to walk forward but was blocked again.

She used her special powers to try and break it, but as a result, she was sent flying back, embedded deeply into a wall.

Her body, which had just undergone experiments, couldn’t withstand much. She struggled to break free and sat on the ground, her legs losing their strength.

Fine, fine, this fake actually has some skill!

The mermaid stared fixedly at Bu Yan’s receding back, thinking through gritted teeth.

When Bu Yan returned to the Xenogeneic Experimental Base, and when Bu Yan remembered the things from before, she would definitely have to properly “educate” this fake!

…

Will there be danger?

Bu Yan wondered as she followed Yi An down.

Will the mermaid take revenge on her?

After all, last time, she had been drenched in rain for half a day despite doing nothing.

Every few steps, Bu Yan turned her head to see if the mermaid was still secretly following.

On her N-th time looking back, Yi An finally couldn’t take it anymore. Just as Bu Yan was about to turn her head, Yi An reached out to block her vision: “Sister, what do you keep looking back at?”

But Yan’s movements stopped. Before she could answer, she heard Yi An ask: “Are you looking for that woman?”

With her little secret exposed, Bu Yan’s pupils widened in disbelief. She hurriedly turned her head away: “No, I’m not.”

This earned her a meaningful “oh” and a searching look from Yi An.

Bu Yan didn’t dare make eye contact with Yi An. her gaze darted around, drifting into the deep, quiet depths of the ocean.

This aquarium was built into the sea, featuring a tunnel that plunged nearly a thousand meters deep into the seabed.

Right now, they were walking along the tunnel, already a hundred meters below sea level.

Azure light and shadows enveloped them.

Schools of fish surrounded them, curiously observing these uninvited guests of the ocean.

Bu Yan saw a manta ray swimming over wobbly, squeezing and pressing various unknown, beautiful small fish against the glass as it shook its broad body at her.

Bu Yan couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

Bu Yan reached out her hand and waved it through the air; the manta ray followed suit.

“So cute,” Bu Yan murmured to herself.

Yi An looked in the direction of Bu Yan’s gaze, but what met her eyes was pitch blackness.

What she saw was the ocean in reality; Bu Yan saw the one in the illusion.

Yi An recalled the appearance of a manta ray: a bloated body, eyes as vacant as black holes, and a very wide mouth that looked like it could swallow a human in one gulp.

In short, one word: ugly.

Not as good-looking as her.

And another word: terrifying compared to humans, at least.

She didn’t understand why Bu Yan would praise it but not her.

Clearly, she was very cute too, and she didn’t eat people.

Yi An gave Bu Yan several questioning looks. But Yan, already guilty from before, felt her heart sinking further at this sight.

After playing with the manta ray, she hurriedly said to Yi An: “But in my heart, you are the cutest and most beautiful!”

Hearing this, the corners of Yi An’s mouth curled slightly, and she smiled with satisfaction: “Hooray~”

Bu Yan patted Yi An’s head and continued looking at other marine life.

She immersed herself completely in the world of animals, appreciating the wonders of marine species.

Strange fish of all kinds, multicolored corals, massive whales…

Life was born from the ocean, yet currently, humans have explored less than ten percent of it.

Bu Yan’s entire attention was captured by the sea.

The distant ocean was pitch black and mysterious; faintly, there seemed to be a misty song.

As they walked further, the crowd seemed to grow. Bu Yan remembered how Yi An had come to City A; she reached back, gently taking Yi An’s hand, and asked: “Are you okay?”

The ship she was on had been swallowed by the sea and disappeared; she was the only survivor from the entire vessel.

Yi An seemed to have long forgotten this. She stared blankly at Bu Yan for a long time before the fading memories slowly surfaced in her mind.

“I’m fine,” Yi An said softly, gripping Bu Yan’s hand in return, her fingertips tracing across her palm, carefully stroking every inch of her skin.

Seeing this, Bu Yan didn’t say anything more and continued forward with Yi An.

Since they were already here, they had to go to the very bottom to see.

Suddenly, the crowd ahead grew dense. Bu Yan squeezed to the front and saw a panel with four large characters written formally:

Mermaid Performance.

Bu Yan hadn’t believed in mermaids originally, but after seeing that “fish,” she believed.

However, such rare creatures as mermaids would certainly be captured the moment they were discovered.

Humans are full of curiosity toward all unknown creatures.

At first, they might marvel at the mermaids’ beauty and put them on a pedestal, but then they would conduct experiments under the banner of “understanding the ocean.”

Through experiments, they could learn their physiological structure, their value to humans, and how to maximize their utility.

Following that would be endless searching, capturing, and large-scale slaughter.

Humans are forever self-interested animals.

The mermaid performance here definitely wouldn’t be a real mermaid. Having already seen a real one, Bu Yan wasn’t interested in this human-impersonated show.

Besides, there were too many people here, squeezing her so hard she could barely breathe. It was also too noisy; her eardrums felt like they were about to burst.

She tightly gripped Yi An’s hand, fearing they would be separated by the flow of people.

“Let’s go.” But when she turned her head, Yi An was gone again.

Bu Yan: “…”

Asking online: what to do when my wife keeps disappearing for no reason?

Bu Yan stood dazed in place.

At the same time, the crowd suddenly went silent.

Within seconds, one sharp, explosive scream after another erupted.

“Ahhh, Sister, kill me!” (Slang for ‘you’re so beautiful it’s killing me’)

The voices sounded excited and exhilarated, but their bodies couldn’t stop trembling. Their eyes glimmered with tears of fear, and they desperately tried to shrink back.

Yi An didn’t notice any of this.

Because the “mermaid” had Yi An’s face.

Bu Yan knit her brows, suddenly realizing that it was Yi An!

She had somehow crossed the glass and entered the sea.

Her original legs had turned into a fish tail, transparent fins grew behind her ears, and her five fingers were connected by a thin membrane.

She swam close, pressing her hand against the glass.

She stared at Bu Yan without blinking.