The Love-Hate and Grudges Between Me and the Mermaid - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

This city borders the sea. Starting from the city center, you can see the ocean after about an hour’s bus ride. Another twenty minutes of walking and your feet can step onto the sand; in about a minute, you can receive the caress of the great ocean.

Gentle, carrying pity and maternal love.

What will the ocean become in the future?

No one cares.

But Yan didn’t know either.

Since entering this world, she had only one piece of information in her mind: in two months, the apocalypse would arrive. The world would be covered in trash and viruses, mutated species would overrun the land, and human survival would be difficult…

Thinking of making amends, Bu Yan led Yi An straight to a high-end buffet restaurant. They had every kind of food here as long as it existed in this world, regardless of the creature, it was available.

She thought her wife would be very happy to come here, but to her surprise, Yi An began to cry.

She clung tightly to Bu Yan’s arm, her blue hair trembling slightly beneath her eyes, quietly narrating the sorrow of its owner.

“Yi An, why are you crying?” Bu Yan raised her hand, lightly patting Yi An’s shoulder as she asked in a low voice.

“It’s nothing… I was just wondering why you have to eat… animals…?”

She spoke the last two words with difficulty, as if she had pondered and agonized for a long time to find the right term, struggling for a great while before asking.

“Because we need to replenish the nutrients essential for our bodies.” Bu Yan stroked the blue-haired girl’s soft hair and asked softly, “Do you not like it?”

Yi An blinked, her eyelashes trembling, casting a small shadow on her tender white face as a single tear slid from the corner of her eye. “I don’t like it.”

“Then we’ll switch to another place.”

This time, Bu Yan took her to a vegetarian restaurant. Yi An ate with great relish. After eating and drinking their fill, they spent the afternoon wandering the mall, buying clothes and a phone, and purchasing several large bags of snacks at the supermarket before heading back.

Her state of mind while returning was completely different from when she arrived. Walking on the clean streets, smelling the fresh air, and glancing sideways to see her wife’s innocent face…

But Yan’s heart skipped a beat. She began to think again about how wonderful it would be if this were just an ordinary world.

Her thoughts flew wild, and she couldn’t help but imagine more: then she wouldn’t have to care about life or death, and she could safely take Yi An traveling across the world, letting her eat all kinds of delicious food. 

This might have been her own thought, or it might have been the thought of the original body.

They encountered a cake shop on the way and bought a piece of cake.

Back at home, Bu Yan organized the items and put them in the refrigerator before flopping onto the sofa with Yi An. The television was on, broadcasting an idol drama.

The two female leads were just like them, snuggling on a sofa watching TV.

One lead was feeding fruit to the other. Bu Yan fed Yi An a tomato-flavored potato chip.

Yi An was fiddling with her new phone and obediently opened her mouth to eat. As if tired of sitting, she curled her legs a few seconds later and lay on her side against Bu Yan.

On the TV, the two protagonists were still feeding each other.

But Yan’s hands felt itchy. She picked up a green grape, preparing to feed it into Yi An’s mouth.

The grape had been washed; water droplets clung to it, making it slightly chilly. Touching the familiar spot, her index finger moved slightly, pushing it into the warm, moist little mouth.

Perhaps the grape was a bit slippery; in the process of licking and maneuvering, Yi An’s soft tongue accidentally brushed against the pad of Bu Yan’s finger.

But Yan’s heart rate accelerated instantly. She hurriedly withdrew her hand, appearing flustered on the surface while secretly savoring the sensation.

So soft…

Bu Yan looked at Yi An inconspicuously.

“Do you need me to help you?” Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Yi An’s phone screen had stayed on one interface for a long time without moving. Thinking she felt embarrassed to ask for help, Bu Yan spoke up proactively.

“Sister, not for now,” Yi An shook her head slowly. “I’m just pondering a question.”

Bu Yan stroked Yi An’s smooth, long blue hair. “Can you tell me about it?”

“This afternoon, right when you ran,” Yi An shot a quick glance at Bu Yan, choosing her words carefully: “I heard their words clearly.”

“What were they?”

Yi An didn’t rush to answer. Instead, she tilted her head up and looked into Bu Yan’s eyes. “Sister, do you know who the Heteromorphic God is?”

Bu Yan lowered her eyes, looking quietly into Yi An’s eyes. “I know a little bit, but people have many different sayings about it. I can’t be sure which one is true.”

“I searched a little bit too,” Yi An held the phone high, placing it before Bu Yan’s eyes. “Look, Sister, they say if you can get the Heteromorphic God’s blessing, you can live forever! No matter what happens, you won’t die.”

“That is superstition,” Bu Yan glanced at the screen and said decisively. “Don’t believe it.”

“How do you know?”

If it were believable, many people wouldn’t die in the apocalypse.

She remembered reading in a textbook before: since ancient times, in any Imperial feudal dynasty whether a constitutional monarchy or an absolute monarchy the “XX God” was a means used by the upper class to consolidate their rule. Of course, it was also a tool for amassing wealth. (1)

There are no gods in this world.

If there were, it could only be oneself.

The episode of the drama ended, entering a commercial break. Bu Yan watched a small ad pop up: “Scan the code and pay 9.9 yuan; the Heteromorphic God will protect you for life.” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes five or six times. “In short, it’s a scam. Don’t believe it.”

“Because this world is material. We can observe things directly or indirectly; ethereal things don’t exist, and certainly no ‘such-and-such’ gods exist. The only one who can save you is yourself.” (2)

“Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the normal states of life. Everyone dies. There is no such thing as immortality, and humans cannot obtain it.”

Yi An looked puzzled: “Oh…”

“Have you set up your WeChat (V-xin)?” Fearing Yi An would keep dwelling on the god, Bu Yan changed the topic to distract her.

Yi An blinked her large blue eyes. “What is WeChat?”

Bu Yan: “…” “Then what were you doing playing with it for so long just now?” “Thinking about the Heteromorphic God.”

“…” Bu Yan: “Sweetie, you aren’t allowed to learn that superstition from them.” Yi An nodded heavily: “Okay~”

The wife is truly obedient, Bu Yan thought, her heart filled with softness.

Thinking that Yi An had just arrived in this city and her mind wasn’t polluted and since it was rare to have a somewhat “normal” human around Bu Yan couldn’t bear to let her become “insane” (dian).

So, she took Yi An’s phone, deleted everything related to the “X God,” and proceeded to set up her WeChat, downloading shopping, food delivery, and payment apps.

“You can buy things with these two,” Bu Yan pointed at a yellow and a red app. “I’ve linked a bank card for you. If there’s something you like, buy it for yourself, okay?”

“Okay~”

“This one is for ordering takeout meals and food. Tomorrow when I’m not home, don’t go into the kitchen. If you’re hungry, look here.” She pointed to two other apps and taught her how to use them.

“And this one, you can see the money in the bank card here. If it runs out, tell me in time, and I’ll transfer more to you…”

She repeatedly emphasized: “Don’t be superstitious, and don’t blindly believe what they say on the internet!”

Finally, Bu Yan confidently flipped to the page she was most satisfied with. “If the previous part was the mortal world, this place is heaven!”

The corners of Yi An’s mouth quirked. Staring at the colorful little squares, she still hadn’t figured out what humans found so exciting about them. But to avoid making Bu Yan angry, she maintained a smile and nodded heavily: “Okay!”

After finishing the introduction of the gaming and entertainment apps, Bu Yan added Yi An on WeChat and taught her how to make calls and send messages. She returned the phone with satisfaction. “I’m going to work tomorrow and won’t be home. If you miss me, you can give me a video call.”

Yi An remembered that her planned attitude toward her wife tomorrow was “cold and aloof,” but seeing her wife’s sparkling eyes, she didn’t want to do anything to hurt her. After hesitating for a long while, she said: “Okay…”

Then, the next day, after Bu Yan prepared breakfast and had been away from home for only three minutes, she received a video call. It was from Yi An.

She picked up; the other side was silent. After five seconds, it hung up.

Bu Yan: [?] The other side didn’t reply.

Around eleven or twelve at noon, she received another video call. This time, the other side said one word: “Sis.” The call hung up.

Bu Yan: [Miss me?] The other side still didn’t reply.

At 6:00 PM, Bu Yan finished work. On the way home, she received another video call. This time, two words: “Sister.” It hung up again.

Bu Yan: “…”

So, each time she can only say one more word?