Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Spouse of the Disabled Beauty - Chapter 23.2

Since the conversation had reached this point, the hospitable Mr. Li’s face darkened. He was welcoming, but he did not like those with flawed character.

He summoned the butler and told him to check the surveillance footage.

The surveillance told them that it was all Zhong Yue’s self-directed act. While passing through the hallway, because she was overly focused on Xu Luo walking ahead of her, she accidentally knocked over the vase.

“The vase is from the Song Dynasty, and there is a certificate of authenticity,” Mr. Li said to Zhong Yue. “Classmate, please go back and contact your parents to discuss compensation.”

Zhong Yue’s expression changed drastically.

Her family had a bit of money otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to support her in the expensive performing arts major but they were only middle-class. A Song Dynasty antique vase was not something her family could afford.

Mr. Li called for the butler to escort Zhong Yue out.

Zhong Yue recovered from the massive blow and shrieked, “No! I won’t leave! I didn’t break this vase! I won’t pay!”

The butler didn’t care about her protests, grabbing her arm to drag her away to see a lawyer.

Zhong Yue turned ashen. As she was being forced toward the door, she suddenly found strength from somewhere and grabbed the doorframe. “I’m not leaving! No one can kick me out!”

She thought of something, and a glimmer of light suddenly ignited in her eyes. She looked toward Shao Anze: “Shao Anze, help me! You are looking for the mermaid, right? Help me, and I’ll help you find the mermaid too!”

“Don’t let me leave, or else I’ll go outside and tell everyone that you are secretly searching for the mermaid!”

As soon as the word “mermaid” came out, the expressions of everyone present underwent a change.

Zhong Yue saw hope.

In fact, the reason she came to the Li family today was that she had eavesdropped on Shao Anze’s phone call.

“There is a rumor that a mermaid has appeared on Green Island.”

“The tears of a mermaid can cure all diseases. Once I get the mermaid’s tears, Grandpa’s illness will surely be cured.”

These were the words Shao Anze had spoken to his father on the phone last night. Indeed, the real purpose of Shao Anze’s trip to Green Island was not a film pilgrimage; it was because he had heard rumors of a mermaid and had come to find it. His grandfather was seriously ill in the hospital, and he hoped the mermaid’s tears could save him.

When he arrived at Green Island and saw Song Yunran of the Song family, he understood that Song Yunran had also come for the mermaid. Now, in high society, the legend of mermaid tears was no longer a secret; many people knew of their miraculous properties and knew they truly existed.

Song Yunran had indeed come for the mermaid’s tears.

She wanted to heal her legs.

She had once hated her disability but had no strong desire to heal it. She felt that carrying the harm her mother gave her for a lifetime and resenting her for a lifetime was also fine.

But once she made up her mind to work hard to become the person Xu Luo needed, her paralyzed legs became a major defect. She realized that if Xu Luo were in danger, she would be unable to protect her immediately just like the time Xu Luo was almost scalded. She could only be a bystander.

She wanted to heal her legs.

Furthermore, Xu Luo’s recent condition was also very strange. Didn’t they say mermaid tears could cure all illnesses? Then it should be able to heal Xu Luo as well, right?

Song Yunran was determined to obtain the mermaid’s tears.

The Li family was a prominent family on Green Island. According to the information she had gathered, the news of the mermaid had originated from this Li family.

Therefore, she had brought a painting to cater to his tastes and sent a formal visit request.

Shao Anze likely thought the same; he had even hired a female companion to cater to the rumor that “the Lis are keen on meeting young women.”

But neither of them expected Zhong Yue to speak the matter of the mermaid out loud in public.

“Mermaid…” Mr. Li froze.

He looked at Shao Anze, thought of something, and then looked at Song Yunran.

“So you all came for the mermaid?”

Silence.

Neither Shao Anze nor Song Yunran replied.

Mr. Li did not become angry. He let out a sigh and said to everyone present, “Young people, come with me.”

Saying this, he was the first to leave the hallway.

The group behind him paused, then followed.

The group passed through the old villa and arrived at a door. Mr. Li stopped before the door and knocked.

An ancient echo rang through the surroundings, but there was no response. Mr. Li gently pushed open the door.

The door opened to an empty room, and a thick scent of medicinal herbs wafted out.

Seeing this scene, Mr. Li, who had always maintained a refined and gentlemanly appearance, panicked for the first time. He called for the butler and asked, “Where is my mother?”

The door he had opened was his mother’s room, and now the room was empty.

The butler was startled, only just realizing that the Old Mrs. Li was not in the room.

Mr. Li immediately said, “Go check the surveillance!”

The butler took the order and hurried to check the monitors.

The surveillance showed that Old Mrs. Li had left the villa and headed toward the seaside.

Mr. Li: “…”

He gave a long sigh, his expression softening slightly.

He knew where his mother had gone.

Without delay, he went to find his mother.

Just as he thought, he saw his mother’s figure on the beach, about twenty minutes away from the villa.

It was now evening, and the sunset was sinking into the sea, dyeing the deep blue water a vivid red.

The elderly woman sat alone by the sea, hugging her knees, her figure thin and frail.

“There is no mermaid on Green Island. There is only a mother waiting for her daughter to return, nothing more,” Mr. Li said.

More than fifty years ago, a mother gave birth to two children in succession, a son and a daughter. She loved her children so much and accompanied them as they grew up day by day.

The woman was a strong individual. After her husband passed away, she single-handedly supported the entire family and led it toward prosperity.

As she gradually aged and her energy waned, she thought about sharing the heavy burden on her shoulders with her children. However, to her disappointment, her son was obsessed with art and only wanted to be a painting teacher. Although she was disappointed, she was not in despair because she still had an intelligent daughter.

But—

“I want to become a biologist.”

After becoming an adult, her daughter told her this.

The woman’s young daughter had been a sensitive child since she was small; she was delicate, sentimental, and afraid of loneliness. She could only relax for a moment when she was with small animals. For this reason, the woman had once pitied her greatly. For her daughter, she had spent a fortune to build a garden a whimsical animal garden.

her daughter was overjoyed. She loved the garden and became friends with the animals inside; every time she returned from a long trip, she had to greet her friends.

The daughter gradually became cheerful.

The woman was relieved. Her relationship with her daughter was so good until the daughter revealed her wish to become a biologist.

Following the son, the daughter had also chosen a path completely unrelated to inheriting the family business.

The woman was completely disappointed. The family business her late husband left her was the repository of her memories of him; she did not want to watch it gradually go to ruin.

Because of their disagreement, the woman began to frequently argue with her son and daughter.

Finally, one day, the daughter snapped. One late night, she packed her bags and left this hometown where she had lived for over twenty years.

Then she met with disaster.

The night she set out to sea, she failed to leave, and she failed to return.

Receiving this news, the woman collapsed on the spot. Losing her beloved once again filled her with regret. Intense remorse and love for her daughter caused her mental state to become increasingly unstable. She needed medication to survive, and her strong self quickly withered. In the years before she was diagnosed with mental illness, she would welcome girls the same age as her daughter to visit the villa when she was lucid, which led to the rumors that the Li family was keen on meeting young women.

Twenty years had passed, and the old woman had become as thin as a sheet of paper. The Mr. Li who ultimately inherited the family business lacked commercial talent and did not stop the family from declining. But while everything else could fall into ruin, only the Lis’ animal garden remained unchanged, waiting for their loneliness-fearing friend to come home.

At this moment, the old woman sat on the beach, gazing blankly at the other side of the sea. In her arms, she held a long dress a dress her daughter once loved.

The dress was white as a cloud, its hem long and trailing. The tide rose, and the seawater dyed the hem the deep blue of the ocean. The fabric fluttered with the waves, looking like a long, long fish tail.

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