Chapter 15: Revision

As she touched him, Chi Mei bit his lip, his whole body tense and aching. The merman’s gossamer floated in the rippling water, like a vast sea mist.

Jiang Yang focused intently, her slender hand tracing the pattern of scales upwards, feeling that his scales were the most perfect work of art in the world.

Chi Mei’s lower lip was almost bitten raw, a trembling sensation he had never experienced before stimulating his nerves.

He looked at Jiang Yang with misty eyes. She was lowering her head, her gaze focused intently on his scales. That focus was like looking at a treasure, the ultimate satisfaction of being cherished and protected in someone’s palm made his whole body feel hot.

Jiang Yang was concentrating on studying the merman’s physiological structure. It was rare that he finally agreed to let her have physical contact with him, so she had to seize the opportunity.

“Ah Yang… Ah Yang…”

Jiang Yang felt the beautiful fish-man calling her in a strange voice. She looked up, and her other hand was gently taken by him. The beautiful fish-man’s eyes were hazy, shimmering with an alluring watery hue. The blush at the corners of his eyes appeared even more enchanting under the interplay of lamplight and moonlight.

Jiang Yang froze. What… what’s going on?

She stiffly watched as the beautiful fish-man interlaced his fingers with hers. In the moonlight, his smile was captivating as he nestled against her chest, utterly charming.

Jiang Yang: Damn, this fish seems a bit off.

“You-” Jiang Yang was about to stand up and push him away, but Chi Mei had already taken her other hand and slowly moved it downwards.

Jiang Yang’s gaze involuntarily followed downward, all the way to his waist and abdomen, where the scales were just a bit denser than elsewhere but otherwise no different. Her hand was guided to cover that area, and under her gentle palm she felt Chi Mei shudder slightly.

Jiang Yang lowered her head, removed her hand, and a great Jinjiang rose from the ground.

“Ahhhhhhhhh! Your… you %&%￥&*%##%&*##, you f*cking indecent fish!” Jiang Yang jumped up instantly, a stream of expletives pouring from her mouth.

The beautiful fish-man’s eyes were hazy. Seeing Jiang Yang’s intense reaction, he wanted her hand, but unable to reach it, he instead clutched at the hem of her skirt. “Ah Yang, I’m not being indecent. I’ve accepted your love confession, we can be together now.”

Jiang Yang’s eyes widened in shock: “For heaven’s sake, don’t talk nonsense! When did I ever confess love to you?!”

She tugged at her skirt, trying to pull it free, but Chi Mei held on tightly and she couldn’t shake him off. The two were at an impasse.

He said: “You’ve always been good to me, saved me, fed me delicious food, and even gave me a bracelet. Brother said that when humans court, they give jade bracelets. And you even touched my tail…”

His face flushed red and soft: “A merman’s tail cannot be touched. Touching it means committing to a lifelong relationship.”

Jiang Yang was devastated.

Why the hell didn’t you say so earlier? If she had known that touching the tail once meant having to… she wouldn’t have touched it at all.

“Let me tell you, that bracelet, pff-” Jiang Yang hurriedly tried to explain that giving a bracelet wasn’t always about love, but as luck would have it, that damn lamppost tripped her hard. Before she could finish speaking, her forehead hit the edge of the water barrel with a heavy thud, and with a splash, she fell into the barrel.

When Jiang Yang woke up, she was leaning against the stupid fish’s embrace.

The stupid fish was biting his lip, his coquettish appearance blushing furiously, a face full of spring-like charm.

Jiang Yang was shocked and kept backing away, falling back into the water. She splashed about in the water, swallowing a big gulp. However, the space in the barrel was not large, and she had no choice but to press on the beautiful fish-man’s waist to surface. She wiped the water from her face, her chin still dripping, and hurriedly asked, “How long was I unconscious?”

“Not long, less than a quarter of an hour,” said the stupid fish.

Jiang Yang sighed in relief: “That’s good.” The stupid fish’s… probably wouldn’t be that fast.

“Ah Yang.” The stupid fish excitedly wrapped his arms around Jiang Yang’s waist, his watery eyes glistening, passionate and shy: “I know you like me very much, but you don’t need to be so excited as to faint.”

“……” Jiang Yang’s head was throbbing. She pointed at her own head: “Which eye of yours saw me faint from excitement? Do you see the bump on my forehead? Do you see this big bump? I fainted from hitting my head.”

“Oh.” The stupid fish couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“And let me tell you, when humans give bracelets, it has many meanings, it’s not just for-” Jiang Yang suddenly closed her mouth, her limbs stiffening. Something below the water surface was standing tall and unyielding.

“Damn!” Only then did she realize that she was already straddling this fish’s waist, no wonder he had such a spring-like expression.

She dodged away from this stupid fish, preparing to climb out of the barrel, but the stupid fish grabbed her belt, and with a splash, she rolled back in.

“Ah Yang, don’t go.” The stupid fish frantically held onto her.

He’s an idiot, can’t argue with an idiot, Jiang Yang took a deep breath: “I won’t go, but first put that thing away, okay? It’s stabbing my eyes, you know?” Things from the sea indeed can’t be underestimated, it’s huge.

The stupid fish seemed not to have heard, holding her hand and pouring out a heartfelt confession: “Ah Yang, I like you very much too. Every day when I open my eyes, I look forward to your arrival. All humans are bad but you’re different. I like you so much, more than anything. Although we are of different species, don’t worry Ah Yang, judging from my brother and bad sister-in-law’s experience, we can also have healthy babies.”

“No, you?” Jiang Yang marveled at this stupid fish’s train of thought. How did he think of babies? Moreover, Jiang Yang’s attitude was extremely firm: “Put it away, damn it!”

Chi Mei frowned, looking aggrieved but obedient as he said “Oh” and then really put it away. Put it away.

Jiang Yang: This thing can actually retract at will! That’s amazing!

Fortunately, without the enormous object shocking her eyes, she had touched the merman’s scales and seen the merman’s… The big bump on her head wasn’t for nothing.

Jiang Yang slowly crawled out.

Chi Mei held her hand: “Ah Yang-”

Jiang Yang said: “Let me out, I don’t want to soak in the water.” The scene was terribly awkward. If someone saw, they might think she was desperately harassing a fish. Because in the female-dominated world, there was no such thing as men harassing women.

Chi Mei hesitated for a moment, then let go of Jiang Yang’s hand, allowing her to crawl out of the barrel.

Jiang Yang wrung out the water from her clothes, preparing to explain everything to him from beginning to end. She didn’t want this stupid fish to fall into a mistaken love.

But the stupid fish spoke first: “Ah Yang, it’s okay if you don’t like water. We merfolk have a secret technique that can sever our tails and transform them into human legs. Ah Yang, I can accompany you ashore, live with you on land.”

Jiang Yang’s expression froze. The stupid fish’s gaze was hot and scalding, wrapped in sincere and intense love. She felt as if she had been burned for a moment, and fled in panic.

Jiang Yang walked back to her room soaking wet, her mind constantly replaying Chi Mei’s gaze, pure, passionate, and without any impurity.

“Second Young Miss, you-” Lan Qian, who had been waiting in the room, was shocked to see Jiang Yang come out of the merman’s room completely drenched.

Recalling that despicable fish saying earlier in the day that they were now inseparable and deeply in love, many years ago, before knowing that merman flesh could be refined into ever-burning lamp oil, merfolk were briefly used by humans as tools to vent their sexual desires.

Lan Qian’s expression changed, and while busy helping Jiang Yang change out of her wet clothes and dry her hair, she whispered a reminder: “Um, Second Young Miss, the Emperor’s pet, you should be mindful of the impact. Don’t play around too much.”

“……” Before, Jiang Yang only thought Lan Qian was stupid, but she didn’t expect her to be so uniquely stupid.

She closed her eyes, hiding her murderous gaze, and said softly: “Come here.”

Lan Qian foolishly approached, and Jiang Yang pressed her head down and gave her a violent beating: “Don’t you have a brain? Idiot, would I touch a fish?!”

Lan Qian covered her head miserably and said, that’s true, the Second Young Miss had countless men around her, what kind of paradise hadn’t she tried? Why would she need to mount a fish? She half-believingly accepted it.

But this idea was completely overturned later.

No one knew exactly what had happened between Chi Mei and Jiang Yang that night. But the crew members unusually found that Jiang Yang hadn’t gone to see that merman for two whole days.

The crew members who went to change the water daily were also surprised to find that the merman, who never spoke to them before, would unprecedentedly ask them questions, with only one theme: Why hasn’t Jiang Yang come? Where did she go?

Where did she go? The crew members all knew that the Second Young Miss was just in her room. As for why she didn’t go to see him, the crew members already had an answer in their hearts – he had fallen out of favor.

But they didn’t tell the merman, just watching this once arrogant merman become increasingly gloomy and dejected, listless like a sick fish.

Sea voyages are lonely, and even the tiniest matters can be discussed in various ways. Naturally, the merman’s loss of favor became the hottest topic, and the crew members discussed it heatedly.

The crew member who had been injured by Chi Mei in the past also became smug, deliberately standing at the door of the merman’s room to chat with the guard.

“The Second Young Miss hasn’t come to train the merman for several days.”

“Yeah, maybe she’s tired of it. After all, it’s just a pet.”

“Our Second Young Miss is already very merciful. If it wasn’t for the Second Young Miss insisting on not killing him back then, saying she wanted to tame him into a pet to present to the Emperor, he would have been refined into a jar of ever-burning lamp oil by now, hahahahaha!”

The mocking laughter pierced Chi Mei’s ears. His face instantly turned pale, his lips trembling unable to speak. It was as if a sharp knife had viciously carved into his heart. So his love was just a joke, so it was all his own delusion, so Ah Yang, she had never liked him at all. The pain gripped his nerves, each weak breath felt like being sawed, hurting him almost to the point of fainting.

On the third day, Jiang Yang finally sorted out her emotions and went to see Chi Mei. Although telling the truth to this pure fish was cruel, a short pain is better than a long one.

Lan Qian followed behind her. As soon as Jiang Yang pushed the door open and entered, she saw Chi Mei’s red and swollen eyes and his almost shattered gaze.

Lan Qian wanted to speak but held back. Hmph, still saying you didn’t do anything? Look at how aggrieved he’s become.