Chapter 75: The Center of the Fish Pond (10)
The city where the merfolk resided had no specific name. Without a clan member’s guidance, a human would never be able to find this place.
It existed there, yet also seemed to be in a different dimension, a hidden miracle revealed only when a merfolk dispelled the mist before it.
Only small schools of fish, the kind that weren’t even enough to fill the gaps between a merfolk’s teeth, swam leisurely near the city.
That’s why they dared to play around these fierce predators. Larger creatures like squid and octopus, however, were rarely seen.
In the deep sea, a bright silver-blue figure flashed past like lightning. She dove down, picking one hidden shellfish after another from the dark, seaweed-covered rock wall.
Soon, she held a few shells in one hand and a human enveloped in a bubble in the other, slowly rising towards the surface. Her long silver hair danced around her, even more captivating than the most beautiful jellyfish.
But the nearby predators and fish, upon seeing her, quickly turned and fled.
A large splash of white appeared on the surface of the sea—
As they broke through the water, the bubble enveloping Su Mingxiu popped with a soft sound. She slowly opened her eyes, looked around, and habitually reached out to grab a nearby reef rising above the water.
As her body bobbed in the water, a flock of seabirds flew across the blue sky above, and a spout of water suddenly erupted into the air in the distance.
Then came a long, drawn-out sound, far more pleasant than a cruise ship’s horn, echoing through the vast ocean.
Su Mingxiu couldn’t tell what kind of whale it was. Noticing that the program’s cruise ship wasn’t within sight, she raised an eyebrow and looked at the mermaid beside her.
Suhui had also surfaced with her, yet there wasn’t a single drop of water on her hair or face. If it weren’t for the lower half of her body still submerged in the water, no one would have known she had just been swimming in the sea.
Perhaps realizing that even this powerful human wasn’t omnipotent, at least not able to move freely in the water like her, Suhui quickly forgot the humiliation and teasing she had endured in the coral maze.
Those embarrassing memories were buried deep beneath the waves. She easily pried open the shells she had just collected, intending to replenish her energy before searching for the program’s cruise ship. But as she brought the shellfish to her nose, she found the smell too fishy.
So she handed it to Su Mingxiu.
“I’m hungry.”
The silver-haired mermaid said matter-of-factly.
Su Mingxiu glanced at her goodwill rating, which had dropped to 10, and narrowed her eyes. Just as Suhui thought she was about to hear a refusal, the beautiful woman said slowly: “Without cooking utensils or clean water, I can’t make anything delicious.”
Suhui looked around, preparing to find a small island where they could rest. According to her original plan, once she pushed Su Mingxiu off the ship, she wouldn’t let her go back…
But now that her plan to get eggs had failed, Suhui had to return to the show and continue on the path to stardom, so she could access more resources in human society and find a suitable partner for egg-laying.
As the human and the mermaid were playing out a survival scenario on a deserted island, the program staff also discovered that a contestant was missing.
After gathering everyone and searching the entire cruise ship without success, they had to consider the worst-case scenario. The director looked at the vast ocean with despair.
Suhui was the center position for the first public performance and had the backing of Neptune Entertainment. They couldn’t simply announce that she and Su Mingxiu had withdrawn from the competition…
The most urgent task was to find them while keeping the other contestants calm. Thankfully, they had confiscated all electronic devices from the contestants upon their arrival, ensuring that no one had any means of communication. Otherwise, this incident could easily escalate into a PR disaster.
As dawn broke, coast guard ships arrived in the area.
And on the bow of one of the ships stood two beautiful figures, their hair one black, one white, a stark contrast.
The contestants on the cruise ship lined up on the deck, waving and jumping excitedly, as if they were the ones being rescued.
“Xiuxiu!”
“Suhui!”
Su Mingxiu’s grey robe was soaked from the seawater and now covered in a layer of frost after being blown by the sea breeze.
The moment she returned to the cruise ship, she deftly dodged Annie’s hug, whispered something to Pao Tong, who had also come over, and headed towards her room.
Wang Zhi followed her for a few steps, accompanying her to her door. She spoke more than usual, asking through the bathroom door how she and Suhui had disappeared.
Because Su Mingxiu had slipped away quickly, Suhui was the only one left to be questioned by the program staff. Compared to Su Mingxiu’s disheveled appearance, her shimmering silver-blue dress seemed too… relaxed.
Facing the staff and the directors, she calmly repeated her prepared lie: “I saw her standing too close to the railing and wanted to remind her, but before I could speak, I saw her fall. I panicked and tried to grab her… but I fell in as well. After losing consciousness in the water, we drifted to a small island…”
It sounded like a close call.
Pao Tong listened outside for a while, then was pulled away by Annie. After getting far enough away from the directors, she heard Annie sigh with relief: “So that’s what happened. I was so scared, thankfully they’re both okay.”
Really?
The contestants on the cruise ship had been busy practicing for the first public performance and, with the cameras constantly rolling, hadn’t had time to wear their own clothes, all dressed in their trainee uniforms.
Pao Tong clearly remembered that when she saw Suhui earlier, she was wearing the same pink top as her… Why was she wearing such a beautiful dress when they fell into the sea?
“Tongtong?”
Her friend, noticing her thoughtful expression, asked: “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Pao Tong came back to her senses and smiled at her friend. “I remember that after the re-evaluation, the rooms on the ship are for two people. Suhui happens to be sharing a room with Mingxiu, shall we go visit them?”
The person who came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel, had a calm expression. Although her cheeks were flushed from the hot water and steam,
Her calm, unreadable black eyes made her seem slightly displeased.
Perhaps it was because she had been soaked in seawater for too long, then exposed to the sun and wind all morning. It had taken her a long time to detangle her hair while washing it, which was why she felt a bit irritated. Su Mingxiu thought.
But when she looked up from the towel and saw the small room filled with people, her expression still faltered slightly.
Pao Tong sat on the small sofa, Annie leaned against the armrest, Wang Zhi and her group members stood by the door, surrounding Suhui on the bed in a three-pronged formation.
“What are you doing here?”
Su Mingxiu asked, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, her voice as gentle as usual.
“Just came to check on you two,” Pao Tong said first, Annie quickly echoing her.
Wang Zhi, however, looked at Su Mingxiu with concern and a hint of suspicion. “Are you really okay? I just heard from Suhui that you two fell into the sea from such a high place…”
Su Mingxiu’s gaze shifted to the mermaid sitting on the bed.
She vaguely guessed that Suhui’s explanation might have raised their suspicions. But Su Mingxiu didn’t want to reveal Suhui’s true identity, so she simply replied: “Yes, I’m fine.”
Hearing her answer, the others knew that even though there were still some unanswered questions, since the people involved didn’t want to talk about it, they had no reason to pry.
Because of this incident, the program team decided to enhance the security and safety measures on the cruise ship, so they gave the trainees half a day off.
They all planned to make good use of this rare opportunity to relax during the talent show. Pao Tong suggested with a smile: “Let’s stay in this room and keep you company tonight, okay?”
Annie patted her chest and said with lingering fear: “I was so worried when I heard you were missing! I was so scared something bad had happened. Now that you’re okay, my heart is still pounding—”
As she spoke, she winked at Su Mingxiu, hinting for her to comfort her.
Wang Zhi, however, seemed to realize that it wasn’t appropriate for so many people to crowd in this small room. Just as she was about to excuse herself, she heard Su Mingxiu say: “I’m a bit hungry, is there anything you want to eat?”
So they once again flocked to the cruise ship’s kitchen, like they had done in the hotel kitchen before.
Since they had half a day off, they even helped Su Mingxiu with the cooking. Annie, who had no experience in this area, obediently squatted down and washed the vegetables.
Pao Tong and Wang Zhi, one responsible for chopping vegetables, the other for preparing the ingredients. Although they were clumsy, they were diligent and responsible, asking Su Mingxiu whenever they were unsure about something. In the end, the dishes turned out quite well.
Suhui only waited to eat, but for some reason, she felt uncomfortable just standing there. She didn’t understand what this oppressive atmosphere was. She looked at Su Mingxiu: “I… should I do something?”
“No need,” Su Mingxiu replied without looking up. “Go do your own thing.”
Suhui looked at the prawns frying in the wok, stood there sullenly for a while, then actually turned and left, seemingly intending to return only when the food was ready.
Seeing her leave, the other three exchanged glances, then turned their gazes towards the beautiful figure standing by the stove.
They vaguely felt that the relationship between Su Mingxiu and Suhui had changed.
But they couldn’t tell if it was a sign of closeness or distance.
Back in their room…
Suhui sat on the bed, her legs dangling, swaying them back and forth like she usually did when sitting on a reef.
Even though she had decided to find a new, suitable partner for egg-laying, she felt an inexplicable unease in her heart.
Suhui couldn’t find a reason after thinking for a long time. Finally, she attributed it to the frustration of choosing the wrong target.
She decided to immediately check if there were any suitable humans on this ship for her to have offspring with.
Thinking of this, Suhui got up and walked out. As she opened the door, she heard cheers from outside. It turned out that Yuchi Xiao, the mentor, was playing games with everyone to lighten the mood and foster camaraderie among the trainees.
Yuchi Xiao, he’s quite handsome too.
And judging from the reactions of the people around him, their admiring gazes, his status in human society must be quite high.
Thinking this, Suhui joined the other trainees. Perhaps because she was usually cold and aloof, and her skills were exceptional, the other trainees felt a mix of envy, jealousy, and even fear towards her. Unconsciously, they made way for her, putting her in the center.
Yuchi Xiao smiled at her warmly and charmingly, leaning closer to say something—
Before Suhui could hear him clearly, she sniffed the air.
She detected another scent hidden beneath the strong fragrance of Yuchi Xiao’s perfume.
Suhui casually turned her head and saw another trainee nearby, a girl who had also received an S-rank during the initial evaluation but only got an A in the recent test.
Yuchi Xiao’s scent… was on her.
Although it was faint, Suhui still caught it.
Facing Yuchi Xiao’s sexy and gentle smile, seeing the beautiful rings on several of his fingers, but his ring finger, which symbolized commitment, bare, Suhui suddenly lost interest.
She felt that all humans were cunning.
They had already mated with someone else, yet they were still trying to charm others.
Suhui excused herself and left the crowd. Then, she detected complex scents on several high-status, respected human males.
It seemed that human males weren’t reliable.
So she thought of Su Mingxiu again. Although Su Mingxiu was also kind to others, at least she hadn’t tricked anyone into laying eggs… And, and she had only Su Mingxiu’s scent on her before.
After wandering around the cruise ship, Suhui ended up back in the kitchen.
Annie, Pao Tong, and the others were gathered around Su Mingxiu, chatting and laughing, holding skewers of fried food that smelled incredibly delicious.
Seeing her approach, their chatter ceased. Suhui walked to Su Mingxiu’s side, just in time to see prawns being deep-fried in the wok.
She leaned closer to Su Mingxiu and opened her mouth: “Ah—”
“Eat it yourself.”
Su Mingxiu scooped up a prawn, drained the oil, and placed it on a plate for her.
Suhui let out an “Oh.” Before reaching for the prawn, she suddenly remembered something and asked: “You fed me before, why not now?”
Hearing this…
Annie and the others looked over, their gazes shifting between the two.
But the other person involved remained calm, replying without blinking: “The situation is different now.”
Suhui’s blue eyes blinked. She wondered in confusion:
… How is it different?
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