Chapter 88: I Love Slacking Off
The next day, Tao Ning woke up in bed and exhaled a breath of hot air.
Without touching her forehead, she knew she had caught a cold and developed a fever. She sat up, hugging the blanket.
As expected, her newly recovered body couldn’t handle such a toss. Just contact with cold water had given her a cold. She’d have to be more careful next time.
Opening her smart device to request leave, Tao Ning habitually ignored all messages from her adoptive parents, planning to reply to them later in the evening.
The original host, Zang Yuzhu, had a good relationship with her adoptive parents and was quite spoiled. She used to say that if both children made a request at the same time, even their biological son, Gu Yuan, would have to wait.
However, Tao Ning didn’t intend to build a close relationship with them for now. She cultivated a busy image, to the point that even Gu Yuan often couldn’t find her.
This dispelled any doubts her adoptive parents might have.
Despite this, she received high praise from her adoptive parents, saying she had matured, and that perhaps this incident would help her get into the Research Institute.
They also said, “If it doesn’t work out, we’ll help you find a way, as long as you’re willing.”
Tao Ning brushed them off with a few words, not committing to anything.
Judging from their attitude, they treated her no differently than their biological child, doting on her every whim, at least ensuring she had everything she needed in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
It seemed that before Zang Yuzhu left, her adoptive parents had prepared a small medicine kit for her, which might contain the fever medicine Tao Ning needed.
It was New Star Calendar 1101, an interstellar age where human physical fitness had greatly improved. An adult developing a fever from a cold was something no one would believe if posted online, yet it had actually happened to Tao Ning.
Seeing Tao Ning searching the room for the medicine kit, 520 sighed: [You’re really like a glass cannon right now.]
Possessing offensive power, yet fragile.
After searching together, they finally found the medicine kit, which was well-stocked and contained a variety of items.
There were both oral and topical medications. Zang Yuzhu, despite her seemingly careless attitude, had organized everything neatly and stored it in the cabinet.
520 watched Tao Ning rummage through the medicine kit, saying, [There should be fever medicine. If not, you’ll have to find the accompanying doctor… What’s this?]
Tao Ning picked up a small paper bag from the corner and squeezed it. There was also a partially eaten vitamin tablet, oval-shaped.
Zang Yuzhu’s physical constitution was indeed weak, and she was prone to illness. Her adoptive parents, worried about her health, always prepared vitamins for her whenever she went out.
It was said that Zang Yuzhu had suffered for a while before being sent to the military dependents’ orphanage. At that time, both her parents had died in battle, only having enough time to push her into an escape pod.
In that surprise attack, the entire army was annihilated, with only Zang Yuzhu, who had been visiting her parents for her birthday, surviving.
The escape pod’s landing location was also quite unfortunate. It crash-landed in a mixed zone on a remote planet when its energy was depleted. The mixed zone was a chaotic place, full of desperate individuals, and lacking kindness.
Seeing an escape pod land, they ignored the possibility of someone being inside and immediately dismantled it to sell the parts.
When Zang Yuzhu woke up inside, it was even more unfortunate. She was also taken to be sold.
Just before she was put on the auction block, the military arrived in time, rescuing her and taking down the human trafficking ring.
After that, Zang Yuzhu was about to be sent to an orphanage when Gu Yuan’s parents arrived and adopted her. But that period of hardship had left lasting effects on her health, making her physically weaker than other children her age.
Her frail health made her adoptive parents particularly attentive to her, and Gu Yuan also took extra care of her, which contributed to her spoiled nature.
Being able to grow up spoiled despite losing her parents was seen as proof of the Gu family’s dedication. This further enhanced Gu Yuan’s father’s reputation, and his position rose steadily.
From this perspective, Zang Yuzhu being able to grow up healthy and strong was already quite an achievement.
Tao Ning put the small paper bag back in its place. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any fever medicine, so she messaged Dr. Howard for help, took the medicine, and lay down to rest.
Having prepared the fruit, the academy teacher placed a basket of fruit in the service robot’s hands, letting it deliver the Mermaid’s meal.
Activating the robot, he watched from the side, feeling a bit apprehensive.
Although he hadn’t personally cared for a Mermaid, he had heard about their sharp claws. He heard that student Zang Yuzhu had been scratched by the Mermaid and almost drowned in the pool, which was why she requested leave.
The Starnet was indeed full of lies, claiming that Mermaids were beautiful and gentle, with enchanting voices, harmless creatures.
Callista, unaware of the rumors and the damage to her reputation, smelled the food from underwater and swam to the surface.
She wondered what kind of excuses that cunning human would come up with today.
Emerging from the water, Callista was faced with the service robot’s round body and its silly face.
Callista: “?”
Service Robot: “Please enjoy your meal OWO.”
Callista: “…”
The Mermaid didn’t understand. She looked towards the only living person nearby.
The academy teacher, temporarily acting as a keeper, knew his presentation skills were lacking. He scratched his head, thinking for a long time, before placing the intact fruits on the platter.
Looking at the aesthetically displeasing, haphazardly arranged fruit, Callista had no desire to eat.
She’d rather go hungry than eat something ugly.
Callista, whose taste had been refined by Tao Ning, looked at the academy teacher with a puzzled expression, then at the fruit platter with disdain.
Ugly things remained ugly no matter how many times she looked.
But in the temporary keeper’s eyes, the Mermaid’s gaze was full of sorrow, her eyes shimmering, as if she had a thousand words to say.
If Tao Ning were there, she could interpret at least eight hundred words of complaints from those two glances, not some unspoken yearning.
“Ah, Mermaids not only lure people with their singing, but also with their eyes!” The academy teacher quickly ran away, afraid of being tempted to enter the water.
Some people yearned for Mermaids, while others avoided them like the plague.
The academy teacher had originally belonged to the former group, but after researching, he had become like Lord Ye, who admired dragons from afar but was terrified of them up close.
Callista, left behind: “…”
She didn’t understand what the person had said, but she understood that the human wouldn’t be appearing today.
Callista was unhappy. She wasn’t done being angry, and this human dared not show up.
She didn’t care, so why should this human?
Glaring at the fruit basket and the silly robot, Callista dove back into the water.
Demonstrating with her actions that she didn’t care either, hmph.
After a good sleep, Tao Ning’s fever had subsided. She got up, ate, and prepared to visit Callista, whom she hadn’t seen for most of the day.
After what happened yesterday, without a proper explanation, and now not showing up, the short-tempered leader would definitely be fuming.
However, Tao Ning didn’t make it. Just after washing up, she ran into An He, who had come to visit.
An He had just finished training and had specifically changed into clean clothes.
Tao Ning looked behind An He and said, “You brought two tails with you?”
An He was puzzled: “Tails? What tails?”
She turned around, and there were indeed two tails hiding not far away.
Since they had been discovered, Song Fangzhou stepped out of her hiding place, dragging a protesting Tina along.
Song Fangzhou said, “I heard you were sick, so I wanted to come and see you.”
Tao Ning: “To see me make a fool of myself?”
Song Fangzhou’s fair face twitched slightly, and she said curtly, “No, I misunderstood you about what happened before. An He explained it to me.”
Tao Ning: “Young lady, you should stick to your convictions.”
She gestured towards the room: “Come in.”
“I…” Song Fangzhou swallowed her words, pulling Tina into the room.
An He was the first to enter, sitting down at the table.
The various medical devices had been removed from the room, making it look like an ordinary student dormitory. Yet, her posture was strangely stiff.
Looking over, Song Fangzhou beside her also looked tense.
So it wasn’t just her who felt nervous. For some reason, she always felt tense in front of Zang Yuzhu after she woke up.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t felt nervous before, perhaps out of a sense of protectiveness towards the weaker individual, she would subconsciously take extra care of her.
But this time, the nervousness seemed different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
An He relaxed slightly, then abruptly stopped.
No way…
She glanced at Song Fangzhou, who looked back at her quizzically, asking with her eyes, “What?”
Tina reached out to take the glass of water Tao Ning offered: “Thank you. I never thought I’d see the day you’d pour water for someone.”
After saying that, she received two stares.
Tina: “…” I think I said something wrong.
Realizing her mistake, Tina quickly apologized: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that I didn’t know you were the type to pour water for others… No, that’s not what I meant either…”
Tao Ning gave her a knowing smile and simply said, “I understand.”
520 thought it might be hallucinating, because what it heard was: “I’ll remember this.”
Tina shut her mouth, like a timid kitten, afraid to make another sound.
Tao Ning held the warm water with both hands, sitting alone, looking at her three former teammates: “Is there something you need?”
Song Fangzhou: “Nothing, just checking in.”
An He: “I heard you were injured, so I came to see you.”
They spoke in unison, their words slightly different, but the underlying meaning was the same.
Tao Ning feigned surprise: “How did I get injured?”
Song Fangzhou glanced at the wrist holding the cup, so pale and translucent it looked like it would break: “You have quite a few injuries.”
Tina, finally finding a topic she could speak on, said, “You don’t know? Everyone’s saying you requested leave because you were injured by the Mermaid. We were worried it was true, so we came to check on you.”
An He continued, “Seeing you safe and sound, we’re relieved that you’re alright.”
Tao Ning understood, letting out an “Ah,” then asking, “Why would such rumors spread?”
Hearing this, Tina became animated, excitedly recounting everything she knew.
Tao Ning, after hearing the whole story: “…”
This was a classic case of a story changing as it’s retold. The young lady’s temper tantrum provoking the Mermaid and getting injured had become being pushed into the water and almost drowning.
Seeing Tao Ning looking at them speechlessly, sitting there unharmed, they knew it was just a rumor.
Tao Ning smiled: “I just slipped and fell into the water. I didn’t expect that’s what people were saying outside. How strange.”
The three: “…”
They felt Zang Yuzhu was being sarcastic about the rumors, but they had no proof.
After sending them off, Tao Ning headed towards the swimming pool, naturally attracting many curious and surprised glances along the way.
She ignored them all, skillfully entering the password and walking into the swimming pool area.
A pearl came flying towards her. Tao Ning caught it between her fingers and lowered her hand. A figure appeared by the pool.
Callista said, “You’re slower.”
Tao Ning replied in Mermaid language, “I was sick, so I didn’t come to see you this morning.”
“Sick.” Callista repeated the slightly unfamiliar word. She asked, “What is sick?”
Tao Ning replied, “Being sick is like I was just now, slower and weaker.”
Callista furrowed her brows, her expression full of disdain: “Then being sick isn’t good. I hate being sick too.”
Tao Ning sat down by the pool. Seeing her sluggishness, Callista lost her playful mood and became unusually quiet.
Looking at the full fruit basket, Tao Ning asked, “None of these suit your taste?”
Callista pouted: “They’re piled together so uglily, I don’t want to eat them.”
And that thing that delivered the food was also ugly, making her lose her appetite.
Tao Ning pulled out a butterfly knife from her pocket and cut open a peach, the sweet scent wafting towards the Mermaid’s sensitive nose.
Glancing at the peach in her hand, Callista’s slender fingers closed around the pink fruit, the pink and white contrasting beautifully against the silver blade she wielded with practiced ease.
Callista then said, “But I suddenly have an appetite now.”
Callista, full of anticipation, received the desired peach and even got a peeled apple.
If Callista’s subjects saw this, they would surely think they had mistaken their leader, who would never deign to accept food cut into pieces from another Mermaid.
That was too pampered. Only newborn Mermaids needed help with their food.
Finally satisfied, Callista leaned against the edge of the pool with her elbow and said, “That human didn’t tell me you were sick. I thought you weren’t coming.”
Looking at Callista’s expression, Tao Ning knew that this Mermaid leader had no concept of emotions, her gaze direct and unreserved.
Expecting a Mermaid to develop feelings because of a kiss was indeed a fantasy.
Tao Ning suppressed a slight feeling of disappointment: “I wouldn’t not come. They don’t understand Mermaid language, so they couldn’t tell you.”
That made sense. Callista felt inexplicably irritated: “They’re so stupid, they can’t learn Mermaid language.”
Watching the Mermaid’s tail swishing in the water, Tao Ning felt a little tempted. She sat by the edge and dipped her feet into the water.
It was cool and refreshing, but she quickly pulled her feet back.
Callista watched her actions with a puzzled look, seemingly understanding something: “Did you get sick because you touched the water?”
Tao Ning corrected her: “I got sick because I was submerged in cold water.”
In Callista’s eyes, Tao Ning’s fragility seemed to have increased another level, comparable to a newborn Mermaid. She said, “You shouldn’t be so fragile.”
Tao Ning smiled: “I don’t want to be so fragile either. I wish I were as strong as you.”
Callista shook her head: “That’s not what I meant. Humans can’t be as strong as us.”
Mermaids were natural overlords of the sea. Without their claws that could tear through anything and their powerful tails, they would just be another food source for other sea creatures.
“If that’s not what you meant, then…” Tao Ning suddenly realized something, looking into Callista’s blue eyes, repeating her words, “I shouldn’t be so fragile?”
In front of Callista, Tao Ning placed two fingers on her wrist, feeling her pulse, and pondered for a moment.
The person who had been talking suddenly fell silent, deep in thought while holding her wrist. Callista also reached out and touched her wrist, only feeling the smooth skin, nothing else.
Water droplets from her hand splashed onto Tao Ning’s pale skin. Callista watched for a moment, then remembered that this human was even more fragile than a Mermaid baby, prone to illness from cold water, so she quickly wiped the droplets away with her skirt.
Seeing Tao Ning open her eyes, Callista asked, trying to hide her actions, “What does that gesture mean?”
Tao Ning, who had intended to teach her some basic human knowledge, said, “This is called taking a pulse. We humans can tell a person’s condition from their pulse.”
Having spent a long time in the previous world, Tao Ning had dabbled in everything, including medicine.
Even a medical layman, after spending hundreds of years focused on one thing, would have mastered it.
Callista only half understood. She asked, “So what did you find out?”
Externally strong but internally weak, with blocked meridians. This wasn’t just a result of long-term accumulation, but also half due to external factors. There were trace amounts of toxins in her body.
The dosage wasn’t high, accumulated from long-term ingestion, having a moderate impact on her health, just enough to hinder the development of her psychic sea.
That’s why Zang Yuzhu’s psychic power was only A-level after reaching adulthood.
Compared to others, it wasn’t low, but compared to her biological parents, it was indeed inferior in every aspect.
Tao Ning didn’t hide anything, explaining it to her in a way Callista could understand.
She regretted lying before, so she wouldn’t lie to her now. Besides, Mermaid language wasn’t easy to decipher in a short time, so it didn’t matter if she revealed it.
After listening, Callista nodded seriously: “You are indeed very fragile, I can smell it.”
She pointed at her nose. A Mermaid’s sensitive five senses, especially her sense of smell, could detect almost anything.
Extending her hand towards Tao Ning, Callista said excitedly, “You’re so good at touching, how about you touch me?”
A wrist rested on Tao Ning’s knee, adorned with a pearl bracelet, interspersed with shells and gems she had collected.
Callista had made it herself when she was bored. It wasn’t as refined as human craftsmanship, but it had a unique, wild beauty.
The Mermaid’s webbed claws, capable of tearing through mecha, now rested casually on her knee, seemingly boneless, the red mole on her fingertip prominent.
Staring at the wrist, Tao Ning placed two fingers on it, taking her pulse.
Callista watched Tao Ning’s contemplative face with curiosity, her gaze fixed.
Perhaps because she hadn’t seen many people since coming ashore, this human was indeed the most beautiful she had ever seen, her skin as white as the white gossamer woven by silver Mermaids, and her voice pleasant.
When she opened her eyes, they were like the black pearls she had once collected.
It was a pity she had forgotten where she had put that handful of black pearls. Otherwise, she could compare them now, to see which was brighter, the pearls or her eyes.
Well, her lips were quite soft.
Thinking of this, Callista felt a little regretful.
She knew humans couldn’t be collected like black pearls, and they didn’t like living in the ocean.
Seeing Tao Ning open her eyes, Callista leaned closer and asked curiously, “So?”
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