Chapter 30: Love Can Be Made? (Part II)

The massive platinum-gold fishtail transformed into legs. It scrambled awkwardly onto the shore. Once the humans determined it was not a threat, they placed it into a specialized container designed to simulate a marine ecosystem.

It was so hot. Its body burned with a pain a hundred times sharper than the incisions where they had cut it.

Its gaze burned with intensity as it watched the human lying on a low couch in the distance.

Human. Its human…

It didn’t know how to walk. It could barely force itself to move, stumbling and falling with every step up the stairs, leaving a trail of water in its wake.

The mermaid’s pale face was flushed deep crimson, a beautiful sight as it entered the room. It wasn’t just its face; its entire body was red.

It felt so uncomfortable. It needed the human…

Ancestral memories told it that it needed to bond with its chosen mate.

Stumbling, it finally reached the human’s side. Its legs gave way, and it collapsed weakly onto the floor.

It stared at the beautiful face of the sleeping human, its eyes overflowing with a mixture of love and raw desire.

It loved this human.

It had seen how other mermaid mates resolved their heat cycles.

The mermaid slowly leaned down, letting its lips brush against the human’s. It thought: I must be gentle. I cannot wake the human.

Between the mermaid’s fingers were transparent webs. It slowly took the human’s chin, forcing the mouth to open and revealing the soft, red tongue within.

Its movements remained light. It pressed its lips back down, sending its tongue to explore the human’s mouth.

The inside of the mermaid’s mouth was cold, but the human’s was scorching.

The mermaid felt as though it had found a fascinating new toy. A fire ignited within its golden pupils.

It continued to stir within the human’s mouth for an unknown length of time. Finally, the mermaid withdrew, giving the human’s lips a shallow, lingering lick.

Not enough. It wasn’t nearly enough…

Its mind and body screamed in protest. It looked at the cumbersome fabric covering the human. It reached out, slowly unbuttoning the shirt; it had seen the human take it off before.

Then, it unfastened the human’s trousers.

The movements were so subtle that the human seemed entirely unaware, remaining in a deep slumber.

Slowly, it lifted the human’s legs and slid the trousers off.

Its gaze was scorching. Due to its instability, its legs shifted back into a fishtail.

The mermaid’s gaze drifted lower.

With extreme gentleness, it let its tail slip between the human’s legs.

The photographer captured the scene from behind the mermaid, focusing on the elegant curve of its back.

The lighting was dim and atmospheric, designed to evoke a sense of intoxicating passion.

The mermaid’s gaze was fervent, fixed on the human’s vivid red lips, appearing truly lost in the moment.

The photographer’s heart raced as she worked. She transitioned from close-ups of the kiss to the rhythmic rise and fall of the mermaid’s back. Under the low light, the sexual tension in the frame was palpable.

In this setting, the intersex mermaid possessed two reproductive tracts—one internal and one external.

It was hard not to imagine how incredibly evocative this scene would be if Shen Xun were actually a mermaid pressing down on Zhao Xue.

Having read the original novel, the photographer had always found the concept of the mermaid’s external reproductive tract highly provocative. She had filmed many intimate scenes, but none felt as charged as this one.

“Cut! That’s it. This shot is a wrap,” the Director called out.

Zhao Xue immediately opened her eyes, meeting Shen Xun’s gaze—which was still steeped in the character’s fervent, loving intensity.

Zhao Xue scrambled away from under Shen Xun as if escaping. She was wearing flesh-colored micro-shorts and a matching camisole for the scene. They had N-G’d three times today; that last take was finally the one.

The Director stepped forward with a smile. “Well done! It seems you took my words to heart yesterday. Shen Xun, your emotional progression was perfect. Zhao Xue, you were great too, overcoming your physical reactions.”

Noticing Zhao Xue’s flushed face, the Director joked, “Zhao Xue, why is your face so red? Are you embarrassed? Hahaha.”

Zhao Xue lowered her eyes, offering a shy smile. “Director Zhao, you’re teasing me.”

Her peripheral vision caught Shen Xun, who wasn’t looking at her but was instead checking her costume and makeup.

In truth, when Shen Xun was moving earlier, her lower abdomen had been brushing against Zhao Xue’s. Even through the fabric, the sensation was unmistakable. Zhao Xue had felt the urge to open her eyes several times, but she had held back.

“Alright, alright, let’s keep going. Keep that energy up, both of you. It’s fantastic.”

With the intimate scene finished, regular filming resumed.

Li slowly woke up. Her body felt incredibly uncomfortable, and her lips and tongue stung.

She realized what had happened the previous night, and her expression darkened. Many faces flashed through her mind, but then she noticed the transparent mucus covering her and the trail of water on the floor. Mixed with the same mucus, the wet trail led up the stairs.

It pointed in one direction: the water.

In that massive tank, only one mermaid was kept. And she was the only person with the clearance to enter this area.

The answer was self-evident.

She stood up and dressed. Fortunately, her clothes were still clean. As she took a step, a wave of discomfort hit her.

Li’s expression didn’t flicker; she even let a smile play on her lips.

She walked to the tank. Through the transparent glass, she watched the platinum-gold mermaid curled into a ball. She reached out and tapped the glass.

Ting, ting. It wasn’t a piercing sound.

This was the mermaid language Li had researched. When a mermaid made a sound, its unique vocal cord structure transmitted a specific acoustic wave. Different frequencies carried different meanings.

Li could only manage a fraction of it. She didn’t have a mermaid’s vocal cords; she was merely trying to imitate the sound.

The frequency she made translated to: Was it you last night? I liked it.

It seemed to work. The mermaid turned over and swam to the glass, its beautiful tail swishing. Its mouth opened, emitting a low moan in response.

Li couldn’t understand the sound, but she could see from the mermaid’s expression that it understood her—and it was happy.

With a gentle smile, she pressed her hand against the glass. “A31, if you love me… can you fall into despair for me?”

Just then, a voice came through Li’s communication device.

“Dr. Li, the experiment failed again. The data doesn’t match; this mermaid is different from the others.”

Li replied, “Understood. I’ll be right over. Let’s harvest some more mermaid flesh and blood tomorrow.”

The human left, leaving the mermaid alone in the freezing water.

It didn’t understand the human words, but somehow, it felt that the strange sound from earlier must be the name of the human before it.

The mermaid’s mouth opened and closed, trying to mimic that strange language, but it failed. It felt a sense of dejection.

It swam back to its sleeping spot. Its beautiful tail was no longer as stunning as before; it had become mottled and scarred.

The mermaid looked at its arm. Every time it woke up from an inexplicable sleep, these wounds would appear. They were painful, but it was powerless. It could only watch as the scars multiplied.

It should have been free, but it was trapped in this small glass tank.

It was sad, but at least the human stayed with it every day. Even if they couldn’t speak to each other, seeing the human smile made it happy.

If these scars could earn the human’s comfort, then perhaps they weren’t so hateful after all.

The mermaid curled its body and let itself sink to the bottom.

Li left the containment area for A31. Instead of going to the lab, she went to a room that felt entirely out of place in the facility.

The floor was covered in a soft, light brown carpet, and the walls were decorated with cute, cartoonish graffiti.

Li walked to the bed, looking at the woman connected to various tubes. Her eyes overflowed with an intense, sorrowful love. She reached out to touch the woman she secretly loved, as she always did, but then remembered something and withdrew her hand.

“Xiao He, I’m sorry. I’ve done something wrong. But if it can save you, I’ll do it gladly.”

“Cut! Perfect! Wrap it up for today,” the Director shouted happily.

They had N-G’d this segment twice, but Zhao Xue finally found the right state.

It’s so good that I got Zhao Xue and Shen Xun for this, the Director thought. This movie is going to be a hit!

Feeling generous, the Director announced, “Everyone’s been working hard. Let’s go out for dinner tonight—my treat! And tomorrow is a day off!”

The entire crew broke into cheers.

“We better make sure to pick an expensive place!” the Assistant Director joked.

Zhao Xue and Shen Xun, wearing masks, followed behind the production team. They were the only ones in the crew with a following.

The Director had booked a hotpot restaurant near the hotel. In a large private room, they set up two tables. The atmosphere was lively and boisterous.

The Director leaned toward Shen Xun. “Shen Xun, you have the talent to be a Best Actress winner!” She was clearly tipsy and speaking without filter.

Shen Xun had had a little to drink herself—not enough to be drunk, but enough to make her face flush. She offered a shy, innocent smile. “Director Zhao, you’re exaggerating.”

Seeing her humble reaction, the Director laughed and put an arm around Shen Xun’s shoulders. “Being this polite won’t get you far in showbiz! Come on, have a drink.” She raised her glass.

Shen Xun subtly shrugged off the Director’s hand, raised her own glass, and clinked it against the Director’s before finishing her drink in one go.

The Director smiled, satisfied, and then drifted over to Zhao Xue. Noticing Zhao Xue’s bright red cheeks, she teased, “Who got our Dr. Li drunk? Look at how red this little face is.”

Someone chimed in, “Hahaha, Teacher Zhao only had a little bit and she’s already gone.”

The crew had a great dynamic. The two leads were professional and rarely N-G’d, making the shoot incredibly smooth. Plus, having two beautiful leads—one gentle and one shy—made everyone fond of them.

The teasing made Zhao Xue feel embarrassed. While her head was spinning, she wasn’t so drunk that she lost her bearings.

“I’m not drunk,” she insisted blankly, “my head is just a bit dizzy.” With her wide, beautiful eyes, she looked incredibly cute.

Shen Xun caught a brief glimpse before looking away.

By 1:00 AM, the meal was over. The group made their way back to the hotel.

The Director had sobered up a bit. Seeing that Shen Xun seemed clear-headed, she handed the dizzy Zhao Xue over to her. “Your rooms are next to each other; it’s easier for you to look after her.”

Shen Xun smiled and took Zhao Xue by the waist. “Of course, Director Zhao.”

With a wave of her hand, the Director left.

Shen Xun supported Zhao Xue as they reached her room. Her tone wasn’t particularly friendly. “Where’s your key card?”

Zhao Xue’s head was swimming. The corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were red. Her lips were slightly parted, and she let out a small, alcohol-scented hiccup.

“In… in my pocket.”

Shen Xun looked at Zhao Xue’s misty eyes, her expression turning odd. “What are you acting cute for?” She reached into Zhao Xue’s pocket and pulled out the key card.

After opening the door, Shen Xun casually closed it behind them. She led Zhao Xue to the bed and unceremoniously dropped her onto it before turning to leave.

She was actually a bit tipsy herself, though it didn’t show on the outside. All she wanted was to go back and take a hot bath.

To her surprise, her wrist was caught by Zhao Xue. Shen Xun tried to pull away a few times, but she discovered that a drunken Zhao Xue had incredible strength.

“Let go,” she said firmly.

Zhao Xue blinked her misty eyes. With a sudden pull, she dragged Shen Xun onto the bed.

Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Shen Xun had little strength to resist. She struggled for a moment but found it futile.

She turned her head to tell Zhao Xue to let go, only to be met with Zhao Xue’s smiling face. It was an expression she had never seen on Zhao Xue before. It was filled with an intense allure.

Her eyes were slightly curved, her lips glistening, and a deep flush coated her pale cheeks. Shen Xun watched as Zhao Xue propped herself up. Her collar was loose, and from her angle, Shen Xun could see…

Shen Xun felt a strange, inexplicable moment of hesitation.

Zhao Xue lowered her long lashes and took Shen Xun’s hand, leading it downward.

“Shen Xun, touch me… please touch me.”

Shen Xun’s hand was brought to a soft, warm place. Perhaps the alcohol had numbed her brain, leaving it blank. She didn’t resist; she only stared, stunned, at Zhao Xue.