Li Zhiyin waved his folding fan.

"This luminous pearl is of excellent quality."

"Even someone of such noble status as the Imperial Concubine, who has seen treasures from all over the world, has never seen such a bead."

"The Empress Dowager's birthday is approaching."

"Is Your Highness thinking that if you could find the owner of this luminous pearl and find one of even better quality to present to the Empress Dowager as a birthday gift, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

"If this succeeds, the entire Jiangnan region will benefit along with the county magistrate."

His smile was meaningful.

The magistrate felt somewhat relieved.

It turns out it was a good thing.

Shen Zhiyi is the biggest merchant here.

Not only did he have a wide business and pay taxes diligently, but he also frequently provided relief to the people, which greatly reduced his burden.

Therefore, he was willing to speak up for her.

"Your Excellency, this luminous pearl comes from the head of the Shen family, Shen Zhiyi."

"If she can truly produce an even better luminous pearl to please the Imperial Concubine and the Empress Dowager, I will be happy for her."

"I certainly won't steal her credit."

Li Zhiyin closed his folding fan, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

"So it was her."

"I've heard that it's truly remarkable that she, a woman, could hold her own against Li Xianchuan in the business world."

"I really want to meet this extraordinary woman from Jiangnan."

He slightly curled the corners of his lips.

*

Night fell, and the mansion was shrouded in darkness.

The full moon shines brightly.

Shen Zhiyi was deep in sleep.

She dreamed that she was stroking the tail of a fish.

But the fish seemed to be extremely uncomfortable from her touching, and its whole body turned bright red.

As she touched it, the fish blew bubbles at her.

What it spits out are all crystal-clear, perfectly round shark pearls.

Each one felt real as it hit her face, as if venting an unfulfilled desire.

Then, as if it couldn't bear it, it swam over with a mournful tone and licked her face with its tongue.

But Shen Zhiyi stared wide-eyed in horror.

How can fish have tongues?

She cried out and woke up with a start!

She subconsciously reached out and touched her face.

There was no wet, sticky saliva.

There was no pain from being hit by a heavy object.

She then patted her chest and let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Qingyuan?"

Shen Zhiyi glanced at her empty side, saw no one, and called out in confusion.

No one answered.

She threw back the covers, got out of bed, walked to the cold spring, and looked inside—

It was completely empty.

She looked up again at the moon outside the window, her eyebrows furrowing.

Where did you go so late at night?

She wrapped herself in a cloak, pushed open the door with some confusion, and walked out.

When they got close to the small kitchen, they heard a faint sound coming from inside.

She stopped, turned around, and pushed open the door.

A figure in a white robe suddenly turned around.

Qingyuan squatted on the ground, his face still damp with water, his hands behind his back, his expression stiff as he met her gaze.

"What are you doing?" Shen Zhiyi approached, frowning as she stared at his wet eyelashes.

Qingyuan remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, a sharp slapping sound came from behind him.

It looked like something jumped down.

Qingyuan moved his arm, but still couldn't grab it.

A fish fell to the ground with a plop.

It even flapped its wings twice.

Shen Zhiyi's peach blossom eyes widened as she stared at the dead fish eyes on the ground.

She slowly shifted her gaze and met Qingyuan's eyes.

Stealing fish to eat in the middle of the night?

Qingyuan turned his face away, his thin lips pressed tightly together, and his ears turned suspiciously red.

Shen Zhiyi: ...

"You...are you hungry?" she asked in surprise.

Qingyuan remained silent for a moment.

He remained silent, but his back straightened even more.

Shen Zhiyi sighed softly, didn't ask any more questions, walked over, and pulled him up from the ground.

"Even if you're hungry, you can't just eat it raw like that."

"You're in human form now, what if your throat gets scratched by the scales?"

She muttered to herself as she picked up the dying fish from the ground and put it into the basin of water.

She then took his hand and dipped it into another basin of water, washing it with soapy water.

Then use a dry cloth to wipe it clean little by little.

Qingyuan lowered his eyes, looking at his slender finger bones, which she was turning over and over, kneading and squeezing.

A surge of heat instantly coursed through my body.

He closed his eyes, suppressing his longing.

Shen Zhiyi wiped his hands clean, tossed aside the handkerchief, and then took out a clean porcelain plate and chopsticks from the cabinet next to her.

Then, he picked up the fish, and with swift, skillful movements, he scaled and gutted it, slicing the entire fish into thin, translucent sashimi slices, which he then neatly arranged on a plate.

Then drizzle with light soy sauce and place it in front of Qingyuan.

"Eat."

Qingyuan stared at the plate of sashimi, then looked up and gazed deeply at her.

The lamplight cast a soft shadow under her eyelashes, giving her a gentle glow.

His heart skipped a beat.

Driven by instinct, not wanting her to look at him like he was an animal, he spoke in a low voice, explaining, "On the night of the full moon, the merfolk are particularly unable to control themselves."

"If...the desire for a lover cannot be satisfied, it will turn into appetite, leading to greedy eating."

He held her hand. "Qingqing, don't hate me."

"And don't... be afraid of me."

He didn't want to see the look of disgust in her eyes.

That would be worse than letting him die.

Shen Zhiyi was slightly taken aback.

She suddenly turned her head and glanced at the moon outside the window.

The moonlight is faint and the surface is round like a jade disc.

She asked incredulously, "So...you got up in the middle of the night to look for food because of me?"

"Because I refuse to share a room with you?"

Qingyuan's eyelashes trembled slightly. He leaned down and gently hugged her. "I'm sorry, Qingqing, I didn't mean to force you."

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