Chapter 35! Look! The Mermaid!
Tao Xingyou did her research and decided to go see the whale sharks at lunchtime when everyone was out eating, as there would be fewer people and she could find a great viewing spot.
They ate some snacks before entering the aquarium in the morning, so it's fine for them to have lunch later.
Arriving at the largest venue and seeing the giant viewing window, the sheer awe was overwhelming. Especially now, with fewer people and a wide-open view, it was incredibly comfortable. The other three were extremely grateful to Tao Xingyou for planning the trip.
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The enormous viewing window seems to have sliced open a corner of the ocean, allowing tiny land-dwelling humans to glimpse it for a moment.
The larger stingrays, which like to swim close to the viewing window, are quite conspicuous; their flat bodies and movement resemble a flowing skirt. When several swim together, they look especially like fabric decorations.
There aren't many sharks, and they swim very slowly, not recklessly. But given their reputation, even their slow passage can attract attention and even inspire a sense of fear.
The most numerous creatures were all kinds of small fish. They swam in schools, some in long lines, moving swiftly; others huddled together, surging slowly in clusters; still others liked to follow the movements of larger fish, like little tails. They were everywhere, free and colorful.
The most captivating sight is undoubtedly the enormous whale shark, the largest fish in the world, measuring over ten meters in length. Its horizontal stripes and spots resemble some kind of rock, exuding an ancient feel. Compared to it, humans appear as insignificant as ancient trees and leaves.
Schools of fish swam about, a sight to behold.
Standing before the giant viewing window, Luo Qingyan was filled with awe. However, suddenly, a wave of sorrow washed over her, engulfing her insignificant state.
The enormous aquarium is tiny compared to the real ocean. These fish should be living in the vast ocean, but now they are trapped in this limited space.
Especially whale sharks, with such a huge size, it's like a person trapped in a football field; even if they have plenty of food and water, they would still feel uncomfortable.
She could understand that humans, as subjects, would indeed do things that went against the laws of nature, but understanding aside, at this moment she just felt very sad.
Helplessness, depression, loneliness, sorrow...
I feel extremely uncomfortable.
“I took a silhouette photo of you. I can delete it if you don’t like it.” Situ Lu suddenly handed his phone to Luo Qingyan. “I was originally taking a picture of the scenery, but the moment you looked up was so beautiful, so I took it.”
In an instant, Luo Qingyan felt as if she had returned from the ocean to land. She looked at the photo on the screen and saw that it was indeed just a silhouette, blue enveloping black, and it was very beautiful: "Hmm, it's quite beautiful."
"Sis! Why aren't you taking any pictures?" Tao Xingyou loves taking pictures and takes them at every venue she visits. Zhuang Zhenglang is naturally her personal photographer.
“There’s a really good one.” Luo Qingyan generously showed Tao Xingyou the photo taken by Situ Lu.
"Wow! Even silhouettes can be taken so beautifully!" Tao Xingyou's tone was full of envy.
"I was originally taking pictures of the scenery, but the moment she looked up was like a painting, so I snapped a photo," Situ Lu explained calmly.
"Then, could you please take some photos of me and Zhenglang together?" Tao Xingyou smiled. "I was afraid of disturbing you while you were watching the fish, so we took selfies earlier. I'd like to take some better photos together."
“Of course.” Situ Lu nodded. “Whose phone will we use to take the picture?”
"Use mine!" Tao Xingyou handed over her phone with a smile, then pulled Zhuang Zhenglang over to take a picture together.
Watching her cousin and boyfriend happily taking pictures, Luo Qingyan felt much calmer. She shifted her attention from the fish in the water to the people, keeping a close eye on the three of them taking photos.
After a while, Tao Xingyou and Zhuang Zhenglang happily finished taking photos, and then she waved to Luo Qingyan: "Sister, do you want to take some photos too?"
"I don't need it, you guys can take the pictures." Luo Qingyan waved his hand.
“I don’t need it either.” Situ Lu handed the phone back to Tao Xingyou. “Take a look and see if the photos are okay. If not, we can adjust them.”
Tao Xingyou took the phone: "It looks great! Let's go have lunch, I'm a little hungry."
“Okay,” the other three responded in unison.
The group then went to a restaurant for lunch.
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It was already past one in the afternoon, and fewer people were having lunch. The four of them sat down at the restaurant and ordered, and the food arrived shortly afterward. Although they had eaten snacks earlier, they were all hungry after playing all morning, so they ate their lunch quietly.
Tao Xingyou started eating slowly, but she ate faster and faster as time went on. She drank her tea in a hurry and even choked and coughed a few times.
"Eat slowly." Zhuang Zhenglang quickly handed a tissue to Tao Xingyou. "Don't rush, we're not in a hurry."
"A mermaid?" Luo Qingyan looked up in surprise, her eyes widening slightly. In an instant, the scene of the little male merman being captured and brought to work at the aquarium flashed through her mind.
"Look! My sister wants to see the mermaid show too." Tao Xingyou gestured with her chin at Zhuang Zhenglang. "We'd better hurry."
"You all like mermaids? Is it because of fairy tales?" Zhuang Zhenglang picked up his cup and took a sip of water. "The mermaids here aren't real."
"Then why don't you go find a real one?" Tao Xingyou gave her a disdainful look. "The mermaids here are already amazing. The actors are super professional, the tails are beautiful and realistic, and they're all custom-made. I heard they cost tens of thousands! There are even people who come specifically to see mermaid performances!"
"Oh, then I'll eat quickly." Zhuang Zhenglang put down his water glass and buried his head in his food.
“Wow, there’s a beautiful mermaid lady! Don’t you like her pretty tail as she swims in the water?” Tao Xingyou winked at the two men, then leaned over and touched Luo Qingyan next to her with her shoulder. “There are also mermaid gentlemen!”
"There are male mermaids too?" Zhuang Zhenglang looked up in surprise.
Tao Xingyou gave her another disdainful look: "Otherwise, how do mermaids reproduce? Do they drink water in the Women's Kingdom?"
"Aren't mermaids from fairy tales? They don't need to consider reproduction, right?" Zhuang Zhenglang said seriously.
"The Little Mermaid in fairy tales also has a father! She's a princess, and her father is a king, so isn't that a male mermaid?"
"Oh, I think I've confused mermaids with sea kings."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, you'll see how good it is when you go see it! It's really hard for people to swim in the water wearing super heavy tails and to do all sorts of movements. The actors are amazing, their movements are so lifelike."
"Okay, I'll eat quickly."
"There's no rush. We'll get it done as quickly as possible. Everyone, please don't choke."
Luo Qingyan and Situ Lu were already used to listening to the other two chattering away, which was quite adorable. They just nodded in agreement.
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After lunch, the four of them rushed to the mermaid show venue as quickly as possible.
The performance hadn't started yet, but as Tao Xingyou said, there were already a lot of people, and the front rows were full. Everyone was very interested in this fantastical creature, the mermaid.
Fortunately, the venue was large enough, and the viewing windows for the performance were also large enough that people in the back rows could see it.
As soon as the four people stood still, the mermaid performance began.
Accompanied by melodious music, two mermaids emerged from the water, one with a pinkish-white tail and the other with a yellowish-green tail. The actresses skillfully controlled their strength, swimming with graceful movements, even dancing and blowing bubbles in the water, truly resembling fish.
Gasps of surprise came from the audience.
"Hmm, it's already quite realistic." Luo Qingyan nodded slightly. "It's just that the transition at the waist is a bit abrupt. It would look more natural if some scales were added."
"Don't be so demanding. What you're talking about is special effects makeup, which takes several hours to complete. Only big-budget movies have that kind of energy, and it's also inconvenient for underwater performances."
"Yes, we can't set our expectations too high. Human activities underwater are limited. A real mermaid's tail is a single, natural piece, unlike a human leg which has several joints."
"Sis, you're talking as if you've ever seen a real mermaid."
Luo Qingyan panicked for a moment: "Hey! You can imagine, there are many fish tails that can be used as a reference. And you see, when the actors swim, they try not to bend their knees, and their feet and tail fins are connected as naturally as possible."
"You know so much. I feel like I'm just watching the show," Tao Xingyou exclaimed sincerely, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey! The male mermaid is here!"
“You really like male mermaids.” Zhuang Zhenglang’s voice rang out from the side.
The male mermaid in the water has long, light golden hair, a blue and white fishtail, and fins tied to his arms. He swims with great power.
Seeing the male mermaid reminded Luo Qingyan of the little male mermaid. If it were a little male mermaid, he would surely swim more naturally, and she suddenly longed to see the little male mermaid swimming in the water.
"Sister." Tao Xingyou suddenly leaned closer, her voice even lower, "It's said that mermaids, like snakes, have two legs."
Luo Qingyan reacted for a moment, then her eyes trembled, and her voice was almost squeezed out from between her teeth: "What are you saying in public?"
"I suddenly realized something..."
"This is a public place."
"My voice is very soft, so no one can hear me. Don't you think that's a funny premise?"
"That's human thinking, little yellow girl, stop talking."
"Oh." Tao Xingyou focused her attention on the mermaid performance, then suddenly asked, "Sister, do you think mermaids smell fishy?"
“No, it’s perfectly clean!” Luo Qingyan blurted out.
"Is this all you're going to say?" To Tao Xingyou, the overly straightforward answer felt more like a perfunctory response. She straightened up. "Fine, let's watch the show!"
Luo Qingyan shook her head slightly, telling herself not to think about anything and to focus on watching the performance.
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After the mermaid show, Luo Qingyan felt a mess in her mind and couldn't shake it off. She was also a bit confused about the rest of the trip, but fortunately, the trip ended smoothly.
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Back home, Luo Qingyan chatted with her grandmother about her day. Although Tao Xingyou and Zhuang Zhenglang hadn't reached the point of meeting each other's parents yet, her grandmother was definitely curious, so she subtly offered some words to reassure her.
Grandma understood that Luo Qingyan would be tired after a day of playing outside, so she only chatted with her for a short while before telling Luo Qingyan to rest early.
Luo Qingyan was indeed tired, so she went back to her room. As she went upstairs, she suddenly received a WeChat message from Tao Xingyou.
Tao Xingyou: "Sister, Situ Lu asked Zhuang Zhenglang to inquire about your love life. He definitely has feelings for you. What do you think?"
Tao Xingyou: "I think Situ Lu is pretty good. Although he is younger than you, he is mature and has good qualities in all aspects."
Tao Xingyou: "Of course, this depends on your wishes. If you feel that you can get to know each other better, I can give a vague answer. If you have no interest in that area at all, I can help you refuse directly."
Luo Qingyan returned to her room and prepared to reply to Tao Xingyou's message. But just as she typed "I don't mean anything by that," she suddenly received a message from someone else.
"Did you have fun today?" It was a message from the little male merman.
Given Luo Qingyan's current physical condition, she will not accept any expressions of affection from anyone, unless it is from a certain special fish.
She smiled slightly and replied to Tao Xingyou's message: "I don't have that kind of feeling. I have someone I like."
Then, she was about to reply to Xiao Nanyu's message when Tao Xingyou called.
She knew Tao Xingyou would be surprised and want to gossip with her. No problem, let's gossip for a bit first!
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