Dai Buyu came over in the evening to take Zhou Qi out for dinner. The child who opened the door had messy hair, looking as if she had just woken up from a nap.
“Xiao Qi, call your mommy out. Let’s go eat something delicious.”
“Mommy is sleeping with Mama-chan.”
Dai Buyu thought she had misheard. “What?”
The little girl nodded. “I told Mama-chan that Mommy had a headache, so she came over.”
“Just now,” she hesitated for a moment, having lost her phone watch and temporarily unable to tell the time, then said, “Auntie Wu Tou called me and said she was looking for Mommy for something.”
The little jellyfish let out a yawn. “Mommy hasn’t given my watch back to me yet.”
“When she sleeps, she is always very sad. She usually doesn’t let me disturb her either.”
Immortal jellyfish were a species that lived forever. In Dai Buyu’s view, Peng Hu should never have gotten involved with human emotions in the first place.
She possessed a face that looked completely detached from worldly affairs, and by all rights, she was not supposed to fall in love.
A creature with a lifespan long enough to watch mulberry fields turn into oceans actually had to make that kind of deal with a Stygiomedusa jellyfish.
“Alright then, I will take you out to eat,” Dai Buyu bent down and picked up Zhou Qi. The child asked, “Are the Mamas not going to eat?”
“There is a saying that has been popular among humans for many years.”
“Is it ‘Demons, prepare to die’?”
Dai Buyu carried a comb with her and brushed the child’s messy hair. “Which TV show did you learn that from?”
“We are not shore-dwelling demons.”
“Then we are not humans either. It would be great if I could turn into a human forever.”
She had not been on land for very long, relying entirely on Dai Buyu to help look after her.
Peng Hu’s body was still unstable. Having regained a brief fragment of her memory, she had rushed over to find Jin Fuxiao, only to be rendered completely immobile by a headache. She looked more like she had come to the hotel for end-of-life care.
“If you turn into a human forever, you won’t be able to visit your uncles and aunts in the sea.”
Dai Buyu was a ribbonfish that had turned into a human. Her lifeless eyes were a normal physical trait, and people often stared at her for a long time just to figure out if she was blind.
Even after taking human form, she could not change her preferences from her original species. She was devoted to anything metallic and laser-hued, which looked extraordinarily dazzling under the island’s sunlight. The employees always said the laser-rainbow style was proof that the general manager was a lesbian.
“Then I will think about it a bit more.”
Zhou Qi was still young and very healthy. It took time for an immortal jellyfish to weaken, and cases like Peng Hu, who had suffered severe trauma, were even rarer, requiring her to take a saltwater bath every week.
“Did Auntie Wu Tou say anything when she called you earlier?”
The restaurant offered a seafood buffet, and the little one helped herself.
Dai Buyu asked the front desk to send a meal to the two people in the suite. When asked about the time, her head started to ache again. “Wait until someone calls you from the room before confirming the meal delivery.”
“She only said she had business with Mama.”
Wu Tou was a deep-sea squid. In Dai Buyu’s memory, she had never seen this squid smile.
Yet she turned out to be the most successful among the sea folk. Dai Buyu grunted twice. “It should be about your Mamas participating in that show.”
Zhou Qi did not quite understand these things. She was still at an age where she was curious about everything human, and upon seeing nice tableware, she would play with it for a long time.
“Participating in a show? What does that mean?”
“It means filming television.”
“What about me?”
The little jellyfish looked fair and adorable, so there were always people in the restaurant who stopped to glance at her.
Although this was not Dai Buyu’s child, she did not bother to correct them.
Which creature in the depths of the sea didn’t like the little jellyfish? They all fought over taking care of her for a few days.
Even among immortal jellyfish, it was very rare for one to grow up looking like Peng Hu.
This species loved drifting, and they did not live in groups after reaching adulthood. Scattered all over the globe, they were fond of the tropics, and no one knew when they would drift back next time.
“As for you,” Dai Buyu also found herself in a tricky spot. It was inconvenient for people to bring a child along to film a divorce reality show. “How about you stay with me?”
“It is only twenty days anyway. Doesn’t Xiao Qi like Ribbonfish Auntie the most?”
Zhou Qi shook her head. Her teeth left a cute mark on a piece of oyster meat as she said indistinctly, “No.”
“I cannot leave Mommy. I have to take care of her.”
She was a part of Peng Hu, naturally drawn to the maternal body.
Moreover, Peng Hu had stored her precious memories inside Zhou Qi’s heart for so many years. Even if she was not produced through human reproduction, it was more than equivalent to it.
“You take care of her? You are only this tiny.”
Dai Buyu’s skin was also very fair. After applying makeup, she liked to dust herself with silver glitter powder, and her accessories were mostly saw-toothed.
“I will grow bigger.”
“I will never leave Mommy.”
Her face was round, and when she ate unhappily, she looked like a snow skin daifuku drawn with an emoji face.
Dai Buyu found herself in a dilemma as well. “Then why don’t you ask Wu Tou? Act cute with her and get her to bring you along.”
She did not explain to Zhou Qi what a divorce was. Knowing this matter was a tangled mess, she figured it was better to throw the whole burden to Wu Tou.
Jin Fuxiao had not felt this satisfied in a long time.
She felt lightheaded, unable to distinguish between dream and reality. She only knew that Peng Hu had returned to her side. Although her movements were much more unpracticed than before, she controlled the pace extremely well.
She was also more obedient than before, doing whatever she was told.
Having lost her memory, she looked younger, and it seemed her practical physiological experience had regressed quite a bit too.
Peng Hu hardly knew how to kiss anymore, and since Jin Fuxiao had not kissed anyone for many years, they spent half a day just playing with each other’s lips.
She tried to say something to Peng Hu, as subtle secrets could always be extracted at moments like this.
However, Peng Hu was like a dried-up seabed, constantly requiring her sweet rain to nourish her.
Jin Fuxiao did not even get the chance to ask. In the end, without bothering to take a shower, she fell sound asleep.
After coming ashore, Peng Hu’s head hurt much more severely than it did at the bottom of the sea.
The Stygiomedusa jellyfish had told her that this was the price of making a choice. There was no such good thing in the world as getting whatever one wanted. Back then, she had been asked many times whether she had truly made up her mind.
That disclaimer document was still sitting in Peng Hu’s safe to this day. Humans could not read the script of the sea folk, and even if it were lost and picked up by someone, they would probably treat it as a spell written by a child.
In the dead of night, after carrying Jin Fuxiao to take a bath, she stared at the sleeping woman for a long time.
It felt very unfamiliar.
Even though they had engaged in deep intimacy for a long time, the moment she detached herself from that embrace, her gaze lost all its warmth.
It was not just her; any creature of the sea folk was the same upon coming ashore.
It was very difficult for them to develop emotions. Their friendships were closer to the mutual protection between fellow villagers, as they did not understand liking someone, did not understand giving, and did not understand what love meant.
Dai Buyu had told Peng Hu about her lost memories, specifically the parts concerning the two of them.
“Before you divorced Jin Fuxiao, I had already met you.”
“You came here on vacation. Late at night, there were no guests on the beach. Just as I was about to dive into the seabed, I saw you leap off a reef with a splash.”
“It scared me to death. I had only been promoted not long before, and if someone died in my jurisdiction, my entire salary would have been docked.”
She spoke very fast, and bringing up this memory painted a vivid picture. “It was winter back then. You were wearing a white dress, looking like a ghost.”
“I ran over, but I didn’t see anyone. Instead, there was a giant lightbulb.”
It was quite normal to describe an immortal jellyfish as a giant lightbulb, a glowing heart-bulb faintly flickering at the bottom of the sea.
During her time as a fish, Dai Buyu had seen many jellyfish.
Immortal jellyfish were very rare. Those creatures looked lonely; they were beautiful, but they were also venomous.
Unlike them ribbonfish, who smelled bad but tasted delicious when cooked, especially when deep-fried.
“I have seen whales commit suicide, but I have never seen a jellyfish commit suicide.”
“That was how we met.”
After Peng Hu split off Zhou Qi, she slept at the bottom of the sea for four years.
The Stygiomedusa jellyfish came to check on her once a week, like a doctor making hospital rounds.
When Peng Hu woke up, she had no memory at all. The little jellyfish orbited around her, calling her Mommy, which became her very first memory.
“I am your daughter, the daughter of you and Jin Fuxiao.”
“Who is Jin Fuxiao?”
“It’s Fufu, Jin Furong. She said her name sounded too rustic, so she later changed it to Jin Fuxiao.”
“Mommy, what does rustic mean? Why is Fuxiao not rustic?”
Peng Hu could not answer a single question.
The newly revived jellyfish bore the facial appearance of the year she first met her lover.
She did not know what a daughter was; she only knew that the little creature floating in front of her possessed something she wanted.
She had almost eaten Zhou Qi up. If the Stygiomedusa jellyfish had not arrived in time, everything might have been done for nothing.
The amnesiac jellyfish had devoured most of her own memories, those regarding the fishball factory and regarding Fufu.
Regarding the girl who slept in the bed next to hers, whose skin was tanned dark by the sea breeze, and who would get angry if someone said she looked like soy sauce.
Yet soy sauce was an indispensable ingredient, and it smelled wonderful too.
Even back when Jin Fuxiao was still Jin Furong, Peng Hu had wanted to lean in and smell her closely.
“Your body does not allow you to recover all your memories right now. Wait a little longer.”
The remaining memories were not retrieved from Zhou Qi until she came ashore.
Curiously, even after regaining all her memories, Peng Hu only remembered the lover from when she was twenty years old.
The Stygiomedusa jellyfish was a sea witch. No one knew where she had learned her spells. There was no seven-day return policy, nor did she know how to explain Peng Hu’s headaches after coming ashore.
Through a message brought by a conch shell, she said it was best to let Peng Hu come into contact with her lover as early as possible, which might bring some relief.
Tied to the conch shell was also medicine she had made in the deep sea, which could cope with Peng Hu’s headache for a few days.
She was also afraid that this order would ruin her reputation, so she emphasized again in the letter: Peng Hu made a deal with me. Even if the pain reaches the extreme, she will not die from it.
Remember: She must never transform into a jellyfish in front of her lover for the rest of her life, otherwise the spell will take effect again, and even I cannot guarantee the consequences.
Never transform into a jellyfish in front of her lover for the rest of her life, or the spell would turn into a curse.
However, if Peng Hu failed to receive Jin Fuxiao’s unreserved love, she would also turn into sea foam and disappear after nine days.
She had merely assisted in delivering Zhou Qi, yet two completely contradictory conditions had been added to the bargain.
Dai Buyu held a skeptical attitude toward the Stygiomedusa jellyfish’s witch persona.
She had lived in the human world for many years and seen plenty of human charlatans. The Stygiomedusa jellyfish was simply a fraudster of the sea, relying on her ugly appearance to swindle and deceive.
She had even written a letter to the Stygiomedusa jellyfish, asking what unreserved love meant.
The old witch sent another pill to Peng Hu, delivered by a sea turtle, which was still tangled in a lot of coral when it was spat out.
She said Peng Hu would understand after taking it.
Dai Buyu did not tell Peng Hu where the pill had been spat out from, only telling her that after taking it, she would know whether her wife truly loved her or not.
In the dead of night.
Peng Hu, who had transformed into a jellyfish to soak in the saltwater tank, turned back into a human when the time was up. The floor was covered with water everywhere she had walked.
She walked to Jin Fuxiao’s side and gazed at this face that was much more mature than the one in her fragmented memories.
A transparent box popped up in front of her vision.
Jin Fuxiao’s Love Score: 10 points.
Did she need a hundred percent love score to avoid turning into foam?
Unsure whether she felt Peng Hu’s gaze, the sleeping Jin Fuxiao shed tears, calling Peng Hu’s name almost pleadingly.
“Don’t go.”
“Don’t get a divorce.”
But they were already divorced.
Why did I leave behind a divorce agreement back then?
Peng Hu picked up her phone. During this period after coming ashore, Dai Buyu had not mistreated the mother and daughter.
Xiao Qi’s phone watch was bought by her, but Peng Hu did not want a smartphone, insisting on the flip phone from her memory.
Dai Buyu had commissioned someone to buy one and install a SIM card so it could send text messages and make calls.
Most importantly, it still had the oldest version of Weibo.
Peng Hu clicked into it, her fingers moving faster than her mind, seamlessly logging into the oldest interface.
Nickname: Peng Hu Opposite Penghu Bay.
Followers: 4782. Following: 1. Likes and Retweets: 78.
Bio: Likes Fufu.
The last post was not from six years ago as she had imagined.
It was from eight years ago.
“I seem to be losing her soon. I do not allow it.”
Comment 1: I came to dig up old posts after Chairman Jin went on the variety show. Is this a marital breakdown? [One week ago]
Comment 2: The ex-wife is so beautiful, yet she doesn’t post photos? [One month ago]
Comment 3: What is the reason for the divorce? It seems to be Fufu’s problem? Is that true? [Five years ago]
Comment 4: Can people who built a business together from scratch also share a bed while holding different dreams? Divorce reality shows are popular now, why don’t you two go on one? [Yesterday]
Comment 5: Everyone says you are dead, is it true, is it true? Is it also true that Chairman Jin eats ten female bodyguards a night? [Two weeks ago]
Peng Hu did not quite understand some of the terms.
She knew what a variety show was: it was the program Wu Tou wanted to record for her and Fufu.
What did sharing a bed while holding different dreams mean?
Did I post this? It looks like it was caused by the summoning of the species group.
Although she had lost that part of her memory, Peng Hu still remembered the habits of her species group.
Living as a human for too long caused physical functions to decline, leading to feeling the call of the species group, fading emotions, and a desire to return home.
This was a biological instinct that could not be resisted; fighting against it would only bring greater pain.
Was that why she had split off Xiao Qi?
Then, what did eating ten female bodyguards a night mean?
Jin Fuxiao was already asleep, so Peng Hu held the newly repaired button phone.
“I am not dead.”
“What does eating ten female bodyguards a night mean?”
[From Nokia Client Nostalgic Edition]
Wu Tou’s WeChat work group flashed. Half an hour ago, a staff member said: The guests have been announced.
Now there were even more messages in the group.
“Director! Peng Hu came online. Was that authorized by you?”
“A lot of netizens went to ask questions.”
Wu Tou had been busy with work ever since hanging up with Dai Buyu. She was still having a headache over how to live-stream the divorce show.
There were people at the TV station who disliked her and wanted to use live-streaming to weaken her control.
Irritated, she opened her client, only to find that marketing accounts had already posted screenshots of Peng Hu’s Weibo.
“She didn’t eat ten female bodyguards, she ate me all night.”
“Divorce? We are divorced.”
“Can’t we still sleep together after a divorce?”
Wu Tou was speechless.
Do you two even know that you are going to be on a divorce reality show?
What do you mean, notarized divorce, missing for six years, and still able to eat all night? Are you an all-you-can-eat restaurant?