Chapter 46 The Acting Genius of the Mermaid World

Chapter 46: The Mermaid Kingdom's Acting Prodigy

Hua Diao maintained a facade of quiet diligence, bustling behind Meili and Rebecca. Time was impossible to gauge underwater, but after what felt like a considerable duration, they finally exited the mermaid palace and began their return journey.

Hua Diao plastered on a smile, bid farewell to the two mermaids, and swam towards the shell bed. Mid-way, however, a hand intercepted her—a hand of terrifying strength that yanked her directly into a crevice within the nearby rocks.

She had no strength to resist.

*Hiss*, as expected, this scenario was too high-stakes, too dangerous for her.

"Annie, I never thought I’d see you again. I didn't let go on purpose; I was injured too, which is why I lost my grip and you were swept away by the storm. But I swear, I love you, Annie. What I'm doing now—I'm compelled."

The moment Hua Diao was pulled into the rock crevice, the hand released her. She looked up, and indeed, the merman before her was Luo Laiyi.

His face was the picture of tenderness, his emerald-green eyes brimming with deep affection, gazing at her with a perfectly calibrated hint of brokenness—as if his previous gloom had been an illusion. His magnetic voice, tinged with a subtle sorrow, explained his predicament.

*Indeed, every merman possesses a captivating voice. This one was utterly enchanting.*

But Hua Diao felt a wave of nausea. *It wasn't even half as pleasant as Xie Tingsheng's voice.*

She had a rough idea of what this scumbag merman was about to say: nothing more than a deception to the naive Annie, claiming his marriage to the mermaid princess was against his will.

Sure enough, when she feigned a look of concern and asked what had happened, he immediately claimed that Princess Haiwei had been captivated by his handsome looks and was forcing him to be her mate. As for his display of deep affection, it was because Haiwei was secretly threatening him; she wanted to solidify her status as princess and demanded he convincingly feign true love.

In short, everything was the fault of Haiwei, that vixen. He was innocent, he hadn't betrayed her, and everything he did was under duress.

After his explanation, he even told Annie to pretend not to know him, saying he didn't want her to be dragged into Haiwei's threats.

*What an utterly brilliant performance of a scumbag!*

He had neatly tied up every loose end in his logic.

What would Annie, with her nature, do? Probably be consumed by worry and heartache, unable to extricate herself, or perhaps even bravely suggest they elope.

But Hua Diao, of course, would choose the first option.

As for the second—mustering the courage to suggest eloping—wouldn't that be leading herself straight to her doom? She wouldn't do such a foolish thing.

This scumbag merman was clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing, ruthless and cunning. If she suggested eloping, he was perfectly capable of killing her.

With that thought, Hua Diao's acting skills went online. She poured out genuine-looking worry and heartache towards that hypocritical face, promising that she would not expose their relationship until she could guarantee his safety.

Only then did the scumbag Luo Laiyi gently caress her cheek, utter a few more comforting and caring words, and then, with a look of deep affection, reluctantly depart.

*Damn, this scumbag's acting is truly superb! I couldn't find a single flaw just now; he matched me beat for beat. He's simply the acting genius of the mermaid world!*

Once his merman figure was out of sight, Hua Diao finally couldn't help but dry-heave, furiously scrubbing the cheek he had touched.

*What kind of utterly disgusting scumbag is this? So revolting. If he had lingered any longer, she feared her act would have broken.*

After settling her churning stomach, Hua Diao took out the dried fish Rebecca had given her and settled onto the shell bed, ready to rest.

*Becoming a mermaid, breathing freely in the deep sea, and sleeping on a shell bed—this was truly a novel experience.*

Hua Diao temporarily cast aside her unease and enjoyed lounging in the shell bed for a while, though she had no intention of sleeping. Although she had tricked Luo Laiyi for now, a cunning scumbag like him might still try to eliminate her for good measure.

The thought immediately brought a surge of alarm. Hua Diao tried to access her island space—*it actually worked!*

*What kind of illusion is this? So incredibly real?*

But it also gave her an advantage. She currently had no means of self-preservation, and if an attack came at night, she might not be able to escape.

*Thump, thump, thump—*

The underwater light grew dim. Three shadowy figures crept towards the shell bed, seemingly holding sticks and prying at it.

Hua Diao's eyes snapped open inside the bed. *Sure enough, they're here.*

She flashed into her island space. By the time the shell bed was pried open and the three mermaids stared in astonishment at the empty interior, she leaped out of the space, giving them no time to react, and tore open a scroll.

"Ultimate Ice Wall!"

Instantly, freezing air erupted. Ice spread from her position, encasing the three stunned mermaids in solid blocks. Through the ice, their frozen expressions of shock were still visible.

Hua Diao didn't dare linger to check. She had no idea what rank these three mermaids were, nor how long the ice scroll would hold them. So she thrashed her tail with all her might, swimming straight for the Mermaid Princess's palace.

As she swam, she pulled out a large conch, placed it to her mouth, took a deep breath, and shrieked, "HEEEEEELP—"

The ear-splitting, brassy shriek instantly swept through the seabed, jolting all the surrounding mermaids from their shell beds.

*My goodness, (。Д。)ノ, whose singing voice is this awful?!*

*It's an assault on a merman's ears!*

The worst part was waking everyone up in the middle of the night! *Where's the public decency? The Merman King explicitly forbade the use of amplifying conches after dark!*

Yes, the large conch in Hua Diao's hand was called an Amplifying Conch, a beloved tool among mermaids who loved to sing, allowing their beautiful voices to carry farther.

The one she held was a gift from Rebecca earlier that day.

*Thank goodness for the kind-hearted mermaid Rebecca, who gave her such a divine artifact!* The amplification was even stronger than she had imagined—*the entire underwater palace must have heard that. Look, a whole group of mermaids just stumbled out of the mermaid palace, led by an exceptionally noble and dazzling golden mermaid.*

She boldly guessed this must be Princess Haiwei.

Hua Diao's panicked, fearful face immediately lit up as if she had seen family, tears—no, *pearls*—rolling down her cheeks in fat drops. Indeed, they were rolling, because when she cried, only pearls emerged.

But it seemed to have worked out serendipitously. The initially aggressive group of mermaids, upon seeing her shedding pearls, immediately reined in their intimidating aura.

The golden, beautiful mermaid at the front, with her regal and striking brows furrowed, asked with a voice like a melodious tune, "What happened, Annie?"

Hua Diao immediately threw herself at her, heartbroken, her voice shrill, "Save me, Your Highness! Someone just tried to kill me! If I didn't have that ice scroll, I—I'm afraid I wouldn't have seen you again!"

Regardless of whether those three frozen mermaids had truly intended to kill her, exaggerating the situation was the right move. Sure enough, both Haiwei and the mermaids behind her grew solemn.