"No." Gu Jin shook her head.
Long Yifan instantly opened his arms and intending to hug her, but Gu Jin dodged and said coldly,
"If you dare to hug me, I will kill you."
"Ah...why do you look so cute even when you threaten me." Long Yifan sighed but he withdrew his hand obediently.
His Gu Jin’s temper was a force to reckon with. He wouldn’t dare to provoke her.
Long Yifan scratched the back of his head, a playful smile tugging at his lips as he watched Gu Jin step away from him.
"Alright, alright," he said with a helpless sigh. "I won’t hug you... this time."
Gu Jin shot him a sharp glare, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Not even next time."
Long Yifan blinked, looking genuinely heartbroken.
"You’re so cruel, Jin’er..." he mumbled dramatically as if she had shattered his heart into pieces.
"Save the drama," Gu Jin said, crossing her arms. "You’re wasting time."
"Fine, fine!" Long Yifan straightened up, his face suddenly serious. "I’ll head to Beijing now."
"Good. Don’t mess it up," Gu Jin said flatly.
Long Yifan’s lips quirked up again. "Don’t worry, wifey—"
Gu Jin’s deadly glare stopped him mid-sentence.
"Ahem... I mean, Gu Jin." He corrected himself quickly, flashing a sheepish grin.
"Go," Gu Jin said, her tone firm.
Long Yifan nodded and activated the pendant.
A soft blue glow surrounded him, and within seconds—
Gu Jin stood there for a moment, her eyes fixed on the spot where Long Yifan had disappeared.
"Now that he’s gone..." she murmured, her eyes narrowing as she glanced back at the teleportation array.
Something still didn’t feel right.
Even though she had fixed the array, there was a strange lingering energy in the air—one that didn’t belong.
"Something... is watching."
Her eyes scanned the area, her senses sharp and alert.
But there was nothing.
Suddenly she hears a voice,
Gu Jin instantly turns around and sees no one...Was she having hallucinations?
"Jin." The voice called out again.
Gu Jin turned and felt the voice was familiar. It sounded like...Long Yifan’s!
Was he playing tricks? B*stard!
"Long Yifan it’s not funny! Get the hell out of here!"
"I know you are here!" Gu Jin shouted. Her face had turned cold.
"Jin." The voice called out again.
Irritated, Gu Jin decided to leave. if Long Yifan wanted to play such a sick game then she wasn’t going to accompany him.
Just as she was about to leave, she heard the sound of laughter coming from the temple.
Her steps faltered and she turned around. With furrowed brows, she looked in the direction of the temple.
The sound of the laughter continued to echo. And then...she heard the familiar voice,
"Jin’er I truly love you, could please give me a chance to be with you?"
Disbelief flashed in Gu Jin’s eyes. This time she heard the sound clearly.
Though the voice sounded similar to Long Yifan...it was only 90% similar to Long Yifan’s original voice.
The laughter from the temple grew louder, and the voice called out again, "Jin’er, don’t you feel it too? We’re meant to be together."
Gu Jin’s blood boiled. This was NOT how Long Yifan would speak. Whoever was messing with her didn’t know the real him.
But why did the voice sound so similar?
She took a step closer to the temple, her sharp eyes scanning for any sign of movement.
"Who’s there? Show yourself!" she demanded, her voice cold and fierce.
Feeling frustrated, Gu Jin decided to walk inside the temple. It wasn’t like she hadn’t explored it before.
What came into her view was completely different from what she had seen before.
Gu Jin blinked several times, her mind trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
The inside of the temple had completely transformed into an underwater world, glowing softly in shades of blue and green.
Fish swam lazily around, and bright coral reefs decorated the surroundings. It was like stepping into a dream—or maybe a nightmare.
Mermaids. Actual mermaids.
They floated around gracefully, their tails flicking through the water with ease.
Gu Jin stared at them in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening. She’d never seen anything in her life.
Her eyes landed on a platform in the middle of the underwater world, where a group of mermaids was gathered, chatting and laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world.
And there, in the middle of them, was... her.
But not quite. This Gu Jin had a long, shiny red fishtail that glimmered with every movement.
Her hair was a fiery red, matching her eyes, which were filled with arrogance.
She was beautiful, yes, but her attitude was far from the cold and calm demeanor Gu Jin was used to showing.
"What... is this?" Gu Jin whispered, stunned.
The mermaid version of her was playfully leaning towards a merman, a smirk on her lips.
The merman had a blue fishtail, blue hair, and striking blue eyes that reminded her of someone.
Gu Jin’s heart raced as she watched the scene unfold. Was it an illusion? A memory? Some twisted dream?
The blue merman, who really looked like mermaid Long Yifan, held out a beautiful rainbow-colored pearl in his hand, his expression serious but soft.
"I’ve brought the rainbow pearl you wanted," he said, his voice deep and full of emotion.
"I love you, Gu Jin. Will you accept my pursuit now? Please, become my wife."
Gu Jin’s jaw nearly dropped. What was this? Mermaid Long Yifan was proposing to mermaid her?
Mermaid Gu Jin chuckled, the sound low and teasing.
She crossed her arms and tilted her head arrogantly as if she was enjoying toying with him.
"A rainbow pearl? Really? How boring."
The merman’s face fell slightly, but Mermaid Gu Jin continued with a playful smirk.
"I don’t need that anymore. I want something else now."
The merman blinked, confused. "Something else?"
Mermaid Gu Jin nodded. "Yes. I want the Tear of the Sea."
There was an audible gasp from one of the other mermaids.
"The Tear of the Sea? Gu Jin, do you even know how hard that is to get?" one of them said, her voice full of disbelief.
Another mermaid sighed loudly, shaking her head.
"The Tear of the Sea is nearly impossible to find! Why would you ask for something like that?"
Mermaid Gu Jin shrugged casually, her red tail flicking through the water.
"That’s not my problem. If he really wants me to be his wife, then he should be able to bring me the Tear of the Sea."
Gu Jin, the real one standing outside the scene, watched with wide eyes.
She wasn’t sure whether to be shocked or just completely confused.
Why was this version of her acting so... arrogant and demanding? And why was the merman willing to go through all this trouble for her?
Did the mermaid Long Yifan had broke mermaid Gu Jin’s heart like the real Long Yifan did?
Mermaid Long Yifan took a deep breath.
"If that’s what you want, Gu Jin, I’ll get the Tear of the Sea for you. I don’t care how hard it is. I’ll do anything to make you mine."
Gu Jin’s heart skipped a beat, upon hearing those words. It sounded so much like the real Long Yifan.
But this wasn’t real, was it?
Mermaid Gu Jin grinned and turned to her friends. "See? He’s willing to do anything for me."
The other mermaids sighed again.
"You’re going to drive him crazy, you know," one of them muttered, shaking her head.
"Who cares?" Mermaid Gu Jin replied, her tone dismissive. "If he can’t get the Tear of the Sea, then he’s not worthy of me."
"Gu Jin...that guy has been pursuing for almost 30 years now! You both are childhood sweethearts! Why don’t you accept him?" One of her friends asked.
Mermaid Gu Jin pouted and turned toward mermaid Long Yifan.
Understanding her look, mermaid Long Yifan instantly defended her,
"It’s not that easy. Gu Jin deserves the best, and I haven’t given her that yet. If I can’t get the Tear of the Sea, then I don’t deserve to be with her."
Mermaid Gu Jin smiled proudly and turned to her friends. "See? He gets it."
Mermaid Long Yifan held Mermaid Gu Jin’s hand and said in a cold voice,
"Don’t think about pressuring her into accepting anything. My Jin’er can’t bear pressure."
Mermaid Gu Jin nodded and hugged Long Yifan, who coaxed gently asked,
"What do you want to have for dinner? I will make it."
The other mermaids just sighed and exchanged glances, like they’d seen this kind of scene a million times before.
Real Gu Jin, standing there in disbelief, couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
She wanted to step forward, shout at these fake versions of her and Long Yifan, and tell them how ridiculous this whole thing was.