Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 143; Night out (I)

Her vision softened at the edges, the club’s neon lights blurring into watercolor streaks of pink and gold. Everything felt lighter suddenly, her thoughts, her body, the weight she’d been carrying since stepping into this human world.

Her mermaid metabolism had no defenses against alcohol. What would take a human an hour to feel took her mere minutes, the intoxicant flooding her bloodstream with reckless efficiency.

"Watch..." She giggled, the sound bubbling up unbidden. "Watch me..."

She pushed herself to standing, swaying immediately. The floor seemed to tilt beneath her feet like the deck of a ship riding storm swells. She caught herself on the edge of the table, grinning at her own unsteadiness.

The dance floor called to her. She navigated toward it with exaggerated care, each step deliberate, arms held out slightly for balance. Someone bumped into her and she laughed again, bright and unrestrained.

"Woohoo!" Her voice carried over the bass-heavy music. She spread her arms wide, nearly clipping a passing couple. "I didn’t know there were such beautiful men and women everywhere! Give everyone a drink! My bill!"

"On my bill..."

Heads turned. Whispers rippled outward.

Who is she?

Is she serious?

Someone just got free drinks from a drunk rich girl.

What kind of miracle was this? Had she lost her mind that she was splashing money like water?

Shuyin made it to the edge of the dance floor and caught sight of a waitress weaving through the crowd, young, pretty, wearing the club’s standard uniform that showed more skin than it covered. A specialized belt wrapped around her slim waist, bottles nestled in leather holsters like ammunition.

Before the girl could react, Shuyin stepped into her path and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her close. The waitress stiffened in surprise, but Shuyin just swayed gently, holding her like they were old friends. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Beautiful lady," Shuyin said, her jade eyes unfocused but startlingly sincere. "You look perfect. Just tell me anything. I can do it for you. Anything at all for the beautiful lady!"

Up close, she could see past the makeup and forced smile. The exhaustion was written in the shadows beneath the girl’s eyes, in the tightness around her mouth. This wasn’t the weariness of a long shift. This was something deeper, something that had settled into her bones.

"Really?" The waitress’s voice cracked with hope, a childlike and raw sound. Then her eyes dimmed almost immediately, like she’d caught herself believing in fairy tales. She searched Shuyin’s face, trying to determine if this drunk woman was making empty promises or if she actually meant it.

"I... the Princess means it!" Shuyin spoke louder, noticing the doubt flickering across the girl’s features. "I promise!"

The waitress’s expression shifted. Something dark and venomous flashed through her eyes before she schooled it back to neutral. "Hehe... what if I say I want someone dead?"

The question hung in the air between them, barely audible over the pulsing music. The girl looked almost surprised at herself for saying it aloud.

"Hehe... that’s simple, princess," Shuyin said while she teasingly flicked the tip of her nose, and even through the alcohol haze, her mermaid abilities activated instinctively. She didn’t even try to read the girl’s mind, it just opened to her, images and emotions flooding through like water through a broken dam.

The story unfolded with brutal clarity:

A father, perpetually drunk, fists that landed too easily, too often. Gambling debts that grew like cancer, consuming everything. The expectation that his daughter would pay for his failures.

A younger brother, seven years old, sick with something the free clinic couldn’t treat. Medicine they couldn’t afford. A choice between food and pharmacy visits.

And this job, this contract that wasn’t really a contract at all. Essentially sold into labor, working for no salary for the next year to pay off debts she hadn’t created. Trapped. Owned.

Shuyin’s chest tightened despite the alcohol.

"Men don’t deserve a beautiful girl like you," she said firmly, releasing the waitress but holding her gaze. "It doesn’t matter what kind of man. Ting Fei..." She raised her voice slightly, knowing he was somewhere nearby, always watching. "Handle her case. Make sure all her debts have been cleared and deal with the contract binding her."

A shadow detached itself from near the bar, materializing into the solid form of her driver. "All right." He was already pulling out his phone, fingers moving efficiently across the screen.

"Woohoo! You are the best, Shuyin! That’s why we love you!"

" You are the best princess...."

The cheer erupted from a cluster of staff who’d been watching, as well as other waitresses, bartenders, and even some members of the security team. Women all over the clubhouse were clapping, whistling, their faces alight with vicarious triumph.

"Hehehe... It’s my pleasure," Shuyin giggled, attempting a bow that nearly cost her her balance.

She closed her eyes.

Just for a moment.

Her consciousness expanded outward, stretching across the city in ways that defied human understanding. She searched for the waitress’s father, following the thread of the girl’s memories. Found him easily, he was insignificant, his mind weak and undefended, passed out drunk in some gambling den that reeked of cigarettes and desperation.

His heart was already damaged, years of alcohol abuse leaving it fragile.

She simply... helped it along.

A small push. A tiny adjustment to the rhythm.

And his heart stopped.

Clean. Natural. A heart attack brought on by lifestyle choices. Nothing suspicious. Nothing traceable. The kind of death that would generate a police report filed and immediately forgotten.

When Shuyin opened her eyes again, it was all done.

Tomorrow, the waitress would receive a phone call. Her father, found dead. The debts would die with him. She’d be free.

Shuyin moved away from the dance floor, the weight of what she’d just done sliding off her shoulders like water. Luckily, no one had actually heard the waitress’s wish; the music was too loud, the moment too brief, and their conversation was lost in the chaos of the club.