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Lin Xian suddenly realized she was right. He wasn’t fond of taking photos and had never developed the habit of sharing updates on social media. Consequently, his phone’s camera was mostly used for practical purposes like scanning QR codes. His photo album was more of a digital filing cabinet, stuffed with screenshots and work documents rather than snapshots of landscapes or moments from daily life.

Throughout their journey in Copenhagen, Lin Xian hadn’t thought about capturing any memories through photographs. His mind had been preoccupied with Yellow Finch’s mysterious actions or planning his next moves, especially figuring out how to locate Kevin Walker and resolve a lingering dilemma.

He admitted to himself that this trip to Copenhagen wasn’t something he was enthusiastic about. However, Yellow Finch seemed to have a special connection to this city, though he wasn’t sure what it was. Surprisingly, she hadn’t taken any photos either, not even selfies, nor had she asked him to snap any.

Thinking about it now, he realized they should preserve some memories of their trip. At the very least, it would be a token of Yellow Finch’s fulfillment of her wish to visit Copenhagen and see her favorite fairytale statue, “The Little Mermaid.”

“Alright, since you insist,” Lin Xian conceded, tossing his crumpled napkin into the trash can. “Going back there once more won’t hurt.”

“We’re not on one of those strict tours where you can’t visit the same place twice. We can go wherever we want. Shall we head out now?”

After settling the bill at the restaurant, they stepped outside and hailed a taxi to the Langelinie promenade. Through the taxi window’s reflection, Lin Xian caught a glimpse of Yellow Finch. Her eyes were a vivid blue, shimmering with anticipation.

The taxi driver, an elderly man with graying hair and a white beard, also noticed Yellow Finch’s striking eyes when they got in. He was taken aback and complimented her, “Miss, your eyes are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, just like the ocean!”

Yellow Finch responded with a gentle smile, “Maybe I am the daughter of the sea.”

Knowing their destination was the Little Mermaid statue, the driver chuckled and gave her a thumbs-up for her witty reply.

Half an hour later, the taxi dropped them at the promenade. Lin Xian and Yellow Finch disembarked and walked to the beach where the famous statue stood.

They approached slowly, stopping about ten meters away to admire the iconic “daughter of the sea” from the fairytale. The statue was a poignant sight. The lower part was an oval granite base about two meters in diameter, which supported the 1.5-meter-tall bronze figure of the mermaid.

The statue depicted a bronze girl with her hair neatly tied back. One hand rested on the granite base while the other touched her leg. Interestingly, despite being a mermaid, she faced the shore, not the sea, gazing thoughtfully at the distant cityscape.

The design was a poignant reminder of the original story: the mermaid who traded her fish tail for legs in pursuit of love and dreams, thus the lower half of the statue blended human and fish forms — her knees bent in a kneeling position, transitioning into a long fish tail.

“Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ was written back in 1837, and this bronze piece was cast in 1913,” Yellow Finch murmured, her hands buried in her coat pockets as she stared at the statue under the night sky and the gentle waves.

“A beer company owner funded the creation of this statue after being moved by the little mermaid’s story during a ballet adaptation. The actress who played the Little Mermaid in that ballet was even the model for this statue. There were heated debates about whether the mermaid should have legs or a fish tail. Ultimately, they compromised, creating this unique dual form,” she continued, sharing the little-known background stories that added depth to their viewing.

Lin Xian listened, his perspective on the statue shifting with each detail Yellow Finch revealed. It was nearing 10 PM. After their evening at the Copenhagen Opera House followed by dinner, the promenade at this hour was deserted except for them. The only sounds were the waves breaking softly against the shore.

The statue somehow seemed more melancholic at night, standing solitary and aloof. Although she was a mermaid, positioned less than a meter from the water on her granite perch, she was isolated from the sea itself except during high tide or stormy weather. It was a poignant irony for the “daughter of the sea” to be so distant from the waters she belonged to.

Yellow Finch then turned to Lin Xian, breaking the silence, “You probably only know the ending of ‘The Little Mermaid’ from the internet or brief summaries, right? You haven’t read the original story, have you?”

Lin Xian admitted, “Yes, I only know the general plot from some clips and posts. I’m aware it’s a tragic story, but I can’t recall the specifics. I just remember that the mermaid sacrifices herself for love and turns into sea foam. But honestly, I’ve mostly forgotten it. I’m not really into tragic tales, and even though you don’t view it as a tragedy, to me, it’s a sad story.”

“That’s the problem,” Yellow Finch sighed, crossing her arms. “You think it’s a tragedy because you don’t know the entire story.”

Lin Xian looked puzzled, “Isn’t that what Andersen wrote?”

She shook her head, her smile returning, “I received ‘Andersen’s Fairy Tales’ as my first birthday gift from my parents. Most of the stories didn’t capture my interest much. But ‘The Little Mermaid’ was different. I’ve read it many times. It’s a true fairytale, not overly sentimental, and it carries a meaningful love story. It might not be perfect, but when you revisit it as you grow older, you see it in a different light.”

She paused, looking back at the statue, “Let me tell you the real ending.”

Yellow Finch spoke softly, recounting the story, “The night before the little mermaid was to vanish at sunrise, her sisters traded their hair to the sea witch for a dagger. She had to kill the prince and let his blood touch her legs to return to being a mermaid and live for 300 years. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She kissed his forehead, tossed the dagger into the sea, and jumped into the water, turning into foam as the sun rose. But that’s not the end of the story. She did turn into foam, but she ascended into the air. She didn’t die but gained eternal life. Do you know why?”

She looked at Lin Xian expectantly, “Because she earned an immortal soul, which mermaids aren’t supposed to have unless they win a human’s love. Her virtues — her goodness, bravery, and resolve — earned her a place in the heaven. She transformed into foam but evolved into a greater being, watching over the world with her eternal soul.”

Lin Xian nodded, his understanding deepening, “With that perspective, it doesn’t seem so tragic.”

Yellow Finch smiled knowingly, gesturing towards the statue, “I’ll stand by the Little Mermaid, and you can take my picture from here. It’ll capture both of us, preserving a memory of my visit to Copenhagen.”

“No problem,” Lin Xian agreed, readying his phone. “Go ahead; I’m good at taking photos.”

Yellow Finch hesitated, closing her eyes briefly as if deciding whether to reveal more. She took a few steps towards the statue, then paused and turned back, her blue eyes reflecting the moonlight and the sea’s glimmering surface, resembling the fleeting shimmer of time-space particles.

“Lin Xian, I’ve lied to you more than you think,” she finally admitted.

Lin Xian shook his head, dismissing the significance, “It doesn’t matter.”

“I lied. I was never a member of the Genius Club,” Yellow Finch confessed. “I only knew some things about it. Even if you join, we won’t meet there. So, when I said ‘I’ll wait for you at the Genius Club,’ it was a lie.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Lin Xian responded calmly. “Whether you’re in the Genius Club or not, it’s a path I have to explore for myself.”

Yellow Finch smiled, touched by his acceptance, “That’s why so many people are drawn to you. You have a likable way about you as you mature. And one more thing, I also lied about why I wanted to come to Copenhagen. The man who promised to take me here never breaks his promises. In many ways, including this trip, I was the one who broke promises.”

“That’s okay,” Lin Xian shrugged, his tone light. “We’re here now. Anything else?”

He grinned, “No major lies, just gentle ones. You haven’t really deceived me.”

“Actually, there is one more thing,” Yellow Finch confessed, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “But I don’t want to say it. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Lin Xian assured her. “You’ve helped me a lot, and I’m grateful. I often feel guilty, not knowing how to reciprocate.”

“Just take a good picture of me,” Yellow Finch chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she turned and walked towards the statue.

“This is our last lesson,” she said, approaching the introspective, melancholic Little Mermaid statue.