The Mermaid Repays Me with Seafood

A sudden real-life emergency has left me emotionally shattered and unable to finish this novel. I plan to wait until the time comes to explain everything in the author's notes. I'm truly sorry.

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Han Qing is a food streamer who loves cooking seafood, and he dreams of opening a seafood restaurant.

But in reality, he has no money, so he can only livestream and make videos to scrape by.

That is, until he discovers that the owner of the seafood shop who has been so supportive of his streaming career seems... a little out of the ordinary.

The rare, top-grade red-spotted grouper? The owner gets one for him with ease.

The one-in-a-million golden Australian lobster? The owner casually manages to get one for him.

The once-in-a-century albino giant grouper? The owner says offhandedly, "Oh, that one? I caught one out at sea a few days ago."

"Boss, can you get me any seafood I want?" The unconvinced Han Qing challenges the all-purpose shop owner.

"Just name it."

"Then get me a mermaid." Can you even get one of those out of a fairy tale? Han Qing wags his fox tail, looking very pleased with himself.

"I can't right now, but someday I'll deliver one right to your door."

What a liar. I don't believe you, Han Qing thinks with disdain.

By the time he learns the whole truth, a certain mermaid has already moved in, successfully taken over his bathroom, and occasionally flicks his dazzling, iridescent tail in contentment.

"You saved my life when I was young. Now I'll give you my sea. Buy one, get me free, and no returns."

1. A true merman playboy gong x gentle food-streamer shou. Each other's first love.

2. Cover art generously provided by Bi Shui's kindhearted artist Gugu. May Gugu's every wish come true and everything go smoothly.

3. The author doesn't live by the coast, so the seafood prices aren't reliable. They're made up based on research.

Coming soon: Reborn as the Beloved Cat Prince. Please check it out.

1.

In his previous life, Yan Huan was a disabled Huan. He had one more eye and two fewer tails than a normal Huan, making him look like an ordinary orange tabby.

He did everything he could to earn his clan's affection, but they ostracized him at every turn and drove him out of the group. He froze to death in the depths of winter, never getting the chance to reach adulthood and take human form.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place, surrounded by people with strange faces.

But that didn't stop Yan Huan from waking each day on his 200-square-meter bed, sitting at the dining table while someone tied a nearly extinct mermaid-silk napkin around his neck, and enjoying a 21-course all-meat feast served on plates bigger than his body...

2.

The royal family of Qishou Star received a message from the astral chart: their first new heir in five hundred years would hatch today.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the milky-white egg that had absorbed five hundred years of pure energy in the royal family's sacred pool finally cracked and began to tremble faintly.

At last, something pushed through the shell from within. A little orange kitten, its fur still slightly damp and the blue film still covering its eyes, poked out its head. "Meow?"

What kind of feline beast is this? The royal family has never seen one before. But it's so tiny and cute, small enough to hold in one hand. Sob!

Spoil it! Spoil it to death!

3.

After poring over every genealogy and ancient text, the feline beasts finally reached a conclusion: their beloved little prince was a cat, an extinct species. The cat on top of "feline," a creature they'd never seen before.

"We always say 'feline this' and 'feline that.' Who knew cats were this cute?!"

"I feel like we're the lucky ones! Look at our giant paws. How could they possibly be as cute as a cat's?"

"Get a grip, you guys!"

When precious footage of the royal family's little heir spread across the Star Network, it caused a heated discussion across the whole internet.

"Sob, the baby is so cute! I want to sneak into the palace and steal him!"

"Sob, me too. The person above you is about to lose their account!"

"The person above them, we'll all lose our accounts."

A snow-white bird lay in the most secret part of the Qishou Star palace, its long tail feathers curled into a circle, while the orange furball slept soundly inside.

"Hah, I should be the first one to successfully steal the baby. I couldn't care less about your secrets, Qishou Star."

Coming soon: Struggling to Survive in a Romance Game. Please check it out.

Bai Lianhua was endlessly complaining about a certain romance game, so the Game God threw him into it and made him the villainous cannon fodder hated by every romance target, destined to be dismembered by five horses.

To stay alive, Bai Lianhua set out to raise the affection levels of all the romance targets.

He tests the food for the emperor, who's traveling incognito: emperor's affection +10.

He takes a blade for the righteous hero he meets on the road: hero's affection +10.

He helps the Demon Lord, who's being hunted throughout the city, evade capture: Demon Lord's affection +5.

As he keeps raising their affection levels, Bai Lianhua realizes the romance targets are starting to act strangely.

The emperor waves a hand grandly: "If you come to me, I'll dismiss my entire harem."

The hero says with tender sincerity: "Come with me. We'll leave at dawn."

The Demon Lord blushes shyly: "Join my Demon Palace. You can be its master."

Bai Lianhua gets scared and runs away. He doesn't want to be the empress of an unpredictable, tyrannical emperor, nor the partner of a noble and free-spirited hero. And he certainly doesn't want to be the master of a Demon Palace whose sect robes use so little fabric that they look downright indecent.

All he wants is to open a few little shops, satisfy his Chinese appetite, and sell tasty food so these poor game NPCs can eat better. He wants to be a carefree rich playboy.

Even the immortal in the heavens, who had been watching them for fun all this time, couldn't sit still any longer. The person I've set my sights on? How could I let these petty fools covet him?

Theme: Live positively and embrace each day.