After Laying the Mermaid Emperor's Egg

An Tianjun was exceptionally handsome. Though a little clumsy, he was always looked after by others.

On the day he turned eighteen, he discovered a mysterious lake deep within the Cold Palace.

The curious young beauty learned from others how to row around the lake, happily singing and eating steamed buns. He even tore them into pieces to feed the little fish, nearly tumbling headfirst into the water.

Before he could recover from the shock and catch his breath, he suddenly saw a dark shadow swim across the lakebed.

An Tianjun leaned closer to get a better look.

Splash! The boat overturned, and he fell into the icy embrace of a monster.

It had a human body and a fish's tail, like a thousand-year-old demon god conjured from the depths of the lake.

Its eyes were bloodred, its ear fins taut, and its long tail fin wrapped around An Tianjun's calf.

The next day, An Tianjun woke on the shore. His body was completely dry, but... he still smelled like the monster.

Before long, the young beauty noticed his belly slowly growing bigger.

In the fourth year of the Tianqi era, the Imperial Preceptor wrote down Heaven's decree: An evil presence has descended, and it is within the imperial city.

Everyone was gripped by fear.

An Tianjun was so frightened that he dropped the porcelain cup in his hand.

He thought the evil presence was not only the monster in the lake, but also the thing in his belly. The Imperial Preceptor's pointed gaze... was fixed on him.

Thankfully, his belly had barely grown, and no one had noticed.

He planned to sneak out of the palace like before and find a doctor to get rid of this evil thing.

An Tianjun sighed. He had always been terribly afraid of pain. After working up his courage and steeling himself to step through the palace gates, he saw the emperor's carriage appear at the other end.

In full view of everyone, the emperor stepped down from the carriage and looked at him, his expression unreadable. Then he bent down, scooped An Tianjun up, and carried him into the carriage.

An Tianjun's mind went blank. He curled up in the emperor's arms, trembling.

He heard the emperor chuckle softly as he leaned close and whispered:

"What, do you think the evil presence... really is in your belly?"

Content warnings:

1. Catlike shou x fish gong (in every sense of the phrase)

2. The focus may be more on the mermaid than on childbirth... pondering

3. Alternate history, my own take on the ancient imperial court

4. I'll add more if I think of anything. Thank you, everyone!

Here's a newly written upcoming novel. The title will probably change.

If you like it, please add it to your favorites! This is my third book. The one alongside it will probably be my fourth [maybe?]

Lucky Star [Interstellar] A passionate, sensitive, pampered young master shou x AI central mainframe gong

Xie Jianxun sat inside a battered civilian spacecraft, waiting for the thrilling mealtime to begin.

Two weeks ago, he had told his cold and handsome, extremely controlling butler that he was in love.

He was going out to meet his online sweetheart.

But the heartless android unplugged his internet, coolly opened his chest, took out his artificial heart, and tried to propose to him with an android's idea of romance.

Xie Jianxun: ...

He fled home that very night, scrambling all the way.

He traveled with mechanical puppets, crossing vast abandoned ruins and witnessing a city rise and crumble. He once clung to an angel's back as they soared into the sky, right into a magnificent airborne city among the clouds. He even held a dwarf's hand as they watched a mechanical giant being assembled underground.

He lay comfortably on the soft bed in front of the porthole and sighed contentedly.

He was a little morning glory in full bloom, who had traveled through so many strange lands and finally found the ultimate truth and love, ready to gather his courage and bring it home.

Someone wrapped their arms around him from behind, their massive, heavy wings blocking his view. The wings trembled.

Xie Jianxun thought he was nervous and encouraged him: "Don't be scared. That jerk may always look grumpy, have a bad temper, and sound as cold as ice, but at least he won't make things too hard for you."

The angel lowered their eyes.

They smiled. "Darling, so that's what you think of me."

The central mainframe that had run the Federation for hundreds of years, revered as the "Chief" by hundreds of millions of Federation citizens, had come to live in Xie Jianxun's home, playing the role of a butler who doted on its young master.

For two hundred years, it had been unable to simulate an emotional module. Yet in just two months, it had given away its heart.

Only at the very end did Xie Jianxun realize that one and the same person had been silently confessing their love to him all along.

"You were the one little lucky star I could never have."

Theme: Discover more beauty in everyday life