On a dark and stormy night, Chen Yibai found a little mermaid who didn't look much like a mermaid.
They say mermaids' tears turn into pearls. Chen Yibai was greedy for money, and all he wanted was those pearls.
So he secretly kept the little mermaid, naming him Little Pearl. He decided to raise him until he was grown, then find a way to collect a whole basket of big, shiny pearls, buy a seaside home outright, and finally release him back into the sea.
Before long, Little Pearl grew up and learned to take human form. He was spoiled, temperamental, and especially clingy.
Having played both mom and dad, Chen Yibai finally began his pearl-collecting plan:
He chopped onions in front of Little Pearl, but not a single tear fell. Little Pearl even picked up a slice and tried it, while Chen Yibai's own eyes streamed from the fumes.
He showed Little Pearl the ten most moving movies, but moving movies don't move fish. Little Pearl sat beside him, handing him tissues one by one, and Chen Yibai went through a whole box by the end.
Finally, Chen Yibai learned his lesson and decided that if being nice didn't work, he'd have to use force. He raised his hand, ready to... No way. He'd raised this beautiful darling himself! Nobody was allowed to hit him! Not even Chen Yibai!
And so the pearl-collecting plan was abandoned.
As Chen Yibai's hand came down to ruffle his hair, Little Pearl, who seemed sweet and adorable but was a black-hearted little schemer through and through, smiled. In his heart, he knew Chen Yibai would never get his tears, not in this lifetime.
He would never let Chen Yibai have the chance to leave him. Never.
Just then, Chen Yibai discovered a little secret. By then, though, he no longer cared. All he wanted was for Little Pearl to stay by his side forever.
Later, he discovered a big secret, one big enough to tear the sky open.
Someone ripped open the firmament before Chen Yibai's eyes, sending roses drenched in blood raining down everywhere.
Someone's hands closed around his throat, forcing him to turn the pages of the New Era back one by one, and truly look at this glorious new age that humanity had created with its own hands.
Someone forced him to his knees in the mud and sand. He watched his Little Pearl stand on the rocks, his eyes cold and devoid of warmth, filled with endless hatred, before turning and plunging into the vast depths of the sea.
It turned out he had always been a frog at the bottom of a well in this world.
CP: A carefree, money-loving painter x a proud, elegant, black-hearted mermaid
Little Pearl is the top! Little Pearl is the top!! They're a locked-in couple, no switching~
Both become strong later on
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[Bonus Scene]
Little Pearl (as a teenager): "Why did you give me that name?"
Chen Yibai (remembering his wicked original plan to get pearls to sell): "...Of course, because 'pearl' means 'treasure' where I'm from!"
Little Pearl: (≧▽≦)
Inner thoughts: I can't help it. He called me his treasure!
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Note:
1. Chen Yibai will get Little Pearl's tears, but not through any of the methods above. It'll happen by (censored, );
2. Mermaids aren't mermaids.
[Guide]
1. As is customary, this is a monogamous 1v1 with a happy ending. The early chapters are about raising a mermaid child in a futuristic world, with warm, lighthearted everyday moments with the supporting cast, but this part won't be very long.
The middle and later parts are a low-budget sci-fi movie: the world is one I made up, there will be lots of death and injuries, but the ending is happy, with world peace.
2. The overall tone is serious. This is not just a story about raising a child! There is a main plot, and the foreshadowing starts from the beginning. The main couple's romance is sweet at first, then angsty, before they find their way back to each other.
3. This story introduces some original concepts about species, including strange descriptions of deep-sea species. Every time a "new species" appears, the author will add an entry to the Eden Species Guide in the author's notes.
4. I already have a detailed outline of over 10,000 words, and I will definitely write this. Before starting, I'll keep revising the blurb until I'm satisfied. I'll add content warnings and other details when the story begins~
Theme: All living things have a spirit. Let them coexist in harmony.
