The Fake Young Master of a Wealthy Family Survives by Foraging at Sea

Preorder: The Delicate Darling Marries the Villain of an Imperial Exam Novel. Visit my author page to see it.

One day, Chu Yue finally learns the truth about his birth: he's the fake young master who was switched at birth with a rich family's real son.

Everyone thinks Chu Yue has fallen from the clouds into the mud, going from a pampered young master to a little fisherman by the sea. Only Chu Yue knows the truth:

A stingy father, a sharp-tongued mother, and a brother who treats him like an enemy. Whoever wants this so-called blessing can have it.

He leaves behind all the glitz of the big city, follows in his father's footsteps, and becomes a second-generation fisherman by the sea. He also starts livestreaming.

At first, the chat is full of skeptics:

[This stretch of sea looks unfamiliar and barren. What good resources could there possibly be?]

Chu Yue ignores their comments and diligently starts gathering seafood, occasionally giving a little commentary.

Fortunately, he has a keen sense for the ocean and can easily bring in a bountiful haul.

Chu Yue: Ta-da! Take a look at these scallops. I'll grill them over charcoal in a minute, sizzling and glistening with oil, with firm, silky meat.

Chu Yue: Ta-da! Take a look at these crabs. Sea crabs have a completely different flavor. I'll happily polish off two big bowls.

He doesn't just talk, either. As soon as he has a single layer of seafood in his basket, he sets up a little charcoal brazier right there by the sea.

The viewers watching late at night are brought to tears. Who could be so cruel?

Plenty of hotheaded viewers decide to hunt him down in person, only to be stunned when they see the young streamer, who has never shown his face: The streamer is... actually so good-looking!

Thanks to his livestreams, the fishing industry in his hometown gets a second wind.

But then, online public opinion takes a turn against him all over again:

[Seriously, are there actually people who like a cuckoo that stole someone else's life?]

This time, though, the comments aren't unanimously against him. Plenty of people stand up for him:

[Streamer, don't look! Those are hate comments! We believe you!]

[Hey, big bro, you think you know everything again?]

[It's obviously a coordinated attack by paid trolls. Do they really think everyone is an idiot?]

Chu Yue ignores the hate and steadily builds his career.

That is, until a reality show comes to film in the area. One of the participants is the real young master.

The villagers who once treated Chu Yue coldly have accepted him with ease, and the real young master is consumed by resentment.

An accident gives the real young master the chance to push Chu Yue into the deep sea.

Chu Yue thinks he's going to drown.

Strangely, he doesn't feel short of breath. His ears grow pointed, his legs press together, and slowly, they turn into a fish tail.

Him: OoO

#What do you do when you discover you're a different species after turning twenty?

What's more, after becoming a merperson, he seems to gain the ability to sense the nature of those around him.

For example, the auntie at the end of the village is a lanternfish, and the vendor is a cat's-eye snail.

And that neighbor who lives under the same roof for a while, keeps showing up with a bowl to mooch food, and is always giving him heaps of coral and pearls...

Seems to be a dragon.

Please note before reading:

1. A beautiful, delicate merperson bottom x a domineering, old-fashioned daddy-type top. They are each other's one and only, body and soul.

2. The main story takes place in 2017 (the protagonist was born in 1997). Please be gentle about any inconsistencies.

3. Feel free to stay or leave. No need to tell me.

4. New chapters daily at 9 p.m.

Preorder: The Delicate Darling Marries the Villain of an Imperial Exam Novel. Visit my author page to see it.

Jiang Tu is born into wealth. Frail and delicate from childhood, he's doted on by his family and grows up with a spoiled disposition.

Although his family has fallen on hard times, the man he marries is his brother's friend. He's usually distant, but he caters to Jiang Tu's every whim.

Then Jiang Tu meets his cousin from another branch of the family, and that very night, he has a dream.

In the dream, his bloodsucking cousin resents them for dividing the family estate. After passing the imperial exams and becoming the top scholar, the cousin returns home to humiliate them, leaving their family ruined.

Jiang Tu's husband is lucky enough to escape disaster, but spends the rest of the book opposing the protagonist and ends up dead without a trace.

Jiang Tu is so furious he faints. He's always been the one bullying others. How dare anyone bully him?

Divide the family! Right now!

Everyone in Willow Tree Village knows that Ji Zhuxin, the eldest son of the Ji family, has taken a new husband.

The young husband is pretty as a porcelain doll, with delicate fingers and looks that are second to none.

It's just that his temper is awful.

One month after marrying into the family, he tears up his cousin's books and demands that they split the family estate.

Three months in, he calls the fabric dowdy and demands that his sister-in-law embroider it.

Six months in, he refuses to eat coarse-grain cakes that scratch his throat and insists on going to the prefectural city for pastries.

The villagers all say that with a daughter-in-law who causes this much trouble, the family is doomed.

So they wait and wait, until the taciturn Ji opens a brocade shop and sells silk to the other side of the sea.

Until a noble from the imperial palace makes the long journey just to order the family's pastries.

Until the promising cousin is barred from taking the imperial exams, while Ji Zhu rises through the ranks...

The villagers watching the show: ?!

Is it too late to get on their good side now?

Jiang Tu reclines on a chaise longue, looking languid.

He's very happy with his life now.

His only problem is his general husband.

He's not only quiet and cold, but also... extremely restrained.

Then Jiang Tu reads his husband's letters and learns that he has had a sweetheart for many years.

Well, it turns out he has no desire for Jiang Tu because he doesn't love him.

Jiang Tu wipes away his tears, packs a little bundle, and returns to his parents' home.

That night, Jiang Tu wakes groggily to find a familiar figure standing by his bed.

He gives a huff. Why are you here instead of looking for your sweetheart?

Something he says strikes a nerve in Ji Zhu.

Ji Zhu kisses him fiercely and grits out, "After all these years of marriage, do you really not know who I love?"

The next day, Jiang Tu sleeps until the sun is high in the sky, his legs too weak to move.

Ji Zhu abandons his usual tenderness, grips Jiang Tu by the waist, and stops at a certain place. His voice is hoarse as he says, "Baby, let's see if you can take it this far."

Jiang Tu: Mmm...

He's such a good actor!

After years of marriage, Ji Zhu goes from a farmer scraping a living from the soil to a Duke Who Guards the Nation, ennobled for his military achievements.

A colleague asks him why he works so hard.

Ji Zhu doesn't answer. Instead, he thinks back to the day he first visited the Jiang residence:

Jiang Tu hides behind a fan, his cunning eyes peeking out. "I'm hiding here, so don't tell my brother."

Bright and carefree, like a precious pearl.

He thinks, I want to hold that pearl in my arms.

Theme: Keep going, and you'll eventually see hope.