Before Shi Rong lost consciousness after falling into the sea, he saw a seven-colored fish tail streak through the air and sweep him into the blue waters. When he opened his eyes again, he was in a fairyland beyond the mortal world.
Qingyu was the mermaid who had swept him away.
She was the princess of the Sumeru Kingdom, headstrong and rebellious since childhood. After setting her sights on a man from another race, she insisted that he become her prince consort.
The king could not talk her out of it, so he agreed that they could marry if the foreigner never left the Sumeru Kingdom for the rest of his life.
So Qingyu tried to win him over day after day. She gave him a bed made of the finest shells, a coral crown to wear, and the best pearls stitched onto his belt. Her voice was stubborn as she said, "I want your heart."
Shi Rong only replied coldly, "Don't waste your effort. I have to go back."
Heartbroken, Qingyu turned her attention to a newly arrived foreigner.
Not long after, Shi Rong suddenly realized the little mermaid princess had not brought him pearls for several days.
As if possessed, he went looking for her, only to find Qingyu holding a huge pearl and saying to that man, "I want your heart."
In an instant, the coral beside Shi Rong shattered in two.
That night, he held down the pink mermaid's tail and rasped, "Qingyu, I won't go back. I'll be your prince consort."
Qingyu froze. Her pink tail curled around his wrist as she buried her face against his chest.
-
At last, the Sumeru Kingdom had cause to celebrate: their princess was getting married, and her consort was a foreigner.
The people cheered and hurried to the wedding, never expecting to find the bridal hall drenched in blood. A dagger was plunged into the consort's chest, and blood streamed from the wound.
"You wanted my heart, only to save the person you love?"
The dagger cut through his chest. His eyes bloodshot, he pulled out his beating heart. "For saving my life, Shi Rong repays you."
-
Everyone knew that the ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty was ruthless and heartless, but no one knew that he truly had no heart.
On the day the nations came to pay tribute, rare treasures flowed into the ruler's chambers like a river.
Shi Rong reclined with one hand propping up his head. The beads on his crown swayed gently as he looked at the treasures without interest, until an envoy from a vassal state lifted a corner of the cloth covering a cage, revealing the tip of a pale pink mermaid tail.
He paused, then sneered, "Get the pot ready. We're cooking fish."
P.S.
1. The male lead suffers a lot. He's always loved the female lead, even while being mistreated.
2. Please don't curse at the characters, or you'll go bald!
3. This blurb was written on 2024.09.29 and has been screenshotted and uploaded to Weibo.
Theme: Cherish the person by your side.
