The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

Xi Ya looked slightly dazed, glancing at He Dongchen’s serious eyes. Blushing, she turned her head and muttered softly, “I used chili water.”

He Dongchen fell silent, then shook his head with a smile. Indeed, the clever mermaid Princess had quickly learned the secret of making tears.

“Let me smell it; see if the pearls have a chili scent.” He Dongchen teased, picking up a smooth, lustrous pearl with two fingers and sniffing it. He commented, “Hmm, a bit spicy, just like its owner.”

Xi Ya snapped the lid shut and handed it to He Dongchen.

***

They both went to the dining room, where He Dongchen rolled up his sleeves and prepared a simple breakfast.

“I’ll keep the pearls, and don’t rush to make money. First, adapt to human life and see what you like. Don’t force yourself,” He Dongchen advised. After all, merfolk wouldn’t starve. The company provided housing, and each mermaid had living allowances, so there was no need to worry about making a living.

Xi Ya nodded and asked, “Can I go to the company with you?”

“Sure.”

After breakfast, they headed to the company.

The Ocean Jewelry Company building was spacious and bright, filled with marine elements; fish tanks, seaweed, pearls, and shells.

In He Dongchen’s office, there was an enormous fish tank occupying an entire wall. Designed specifically, the tank looked more like a work of art, and outsiders didn’t find it strange.

As soon as Xi Ya entered, she was captivated by the tank, itching to jump in and swim around.

With sparkling eyes, she said, “Dongchen, do you need a mermaid?”

Xi Ya knew humans’ fascination with merfolk. Aquariums or some ocean-themed hotels often hired beautiful employees to wear fish tails and perform.

Xi Ya thought she could be a decorative mermaid in this beautiful tank, swimming around all day. How relaxing that would be!

He Dongchen shrugged, “It’s a good idea, but unfortunately…”

Xi Ya sighed, casting a reluctant glance at the fish tank.

He Dongchen had been away for half a month, accumulating a backlog of work. He arranged for Jiu He to show Xi Ya around the company while he stayed in the office to handle documents.

In the afternoon, after Xi Ya had finished her tour of the company, she had acquired a complete collection of the company’s jewelry products and was engrossed in examining it.

Noting that many merfolk worked in the design department, He Dongchen asked, “Do you like design?”

“No,” Xi Ya shook her head and spoke straightforwardly, “I like shiny jewelry and want to move all of it into my fish tank.” Her room had a huge bathroom with a beautiful fish tank.

He Dongchen was taken aback.

“That requires a lot of money.”

Xi Ya rested her chin on her hand and asked, “So what job pays quickly?”

After some thought, it seemed that crying was still the fastest way to make money.

***

As they spoke, Jiu He entered and knocked on the door, saying that representatives from the collaborating GG company had arrived to discuss matters.

He Dongchen had them come in directly while Xi Ya sat quietly in the lounge area.

However, upon seeing Xi Ya, the visitors’ eyes lit up. “Oh my God, those legs, that figure, that face—it’s simply perfect. President He, tell me the truth. Did you hire this model? She’s amazing! I was worried I wouldn’t find a candidate.”

“Model?” Xi Ya raised an eyebrow, pulled out her phone to search for what a model was, and quickly focused on the term ‘model.’ She then straightened up and seriously said, “Hello, I am a model.”

He Dongchen played along, “Yes, she is our model for the next product line.”

The company’s current spokesperson was a female celebrity, and with the contract nearing its end, it was reasonable to use someone from within.

Thus, Xi Ya became a model.

He Dongchen, concerned about potential scams, personally assembled a team for her and even arranged for Jiu He to accompany her for a while.

Xi Ya’s performance was outstanding. With a little training, she stood out among many models and, after endorsing Ocean Jewelry, quickly rose to fame, receiving numerous modeling offers and endorsements.

A director thought her golden waves were perfect for a mermaid role and invited her to play a mermaid character.

Xi Ya declined the offer.

With the money she earned, Xi Ya bought a large quantity of jewelry, not caring about the price or reputation, only its beauty. She accepted everything and laid it all out in the bottom of her fish tank, shimmering brightly.

Xi Ya also generously invited He Dongchen to join her in the tank for some fun.

Standing outside the fish tank, He Dongchen watched Xi Ya’s rose-gold tail swaying in the water, with even the jewels unable to overshadow its brilliance.

He Dongchen felt an itch to touch the tail but knew that would be too forward, akin to saying, ‘Your legs are beautiful; let me touch them.’ If he dared to say that, Xi Ya would surely swat him away with her tail.

After a moment of contemplation, He Dongchen suddenly said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to become smaller? I’ve made some progress in my research. How about giving it a try?”

“Really?” Xi Ya, perched on the edge of the fish tank, was eager to try.

“Really,” He Dongchen said with a smile.

After some adjustments, Xi Ya blushed deeply and suddenly transformed, turning into a big-headed, adorable little figure. Especially with her tail flicking angrily, He Dongchen’s eyes were filled with amusement, and he quickly corrected himself.

After a few transformations back and forth, Xi Ya finally became a small mermaid, tiny enough to be held in two hands.

He Dongchen gently picked Xi Ya up from the tank, his thumb brushing over her tail, which was indeed silky smooth.

“What are you doing?” Xi Ya asked in a cute, high-pitched voice. Her tail gave He Dongchen’s thumb a gentle swipe. Now that she was smaller, the force was greatly reduced, like a tickling sensation that stirred emotions.

He Dongchen regained his seriousness and carefully transferred the tiny Xi Ya to a small fish tank on the desk, setting her down gently.

Xi Ya swam a few laps in the small tank, feeling content, and directed the giant He Dongchen in her sweet voice; “Help me put some jewels in this tank.”

He Dongchen, ever obliging, retrieved several smooth gems from the large tank and placed them in the small one. The pink agate and malachite combined beautifully.

Xi Ya was very satisfied, arranging the jewels with her tail, her smile practically reaching the sky.

“Do you want to join me?” Xi Ya extended her tiny hand to invite He Dongchen.

He Dongchen looked at the tiny hand, smaller than his little finger, and smiled; “Sure.”

Moments later, two tiny merfolk floated in the tank—one with a golden tail, the other with a rose-gold tail—swaying and crossing paths. A gentle breeze from outside caused petals to fall into the tank, covering the water’s surface.

***

Meanwhile, at the An family home.

An Yanshang had been missing for over 2 months since going to Pearl Island. Although the An family didn’t care much about a mere illegitimate child, his unexplained disappearance was troubling, especially given its connection to Ocean Jewelry’s base.

Before Ocean Jewelry emerged, the An family was the leading force in the jewelry industry. Now being overshadowed, they were unwilling to accept it.

The An family sent An Liuguang, An Yanshang’s half-brother, to investigate. Confident and determined, An Liuguang hired several foreign mercenaries to accompany him to Pearl Island.

On this day, the sea was calm. An Yanshang diligently worked on opening sea shells, skillfully extracting pearls, his tail swaying gently in the water.

With a splash, Hua Xue emerged from the water, shaking her head to shed the droplets that splattered onto An Yanshang’s face.

“Yanshang, I just went to see the newly born mermaid babies. They’re so cute! How about we have one too?” Hua Xue cooed, clinging to An Yanshang’s arm.

An Yanshang paused, self-deprecatingly saying, “Others are having mermaid babies, and what we’ll have is just fish.”

Hua Xue pouted. “That’s the worst-case scenario. You should think positively. Even if it’s a fish, it’s still our child, and I’ll take good care of it.”

An Yanshang gazed out at the distant shoreline, his expression distant and his voice faint. “Don’t you think about whether it wants to be born or not?”

He thought of his mother, who had been foolishly deceived and stubbornly chose to give birth to him, burdening her life and dying early. If he could choose, he wouldn’t want to have been born, branded as an illegitimate child, and subjected to disdain.

Therefore, he was determined not to bring a child destined for tragedy into the world.

An Yanshang, troubled by his painful past and a bleak future, felt frustrated. He threw the shell he was holding aside and dove into the sea, swimming away.

“Yanshang, where are you going? Don’t go too far! You’ll turn into a fish!” Hua Xue called out anxiously.

An Yanshang swam ahead, his head down. He had a locator device on him, and if he strayed too far from the island, and didn’t return within an hour, regardless of the reason, he would be erased from the Mermaid Lineage Book and turned into a regular fish.

His life and safety depended entirely on He Dongchen’s whim, leaving him unable to harbor any small hopes. This feeling of helplessness weighed heavily on him, leaving him listless. Even Hua Xue’s silly smile couldn’t heal him.

He swam around the island a few times to vent his frustration. During this time, he encountered several merfolk out for a swim, whom he avoided from a distance. Hiding in the shadows, he watched their beautiful blue tails, his gaze melancholic as he sighed deeply.

***

Late at night, as he was returning, he suddenly heard the sound of an engine. He stealthily hid in the shadows and saw a yacht approaching slowly. Among the people on the yacht, one was particularly familiar!

An Liuguang! That irritating guy!

An Yanshang recognized him as his half-brother and struggled internally. Before he could figure out what was going on, an alarm sounded. Dozens of speed boats swiftly arrived at the island, surrounding and locking in on the intruding yacht.

“This is a private island. Leave immediately!” the mermen warned.

An Liuguang cursed under his breath, realizing he had been discovered before even reaching the island.

He raised his hands to show he meant no harm. “Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. We’ll leave right away.”

The mermen exchanged glances and opened a gap to let An Liuguang and his group depart.

An Liuguang left promptly, appearing as though he had merely passed by by accident.

But An Yanshang, hiding in the water, saw everything clearly. An Liuguang’s yacht had deployed a robot, and, unfortunately, the robot’s camera was aimed directly at him!

An Yanshang swore under his breath and quickly grabbed the robot, surfacing from the water. “Don’t let them leave!”

The mermen, seeing the robot in his hand, immediately understood and surrounded An Liuguang and his group. They overturned the yacht, threw out the fishing nets, and hauled it ashore.

The so-called mercenaries were quickly overwhelmed, falling apart with little resistance.

An Liuguang, having swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater and coughing painfully, saw An Yanshang in the water and could hardly contain his fury. “An Yanshang, have you gone mad?! We are blood brothers! I came to save you!”

An Yanshang sneered, slowly emerging from the water with the robot in hand, revealing his grayish tail.

An Liuguang instantly forgot his coughing, staring in terror at An Yanshang’s tail. “W-what happened to your legs?”