Xia Yang slept until evening, and when he opened his eyes, it was nearly dark outside. The effects of the alcohol were still lingering—his mind was clear, but his temples throbbed with pain, and his throat burned.
He desperately needed a glass of water to revive himself.
Getting up and pulling off the covers, he was about to get out of bed when he suddenly realized something was off.
He was wearing a strange vest and shorts, and on the floor next to the bed lay something. Squinting to get a better look, he realized it was… the fishtail part of the mermaid costume he had bought but hadn’t had a chance to return?!
What the heck! What happened?!
Xia Yang tapped his head, which felt hot and fuzzy, as if there was nothing left but water and alcohol.
While he was pondering this, he heard footsteps outside the door, followed by Fang Ming knocking gently.
“Young Master Xia, are you awake?”
Xia Yang quickly used his toes to kick the fishtail under the bed where it couldn’t be seen. After hiding it, he called out, “Come in!”
Fang Ming had come to bring him a glass of plain water.
Xia Yang took the water and drank the whole glass in one go. After finishing, he turned his eyes and asked, “By the way, Brother Ming, did you change my clothes?”
“It wasn’t me,” Fang Ming shook his head. “It should have been the gentleman. Besides me and him, no one else has been in this room.”
Xia Yang: “…”
So, it was him. Case solved.
Damn! Damn! Damn!!!
Dinner that evening was unusually quiet.
Neither of the young men initiated any conversation, and Xia Yang, rarely uninterested in eating, was absent-minded.
He kept sneaking glances at Han Yi, one look after another, with a complicated expression in his eyes.
After a while, Mrs. Tang finished her meal and left the table. Once she was gone, Han Yi put down his chopsticks, turned his head, and looked at him calmly, “Do you have something to say?”
“Uh…” Xia Yang was taken aback. It turned out the plastic husband had noticed him stealing glances all along.
“I… have something I want to ask you.” He rubbed the marble edge of the table, hesitating.
“What is it?”
“Uh…” Xia Yang scratched his head for a few seconds before gathering the courage to lean closer and lower his voice, “Mr. Han, do you really like mermaids?”
Han Yi: “?”
Xia Yang avoided his eyes as much as possible, speaking rapidly, “Actually, you can be honest with me. I’m not against cosplay; we’re all adults, and I can understand these little quirks. But, you know, changing my clothes while I’m drunk, isn’t that a bit impolite…”
“Did you drink yourself stupid?” Han Yi interrupted him, his face cold. He reached across the table and threw something at him, “Look for yourself.”
“…”
Xia Yang’s eyes widened. It was a Polaroid photo.
Turning it over, he saw the front of the photo—
Damn! It was a vivid “bed photo” of him while drunk!
And, more embarrassingly, in the photo, he was wearing that vest, shorts, and the mermaid fishtail.
“This, this, this…” Xia Yang’s pupils dilated, his cheeks flushed, and his mouth formed an “O.”
Han Yi stared at his face, his expression firm, speaking each word clearly, “This is evidence. Evidence kept from the first moment.”
Last time, this person got drunk at Mrs. Tang’s place, leaving a vivid memory of “tie play.”
A person cannot step into the same river twice. This time, he learned his lesson and kept evidence to prevent being falsely accused.
Thanks to Liang Yue, the Polaroid camera was indeed a good thing.
With irrefutable evidence, Xia Yang had nothing to say. He, filled with embarrassment, wanted to tear up the “bed photo,” but before he could act, Han Yi took it away.
“Evidence will be kept as a warning.”
“Uh, warning for what?” Xia Yang tugged at his clothes, his ears tinged pink.
“In the future, you’re not allowed to drink outside; your tolerance is too low,” Han Yi’s dark eyes flashed coldly, his fingers tapping on the photo, “Today was a family dinner, so it was fine, but I don’t want to see a scandalous photo of you taken by others appearing in the news.”
Xia Yang: “…”
Xia Yang: “…………….”
*
Two weeks later, the creative advertisement for the cruise ship “Yunzhou” was released on the official company website and various social media platforms, both domestic and international.
The advertisement, filmed in a cinematic style, told a fantastical love story.
The pilot and the mermaid.
In the silent sky and the deep blue sea, the mermaid swims towards the pride of the sky, while the pilot reaches out to the sea’s spirit.
The vast ocean, the magnificent cruise ship, and an seemingly impossible love story were made real by the Yunzhou cruise ship. Through shifting light and shadow, and overlapping time and space, the lovers broke through all barriers, surpassing the impossible to make dreams come true.
The Yunzhou was not just a top luxury cruise ship but also a seaborne work of art bearing love and dreams.
A beautiful mermaid boy ventured out of the deep sea for the first time, following the cruise ship to find his beloved, whom he missed day and night. The soft gauze fluttered, the lights glittered, and the silver fishtail glided gently across the water, creating ripples that reflected the stars and moonlight.
His skin was as white as snow, his body long and streamlined. His slightly curly black hair partially covered his handsome face, and his black obsidian-like eyes held a mysterious allure.
The wings on his sides, made of leather, were rendered translucent by the seawater, with delicate diamond beads resembling the sun’s soft kisses on his body.
Gentle, agile, gorgeous, and soft, stunningly beautiful…
Within hours of its release on social media platforms, the ad garnered over ten thousand comments.
[Comments] :
[@LittleBunny] : “Wow, daddy Han’s sea artwork is magnificent! You’re amazing, Daddy!”
[@Ling Shan] : “So impressive, like a movie blockbuster!!!”
[@Patriotism] : “My eyes are blessed! Guys, I need to know who that handsome merman is within a minute! [Crazy.jpg]”
[@JustLoveSese] : “Upstairs, that handsome merman is Xia Yang, a former member of the minor idol group F.H.B. Who would’ve thought he’d change so much [Shocked face]!”
[@SpringSleeps] : “Amazing, my Xiaobao! Now working with top luxury cruise brands! Mommy is so proud~~”
[@FellFromSky] : “Mermaids are usually sexy and enchanting women; it’s rare to see a handsome guy portray a mermaid so elegantly. I have to say, his figure is perfect. I’d love to touch that merman’s tail [Drool].”
[@NotChasingStars] : “Me too, I want to touch his merman line!”
[@WhatToEatToday] : “His waist is lethal! That waist isn’t just a waist; it’s a deadly curve at night~”
[@BrotherLovesYou] : “Feeling like I’m living in a BL mermaid story [Slurp].”
[@HummingHaha] : “Agree +1, the ultimate beautiful mermaid bottom with a cold CEO top/older/romantic/m-preg/H.”
…
Xia Yang learned that the advertisement had gone viral two days later. Xiang Tian couldn’t contain his excitement and sent him screenshots of various statistics. Yuka also sent congratulations, saying the view count had surpassed a billion, and the lead actor had been dubbed “the most beautiful merman prince in history.”
Some trend-following merchants even launched “Xia Yang’s Merman Outfit.”
Several short video creators began imitating the epic romance between the pilot and the mermaid to gain followers.
Xia Yang was stunned. After hanging up the phone, he hurried to check Weibo. The ad had climbed the trending list, and his own followers had skyrocketed.
Overnight, his followers had increased by millions?!!
Initially, he had done the commercial to keep the resources in the family, but now it felt like a dream to have it suddenly go viral.
Carrying this joyous news, he ran to the room next door and pushed open the door.
At that moment, Han Yi was focused on his work, staring at the computer screen, lost in something.
“Boss, you saw the ad, right?” Xia Yang bounced to the desk, eager to get straight to the point.
Han Yi nodded slightly, his face as expressionless as ever, “I saw it. Not bad.”
Just “not bad”… Xia Yang rolled his eyes, visibly dissatisfied.
“With a capable boss’s wife like this, Boss Han can’t even spare a compliment?”
“I’m a practical person. The company will transfer the six million payment to you tomorrow,” Han Yi replied, not even looking up.
Xia Yang froze, immediately stopped rolling his eyes, and leaned over the desk, “You’re not joking, right? The boss’s wife gets paid for working for the family?”
Only then did Han Yi lift his eyes, his gaze faintly resting on Xia Yang’s face, “Why, do you insist on working for free? It’s not impossible…”
“No, that’s not necessary.” Xia Yang grinned, scratching his head. He stretched out his arm to grab Han Yi’s hand, forcing a handshake, “Boss Han is so generous, clearly a big deal! The boss’s wife didn’t marry the wrong person. Looking forward to our next collaboration!”
Han Yi: “…”
Watching Xia Yang’s cheerful figure disappear at the door, Han Yi’s gaze returned to the computer screen. The screen was paused on a halfway-through progress bar of the cruise ship ad. He clicked play and continued watching.
It was his third time viewing it.
Initially, he had been reviewing the short film from a business perspective, evaluating its brand value. At some point, however, his focus shifted solely to the handsome young man in the film.
He may not be adept at giving compliments, but his eyes didn’t lie. Every smile and gesture of the beautiful boy was like a little hook, firmly capturing his gaze.
As the progress bar reached the end again, Han Yi clicked on the screen, inadvertently opening the comments section.
Large swathes of viewer comments slid down the page.
Normally, he wouldn’t pay attention to these things, but today he uncharacteristically took a look.
His eyes landed on a few particular comments, and he pursed his lips, suppressing a smirk.
[@FellFromSky] : “This brother has an amazing figure. I’d love to touch that merman’s tail [Drool].”
[@NotChasingStars] : “Me too, I want to touch his merman line!”
[@WhatToEatToday] : “His waist is lethal! That waist isn’t just a waist; it’s a deadly curve at night~”
With a blank face, Han Yi scrolled through a few comments, then reported one for “inappropriate content.”
Scrolling further, he came across another comment: “Beautiful mermaid bottom X cold CEO top/older/romantic/m-preg/H.” His finger paused over the report button, hesitating for half a second, before clicking the “X” to cancel.
That one, he’ll let slide.
There is no violations, no inappropriate content, so reporting wasn’t quite necessary…
Author’s Note :
Xia Yang: “It’s H-rated but not inappropriate? Can I call you a double standard, you dare to respond?”
Han Yi (serious face): “Doesn’t H mean happy ending?”
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