When I found out the villain was a merman who cried pearls, I fished the pregnancy test I’d thrown out of the trash. Then I went to the roof. "So, uh, how many do you mermen have at once? And do they eat fish food or formula?" Justin, who had been in the middle of a dramatic suicide attempt, slipped and nearly plummeted from the eighteenth floor. I shook my head and sighed. "You know what? Never mind. I’ll just throw it in the ocean after it’s born." Later, after the baby was born, Justin didn't even dare to sleep, terrified I'd take our child and release it into the wild. When the heroine, fighting with the hero, showed up at our door, he was in the middle of roaring at our eldest son over his swim meet results. "You're a merman! How can you be afraid of water?!" 1 I knew Justin was the main villain of this world, and I was the wife his grandfather had found for him before he died. My mission was supposed to be to save him. But I was slacking off. Not only did I not save him, but I also doubled down on spending his money and taking over his bed. The System, watching his "darkness value" remain stubbornly unchanged, had given up. The last time it appeared, it had left me with a cold parting shot: "When the villain dies, I'll come get you." I'd been waiting for over half a year. Today was an auspicious day. The old almanac clearly stated: Favorable for Burials. When Justin, his heart shattered by the heroine, Emily, dragged himself to the rooftop, I was already decked out in all the jewels from his safe, eagerly awaiting the System's arrival. But when the System finally materialized, its first words were, "Host, why are you wearing the villain's tears?" "What?" I looked down in shock at the priceless pearl necklace around my neck. "Justin is a merman. Those pearls are his tears," the System intoned mournfully. A merman? A merman who cries pearls? My entire worldview crumbled. This wasn't a villain; this was a walking, talking gold mine! This necklace had been hidden in a secret compartment in his study. I'd assumed it was a birthday gift for Emily. But her birthday party had come and gone, and the gift remained undelivered. So, one dark and stormy night, I'd helped myself… I remembered when Justin saw me wearing it, he'd looked at me with a complicated expression and asked, "You like this?" I had rolled my eyes. "Duh. Who's going to argue with money?" I'd had it appraised. It was worth one hundred and twenty million. Now that I thought about it, his expression had clearly been saying: So, you like my tears? "System! I think he can still be saved!" I ripped off the necklace, dug the pregnancy test out of the trash, and sprinted for the roof. At that moment, Justin had already climbed over the railing, half his body dangling eighteen stories up. "Wait!" I held up the pregnancy test, panting. "So, uh, how many do you mermen have at once? And do they eat fish food or formula?" His foot slipped, and he nearly fell. He clung to the railing, his body hanging in the open air. "What… what did you say?" "Don't want to take responsibility?" I was a little disappointed. How had telling him made him want to die faster? "Fine then. I'll just throw it back in the ocean when it's born…" It was just a one-time accident when he'd been drugged, anyway. He probably didn't even remember. Before I could finish, a dark figure vaulted back over the railing and pinned me against the wall. "You dare!" A tidal wave of fury churned in his eyes. I secretly smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. Excellent. The gold mine was secure. After Justin came back from the roof, he wasn't himself. He settled me in the bedroom, then immediately locked himself in the study. I pressed my ear to the door and heard a frantic conversation. "…Calcium supplements during pregnancy… seaweed… wait, doctor, are you saying a human carrying a merman baby needs to soak in seawater every day?" His voice suddenly rose. "But she's pregnant!" I was trying so hard not to laugh my stomach hurt. Who would have thought that the dark, ruthless villain would be on the phone, frantically consulting an obstetrician, his voice trembling? When the study door suddenly opened, I nearly fell into his arms. Justin quickly caught me by the waist, the heat of his palm searing through my clothes. He looked down at me, his gaze falling to my flat stomach, his Adam's apple bobbing. "You…" "I'm hungry," I interrupted him, my tone righteous. "I want your homemade seafood congee." Soon, the clattering of pots and pans came from the kitchen. The butler stood at the doorway, hesitating. 2 "Sir nearly burned down the kitchen the last time he cooked," he said. "Oh," I replied. "It's fine. He's rich." If he burns it down, we'll just move. The butler was speechless. An hour later, Justin emerged with a soot-streaked face, carrying the finished product. It looked… okay. Probably not poisonous. Just as I was about to take a spoonful, he pressed a hand on mine. "Wait." He carefully picked out all the tiny shell fragments, tested the temperature, and then handed the spoon back. I deliberately frowned. "It's too bland." He reached for the salt, but his hand froze mid-air. He turned, opened his tablet, and began earnestly searching for the recommended daily sodium intake for pregnant women. I was… speechless. And so began my life of being pampered like an empress. In the morning, there was fresh-squeezed orange juice made by the villain himself. When I bathed, he treated me like a fragile piece of porcelain. Even when I kicked him awake in the middle of the night with a leg cramp, he would gently massage it for me. One morning, I woke up groggily to find him measuring my waist with a soft tape measure, his expression as serious as if he were disarming a bomb. "It's only been a month. What can you even tell?" I teased him. The tips of his ears turned red, but he insisted on recording the data in his phone's memo app, under the title: Merman Cub Observation Diary. The best part was last week, when a business partner came to the office to see him. When security called for permission, Justin was on one knee, tying my shoelaces. "Don't bother me with things like this in the future," he said coldly into the phone. "My wife is napping." After hanging up, he even tucked the blanket around me. Right now, I was lounging on a rocking chair on the terrace, watching Justin build a swing set in the garden. The sunlight tinged the ends of his hair an amber gold. The scene was almost… sweet. Suddenly, a notification from the System popped up:【Warning! Villain's darkness value has dropped to 90%.】 【Host…】 its voice was laced with confusion.【Are you sure this is the way to save him?】 I smiled, my hand stroking the pearl necklace at my throat. "At least he doesn't want to die anymore, right?" Justin finished the swing set. I wiggled my toes. "Honey, my leg is cramping." He wiped his hands clean, knelt on one knee, and began to massage my leg. System:【Nice!】 "Honey, I want a pink pearl." A while ago, I had seen a pink pearl at an auction. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, the hero, Leo, had bought it to appease Emily. "Cry for me," I said, casually picking up a bowl of grapes and holding it under his chin. Justin froze. He looked up, his deep-set, ocean-like eyes filled with disbelief. "…The color of the pearl depends on the merman's emotions." "I don't care," I said, stroking my stomach. "If you don't cry, I'm releasing all your cubs into the wild." His expression changed instantly. Three minutes later, I was staring, dumbfounded, as the formidable villain, feared by all, sat there with red-rimmed eyes, dropping pearls one by one. The pale pink pearls clattered into the bowl with a delightful sound. The System chimed:【Villain's darkness value has dropped to 85%.】 I gleefully collected the pearls. This mission was too easy. At this rate, I was going to turn Justin into a simple-minded, pearl-crying merman. But just as I thought victory was in my grasp, Emily arrived. She was wearing a simple white dress, her eyes red, standing at the gate of our villa like a rain-beaten white rose. "Justin, please, you have to save my father…" her voice was choked with sobs. "He's been taken. You're the only one who can find him…" I stood in the doorway, a cold smile on my face. "Go find Leo." Emily bit her lip, the tears falling faster. "He doesn't have those kinds of connections…" 3 I paused, then it hit me. Right. The hero was always the sunny, righteous CEO, while the villain was… dark, shadowy, and ruthless. So, when the world needed dirty work done, the first person the heroine thought of was always the one with blood on his hands—Justin. I glanced back at him, standing on the landing of the stairs. He was just standing there, his expression unreadable, still holding the slipper I had just kicked off. A sudden wave of anger washed over me. "You're not going!" Emily bit her lip, her tears threatening to fall. "If Sophia says no, then… I guess that's it." She turned, the hem of her dress creating a pitiful arc. Just as she was about to leave, Justin spoke. "Wait." I watched as he knelt down, gently put the slipper back on my foot, and even adjusted its position. And then! That bastard actually stood up and followed Emily out the door! "Justin!" I threw my other slipper at the back of his head. "If you go, don't come back!" The slipper hit its mark with a satisfying thwack. He paused for a second, didn't turn around, just rubbed the spot where he'd been hit, and kept walking. I was so mad I almost threw the other one. … At three in the morning, I checked my phone for the 28th time. The screen was still black. Suddenly, the System beeped:【Warning! Villain's darkness value has increased by 12%. Current value: 97%.】 "What?!" I shot up, nearly throwing out my back. "I've been sitting on his eggs like a mother hen, working my ass off to get rid of 15% of his darkness, and he goes out with the heroine for one night and gains 12 points back?" The System added quietly, "To be precise, it was 4 hours and 38 minutes." "What? Did Emily use him as ransom for the kidnappers?" I stroked my stomach, a cold smile on my face. A car engine rumbled outside. I rushed to the window and saw Justin's Maybach pulling into the courtyard, its headlights cutting two hazy beams through the rain. What made me even angrier was that when he got out, he was carrying something. The box clearly had the logo of The Sea's Pearl on it—that ridiculously expensive seafood restaurant that Emily loved. "Very good," I gritted out to the System. "Get me the 'false miscarriage' prop. Now!" The System's code nearly scrambled in panic:【Ho-ho-host, calm down! Merman cubs are very resilient. That prop costs 5,000 points…】 "Do I look like I care about points?" The reason I was slacking off in this world was because the points I'd earned from previous missions were more than enough for me to retire. … When Justin gently pushed open the bedroom door, he found me curled up on the bed, my face pale, clutching my stomach. "Sophia?" The food container in his hand clattered to the floor, salmon sashimi scattering everywhere. I weakly looked up and saw a clear handprint on his left cheek. Justin’s hands trembled as he scooped me up. The car sped through the streets, straight to the hospital. I lay on the hospital bed, deliberately turning my back to him, listening to his ragged breathing as he spoke with the doctor. "Signs of a threatened miscarriage. She needs absolute bed rest," the doctor said sternly. "And most importantly, she needs to remain calm." Justin's voice was hoarse. "She… and the baby…" "They're stable for now, but any more stress, and it's hard to say." "Young Master… a human body is not ideal for carrying merman offspring. The first three months are especially dangerous. If this continues, I'm afraid the child…" The sound of the hospital room door closing. Then a dull thud, like knees hitting the floor hard. 4 "I'm sorry…" His trembling voice was close to my ear. "I shouldn't have…" I secretly perked up my ears, waiting for the rest. "I shouldn't have left you at home alone…" His fingers gently touched my shoulder. I whipped around, nearly bumping his nose. "I'm very angry right now! Get out!" The System had just informed me that Emily's father had a two-million-dollar gambling debt. She didn't want to borrow money from the hero to bail him out, so she thought she'd get Justin to do it for free. When she got there, she found out the kidnappers were Justin's old underlings, who had been kicked out of his organization for misconduct. But Emily didn't believe it. She thought Justin had set the whole thing up. That's why she slapped him. Justin looked like he'd been hit by a truck. He opened his mouth, speechless, then suddenly pulled me into a tight hug, so tight I could barely breathe. "Let go! You're squishing the baby!" I pounded his back. He sprang back as if he'd been electrocuted, his hands hovering over my stomach, his eyes full of fear. "Sophia… don't be angry… I bought you salmon." I was confused. "…?" Wasn't that for Emily? "You said you wanted salmon sashimi the other night," he explained quietly. "I wrote it in my memo." I was speechless. "…" "So…" Justin suddenly knelt by the bed, gently taking my hand. "Can you forgive me?" I looked at his red-rimmed eyes and had a sudden idea. "Cry me a purple pearl, and I'll forgive you." Justin was speechless. "…" Three minutes later, I was sitting up in bed, happily counting the purple pearls in my hand, listening to the System's notification:【Villain's darkness value has dropped to 70%.】 I stayed in the hospital for three days and discovered a shocking secret. The doctor who did my ultrasound was a clownfish merman from the sea! I secretly observed him for a long time. When he bent down to record some data, I whispered, "Can you cry pearls?" The doctor's hand jerked, nearly dropping his pen. He awkwardly pushed up his glasses. "Young Madam, not all mermen can produce pearls…" I sighed in disappointment and turned to look at Justin, who was peeling an apple beside me. "So, you're a rare breed?" I asked mournfully. The fruit knife in Justin's hand paused. He wordlessly handed me a slice of apple. "Just eat." I pouted. So, mermen who could cry pearls really were treasures. During this time, Emily called no less than ten times. The first time the phone rang, Justin was peeling grapes for me. The screen lit up, and he glanced at it, his fingers stiffening slightly. I narrowed my eyes. "Answer it." Justin silently rejected the call. I said, "Cry." Justin was speechless. "…" Five minutes later, I happily accepted a pale purple pearl. The second time the phone rang, Justin was massaging my calves. The vibration of the phone made him pause. I lazily lifted an eyelid. "Answer it." Justin emotionlessly hung up. I said, "Cry." Justin took a deep breath, his eyes turning red. Plink! Another pearl. 5 By the third and fourth time… Justin had developed a conditioned reflex. The moment his phone rang, his eyes would start to redden. Before I could even speak, tears would be welling up. I laughed so hard I slapped the bed. "Justin, are you a crybaby?" Justin's face was dark. He switched his phone to silent and gritted out, "Sophia, don't push it." I blinked innocently. "What did I do? I didn't say anything." He was so angry he went to the balcony for some air. But not two minutes later, he came back, placed a pearl in my palm, and whispered, "…Don't be angry." I was confused. "…?" The System was wheezing with laughter in my head:【Host, you've domesticated the villain into an automatic pearl-producing machine!】 The day I was discharged, I left with a sack full of pearls, happily planning to make a pearl curtain for my home. Justin carried my luggage with one hand and supported me with the other, terrified I would trip. Just as we reached the hospital entrance, Emily rushed out from the side, her eyes red, and blocked our path. "Justin! I need to talk to you!" Almost reflexively, Justin's eyes reddened, instantly filling with tears. Emily was speechless. "…???" I was trying so hard not to laugh my stomach hurt. I quickly took Justin's arm and said sweetly, "Miss Emily, is something wrong?" Emily opened her mouth, seemingly at a loss for words at Justin's reaction. It took her a long moment to finally stammer out, "I'm sorry… I misunderstood you. About my father…" "No need," Justin cut her off coldly. He pulled me quickly toward the car, as if afraid he'd start crying again if he stayed any longer. I turned back and waved to Emily, a cheerful smile on my face. "Miss Emily, if you need anything in the future, just go to Leo. My Justin is very busy." Busy crying pearls, I added silently. In the car, Justin fastened my seatbelt with a dark expression. I poked his cheek. "What's wrong? Unhappy?" He was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Sophia, do you only like my pearls?" I paused, then burst out laughing. "Of course. What else?" The light in Justin's eyes instantly dimmed. I leaned in close, whispering in his ear, "But… more than the pearls, I like the way you look when you cry." Justin was speechless. "…" The next second, he grabbed the back of my head and kissed me fiercely. System:【Ding—Villain's darkness value has dropped to 55%! Host, victory is in sight!】 I was dizzy from his kiss. I suddenly remembered something and pushed against his chest, creating a small space between us. "What about you? Do you only like the baby in my belly?" The tips of Justin's ears instantly turned red. He couldn't meet my gaze. "…Mermen are absolutely loyal to their mates." "Oh?" I narrowed my eyes. "Then on the roof that day…" "I was clearing my head," he cut in quickly, his long lashes lowered, casting a shadow on his cheeks. "…And wondering if you only agreed to marry me for my money." … I had never seen Justin's tail. Ever since I found out he was a merman, I'd been dying to see his legendary, priceless blue tail. But every time I brought it up, his ears would turn red, and he would quickly change the subject. "Justin~" I draped myself over his back, my fingers twirling the ends of his hair. "Let me see your tail." His body stiffened. He tried to act calm as he turned a page of a document. "…There's nothing to see." "How can there be nothing to see?" I whispered in his ear. "I heard a merman's tail is smooth and shiny, like a jewel…" Snap! The pen in his hand broke in two. I was speechless. "…" The System was rolling with laughter in my head:【Host, you've aroused him into a stress response!】 I pouted. If being nice didn't work, it was time to be firm! So that night, while Justin was in the shower, I snuck into the bathroom. The room was filled with steam, and the surface of the water in the bathtub rippled. I tiptoed closer and then ripped open the shower curtain. A magnificent, iridescent blue tail was gently swishing in the water. I held my breath.
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