Chapter 145 – Love in a Fallen City: You Are My Eternal, Unfading Starlight – All About Getting Married (08)
Bai Tang woke up in Turs’ arms. He rubbed against his man’s newly grown stubble—it scratched his face.
Annoyed, Bai Tang bumped his head into Turs’ neck. You prick me, I’ll get back at you.
“You’re full of energy this morning, hmm?” The man’s tone carried a dangerous hint.
Bai Tang chuckled sheepishly and subtly shifted backwards. From experience across several worlds, he had learned: morning men are not to be trifled with.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Unhappy with the increasing distance between them, Turs flipped over and pinned the little mermaid beneath him.
“I was wrong~” Bai Tang wrapped his arms around Turs’ neck and smiled apologetically.
“Mistakes come with consequences.” Turs grinned and rubbed his stubbled chin against Bai Tang’s cheek.
“Hahaha, it tickles…”
Bai Tang was trapped, unable to escape the tyranny of Turs’ beard. He kicked his legs in protest, trying to break free.
But alas, he would’ve been fine if he hadn’t moved. The moment he did—trouble.
It’s well-known that morning men are not to be provoked. And sure enough, under the blanket, their bare bodies brushed against each other. The inevitable happened: someone reacted.
Something poked against Bai Tang’s lower belly. Tears of laughter welled in his eyes as he hurried to beg for mercy, “Hahaha, I was wrong! I was wrong!”
“Good boy. If you were wrong, you have to accept punishment.” The man’s voice was low and husky, his eyes darkening with ambiguous emotion.
“Haven’t I already been punished?” the little mermaid asked, blinking up in confusion.
What he didn’t know was that those innocent eyes stirred something in the man’s heart—and with a snap, the last thread of restraint labeled “reason” broke.
“Tang Tang, Tang Tang…” Turs murmured his name. “It won’t hurt. Be good, relax…”
How could Bai Tang, who couldn’t fight to save his life, possibly resist a general’s strength? Kissed into a daze, his eyes grew hazy, and he completely surrendered to the might of the great General.
System: “Good morning, Tang Ta—OH MY GOD! My eyes! My eyes! I didn’t see anything, didn’t see anything…”
The two of them fooled around all morning. By the time it was over, Bai Tang was sore all over—it felt like his body wasn’t even his own anymore.
“It hurts~” he whimpered in a soft, baby-like voice, eyes misty as he gazed up at Turs, looking utterly pitiful.
Turs felt both guilty and distressed. Bai Tang had clearly said he’d had enough, yet he had acted as if possessed.
“Let me give you a massage.”
Turs began to massage Bai Tang, applying just the right amount of pressure—it was surprisingly soothing. Bai Tang couldn’t help but let out a soft moan, “Mmm~”
The massage moved from his back down to his waist, and as Turs kept going, the atmosphere subtly shifted.
“You’re doing it again?”
The little mermaid turned his tear-filled eyes toward the man, staring at the large hand now resting on his rear.
Turs’ heart ached. He kissed Bai Tang gently on the lips and said, “I’m just checking if you’re hurt…”
Mermaids were considered precious for good reason—they had unique and extraordinary traits.
Turs applied some medicine to Bai Tang, then went downstairs to bring him some broth. He coaxed Bai Tang with gentle words, all the while thinking hard about how to get him to agree to sign the marriage contract.
In short, for the sake of his own “happiness,” he had to make sure the little mermaid was completely satisfied.
That afternoon, Turs’ leave of absence was approved. Bai Tang enjoyed several days of being treated like royalty.
During the trial cohabitation period, the pair were considered engaged and lived together like an ordinary couple. However, because one party was a mermaid—a rare and protected species—there were special regulations. For the mermaid’s safety, their protector was strictly forbidden from forcing them into any intimate marital obligations.
What Turs did last night had technically violated the Mermaid Protection Act. Unless Bai Tang willingly agreed to marry him, Turs could lose his title as a general and be sent to prison.
Of course, Bai Tang had no intention of reporting Turs. It was the system who was simply educating him on the relevant laws.
“So, if I don’t marry Turs, he’ll have to go to jail?” Bai Tang bit his lower lip and nodded to himself, as if making a big decision.
When Turs came into the room, Bai Tang lifted his head and said firmly, “Turs, let’s get married.”
The surprise came so suddenly that Turs nearly dropped the tray in his hands. He reached out and touched Bai Tang’s forehead. “Tang Tang, did you just wake up?”
Typically, mermaids wouldn’t mention marriage so casually. Only after prolonged observation and emotional confirmation would they decide someone was the right one. Usually, it was the protector who proposed.
“You… don’t want to marry me?” Bai Tang’s face dimmed. Turs didn’t look particularly happy about it.
“I do. I dream about it.” Turs wanted nothing more than to take Bai Tang back to the mermaid base right this moment to register their marriage.
But he needed to be sure—was the little mermaid truly ready, or was this just a spur-of-the-moment decision?
“Why did you suddenly decide to get married, Tang Tang? Aren’t you going to observe me a little longer?”
Under Turs’ gentle prompting, Bai Tang finally said the truth: “I don’t want you to go to prison…”
Alright then—even though the little mermaid didn’t say anything sweet or romantic, his concern still made Turs feel warm and fuzzy inside.
He turned on the TV and stuffed the squirrel plushie into Bai Tang’s arms.
“Play with this for a bit, Tang Tang. I’ll go get ready and head to the mermaid base.” With that, he strode out of the room with purpose.
“Hypocrite. Hmph. Men!” the system scoffed.
Who knew why, in every single world, it always took Tang Tang sacrificing himself to break up the male and female leads? Wanting to complete the mission but refusing to let the host sacrifice himself—that was a paradox. The system had already given up trying to resolve it. But that didn’t stop it from disliking the male lead.
On TV, a song was playing. A sweet, pure-looking girl smiled and said something like, “I’ve loved singing since I was little…”
Bai Tang glanced at the screen absentmindedly—and froze. That girl looked so familiar.
“Qiu’er, that girl looks really familiar,” Bai Tang said with a sigh. “Are people just starting to all look the same these days?”
So even average-looking people could become celebrities now?
The host introduced her as a newly debuted singer: beautiful, sweet-voiced, down-to-earth, easy to get along with. Basically boosting her popularity with praise.
The system narrowed its eyes. Who else could that be but the female lead? Just because her fish tail had turned into legs didn’t mean it wouldn’t recognize her.
Sure enough, the next second, the host announced her name—Le Mengqi—and revealed her unique identity: she’s a mermaid.
The audience broke into an uproar.
A mermaid? Every known mermaid—whether living in the base or already married—was carefully protected and hidden from the public eye. And yet, here one was, appearing in front of everyone? It was unheard of.
Everyone stared fixedly at Le Mengqi’s legs, waiting eagerly for them to transform back into a fish tail.
With a sharp click, Bai Tang turned off the TV. He didn’t want to see Le Mengqi’s phony act anymore.
He asked, “Qiu’er, Turs clearly didn’t help the female lead this time—so why did she still end up following the original plot and debuting?”
The system didn’t know either. After checking, it realized—
The plot had gone so far off track, even its own mother wouldn’t recognize it anymore.
“It was Lieutenant General Ida Sade. Tang Tang, do you remember that bearded man at the military headquarters last time? The one with the full-face beard? He really likes mermaids. After getting beaten up by the male lead, he applied to select a mermaid too—and even went to the mermaid base himself to look at candidates. In the end, he got used by Le Mengqi as a stepping stone.”
Though Lieutenant General Sade didn’t have as much power as Turs, he had still climbed to the rank of lieutenant general, which meant he was certainly capable.
Le Mengqi used her beauty to seduce him, threw in a bit of sweet talk, and soon had him wrapped around her finger. Being obsessed with mermaids, Sade ended up helping her rise to fame.
Even though she didn’t make a stunning, show-stopping debut like in the original storyline, thanks to her beautiful voice and attractive appearance, she still gained a considerable fan base.
“What should we do, Tang Tang? The female lead is starting to get really popular,” the system asked anxiously.
Bai Tang replied calmly, “Her becoming famous has nothing to do with me. As long as she doesn’t get together with Ters, she can do whatever she wants.”
One sentence instantly cleared the fog. The system snapped out of its panic.
Right—what was it so worried about? Turs was about to go register his marriage with Tang Tang anyway.
If the female lead still tried to interfere in their relationship, it would count as sabotaging a military marriage. Even if she was a mermaid, she’d still have to face the consequences.
Bai Tang got into the car and followed Turs to the mermaid base.
“Good day, General Walker,” said Mr. Eddie. After hearing the report that Turs Walker had returned with Bai Tang, he immediately put aside his work and came to greet them.
“Good day, Mr. Eddie,” Turs nodded politely.
Bai Tang peeked out from behind Turs and greeted him cheerfully, “Hello, Mr. Eddie~”
“Hello, Bai Tang.” Upon seeing the lively, adorable little mermaid, Mr. Eddie’s smile grew more genuine.
“So, what brings General Walker here today?” Mr. Eddie asked directly, getting straight to the point.
“Marriage. I’m here to register my marriage with Bai Tang,” Turs replied.
He interlaced his fingers with Bai Tang’s. The air around them was practically glowing pink with love.
When a mermaid and their protector genuinely fell in love and came to transfer the mermaid’s household registration, it was the best-case scenario.
The real concern was when the mermaid was forced—since it was rare for a mermaid and their protector to reach the point of registering for marriage in under a month.
Out of caution, Mr. Eddie agreed on the surface and respectfully invited them to rest in a conference room. He said he needed to have a detailed discussion with Turs Walker and asked Bai Tang to go play with the other mermaids.
It was always easier for mermaids to open up to each other. Mr. Eddie hoped that if Bai Tang had been forced into the marriage by General Walker—or if Turs was treating him badly—he would speak up. That way, Mr. Eddie could intervene and stop the registration process. But if Bai Tang truly was happy, he would offer them his heartfelt blessings.
Bai Tang didn’t suspect a thing. After giving Turs a goodbye kiss, he happily skipped off to the mermaid common area to play.
Once Bai Tang had left, Mr. Eddie poured a cup of tea for Ters and said, “General Walker, before we proceed with the paperwork, I believe we need to have a proper conversation.”
Turs sat with his fingers interlaced, his expression calm and composed. “Of course.”
Meanwhile, in the mermaid common area, many mermaids—having received word from Mr. Eddie—were ready to discreetly feel out Bai Tang’s situation. Naturally, they were happy to help.
Looking out for their own and helping a fellow mermaid find a worthy protector was part of their responsibility as a species. Besides, they were also genuinely curious about what life with a protector was like.
As a result, Bai Tang’s “return visit” was warmly welcomed. The mermaids gathered around him eagerly, firing off questions from all directions.
Faced with so many concerned peers—and looking into those sincere, eager eyes—Bai Tang felt it was his duty to educate them a little.
He started explaining how to choose a good protector, what standards to look for, and how to avoid being fooled by people like the one who was supposed to be Bai Tang’s original protector in the storyline: a well-dressed, respectable-looking tycoon with some very questionable hobbies.
Author’s Note:
Tang Tang’s classroom is now in session—Mermaids are so adorable, how could we let bad people trick them away?