Little Pink Starfish

Indeed, the dancing girl before him was none other than the protagonist’s fiancée—the one Gu Bai had encountered in the forest while out clearing his mind. To him, she was practically a walking death sentence. Gu Bai distinctly remembered that when he originally wrote about this harbinger of doom, he had only briefly described her beauty and the butterfly-shaped birthmark on her chest in Ziche Shubai’s memories. In reality, he had never fleshed out what kind of woman she actually was.

—In fact, outside of Ziche Shubai’s memories, her name had only ever appeared in the protagonist’s inner cries for revenge. The only time she physically appeared in the story was at the wedding scene, veiled and silent.

But now, having encountered this woman again and again, Gu Bai was starting to feel that something was very wrong.

He began to wonder—since he had never written detailed information about her, could this world have autogenerated some kind of setting for her?

The more he thought about it, the darker his expression became.

The current situation was painfully obvious—
Even if “Ziche Shubai” didn’t fall for the protagonist’s fiancée at first sight, this woman was still actively seeking him out!

For all he knew, hidden within his vague writing, there had always been some secret conspiracy involving the protagonist’s fiancée and her father!

But how was it fair for a plot twist even the author wasn’t aware of to suddenly surface?!

Or worse—was this the world’s way of forcefully correcting the plot?

Gu Bai clenched his fists, his teeth nearly cracking.

I AM THE AUTHOR! IF I WANT TO CHANGE THE STORY, WHAT THE HELL DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH YOU?!

I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO BE CONSUMED BY THE PROTAGONIST!

Feeling increasingly miserable, Gu Bai’s emotionless face became even more expressionless.

—Meanwhile, down below, the protagonist’s fiancée’s father, Luo Heng, was also feeling anxious.

Sure, his daughter had once been engaged to Qiguan Rui, but that was only because their families were of equal status and because Qiguan Rui had outstanding talent. Now that Qiguan Rui was crippled, should his carefully groomed daughter really marry a useless man? That would mean all his years of effort had been wasted!

Absolutely impossible!

So when Luo Heng learned that Tian Du City’s lord was hosting a grand birthday banquet, he quickly devised a plan. He thoroughly researched the young city lord inside and out.

From his perspective, martial-arts-obsessed young men were the easiest to fool—never having seen a woman before, how could they possibly remain unmoved by an enchanting, delicate beauty? And once they wavered, everything would become much easier. If his daughter could marry the city lord, what was a mere Qiguan Rui compared to that?

Luo Heng’s daughter, Luo Susu, was also a highly ambitious woman. She had once been infatuated with Qiguan Rui, but only because he had been strong enough. Now that he was crippled, how could she be content with being the wife of a useless man? Even before his downfall, Qiguan Rui was nothing compared to the lord of Tian Du City.

So, she was more than willing to “test the waters.” When she first saw the young city lord fleeing from her presence, she assumed he was just shy, which only made her even more determined to approach him through dance.

—A beautiful woman, once a fateful encounter, and now admiration blooming into love—wasn’t this the perfect setup for a pure and innocent romance?

Luo Susu certainly understood men’s psychology well—especially those who had never been in love before. To such innocent boys, she was practically a goddess.

Just like in the original story, wasn’t that exactly what had happened?

So, as she finished her dance, Luo Susu bashfully covered half her face with her flowing sleeves, casting an affectionate glance at Gu Bai before gracefully bowing. Her voice, as clear as a nightingale’s, rang out:

“Susu greets the city lord…”

Gu Bai ignored her.

It wasn’t until the two Luo family sons who had accompanied her with music also stood to pay their respects that he finally gave a cold nod. But not a single word of praise left his lips.

The guests were puzzled.

Was this city lord truly just that antisocial, or did he particularly dislike this performance?

If the guest of honor didn’t give any indication, how were they supposed to react?

Should they all clap in praise, or should they remain silent and let the performer be embarrassed?

This was too difficult!

Luo Susu’s expression stiffened for a brief moment, but her mental resilience was strong. She quickly returned to her father’s side and, in a voice as soft as a whisper, said shyly, “Father, I… I have met the city lord before…”

Though she spoke quietly, every guest in attendance had high-level martial cultivation—naturally, everyone heard it clearly. Their expressions immediately turned suggestive.

Some of them, who had entertained the same idea of offering their daughters, now regretted not acting sooner—clearly, someone had already taken the lead!

After all, Luo Susu was indeed beautiful and of noble birth. Among those with similar family status, their daughters were either not as pretty or, if they were, lacked the necessary status. Those with both beauty and pedigree had probably already been betrothed elsewhere.

Thus, in an instant, Luo Susu became the focus of attention.

Luo Heng, already briefed by his daughter beforehand, sensed an opportunity and played along, smiling warmly. “Susu, where did you meet the city lord?”

Luo Susu demurely responded, “Daughter was… was bathing in the spring…”

Her voice was so shy, it was barely above a whisper!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh~~~

A lone man and a single woman, during bath time…

Every man in the room instantly conjured up an accidental bathhouse encounter between the noble city lord and a stunning beauty. Their smiles grew even more knowing.

Gu Bai wanted to sew this woman’s mouth shut!

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I’M A PROUD OTAKU WHO ONLY LOVES 2D, NOT 3D! WHO WANTS TO SEE YOU BATHE?! WHO THE HELL EVEN KNEW YOU WERE THERE?!

THE MOMENT I SAW THAT DAMNED BUTTERFLY BIRTHMARK, I RAN FOR MY LIFE, OKAY?!

Gu Bai felt utterly drained of energy.

But he had to do something.

So, he subtly signaled to his personal maid.

The flute-holding attendant immediately stepped forward, her voice even more delicate, her smile even more charming, her expression even more demure. She cast a lingering gaze at Gu Bai before speaking sweetly:

“The city lord has not left the residence today. We, his devoted attendants, have been by his side all morning…”

The other three maids, as if confirming her words, blushed slightly.

Gu Bai mentally applauded: Well done, Lü Xiao! If you can outmaneuver the protagonist’s fiancée, I’ll give you a raise!

The other three attendants? Their performances were Oscar-worthy. Gu Bai immediately decided that all of them deserved raises.

In truth, as soon as Gu Bai became city lord, he had begun training a group of women—not just in unwavering loyalty, but also in combat, diplomacy, household skills, and political maneuvering. They had to be perfect in every way.

Ultimately, he selected these four—Xue Jian, Lü Xiao, Hong Qin, and Mo Yu. Each was more stunning than any celebrity he had ever seen in his past life.

And now? Their grand debut had completely overshadowed Luo Susu.

As expected, the overwhelming presence of four breathtaking women immediately drowned out the ambiguous tension Luo Susu had carefully built up.

The other noble families, who hadn’t had the chance to present their own daughters, smirked in schadenfreude.

Luo Susu, no matter how beautiful, could hardly say in front of a hundred people: “No, the city lord really did see me naked!”

Thus, she and her ambitious father were forced to retreat.

Gu Bai was very pleased.

It wasn’t that he refused to show kindness to a beautiful woman—
It was that if he did, he’d die.

Now that the city lord was off the table, wouldn’t they at least reconsider breaking off the engagement with the protagonist?

…But Gu Bai was still too naive.

Even with his interference, the plot was still stampeding full-speed ahead toward its inevitable trajectory.

---

Outside a small grove behind the town, a group of aggressive young men was relentlessly beating someone while sneering mockingly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be so arrogant? Pah! A bastard like you has no right to be cocky!”

“The eldest young master is the true heir—you’re just a worthless stray!”

“You still don’t get it, do you? Your engagement with the Luo family was dissolved a long time ago. You think the Luo family’s eldest daughter would still want a cripple like you? She’s already gone to Tian Du City with the Luo family head—they’re planning for her to marry the new city lord! You should stop dreaming!”

The person being kicked around suddenly spoke, “Who… did you say?”

The rare response only provoked a harsher beating, accompanied by even louder jeers.

“Who else? Tian Du City’s lord, Ziche Shubai! He became a Wu Jun at just fourteen—he’s a once-in-a-lifetime genius!”

“You’re nothing but a worthless mongrel who belongs in the dirt…”

But the person lying on the ground no longer heard a single word.

His deep-set eyes reflected an eerie darkness, an ominous, smoldering flame lurking within.

Muttering to himself, he repeated, “Ziche… Shubai? It’s him… he…”

It’s all fake… everything is fake…

Even he… is going to betray me?!