Little Pink Starfish

Li Shu suddenly turned around.

Zhang Qiu, mumbling to himself while carrying the shopping bag, didn’t stop in time and crashed straight into Li Shu’s chest with a thud. It was so hard that his nose ached, and he looked up at Li Shu with teary eyes. “What’s wrong?” Seeing Li Shu looking behind him, Zhang Qiu also turned back, but all he saw was the bustling mall crowd—nothing out of the ordinary.

“It’s nothing.” Li Shu withdrew his gaze and lowered his head slightly. Seeing Zhang Qiu’s watery eyes, the corners of his lips curved up. “Watch where you’re walking.”

Zhang Qiu: ……

He really wanted to beat Li Shu up! What should he do?!

“Let’s go.”

The two of them exited the mall, and a wave of heat hit them. It was already noon—late June, when the sun was at its most brutal.

Zhang Qiu slowly moved behind Li Shu. A faint coolness seemed to be radiating from Li Shu’s body, making him feel so comfortable that he couldn’t help but smile. Happily, he said, “It’s already noon. Let’s just eat out. Cooking at home is such a hassle.”

Li Shu turned to look at him, seeing that mischievous yet adorable smile.

“You decide.”

Zhang Qiu wasn’t in the mood to go back into the mall—especially since he’d have to pass by that underwear store again. That would be too embarrassing. So, he randomly pointed at the Pizza Hut nearby.

As expected, once inside, Li Shu’s striking appearance attracted attention again. Having just gone through the embarrassing underwear-buying ordeal, Zhang Qiu felt like the restaurant patrons were looking at them with particularly odd expressions. He quickly pulled Li Shu along. “Let’s sit in the back.”

Li Shu had no objections. The waitress leading them to their seats smiled sweetly.

Before the food arrived, Zhang Qiu had already downed several glasses of lemon water. His stomach felt a bit full, so he whispered, “I’m going to the restroom.”

“Want me to go with you?”

Zhang Qiu, mortified, hurriedly waved his hands. But then, seeing the amusement in Li Shu’s eyes, he realized he had been teased again. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he still didn’t dare to retaliate and just sulked his way to the restroom.

How could he let Li Shu have such complete control over him? It was totally unscientific!

The restroom was unisex, and it seemed like someone was already inside. Zhang Qiu decided to wait outside, but just as the door opened, a man dressed in black stepped out. At the same time, another black-clothed man entered from outside. Their attire made it clear they knew each other.

“Excuse me, could you let me through?” Zhang Qiu said politely. But the moment he spoke, he felt something was off. His heart skipped a beat—just as a strong arm reached from behind, pressing a cloth tightly over his mouth and nose.

Zhang Qiu struggled with all his might, but only muffled sounds escaped. His consciousness quickly faded.

“Hurry up! Boss said the guy outside is tough.”

“Quit rushing me.”

Then, Zhang Qiu blacked out completely.

When he woke up again, he was in a moving car, the constant jolting making his stomach churn. He held it in, though. Voices sounded around him—familiar ones. It was the two men who had kidnapped him.

“…We made contact. This time, we’re gonna strike it rich.”

“How long until we arrive?”

“Almost there. Two more hours. Keep an eye on him—make sure he doesn’t escape. Knock him out again if necessary.”

“Relax, I’m watching him.”

Zhang Qiu slowly opened his eyes. His hands were bound, and he was sprawled across the backseat. His legs were also tied, making it impossible to move. The restraints had been on for a while—his blood circulation was poor, and his arms felt painfully numb.

The two kidnappers sat in the front seats, and the car was moving fast.

He had no idea who these people were or why they had taken him. With no other option, he pretended to stay asleep, keeping silent.

Just as he closed his eyes again, the man in the passenger seat turned back to glance at him. Seeing that Zhang Qiu was still unconscious, he resumed talking.

They mentioned things like entering tombs, grave robbing, and traps. Zhang Qiu wouldn’t have understood these terms before, but after tagging along with Boss Jin’s crew on a tomb raid, he had learned the slang of grave robbers. Entering a tomb was called going down the pit, and they referred to themselves as tomb raiders.

So, these guys were grave robbers.

Zhang Qiu found it odd. He had nothing to do with these people, so why would they kidnap him? Listening further, he finally understood—their actual target was Li Shu. Li Shu had a map they needed. Since they didn’t dare go after Li Shu directly, they kidnapped Zhang Qiu instead.

Son of a bitch! Did he have kidnappable written all over his face?!

Zhang Qiu fumed. These grave robbers were scumbags, bullying the weak while fearing the strong.

Then, he recalled seeing Li Shu holding something last night and this morning. Last night, after Zhang Qiu came out of the shower, Li Shu had put away a small, yellowed object, tucking it into Zhang Qiu’s nightstand. This morning, he had been holding a map of China. That palm-sized item was probably what these people wanted.

Zhang Qiu’s head felt fuzzy, likely due to the lingering effects of the drug. He ended up drifting off to sleep again.

When he woke up next, he was lying on a hotel bed, still tied up like a dumpling. Voices came from outside the room.

“…Brother Li Shu, don’t worry! We’ve worked together before, right? Let’s just let bygones be bygones!”

“Where is he?”

Li Shu’s voice was chillingly cold, carrying an unmistakable menace. Even through the door, Zhang Qiu could imagine his terrifying expression—it must be just like the first time they met on the train. The kidnappers were probably scared shitless.

Sure enough, the other man let out an awkward laugh before hastily saying, “We didn’t hurt a single hair on him! He’s just sleeping inside. Hey, hey, Brother Li Shu, don’t be so hasty—”

The words cut off abruptly, followed by the sound of the door swinging open. A scorching gaze swept across the room.

Zhang Qiu, who had been playing dead on the bed, immediately opened his eyes—only to lock onto Li Shu’s icy, murder-filled gaze.

He froze on the spot.

But in the next second, Li Shu’s expression softened, his eyes turning gentle. As if that earlier, terrifying aura had never existed, he strode straight toward Zhang Qiu.

“Li Shu!”

Zhang Qiu called out excitedly, but Li Shu’s gaze darkened slightly. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, making the kidnapper behind him chuckle nervously. “We just tied him up a bit—didn’t hurt him.”

Zhang Qiu was stunned when he saw the man behind Li Shu—it was Boss Jin.

Boss Jin reached out to untie him, but Li Shu moved faster. A dagger gleamed in his hand, its tip hovering just an inch from Boss Jin’s fingers. If he had reached any closer, he’d be losing a hand.

Boss Jin paled and immediately withdrew. “Y-you do it.”

With a swift motion, Li Shu cut the ropes.

Zhang Qiu tried to get up but immediately collapsed, his whole body weak. Li Shu caught him effortlessly and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Haven’t eaten… and my limbs are numb.”

Without hesitation, Li Shu lifted Zhang Qiu in a standard princess carry.

Zhang Qiu, who prided himself on being a tough guy, turned bright red. There were people watching!

“Put me down! This looks so bad—we’re both men—” His protests died when he met Li Shu’s calm, indifferent gaze.

Boss Jin, watching from the side, had an I see how it is expression.

Just like that, Zhang Qiu was carried all the way to another room.

Back in the room, Zhang Qiu grabbed his phone and saw that it was already past 7 PM. There were over a dozen missed calls—all from his mom. He quickly called her back.

“I’m fine, really! I was just having too much fun and lost track of time… Yeah, Li Shu is a total country bumpkin who’s never been anywhere, so I figured I’d take him around for a couple of days… Okay, okay, got it.”

After hanging up, he noticed Li Shu staring at him. Huffing, he let out a smug hmph—What? You got a problem? Hit me if you dare!

Li Shu couldn’t be bothered to respond and went back to examining something in his hands.

Zhang Qiu, now full from dinner, lay sprawled on the couch, playing with his phone. But soon, his battery ran out, and the phone shut off. Annoyed, he tossed it onto the bed, then hesitated for a moment before moving over to the couch beside Li Shu.

“What did Boss Jin want from you?”

“To enter a tomb.”

“I figured. They’re a bunch of grave—” Zhang Qiu caught himself before saying grave robbers and corrected, “That group of tomb raiders do this for a living. I mean, where are you going with them?”

Li Shu glanced at him. “Curious?”

Zhang Qiu nodded. Without saying a word, Li Shu handed him the yellowed, aged item he had been holding. Zhang Qiu took it, feeling the texture—it was tough, like it was made of leather. It was about the size of a palm, with black lines sketched onto it in the form of mountains. A fragment of an ancient map.

Zhang Qiu turned it over several times, but he couldn’t make sense of it. These kinds of maps had no coordinates, only mountains, rivers, and landmarks—and this one was incomplete.

“Where is this?”

“Hunan, Xiangxi.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was at the door. Li Shu got up to open it—it was Boss Jin. He didn’t enter, just handed Li Shu an envelope. Li Shu took it and closed the door without another word.

“What is it?” Zhang Qiu asked.

“A plane ticket.” Li Shu looked at Zhang Qiu. “Tomorrow, I’ll send you home.”

Zhang Qiu hesitated. “You’re going to Xiangxi?” The question was kind of dumb—obviously, he was. After a pause, Zhang Qiu finally asked what had been on his mind all along. “You don’t seem like someone who tomb raids for antiques. Why are you going?”

“To save someone,” Li Shu said simply, then fell silent.

That answer left Zhang Qiu tossing and turning all night, unable to stop thinking about it.

The next morning, he woke up and made a sudden decision. “Forget it—don’t send me back. I’ll go with you guys.”

He had expected Li Shu to try to dissuade him. He had even prepared a convincing argument—something about how he had a duty as an archaeologist to prevent destruction of cultural relics, and how at least he could try to protect or recover whatever they found.

But Li Shu just nodded and agreed immediately.

Zhang Qiu, full of words, was left speechless and frustrated.

He had no idea how Boss Jin managed it, but when it was time to board, Zhang Qiu had a ticket too.

After a two-hour flight, they landed at Changsha Airport. Outside, a rugged off-road vehicle was waiting. Inside sat two men with tattoos, both wearing suits and sunglasses despite the summer heat. One look and Zhang Qiu could tell they weren’t part of Boss Jin’s usual crew.

The two men didn’t seem to hold Boss Jin in particularly high regard either, but Boss Jin didn’t mind. He cheerfully introduced Li Shu.

Li Shu, as usual, remained cold and indifferent, simply getting into the car without a word.

Zhang Qiu followed, but as he turned to close the door, something caught his eye.

Huh?

Amid the crowd at the airport entrance, he saw someone familiar. Just a brief glimpse, but the face struck him as someone he should recognize.

He tried to recall where he had seen them before. The more he thought, the more it slipped away, frustrating him to no end.

A face that stunning… I should remember it.

Stunning!

A vivid image suddenly surfaced in his mind—he grasped Li Shu’s arm in alarm. Li Shu glanced at him. “What’s wrong?”

His reaction must have been too obvious, because even Boss Jin turned around to look at him.

Zhang Qiu swallowed his words at the last second and blurted, “I’m hungry.”

Li Shu believed him.

“We’ll stop and get food when we get off.”

Boss Jin, realizing it was nothing important, clicked his tongue and turned back around.

Zhang Qiu had intended to wait until they were out of the car to say something, but he just couldn’t hold it in. He took out his phone, typed a message, and handed it to Li Shu.

Li Shu glanced down at the screen.

The words stood out starkly:

I just saw King Hui of Xiapi.