Little Pink Starfish

Just as a “swish” sound was heard, a blinding white light flashed before their eyes.

In an instant, a thin, long sword was pressed against the neck of that foppish young man.

The sword was pitch black, no thicker than a pinky finger, yet it resembled the tongue of a venomous snake, as if it was about to hiss at any moment.

The foppish young man instantly turned pale with fright.

Damn, he really hit an iron plate this time, didn’t he!

He was just teasing a girl, was it really necessary for his life to be in danger all of a sudden?!

Gu Bai silently covered his face.

He had no words to describe his current feelings.

So it was this person… That foppish young man was truly unlucky.

Now, Gu Bai could see clearly. Sitting in the corner was a “young man” dressed in tight-fitting clothes.

Because of the delicate and pretty features, the foppish young man probably mistook them for a girl in disguise and went up to flirt.

In reality, the foppish young man, who had seen countless beauties, would never make such a mistake. That “young man” was indeed not a young man but a girl.

However, this girl believed she was a young man.

So, quite obviously, she pressed the sword against the foppish young man’s throat and said in a hoarse voice, “Little beauty? Scum, go to hell!”

After speaking, she swung her thin sword downward, ready to sever the sinful source!

The foppish young man screamed in terror and fell backward.

Then he covered that area with his hands, sweating profusely and almost wetting himself.

At this moment, the girl curled her lips into a cruel smile. “Idiot, scram!”

The foppish young man scrambled away, rolling and crawling.

Gu Bai gave the girl a thumbs up.

What an overpowering presence!

And so, here came another heavyweight member of the protagonist’s harem—the legendary Xu Huang Xianzi, Wushang.

At a glance, the girl was wrapped up tightly like an assassin, but no matter how slim her figure was, she still had some curves. Anyone paying attention could tell she was a girl—except for herself.

From her name to her personality to her way of life, Wushang was like a man. Raised as a tool of revenge by an unreliable master, she suffered from gender identity issues. When she grew up, she was ready to avenge her master, but before she could act, her master suddenly died, leaving her without a purpose in life.

Later, Wushang followed a lead from her master’s past ramblings to assassinate one of their enemies. However, the assassination failed, and she was severely injured—only to be saved by the protagonist. After that, she followed the protagonist and became one of his most loyal girls.

Of course, she always believed she liked women. But after spending a long time with the protagonist, she unknowingly fell for this man. She hesitated, she wavered, she thought something was wrong with her—until the protagonist pushed her down. Then, it was no longer a problem. _{[T/N: We just got flippitydoodahd.]}

When Gu Bai wrote this scene, he felt his moral compass slipping.

Based on his and his friend’s years of reading experience, harem novels on Qidian particularly catered to male readers who enjoyed seeing a protagonist “conquer” lesbian characters. So, Wushang’s existence was meant to satisfy those readers’ perverted tastes.

In reality, just as a gay man cannot be “turned straight,” a lesbian also cannot fall for a man. Especially a dominant and assertive woman like Wushang—how could she tolerate being “conquered”?!

Yet, without a doubt, Gu Bai’s unconventional* writing approach excited many readers, causing votes to skyrocket and boosting his confidence… _{*[T/N: Ahem, conventional.]}

Gu Bai looked at the girl and sighed.

She probably hadn’t left her master’s side yet, and her master likely hadn’t died yet.

At that moment, Qiguan Rui waved a hand in front of his face. “Gege, the food is here.”

Gu Bai turned his head, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sinister-looking old man striding into the room. The girl followed behind him, slapped money onto the table, and left immediately.

He didn’t think much of it and began eating.

It had been a while since he last saw his “little mountain,” but the service was still impeccable…

The two brothers hadn’t seen each other for two months, so after returning, they caught up on their recent progress.

Qiguan Rui got a rough estimate of Gu Bai’s martial prowess, while Gu Bai—well, he only learned about the false image Qiguan Rui presented.

For the next period, Gu Bai attended his lessons as usual, practiced martial arts as needed, and steadily built his foundation.

Qiguan Rui didn’t cause much trouble—he only occasionally knocked Gu Bai out when he was exhausted to sneak a little taste of him. But he didn’t dare go any further.

Just like that, three months passed.

It was vacation time.

Qingtian Academy had a fifteen-day break, during which students could choose to stay on campus but had to pay extra fees.

Gu Bai thought about it and decided that paying was fine. Staying in the academy seemed preferable to wandering around.

However, Qiguan Rui came over, intimately wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Gege, shall we go on a trip?”

Gu Bai was stunned.

Qiguan Rui leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, “Just the two of us.”

Gu Bai’s ears turned red.

Damn brat, you’re too close! It tickles!

Qiguan Rui smirked. “A man should have ambitions beyond one place. If you confine yourself to a single location, even if your strength keeps up, your mind won’t expand. It’ll be harder to break through.” He gazed at Gu Bai with a gentle smile. “Besides, I really want to go out and explore. Gege, will you come with me?”

Gu Bai’s expression remained blank, but internally, he had already given in.

Indeed, at Qiguan Rui’s age, a boy should be lively and energetic. Trapping him in one place with an old soul like himself was too stifling… They might as well go out and have some fun.

Gu Bai, maintaining his poker face, nodded.

Qiguan Rui’s gaze grew even softer. “Gege… you’re the best.”

Gu Bai replied, “Mm.”

Since you know this, you’d better be filial to me in the future!

Why did he suddenly feel like he was raising a child?!

And so, the two brothers set off, leaving behind four teary-eyed maids waving their handkerchiefs in farewell.

Qiguan Rui planned the entire route. Gu Bai simply followed along, and surprisingly, they only bought a small carriage before leisurely leaving Haoyang City.

After traveling for a day, they switched to another carriage, repeating the process for three or four days before finally stopping in a city.

As Gu Bai stepped out, he saw three large characters above the city gate: “Huachao City.”

Ah… so it was here.

Qiguan Rui beamed. “I heard there will be a Flower Festival in two days. The city will be full of blooming flowers, and there will be a grand floral event. Outside the city, there are also many beautiful sights. I wanted to bring Gege here to enjoy it. Gege, do you like it?”

Gu Bai silently looked up at the sky.

Like it? If he were an ordinary man, of course, he would like it.

A city full of blooming flowers, and not just literal flowers—there were also “flowers” in the form of beautiful women!

In the original novel, the protagonist collected a harem of beauties here. However, it was still too early in the timeline, so he shouldn’t run into those particular characters yet… Right?

So Gu Bai decisively nodded. “I like it.”

Qiguan Rui’s expression grew even more tender. Holding Gu Bai’s hand, he softly said, “Then come with me, Gege.”

And so, Gu Bai was led away.

As they entered the city, Gu Bai saw many people—men and women—holding hands, which seemed perfectly normal. So, walking hand in hand with Qiguan Rui shouldn’t be strange at all…

Yeah, right!

Damn it, wasn’t it obvious that all the couples holding hands were male-female pairs?! What were they doing holding hands as two men?!

Gu Bai silently glanced at Qiguan Rui.

Qiguan Rui smiled warmly. “Gege, there are a lot of people on the street.”

Gu Bai turned his head away.

Fine, fine, fine! Hold hands! As long as this brat wasn’t embarrassed, he could do whatever he wanted!

He knew that Qiguan Rui was very dependent on him, and after suffering abuse in the past, he needed something to reassure him of his presence. It wasn’t the first or second time Gu Bai had indulged him. This kid was a little sneaky, and Gu Bai was well aware of it. But in the end, Qiguan Rui was still the most important person in his life. If this could put him at ease, then so be it.

And so, his bottom line was refreshed once again.

As Gu Bai let himself be led away, his gaze swept across the surrounding crowd.

Then, he saw something interesting.

Among the many hand-holding couples on the street, there was another pair that looked quite familiar…

To be precise, the “man” leading the way looked familiar.

Tall and slender, dressed in all black, with sharp features and a cold aura—wasn’t that the same cool and arrogant Wushang from a few days ago, the one who had been harassed by that foppish young man?!

And now, she was holding hands with another girl—a delicate beauty with gentle, graceful features, the perfect image of a noble lady.

Without a doubt, this was Wushang’s first love!

The very person who had made Wushang experience the stirrings of love—only to meet a tragic end.

Was this the beginning of Wushang’s bitter backstory?

A flashback that had only been briefly mentioned in the original novel…

Qiguan Rui tightened his grip slightly and asked in a soft voice, “Gege, what are you looking at?”

Gu Bai replied, “I’m looking at a tragic past.”

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Pinky says: What a fucking drama queen.