Little Pink Starfish

“Uncle Qi, these are my friends, Zhang Qiu and Li Shu,” Lu Feng introduced.

The man across from them had an icy expression, as if frost had settled between his brows. His gaze swept over them, lingering on Li Shu for an extra second before quickly shifting away. His tone was cold, completely unlike the host of this banquet. He seemed to loathe such occasions but was forcing himself to endure them.

“Mm, have fun. If you need anything, find A’Xiu.”

After saying this, he went straight up to the second floor to the lounge. The “A’Xiu” he mentioned was a young man with crescent-shaped eyes when he smiled. At that moment, he was greeting Lu Feng with a friendly tone, and it was clear from his words that the two had a good relationship. As more guests arrived, A’Xiu became busy entertaining them.

Only then did Lu Feng explain, “A’Xiu was adopted by Uncle Qi from a distant relative’s family. He was brought up under Uncle Qi’s name since childhood.”

At first, Zhang Qiu had assumed from Lu Feng’s respectful tone that Uncle Qi was an elder who enjoyed lively gatherings. But upon meeting him, he realized that Uncle Qi looked only in his early thirties, just three or four years older than Lu Feng. Moreover, he clearly did not enjoy socializing—his expression turned colder in large crowds. Zhang Qiu couldn’t understand why he would host a banquet if he disliked it so much.

Huating patted Huahua and said, “Take your little brother to play for a bit,” sending the children off. Then he continued, “Uncle Qi’s full name is Qi Zhirong. He’s of a higher generation than us. We grew up in the same courtyard, and he has always been like this—indifferent, as if he has no desires. But he’s ruthless. Even the most rebellious among us were disciplined into obedience by him.”

Zhang Qiu felt that the name Qi Zhirong sounded very familiar, but he couldn’t recall why. They sat in a corner, drinking and chatting. From time to time, people approached with their wine glasses to toast Lu Feng. Knowing that Huating disliked socializing, Lu Feng handled the greetings himself.

Su Zhichai had yet to appear—they had arrived a bit early.

“Could he not be coming?”

Huating chuckled, “Don’t worry. Uncle Qi’s party happens only once a year, attracting people from all circles. Su Zhichai just landed in Beijing and wants to establish himself—he’ll definitely come.”

“Ah!” Zhang Qiu suddenly remembered why Qi Zhirong’s name was so familiar and exclaimed, “So Uncle Qi is thathidden tycoon?”

It had been a recent event—while scrolling through Weibo, he had seen a global billionaire ranking. Among the long list of hard-to-remember foreign names, Qi Zhirong had stood out.

What was even more shocking was that some of China’s most well-known wealthy figures were on the list—but Qi Zhirong was ranked above them. Netizens had speculated about this mysterious billionaire’s origins, but no information could be found except that he was highly influential in Beijing.

“I saw that post too, but I don’t know the details. Uncle Qi went abroad as a teenager and only returned in recent years.”

As they spoke, Xiao Jiang suddenly ran over with Huahua, his little feet tapping against the floor. He dived into Zhang Qiu’s arms, proudly holding up something. “Daddy, look!”

Zhang Qiu looked—it was a small fox carved from an apple. It seemed oddly familiar. Then, a voice came from behind:

“I didn’t expect to meet so many beauties today. What a lucky day.”

They turned toward the voice, and sure enough, it was the flamboyant Qi Xi.

Qi Xi approached, but his eyes were locked onto Xiapi Huiwang. A flicker of coldness appeared in Xiapi Huiwang’s eyes, making Qi Xi quickly avert his gaze. Holding up his wine glass, he said, “We meet again. As expected, a beauty’s friends are also beauties. You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?”

Before Zhang Qiu could respond, Qi Xi had already sat down next to Xiapi Huiwang on the sofa. Zhang Qiu swallowed back his words—he did mind! How dare this guy try to steal his second brother’s partner? No way!

However, Qi Xi didn’t make any more flirtatious remarks. Instead, he sent Xiao Jiang and Huahua off to fetch him some food. Xiao Jiang, with a mischievous glint in his eye, bared his tiny tiger teeth and happily agreed, “One fox per trip!”

“Deal! I’ll even throw in a little bunny.”

But Xiao Jiang wasn’t very interested in the bunny. He counted on his fingers and bargained, “Two foxes instead!”

Huahua really wanted the bunny, but being well-mannered thanks to Huating’s upbringing, she couldn’t bring herself to haggle. She looked anxious. Seeing this, Xiao Jiang thought for a moment before decisively saying, “Never mind, one fox and one bunny!” Then he turned to Huahua and beamed, “Brother, the bunny is for you.”

Zhang Qiu, watching from the side, wanted to cover his face. This little one is a genius at making deals!

Xiao Jiang and Huahua scurried off and soon returned, carrying plates of food. Xiao Jiang set the plate down, flashing his sharp little teeth. “A bunny and a fox.”

Zhang Qiu had a strange feeling—if Qi Xi dared to go back on his word, Xiao Jiang might just bite him with those tiny fangs.

Qi Xi glanced at the plate, mumbled something under his breath, then casually removed a ring from his finger. Zhang Qiu wasn’t sure how he did it, but in an instant, the ring transformed into a sharp knife. With a few swift cuts on an apple, a lifelike bunny appeared.

Huahua’s face flushed with excitement. Zhang Qiu had to admit—Qi Xi’s trick was quite effective.

After finishing the carvings, Qi Xi took his wine and leisurely walked away. Zhang Qiu was baffled. “What was the point of that? Did he really just come here to carve a bunny and a fox?”

Huating didn’t know either. Meanwhile, Li Shu’s eyes flickered toward a certain direction. “Su Zhichai has arrived.”

Zhang Qiu immediately put aside his thoughts about Qi Xi. At the hall entrance, Su Zhichai, dressed in formal attire and leaning on a cane, walked in. Beside him was a young man in his twenties—average in height and appearance—helping Su Zhichai as they spoke in hushed tones.

Xiapi Huiwang abruptly stood up. “Let’s go check it out.”

The group followed, and at the same time, Lu Feng also stepped forward, blocking Su Zhichai’s path.

“…Su Boss, we just met at the last auction.”

“Oh, the auction! I remember now,” Su Zhichai said with a chuckle. “Getting old, my memory isn’t what it used to be.”

“Then do you remember Su Wanting?” Xiapi Huiwang suddenly asked from behind.

Su Zhichai turned around, momentarily stunned, but then smiled warmly. “How could I forget? She’s my adopted daughter. Do you know her?”

Previously, Su Zhichai had claimed ignorance over the phone, but now he seemed to know everything. Zhang Qiu found it suspicious. He glanced at the young man beside Su Zhichai—could this be his son?

“And this is—?” Lu Feng asked.

Su Zhichai responded with a smile, “This is my son, Xiao Yu.”

Lu Feng pretended to hear it for the first time, glancing at the young man and offering some polite praise. Then, shifting the conversation, he asked, “I saw your daughter at the last auction, but this is the first time I’ve seen your son.”

For a brief second, Su Zhichai’s expression stiffened. The young man beside him scoffed, “Are you checking our family registry?”

Before Su Zhichai could reply, the hall stirred as Qi Zhirong emerged. The guests all rushed toward the stairs, and Su Zhichai took the opportunity to leave.

The guests had all arrived. Qi Zhirong stood on the second floor, his expression still cold and unreadable. He scanned the room with a stern face, then descended the stairs. Immediately, the crowd surged toward him. Zhang Qiu and the others remained on the outer edges, watching.

Huating chuckled and said, “It’s the same every year. But in less than ten minutes, Uncle Qi will go back upstairs.”

“Why?”

Huating shook his head. “I don’t know either. Ever since Uncle Qi returned to China six years ago, he has held this gathering annually, but he never stays long. Each year, his time at the party gets shorter. No one knows why.”

Sure enough, within ten minutes, Qi Zhirong had already gone back upstairs. Qi Xiu remained behind to entertain the guests. Even though everyone only got to see Qi Zhirong for a few brief moments—some didn’t even get a chance to speak with him—people still flocked to the event. If not for Qi Zhirong, the banquet was also a prime networking opportunity, filled with influential figures from various industries.

By the time it was past eleven, the party was winding down. Su Zhichai and his son were also preparing to leave.

Huahua and Xiao Jiang had already fallen asleep. Li Shu and Lu Feng each carried their respective little ones in their arms. Seeing that Su Zhichai had already gotten into his car, Xiapi Huiwang quickly said, “You all go ahead. I’ll follow him.”

“But Second Sister-in-law, you don’t even know how to drive,” Zhang Qiu said, worried. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Su Zhichai and his son were acting strangely.

Li Shu handed the sleeping Xiao Jiang to Zhang Qiu and said, “You all go ahead.”

Zhang Qiu wanted to say more, but seeing Xiapi Huiwang’s urgency, he simply warned, “Be careful.”

Lu Feng handed his car keys to Li Shu. “I’ll call a driver instead.”

The two of them disappeared into the night. Soon after, Lu Feng’s driver arrived. They got into the car. Since the villa was located in the mountains on the outskirts of the city, the drive was smooth but long.

Zhang Qiu, holding Xiao Jiang in his arms, noticed that the child, who had been so energetic earlier, was now fast asleep, his little eyelids struggling to stay open.

He glanced at Huating, who was also dozing off with Huahua in his arms, his head nodding forward.

Lu Feng, sitting in the front passenger seat, also seemed to have dozed off. Meanwhile, the driver’s face wasn’t visible—just the back of his head. The winding mountain road outside was lit by streetlights, their curved shapes resembling two dragons snaking through the hills. Staring at them for too long made Zhang Qiu feel even sleepier.

Something wasn’t right.

A sense of alarm rose in Zhang Qiu’s mind. He shook his head, trying to stay awake.

“Lu Feng, Senior Brother,” he called out twice. But there was only silence in response. The little one in his arms also seemed off—his sleep was too deep. Zhang Qiu reached out to touch Xiao Jiang’s face, his eyelids growing heavier.

“Xiao Jiang…” His voice was barely a whisper.

Beep! Beep!

A sharp car horn blared. A beam of bright light flashed into the car. The sudden noise jolted Zhang Qiu out of his drowsiness. His pupils shrank in shock when he saw what was ahead. Instinctively, he curled his body to shield Xiao Jiang.

“Watch out!!”

The others, who had been in deep sleep just moments ago, were startled awake by Zhang Qiu’s yell. The driver jerked the steering wheel, and the quiet night was pierced by the screeching sound of tires skidding against the road.

Bang!

A violent crash. The sound of shattering glass.

Zhang Qiu clutched Xiao Jiang tightly, unable to grab onto anything else as the impact threw them around inside the vehicle. His ears were ringing, and he had no idea how much time had passed when everything finally settled into silence.

Blood blurred his vision. Through the haze, he saw a pair of leather shoes.

“What a feast,” a voice murmured. A hand lightly pressed against the mangled car door. As if it were made of tofu, the door crumpled with a crack before being torn off and tossed aside.

A pair of gray, pupil-less eyes stared hungrily at Xiao Jiang in Zhang Qiu’s arms. The figure licked its lips in anticipation, its withered claw slowly reaching forward.

Zhang Qiu could feel the malice pressing down on him—it was all directed at the little one he was protecting.

That hand was dry and lifeless, resembling the shriveled corpses found in tombs. But its long, green-tinged nails gleamed ominously.

As the claw neared Xiao Jiang, Zhang Qiu somehow mustered the strength to grab the creature’s wrist. The touch was disgusting, but at that moment, Zhang Qiu had only one thought—I can’t let this thing take Xiao Jiang.

“Heh.”

The creature let out a cold laugh, its voice low and raspy. With its other hand, it raised its glowing green claws and aimed directly at Zhang Qiu’s head.

A sharp pain struck his scalp. Zhang Qiu instinctively looked up, and his blurry vision took in the figure looming over him—an eerily well-dressed, shriveled corpse in a suit. Its gray, lifeless face twisted into a stiff, mocking grin, as if ridiculing Zhang Qiu’s futile resistance.

The claw hovering over his skull pressed down slightly, as if toying with him. Then, slowly, it began to apply pressure. The pain intensified, feeling as if his head was about to be crushed. Blood trickled down his forehead, further blurring his sight.

“Roar!!”

A deafening roar echoed through the mountains, growing closer and closer.

Just as Zhang Qiu lost his strength and collapsed, he caught a glimpse of a massive beast charging toward them. The creature was as large as a bull, with a golden horn on its forehead, exuding an aura of authority and strength.

The pressure on his head disappeared instantly.

With that, Zhang Qiu’s vision went black, and he could no longer hold on.