Little Pink Starfish

What happened next was only natural.

First, let’s talk about Gu Xing.
As the destined protagonist of a web novel, he was bound to have endless romantic encounters, patience in the early stages, and dazzling brilliance in the later stages, rising through fortuitous encounters until he soared to the heavens. His luck was unparalleled, his future radiant. Yet none of this could stop him from feeling utterly devastated—like a bolt from the blue—when he woke up the next day!

Damn it, he was still a [censored] virgin!
He hadn’t even flirted with a girl before losing himself to a complete idiot—what kind of outrageous situation was this?!

Gu Xing really, really didn’t want to acknowledge this.
But the evidence was still there…
Could he get rid of it in time?
He silently pondered this.

Then, events unfolded to tell him—too late.

Because the very next moment, before he could hide the evidence, there was a moan, and the victim of his crime woke up.
Big eyes met small eyes.

Shangguan Jue: “Bastard! What did you do?! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much!”
Gu Xing: “…”
He had no idea how to explain.

Shangguan Jue wailed for a full minute before realizing the source of his pain.
Damn it, his butt hurt.
Why did his butt hurt?
—Wait!
I-I-I-I! Y-you-you-you—

Shangguan Jue finally realized what had happened. He exploded with the greatest strength he had ever mustered, leaping up (almost collapsing, but stubbornly holding his ground), rushing forward (or rather, lunging and falling straight into Gu Xing’s arms), and grabbed Gu Xing by the throat!
Gu Xing let him strangle him with a face full of dead resignation.

But after a whole minute of squeezing, Shangguan Jue realized he couldn’t even leave a mark on Gu Xing’s neck, so he sulkily let go.
Then, seeing Gu Xing’s expression, he flew into a rage: “What do you mean by that look?! I haven’t even despised you, and yet you, a mere servant, dare to despise me?!”
Yes, his brain worked for once.

Gu Xing took a deep breath and used unparalleled willpower to suppress his despair.
As a perfectly straight man, he had already tried his best.
Especially since he was the one who… took advantage of the situation!
But this was an advantage he didn’t want at all!

Gu Xing truly felt that no one was more miserable than him.
That idiot had brought this on himself, yet somehow he was the one in the wrong.
Yes, the idiot was covered in red marks, blood was everywhere—no matter how much he felt unjustly accused, he couldn’t voice it!

Calming himself, Gu Xing ignored Shangguan Jue’s tantrum and picked him up.
Shangguan Jue: “W-what are you doing?!”
Gu Xing was too exhausted to show any expression. He walked to the creek and tossed Shangguan Jue in.
Shangguan Jue: “Damn it, that hurts!”

Then, Gu Xing began scrubbing Shangguan Jue clean—no, dealing with the aftermath.
Shangguan Jue had exhausted the last of his energy during his outburst. Now, though he still cursed nonstop, he had resigned himself to passive resistance.

But as everyone knows, fools never stop digging their own graves.
Especially those with a disposable side-character fate—they’re hopeless for life.
Shangguan Jue, who had been half-dead from the ordeal, was a bully to the weak and a coward before the strong. When he realized that Gu Xing was tolerating him more than before, even giving in to him, he immediately revived.

Shangguan Jue started ordering Gu Xing around: “Servant, bring me my clothes!”
Gu Xing shot him a cold glare.
Shangguan Jue instantly changed his tone: “Gu Xing, bring me my clothes!”
Gu Xing held back his frustration and went.

#How to Use a Servant#
Get√

For the next few days, Gu Xing was unable to train, as his voice echoed through the valley.

“Gu Xing, light the fire for me!”
“Gu Xing! I need bathwater!”
“Gu Xing, cook for me!”
“Gu Xing, my waist hurts~~~”

Gu Xing silently did as he was told, cursing himself a thousand times over.
Every task he completed, he gritted his teeth and muttered, “Idiot!”

The idiot remained oblivious, continuing to push Gu Xing’s limits.
And it only got worse.

“Gu Xing, pick the bones out of my chicken!”
“Gu Xing, remove the fishbones!”
“Gu Xing, why is the food so bland?!”
“Gu Xing, massage me!”
“Gu Xing, pound my back!”
“Gu Xing, knead my feet!”
“Gu Xing, take me to relieve myself!”
“Gu Xing, handle my—”

Before the last word “waste” left his mouth, Gu Xing flung his freshly roasted fish aside, grabbed Shangguan Jue by the collar, and lifted him up. Their eyes met, Gu Xing’s gaze fierce.
Shangguan Jue panicked: “W-what are you doing?! Still want to bully me? Let me tell you, you already wronged me once—you can’t use violence on me again!”

Gu Xing sneered.
This idiot had finally worn down all his patience.
As expected—spare the rod, spoil the fool!

Then, Gu Xing yanked down Shangguan Jue’s pants.
Shangguan Jue was horrified—he immediately recalled the pain from being [censored] before. Was Gu Xing really a pervert?! Could they rewind and redo this?!

But clearly, Shangguan Jue had overestimated his own appeal.
Gu Xing wasn’t stripping him to do that.
He was stripping him… to spank him.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
The crisp sound of palm meeting tender flesh rang out.

Shangguan Jue froze for three seconds before becoming furious: “Y-you-you! You spanked me! Even my big brother never spanked me! You bastard, I’ll fight you!”

The response was an even more intense series of smacks.
In the end, Shangguan Jue’s butt still ended up sore.
But this time, it wasn’t quite the same kind of soreness as before.

After venting his frustration, Gu Xing returned to roasting fish.
Once it was done, he shoved the fish at Shangguan Jue with a fierce glare: “Eat!”
Shangguan Jue hastily pulled up his pants and timidly took the fish, not daring to act up.
…At least not for half a day before reverting to his old ways.

And so, Gu Xing’s daily routine changed again.
Now, aside from training, fighting beasts, and beating the idiot, he had to cook for two.

What’s worse, having lost his virginity in such a tragic way, Gu Xing—an iron-willed protagonist—found himself unknowingly more tolerant of the fool.
Even when he wanted to hit him, he chose a more harmonious method.

#Men Are Truly Pathetic Creatures#
Even web novel protagonists are no exception.

As for how Gu Xing spent five years defeating every beast in the valley, gaining two supreme inheritances, and greatly improving his strength—well, that all followed the usual plot progression.
In the end, the two mountains collapsed, and so did the secret realm.

Carrying his now somewhat familiar fool, Gu Xing flew toward the light—the exit.
What happened next goes without saying.

When all was said and done, Gu Xing felt incredibly awkward.
Even though he was innocent, he had still done that to someone’s younger brother. Facing the older brother now, he naturally felt guilty.
He wasn’t sure how he would be dealt with.

If it was just a beating… or a few beatings… he’d endure it.
But if they tried to kill him…
Then he would fight back.

Shangguan Jue, however, was different.
At first, he was a little shy while recounting everything. After all, he was a playboy who had only ever admired beautiful women from a distance. Due to strict discipline, he hadn’t yet had the chance to indulge in a life of debauchery—yet before he could even hold a beauty in his arms, he had already been… and he was the one on the receiving end! No matter how thick-skinned he was, he couldn’t possibly be that oblivious.

But as he continued speaking, he grew more and more justified, more and more convinced that he had been the one wronged, and—
Before he knew it, he was practically complaining to his big brother.
His big brother should avenge him!

Ziche Shubai was at a loss.
He looked at Gu Xing, who was standing there with the air of a man about to face execution, then at his smug and self-satisfied little brother. His emotions were complicated.

After three seconds of thought, Ziche Shubai decisively turned to his foolish younger brother and asked, “How do you wish to deal with Gu Xing?”
Shangguan Jue’s eyes immediately lit up.
His mind raced with countless ways to torment Gu Xing, and he became completely lost in thought.

But because he was too caught up in his own ideas, everything seemed good, everything seemed perfect, and he couldn’t settle on a single response.
As a result, even after ten seconds, his older brother received no answer and quickly ran out of patience.

Ziche Shubai: My patience was drained long ago by a certain psycho.
Kongshan Dawang seemed to sense his mood and affectionately rubbed his nose against Ziche Shubai’s neck.

Watching this, Gu Xing suddenly felt as if he had overlooked something all this time.
He was dumbfounded: Guess I was just too slow before…

And so, Ziche Shubai didn’t bother waiting for his foolish younger brother to decide. He simply turned to Gu Xing and said, “You have two options.”
Gu Xing immediately straightened his posture. “Please, speak.”

Ziche Shubai said, “First, serve for a hundred years.”
Gu Xing frowned. A hundred years… that was quite long…
Ziche Shubai continued, “Second, marry my younger brother.”
Gu Xing’s heart turned cold, and he almost instinctively blurted out his choice.

But before he could, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shangguan Jue—who was practically rubbing his hands together, waiting for him to choose the first option so he could start tormenting him!
Yes! That idiot had written all his thoughts on his face—Gu Xing could see right through him!

And so, instead of choosing what he had originally intended, Gu Xing blurted out the other option: “I choose the second.”
The smugness on Shangguan Jue’s face froze.

Ziche Shubai: “…”
Something feels off here…

Gu Xing, after speaking, initially felt despair, thinking he had just doomed himself to an endless abyss. But then—
When he saw Shangguan Jue’s expression crumble into utter misery, he suddenly felt a lot better.
Thinking back to life in the valley…
It actually wasn’t that bad.

Once they were married, if he gave Shangguan Jue three beatings a day, would Ziche Shubai even interfere in their “marital matters”?
The more he thought about it, the more interesting it seemed.

Ziche Shubai was silent for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Very well.”
Shangguan Jue: Did my big brother drug the protagonist or something?!
Ziche Shubai: …Is it really okay for a protagonist to lose this many brain cells?

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Pinky says: Aaaaaah, the beginnings of love. Since time immemorial, people have thought “I guess it wouldn’t be that bad” before agreeing to marry someone.