Little Pink Starfish

Qi Xi responded casually, his voice still lazy from sleep. He yawned and said, “Yeah, what a coincidence. Where are you all headed? I’m going to Hami—I heard the melons there are great.”

“Qi-ge, Sister Ping told you not to reveal your itinerary,” Xiao Zhang reminded him.

Qi Xi half-closed his eyes with a particularly sultry expression and hummed, “I already said it, so just pretend I didn’t.”

Zhang Qiu chuckled. “What a coincidence. We’re headed the same way.” Lu Feng had already looked into where Desert Falcon was filming.

“Well, isn’t that just perfect?” Qi Xi leaned in closer on purpose. Zhang Qiu suddenly found himself staring at Qi Xi’s flawless face—there wasn’t a single flaw to be seen. With such an exquisitely seductive appearance, if Li Shu hadn’t told him otherwise, he would’ve assumed Qi Xi was a fox spirit, not a Xiezhi.

Li Shu pulled Zhang Qiu into his arms from behind, glaring coldly at Qi Xi. Qi Xi clicked his tongue and turned to Zhang Qiu. “I thought you were following me because of my stunning looks.” Meeting Li Shu’s icy gaze, he shrugged. “Guess I was overthinking it.”

Zhang Qiu thought, Even if it’s about looks, my Li Shu wins hands down! But just now, when Qi Xi got close, he had a strange feeling—like Qi Xi knew their true purpose.

Xiao Zhang hurried over and pulled Qi Xi aside, whispering anxiously, “Sister Ping said no more fighting and provoking people outside.”

“We’re all old acquaintances, just catching up.” Qi Xi smirked. “Xiao Zhang, you’re too paranoid. If you worry too much at your age, you’ll lose your hair.”

Xiao Zhang thought, Do you take me for a fool? Just now, things almost got physical! And that long-haired guy looks way more dangerous than you—if you got your face smashed, Sister Ping would skin me alive!

Seeing Xiao Zhang on edge amused Qi Xi. He deliberately leaned toward Zhang Qiu again, making Xiao Zhang nearly jump out of his skin in fear. Qi Xi chuckled mischievously and patted the little Jiangshi’s head.

“When we get to Hami, I’ll carve you a fox out of a melon.”

The little Jiangshi kept a straight face and said seriously, “That’s childish.”

Zhang Qiu nearly died laughing. Seeing a chubby three or four-year-old solemnly call something “childish” was just too much—kids that age were supposed to play with little fox carvings!

“Great idea!” Zhang Qiu accepted on his son’s behalf. He had been wondering how to justify tagging along with Qi Xi—he couldn’t just keep claiming it was a coincidence. This was a much better excuse.

Soon, it was time to board. Zhang Qiu and his group went first, with Qi Xi following a short distance behind.

Xiao Zhang leaned in worriedly. “Qi-ge, I really think these people are following us on purpose.”

Qi Xi arched an eyebrow. “Not the first time I’ve been stalked. Or do you have some misunderstanding about my overwhelming charm?”

Xiao Zhang was speechless. Yes, you’re good-looking, but are you seriously saying this when two of the guys in that group are even better looking than you?! Do you have no shame?!

Once on the plane, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang were in economy, while Zhang Qiu and his group had all of first class to themselves. Qi Xi just so happened to be seated next to King Hui of Xiapi. Apparently well-rested, Qi Xi was full of energy, openly admiring King Hui’s appearance and saying things like, “Wow, you’re really good-looking.”

Good-looking, my ass! Zhang Qiu fumed and promptly shoved his little Jiangshi into Qi Xi’s arms with a bright smile. “My son loves handsome uncles.”

The little Jiangshi played along perfectly, looking very proper as he called out, “Uncle.”

Qi Xi was momentarily speechless. His eyebrow twitched, and he pinched the little Jiangshi’s cheek. “Well, so much for the fox carving.”

The little Jiangshi blinked, his ears turning red. He stiffly replied, “Thank you.”

Qi Xi ruffled his hair and grinned seductively. “Truly adorable.”

Zhang Qiu glared at him. Adorable?! Was that car accident really an attempt to save us, or were you just hoping to snack on my son?!

The chubby little Jiangshi hopped down from Qi Xi’s lap, planted his hands on his hips, and glared too—though he had no idea why his dad was mad, he was certain glaring at Qi Xi was the right move.

“Hahaha,” Qi Xi laughed. “You two are hilarious. If I ever have a kid, I’m setting up an arranged marriage with yours.”

No thanks! Absolutely not! Zhang Qiu huffed.

Back at his seat, Zhang Qiu glanced at Qi Xi. From the side, Li Shu suddenly took his hand.

“?”

“Don’t look at other men,” Li Shu said seriously.

Zhang Qiu was caught off guard before breaking into a laugh. He leaned in like a mischievous little mouse and whispered, “Little Uncle, you’re getting really good at flirting with me.”

Li Shu smirked and kissed him on the lips.

The plane soon landed in Hami. This city, a prefecture-level city in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, greeted them with a wave of scorching heat the moment they stepped outside. A black business van was waiting at the entrance, with Qi Xi’s assistants busy loading luggage.

Qi Xi stood lazily with his hands in his pockets, sunglasses on, drawing plenty of attention from passersby. He didn’t mind the stares at all—he reveled in them.

Zhang Qiu observed that some people were just born to be stars. Qi Xi was one of them. In contrast, Li Shu and King Hui were also incredibly good-looking, but they preferred to keep a low profile, toning down their presence as much as possible.

“Where are you staying?” Qi Xi glanced at them and smirked. “Didn’t you say you wanted a melon fox for your kid?”

Zhang Qiu had a growing suspicion that Qi Xi knew exactly why they were here. He hesitated on how to respond, but Qi Xi casually named his hotel.

Xiao Zhang rushed him. “Qi-ge, we need to go now before fans catch up.” This trip had been kept secret and was tightly scheduled. He had never seen Qi Xi land somewhere this quietly before.

After Qi Xi’s car left, the vehicle Lu Feng had booked arrived, taking them straight to their hotel.

At the entrance, a group of young women was holding signs, with security guards keeping order. As Zhang Qiu and the others stepped out of their car, the girls instinctively glanced over and started whispering.

“Wow, the long-haired one is so handsome! Is he an actor in the movie?”

“I think the one next to him is even better looking—so delicate, he’s breaking my 2D barrier!”

“Did you guys see that pale-skinned little kid? He’s insanely cute! I just wanna squish his cheeks—he’s got dimples and little tiger teeth! I’m dying of cuteness!”

“Did Director Zhang change his preferences?! He used to love casting rough, rugged actors—now it’s all pretty boys and fresh faces! Haha, those little tiger teeth are so my type. I’m switching fandoms and becoming a mother fan!”

Zhang Qiu and his group retrieved their luggage. Everyone acted unfazed by the attention, and Zhang Qiu, caught up in the moment, lost his initial awkwardness.

As the little Jiangshi passed the entrance, a wave of cheers erupted from the girls, showering him with compliments. Though he pretended to remain stoic, Zhang Qiu noticed his son’s ears turn red as he flashed his little tiger teeth at his admirers in a modest show-off.

Vain little rascal, Zhang Qiu thought with amusement.

Just then, Qi Xi came out of the hotel. His hair was a mess, and he wore oversized sunglasses, with Xiao Zhang trailing behind him, trying to convince him of something.

What happened next, Zhang Qiu saw clearly—this Qi Xi, no way he was the kind of monster that ate Jiangshi.

Xiao Zhang followed behind Qi Xi, pleading earnestly, “…Sister Ping told you not to keep doing this. It’s become a habit—you always linger at the entrance…”

Qi Xi completely ignored him, strutting to the doorway like he owned the place.

As soon as he stepped outside, the crowd of fans erupted into deafening cheers. Xiao Zhang immediately moved to shield him, but Qi Xi simply raised a hand in a “quiet” gesture, and the crowd instantly fell silent.

“One group photo, then you all go home,” Qi Xi said with a lazy smile.

The fans were ecstatic but kept their voices down as they took an orderly group picture. Once the photo was done, they reluctantly dispersed—no one lingered.

Xiao Zhang muttered complaints under his breath, “If you keep spoiling them like this, what if a black fan stirs up trouble…” But despite his grumbling, there was no real dissatisfaction on his face. Being able to work with a celebrity who truly respected and protected his fans made him happy.

Zhang Qiu had been observing everything from the side. A guy like this… there’s no way he eats Jiangshi!

Their hotel check-in was already complete. Zhang Qiu, Li Shu, and their little Jiangshi shared a family room, while Lu Feng and Hua Ting had another, and King Hui had his own.

Once inside, Li Shu started undressing to take a shower. Zhang Qiu sneaked up behind him, but before he could make a move, Li Shu, still facing away, said flatly, “Feeling energetic?” He turned and pulled Zhang Qiu into his arms.

Zhang Qiu found himself staring directly into Li Shu’s deep eyes. The hidden passion in them startled him, and he quickly tried to back out. Laughing awkwardly, he said, “I was just asking if you needed your clothes washed…” He tried to make a quick escape.

Too late. Li Shu caught him by the collar and yanked him back into his embrace. His hand trailed lower and found its target. Li Shu chuckled softly.

“Seems like my little coward is very energetic.”

His voice was low and seductive, sending shivers down Zhang Qiu’s spine. And with Li Shu’s hands continuing their mischief, Zhang Qiu quickly lost the will to resist. Fine, if we do it now, at least we won’t have to do it tonight…

With that thought, Zhang Qiu surrendered to Li Shu’s touch. Soon, he was panting heavily, weak in Li Shu’s arms. Fortunately, Li Shu was holding him—otherwise, he would’ve collapsed to the floor.

Li Shu looked down at Zhang Qiu, his eyes tinged with a faint flush. The stimulation had left Zhang Qiu’s body soft and weak under Li Shu’s palm. Without hesitation, Li Shu scooped him up. Just then, something round and shiny tumbled onto the floor.

“D-Daren, I-I’ll leave now.”

Zhang Qiu immediately snapped out of his daze. Looking down, he saw the Yin Soul Pearl rolling away into the living room.

Shit! I forgot about Lingdang!!!

Zhang Qiu shot a furious glare at Li Shu. There’s no way he forgot—he definitely just wanted to see me embarrassed!

To his surprise, Li Shu also looked momentarily stunned. It didn’t seem like an act. The two of them exchanged glances before Zhang Qiu suddenly smirked.

“Well, well, well. Looks like even the great Li Shu can have an off day!”

Before he could make a run for it, Li Shu caught him again. This time, he was dragged straight into the bathroom and thoroughly “disciplined.”

Zhang Qiu: Wuwuwu, but it felt so good.

The consequence of Zhang Qiu teasing Li Shu was that he couldn’t leave the hotel room until nine at night. Even then, Li Shu had to support him, though Zhang Qiu gritted his teeth and glared at him in defiance. To Li Shu, though, it just looked like a kitten throwing a tantrum.

“Next time I say ‘no,’ I mean STOP.”

“But you said, ‘Don’t stop.’”

Li Shu’s innocent expression made Zhang Qiu want to strangle him. Innocent, my ass! He clutched his sore waist, grimacing.

The little Jiangshi trailed behind his dads, expressionless, completely unaware of what they were talking about.

By this time, the hotel restaurant was nearly empty. Zhang Qiu ordered congee for himself and a fruit pie for his son. Ever since his accident, the little Jiangshi had been acting more mature, and Zhang Qiu played along. Right now, however, his “mature” son was stuffing his face with fruit pie, leaving crumbs everywhere.

As the three of them enjoyed their meal, a group of five or six men and women entered the restaurant. They were dressed in thick clothing, despite the fact that the nighttime temperature wasn’t that cold. Their attire looked suspiciously out of place.

Zhang Qiu squinted at them but couldn’t recognize anyone. Lowering his voice, he asked Li Shu, “Are they grave robbers?” He didn’t even realize he had stopped calling them “tomb raiders” and had started using the more polite term, “Tu Fu Zi.”

Li Shu shook his head. “Doesn’t seem like it.”

As they stared at the group, the group also noticed them. At first, their gazes were impatient, but when they spotted Li Shu, their eyes flashed with astonishment and admiration.

Since Li Shu had ruled out the possibility, Zhang Qiu lost interest and focused back on his food. The little Jiangshi licked the fruit pie crumbs off his face. Zhang Qiu, worried about him eating too many sweets before bed, warned, “Eat too many, and your little tiger teeth will turn black.”

The little Jiangshi immediately froze, his tongue hovering mid-air. He quickly retracted it.

Zhang Qiu knew his son treasured his tiny tiger teeth—like a peacock flaunting its feathers. But he also didn’t want to scare him too much. Seeing the boy hesitate, he added, “As long as you eat in moderation and brush your teeth, they’ll stay shiny and sharp.”

Li Shu had already settled the bill. Picking up the little Jiangshi, he turned to leave. Zhang Qiu stood up to follow, only to be blocked by a tall, well-built man who looked directly at Li Shu. The man smiled politely and said, “I’m Bai Guang’an. Let’s exchange numbers.”

Zhang Qiu’s face darkened. What’s wrong with this guy? You can’t just ask for his number like that! Do I look invisible to you?!

“He’s married. And he has a kid.” Zhang Qiu sighed. Why do I always have to cut down Li Shu’s unwanted admirers?

The little Jiangshi played along again, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Papa, I’m sleepy.”

Li Shu didn’t even spare Bai Guang’an a glance. Holding the little Jiangshi in one arm, he naturally took Zhang Qiu’s hand with the other. “Let’s go to bed.”

Bai Guang’an’s gaze lingered on their joined hands for a moment. Then he smiled, unconcerned, as if he hadn’t just tried to flirt. He casually stepped aside, making way for them, but as they walked away, his expression shifted into one of quiet determination.