Little Pink Starfish

At this moment, he should think about what to say.
Should he say, “Hey man, I think you look a bit familiar too,” or should he go with, “Your pick-up lines are already outdated”?
Wait! That would sound way too effeminate! He had promised to be an unconventional kind of sub-orc—he absolutely couldn’t break character here!

But more importantly, Gu Bai felt like he had a belly full of words to say, yet somehow, he just couldn’t get them out.

For the first time, Gu Bai felt embarrassed.
Sure, he was a shut-in, but he had never frozen up like this before! He wasn’t autistic, he didn’t have depression, so why did he suddenly have a speech impediment?!
This was completely unscientific!

Holding it in.
Keep holding it in.
After an intense struggle, Gu Bai, still expressionless, finally said, “Oh.”

The orc in front of him, who had been smiling gently, stiffened slightly.
He had never met someone who gave him such a cold response before.
And yet, he couldn’t even bring himself to be angry… which made him wonder, had he been too abrupt?

Gu Bai’s internal monologue +1: What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?! I just poured cold water all over him! This isn’t right! It’s bad enough that I fell for someone in an instant—what if I scare him away the next second?!
—That being said, since he had already reflexively sabotaged himself, turning around and walking away would actually be the perfect move. He should take this opportunity to cut ties completely!
But!
His feet wouldn’t move…

To his horror, he realized—he didn’t want to leave.

Who could possibly understand the absolute meltdown of knowing he was about to be stuck in a one-sided, unrequited crush, yet still feeling reluctant to walk away?!

Gu Bai was torn inside, but his expression remained unreadable.
Unintentionally, however, this gave off a vibe of extreme coldness, as if he were distancing himself, detached and unapproachable.
As if… he had been offended.

This reaction made Sesil take a step back.
For the first time, he found himself reflecting inwardly.
Was it because he was too flirtatious? Had his past affairs been too excessive, leading to rejection now…?

Sesil frowned.
No matter what, he didn’t want to be disliked by this person.

The more he looked at the pale youth before him, the more he liked him.
The more he looked, the more he wanted to hold him in his arms and protect him.

This feeling was unprecedented.
For the first time, Sesil hesitated, afraid to act rashly.
Somehow, it felt like touching him would be a form of desecration.

So should he just leave like this?
He was reluctant to.

Sesil sighed inwardly.
Just last night, he had a dream. He couldn’t remember the details, but he knew—there had been someone in that dream, someone he could never part with, someone who was imprinted into his very bones.
When he woke up, he had felt empty, as if everything from his past had become distant and meaningless. He couldn’t even recall the face from his dream, only the overwhelming emotion that lingered in his heart.

And today.
He had originally just come along with his friend Nois to unwind, but then he saw this pale young man.

In that instant, his heart nearly stopped.
His blood boiled, and his instincts roared wildly—“Found him!”

The closer he got, the louder that roar became, thundering in his ears.

But this youth… didn’t seem to like him.

For the first time, Sesil felt dejected.
Maybe… he needed to relearn how to win someone over.

The two of them stood there in awkward silence.

Sesil: What do I do when someone just coldly brushes me off?
Gu Bai: Damn it, do I leave or not?! Leave? Stay? I wish I had a flower to pluck petals from!

Finally, it was Sesil who broke the silence. His gaze remained warm, his peach blossom eyes carrying a mesmerizing glint. With a smile, he said, “I’m Sesil Cardinorne. What’s your name?”

Gu Bai: “Carlo Louis.”

Still as stiff as ever… but Sesil didn’t mind. “You can just call me Sesil.”

Gu Bai: “Oh.”

Sesil, hopeful: “Can I call you Carlo?”

Gu Bai: “Mm.”

Sesil’s smile deepened. “Then… Carlo?”

Gu Bai: “Mm.”

Damn it, why does this conversation feel so pure?!
Why is it making me blush?!
I’m already an adult—why do I suddenly feel like a shy little schoolboy in front of my crush?!
This is a total time warp back to my awkward teenage years! What the hell is this?!

Over on Sesil’s side, he felt like he had already gathered enough information for now.
To avoid making a bad impression on the youth who clearly wasn’t that fond of him yet, he decided to take things slowly.

So, he bid farewell politely, flashing a lingering smile before turning to leave. “You’re here for the stone gambling competition too, right? I’ll be cheering for you. See you later.”

Gu Bai, still expressionless: “Okay.”

As soon as Sesil’s figure disappeared, Gu Bai let out a deep sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, his completely ignored A’fu burst into laughter, exhaling a mouthful of alcohol-scented breath. “Carlo, my little sub-orc, the Cardinorne family is not just any noble house. Don’t let this chance slip away.”

Gu Bai shot him a glance and ignored him.
Not just any noble house, my ass!
Do I look like someone that shallow?!
We are not close. If you keep bothering me, I’ll end you!

Note: The original owner’s wish—was for his father to die sooner.

Gu Bai decided that once he had the time, he would personally send this noble lord to reunite with his late mate.

Then, he frowned slightly.
Wait… why did that thought come to him so naturally?
Why did it feel completely normal to think about sending someone off like this?

I’m not some cold-blooded killer, damn it!

But before he could dwell on his sudden evolution from shut-in to potential assassin, the stone gambling competition continued.
Now, with the third round beginning, it was finally his turn.

Gu Bai hesitated for a moment, then waved off his ever-crying attendant before leaping from the VIP seats directly into the competition arena.

---

The third round was the real deal.
The difficulty was significantly higher than before.

Each round, 50,000 raw stones were displayed. The difference lay in the number of exotic stones hidden among them.

For example, in the first round, there were 5,000 exotic stones among the 50,000, meaning a roughly 1-in-10 chance of selecting one. Some competitors could pass purely on luck.
In the second round, the number of exotic stones dropped to 3,000. Half of the contestants were eliminated. Each participant had to choose five stones, and in the end, only three to four hundred would advance.
But now, in the third round, only 1,000 exotic stones were hidden among the 50,000 raw stones. Contestants not only had to pick eight stones, but the energy contained within those stones had to meet a minimum threshold.

The finalists would be ranked, and their performance would determine their stone gambling master titles.

Gu Bai wasn’t too worried.
Because… he was pretty sure he had a cheat.

In the original novel, stone gambling masters had to use their mental power to “feel” for exotic stones by touching them. But somehow, as soon as he approached the stone piles, he could already sense the varying intensities of energy radiating from within them.

Damn it, even streetlights in the dark aren’t this obvious!

The original owner’s abilities weren’t supposed to be this special!
Even the protagonist shou needed to “look” at specific stones before sensing them!

Gu Bai thought deeply: I must be a genius.
Then, wasting no time, he began selecting his stones.

Many people noticed that while most contestants carefully examined the stones, one sub-orc stood out.

With an air of calm and ease, Gu Bai walked along the stone piles, swiftly selecting and swapping stones as if each one were completely under his control.

His movements weren’t slower than the protagonist’s, but neither were they faster.
He had made up his mind—he was going to beat the protagonist in quality, not speed!

Gu Bai: Hmph, as if I’m competing with you because I see you as a rival.