Little Pink Starfish

“Pa!”

A slap landed squarely on Cecil’s back with a loud smack, instantly dispersing his overflowing killing intent. The hand that had been about to twist someone’s neck quietly withdrew.

Gu Bai looked down at his own palm, wondering why it had landed so smoothly on the second male lead’s back—falling into deep silence. (→ Though he was already a silent type.)

Come to think of it, he’d originally aimed for the back of Cecil’s head, but he was too short and missed the mark. The bigger question was: why did he even slap him in the first place?!

It felt like… some strange kind of aura had overwhelmed his control for a moment.

But—

The second male lead’s move just now was so damn cool! How was he supposed to resist giving him a million likes!?

The red in Cecil’s eyes faded. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he reopened them, he was back to normal.
Though his heart was still raging, the killing intent had been reined in.
Then, with a flick of his hand, he flung the male beastman aside like trash.

Cecil turned around, a little uneasy.
That slap just now—it came from his little Carlo, right? Did little Carlo sense that something was off with him? It felt like something had exploded from deep within his soul—he had almost…
Would little Carlo dislike him for that?
Would he… be scared?

—Cecil’s worries weren’t unfounded.
Even though he hadn’t liked that arrogant female, he’d clearly seen the fear and horror in her face when he crushed the beastman’s bones.
Female beastmen and sub-beastmen had similar temperaments. Would his little Carlo, though he had the courage to stop him, now show disgust?

However, when Cecil turned around and met Gu Bai’s face, he finally sighed in relief.
Little Carlo still looked just as cold and indifferent—which did hurt a little—but there were absolutely no negative emotions in his eyes!

Cecil probed softly: “Carlo?”
Gu Bai, expressionless: “Let’s go back.”

Cecil: ~(≧▽≦)/~
Little Carlo said three words this time!
Amazing!

Then, Cecil eagerly helped push the cart full of uncut raw stones, and the two of them, one in front, one behind, returned to the duke’s estate under the shocked gazes of the onlookers.

Behind them, the male beastman who’d been thrown like a dead dog lay on the ground, face twisted in pain, his eyes filled with unmistakable terror.
That man who had seemed gentle and harmless… was terrifying.

A foul stench wafted out.
The beastman’s pants were soaked—he’d wet himself.
But surprisingly, no one laughed at him for such an unmanly display.

Because in that instant just now, everyone had felt an indescribable…

Terror.

---

Gu Bai walked up front, expression blank. Cecil followed behind with a soft smile, pulling a cart full of stones.
Everyone who knew Cecil couldn’t help but turn to look—completely stunned.
Young Master Cecil, the duke’s first heir, was that famous in the imperial capital.
In the past, even though he was known for his endless flings and gentle attentiveness, he’d never pulled a cart for anyone!

Could it be… this one was different?

But…
No matter how they looked at him, the boy up front was just a pale, average-looking youth.
If there was something unique, maybe it was… a kind of cold, ascetic aura?

Made you want to push him down.
But also… made it feel a little intimidating?

As for Gu Bai, he was basically a shut-in. In a setting like this, being stared at by everyone, he should’ve been a little shy—
Back in his original world, he’d often been dragged out by that drag queen friend to dance in public plazas.
But now… ever since transmigrating, his courage seemed to have leveled up instantly?
Being stared at like this, he actually… didn’t mind?

Gu Bai was a little awkward.
Had ge’s skin gotten thicker?
Feeling mildly troubled—what to do?

Then, Gu Bai thought back to what had just happened.
That weird, familiar-to-the-point-of-shivers aura—what the heck was it?
He should have been scared, but instead he’d felt like it was kind of… cool?
And when he slapped Cecil, he’d had this feeling like if he didn’t, something bad would happen?

Gu Bai blamed himself for a second.
He might’ve subconsciously over-romanticized the second male lead.
Hopefully he wouldn’t mind…
He really didn’t mean to slap him… it just twitched, that’s all.

Next, Gu Bai started planning.
He’d originally intended to knock out the second male lead with two level-8 strange stones to apologize.
Now? Better make it three.

And the remaining dozens?
One a day, right on schedule.

Nice.
Stone-bomb attack strategy—let’s go!

While he was lost in his beautiful fantasies, a shrill cry suddenly echoed from afar—

“Shaoyeeee—”
“Ying ying ying ying!”

Gu Bai: “……”
Why does that sound familiar?

The next moment—
OH RIGHT!
No wonder he’d felt like he was forgetting something!
Damn it, he’d left behind that delicate flower of a servant boy!

That brain-drilling “ying ying ying” voice—who else but Ya An?!

Right then, a shadow came flying out of nowhere and pounced straight at Gu Bai’s… thigh.

Accompanied by even louder sobs:

“Young master!
Ying ying ying…
Ya An worked so hard to find you!
Ying ying ying ying…
Young master!
Ying ying ying…
Please don’t leave Ya An behind again!
Ying ying ying ying…”

And at that instant, another shadow flashed forward.
It landed in front of Gu Bai, a long arm reaching out to grab the incoming figure’s collar.
Seeing that didn’t stop the momentum, he switched strategies—grabbed Gu Bai’s arm, pulled him into an embrace, and took eight steps back in a row.

Gu Bai: Holy crap! Hugged! Was it unexpected? A little! But… ge’s kinda into it, what now?!
Cecil: Don’t wanna let go…

Ya An: “Ying ying ying where did this bad guy come from, trying to bully young master! Ying ying ying!”
In a flash, the delicate flower became a fierce beast.
He pounced forward, grabbed his young master’s sleeve, and launched a flying kick—aimed straight at the beastman stealing his young master!

Cecil’s expression twisted.
Holding Gu Bai, he spun aside to dodge, then counter-kicked, blocking the follow-up attacks.

In that moment, “crack crack crack”—the clash of blows rang out non-stop.

The onlookers: “……”
Their emotions were… complicated.

At first, they’d thought: Oh? Why is there a fragile-looking sub-beastman teen at the duke’s gate? Another old flame? Maybe one of Young Master Cecil’s past lovers?

Then they saw the “new lover” returning with Cecil dragging a cart behind him.
They thought: Whoa, it’s really gonna go down! Time to spectate!

Next, the delicate sub-beastman launched at the new one.
They held their breath: Catfight incoming! Gonna be a face-scratcher!

But then—
The soft-spoken sub-beastman tearfully cried, “Young master—”
And they went: Wait. This isn’t an ex vs. new love. It’s the new love’s ex! Plot twist!

And when Cecil protectively pulled his “new love” back—
They sighed: How could a sub-beastman win against a beastman male… what a pity, such a delicate beauty…

Then—
The “delicate beauty” went berserk. That kick! The air cracked! A real impact would’ve shattered bones!
Cecil dodged! Counterattacked!
The delicate beauty fought him!
They actually tied in a fight!

That kind of wild twist…
Was honestly hard to process.

Gu Bai was speechless.
Why the hell are they fighting?!
That servant boy better stop now! Ge’s already suffering through a painful secret crush, okay! If you keep acting like this, ge’s gonna lose all face, okay!

And you, second male lead—what the hell was that?
Where’s your gentleness? Your kindness? Your gentlemanly manner?!
Even if ge’s not the protagonist shou, you can’t just go off like this!

But…
Somehow, Gu Bai felt like…
This scene looked oddly familiar.

Cecil’s expression turned dark.
Anyone trying to take little Carlo from his hands—unforgivable!
Why were there always people trying to cross him?!

His peach blossom eyes twisted into sharp triangle slits.
Little Carlo belongs only to me!

That thought triggered a burst of power.
In a blink, his clothes shredded—
A long, black serpentine tail burst out behind him, and his eyes turned golden, slit-pupiled, radiating cold malice.

In that moment, this beast form—supposed to be seductive and alluring—only brought a soul-crushing sense of terror.
—Maybe earlier at the quarry, the fear was brief and contained.
But now, it erupted with no restraint.

The onlookers were stunned by the pressure, involuntarily stepping back.

“Young Master Cecil… that’s terrifying!”
“His aura… has he become an eighth-level beastman?!”
“He’s still so young…”
“What exactly is his true form—”
“He evolved again!”

Though Ya An had diamond bloodline and was stronger than most males, he was still a sub-beastman with limits. He could hit hard, but lacked Cecil’s explosive power and endurance.
Now that Cecil was serious, Ya An was quickly overpowered.

At that moment—
Cecil’s serpent tail lashed out, and he felt more in control of his beast form than ever.
He realized—he’d really become stronger! Blood boiling, violent energy surged!

Though a beastman’s form was supposed to be just a battle state, Cecil suddenly thought… maybe it wasn’t just that.
Maybe it was a reflection of something deeper in his blood.

Cecil believed—
His current self still wasn’t at his peak—not just because he hadn’t fully beastified, but because…
He should be much stronger.
Stronger by countless times!

And if that happened, then no matter what—
His little Carlo would never be able to leave him.

That, perhaps, was the real thought buried deep in his heart.

As for Gu Bai—
He looked at the current Cecil and… slowly facepalmed.

Why the hell does ge find the second male lead even hotter in this monster form…
This makes no sense.
Has ge’s dignity shattered into dust?! Damn it!

Man|Beast.
That’s… a very serious issue.

---

Pinky says: That servant and his ying yings has turned into some kind of B52’s song in my head.

Young master!

Ying ying ying ying~

A rock lobster!

Ying ying ying ying~