Little Pink Starfish

“Yuanyuan, you haven’t paid this quarter’s rent yet.”

“Oh, wait a sec.” A voice came from inside the room, followed by the door opening just a crack. A fair-skinned hand extended from within, holding three translucent red beads in the palm. “Sister Xue, see if this works.”

The woman called “Sister Xue” was a stunning beauty. She had an exquisite face, snow-white skin, and lips red like blood. Even on a rainy day like this, she wore a sheer, gauzy outfit.

A woman like her should have drawn a lot of attention in this old residential complex. Yet, the hallway remained eerily quiet — even the motion-sensor lights didn’t turn on. It was as if no one was there at all.

Sister Xue took the beads, weighed them in her hand, and said, “Good.” She then pulled out a calligraphy brush and drew a few strokes on the security door.

The worn-out metal door glowed faintly before gradually returning to its ordinary, dull appearance.

Sister Xue placed the beads into a pocket at her waist, smiled goodbye, and left. A moment later, the slightly ajar door was gently shut again. Everything happened silently — none of the neighbors noticed a thing.

Not until a few minutes later, when a cat outside let out a chilling screech. Suddenly, the motion-sensor lights in the hallway flickered on.

Yuan Yuanyuan exhaled and returned to her bedroom.

Her tense muscles finally relaxed, and she flopped back onto her bed.

She was alone in the room. A small yellow lamp on the bedside table glowed softly, casting a warm light.

Everything was quiet. The phone on her bed lit up occasionally.

That beautiful woman earlier was the “sub-landlord” of this area — responsible for collecting the “rent” from little monsters on behalf of the boss.

Yuan Yuanyuan had moved here a year ago. This place was a chaotic mix of monsters and odd creatures. It wasn’t exactly safe, but as long as one didn’t venture out at night asking for trouble, life was relatively orderly.

As a half-demon, Yuan Yuanyuan had struggled for years to find a place where she could live peacefully. Even if this was essentially a slum for monsters, she was still grateful to have settled here.

Flirtations and fights were common among monsters, who were naturally xenophobic — and especially unwelcoming to half-breeds like her.

The city she lived in was one where humans and monsters coexisted. She jokingly called it the “City of Freedom.” The local boss was a pretty decent big-shot monster, and his rule was simple: pay a protection fee every month, and he’d make sure you were safe.

That’s why this city housed many monsters like her who had nowhere else to go. It was chaotic — but with a kind of organized chaos.

Most regular monsters didn’t like this city. The ones who did were usually infamous — serial killers, rogue beasts, or those on the run from something.

Before becoming a monster, Yuan Yuanyuan used to fantasize a lot about monsters. But in recent years, she couldn’t even be bothered to think about herself. Once you’re in the game, the bloodshed and cruelty hit differently — nothing like the romanticized versions in stories.

Now that she’d paid her “rent” for this quarter, she figured she could relax for three whole months.

Yuan Yuanyuan turned over and stared out at the drizzle outside. She really loved this place. Most monsters were nocturnal, but she, once a pure-blooded human, still clung to human habits — never going out at night.

It was nighttime now — the perfect time to stay up late and “cultivate.” She had just paid rent and felt fantastic, confident she could stay up until at least 2 a.m.

She pulled out her three-year-old phone, opened her favorite comic app, and started reading a series she’d recently become obsessed with — Monster Chronicles. It was about a young monster exorcist.

Monster Chronicles was by a new artist named “Jiqiu.” Before a month ago, there was no sign of this artist, and then — boom — they skyrocketed to the top of the popularity charts.

Ever since becoming a monster, Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t liked monster-themed comics much. But this one kept showing up on the front page, constantly reminding her of its presence. One day, she gave in to curiosity — and got completely hooked.

Why did she love this comic? Because the monsters in it felt real.

Not just “believable” — real.

When she read it, she often felt the monsters were based on real ones. She even suspected the artist might be a monster too, who had randomly decided to enter the human world and draw this comic.

There were many powerful monsters who were masters of the arts — music, chess, painting, calligraphy — after all, they’d lived for ages, some since ancient times.

But monsters that old… definitely wouldn’t be so idle as to draw comics.

She glanced at her phone and pouted. She used to read romance novels where monsters peacefully coexisted with humans and even fell in love. Back then, it tugged at her romantic heartstrings. Now, though, she found it laughable.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t romantic — she’d just seen the truth. Famous monsters were like elusive dragons, and the nameless ones were all struggling to survive. Their hierarchy was stricter than a feudal society. Most monsters lived miserable lives.

Yuan Yuanyuan went to the kitchen to get a glass of milk, then lay back on her bed. Some things just sucked. Who could’ve guessed a child raised under the red flag of socialism would end up living in a twisted, feudal monster society?

She’d dwelled on that for years — and only recently stopped thinking about it.

She sipped her milk, a white mustache forming under her nose, and stared at the image on her phone — a woman in red, lying in a pool of blood. Her body was covered in wounds, long black hair flowing over her shoulders and back.

The woman’s eyes were fixed straight ahead. They were deep, with upturned corners. Her red outfit bloomed like a blood-colored flower — breathtaking and short-lived.

As Yuan Yuanyuan sipped milk and examined the image, she could tell the artist was obsessed with this woman — devoting an entire page just to her. The screen was filled with stark reds and blacks, thick and textured, as if you could witness her death with your own eyes.

If such a powerful monster really existed… what would their death scene look like?

The thought gave Yuan Yuanyuan goosebumps, a shiver running down her spine.

She turned the page, ready to see what came next — when someone suddenly began furiously pounding on her door.

“Who is it?” Yuan Yuanyuan sat up, grabbed a small knife from her bedside, and shouted toward the door.

It was nearly 11 p.m. — not exactly a time for friendly visits. She felt a chill and hesitated before approaching. But then she remembered Sister Xue had just drawn a protective barrier on the door an hour ago, which gave her some courage.

To her surprise, it was her neighbor.

“Yuanyuan! Yuanyuan, are you home?” The door banged loudly. Recognizing the voice, Yuan Yuanyuan slowly opened it. A woman burst in, wearing a long black coat, hair soaked with rain, face full of panic. “Yuanyuan, have you seen Xiaoying?”

“Xiaoying?” Yuan Yuanyuan was stunned. “She’s not home yet?”

Xiaoying was her neighbor’s daughter. Despite Yuan Yuanyuan having to pay monster rent, she actually lived in a complex full of humans. Her neighbors were pure humans.

“No, I went to pick her up from tutoring, but she wasn’t there. The teacher said she left after class. I’ve tried calling, but she won’t answer.” Her neighbor’s eyes were red. She’d clearly been running around in the rain — her pants were soaked.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked out at the dark, rainy sky. She could already smell a faint trace of blood in the air.

“We’ll go out and keep searching. Please, Yuanyuan, watch the house. If Xiaoying comes back, call me right away,” her neighbor said, then rushed off again.

“Wait! Auntie! It’s raining! At least call the police first!”

“We already did!” her neighbor shouted from afar.

Yuan Yuanyuan stood in the doorway, stunned. Even if they called the police, it probably won’t help…

That faint smell of blood was getting stronger. She had sensed it earlier, but didn’t go out — because it was best not to get involved in monster affairs. Especially hunting.

One of the rules here: no hunting weak or peaceful monsters. But if it was a personal grudge, the boss wouldn’t interfere.

For the past year, she had strictly followed that rule. Never went out at night. The protective charm on her door was less of a defense and more of an ID — showing she was a legal resident under the boss’s protection.

But if it was a personal fight… then the charm was useless. Any monster could barge in and kill her — and face no consequences.

As a half-demon, even with only a few years in the monster world, Yuan Yuanyuan knew these unspoken rules. Normally, she kept her head down. But tonight… she had run into someone she knew.

She shut the door and stood by the entryway, overwhelmed. This felt like the most messed-up thing she had ever encountered — worse than being chased all night by some bird-faced half-demon hater during the New Year.

She stood there for a long, long time — so long that the hallway lights turned off again — before she finally moved.

Instead of returning to bed to continue reading her comic, she rushed to her wardrobe and began digging through clothes, tossing them all over the floor.

After a few minutes, she pulled out a black coat and held it up against herself.

It was a coat her father used to wear — oversized enough to hide her entire body and face.

She covered her face with one hand and rubbed it. After three seconds, she looked up again.

Her appearance had subtly changed.

…Let’s take a gamble.

Yuan Yuanyuan threw on the coat. Her eyes suddenly turned sharp, a streak of red appearing at the corners.

A gust of wind blew past the window… as if someone had silently slipped in and witnessed the transformation.

That moment froze — captured as if on a canvas, painted in black and red, woven together into one.