After that nerve-racking night, Yuan Yuanyuan kept a close eye on the developments in the comic—but never again did she see herself appear.
She had been worried that Xiao Ying and Li Xin’s faces would show up in the next chapter, but nothing of the sort happened.
The whole ordeal—being chased, forced to hide, then handed a bag of ribs—was completely absent.
When she saw this, she finally let out a sigh of relief… only for her heart to tighten again.
If she had to “build up the black-cloaked man’s presence”… if she had to “increase the time spent in that form,” then what would happen next time? After just one transformation, she’d already been thrust into chaos.
But soon after, Yuan Yuanyuan realized—
That wasn’t what made Jiqiu truly terrifying.
His words, “You need to add more screen time. Do your best to play the supporting male lead,” had a much deeper meaning than she had first imagined.
…
【“Exclusive Interview with Jiqiu~”】
The words were printed discreetly in the corner of a page, subtle to the point of invisibility.
But when Yuan Yuanyuan saw it—right in the middle of snacking—she nearly choked and sprayed everything out.
“What the hell is this!?”
She blurted the words before she could even think.
She instantly pulled the book up to her face, eyes wide as saucers.
This… this couldn’t be real!?
How did this interview even happen!? What, did they communicate entirely via lipstick-written messages!?
She read the printed text word by word, jaw hanging open. She’d only bought this physical manga volume on a whim, using her last few dozen yuan—who would’ve thought it’d slap her in the face like this?
But she wasn’t the only one.
All across areas where yokai lived, people—both human and yokai—were staring at the same interview, brains completely fried.
…In this comic, the “black-cloaked man” who had only appeared once was hardly remarkable at all.
Yet now, countless people and creatures were staring intently at every word of this interview, heartbeats thundering.
Q: “Jiqiu-dada, what inspired you to create “Demon Chronicles”?”
A: “Hmm… I guess I wanted to portray the true essence of yokai as I see them. What do you think of my characters?”
Q: “Your art style is so distinctive… You were even voted ‘Best Art Style’ recently.”
A: “Thanks… though I think I’m still finding my way. That kind of elegant, elusive, and bloodthirsty aura yokai have—it’s something I’m still exploring.”
Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the page in disbelief.
“Wow, I’ve never seen anyone so shameless in my life.”
She bit back her urge to rant and forced herself to keep reading—start to finish.
Q: “Are you satisfied with your work so far?”
A: “Hmm, it’s okay. What matters most is a story’s soul—and I’ve found plenty of souls that suit my work. So yes, I like it.”
…
Q: “How long do you plan to keep writing this comic?”
A: “As long as I can… It’s only been a little over a month, and already so many interesting things have happened. Who knows how it’ll end? Heh…”
…
Q: “Any message you’d like to send to your readers?”
Yuan Yuanyuan scrolled down.
A: “Hmm… I suddenly had a thought.”
Q: “Yes, Jiqiu-dada?”
A: “I want to tell my readers… The life or death of my characters lies in your hands. If you like them, their chances of surviving increase. If you don’t… I’ll make them vanish from the story.”
Q: “Oho~ So you’re that kind of creator, huh? Letting reader love decide character importance… Hah, a great way to rake in cash. Very pro.”
A: “Heh… Now that you say it, sounds like a good idea. Let’s see how it goes.”
Yuan Yuanyuan dropped the book beside her.
Her whole body had gone cold.
Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for her phone, opened the DreamMan app, and pulled up Demon Chronicles. She scrolled to the comments section:
“OOOOHHHH WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!? So if we don’t like a character, the author just cuts them?!”
“Kind of a cold-blooded move… but also kind of cool.”
“Nooooo don’t do this! My fave just got introduced, and now you’re saying they might get axed?!”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. Jiqiu writes a complex story, lots of foreshadowing—he won’t cut someone just like that…”
Yuan Yuanyuan sat on her bed, thoughts thundering through her head.
She didn’t think Jiqiu’s “disappear” meant just being written out of the comic.
Only those like her—the “chosen ones”—could grasp the deeper implications.
Right now, she was deeply, deeply grateful that the face she’d chosen to shapeshift into was a good-looking one…
In today’s world, let’s face it—ugly lives don’t matter. That wasn’t even a joke.
If she didn’t have that face…
Would she even see tomorrow’s sunrise?
She sat through the night, obsessively refreshing her phone until 2 a.m., when the newest chapter dropped.
She immediately threw herself at the screen.
This chapter focused on the protagonist being discovered by a yokai and having to flee.
He tried everything to shake off his pursuer—but failed.
Just as the yokai was about to catch him, a beautiful, ethereal woman descended from the sky in a dramatic “beauty-saves-hero” scene.
Yuan Yuanyuan, however, was focused on a single “background extra.”
A yokai so plain, so utterly unremarkable—basic features, generic presence, a total nobody.
In Naruto, he’d be a villager crushed by a falling Nine-Tails boulder.
In Hunter x Hunter, a casualty swatted by a Phantom Troupe member.
This yokai died silently—collateral damage in the fight between the protagonist and his pursuer.
Blood spilled everywhere—like those red marks on the mirror that day.
…
Yuan Yuanyuan felt like nothing good had ever happened to her lately.
But then… autumn arrived.
And miraculously, her luck began to turn.
She found her first proper job since she’d started living on the run.
Though to be honest… the job itself kind of shattered her worldview.
She held the outfit in her hands, utterly bewildered.
“How the hell have you even survived this long?”
Xue Jie sat on her couch, puffing a pipe. “You don’t know anything. It’s like you’re a baby yokai.”“Uhh… well, I really don’t know much. No one ever taught me anything…”
Yuan Yuanyuan stayed silent for three seconds—choosing not to admit that most of what she knew about the yokai world came from fiction.
She struggled into the strange outfit, awkward and fumbling.
Xue Jie looked on with an expression of secondhand pain.
“Tie the knot here—yeah, there—and wrap that around again, then tie it…”
By dusk, Yuan Yuanyuan stood in front of a bamboo building with the words “Tavern” hanging over the entrance.
She looked like she was having a minor existential crisis.
“Hey, Xue Fei, what brings you here?”
Sister Lizi spotted them near the door.“Bringing someone in.”
Xue Jie tugged Yuan Yuanyuan along.
“Take the back door—don’t use the front.”“Got it. Better safe than sorry.”
Sister Lizi glanced at Yuan Yuanyuan, nodded, and walked off. Yuan Yuanyuan trailed behind, still in a daze.
Later, Yuan Yuanyuan stood behind the bar, warming wine.
She was still dazed—until she saw her monthly salary.
Then… she gave in instantly.
She mimicked the others, placing wine jugs in the warmer.
With her free hand, she pulled out her phone and opened the screen.
To her surprise, she had two bars of 4G down here.
“Hey… you’re called Yuanyuan, right? Don’t go out there. We don’t want to upset the customers.”
One of the workers said as he walked past with a tray of steaming wine.
Yuan Yuanyuan glanced at him—then kept working.
Left hand warming wine, right hand scrolling.
She opened her browser and typed:
“Men’s outfit matching.”
Then she pressed search and began to read the results with a deep frown.
Little Pink Starfish 
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