Little Pink Starfish

A dark, windy night — perfect for murder and arson.

There was one thing Yuan Yuanyuan had to admit she was proud of: after enduring a brutally long period of being hunted, she had self-taught the ability of shapeshifting — and gotten pretty damn good at it, too.

In a remote alley, the scent of blood was thick. Even the heavy rain couldn’t wash it away completely.

“Gurgle… gurgle…”

From the pitch-black alley came a strange sound — half moaning, half chewing.

A towering figure stood in the alley. He was nearly three meters tall, like a small mountain looming in the shadows. A large bone protruded from his back like some kind of armor.

He looked utterly bizarre — nothing like a human. He hunched over, squatting on the ground, his head bobbing up and down as if devouring something. The odd “gurgle” noises kept coming from his mouth.

The rain was getting heavier, casting a hazy mist over everything.

Even during the day, people avoided alleys like this — let alone a stormy night like this. No one knew where this creature had come from, or what he was doing.

It was deathly quiet — only the occasional, grotesque “gurgle.”

Then, just as the hulking figure stayed crouched, focused on who-knows-what, a voice suddenly rang out through the curtain of rain:
“Hey, big guy. Get up.”

The voice was abrupt and unexpected — like a wrong note in an otherwise smooth melody.

The monster paused, then slowly turned his head toward the alley entrance, where a tall, slender figure stood, shrouded in mist and rain like a silhouette from an old black-and-white film.

As the creature turned, red liquid dripped from the corners of his mouth — a line of blood beads, falling onto his chest like a broken string of pearls.

The dark figure remained still after speaking, silent and unmoving. The hulking monster looked confused, but stood and approached the figure cautiously.

Yet just as he got close — the figure vanished into thin air, like an illusion.

At the same moment, another figure had already slipped behind the brute, crouching down to pick up a young girl and clamp a hand over her mouth…

Yuan Yuanyuan was nearly scared to death. The moment she arrived, the overpowering stench of blood made her think she was already too late — that the kid must be dead. But when the brute turned his head, she spotted a shivering girl huddled deep in the alley, still alive.

She immediately recognized the school uniform from Fourth Middle School and felt a wave of relief. Rushing over, she scooped up the girl and covered her mouth to stop her from screaming.

As for the mangled pile of blood and flesh on the ground… Yuan Yuanyuan had no idea which poor soul that had once been.

With the girl in her arms, she just wanted to get the hell out. But of course, things never went as planned. That brute, despite his dumb-looking face, had pretty sharp instincts. Noticing the disappearance of the shadowy figure, he spun around and saw Yuan Yuanyuan holding Xiaoying mid-escape.

He roared and charged toward them.

Seeing no escape, Yuan Yuanyuan had no choice. At that critical moment, she unleashed her demon power.

From beneath her coat, several bright red, willow-branch-like tendrils burst forth. Each one was long and sturdy, acting like tentacles that latched onto the ground. With a fierce flick, they hurled her and Xiaoying into the air.

The shadowy figure spun mid-air, did a 180-degree flip, and landed with both feet wrapped tightly around the brute’s thick neck.

Then — a gleaming white knife plunged straight into the top of his skull.

“AAAAHHHH—!” Xiaoying finally couldn’t hold back her scream. Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t been able to free a hand to cover her mouth, so she just kept holding her tight.

As Xiaoying shrieked in terror, Yuan Yuanyuan gritted her teeth, yanked the knife back out, and bolted with the girl in her arms, fleeing the alley without looking back.

She had no idea if the brute was dead — and didn’t dare check. All she could do was run through the twisting streets and alleys, suppressing her demon energy as best she could.

The rain poured, and the road stretched endlessly. Yuan Yuanyuan had no idea how long she ran — her mind went foggy, turning countless corners.

Run… just keep running…

Xiaoying trembled in her arms. Yuan Yuanyuan heard her sobbing softly, warm tears landing on her neck — definitely not rain.

They ran like fugitives. Well, at least that’s how Yuan Yuanyuan felt. The girl probably didn’t think they were on the same side — not when she’d been snatched by some mysterious stranger.

Eventually, Yuan Yuanyuan finally stopped. The blood scent in the air had dispersed.

“Where do you live?” she asked in the dark.

“A-Ahead… the neighborhood near the train station,” Xiaoying stammered.

Of course, Yuan Yuanyuan knew where Xiaoying lived. They were neighbors, after all. She just asked to keep up appearances.

Her mind was still numb, operating entirely on instinct. Only when she saw the familiar apartment complex and the faint lights in the windows did she snap out of it.

“Go home,” the person holding Xiaoying said softly.

Xiaoying, still stiff in the stranger’s arms, hadn’t dared to move — hadn’t even seen their face.

All she heard was a man’s clear, slightly magnetic voice — calm and gentle.

Sniffling, Xiaoying looked around and realized she was already downstairs at her home.

She stood in a daze, staring at the light glowing from her own window, unsure if this was reality or a dream.

When she turned around — the stranger was already gone.

---

Yuan Yuanyuan climbed in through her window and slid down to sit on the sill.

She sat there in silence, breathing softly, her breath slightly trembling.

After a long while, footsteps echoed in the hallway — hurried and chaotic. Yuan Yuanyuan slowly walked over, picked up her phone, and made a call.

“Hello? Auntie, it’s me, Yuanyuan. Xiaoying’s back. You don’t need to keep looking… Yeah… Don’t worry…”

After hanging up, she glanced around, her gaze a little blank. Then she slowly went to the bathroom, stripped off all her clothes, tossed them into a basin, and stood naked under a stream of hot water in the tub, rinsing herself again and again.

Footsteps pounded down the hallway outside, followed by a woman’s sobbing, frantic voice. “Where were you, you little brat?!”

Then came Xiaoying’s heartbreaking wails. Yuan Yuanyuan ignored them all. She sniffed herself, ensuring there was no demon scent left, then stepped out of the tub and toweled off.

She mopped the floor, wiped the windowsill dry, washed the coat, tossed it in the spin-dryer, ironed it, and stuffed it into the bottom of a suitcase.

As a half-demon, Yuan Yuanyuan could suppress her aura for a short time. Based on past experience, no one should be able to trace that person back to her.

She really hoped no one would come looking for her tomorrow. She’d fought so hard to find this peaceful corner of the world.

At some point, her appearance had reverted to normal. She rubbed her face, took a deep breath, and went back to her room. The bedside lamp still glowed — warm and safe.

She collapsed into bed, staring at the ceiling. After a while, she groped for the lamp switch and turned off the light.

Darkness fell.

---

Three days later.

“Yuanyuan, be careful lately. That old monster living in the ring building got taken out,” said Sister Xue.

“Which old monster? There’s a bunch of them,” Yuan Yuanyuan replied, munching on a piece of bread.

“You probably didn’t know him. He used to be a man-eater, fled here after stirring up too much trouble outside. Super scary guy. No one knew what his original form was — turns out he was a giant gecko…” Sister Xue said as she walked beside her. Suddenly, she turned and asked, “By the way, I still don’t know what your original form is.”

Yuan Yuanyuan stood there, letting her guess freely. “A rabbit?”

“…You love fish snacks so much, maybe you’re a cat?”

“I don’t love them. Gatorade’s fish jerky was on sale — that’s the only reason I bought so many,” she said casually. No matter how many guesses Sister Xue threw out, she never got it right.

After Sister Xue left, Yuan Yuanyuan closed the door and felt her heart still pounding. She thought about the coat tucked at the bottom of her suitcase, wondering if she should burn it.

“Yuanyuan!” The door knocked again. Xiaoying’s voice rang out, sounding energetic and normal again. “Want some potstickers? My mom made a bunch!”

“Sure.” Yuan Yuanyuan opened the door, took the plate of potstickers, and popped one straight into her mouth.

The weather was nice for once. After several days of rain, the air felt especially clean.

Back in her bedroom, Yuan Yuanyuan turned on the light and started scrolling on her phone. Suddenly, a notification popped up from her comic app:

“The series you follow, Monster Chronicles, has a new update!”

She flopped onto her bed, grabbed a bag of Gatorade fish jerky, and started reading.

But the moment the new chapter loaded, she frowned.

Black and red filled the screen.

— A person in a black coat was running through the rain, carrying someone in their arms. The entire scene was dark and misty, with a dreamlike atmosphere.