Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan struggled to drag someone from the back kitchen to the front. She finally laid the person down on a small cot used by the kitchen helpers for resting.

Afterward, she went back to clean up the kitchen. Although Siqun had tried to be careful, their movements had been way too chaotic—while the cups survived, the chairs and tables were left in a complete mess.

Once she was done tidying, Yuan Yuanyuan returned to check on Siqun. He still hadn’t woken up. She sat sideways on the edge of the bed, glanced at the time—it was almost dawn.

The two of them had basically stayed hidden in the back kitchen all night. She’d gone out for a bit and was then carried back in. All in all, they’d completely missed out on the chaos outside. Yuan Yuanyuan had originally thought that even if she couldn’t watch the Hundred Demon Parade, she could at least sneak out for a little excitement. Who knew something so ridiculous would happen in the middle of it all?

She didn’t know if the protagonist would come back. With Siqun like this, Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t dare leave randomly. If the guy returned and saw the person who’d just beat him up lying there all soft and delicate, he might come back for revenge—ugh, that’d be a mess.

She wondered why Sister Lizi hadn’t returned yet. Then again, the situation outside was probably a total disaster. Lizi probably didn’t have time to even check in. Yuan Yuanyuan had initially planned to hand Siqun over to her, say something like “watch your little brother,” and then sneak off to go home. No way she could show her face again tonight—better to go sleep it off.

Just as she was thinking this, Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly felt something move by her leg. She looked down—Siqun was waking up, eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. In the dim light, his black eyes reflected faint glimmers, small and bright like two obsidian beads.

“Hey, don’t sleep. Time to get up, shift’s almost over.” Yuan Yuanyuan nudged him with her knee. Siqun seemed a bit dazed, only turning to look at her after the nudge.

She looked at him—a guy who barely spoke, practically invisible in the place. Honestly, considering his ridiculously good-looking face, the fact that barely anyone knew who he was even after half a month on the job said a lot. The guy really hated attention. If he could hide somewhere, he would.

She remembered he’d once hidden in the same cabinet the protagonist had just used and got beaten by his sister for it. He’d sworn never to do it again. Yuan Yuanyuan usually just treated him like he didn’t exist, so this situation felt kinda awkward. They’d been coworkers for a while, but she didn’t really know what to say to him now.

She thought for a moment. Once he got up, she’d just have him pass a message to Sister Lizi that she was heading home. Nothing else to deal with, and she could check back in tomorrow.

“Do you remember where this is?” she asked Siqun. “When Sister Lizi comes back, just tell her I went home. Nothing urgent. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

Siqun sat up slowly, looking at her with that usual timid expression, blinking a couple times. He glanced around the room, as if only now realizing he’d been carried here.

“Why do you look so blank…” Yuan Yuanyuan said. “Do you remember how you got here? What happened earlier?”

“Earlier…” Siqun blinked a long time before finally squeezing out two words. He turned his head, scanning the room again, and then whispered like a ghost, “I… fought someone.”

“Uh, yeah. You fought someone. Beat him down so hard he was crawling on the floor, even ended up with internal bleeding…” Yuan Yuanyuan replied.

“Internal… bleeding…” Siqun echoed slowly.

Yuan Yuanyuan’s face froze. She watched as, with every repeated word, his face got paler and paler…

Thud.

She looked down. Siqun had fainted again.

…What the hell?! Again?!

Was it something she said? All she did was mention “internal bleeding”! Was the guy so imaginative he fainted from imagining it?

Yuan Yuanyuan felt numb. She could’ve left in a few minutes, but now, thanks to one extra sentence, she’d have to stay for hours.

Truly, the world is full of surprises… she thought with a sigh.

She walked out of the kitchen, carrying a small tray full of clean cups.

There wasn’t much to do now. There were a ton of used cups tonight, and judging by Siqun’s delicate little princess state, there was no way he’d be washing them anytime soon.

Yuan Yuanyuan stood by the sink, listening to the sound of running water.

The back kitchen wasn’t lit very well, making it feel extra quiet. She washed and stacked cups absentmindedly, wondering what was happening outside.

What was the Hundred Demon Parade like? She didn’t usually like crowds, but even she couldn’t deny the curiosity was killing her.

While she was placing cups into the cupboard, her thoughts drifted—and that’s when she spotted something dark in the dim light.

It was in the lower section of the cabinet. The lighting was so poor, she wouldn’t have seen it if not for her angle.

She bent down, turned on her phone flashlight, and shined it on the dark patch.

It wasn’t black—it was red.

The color was deep, but unmistakably red. She reached out and touched it. It had already dried. The cabinet was old mahogany, well-maintained, but this stain… it’d take some real effort to clean.

Yuan Yuanyuan grabbed a cloth and started wiping the bloodstain.

She figured it must’ve been from earlier—probably from the guy Siqun fought. She didn’t want Siqun to see it when he woke up, God knows how he’d react.

As she scrubbed, she thought about what might’ve happened. Did that guy really vomit blood just from the fight? Or had he already been injured beforehand?

What was he even doing here? Kill someone, then what?

She activated her inner detective brain, shaped by years of mystery dramas.

If it were her trying to take down a smuggling ring in a city, she’d definitely start by taking out the boss.

Just like in those drug-busting movies—cops infiltrate for months just to get to the top, then work their way down.

That guy who died tonight was called a “big shot,” but how big, Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t know.

Now that she thought about it, the answer was obvious.

The bloodstain wasn’t coming off. Her legs were getting numb, so she stood and stretched.

She wondered if Siqun would freak out tomorrow when he saw it.

She stared at the stain, motionless. A million thoughts swirled in her head. Most of them had nothing to do with her—but like many modern people, she was perfectly capable of zoning out in front of a wall. No one knows why, but it’s common. She was no exception.

After a while, she closed the cabinet door.

Then, she quietly entered the staff changing area. After rummaging around, she found a male helper’s uniform, put it on, and slipped out the back door.

The door shut softly behind her. The kitchen was dead silent.

…

Meanwhile, a certain character who had only ever appeared from a third-person perspective was currently hiding among the crowd.

He had no idea how long he’d been lying low. It felt like forever.

He was wearing an old-style robe he’d found in a corner and was wandering through the crowd, trying to figure out how to sneak away.

Because someone had died earlier, security was tight. But tonight was special—the Hundred Demon Parade still hadn’t ended.

Rumor had it that one of the top-ranking demons had ordered the killer to be found. Unlike humans, demons were generally disorganized and undisciplined.

The weaker ones were terrified, but others—the ones who thrived on chaos—were still sauntering around like it was a festival.

He’d already seen several stunningly beautiful female demons strutting down the halls like nothing had happened, their steps graceful and composed, not a trace of fear in sight.

Survival of the fittest, huh? Those who were still around must’ve clawed their way through hell.

A bunch of battle-hardened maniacs.

Just as he was thinking all that, the crowd ahead suddenly erupted into chaos.

“Someone broke in!” someone shouted.

“Who broke in?!”

“Him! He’s been standing there, not moving…”

“…Why don’t you go check?”

“Why don’t you? I’m not going.”

He stood on his toes to see over the crowd. A cluster of people had gathered—but he couldn’t see who or what was in the middle.

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