Little Pink Starfish

Every year, the celebration was loud and lavish. Even in the elite residential zones of the First Star District, you could hear the music, laughter, and the booming fireworks bursting in the sky.

The air was filled with the warmth and joy unique to such a festive night.

But Ning Jiayi’s expression was stormy.

He was practically yelling at the butler through his communicator. “—I don’t care! Today is the most important night for me, and those damn designers and jewelers actually dared to just send assistants to deal with me?”

“Don’t tell me those assistants are experienced—I want the best!”

“Why should I have to schedule in advance? The moment they saw my order and address, they should’ve known exactly who they were serving! So disrespectful. They even had the nerve to say those designers were serving bigger clients—who the hell in the entire Lu family ranks higher than me?”

“I swear, they’re just banking on the fact that I’m too busy tonight to make a scene. Let them wait—I’ll make sure they regret it.”

He hung up the call with a furious tap, then took a deep breath in front of the door at the end of the hallway.

After smoothing out his expression and adjusting his clothes, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was dark. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving only a faint golden-red hue across the sky. No lights were on inside the room.

Thick curtains were drawn tightly shut. Only a dim nightlight near the sofa offered a faint glow.

It cast a pale light over the skeletal figure on the sofa. The sharp shadows beneath Lu Zhizhao’s brow bones made him look like he was sitting in the bottom of a deep, dark well.

He was silent and cold, and Ning Jiayi had grown used to his strangeness over the past few days. After all, according to Lu Zheng’en, Lu Zhizhao had suffered a powerful mental backlash and was still in recovery. His altered behavior was perfectly normal.

Besides… they were getting married.

Ning Jiayi understood. Forced into marriage by Lu Zheng’en, his childhood sweetheart probably wasn’t in a great mood.

But so what? Ning Jiayi’s hand subconsciously brushed across his abdomen. Then he issued a command, and the room lit up with soft, warm light.

“Why are you sitting in the dark… Ah, you’re already dressed?”

Lu Zhizhao was indeed wearing formal attire—already prepared for tonight’s “Golden Night” banquet.

Ning Jiayi’s smile brightened. He twirled in front of him like a model.

“Look at my dress! Isn’t it nice? I ordered it ages ago from ‘Blue Nightingale.’ I was going to wear it the day I officially differentiated, but I guess tonight’s good too. Looks amazing, right?”

Then his smile dimmed. “But honestly, I’m so annoyed. ‘Blue Nightingale’ claims to be the best custom atelier in the Alliance, but their service is crap. They used to be all over us for orders from the Lu family. Now they just send assistants. If it weren’t for the Lu name, I’d swear they’re trying to insult me.”

Even his complaints were laced with a youthful petulance, his delicate figure and pretty face effortlessly evoking the protective instincts of any Alpha.

But Lu Zhizhao remained unmoved.

He didn’t even glance at Ning Jiayi. He merely checked the time, then stood up.

“It’s time. The hovercar is waiting downstairs,” he said blandly.

“We should go.”

His voice was flat and emotionless.

Ning Jiayi’s smile tightened.

Sure, he was marrying Lu Zhizhao in the end. But lately, things just weren’t going his way. Designers missing, jewelry stolen by someone else—he couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was slipping out of control.

Still, he forced himself to be patient.

He reached out, tugging lightly at Lu Zhizhao’s sleeve.

“I know you’re still in a bad mood. And I know… the one you love is Brother Su Liang,” he said softly. Then he took Lu Zhizhao’s hand and placed it over his own abdomen.

“But regardless, what’s done is done. For the baby’s sake, we should at least get married. It deserves to be born with a proper father.”

“You can go find him—after all this is over.”

But in the next moment, Ning Jiayi gasped and snatched his hand back like it had been burned. Lu Zhizhao had swatted it away without hesitation.

“A-Zhao?!”

Ning Jiayi stumbled and grabbed a nearby chair for balance.

He stared at Lu Zhizhao, stunned, completely unprepared for the harshness of the response.

The Alpha who used to be warm and easy to manipulate now gave no explanation.

For just a second, the look in Lu Zhizhao’s eyes made Ning Jiayi feel afraid.

It was a look like… he wanted to kill someone.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked in a shaky voice.

“If you know I’ve always loved Su Liang,” Lu Zhizhao said coldly, “then don’t bring him up in front of me.”

He stared at Ning Jiayi, then—suddenly—smiled.

“…Because it really hurts.”

And with that, he walked out the door.

Ning Jiayi stood frozen in place, staring at the door that had slammed shut. Slowly, his face twisted with rage.

He could no longer control his emotions. He grabbed an expensive vase and smashed it on the floor.

“Die—Die, die, die—!”

He kept screaming curses.

But even he didn’t know who he truly wanted to curse: the ever-present Su Liang, or… Lu Zhizhao himself.

Eventually, he stopped and faced the mirror.

In the reflection: a stunning young Omega dressed in an elegant gown, adorned in priceless jewelry. Though his outfit was extravagant even for Golden Night, it was just right for… an engagement ceremony.

Yes, after tonight, the world would know: Ning Jiayi was Lu Zhizhao’s official partner. The one who stood at the Lu Family head’s side.

“I won,” he said to the mirror. “Brother Su Liang… I won.”

No matter how much Lu Zhizhao loved Su Liang, that Beta could never be anything more than a dirty secret.

He could never compete with Ning Jiayi.

Smiling, he turned and left the room.

—

The luxurious hovercar carried Ning Jiayi and Lu Zhizhao to the venue: the Grand Marshal’s Palace of the First Star District.

Night had fallen. The sky was a rich violet, and fireworks lit the sky in brilliant displays.

Flying low, the hovercar passed over admiring citizens, their eyes full of wonder as they looked up.

It made Ning Jiayi’s sour mood improve significantly. By the time they reached the palace gates, he was beaming.

“Look, that’s a Lu family car!”

“Lu Zhizhao must be inside! Ahhh, I love him!”

“Wait… is that an Omega getting out? Is he from the Lu family?”

“No way—that’s Ning Jiayi! He just stepped out of the Lu family’s car!”

“Seriously?! Are they really that close?”

“Come on, you think it’s just ‘closeness’ that gets you out of the same car on Golden Night?! Something’s definitely going down tonight…”

Ning Jiayi turned back to look at the people pressed against the light barriers.

Unlike him, they could never enter the Marshal’s palace. All they could do was watch as nobles descended from their cars and ascended the pristine white steps.

Their awe-struck cheers and stares filled Ning Jiayi with satisfaction.

He smiled and waved at them before turning eagerly to the man who had yet to leave the car.

“A-Zhao, time to get out,” he reminded sweetly.

Lu Zhizhao finally looked at him—his gaze odd.

Ning Jiayi felt a chill, but the Alpha obediently stepped out of the car.

Several orb-like floating cameras zoomed in, lenses focused tightly. These had been arranged by the Ning and Lu families to broadcast the wedding announcement across the entire Earth Alliance.

Ning Jiayi immediately put on his best smile, utterly pleased with how everything was going.

In the camera’s eyes, he and Lu Zhizhao appeared like the perfect pair—arm in arm, climbing the white steps into the golden palace, welcomed by cheers and fireworks.

It was perfect.

Until they entered the grand hall.

Ning Jiayi’s smile faltered.

The palace was as lavish as ever. Velvet drapes, towering antique vases, golden florals, crystal chandeliers—everything gleamed with opulence. Projections of golden light danced in the air like magical illusions.

Everything was exactly the same as every previous Golden Night.

And that was the problem.

Ning Jiayi had helped choose the decoration theme for this year. It was supposed to be full of wedding motifs.

But there wasn’t a single trace.

This wasn’t a wedding. This was just another banquet.

He clenched his fists. Maybe someone screwed up. He’d deal with them later. There was no way the Lu and Ning families would allow such a major oversight.

Trying to calm himself, he followed the banquet’s flow.

As usual, the Grand Marshal gave a short speech and handed the microphone to Lu Zheng’en.

Ning Jiayi’s heart pounded. This was it.

On the starnet, speculation was already wild—people knew. The marriage was obvious now. He felt the weight of a thousand stares and loved it.

Until he noticed something strange.

Lu Zheng’en looked pale. Sweaty. Unusually anxious.

“…Next, it’s my great honor to announce… Ning Jiayi will become Lu Zhizhao’s official partner…”

The hall erupted in noise.

No one was listening to Lu Zheng’en’s speech anymore.

Ning Jiayi’s joy turned to confusion.

He looked around—and realized the floating cameras had moved. They weren’t pointed at him anymore.

They had all floated to the entrance.

“What’s going on?”

His voice shook.

No one answered.

Everyone was staring at the door.

He turned—

And saw an impossibly handsome man walking slowly into the hall, carefully holding the hand of the youth beside him.

—

Clink—

A crystal shattering.

Lu Zhizhao, standing beside Ning Jiayi, had dropped his wineglass.