Little Pink Starfish

Didn’t Recognize

Footsteps echoed in the alley behind her.

Hua Rongyue snapped out of her daze only at the last possible moment, retracting her hand from the man’s throat where just moments ago, she’d nearly killed him. She stood frozen in place for a long while, stunned by what she had almost done.

Only when she heard the footsteps did she jolt awake. Stumbling slightly, she let go of the unconscious man, took a quick glance to confirm the woman was still alive, then bolted down a side alley.

No matter who was approaching, anyone showing up at a place like this at such a time was bound to be dangerous. A fight was likely if she was discovered.

But strangely, that wasn’t what she feared most.

Her first instinct wasn’t to avoid danger — it was:

No one must see me like this. No matter who it is.

Run. Run now — no one must see this side of her!

Even she couldn’t fully explain why that thought had come so instinctively.

She scrambled back to where she’d left her coat, still damp from the rain but wearable. She threw it on and ran, sprinting like mad down the way she’d originally come.

Not long after she left, the footsteps in the alley grew louder — a clear sign that more than one person was approaching, and fast. The air still reeked of blood.

Soon enough, a group of people dressed in black arrived at the scene. Their movements were swift, their faces obscured by black veils, and they carried matching official blades.

The one in the lead looked the same at first glance, but a closer look revealed intricate embroidery on his robes and a blade sharper than the others’. His footsteps were silent — eerily so.

This squad, dressed in uniform and exuding authority, was obviously from the Six Doors.

They stepped into the blood-streaked alley, spotting immediately the injured woman and the unconscious man. Their eyes flickered with surprise and unease.

They had rushed here after sensing a powerful killing intent — so intense it had radiated across several streets.

The tension among them was palpable.

This group’s appearance left no doubt — they were government enforcers.

“Seems like the person just left,” one of the veiled figures said after checking the area.

The lead man crouched beside the woman. His exposed eyes were unmistakable — it was Yan Sheng.

“He can’t have gone far,” Yan Sheng said softly. “The woman’s still alive. We need to get her to a doctor immediately.”

Another officer looked at the man on the ground and muttered in confusion, “He seems to have fallen into qi deviation… But why is he unconscious too? Could someone have attacked both of them?”

“No.” Yan Sheng’s gaze fell on the bloodied knife. “The woman was his victim. The person who arrived earlier didn’t harm anyone — they tried to stop him.”

“Stop him?” The others were visibly baffled.

They’d only ever heard of those in qi deviation torturing or killing each other — never stopping one another.

Yan Sheng’s conclusion, while backed by his experience and the scene’s evidence, still felt odd. It went against common sense. He looked down again, quietly trying to piece together what had happened.

Whoever had been here was unusual. Someone he’d never heard of.
When did Eighteen Pavilion become home to someone like that?

“Should we pursue them?” someone asked.

“No need,” Yan Sheng said. “We’re only patrolling today. Keep it quiet. Bring these two back, and leave someone to clean up.”

“Yes, sir.”

—

Meanwhile, Hua Rongyue had already rushed back to Baicaotang. She didn’t greet anyone, just ran straight into her room. She drew a basin of hot water, grabbed some soapberry, and began scrubbing the red mole from her face.

She scrubbed until her skin turned raw and red — only then did the mark fade.

Then she stared into the water’s reflection for a long time, heart still not settled.

What happened back there? Why did it turn out like that? What came over me?

“Rongyue, you’re back — hey, why are your clothes soaked?” Doctor Qi asked in surprise when he saw her at the basin. Normally, a little wet from rain wouldn’t warrant attention. But on Hua Rongyue, even the smallest detail seemed different.

He almost wanted to call Wan Fulián over to take a look.

Hua Rongyue suddenly realized she hadn’t changed out of her drenched outer robe. She stepped back in alarm, shot Doctor Qi a glance, and quickly slipped past him back to her room.

Doctor Qi rubbed his nose.

Something about that moment had felt wrong.
His timing, maybe?
His words?
It definitely startled Hua Rongyue.

“What’s Rongyue doing running off like that?” Xiao Han asked from his lazy sprawl on the lounge, having seen Doctor Qi return alone.

“Nothing,” Doctor Qi replied simply, not wanting to say more. Wan Fulián also glanced curiously toward the back. “I was about to ask if he wanted lamb hotpot tonight — but he just turned around and left without even looking at me.”

Outside, the rain had lightened, though the sun still hadn’t emerged — just a steady drizzle.

Hua Rongyue was in the middle of changing clothes when she heard loud voices coming from the front room.

She looked down at her soaked outer robe and frowned, unsure where to put it. Eventually, she folded it and set it aside, intending to throw it out later.

The noise outside grew louder.

Normally, she wouldn’t change clothes in the middle of the day — and certainly not when there was a crowd outside. But now she had no choice. It would be rude to stay hidden any longer.

She quickly slipped into a different outfit — white with pale green embroidery.

She wasn’t thinking too much about it as she stepped out.

But the moment she entered the main hall and saw who was standing there, her heart skipped a beat.

Yan Sheng, along with a group of constables.

And behind them — two people she had just seen twenty minutes ago. One woman, drenched in blood. One man, unconscious and pale.

What. A. Coincidence.

Hua Rongyue’s instinct was to cover her face — but she suddenly remembered she was in a different outfit now. The red mole was gone. The veil was gone too. There was no way they’d recognize her.

Thank goodness.

Still, her heart thudded nervously.

Why were they brought here?

Doctor Qi rushed over to examine the two, “What happened to them?”

“Please take a look,” Yan Sheng said simply, letting the doctor work.

Hua Rongyue didn’t step forward.

She still vividly remembered that eerie state she’d entered earlier. Just seeing that man again made her uneasy — like one more step would tip her back into that darkness.

Yan Sheng suddenly noticed her among the crowd and called out, “I heard you went to Eighteen Pavilion earlier? Doctor Qi told me to look for you, but I didn’t see you when I went.”

“She hasn’t been back that long,” Doctor Qi said offhandedly as he checked pulses.

Hua Rongyue nearly smacked her forehead.
Why would you say that out loud?!

Fortunately, Yan Sheng didn’t pay it much mind. “Then you came back pretty fast,” he said mildly, returning his attention to the wounded.

The woman, surprisingly, had fewer serious injuries. Possibly because the man preferred to torment his victims slowly, she hadn’t suffered any fatal wounds — just blood loss. She would need time to recover.

The man, however, had no apparent injuries but remained unconscious.

Doctor Qi tried everything, but couldn’t wake him. “Strange,” he muttered, baffled.

Finally, he pulled out a long needle, removed the man’s shoe, and jabbed his sole.

The man awoke with a start, screaming:

“Don’t kill me!”

His cry was so loud it turned every head in the room.

As he opened his eyes, Xiao Han — napping at the table — jerked upright. He had seen those blood-red eyes before. Wan Fulián, seeing them for the first time, let out a small gasp and ducked behind Xiao Han.

For ordinary people, red eyes were truly terrifying.

At first, the man was panicked and disoriented. But soon, he recovered — and began getting restless again. Yan Sheng ordered his subordinates to keep close watch and prevent any trouble.

Hua Rongyue had been standing quietly at the back.

But just then, Doctor Qi turned and asked her to help clean up the items Wan Fulián had dropped.

She stepped forward, picking up the scattered objects one by one.
She was so close to the man that he could clearly see the strands of hair near her face.

The man looked up, meeting her eyes directly.

Hua Rongyue felt her breath catch for a split second.

But…

Nothing happened.

The man didn’t react.

He didn’t recognize her.

Hua Rongyue quietly let out a long, slow breath, then continued picking things up as if nothing had happened.

“Are you feeling any pain or discomfort?” she asked gently.

He didn’t respond at first, then said coldly, “No.”

Perhaps regaining his senses, he was slipping back into his brutal, indifferent demeanor.

But Hua Rongyue knew — if he’d recognized her, he would not have spoken so coldly.
Or maybe, because of her current face… her demeanor…
He didn’t even think of her as the same person.

Fascinating.

“If anything hurts later, just let me know,” she said softly as she bandaged his wounds.

He didn’t reply — still sullen and distant.

But Hua Rongyue didn’t mind.
In fact, she was relieved.

She finished and quietly slipped back through the crowd — disappearing without a trace.