Little Pink Starfish

“That lord seems to be taking this job pretty seriously.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it either,” another voice chimed in. “I thought he wouldn’t care that much about this matter.”

“But clearly, he does.” A middle-aged man turned around. “That’s why I’m not worried about him. He’d never do anything bad to us. The loyalty of an old demon is beyond what we can imagine.”

They were in a small teahouse, its top floor always reserved for VIP guests. Teahouses like this weren’t really just for tea—especially not the upper floor. Unlike the modern décor downstairs, the top floor was styled entirely like something out of the last century.

“Blind loyalty.”

A woman in a green robe spoke from beside the large hanging clock in the room. Everyone turned to look. She stood out with her porcelain-like skin and beautiful features—but most striking was her old-fashioned green robe, which made her look completely out of place in the room.

“If there’s no deeper reason behind all this,” she said coldly, “then Yuan is the dumbest demon I’ve ever seen. I used to think he was rare—clever.”

“Not many people remember exactly what happened back then. Most of those who knew are already dead,” said the middle-aged man. “But if there is some hidden truth, that powerful demon who recently showed up in S City might know something. Do you want to ask him?”

The green-robed woman shot him a glare and swept out of the room with a flick of her sleeve.

“Who was it that promised to send him to Red Sand Well back then?” another demon asked. “Don’t tell me you know nothing.”

“It was the Demon Alliance’s top commander and a few of his generals who agreed to send him there,” said the middle-aged man, flicking ashes off his cigarette. “Though some say he went willingly. Either way, all the soldiers under him are dead now. Other units from the Blood Jade Demon Army managed to survive the second war between humans and demons, but not his spy unit. Not a single one left.”

“That’s such a shame. I remember the spy corps was made up entirely of girls, and every one of them was gorgeous,” someone else commented.

“He looks nothing like he did back then,” the middle-aged man continued. “Don’t know why he stopped wearing red and switched to black.”

“Seriously, I thought Yi Qi would wear red for life.”

---

Over on the online rankings for Demon Chronicle, the fanbase was in chaos again. Readers flooded in to vote for their favorite characters, and the site had moved the top contenders to the homepage.

Yuan hadn’t appeared for a long time, so his skyrocketing popularity had begun to slow… until Volume 2 of Demon Chronicle dropped. Yuan made a brief appearance, and just like that, the hype came roaring back.

Comments flooded in.

[What the hell! Jiuqiu, are you out of ideas and now trying to villainize my Yuan?!]

[Why is he a traitor?! I swear there’s something deeper going on. These plot twists are brutal—I’m so confused.]

[Whenever a side character becomes the big bad, they usually have a tragic backstory. I bet Yuan’s history runs deep. Just look at how stylish all the new bosses are.]

[What’s Yuan’s background anyway? Definitely has something to do with the ‘traitor’ thing. But what the hell did he even do to be called that?]

[This whole “side character becomes boss” thing is a classic trope… but Jiuqiu pulled the trigger a little too fast. All that chemistry with Faning—was it love-hate or what?]

[Why are so many demons circling around Yuan? And… is he really this strong?!]

[I don’t get it… He always seemed strong, sure. But this strong? That’s beyond what I imagined.]

Most readers were shocked by how powerful Yuan turned out to be. With his role increasing in Volume 2, more attention was being drawn to him.

They remembered Yuan’s first appearance in Volume 1, Issue 2—many readers had been surprised. That version of him saved girls in the street, had an air of androgynous beauty… but in Volume 2, he showed up surrounded by demons, cold and aloof.

From the chosen point of view, the others around him looked gigantic, while Yuan looked small and isolated.

When he looked outward, his expression was chilling—completely different from the tender, girl-saving Yuan readers once knew.

They couldn’t quite explain the feeling, but there was a clear disconnect, like an invisible line separating Yuan from everyone else.

Even in a comic, that emotional divide was striking.

That’s why, when the big demons started calling him a traitor, not one reader objected.

It just looked like a post-betrayal stare. There was no way a regular demon would have that kind of expression.

That look alone filled two entire comment pages.

Some fans speculated about the reason behind the “traitor” label. But in the very next issue, Jiuqiu dropped a bombshell—offering a completely new perspective for readers to explore.

Suddenly, the Demon Chronicle fandom exploded with hype. The series veered sharply in a bold new direction…

---

Yuan Yuanyuan lay on the table, scrolling through those comments one by one, her mood oddly conflicted.

Was that really her they were talking about? The name they kept mentioning—why did it feel so unfamiliar?

Some readers had already started writing fanfics. She glanced through a few—they were surprisingly well done.

In the comment sections, she had been turned into this cold, noble loner.

It felt strange, like telling a lie and having everyone believe it… to the point that even you start to feel weird about it.

But her real personality was nothing like that. If anything, “effeminate drama queen” would be a closer fit…

Still, thanks to the comic’s portrayal, even Yuan Yuanyuan herself barely recognized the version of her in the story.

She found it all a bit ridiculous—but clearly, not everyone did. The folks around her were engrossed. Si Qun was reading intently. Li Zi Jie was munching on sunflower seeds as she read, suddenly blurting out, “Why does this comic… feel kinda familiar?”

“Familiar how? You mean it’s on the newsstand or something?” Yuan Yuanyuan leaned over. “Is it missing pages?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Li Zi Jie tossed her seeds aside. “Forget it. Telling you might get you in trouble. You’re still just a little demon—you don’t need to know.”

“Don’t say half and stop there, you’re killing me!” Yuan Yuanyuan shoved her phone over. “The newest chapter’s about to drop. Wanna read it?”

“Of course.”

Li Zi Jie snatched the phone and started swiping furiously. Legs crossed, sunflower seeds back in hand—she looked exactly like an internet-addicted teen…

Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t help but laugh. She remembered when Li Zi Jie used to mock her for reading manga at work… and now? She’d gotten hooked herself. Yuan Yuanyuan had been shocked the first time she caught her buying a DreamCom issue—but got used to it eventually.

Still, Li Zi Jie refused to buy her own phone. Even when she used Yuan’s, she never bought her own copy.

She kept scrolling for nearly ten minutes when suddenly—

“DAMN—!”

The yell was so loud it nearly tore off the roof.

Yuan Yuanyuan was so startled she almost fell over.

She quickly turned around. Yup—it was Li Zi Jie, practically breathing fire, glaring at the screen like a furious lioness.

“W-what happened?” Yuan Yuanyuan asked nervously. Si Qun had already dived under the table as soon as the first shout came.

“This—this…” Li Zi Jie stared at the comic, unable to find the words for several seconds. Then she asked, “Is this how you normally react to these? Do they always draw this kind of rage-inducing stuff?”

“Kinda normal…” Yuan Yuanyuan muttered—accidentally sounding like a bit of a masochist.

She walked over and peeked at the screen. “What’s wrong?”

“He—he…” Li Zi Jie stammered. She wasn’t a seasoned manga reader. Her life experience didn’t include all the wild twists that hardened veterans like Yuan had seen. She pointed at the screen, then declared, “He’s just drawing crap! What even is this?!”

Yuan Yuanyuan quietly read through the latest issue.

As she expected, it was about Faning’s backstory. He’d arrived in a new city—broke, alone, and knowing no one. Classic fish-out-of-water.

But using intel from a little demon’s memories, Faning robbed several wealthy demons blind—and succeeded. Now, he was well off.

“Damn,” Yuan muttered, enviously. “Why can’t I have that kind of luck?”

With startup cash in hand, Faning one day lay on a rooftop stargazing. And as he looked up, a random thought popped into his head.

Just like how you might lie under an apple tree and randomly wonder why apples fall—Faning had a moment of inspiration.

“Why not become a ‘demon hunter’—someone who punishes evil demons?”

Faning had always been a demon hunter, technically. But this time, it was different.

He’d always been methodical, even gentle. That’s how he was raised. But now, he wanted to become a different kind of demon hunter.

One colder, crueler—more ruthless than the monsters he pursued.

Faning suddenly sat up and walked inside.

Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t see anything especially rage-worthy so far. Sure, Faning was going dark, but that happened. She’d met a few demon hunters who didn’t care who they chopped up.

She flipped further—and then came a flashback scene featuring that naked demon lord.

He sat on a massive bone chair, countless bones scattered beneath—like a grotesque art piece.

[So… it’s him?]
The demon’s lips curled into a smile.
[I thought it might be someone else… but it’s him.]
[All his subordinates died because of him. How is he still alive? When the Demon Alliance purged his men, where the hell was he?]