Little Pink Starfish

Gao Ling was chewing on the stick of a half-eaten popsicle, eyes glued to the screen, completely zoning out.

The frame on the screen was exquisitely composed—it managed to capture both the demon and the setting in a way that fused the two together seamlessly.

On the page, the high-level demon lounged lazily on a clean wooden corridor, sunlight gently flooding the surroundings. The winter light felt warm and cozy, and the expression on the demon’s face was one of leisurely indifference.

With half-lidded eyes, his gaze seemed longer, more distant.

A bare tree stood nearby, stripped of all its leaves, but somehow the whole setting gave the feeling of a tranquil forest.

Leisurely watching flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard; calmly observing clouds drift and gather beyond the skies.

Gao Ling stared at this page and couldn’t help linking this image of the demon to the high-level demon she’d once crossed paths with.

It was… possible to imagine such an expression on that real person’s face.

A while back, when the internet had been trashing Yuan, Gao Ling had used her own account to argue with a few of them.

Yuan, to her, was different from other fictional characters. At the very least, he carried a different kind of meaning for her.

Honestly, the whole “traitor” thing hadn’t really affected her feelings… in fact, deep down, she’d even felt a little relieved.

That relief was something she could only share with the girl who had been rescued with her—no one else in the world would understand her logic.

Because of this, she had avoided looking at any of the anti-Yuan comments for two months, becoming a complete ostrich… until this new issue was released. That was when everything changed.

“You… whatever you’ve got to say, just say it here. If you can’t even say it here, then don’t bother.”

His eyes didn’t even fully open. He just sat there, relaxed, with a natural swagger.

He was dressed in ordinary clothes, but the moment those words came out of his mouth, he somehow exuded a powerful aura…

Damn, that’s arrogant.

Gao Ling practically made a rage comic face on the spot.

I spent two whole months worrying about you for nothing! What the hell is this? Is this how traitors act? This guy’s practically a damn boss-level character!

And it wasn’t just her. Online readers were all collectively voicing the same thought:

[This is how traitors act now? When did they get so arrogant?]
[Okay wait… Yuan’s actually kind of badass.]
[Clearly, he’s not on good terms with the other demons—otherwise they wouldn’t be talking to him like that. So I’m not saying he’s not a traitor, but I am saying he’s cool as hell for not giving a damn.]
[I LIVE for this kind of character. That “I know you hate me, but you can’t touch me” energy is elite.]
[Notice how he treats the guy differently than he treats the girls? That demon guy got straight-up eyebrow-sass.]
[Ohoho! The audacity! That smug, unapologetic expression like: “Yeah, I’m not cooperating, what now?”]
[Look, this only works when the character’s powerful. If it were a weak demon pulling this, readers would be ready to roast them alive. Yuan’s got the setup to pull it off.]
[I just wanna see if he gets wrecked in the next issue. If not, I’m switching camps and becoming a Yuan stan. If he dies, I’ll light a candle.]

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the comments. In just half a day, her character’s image had shifted… from “traitor” to “insanely cocky traitor.”

The art and mood of this issue left her in a cold sweat.

Wha… what the hell. Why draw something so hate-attracting?

Luckily, the face of that elder’s subordinate who came to find her hadn’t been drawn, or else she’d already be in PR crisis mode.

Behind her, Li Zi Jie was cackling over the latest issue of the manga, pounding the table. “HAHAHA! Look at these cowards! You see this? Yuan’s just that badass!”

Li Zi Jie had fully entered full-blown fangirl mode recently… though Yuan Yuanyuan suspected she didn’t really understand what being a fangirl was. Last time she asked, “You think Yuan’s handsome, don’t you?” Li Zi Jie had immediately gone full tsundere with a “Not at all!”—a tone just like the one Yuan Yuanyuan used to use back when she secretly adored her own 2D anime crushes.

Si Qun flipped through the manga with a blank expression, couldn’t understand a thing, tossed it aside, and went back to sketching bottles. This kind of manga didn’t appeal to him. Yuan Yuanyuan figured it was probably too abstract for him—he’d rather just play Snake.

That day, Yuan Yuanyuan had almost been forcibly dragged away. While she wasn’t great at scheming, she had a vivid imagination—“ambush,” “trap banquet,” “framing” and the like flashed through her head instantly.

So she flat-out refused to go. Later, the lady in white came and explained everything.

In short, the demon elders were split into two factions. The one that originally opposed Yuan’s presence in the noble houses had tried to block his entry from the start. Now that Yuan had joined, that faction shifted tactics—they demanded Yuan fully submit to C City’s rule and act under their control.

When the lady in white spoke to Yuan Yuanyuan, she was very sincere:

“The ones supporting this are mostly young members from new noble families… they haven’t seen much yet and don’t understand your strength. The incident today was initiated by one of those families. We got the news too late and couldn’t stop it. We sincerely apologize, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Yuan Yuanyuan kept a neutral expression.

Internally, though, she was scared shitless.

Holy crap! Someone hates me! Someone wants me DEAD!

No, not just that—they didn’t necessarily want her dead, but they wanted her controlled. Just like Danzo trying to pull demons into his “Root” division—keeping them under tight watch so the higher-ups could sleep peacefully.

Yuan Yuanyuan was a little freaked out. But she figured she wouldn’t die right away—the elders were still busy fighting among themselves. At least some people still had her back.

“We… truly apologize for what happened,” the lady in white said again and again. She seemed genuinely scared that Yuan Yuanyuan might be angry and kept apologizing. Her traditional robes made Yuan Yuanyuan worry she might kneel and perform a full formal apology any second now.

“We’ve let you down… please don’t think the demon who came today represents the will of all the elders. I’ll put together a list of noble houses and higher-ups who don’t align with your interests. Please be cautious around them.”

Yuan Yuanyuan looked at the leafless tree as wind blew through her hair. She stayed quiet for a moment, then said:

“It’s fine. I expected something like this eventually.”

…You’re lying.

The lady in white exhaled a breath of relief.

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced at her, actually feeling a little guilty. It was that vague, gnawing feeling that she had disappointed someone’s expectations.

If something really went down in C City, she’d probably be the first to flee. She knew herself too well.

Even though she’d heard rumors about the “guardian demon of the Child Demon District”… for her, that kind of title was just an attitude—she protected the kids when she could. If she couldn’t, she wouldn’t intervene. Her own safety came first.

Truth be told… she wasn’t nearly as loyal to C City as people thought.

---

Readers were eagerly awaiting Monday’s issue—excitement was off the charts.

Everyone wanted to know: would Yuan die? And how horribly?

(While reading the comments, Yuan Yuanyuan curled up in a corner and drew sad little circles, thinking, “Sorry, I’m still alive in this next issue…”)

To the public, swagger wasn’t easy to pull off. And Yuan’s swagger? It looked like the kind that would get someone beaten to death in the street.

The comment section of the last issue was full of bets: if Yuan could keep up this cocky act, readers would instantly switch from haters to fans.

One reader wrote:

“I love super-cocky characters, but they need real power to back it up. If this were a weakling demon, they’d be hated to death after a few issues. So I’m watching to see how long Yuan can keep this up.”

“The moment I saw that image of Yuan surrounded, I got major ‘solo against the world’ boss vibes.”

That’s just how things worked—sometimes a shameless character is annoying. But if someone fully embraces that persona, turns it into a signature style, and actually has the power to match?

You might actually start liking them.

This just proves again: reader loyalty is dirt cheap.

Yuan Yuanyuan skimmed the new issue. Honestly, she wasn’t very interested. She already knew how this part ended.

She lived. Big whoop.

Slouched in her chair, she lazily opened her phone and read the chapter.

Surprisingly, this issue was actually quite refreshing. Instead of focusing on protagonists or powerful demons, it delved into the mindset of ordinary demons.

Yuan Yuanyuan perked up a bit. The chapter opened with Faning at a demon restaurant, pretending to be one of them and eavesdropping on their conversation.

The place was a chaotic mix of different kinds of demons, but most of them were low-level. Their dialogue was stuff readers didn’t usually see.

They talked about the recent activity from exorcists, rumors of beautiful female demons in the city, who did what recently… It felt familiar to Yuan Yuanyuan, since her tavern was full of this kind of gossip.

She shifted her posture to read more comfortably. Faning was at the restaurant on a mission—he’d accepted his first commission.

Normally, exorcists received missions through their sect. But Faning’s sect was still rebuilding, so he’d gone to a job board on his own.

His sect still had a strong name, so he had access to a wide range of jobs—from hunting rogue demons for the government to basic feng shui consultations.

This was his first real case. He was gathering intel.

At first glance, it looked like this chapter had nothing to do with Yuan. Yuan Yuanyuan figured readers would be disappointed.

But then—surprise. Yuan’s name came up. More than once.

It started with a drunk little demon saying:

“You guys don’t know about that Ran-niang… Not many remember her now, but back in the day, she was a terrifying demon.”

“Why do you say that?” asked another drunk demon.

“Because how else could she have become the head of the spy corps? You think that job goes to amateurs?”

“I’ve heard stuff from my grandma,” another said. “They said Ran-niang had the sharpest mind, most ruthless hand, and most unreadable intentions. One second she’d be joking with you, the next she’d stab you in the back.”

Faning paused mid-drink.

“She was the best at acting. Could fool anyone. No one matched her cunning—that’s what a real old demon looks like.”

“She saw through everything. Even during training, her instructors said she was born to be a spy.”

“But no one else could be as cold-hearted.”

“She used to wear red, tricking one person after another. And those people? They wanted to be tricked. You can’t even see her anymore these days.”

“You sure it was her?”

“Of course!”

…

Yuan Yuanyuan blinked. Who the hell are they talking about?

She tried to piece together everything she knew so far, but no matter how she spun it, something felt off.

Then, the scene shifted. Ji Qiu inserted a flashback—Faning’s first meeting with Yuan.

“What’s your name?”

“Just call me Yuan.”

“Is that your real name?”

“No.”

…

The drunk demon continued,

“She was the best liar. If she wanted to fool someone, they’d never know, not even in death. If she wanted to lie to a whole crowd, she’d tell a colossal lie—one only heaven and earth would know.”

Yuan Yuanyuan was staring at the page when she suddenly heard a sound behind her.

She turned around in surprise.

On a bench behind her sat Li Zi Jie, half hidden in shadow, holding a borrowed phone. Even so, Yuan Yuanyuan could clearly see—

Sister Li Zi Jie covering her face.

She was bawling like a two-hundred-pound puppy over the latest issue.

Ah… yep. Fangirl mode: fully activated again.

Yuan Yuanyuan had no idea what just happened, so she quietly crawled under the table with Si Qun.