Little Pink Starfish

Truth be told, Hua Rongyue’s first encounter with Wu Wangyan was almost eerily fated.

Because Yi Linglong had met Wu Wangyan in almost the exact same way.

The original Yi Linglong was quite obedient to her adoptive father. He was a high-ranking but low-key figure within Tianyi Tower, the type who believed in “getting rich quietly” and lived a rather comfortable life. His greatest wish for Yi Linglong was for her to live quietly and safely within Tianyi Tower for the rest of her life.

Given his personality, keeping her disguised as a boy for life seemed like the safest route—because in some ways, being male in Tianyi Tower meant a lot more security. Especially for someone as beautiful as Yi Linglong. Grow old peacefully, retire with a cushy post—what a sweet life that would be.

Unfortunately, her adoptive father died early.

As a modern woman, Hua Rongyue saw emotions and relationships far more clearly than Yi Linglong ever had—especially since she was viewing everything from an outsider’s perspective.

To her, Wu Wangyan was a naturally cold, distant man.

Waking from her dream, Hua Rongyue didn’t open her eyes right away. She was afraid that, once open, they’d be red again. But deep down, she had a feeling—like with Lin Qiya last time—that they wouldn’t be.

Her heart was calm now. There was no rage, no emotional storm.

Still, she wasn’t fully certain. She also felt someone sitting beside her. So she lay there, eyes shut, for a while longer.

About five minutes later, she had no choice but to open her eyes—

—And immediately grabbed the hand that was trying to undress her.

…

Dr. Qi nearly had a heart attack.

He and the others had barged in to find Hua Rongyue unconscious—but thankfully, this was a clinic. He’d checked her forehead—it was burning—and then noticed a wound on her hand.

He immediately sent Wan Fulian to prepare fever medicine and started tending to the injury himself.

Her pulse had felt strange. Illness usually affected one’s pulse, but hers was especially weak—weaker than what a single wound would explain.

Dr. Qi had worried she might be injured elsewhere and was about to open her robe to check—when she suddenly shot up like a corpse rising from the grave.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Maybe Dr. Qi had listened to one too many supernatural novels. Looking at the pale-faced Hua Rongyue springing upright, he stammered, “G-Great Hero, spare my life…”

Hua Rongyue stared at him for ten full seconds before calmly collapsing back onto the bed like a fainting doll.

Dr. Qi broke into a cold sweat.

He figured she must’ve been delirious from the fever—that’s the only explanation for her “resurrection.” But after that, he didn’t dare check for any other wounds. He just carefully bandaged her hand.

What he didn’t know was—Hua Rongyue had passed out again with a sense of relief.

Her last thought before losing consciousness was:

“Turns out… my eyes really are a switch…”

---

Midday.

Hua Rongyue finally woke up, groggy and weak. She looked around the room, found a bronze mirror, and checked her pale complexion. Then she looked at her eyes—still black.

Only then did she let out a breath of relief.

Dr. Qi had already left but had kindly bandaged her hand. Afraid that her ghastly face might scare others, she heated some water and pressed a warm towel to her cheeks.

Steam rose gently, bringing a bit of color back to her skin. When she removed the towel, her face was flushed and alive again.

She changed clothes, tossing aside the wrinkled ones she had worn. Then she brushed her hair and tidied herself up before finally stepping out.

When Dr. Qi saw her, he was startled. “Rongyue! When did you recover?”

“Just now,” she replied simply, not wanting to explain much.

“What happened to your hand?”

She looked down, waved it lightly. “Ran into a thief last night. Got nicked during the scuffle.”

“Really?” Dr. Qi grew concerned. “What about the thief?”

“Escaped,” she said regretfully.

Nearby, Xiao Han, ever the cynic, overheard the word “thief” and sauntered over. “You couldn’t even handle a petty thief? How’d you even get into Six Doors?”

Ugh, she thought, there he goes again.

“Enough, enough,” she said. “It’s nothing serious. Probably just a fever from the weather changing.”

Then she gestured subtly at Dr. Qi to follow her. He paused, then walked with her into the backyard.

She leaned close and whispered, “You didn’t tell anyone about my hand injury, did you?”

Dr. Qi shook his head.

“What about Xiao Han?”

“Also no.”

Hua Rongyue nodded.

“So?” Dr. Qi leaned in excitedly. “I knew it wasn’t a simple injury. It’s Six Doors-related, isn’t it? Don’t worry—I won’t tell a soul!”

“…Yes,” she nodded solemnly.

Dr. Qi lit up like a child at a carnival. He ran off to tease Xiao Han and Wan Fulian, “You guys know anything? No? Well, I do—but I’m not telling!”

And off he went, leaving the two of them baffled.

Hua Rongyue watched this whole scene and sighed inwardly. Dr. Qi, you’ve really got too much free time.

She helped sort out the backlog of work. Since she hadn’t worked that morning, there was quite a lot to catch up on. Her rosy complexion reassured everyone—she looked fine now, like she had just caught a seasonal bug. Given her strong constitution, it made sense she bounced back quickly.

But in reality, it wasn’t just a cold.

Her fever came from shock and suppressed emotions erupting all at once—causing her to suddenly collapse.

She wasn’t fully recovered either. The bruise on her back from Lin Qiya’s slap still ached faintly.

Will I ever fully heal? she wondered. Why do I keep getting into trouble?

Even walking felt like floating. She had to sit and rest.

Just as she was about to stand again—

The door swung open.

Yan Sheng entered.

Dr. Qi saw him and was equally surprised. “Oh, Lord Yan! What brings you here? Please, come in!”

Yan Sheng had previously said he would reduce his visits to Baicaotang to avoid drawing attention. That’s why he’d arranged for Boss Wang to be the contact and got Hua Rongyue a partner.

Now, for him to show up like this—it was odd.

“I came to check on the local situation,” Yan Sheng said. “Things have been unsettled lately.”

Dr. Qi glanced nervously at Hua Rongyue.

Didn’t she get injured last night…?

“I see, I see,” Dr. Qi nodded. “Please sit. I’ll get you some tea.”

He dragged Xiao Han along to help and left the room.

Hua Rongyue remained seated.

Yan Sheng came over and sat opposite her.

She asked quietly, “What’s going on?”

“Something big,” he replied just as softly. “A big fish came to town.”

Hua Rongyue perked up. How big?

“Someone came to the magistrate’s office to report it last night,” Yan Sheng said. “They said a master swordsman showed up nearby.”

Last night? Hua Rongyue frowned. She’d been out herself but hadn’t seen anyone else.

“The witness fought him briefly and said he was a ‘madman.’ Told us to be careful.”

Yan Sheng added, “There wasn’t time to notify Constable Wang, so I had to come personally.”

Wait… Hua Rongyue’s heart skipped a beat.

A sword master? A madman?

Wasn’t that person supposed to be… her?

Her expression turned complicated—so much so that she subtly raised her arm to cover her face while listening.

“The witness was a martial artist from Mount Hua Sect,” Yan Sheng continued. “He came here hoping to find Yi Linglong. But instead, he ran into that man.”

“What did the person look like?” Hua Rongyue asked.

“Thin. Wore black. Couldn’t see his face. But the voice… the witness said it was very distinctive—like a man with a woman’s voice.”

…Everything made sense—but also didn’t.

“Where is he now?” she asked, fearing her eyes might turn red again.

Strangely, just hearing about it didn’t trigger her. She remained calm—even had enough clarity to wonder what smelled so good from the kitchen.

“In the magistrate’s custody,” Yan Sheng said. “But he’s odd—not like others who’ve gone berserk.”

“How so?”

“When he was about to kill the witness, he suddenly stabbed himself in the hand—and fled.”

Hua Rongyue didn’t flinch.

When Yan Sheng asked, she said it was just a self-inflicted wound from a clumsy mistake. She was already used to brushing it off.

“It’s strange,” Yan Sheng said. “Most madmen don’t restrain themselves like that. I also saw something similar before—back at Shibating. I think it’s the same person.”

“Shibating?” she asked, frowning.

“Remember when I first brought you here? There was a red-eyed man then.”

Ah—that man.

Hua Rongyue suddenly remembered everything.

That man had killed a woman in an alley.

And it had been her—just passing by—who stopped him.