Little Pink Starfish

As usual, Boss Wang arrived at Baicaotang in the morning. After he arrived, Hua Rongyue reported Wu Ci’s situation to him.

“If he’s not the one, that’s actually better,” Boss Wang said. “But… did you reveal your identity to him?”

Hua Rongyue shook her head.

“No problem,” Boss Wang said, turning to comfort her instead. “This sort of thing shouldn’t be forced. You’ve already done quite well.”

Boss Wang was a kind old man, and on good terms with Yan Sheng.

Truthfully, Boss Wang had always felt the idea of casting Hua Rongyue as Yi Linglong was questionable. He shared Yan Sheng’s concerns — her personality just didn’t seem suited to it. He thought it was a lot to ask of her.

Still, he was protective of her. He worried the pressure might be too much and often advised her to take things easier.

Hua Rongyue was genuinely grateful. Boss Wang was a good person.

And he wasn’t wrong to say there was no rush. “Eye” was developing rapidly — surprisingly so. Aside from Hua Rongyue, most other agents had already infiltrated their targets in some form. She often heard updates through Jiang Lianhuan.

By comparison, her progress was slowest of all. Technically, she should have felt anxious.

But someone like Wu Ci — who wasn’t doing anything suspicious — didn’t feel like the kind of person worth using as “performance metrics.”

Besides, since he and Yi Linglong had once been friends, letting him go seemed harmless.

Maybe she could even drop him a few hints before he left — help him stay clear of dangerous entanglements.

Since she’d decided to let him off, he could keep hanging around Xiao Han for now.

Boss Wang then told her about a more important matter:

— Six Gates was considering letting Hua Rongyue publicly “reappear” in the martial world as Yi Linglong.

Now that was interesting.

As Hua Rongyue listened to Boss Wang’s proposal, all kinds of thoughts flooded her mind.

Meanwhile, Wu Ci and Xiao Han were sitting across from each other, staring awkwardly. Xiao Han was uncharacteristically quiet. He hadn’t said a word since he arrived, lips sealed tight.

“Uh… are you okay?” Wu Ci asked, noticing how stiff Xiao Han looked.

Still, no reply.

Wu Ci looked him over, wondering: Is he really Yi Linglong? How do I even ask him that? Should I request a lesson or two?

He had all sorts of questions in mind… but then he remembered that moment earlier — when Hua Rongyue caught both the falling cup and the cat with effortless grace.

That move stunned him.

Originally, he’d only come to find Xiao Han. But after witnessing that, his thoughts kept drifting back to Hua Rongyue.

Xiao Han noticed the absentminded look. This guy had dragged him here and now wasn’t even saying anything. If Hua Rongyue hadn’t made a promise, he’d have walked off already.

…Though Dr. Qi was thrilled. Finally, Xiao Han wasn’t getting into trouble during the day.

“What are you thinking about?” Xiao Han finally asked, unable to hold back. Wu Ci snapped out of it like he’d been startled awake.

He realized he’d been thinking about Hua Rongyue for quite a while — longer than expected. It was weird. His “idol” was right in front of him, but he wasn’t feeling excited, just… distracted.

Why was that?

Wu Ci had never considered Hua Rongyue a martial artist. He didn’t look the part. But that elegant move earlier told him everything — the guy was trained, and very well.

Yet Hua Rongyue seemed unfazed by it. He’d just picked up the cat and cup, like it was nothing. That made Wu Ci hesitate to ask. If it had been Dr. Qi, sure. But Hua Rongyue didn’t seem like someone you could casually interrogate.

So now, Wu Ci was left feeling unsettled — and with a wild, unbelievable thought forming in his head.

It was so outrageous he didn’t even dare say it aloud.

Could it be… could it possibly be… him? Yi Linglong?
But how could it be this person? They… they…

“I, uh… I’ve got something to do. I’ll head off now,” Wu Ci muttered. He’d sat there trying to start a conversation a hundred different ways, but couldn’t focus. So he simply stood and left.

Xiao Han didn’t even try to stop him. He just muttered, “What a weird guy.”

Hua Rongyue had been deep in conversation with Boss Wang and nearly forgot about Wu Ci entirely. When she saw him hurrying toward the door, she instinctively called out, “Wait! You’re leaving already? Don’t want to talk to Xiao Han a bit more?”

She thought Wu Ci, finally seeing his “idol,” would pour his heart out — like back then when he met the real Yi Linglong. No way he’d just exchange a few awkward lines and leave, right?

Wu Ci, who’d already been dazed, looked up at her — and his entire body visibly tensed.

Hua Rongyue was standing on the steps, so she was a head taller. Looking down at his expression, she noticed something familiar.

At first, he looked normal — but once she spoke, his whole face changed. Shock, confusion… fear?

That change tugged something in her memory.

Suddenly, a flash of unpleasant memories returned.

“Nothing, nothing… I should go,” Wu Ci stammered, even more flustered after seeing her. He quickly turned and left.

“That guy’s acting kinda weird,” Boss Wang whispered.

“It’s nothing,” Hua Rongyue said lightly. “Probably just something Xiao Han said.”

But inwardly, she was stirred.

— In the end, when Yi Linglong was at her maddest, no one dared come near. She was already the master of Tianyi Tower then. Despite her status, she had no one close to talk to.

Back then, she’d sit in her lofty room, looking down at rows of kneeling figures. Most didn’t even dare lift their heads. The few that did wore faces filled with fear.

Not a happy memory.

Hua Rongyue nearly slipped into another vision — but caught herself just in time.

Ugh… not this again.

Why did Wu Ci make that face? What did Xiao Han say?

She frowned and muttered a soft “Tsk.” None of this felt right.

“What’s wrong?” Boss Wang asked, noticing her spacing out. “Are you okay? Feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine,” Hua Rongyue shook her head quickly, brushing it off. “Let’s keep going. Where were we?”

…

Originally, Yan Sheng had felt that having Hua Rongyue impersonate someone else would be too hard. But recently, Jiang Lianhuan had actually praised her performance.

He’d even gone to Yan Sheng and given her glowing feedback — to the point that Yan Sheng found it unbelievable. He didn’t expect Jiang Lianhuan to praise her so highly.

According to him, Hua Rongyue not only took her work seriously, but her acting was shockingly good. Quiet as she normally was, when it came time to play “vicious,” she transformed completely.

Boss Wang was visiting today to tell her about this.

Even Hua Rongyue found it hard to believe.

Jiang Lianhuan? Praising me? In front of Yan Sheng, no less?

Why doesn’t he praise me to my face?

Every time he saw her, his cheerful expression would instantly go cold. It made her feel guilty for even speaking to him.

Yet this guy actually complimented her in secret?

Hua Rongyue thought it over seriously. Either Boss Wang misheard, or I hallucinated. No other explanation.

So she moved on.

“Since Jiang Lianhuan says you’re capable, they’re planning to give this new mission to you… Think you can handle it?” Boss Wang asked.

“It should… be fine.” Hua Rongyue recalled the details he’d mentioned — to reappear in the martial world as Yi Linglong and perform a few actions.

What’s so hard about that?

“But this Yi Linglong has to look and feel completely different from before,” Boss Wang warned. “This time, you’ll be playing the post-madness version. The personality must change significantly.”

“Temperament? What do you mean by that?” Hua Rongyue asked, puzzled.

“The previous Yi Linglong was cold, but still somewhat restrained. This time, you need to embody madness — someone clearly unwell.”

Ah… right. Everyone in “Eye” was supposed to play a madman. She knew that.

“But there’s one more thing I need to tell you to prepare yourself mentally,” Boss Wang said.

Hua Rongyue gestured for him to go on.

“We spent a long time choosing a fitting ‘madness’ style for you, but nothing quite worked. Once everyone else was assigned, we realized there was only one left for you…”

Boss Wang hesitated, as if the next words were hard to say.

He studied her expression, then tentatively asked, “Would you be willing to… wear women’s clothes?”

…

“…Huh?” Hua Rongyue was stunned into silence for a long moment before managing a single syllable.

“Ahem, I mean…” Boss Wang tried to explain gently. “You’d only need to change outfits — no big movements, no exaggerated expressions. Just a simple costume and some makeup.”

This was, in fact, a carefully discussed plan by the Six Gates. Compared to other agents who needed serious acting chops, Hua Rongyue’s new role was dead simple.

The idea: dress up as a woman, stand there silently, makeup on — no acting or dialogue required. Even someone with facial paralysis could pull it off. It was, in fact, perfect for her.

Compared to other “mad” personas, this was the most understanding and easygoing one.

And once in costume, no one would dare say this wasn’t a true lunatic. The visual alone would be stunning. After all, Yi Linglong was already known for a near-feminine beauty.

What Boss Wang didn’t say was that this decision was based on certain known details about the real Yi Linglong — part of a larger plan they’d had for a while. This was just a tweak.

There was a reason that costume had been waiting in the audition room from the start.

But for now, it wasn’t time to share that.

He saw Hua Rongyue staring blankly. She prided herself on composure, so seeing her this dazed… he knew the suggestion had hit her hard.

“You okay?” he asked gently.

Boss Wang himself wasn’t entirely at ease suggesting this. He admired her. Anyone who got to know her would.

She gave off a sincere, calm energy that made people instinctively trust her.

“…Huh?” Hua Rongyue repeated, clearly still processing.

“Why don’t you rest a bit?” Boss Wang said quickly. “Don’t worry about it for now. If it’s too much, we’ll find another way.”

After he left, Hua Rongyue sat down, unsettled.

No one in the world would understand what she was feeling right now — or what had just scared her so deeply.

Because yes — she was scared. Absolutely shocked.

Could this… really be fate?

She didn’t believe in fate — not even now.

But cold sweat had already begun to bead on her brow.