Little Pink Starfish

As the New Year approached, the city grew livelier than ever.

Because monsters lived differently from humans, many ancient customs still remained in their society—customs long since vanished from human civilization.

In winter, there typically shouldn’t be flowers. But the Li family was different. Their courtyard was filled with blooming flowers of all kinds. Walking into the garden, you were immediately surrounded by a rich floral scent.

A courtyard full of flowers—in a northern city like C City, only the Li family could pull that off.

The Li estate was so large it could hardly be called just a “home” anymore. Countless monsters lived within, and as one of the oldest families in C City, they had innumerable retainers.

Standing at the gate and looking inward, the entire courtyard was lit with countless little flames, like a brilliant constellation brought to life.

“How does it look this year? Seems even better than last year.” A person stood atop a high hill within the Li family’s grounds, looking down.

“Very nice indeed,” replied an elderly voice. “Look at all the flowers in bloom—how beautiful.”

“What about this year’s young monsters? Has your family received all its offerings?”

“Ah, yes, they’ve all arrived.” The old man sighed. “Though… that girl from your family, I suspect she’s the same as every year.”

“Don’t say that. If even the Li family worries about that kind of thing, it’s too tragic.” The speaker chuckled. “The most charitable clan in all of C City—every young monster dreams of being part of the Li family. Yingying is just still too young. She’ll mature with time.”

“I certainly hope so.” The elder sighed again. “May every year ahead be as peaceful as this one.”

The city remained bustling as ever. In a small clothing store in the juvenile district, a few people stood on the first floor, craning their necks to look upstairs.

“What’s up with Boss? He’s been upstairs for half an hour—why hasn’t he come down yet?” Tang Shi asked, her neck stiff from looking up.

“Yeah… what’s taking so long? At this rate, he’s gonna make me late,” Liu An added, also staring upward.

“Do you think Boss actually has ties to the Li family? Why would they send him something like that?” Liu An still hadn’t wrapped his head around it.

According to Tang Shi’s earlier explanation, that gift box was only used when the Li family visited very important people. It was filled with extremely valuable items.

The Li family was one of C City’s most prominent clans, and their gift boxes were famously soft pink—a long-standing family tradition.

Everyone in C City knew: the Li family loved flowers and all things pink and delicate. Even their crest was a stylized flower.

“Even if you’re right that it was a gift for an important person…” Liu An said hesitantly, “Boss’s reaction didn’t seem like surprise—it was more like he got spooked.”

He recalled the way Boss had reacted earlier. If the Li family sent you a gift, it was an honor you could show off proudly. There was no need to hide it.

But Boss had snatched the box up and rushed away, not letting them get a good look.

Even now, he hadn’t come back down. He hadn’t said a word about what was inside. For someone as lazy and deadbeat as their boss, that was extremely out of character.

What was going on? Did the box mean something special to him?

Just as Liu An was deep in thought, the sound of a door opening startled the three of them.

All three looked up instantly.

Boss came downstairs, expressionless—and notably empty-handed.

Liu An’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at that face.

Something’s not right… That expression. Boss looks off.

Even Tang Shi and Qiu Ling quieted down as they saw Yuan Yuanyuan descend.

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced at the three of them. The way they stared at her made her feel jumpy.

What? Do I look weird or something?

Truthfully, she was a little nervous. A moment ago, she’d nearly wanted to strip naked just to express her overwhelming joy. All those gold bars… They nearly wiped out her last shred of sanity.

Even as she came downstairs, she felt like her face wasn’t under her control—like she had a facial tic or a stroke. Her lips kept twitching up into a grin, and she had to force it back down… over and over.

Eventually, she realized there was no way to act normal. She couldn’t even manage a proper expression. So she just accepted it and prepared to face them looking like a robot.

But the moment she opened the door…

Yuan Yuanyuan had a faint feeling that something was off, but she didn’t dwell on it. She checked the time and said to Liu An, “Tonight… just make enough food for you guys. Don’t worry about me.”

Normally, Liu An would’ve started cooking by now. But today, with all the guests and drama, things were behind schedule.

Although Yuan Yuanyuan had stored the box away, once something was in her hands, there was no way she was giving it back. She wasn’t using any of it now because she wanted to avoid trouble. She’d wait a few days, see if anything happened. If not—then it’d be time to open the vault.

She was in such a great mood today she practically wanted to celebrate. Since Liu An was going to be late anyway, she told him to make less food and planned to sneak out after they left—to buy some ribs and start cooking…

Ah… life was good. So good.

Yuan Yuanyuan practically floated to the kitchen. There were still some steamed buns there. The ribs would need to stew overnight, so she figured she’d have a bun first to stave off hunger.

Hmm, I think there’s still some pickled vegetables left…

Yuan Yuanyuan may have been a lazy couch potato, but she had two skills she always trusted.

One: her shapeshifting.

Two: her hearing.

She was freakishly sensitive in both. For example, people had no idea just how far she could hear things—even when she wasn’t trying.

At first, she assumed all demons had this ability. It wasn’t until much later that she realized—no, it was just her.

Thanks to that unexpected talent, she often overheard… interesting things.

As she searched for pickles, she suddenly heard voices in the main hall.

She casually bagged some pickles while eavesdropping.

“Boss said… don’t make his portion tonight.”

“Have you ever seen Boss skip a meal? I sure haven’t.”

“Right? He told me once—back when he was practicing demon arts, he ate three bowls per meal. Meanwhile, I was too exhausted to eat even one.”

“Honestly, Boss seems like the type to still eat three bowls while crying over a breakup. Dude’s totally heartless.”

Hey! Just because you think I can’t hear you doesn’t mean you get to roast me, okay?! Yuan Yuanyuan rolled her eyes.

“He’s not…”

“Not what?”

“Not… like…”

Yuan Yuanyuan’s ears perked up.

“Not sneaking off to drink alone again, is he? I remember there’s a bottle of er guo tou in the kitchen. Do you think something’s going on between him and the Li family?”

“Drink alone? Since when does Boss do anything that classy?” Tang Shi’s horrified voice chimed in.

“Uh… a while back, he got drunk once. You two weren’t here then.”

“No way. With that dead-fish look? He got drunk?”

Yuan Yuanyuan, a bun still in her mouth, crept closer, frowning. She crouched near the wooden kitchen door, quietly listening.

When the hell did I drink alone? That one time I got wasted, Liu An saw me. That doesn’t count!

She kept listening, confused. If this kept up, people were going to start seeing her as some overly emotional sap—like a modern Lin Daiyu.

She was just about to barge in, flash a weird smile, and prove she was not the tearful type, when Liu An suddenly said something.

“Wait, I still have some pig head meat hidden away… I was afraid Boss would eat it all, so I stashed it on the roof. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad—I’ll go cut some and bring it down…”

“Wouldn’t that be too greasy? I’ve got half a bag of spicy peanuts left over from lunch,” Tang Shi added.

“I, uh… I also have a slice of cake,” said Qiu Ling.

Yuan Yuanyuan crammed the rest of the bun into her mouth and chewed furiously, nearly choking.

Great. I’m Lin Daiyu now.

…

A bright moon hung in the sky. Beneath it, four people sat together.

They sat quietly on the rooftop. In front of them was a small stove, a gently heated wine pot, and several dishes.

“Don’t drink too much,” Liu An said to his boss. Though it was more of a formality—he doubted it would work.

Boss silently knocked back a cup of wine, then gently placed the pot over the flame again to warm more.

Liu An watched the way his boss’s long fingers held the pot.

He’d always known Boss was a powerful demon. But he’d rarely—if ever—felt that presence around him.

Boss always gave off total lazybones energy. Yet now, as he warmed wine with steady hands, Liu An suddenly noticed something faint.

Boss looked… really elegant doing it.

He seemed slightly tipsy, one hand propped on the ground, the other holding the pot. His face was cold and emotionless. His movements were smooth and natural, like flowing water.

Tang Shi and Qiu Ling had clearly noticed too. The two girls glanced at each other and instantly went silent.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on duty?” Boss suddenly asked Liu An.

“Cough, not really. Things have been slow lately.” With the New Year approaching, the number of demon patrols had doubled. Fewer deaths, fewer problems. Liu An had told San Dao Scar to cover his shift.

Boss gave a quiet “Oh” and said nothing more.

Yuan Yuanyuan thought, Am I dramatic enough now? Am I Lin Daiyu enough yet?

She pulled out a handkerchief, spat out the wine she’d just sipped, and dabbed her lips delicately.

Classic bar-demon hostess move. She didn’t do that job herself, but she’d picked up the tricks from her coworkers.

She stared up at the moon and let out a gentle sigh. Then, turning her back to the others, she tore into a hunk of pig head meat like a wild beast.

Her cheek nearly reached her ear as she gnawed off a huge chunk.

Just as she was chewing happily, Liu An’s voice rang out from behind.

“Boss… if you’re upset about something, just say it. You’ll feel a lot better.”

Mm mm mm. Yuan Yuanyuan nodded and bit into the meat again, a look of pure bliss on her face.

Huh? What were we talking about again?

In the latest update of Yao Ji that Saturday, the final panel showed a full, round moon—and beneath it sat two people, one dressed in gray, the other in red.