Little Pink Starfish

During her first few days on the ship, Yuan Yuanyuan barely left her room.

The room itself included a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom.

The bedroom was simple — just a bed, an Eight Immortals table, a few chairs, and a wardrobe.
The living room, though, was far more luxurious — decorated with hanging scrolls and various refined furnishings.

On the shelves were many bottles of wine, all of them high-quality. Yuan Yuanyuan recognized them from her time at the tavern — clear glass or smooth porcelain bottles, each sealed with a label written in brush calligraphy.

A rough glance told her that any one of those bottles was worth several months of her salary.

There was also a painted glass screen showing beautiful women with serpent-like bodies. Each figure had a seductive smile, gazing at all who passed, holding elegant snake-shaped flowers — looking almost as if they could step out of the painting.

In short — a room full of very demon-style decorations.

There was even a massive jade fish pond in the living room. Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t understand how they managed to fit something so big into a room. The pond was filled with goldfish and lotus flowers.

Next to the pond was a small box of fish food. Yuan Yuanyuan tossed in a handful.
Immediately, one of the goldfish, with a flash of its huge golden-red tail, opened its mouth — wide enough to be the size of her fist — and caught the food.

For a moment, it looked terrifying. Then it immediately returned to looking peaceful and calm, the water surface smooth and undisturbed.

The room fell silent again… A faint mist hung in the air, carrying traces of demon aura.

Over the past few days, Yuan Yuanyuan noticed the mist growing thicker, even with the windows closed.
Everyone seemed used to it, so she didn’t question it too much — though she suspected it wasn’t just normal water vapor. It smelled… oddly pleasant.

On her first day here, she had taken some videos with her phone. But afterward, she hadn’t even turned it on — partly because the battery was dead.

So most of her time was spent lying by the window, quietly observing the scenery and the clouds.

One day, she saw several beast-headed, human-bodied demons carrying huge cauldrons of steaming hot water, walking into each demon’s room.

They moved gracefully, each carrying giant wooden bathtubs, forming a line along the winding staircase, knocking gently at each door to deliver the tubs.

Their movements were smooth and synchronized — almost mechanical.

It weirdly reminded Yuan Yuanyuan of the little bathhouse spirits in Spirited Away.

She realized these beast-headed demons were the same ones she had seen under the giant leaf by the flowerpot earlier.

Only now she understood — they were the ship’s servants.

Most of them were very strong, so they handled heavy labor — like carrying bathtubs of hot water every day.

While Yuan Yuanyuan was still dazed, there was a knock at her door.
“Come in,” she called.

Two beast-headed demons entered, carrying a giant wooden bathtub, and placed it into the bathroom.

They left as quickly as they came.
Yuan Yuanyuan, now used to it, casually grabbed her towel from her suitcase and jumped into the tub.

Thanks to them, she gradually pieced together the daily life aboard the ship.

——

Every morning, from her window, she could see trays of food being carried up the stairs by the servants — knocking on door after door.

Some demons woke late, some early. Some preferred to eat in their rooms, some outside — but regardless, the meals were delivered.

Meals could even be served right to your bed — which Yuan Yuanyuan discovered when she found a small bed-table tucked under her bed.

The first time she realized it, she was stunned —
“Demons can actually live like this? Why weren’t they beaten by their moms for being lazy?!”

It felt so sneaky, like secretly doing something wrong.

——

Standard life for an upper-class demon aboard the ship:

• Bath every morning upon waking, bath every night before sleeping.
• The bathtub must be filled with freshly-picked flowers.
  (Yuan Yuanyuan still didn’t know how they got fresh flowers on a moving ship.)

——

Every day and night, standing by the window, she could see the golden-red scales of the ship-pulling demons flashing through the rolling clouds.

And… the ship’s social energy was off the charts.

One afternoon, Yuan Yuanyuan saw a female demon, freshly bathed, standing atop a high platform. She posed with one foot on the ground, while a group of male demons circled below, glaring at each other in jealousy.

One demon even tossed her a flirtatious wink.

Expressionless, Yuan Yuanyuan slowly pulled her head back inside and quietly shut the window.

Outside, the lights and laughter eventually faded into the distance…

——

All in all, even though she didn’t fully understand what was happening, life on the ship was very comfortable.

She didn’t like causing trouble and wasn’t particularly outgoing. She just observed quietly, and after three days, she pretty much understood the ship’s routines.

By the fourth day, Yuan Yuanyuan could sit by the window calmly, chatting casually with others.

When she went out, she avoided showing her “Yuan” face — too risky.

Instead, she transformed into her “Lantern” face —
After all, very few demons besides the big shots knew “Lantern” was Yuan’s second identity.

Of course, she changed her outfit too — throwing on some clothes from her shop — and lengthened her hair a bit.

In this casual guise, she wandered among the gathered demons.
Everyone loved socializing — either out on the deck or inside the grand towers.

The towers were perfect for gatherings — wide open central spaces, where from the upper floors, you could see almost everyone below.

But from the ground, looking up — everything seemed vast, and you felt tiny by comparison.

Yuan Yuanyuan sat at a seat on the first floor, looking up, listening to the chatter around her.

“Hey, you’re not eating anything?”
A red-bearded male demon clapped her shoulder and poured her a full cup of wine.

“Don’t force him to drink!”
A girl in pink suddenly scolded.
“Lantern said he can’t drink! If you push him again, I’ll beat you up!”

The red-bearded man laughed awkwardly. Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t even spoken yet when the girl glared again.

Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t know what to say.

Since she first appeared in this form, she had been surrounded by friendly demons — even though she hadn’t even introduced her real name.

She smiled at the pink-clad girl, feeling a little grateful.
After all, here, drinking was the norm, and the drinking style was… intense.

Ever since getting completely wasted by the Blue Clan Leader, Yuan Yuanyuan really didn’t want to drink again.

She had only casually mentioned it yesterday — but the girl remembered and had been helping her fend off drinks since.

“Lantern, where are you from? How did you end up here?”
A boy with cat-like eyes asked, curious.
“I was dragged here by my dad — he wanted me to ‘see the big world.’ Not sure what I’m supposed to ‘see,’ though.”

“If your dad brought you, then behave,” the red-bearded demon said.
“Look at your brother — much more sensible.”

The boy flushed red and glanced at a girl sitting nearby —
another cat-eyed youth, dressed oddly in a snowy white princess dress.

The girl wasn’t even listening — she was just staring at Yuan Yuanyuan.

“Haha, Lantern, looks like you’ve stolen some young hearts already,” the red-bearded demon teased.

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced over at the cat-eyed brother and sister and couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, you didn’t answer — where exactly are you from?” the cat-eyed boy pressed.

“I’m from C City,” Yuan Yuanyuan said innocently.
“I was brought here by a big demon. I’m just one of his subordinates.”

It was true — many demons on the ship were here as someone’s followers.

“Huh? You were brought up here?”

“Who brought you?”

Everyone started asking at once — but just then, a voice shouted nearby:

“Hey! Come look! It’s so beautiful below!”

Everyone turned toward the ship’s edge.

“Lantern, come quick!”

The pink-clad girl grabbed Yuan Yuanyuan and dragged her along.

Pushed to the front, Yuan Yuanyuan peered down through the clouds —
and saw a brightly lit city, glowing with countless neon lights.

Lights twinkled everywhere.

Like a river of stars in the sky.