Little Pink Starfish

“Actually, Seventeen supposedly had a lot of old flames back in the day…” Fat Cat lay sprawled on Yuan Yuanyuan’s head, swiping his paw across her bangs. “…You look like someone who’s just been hit by something huge.”

Yuan Yuanyuan stared blankly into the void and sighed deeply.

“Come on, don’t be like that. It could’ve just been a rumor.” Fat Cat tried to comfort her, seeing the dazed look on her face. The two of them looked out at the empty room and let out a long, synchronized sigh.

…

“But… all those injuries on you, they’re not from peeking in on Seventeen and the bar owner hooking up, are they?” Fat Cat suddenly had a realization.

“No, no, no…” Yuan Yuanyuan shook her head like a drum, denying it as hard as she could. “That’s not possible, no way.”

“Oh.” Fat Cat calmly laid his head back down.

“…It’s just that… I saw the bar owner hide the injured Seventeen away. She helped him recover. Didn’t lay a finger on him, but her tone was a little… suggestive.” Yuan Yuanyuan added awkwardly.

“…What kind of suggestive?” Fat Cat nailed it in one go.

“Like… she always looked at Seventeen with this mix of disdain and contempt, but she never threw him out. Gave him medicine, changed his bandages, fed him and stuff… And when she changed his bandages, they were a bit too close. She even dressed up every day in her prettiest clothes and makeup.” Yuan Yuanyuan shivered. “A woman’s subtle moves… You wouldn’t understand. You’re not a woman.”

Fat Cat stared at her in silence for a moment.

Then he suddenly buried his face into Yuan Yuanyuan’s neck and wailed,
“Yuanyuan! You made it back alive! I thought I’d never see you again! Who else is going to make my cat food?!”

…

Cat food still needed making. Yuan Yuanyuan’s wounds had mostly healed, so Fat Cat hadn’t noticed anything too off.

But after she returned, she discovered the “gift” left behind by Seventeen’s friend.

After reading the latest Demon Memoirs, she could only mutter, Oh my god… that move was brutal. No wonder that guy was Seventeen’s friend.

She said that with admiration—then realized, wait, this was the guy who set her up. Why the hell was she admiring him? Was she sick?

That day, Yuan Yuanyuan had stumbled home, battered and dazed. Her vision was blurry. When she came to, she realized she had somehow ended up near the pedestrian street below her building.

She suddenly felt incredibly empty—an indescribable, hollow ache. Then she saw the tree behind the bar. And just like that, she thought: Might as well bury this person there. It feels… right.

So she did.

Looking back, most of that day was a blur. Yuan Yuanyuan had long suspected that Ji Qiu used some trick on her to help her “get into character.”

So everything she experienced that day… was it actually Seventeen’s memory?

She’d been fuzzy-headed until that guy tried to kill her. That was when she snapped back to reality.

—He happened to be close to her.

—And the knife was right in her hand.

At that moment, Yuan Yuanyuan thought: Dear god, this is basically baiting me to kill him.

Just as she regained her senses, still disoriented by the surreal scene, she thrust the knife forward and stabbed him—completely confused as it went in. Wait, that worked? That easy?

…

Now, looking at the comic in her hand, Yuan Yuanyuan’s mouth twitched into a perfect cold smile.

Holy crap. That was brutal. She looked like some kind of deranged psychopath.

Sigh… what a gift. She tossed her phone aside. Once this was published, the anti-war group would probably hate her guts.

Seventeen’s friend had infiltrated them as a spy. Yuan Yuanyuan knew she couldn’t tell anyone about this. If she did, people would ask why she’d killed a spy from the anti-war group—and suspicion would land squarely on her.

But this also came with an unexpected benefit: she had now offered a kind of “pledge of loyalty.”

Her relationship with the mysterious organization could move one step closer.

Yuan Yuanyuan realized this when that buzz-cut guy from before came to find her again. This time, his attitude was pure fanboy—full of admiration.

He handed her a tiny key and said it was for entering the organization’s headquarters.

Yuan Yuanyuan examined the key from all angles, then suddenly smiled, said nothing, and slipped it into her pocket.

That guy Seventeen had killed… he must have been a close friend—practically underwear-sharing level. So now that Seventeen had killed him, the organization saw her as having truly committed.

She’d accidentally earned herself a rite of passage.

Right now, her public persona was unpredictable, and some even viewed her as ruthless.

Seventeen, meanwhile, had a reputation that went back a hundred years. He was a famous demon general, known for surviving countless battles.

On the outside, he could seem kind and gentle. But his core… was anything but soft. The last issue of the comic only deepened that impression. His true nature was cold and unyielding—a general to the bone, a man of extreme discipline and obsession.

He was the type to use past relationships to lull someone into vulnerability… and then stab them to death without hesitation. The kind of person that left others with chills.

From now on, people would probably treat her more cautiously.

Yuan Yuanyuan figured this wasn’t a bad thing… Otherwise, all those young women she’d rescued might start swooning over Yuan again, thinking he was a good guy. Now, she could scare them a bit—remind them: don’t be fooled. Yuan might smile at you one minute, and stab you the next. This man is dangerous. His eyes see through everything.

Before, she hadn’t thought much of it… until she heard Fat Cat mention that Seventeen was apparently quite the playboy in his youth. That’s when she realized… she’d better keep her distance from the ladies.

She stretched, eyes sore from reading all the chaotic online comments. Amid the madness, she suddenly remembered a certain website—a place with a very… unique tone. Always unexpected. Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly felt curious to see how they were handling this twist.

How are they going to spin this? she thought. Even she couldn’t explain it. Before opening the page, she muttered to herself:
If these people manage to find a way to defend Seventeen this time, they’re definitely brainwashed.

Brainwashed. Utterly brainwashed.

And they were. Completely.

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the site, stunned. She wiped her eyes, wondering if she’d misread… but the tone was exactly the same as before—full of fawning, heartfelt love for Yuan.

[Ahhhh Yuan’s so pitiful this time, so pitiful, so pitiful! We’re doomed! What do we do?! We’re doomed!!]

[I can’t even look at that chapter. It hurts so bad. I skip it now—it’s too much.]

[Yuan must be suffering so much right now… but he’s still holding it together like a real man. Old man, would you accept a human-demon romance?!]

Excuse me?! Yuan Yuanyuan nearly shouted. This guy just murdered his best friend! What part of that is pitiful?! What is wrong with your moral compass?!

She scrolled up, trying to find what excuse they’d come up with to whitewash Seventeen this time.

[You don’t have to explain. We understand. We just understand! We love you! Hang in there! We support you unconditionally!]

…So now they weren’t even trying to justify it?! Not even a reason?! What the hell do you understand that I don’t?!

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the screen, expression grim.

Everything related to Yuan was starting to feel… strange. Like things were becoming polarized. Was something wrong?

She glanced up at the post count: 1432 members.

When had it broken four digits?

She wasn’t sure. She picked up her cup to take a sip, then noticed a new post:

“Does anyone know about a bar called Qiu Ying in Ping’an District?”

Her heart skipped a beat. She clicked in—it was just one sentence, no fluff, posted ten minutes ago.

Five minutes later, the same user posted again:

“Seriously, no one knows?”

Yuan Yuanyuan sighed, then replied:

“Qiu Ying is on the pedestrian street behind Old Jixing… but the sign doesn’t say that name. You won’t find it. Even if you do, you won’t be able to get in. I don’t recommend going—it’s tied to the underground. That place… isn’t normal. Very scary. If they realize you don’t belong, they won’t let you in. Don’t linger nearby—it’s dangerous.”

She hit send, thought for a moment, then added:

“Delete this post. Don’t post about stuff like this—it’ll bring trouble. This isn’t the kind of forum for these questions. It’s risky.”

A few minutes later, the post had been deleted.

It reminded her of when she was frantically searching online for leads… back when she and Fat Cat had first met on a red-and-black themed forum. She had stumbled into it while combing through threads related to Demon Memoirs, desperately looking for clues.

She didn’t know if the person who posted was human or demon—but they were definitely someone whose worldview had just been shattered.

That tone… she knew it all too well. So she replied.

Let them back off. It’s safer not to get involved. Once you’re in… the chaos never ends.

…

Gao Ling stared at the reply on the forum. Seeing that it was from “圈圈圈,” she shouted “YES!” on the spot, took a screenshot, and immediately deleted the thread.

Hell yeah! What a big fish I just caught.

After three days of stalking, she’d finally found a verified demon-related ID in the forum—and not just any ID, but “圈圈圈,” part of the legendary duo “Circle Circle Circle” and “Lord Cat.”

[I think I know where Qiu Ying is.] Gao Ling quickly typed into the group chat. [Hurry, hurry, where were we?]

[Nooo! Tell us where Qiu Ying is! We want to know too!]

[Nope. I need to verify first. Can’t risk it. Let’s go back to our convo.]

[Okay okay… where were we? Oh yeah—Yuan’s emotions are bursting at the seams right now, but he hasn’t collapsed. What a man.]

[I kinda wanna marry him… but this kind of man seems better as a lover than a husband. He’s the kind who’d make a great girlfriend, but also might get you killed like Shirley.]

[Shirley… you mean from Code Geass? Oof. You might be right, but I bet your face isn’t half as good-looking as hers.]

[…Wait, how did we go from comforting Yuan to this weird-ass topic?]

Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t found any “redemption fanfics” in the main forum—because they weren’t posted there.

Gao Ling knew this stuff had to be kept secret. So she only discussed it in the group chat, where everyone had already been vetted.

At some point, the chat had grown into a massive supergroup. The member count had officially hit four digits:

[1025].