Little Pink Starfish

While washing dishes, Yuan Yuanyuan casually chatted with Si Qun. Behind them, Gao Ling had stayed quiet at first, but after a while, she suddenly muttered, “That guy… is really handsome.”

“You think he’s handsome too?” Yuan Yuanyuan lit up—she loved hearing people compliment Si Qun. She slapped his back and said, “Hey, the girl next to you said you’re handsome.”

Si Qun kept his head down and said nothing.

Yuan Yuanyuan felt like a mom trying to teach a shy kid manners. She patted his back again and prompted, “Come on, when someone compliments you, what do you say?”

Si Qun turned to Gao Ling and said, “Thank you.”

Yuan Yuanyuan was satisfied and let him off the hook.

Meanwhile, Gao Ling was inwardly stunned beyond words. She stared at Si Qun, thinking: Wait a second… isn’t he that guy… that guy…? Why was he here? And why did he look like this?

Of course, she didn’t dare say any of this out loud. She sat quietly, trying to figure out what might happen next.

Originally, she thought she’d be sliced into pieces by now. Who would’ve thought she’d end up in a kitchen, watching two people quietly washing cups on the floor like it was nothing?

As Gao Ling was trying to decide what to do next, a strangely shaped demon came over and said to the woman,
“We’re short-staffed again. You need to get back out there.”

“Again?” Yuan Yuanyuan got up and told Si Qun to keep an eye on the girl—“Don’t let her run off.” Then she walked out the door.

Gao Ling watched Si Qun. He wasn’t quite what she’d expected—he definitely seemed a bit… slow. The way the woman had spoken to him just now was exactly like how you’d talk to a child.

Outside, Yuan Yuanyuan—once the lowest-ranked little demon—now had a bit of seniority. As the saying goes, even a long-suffering daughter-in-law becomes the matriarch one day.

She owed her rise to Li Zi Jie. Though Li Zi Jie looked like just another kitchen hand, her actual position was incredibly high. Yuan Yuanyuan, under her wing, had risen fast.

If this were the past, Yuan Yuanyuan might’ve been proud. But now, knowing that the bar owner might be Yuan’s ex-lover… she just felt deflated. All her motivation was gone, and she even started doubting her life choices.

But the bar owner really was stunning—still graceful, with an aura that oozed femininity. Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t help but think: Seventeen was seriously lucky back then.

She changed into the standard Qiu Ying bar uniform and walked to the front with a professional smile to start pouring drinks. The moment she got out there, she saw what the “chaos” was about: rowdy customers. She rushed in to separate two of them.
“Sirs, please—no shouting here. You know the rules.”

One drunk man snarled, “Who the hell are you? What business is it of yours?”

“Please, sir, try to stay calm. You’ve had too much. How about we bring another lady over to keep you company?” Yuan Yuanyuan smoothly coaxed him as she discreetly whisked away a girl who had just been harassed to tears.

She then grabbed a small needle—don’t ask where she got it, she’d just swiped it—and picked up a wine jug. Softly, she said,
“Let me pour you a fresh drink.”

The drunk man’s eyes widened, then slowly drooped like he was falling asleep. Yuan Yuanyuan signaled the others to get the crying girl out. They quickly nodded and escorted her away.

The moment the door closed, Yuan Yuanyuan stood up from her seductive pose, grabbed the man like a sack of potatoes, and hauled him onto a bed, exhaling in relief.

Dear lord, that was close. If I didn’t know a few tricks, I would’ve totally lost control of the room.

When’s Li Zi Jie getting back…? I can’t handle this solo!

Outside, the crying girl stared at the slowly closing door, catching one last glimpse of the woman in red before it shut. She asked,
“Who was that?”

“That’s Hongxiu. She’s been away for a while but just came back to help today,” someone replied.

“Oh.” The girl nodded and kept glancing at the door, wondering what it was like inside.

Such a beautiful woman.

Back in the kitchen, Gao Ling noticed Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t returned. She turned to Si Qun and cautiously asked,
“That girl from earlier… where’d she go?”

To be honest, Gao Ling was acting braver than usual. She’d already expected something like this while hanging around the bar earlier. Wandering near the building probably wasn’t a smart move—but now that she was here, another feeling had taken hold.

She realized… she didn’t feel scared.

Instead, there was only a strange, unexplainable excitement.

Her mind was unusually clear. She looked at the seemingly slow-minded Si Qun and instantly thought of a dozen ideas.

Like—could she use him to get to Yuan?

…No, that was too risky. Gao Ling shook her head. She just wanted information—not to go rogue.

But this place was clearly some kind of safe haven for Yuan. Had he already left?

She looked at Si Qun and asked quietly,
“Is there anything fun to do around here?”

“No fun,” Si Qun replied.

“Any newsworthy stuff going on nearby?”

“No news,” he said again.

So Yuan-related stuff must be top secret, Gao Ling thought.

Then she asked,
“Can I go out?”

“No.”

“What if you take me out? I just want to use the bathroom.”

Si Qun thought for a moment and agreed.

He grabbed a small bottle and began spraying something on her. If Yuan Yuanyuan were here, she’d recognize it—it was the scent-masking perfume used to conceal human presence.

Then he took Gao Ling by the hand, like an older kid dragging a toddler, and solemnly led her outside.

It was Gao Ling’s first time stepping into the main hall of “Qiu Ying.” She knew she was pushing her luck… but another voice in her head insisted: If you don’t take this risk now, you’ll never have another chance.

Where is he… where? Where would Yuan be hiding in a place this big?

She looked around the luxurious, resplendent bar. Demons of every kind roamed freely—it felt like a dream at midnight.

Pale blues and soft pinks intertwined. Gao Ling felt like her eyes were failing to process it all, and in the background, faint whispers and demon laughter echoed.

It was all like an illusion.

Yuan Yuanyuan, after spending so long in the demon world, didn’t feel much anymore. She’d grown used to it.

But Gao Ling was still human. She couldn’t adapt to this environment at all.

The aura of demons was just… different. It always carried a trace of blood.

Yuan Yuanyuan, having just knocked out an old man inside, tiptoed out, hoping no one would notice. If he woke, he wouldn’t remember anything—just assume he’d fallen asleep again.

As she exited, she suddenly noticed a painting on the doorframe—she paused. It depicted Seventeen dressed in red, made up like a woman.

Ah… it’s been so long. I almost forgot about this painting.

She stepped closer, brushed her fingers over it, and sighed. Just as she was turning to leave—

—Poke.

The painting stabbed a hole through itself.

…

WHAT?!

Yuan Yuanyuan’s face went full meme mode.

I didn’t even do anything! I just touched it! This thing’s so fragile!

She nearly tripped forward and frantically started thinking about how to patch the hole before anyone noticed.

But then she saw something odd: beneath the broken painting… a door had appeared.

She had never known there was a room behind it. It had been hidden by a wall of paintings all this time.

She hesitated, but before she could react, the door creaked open on its own.

It was pitch-black inside—she couldn’t see anything clearly.

In an instant, Yuan Yuanyuan changed her illusionary form to look like Yuan. Her expression turned serious as she stared into the tiny room.

Is this… a hidden chamber?

She thought for three seconds, then stepped inside.

There had been a painting of Yuan outside—it had to be related.

The moment she set foot inside, the candles lit up one by one. With her second step, they all flared to life.

A grand, majestic room was revealed.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked up and saw a folding screen directly ahead.

On it were bold strokes of black and red, illustrating a stunning battlefield—demons in the sky, humans on the ground, locked in a distant, tense stare.