It was a seemingly peaceful day.
When Yuan Yuanyuan got up, she had a meal, then turned on her phone, and was instantly bombarded by several back-to-back death calls. She looked at the caller—surprisingly, it was Tang Shi. Not knowing what she wanted, she thought for a moment before answering. “Hello?”
“Boss!” Tang Shi’s voice boomed from the other end. “You’re okay?!”
“Who said I wasn’t?” Yuan asked.
“My dad!” Tang Shi replied. “I’m just glad you’re fine. My dad suddenly told me last night to call you. Scared me to death—I thought something had happened to you.”
Yuan remembered Tang Shi’s dad. He was a very composed and reliable man, much more dependable than Tang Shi. Apparently, he was also quite formidable. If he knew the boss was actually Yuan, he’d likely been spooked by the recent rumors and made Tang Shi call to check in.
Thinking back, Yuan and Tang Shi did have a bit of a mentor-mentee relationship, although Yuan often forgot that part. She thought for a moment and said, “I’ve made a few enemies recently, but there’s no real danger… Go back and tell your dad not to worry about me. Also, don’t talk about me to anyone else, and don’t mention anything we talked about today to anyone.”
Tang Shi obediently agreed. Yuan then hung up, grabbed her coat, and prepared to head out. Lately, there had just been too much going on, so she was very busy—she had to rush to the tavern early in the morning.
Yao Ji was still updating regularly. The battles and plotlines followed typical shonen manga tropes, but they also had a twist—something beyond the cliché, drawing readers in to dig deeper.
Given that the official team behind the manga had been hinting at something big, everyone was watching closely. And sure enough, in the latest Sunday issue, things really did blow up—making readers go wild.
“No way… Did they just suddenly redeem Yuan?” Xiao Xi mumbled as she read the manga. She’d always been a staunch supporter of hating Seventeen, since the official narrative had clearly painted Seventeen as the main villain.
But Xiao Xi had this quirk: if a villain stayed a villain from start to finish, she was fine with it. If the villain was suddenly redeemed mid-story, she felt unsettled. And if the redemption made no sense, she’d become a hardcore anti-fan instantly, determined to tear the character apart.
According to Xiao Qiu’s philosophy—if you can’t even play the villain well, what else can you do?
Though her views were often ridiculed by her friends, Xiao Qiu never cared. She opened the new manga issue, eager to see what happened this time. If the redemption arc made her uncomfortable, she’d immediately switch to full-on critic mode, bring in seven or eight alt accounts, and unleash an epic performance online.
With that mindset, Xiao Xi started reading.
[Excerpt from the manga]
Faning had been feeling out of sorts lately. Though she was hardworking and talented, the current battles weren’t easy to break through. She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but it all felt heavier than before.
Ever since she found that page, she hadn’t felt at ease, as if it held many secrets.
Back then, Seventeen—also known as Yuan—had won a war, only to be betrayed by demons?
Faning recalled what the demon who’d once destroyed her sect had said, calling Yuan a “traitor.” But from what she saw now, Yuan didn’t seem like one—more like a pitiful figure.
Even outsiders always referred to Yuan as a traitor. Faning had believed it unquestioningly.
So what really happened back then? It seemed Yuan had been wronged?
Faning hoped for another dream—like the one she had that night, filled with strange things that still lingered in her memory.
She’d met Yuan a few times. Except for the first meeting, her impressions were all bad. Deep down, she was somewhat afraid of him. Even now, with Yuan missing, that fear still lingered.
The situation had become more intense. Although a full war between humans and demons hadn’t broken out, small skirmishes were unavoidable. Faning now transformed herself every time she returned home, sometimes even taking detours. Things she once took for granted could no longer be done.
She hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in a long time. Today, upon reaching the demon territory, she somehow dozed off. When she woke up, dusk had already arrived.
“Sorry, I don’t know how I fell asleep,” she said, embarrassed, noticing someone in red beside her.
“No worries.” The female demon poured tea, its fragrance filling the room. “You must be tired lately.”
“I’m alright,” Faning replied, though she felt momentarily dazed and didn’t know why. After a pause, she asked, “You fought in the last war, so you must be experienced now, right?”
“Experienced?” The demon looked at the teacup on the table. “Not quite. But I know you must be very tired.”
There was an odd warmth in the demon’s words. Faning wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she seemed to hear… exhaustion?
Before she could say more, a demon suddenly burst in, half-kneeling before the curtain. “Someone’s charging in outside.”
The current tensions meant fights could break out at any time. Faning immediately rushed out.
When she arrived, things looked bad. They were clearly outnumbered, and she instantly felt a chill inside.
She activated her spells, eager to help. These situations were becoming more frequent. Faning suspected the Masked Organization had grown in number. But since Yuan’s supposed death, there hadn’t been any large-scale recruitment… What was going on?
Just as she was wondering, she made a mistake.
She cursed under her breath. The intense workload had taken a toll on her body, leading to this slip at such a critical moment.
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind—she thought she was done for.
But then—
A blinding light suddenly flared in front of her. Faning watched in shock as the attacking demon was mysteriously flung away.
She froze, then noticed something slowly crawling back along the demon’s back.
It was a small, thin, red vine.
Faning immediately scrambled over. She recognized it—it belonged to one person.
Yuan.
He hadn’t shown up for so long that many believed he was dead. But now, a possible trace of him had appeared. Faning quickly gave chase, wanting to see if it was really him.
But when she arrived, there was nothing.
She stood there, dazed, then suddenly turned to check the demon that had been flung earlier.
The demon looked normal at first glance. But then Faning noticed a strange mark on its body—like a bruise, but with symbols inside, as if branded.
What was this? Faning was confused.
Could this… be something Yuan left behind? Xiao Xi stared at the manga. There were moments when it seemed Yuan had returned, but he ultimately didn’t appear.
Good… if Yuan had really shown up now, Xiao Xi might’ve downvoted the entire manga. It would’ve ruined the mood.
She kept reading the last bits of the chapter.
Faning looked at the now lifeless demon, wondering what the vine was. She took out a charm and placed it on the demon’s bruise, then searched its recent memories.
She’d used this method before, but she had recently upgraded the technique—it could now access not only visual memories but also subconscious ones.
In the darkness, she saw someone standing there. Her heart relaxed—it was Yuan. So this was related to him after all.
But what was Yuan doing?
Faning watched as Yuan stood coughing quietly, the frequency of his coughs made her anxious.
Then she saw a flash of red.
Yuan wiped the blood away, bit his finger, and subtly touched the demon’s body with it before leaving.
He had left his blood on the demon?
Faning had only heard rumors about Yuan being seriously ill. This was her first time seeing it with her own eyes.
She didn’t know why, but the sight of Yuan coughing nonstop made her inexplicably uneasy.
…And it wasn’t just Faning. Even Xiao Xi in front of the screen felt nervous. She picked up her cup and took a sip of water, staring at Yuan on the page. It took a while before she could move again.
Normally she hated villain redemption arcs. But why… why was she feeling this way now, looking at Yuan?
Yuan coughed blood in the manga panel, surrounded by pitch-black backgrounds, as if no one was around.
His black clothes almost melted into the shadows. He stood alone, silent and unnoticed.
And yet, that very image made countless readers in front of their screens feel an unsettling panic.
Everyone sensed that something was building up, something strange that they couldn’t put into words—but didn’t want to speak aloud.
Everything came down to the final panel of this issue: after wiping away all the blood, Yuan quietly stepped back into the darkness behind him.
Little Pink Starfish 
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