Little Pink Starfish

By now, the plot had progressed to such a degree that in the minds of the readers, everything felt pretty much confirmed. Even though Jiuqiu hadn’t said a word, hadn’t actually confirmed anything, somehow everyone was already absolutely convinced.

Readers were raving about how intense the plot was, how deep the waters ran. While they were terrified by the web of demons and humans, they also felt they’d already unraveled everything—that this was the so-called truth… Sometimes Yuan Yuanyuan found the comments amusing too. Human nature in all its variety—this was the first time in her life she’d taken the role of a behind-the-scenes onlooker watching everyone eat melons, so her feelings were complicated.

Being a melon farmer and a melon eater… turns out, it’s not the same thing at all. Especially when the melon is this juicy. And this wasn’t just about the comic—it was tied to real events. That’s why Yuan Yuanyuan had become extra careful with everything she said or did lately, worried that even a slight misstep might drag someone into it.

Apparently, a lot of people hadn’t been sleeping well lately. The first group Yuan Yuanyuan heard about was the spies’ camp—they seemed to be under increased scrutiny, so even when sleeping they had to leave half their people awake on night watch.

The Hundred Demon King camp was likely struggling too. The secrets they had worked so hard to bury back then were now nearly all being exposed by the gossiping crowd. The only thing the masses hadn’t yet figured out was the exact mechanics of the operation. But if that came out too—if someone fully spilled the procedure—there’d be another explosion. And if the truth about Yuan got revealed? The impact would be obvious.

It could only be said that Yuan’s story was too explosive. If someone tried to break it purely as news, many people would hesitate, fearing the consequences. But now—suddenly, this complete enigma of a person named Jiuqiu had appeared and was exposing it all from a godlike perspective through a comic… the move was so outrageous it left even Yuan Yuanyuan wanting to cheer with her real name.

People losing sleep probably also included those from City C—a bunch of small demons unsure whether war would break out, mid-level demons constantly worried about being scapegoated and hauled out for punishment…

So when Yuan Yuanyuan returned home, changed into a new identity, and curled up in bed under her blanket… that felt like the happiest moment of her life.

Some kinds of happiness really only emerge through contrast. Before, Yuan Yuanyuan used to feel pitiful for having to eat instant noodles all the time. But now, after eating all kinds of exotic delicacies in a tavern while keeping up a fake tone and posture, coming home to eat instant noodles again felt almost like a sacred ritual for poor people.

Ah… it shouldn’t feel this happy. Still broke, though.

Anyway, that’s how things had been lately. Yuan Yuanyuan often helped out in the kitchen, partly because even the little demons had started tightening up their routines. Recently, she’d heard that there might be a sweep coming to check on the local demons, so she had to maintain the appearance of a hardworking little demon who was always busy. Otherwise, how could she explain where her living expenses came from? She was a single woman supporting a cow-patterned cat.

Fat Cat, recently, had been walking around with a little bell collar. Supposedly it helped suppress his demonic aura—a gift from home. Since then, he had gotten even more into cosplaying Lord Cat. Yuan Yuanyuan once teased him, “You heartless thing. They’re cracking down on demons like you, and not only have you slipped through, you’ve got the others running scared.” Fat Cat just cheekily replied, “Then report me already, come on, hurry~”

Yuan Yuanyuan usually just bantered with him and had no real intention of reporting him. The cat was funny. Lately, he’d been reading the comments under the manga a lot—sometimes laughing, sometimes falling oddly silent. Yuan Yuanyuan hadn’t told him that the woman in red was Yuan. Partly because she didn’t want anyone else involved, but also because… she really wanted to see his reaction.

One day, while she was working, delivering drinks to customers with a tray in hand, she recalled how when she first started, seven out of every ten private rooms she walked into were cursing Yuan. But now? When she opened the doors, what she heard was completely different.

“I’m telling you, it had to be Yuan. No one else could’ve pulled it off.” One drunk man slurred across the table, spitting as he spoke. “You know why? It’s not just that he’s smart—it’s that he holds up under scrutiny. Always righteous. Never did anything dirty. At the core, the guy was just a good person…”

“…” Yuan Yuanyuan lowered her head and served the drinks silently. Seventeen might really be a good person, huh… as for Yuan, he could barely afford to be anything else.

And yet, even Seventeen was starting to feel confused. Yuan had always come across to her as a scheming, ambitious figure. But maybe the only thing “heroic” about him was just how wronged he was… wronged to the core.

“Well, even good guys drink too much,” someone muttered.

Yeah, yeah. Yuan Yuanyuan nodded subtly while pouring. Then someone else asked, “You’re saying all this about Yuan out in the open? You trying to get yourself killed? They’re cracking down hard lately…”

“No worries. I know all the waitstaff here. Right, Hong Xiu?” The drunk man grinned at Yuan Yuanyuan.

She gave a faint smile, collected the empty bottles, and exhaled deeply on her way back.

Either way, public opinion had completely flipped—especially around her. Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t really mind. If only these kinds of comments weren’t always followed by, “Too bad he died young,” then it would’ve been perfect.

Xiao Xi’s update: She was still reading manga fanfics, though not as obsessively as before.

It wasn’t that she had lost interest. It was just that reading them made her feel… off. Not in a “can’t bear it” way, but more like a bittersweet pain she couldn’t put into words.

She avoided reading too many fanfics now because she was afraid they’d give her heart problems—real, painful angst. She hadn’t felt that kind of emotional torture in a long time. The last time was probably when she binged a famous angsty fanfic and cried all the way through. Couldn’t stop reading.

Yup—Xiao Xi was a hardcore angst-lover.

She always read her goddess’s work. But since the last issue, her goddess hadn’t posted anything new. Xiao Xi wondered if she’d suffered some kind of emotional shock. She was really worried—until today, when the goddess suddenly popped up on Weibo, saying she was just blown away by the latest twist in Yao Ji. Xiao Xi knew then: a new update was coming.

The goddess shared her thoughts after reading the new chapter. According to her:

“Before this, Yuan was probably just a really popular character. But after this latest development, boom—he exploded. To put it morbidly, if Yuan really does die, he might just become a god-tier character.”

Xiao Xi found the wording crude, but the logic sound. Everyone knew it—if Yuan actually died in this arc, he’d go mega viral.

…But would a complex, washed-clean villain like him really die that easily? So many male leads had been resurrected again and again for profit, after all.

Xiao Xi shook her head. She didn’t know how to feel. But that didn’t stop her from reading the goddess’s fanfic.

“Everything… had already been planned out long ago. It was like he had rehearsed it all in his mind beforehand.”

“He looked at the other person. Just like long, long ago—still so enthusiastic and full of life.”

“How much time is left? he wondered.”

“About two months.”

“That’s how much time he had left in this world.”

“So you have to do your best to learn how to kill me, my dear student,” Yuan thought, looking at the other person. A mischievous smile played on his face—just like that time in their tiny room, sitting together, sipping tea, and he suddenly had the urge to tease him.

…

AAHHHHH I CAN’T TAKE IT! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! This trope is killing me! It’s too much angst! WHY MUST YOU HURT ME LIKE THIS?! Xiao Xi once again descended into a frenzy…

What must those final two months have felt like? She couldn’t even imagine it—it was just too heartbreaking!

In her spiral, Xiao Xi saw a recruitment ad in the comments:

[New Fanfic Writers Group – xxxxx – wanna join?]

…

When a newbie got roped in, a veteran high-level fanfic author went completely silent.

She looked at her screen and sneered.

Heh… “You know your male god is actually a crossdressing girl, right?”

“You know your idol is their own widow, right?”

Saying all that just… killed the mood. It was hard to feel hyped anymore. The internet’s celebration felt like madness now…

Yeah. Gao Ling collapsed onto her desk. The truth was—Yuan was still silently teaching Fa Ning.

The red-dressed woman was still supporting Fa Ning every day, helping him understand the organization, even backing him up.

What could she say? The waters ran deep—far deeper than anyone had imagined. Would Yuan’s layered identity eventually be revealed?

The revolution is not yet complete. Comrades must continue to fight.

It’s not over yet.