Little Pink Starfish

Si Qun didn’t come along in the end. Instead, Yuan Yuanyuan brought another decent-looking young man and a few demon girls, all packed and ready to go.

At first, she had been unsure about whether to join them, but then Li Zi Jie came over and told her to go along. Since she was a half-demon, she’d probably be more familiar with the human world.

Yuan Yuanyuan thought, Well… okay. After all, Li Zi Jie did know she was a half-demon. So she went home, packed a small bag, and stared moodily at Fat Cat. Fat Cat was busy trying to make a fuss about tagging along. Yuan Yuanyuan just silently scooped him up and gave him a furious round of petting, completely ignoring his idea.

The location they were heading to wasn’t far from Yuan Yuanyuan’s old shop, so if she needed anything, she could easily pick it up nearby. No need to bring much. Still, she made a show of packing a few outfits into a suitcase to keep up appearances.

The next morning, she was at the tavern door by 8 a.m. with the others, waiting to depart for the filming site.

Yuan Yuanyuan, as the most “ordinary-looking” demon (no exaggeration), didn’t stand out at all in the group. She looked behind her and was instantly blinded by the sight.

It was… beautiful women. Top-tier beautiful women. The kind that could attract a crowd just by standing still.

But these weren’t just pretty faces—they were demons. All kinds of demons. Like something straight out of Legend of Nezha. Yuan Yuanyuan glanced sideways at a fox spirit nearby… she was so seductive it was hard for even Yuan Yuanyuan, also a woman, to stand her ground. A whole crowd of demon girls in OL uniforms, standing in formation on the street—yeah, the head-turn rate was off the charts.

And Yuan Yuanyuan, of course, was the leader of this army. Naturally, she had to walk at the front.

Why at the front? Because she was scared the girls in the back would get lost. That’s right—get lost.

“I saw this building from the sky before!” the fox spirit Yuan Yuanyuan had been eyeing earlier said, giggling as she chatted with another demon. “But this is my first time actually coming down.”

Yuan Yuanyuan quietly looked up at the sky. So they’d passed by during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, huh… but why didn’t they come down? Were they afraid of getting lost?

Are all of you social anxiety gremlins or what?

She looked out the car window in frustration as the scenery on both sides blurred past.

It wasn’t until she had worked at the tavern for a whole year that she realized how lucky she had been—after all, it was Li Zi Jie who had brought her in. Li Zi Jie mostly stayed in the kitchen, but her status was clearly very high. Yuan Yuanyuan could guess why now—she was Si Qun’s older sister, and Si Qun had a rather unique position. Yuan Yuanyuan had long suspected there was a deeper reason those two stayed at the tavern.

So a half-demon like her being taken in, and now even leading others? It was wild.

If it hadn’t been for that whole incident with Yuan, she might’ve just stayed there quietly working—what a peaceful life that could’ve been.

Lost in thought, Yuan Yuanyuan snapped out of it to realize they’d already arrived. Everyone tidied up their appearance before going in. Yuan Yuanyuan made sure to tidy herself up extra carefully—after all, she was walking at the front.

She had done up her hair in an elaborate style and applied bright red lipstick she’d never normally dare to wear. Dressed in a sleek black OL uniform and 8cm high heels, she looked like she had descended from the heavens.

It kind of made up for the regret of never becoming an office lady after graduation. This was her first time wearing a full OL outfit—and paired with the hair, it gave off an odd, mismatched vibe.

The client had asked the tavern to send people who wouldn’t draw too much attention or stand out from regular humans. But Yuan Yuanyuan had a feeling just showing up as a group of “normal humans” would already be enough to freak them out. That’s just how mysterious their clients were.

But Yuan Yuanyuan, being the clever demon she was, wouldn’t let that kind of thing happen.

That morning, the set was still being prepped. The actors hadn’t arrived yet, and the crew was busy cleaning. Suddenly, a whole group of women entered—all wearing black uniforms and high heels—striding in sync and heading up the stairs.

The number of people staring grew. Everyone noticed.

“Who are they?” someone whispered.

“Makeup artists? What happened to the old ones?”

“I think they got fired?”

Leading them was a woman in an incredibly chic black suit, hair pinned in a classic, elegant style with a jade hairpin.

The rest of the group were stunningly attractive in their own right, all dressed in OL outfits that made them look like actors themselves. A few guys even got nosebleeds just watching… The outfits were perfectly decent, and yet somehow gave off a… provocative vibe.

The few men in the group were absurdly handsome too, all tall and lean. The entire group had an aura so synchronized they practically marched to a beat. It was so cinematic that onlookers just quietly started filming on their phones.

Yuan Yuanyuan led the group with impressive presence. For some reason, she was reminded of the northwest…

Wait. Why was she connecting that to this? One group looked like they were about to pick a fight. This one was more like a demon beauty parade.

“Hello, we’re the ones with the appointment today. I’m Hongxiu. If anything comes up, please direct it to me.” Yuan Yuanyuan spoke to the person waiting to receive them at the top of the stairs. Everyone behind her came to a perfect halt—after all, they were all professionals in the service industry.

With their elegant posture, it looked like a promo shoot. You could’ve taken a random photo and used it as a poster.

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced at the people opposite them and walked over with her group trailing behind. The demons from the tavern stayed in character the whole time, with frosty elegance and no slip-ups.

Yuan Yuanyuan could hear all kinds of whispers floating in from all directions.

As they walked further inside, things got more interesting. This was Yuan Yuanyuan’s first time here, and she realized there were quite a few demons among the crew. Based on the whispers she’d heard earlier… could it be that this show had demon investors?

Why though? Why do this to yourselves? Why not just fund a historical romance instead of this tough-to-sell live-action adaptation? Was this… demon sentimentality at play? Yuan Yuanyuan felt like her internal monologue had been getting way too long lately. And apparently, bottomless.

Even within the crew, some people clearly knew their true identities—and others had no idea. Some seemed to suspect but were holding it in, acting like they were the only one who’d figured it out.

Yuan Yuanyuan’s gaze lingered on a few people with odd expressions, and she internally laughed so hard she was shaking: Confused, huh? Hurts, doesn’t it? Get lost in that agony!

Feeling miserable yet? Just admit it!

This was her first time playing the role of a big boss observing the crowd, and honestly, it was kind of fun. Having read so many novels and comics, she could practically read what people were imagining.

And those imaginations? Easily enough material for a new fanfic:
“The Year I Worked on a Demon Drama Set”
With a bit of humor, it might just go viral.

Once inside the break room, everyone collapsed immediately, flopping onto couches.

“Oh my god, that was terrifying,” the fox spirit whined delicately. “Why were so many people staring at me?”

“Because you’re pretty.”

“Nooo, I’m not~” she giggled behind her hand. Yuan Yuanyuan gave her a sidelong glance. Girl, weren’t you the one who literally killed your ex-boyfriend the other night? That rich demon dude who always came to the tavern? He’s probably rolling in his grave.

She sat down, gritting her teeth as she kicked off her 8cm heels to relieve her aching feet. That’s when she overheard people talking outside.

“Wow, they really are demons! Even though they’re dressed normally, they just give off this demon vibe!”

“Yeah, especially that lead demon lady. Her aura is something else.”

Seriously? That’s just your bias talking… Yuan Yuanyuan thought. I’m literally the only half-demon here. If anyone lacks that “demonic aura,” it’s me.

Just as she was finishing adjusting her shoes and about to step out, she heard someone say, “Hey, what did that demon lady call herself again just now? She said her name was Hongxiu?”

“I think there’s a Hongxiu in the Demon Registry…”

“No way! Wait, check the photo we just took—pull it up!”

Yuan Yuanyuan: “…Eh?”

Eh?

EH!

She whipped her head around.

Wait a minute—crap! I still have a secret identity in the Demon Registry comic!!

And by the end of that morning, everyone in the crew who could recognize that their production now included a character who had appeared in the actual comic… knew.