Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan had never really taken this whole Moe Battle thing seriously… In her mind, there was no way she’d rank so low that she’d get killed off by Si Qun. If she’d ever worried about that in the past, she didn’t think about it at all now.

At this point, the only one who could kill her… was herself!

Despite her tsundere words, her body was being very honest — she had already moved in front of the computer to check her Moe Battle ranking. She was charging ahead in first place, far ahead of second.

Damn… she really had pulled off the rare situation of a side character outshining the protagonist. Staring at the screen, Yuan Yuanyuan thought, that’s kind of an achievement in itself. Across all those manga series, how many side characters ever manage to do that?

After washing and hanging up her clothes, Yuan Yuanyuan thought about how, ever since she had successfully taught that Yuan actor how to do a certain move, he’d been really interested in her. He even asked if she came from some prestigious performance troupe.

Yuan Yuanyuan told him no, that she was just a miscellaneous worker. But in front of humans, she couldn’t exactly reveal that. After all, the crew had brought back one of their “masters,” and if she just blurted out the truth, she might offend someone.

The filming at the hotel had gone on for several days. Yuan Yuanyuan had been so busy running back and forth that she lost track of time. Then one day, when she looked up, she suddenly realized — the Moe Battle was about to end…

And when the Moe Battle ended, wasn’t that also the air date for the TV drama? Yuan Yuanyuan got excited immediately. She remembered the banner she saw at the top of Mengman — as soon as the Moe Battle rankings were out, the TV drama would begin airing.

The shoot was almost done, with just a few action scenes left. Yuan Yuanyuan felt a weird kind of giddy excitement.

She began considering what snacks to buy to enjoy while watching the show.
Coke was a must. But should she get chips or cake?

Fat Cat had no idea what Yuan Yuanyuan had been out doing these past few days… All he knew was that she went on a business trip at someone’s request. He even grumbled in private about how someone who worked at a tavern could possibly have a business trip. Why not just stay put and mind the bar?
Of course, he got a proper scolding from Yuan Yuanyuan for that.

Little did he know, Yuan Yuanyuan was no ordinary person. She was the famous Hongxiu Jie now. Anyone who visited the set and recognized her would always sneak a glance her way — something that gave Yuan Yuanyuan a rare sense of satisfaction.

She couldn’t help it. Her other identity was impressive too, but it never got much screen time. Compared to that, being recognized and praised in her real identity actually felt pretty good.

“Hongxiu Jie, off work again… Interested in a cameo on our set?” The guy she was handing off duties to asked her, testing the waters.

After these few days, even the director knew there was a martial arts coordinator here who looked suspiciously like a manga background character.
Apparently, the director was just an ordinary guy who didn’t know anything.

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced over at the Yuan actor. The drama was being filmed and aired simultaneously. If things went according to plan, the broadcast would eventually catch up to the manga — especially since some parts of the manga hadn’t even been drawn yet. So the actors could only film up to a certain point.

“Hongxiu Jie, thank you for your guidance these past few days,” the actor said to her.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Yuan Yuanyuan waved it off and handed him a notebook. “Some kids from around my place asked me to get a few autographs.”

“Jie, no need to be so polite.” The actor smiled as he signed his name, and Yuan Yuanyuan gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “It’s fine. Once the show finishes airing, your value’s going to double. I probably won’t be able to afford to talk to you then.”

“No way.” The actor smiled sheepishly.

Yuan Yuanyuan picked up her bag and left, returning to her little shabby apartment.

“Fat Cat, the drama’s going to start airing in a few days. Are you going to watch it?” she asked.

“Nope! Doesn’t matter how they act — it’s still going to suck!” Fat Cat turned his head with a huff.

“Really?” Yuan Yuanyuan replied cryptically.

Over the next few days, she persistently tried to convince Fat Cat to watch the premiere. But he stubbornly refused. “I’m not watching it. End of story.” This left Yuan Yuanyuan at a bit of a loss.

Finally, the day of the premiere arrived. Yuan Yuanyuan and Fat Cat sat together with chips and Coke in front of them. The Moe Battle rankings came out first — no surprise there. Yuan had ranked first.
Fat Cat let out a surprised yelp. Yuan Yuanyuan gave a few polite claps before settling in front of the TV, eyes glued to the screen.

Fat Cat scooted over.
“What, you actually interested now?”

“Well, you never know… What if it turns out better than expected? I’ve met the real Yuan, and the fake one doesn’t seem—”

“Lies. Yuan’s been to your tavern who knows how many times,” Fat Cat said with a scornful face.

They were chatting when the opening theme suddenly started playing. Yuan Yuanyuan immediately hushed up and started watching.

This drama… it was clearly aimed at a younger audience. So inevitably, they cast a bunch of young, good-looking guys. Forget acting skills — their faces were already winning.

Yuan Yuanyuan watched, gasping again and again. She’d seen it before on set, but this version had post-production effects. Sure, the effects were cheap and cheesy, but honestly, some of the magic looked better with the effects — it gave it a strange charm.

“Hey, hey! Look at that actor, so handsome!” Yuan Yuanyuan shouted at Fat Cat. “The fans online complain his makeup is too greasy… They haven’t seen him in person. He looks way worse in real life! You think any real young guy is this good-looking?”

“What exactly are you watching this for…” Fat Cat said helplessly.

“Whoa! This effect is cool!” Yuan Yuanyuan shouted again. “It looks even better than real magic!”

“What the… you’ve lost it.” Fat Cat gave her a look. “Why are you comparing TV special effects to actual magic? That’s not even remotely comparable in terms of utility.”

Gao Ling also sat in front of her TV with a Coke.
She didn’t expect the show to be good — but who cared? Raging at adaptations was part of a fan’s sacred duty. She’d come with that mindset.

As the opening theme played, Gao Ling couldn’t stop giggling like a fool. Her mom, sitting beside her, looked creeped out and turned to ask, “What are you laughing at, girl?”

“Nothing, nothing…” Gao Ling replied, but as another cheesy effect flashed on the screen, she burst out laughing again, spraying water everywhere.

“Go away! If you’re not going to watch, then leave. Don’t sit here spitting everywhere!” her mom complained.

“Okay, okay, I’ll leave for a bit.” Gao Ling finally stood up and walked away with her cup, furiously messaging her friends in the Penguin group chat, roasting the show.

[OMG, what’s with that makeup? It’s full-on “Shamate” (emo-punk) style! Why make the monsters look like that?]
[That expression is so weird… totally meme-worthy. I’m captioning this one: ‘Didn’t expect that, huh.jpg.’]
[Don’t do that… this guy’s actually hot. You’re all going to ruin him.]
[He’s hot, sure, but that doesn’t mean his expressions aren’t cringe.]

Gao Ling laughed herself out, finally calming down enough to return. By the time she came back, the opening had ended and the story was well underway.

“I think this part is when Farning was investigating a series of strange disappearances and tracked them to City C…” Gao Ling mused.

Just then, on the screen, Farning entered a dark alley. Gao Ling stopped mid-sip.

“The episode’s started!” Yuan Yuanyuan nudged Fat Cat with her elbow.

This was the chapter where Yuan saved the girl in the alley. Years ago, it was this exact chapter that had dragged Yuan Yuanyuan into this bottomless pit. If she’d known back then what would happen, she’d never have turned that first page.

And the girl being saved? That was Xiao Ying — she lived just next door now. Yuan Yuanyuan wondered what kind of expression she had on her face watching the show right now… The thought was oddly funny, yet also a little terrifying.

So Demon Chronicles had really been made into a drama… for everyone to watch.
It kind of felt like the parallel worlds were bleeding together.
But Yuan Yuanyuan liked finding joy in the miserable. Maybe showing these tragic stories to others could actually bring the world a little laughter.

“Seriously, Fat Cat, look. There might be a surprise in there somewhere.” Yuan Yuanyuan said as she tugged on his tail. After all, this scene had the actor dangling on wires, and she’d secretly helped him get it right.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying. Fine, one glance,” Fat Cat grumbled.

“Just one. C’mon, turn your head.” Yuan Yuanyuan coaxed him like a parent tricking a kid into taking medicine.

Fat Cat turned his head with exaggerated reluctance, clearly planning to glance and then immediately look away — but right at that moment, a figure soared across the screen like a swallow in flight.

He suddenly locked eyes on the screen… and couldn’t look away.