Little Pink Starfish

An old friend had resurfaced. As the inheritor of Seventeen’s legacy, Yuan Yuanyuan felt that she needed to step in. But the enemy was incredibly elusive—they hadn’t been able to catch sight of them even once.

The few people they did manage to find were already cold corpses, lying out in the open. Yuan Yuanyuan stripped them down but found no useful information, so she buried them again.

She considered going out to beat someone up herself, but the boss lady stopped her. Yuan Yuanyuan was surprised, but the boss lady said, “I don’t think they’ve actually confirmed your identity. They’re probably still suspicious and trying to bait you. If you go out now, you’ll be walking into their trap.”

Her words talked Yuan Yuanyuan down for the moment—but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t sneak out later. The boss lady had advised her to lie low; any movement risked exposing more. But Yuan Yuanyuan couldn’t settle her nerves.

One quiet night, when Si Qun had gone off to work the night shift, Yuan Yuanyuan pretended to be sick and left a double in bed, then slipped out.

Though the enemy was moving very stealthily, Yuan Yuanyuan had some inside intel and quickly tracked one of them down. She was in disguise—neither like Yuan, nor like the red-dressed woman, nor even like herself. Just a completely ordinary-looking man she’d transformed into.

Using that intel, she cornered someone in a small alley, slammed him against the wall with a punch, and gripped his throat to keep him still.

She saw him trying to move his mouth and immediately pinned him tighter, reaching into his mouth and pulling out a poison capsule, which she tossed to the ground.

Why was she so good at this…?

Well, it wasn’t really skill—she’d just seen it on TV. It was a battle of hand speed versus mouth speed, and her hand was faster.

“Who are you people?” Yuan Yuanyuan rasped. “Who sent you? What’s your purpose?”

The man struggled. She quickly subdued him but decided not to take him away herself—this kind of interrogation needed a specialist.

Just as she was about to bring him back to the tavern, a voice called out behind her: “Stop.”

Yuan Yuanyuan paused and turned. A figure cloaked in black robes stood quietly, face unreadable. But he had clearly spoken to her. Her heart sank.

Was this guy lying in wait for her…?

“And who are you?” Yuan Yuanyuan rasped again. The figure stared at her and suddenly said, “Yuan.”

She didn’t respond.

They locked eyes for a long time. Inside, Yuan Yuanyuan was shaken to her core, but outwardly she stayed calm.

The man didn’t speak again, just began walking slowly toward her. She remembered the boss lady’s advice and held her ground. The man didn’t seem surprised—almost like he was sure she was Yuan.

When they were about a meter apart, the man suddenly struck, going for her hand.

Startled, Yuan Yuanyuan dodged—but forced herself not to use the Blood Jade Demon Arts. Without that technique, her reaction was just a bit slower, and in that moment, the man reached for the little demon she’d caught, and killed him instantly.

Then he turned and walked away without a word, leaving Yuan Yuanyuan standing there, stunned.

He wasn’t just anyone… she hadn’t been able to follow his movements at all.

Even without the Blood Jade Arts, Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t think she could have easily beaten him. He was clearly skilled—maybe even the mastermind behind this whole operation.

Yuan Yuanyuan was itching to chase after him just to see his face, but in the end, she forced herself not to be reckless and slunk back to the tavern, deciding to tell no one about this.

Meanwhile, the manga plot was charging forward, and the TV drama adaptation had suddenly gone viral, to Yuan Yuanyuan’s surprise. Pretty much every actor in it had gotten popular. Back when it first aired, the comments were mostly negative, but slowly, Yuan Yuanyuan started seeing these actors and their fangirls everywhere. It felt… surreal.

She wasn’t particularly into it, but still, these were her own students—she’d trained them herself—so it felt different. She was quietly proud.

Apparently, the TV series had invited her on set, but Li Zi Jie had turned it down for her, saying it wasn’t safe for her to appear publicly right now. Yuan Yuanyuan only found out later, through a gossiping little demon.

She wasn’t too disappointed. Jie Jie had meant well, so she didn’t complain.

That night, Yuan Yuanyuan didn’t mention a word about what had happened. She genuinely felt embarrassed—she had marched out full of confidence, only to get played like a fool.

She collapsed onto her bed, canceled her illusion, and stared blankly. While she was zoning out, there was a knock at the door. Startled, she opened it to find Si Qun standing there.

“…What are you doing here, dummy?” Yuan Yuanyuan asked. Si Qun had just come back, still in his usual white shirt and worn jeans, holding two big peaches—he gave one to her.

Wow, peaches in this season were rare. Yuan Yuanyuan looked at the one he handed her, thinking, This kid actually has a conscience—saving the good stuff for me.

She took a bite. Sweet juice filled her mouth. Yuan Yuanyuan squinted happily at Si Qun, then reached out to ruffle his messy hair—only to realize he had vanished.

…Huh? Where’d Si Qun go?

She searched around and finally found him.

He was sitting deep in the room, blankly staring at the ceiling and chewing on a peach. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp…

…What was he doing? Why was he just sitting there after giving her fruit? Wasn’t he skipping SpongeBob? Yuan Yuanyuan glanced at the time and felt confused—it was the first time she’d seen Si Qun not hiding in his room watching TV. He was actually hiding in hers. Unheard of.

She walked over and waved a hand in front of his face. “Aren’t you going to sleep? Working all day must’ve tired you out.”

“N-No. I’m not tired,” Si Qun whispered.

“Well, if you’re not going to sleep, I am.” Yuan Yuanyuan yawned. She really couldn’t hold on anymore. People thought she’d been resting in bed all night, but she had actually been out all yesterday—and was dead tired.

She pulled out her blanket, collapsed into bed, and fell asleep immediately without another word.

In her half-asleep daze, she thought she heard something. But she was too exhausted to care. She barely cracked an eye open and saw Si Qun slipping out the door—then she went back to sleep.

At 3 p.m., Yuan Yuanyuan woke up. Outside, the sky was glowing red. At some point, it had started snowing.

The snowfall was heavy. Several lotus pots in the courtyard were now mounded with snow, looking like tiny snow barrels. The withered lotus flowers had been buried. Yuan Yuanyuan rubbed her eyes and glanced at Si Qun, who was quietly gnawing on an apple. The guy had an endless stash of snacks—she had no idea where he kept getting them. Had he switched from nectar to fruit now that he was human?

Yuan Yuanyuan walked down to the second-floor landing and suddenly froze.

There were several half-filled fish tanks that usually looked really pretty, with aquatic plants, fake rocks, and small fish—plus heating equipment. But now they were covered in a thin sheet of ice, and the fish inside looked like they were rolling their eyes in distress.

What happened? Did no one move the tanks when it started snowing?

Yuan Yuanyuan was confused. Si Qun usually doted on his plants and fish, checking on them a dozen times a day. Normally, he would’ve moved everything before the snow hit. But today, he’d completely neglected his tanks, letting them freeze.

A few evergreen potted plants nearby were wilted too. Technically, they were “evergreens,” but even they couldn’t survive this abuse. Yuan Yuanyuan picked up two flower pots and cradled a fish tank in one arm, muttering as she headed upstairs, “Qun’er, why didn’t you take care of your plants and fish today? And the cat… where’s the cat?”

Si Qun, watching TV, seemed to freeze for a second. Then he suddenly yelped, “Ah!” and rushed over to help her carry things.

What’s up with him today…? Yuan Yuanyuan frowned. Then she remembered the half-dream state she’d been in earlier.

Wait… that time wasn’t when Si Qun usually left the house, was it? What had he been doing then?