Little Pink Starfish

Let’s set aside the despair Gao Ling and the others felt when they realized they couldn’t post comments. On Yuan Yuanyuan’s side, ever since she was rescued, she had completely collapsed—flat out. This was easily the most intense experience she’d ever had in her life, a level of shock and pain that was almost indescribable.

She lay on her bed feeling like there was a draft blowing through her neck… whooshing… so much that she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

What the hell… why does this feel so weird?

The tavern hostess sat beside her, and Yuan Yuanyuan tried to defend herself, wanting to prove she wasn’t totally useless. “I’ve been injured recently… and I couldn’t reveal my identity when he attacked, so…”

“Enough, stop talking.” The hostess cut her off. “Focus on healing. Don’t get hurt again for a while.”

Yuan Yuanyuan lay on the floor, freshly bandaged by the medic, feeling like she had no will to live. Now lying there idle, she was bored.

Sleepiness started creeping in. The medic said she was temporarily out of danger, so she figured she could rest now. And rest she did—she slept like the dead.

When she woke up again, she ate something, then promptly went back to bed. She didn’t even check the time. All she knew was that she had slept for nearly a whole day and night.

And then she slept again—another full day and night without waking. By this point, the outside world had gone completely mad. The news that the Red-Dressed Woman hadn’t appeared for two straight days shocked everyone.

The anti-war monsters were especially stunned. After all, the Red-Dressed Woman had once unleashed a powerful move that left everyone in awe. How had she suddenly become so weak?

But when they looked at the tavern hostess, they saw that she was calm and confident. If anyone asked, she’d simply say, “Don’t worry. I anticipated this.” And since everyone trusted her, they took her word for it.

Within the anti-war organization, Yuan Yuanyuan was more of a mascot than a real power player. The true big shot was the hostess, who kept everything running smoothly. Though her reputation outside was low-profile, everyone inside the organization trusted her deeply.

This resulted in a strange dynamic: outsiders thought the anti-war group was finished, while insiders remained steady and unfazed.

During this time, Fa Ning even returned from the front lines. He had been summoned by the hostess herself, who persistently had a little monster contact him. Though confused, Fa Ning obeyed her repeated requests and came back.

The moment he arrived in C City, he was startled by the atmosphere. The sky was still blood-red. Monsters and humans were clashing everywhere. Even ordinary people had started staying indoors—the eerie feeling in the air had become impossible to ignore.

The city had grown so tense that even regular humans could feel it. The weather had turned gloomy. The pressure was suffocating.

When Yuan Yuanyuan next awoke, she saw someone sitting near the curtain.

Huh? Who’s that? Her vision was still blurry after so much sleep. But after a closer look, she suddenly realized—

Oh, crap. That’s Fa Ning.

He sat there quietly. Upon hearing her stir, he asked, “You’re awake?”

“…Ah,” Yuan Yuanyuan responded weakly, her voice hoarse. She didn’t even know how long she’d been asleep. But honestly, she had to give herself credit—after lying here this long, she still hadn’t dropped her disguise. In a way, that was impressive.

She had been sleeping nonstop for days, but she didn’t think that was a bad thing. It probably meant her body was finally repairing itself. Still, things hadn’t been peaceful. Even while half-asleep, she had heard people coming and going, speaking with the hostess, then leaving again.

Voices droning on and on like mosquitoes—sometimes even disrupting her sleep.

Fa Ning stood by the doorway. He seemed to be discussing something with the hostess. Yuan Yuanyuan, still groggy, couldn’t make out much of it. She only vaguely heard the hostess briefing him about her condition, and then Fa Ning agreeing to something. After that, he and the hostess left together, and she was alone again.

This time, Yuan Yuanyuan forced herself to stay awake. She looked at her skin—it was pale and fragile. Even a gentle touch hurt, which scared her.

This time felt different. Unlike her last staged “injury,” this one was very real.

She hadn’t expected Fa Ning to actually come back. That he had traveled all this way… was a surprise.

“What did you say to him?” Yuan Yuanyuan asked the hostess while sipping her medicine. “He came back just like that?”

She knew he’d been extremely busy. Returning now meant giving something up. But if he didn’t return, the anti-war group might not survive.

After all, Fa Ning was human. For him to help this non-human organization… wasn’t that a conflict of interest?

The hostess sat beside her, gently applying medicine as she said, “I told him the tavern’s name is ‘Qiu Ying.’ That was Sister Yuan’s name.”

Yuan Yuanyuan silently felt the fingers stroking her hair.

“Then I said: ‘This is the place your master once vowed to protect. Now that it’s in trouble, of course her disciple should come back.’” The hostess smoothed down her hair and fell silent.

Yuan Yuanyuan’s expression turned strange. She glanced at Fa Ning and wondered, Did he really come back just because of that one sentence?

That was… unexpected.

The hostess lowered her head and smiled. “And he really did come back. What do you think?”

“…Well, whatever.” Yuan Yuanyuan said. “If he’s back, then he’s back. The tavern’s going to be busy again. Sorry for the trouble.”

The hostess beamed, said a few more words, and left.

Yuan Yuanyuan stared after her. Maybe it was her imagination, but ever since she’d been injured, the hostess seemed to have awakened some kind of bizarre sadistic-or-maternal energy. The weaker Yuan Yuanyuan acted, the more gentle and radiant the hostess became.

Lately, the way she was being looked after made her feel like she was surrounded by a garden full of blooming lilies…

She swore she’d recover soon—get back on her feet—and return to Si Qun.

She wasn’t too worried about him. Recently, so many little monsters had died. One day when she went out, she stumbled across a brutal battle nearby. If she hadn’t come back, she might’ve gone missing too. So even if she didn’t die, the chances of disappearing were high. Li Zi Jie and Si Qun were probably already mentally prepared.

Once she returned, she’d just make up some nonsense, and they’d probably let it slide. No need to stress.

Her condition slowly improved. She wasn’t well enough to wander around, but she was on the mend. That injury had been far worse than she expected—almost like she’d hurt something fundamental.

Now she only worried about what would happen when her period came… The last time she was injured during that time, it was a living nightmare—tears and agony.

That day, Yuan Yuanyuan slumped against a big pillow, one hand out, scrolling on her phone like a perfect couch potato.

She’d been drifting in and out of sleep for days, unaware of much. She figured she didn’t need to be that involved anyway—things had been just fine without her before. But when she read the comic, she realized her presence had recently become… pretty significant.

The comic had already depicted the Red-Dressed Woman’s injury. But it hadn’t yet specified how long Yuan Yuanyuan had been unconscious—just a brief mention, before switching focus to Fa Ning’s return.

It even showed the conversation between Fa Ning and the hostess. As Yuan Yuanyuan expected, Fa Ning was reluctant at first. Coming back now would definitely cost him something. But then the hostess said:

“This is the place your master once protected. Now it’s your turn.”

Fa Ning paused, silent for a few seconds—then gently nodded.

Online, the comments section exploded. The “Yuan-Ning” shippers were having the time of their lives—blaring funeral dirges and wedding marches at the same time. Their enthusiasm was off the charts. Onlookers could only mourn silently from the sidelines.

[This is what happens when one half of your OTP dies. Tragic. These people have gone completely mad.]
[I weep for you all. I will not become like this. Ever.]
[You’re setting up a flag with that statement. Don’t come back crying when it hits you later.]

Yuan Yuanyuan read the comic and suddenly felt like this was a classic “student inheriting the master’s will” moment… Were the elders finally stepping down, handing things off to the new generation?

That thought was oddly melancholic. But Fa Ning was the protagonist, after all. Seeing his reaction in the comic, Yuan Yuanyuan felt a strange sense of comfort.

Not bad. The guy still had a bit of a conscience—he’d actually come back over just one sentence.

Still… she couldn’t help but wonder what he had truly felt in that moment.