Volume 1, Chapter 11: Great-Uncle, Help, It's Urgent

“Yuyu, can you tell me who hurt you?”

Faced with Lu Qingyu’s sudden concern, Lin Yuyu felt a mix of confusion and unease.

But after some thought, she realized there was no harm in sharing.

Leaning closer to Lu Qingyu, she whispered, “Hey, do you know the Li brothers?”

Lu Qingyu shook his head.

The surname Li and having brothers was an all-too-common combination on Azure Star.

Lin Yuyu continued, “They’re those brothers who are always stealing things everywhere, you know?”

Lu Qingyu still shook his head. “There are plenty like that even in the safe zone.”

He couldn’t be sure who Yuyu was referring to.

“Well...” Lin Yuyu hesitated, unsure how to describe them since she didn’t know much about the two brothers.

After resting her chin on her hand and thinking for a moment, she summarized, “From what I’ve observed, one is the older brother and the other the younger. They must be biological brothers because the older one seems very protective of the younger. Both are tall and slender with buzz cuts; the younger brother is slightly sturdier.”

She gestured with her hand before continuing, “They both look fierce, but the older one is more reserved, while the younger is slicker. They used to get chased around the West and South districts for stealing, and I heard people calling them Li Da and Li Er.”

“Does that ring a bell?” she asked.

A few faces flickered through Lu Qingyu’s mind. “Sort of?”

Lin Yuyu nodded. “Okay then. But why are you asking?”

Lu Qingyu hesitated. “I… I said I care about you and want to avenge you. Do you believe me?”

“Ah—ha—haha,” Lin Yuyu laughed awkwardly. She wasn’t convinced he could do that for her but didn’t say so. Instead, she complimented him, “You’re actually quite a good person.”

“But it’s better if I handle it myself,” she added.

Mainly because she thought her slender neighbor didn’t look like someone who could win a fight. Also, they weren’t close enough for her to ask for such help. She preferred to resolve her own matters without involving others.

Lu Qingyu sighed inwardly; he had expected this.

Young people often had strong pride and insisted on avenging themselves.

He wanted to help her out of trouble, but since she preferred to do it alone, he decided to teach her some ways to use marine creatures against humans.

“Then…”

Just as he was about to offer some lessons, a distress signal arrived:

“Little Uncle, SOS, Little Octopus Liu.”

At the same moment, Lin Yuyu’s terminal beeped.

She opened it to find a friendly notice from the service center warning of an approaching storm surge in the coming days, advising everyone to stay indoors unless necessary and to be cautious.

“Lu…” Lin Yuyu was about to call Lu Qingyu by his full name but changed it under his gaze, “Qingyu gege.”

“Hm? What’s wrong…”

“It’s getting late. I should head back. Let’s talk another day?”

“All right, take care of your wound and get some rest. We’ll talk later.”

As Lin Yuyu reached the door but hesitated, Lu Qingyu tilted his head. “What’s wrong? Did you drop something?”

He moved to help her inside.

“No, Qingyu ge,” Lin Yuyu took out her keys and handed them to him. “Could you help me open the door?”

She had wanted to say it before—only her arm was injured; there was no need to wrap her whole hand.

But since he was being kind, she didn’t object. If her hand looked like a round paw, so be it. Still, she needed his help to open the door.

Finally, with Lu Qingyu’s help, she entered her home and was about to close the door and say goodbye when two vials of nutrient solution were pressed into her hands.

“The storm is coming. Keep these with you and avoid going out to gather for the next couple of days. If you need help, come next door.”

“Uh…” She felt awkward. Before she could refuse, he quickly added,

“Don’t be so polite. We’re neighbors. If you feel bad, just repay me when you have extra next time.”

He cut off her refusal.

Before leaving, Lu Qingyu gently ruffled Lin Yuyu’s hair and whispered, “Go to bed early. Good night.”

“Okay, good night, Qingyu ge.”

With a soft click, the door closed before him.

The next moment, Lu Qingyu also closed his own door but didn’t go inside to sleep. Instead, with a face full of reluctant expression, he slipped quietly into the night to rescue the little octopus.

Inside, Lin Yuyu held the two vials, gently patting her flushed cheeks.

Inside her heart: Ah! So warm and gentle! So pleasant to listen to! How can someone be so handsome and have such a soothing voice? That brother just killed me.

At this moment, calling him “brother” came naturally.

But Lin Yuyu’s infatuation lasted only a moment before her heart returned to its calm state.

She stored the nutrient vials safely and chewed on some dried vegetables the original owner had hidden away.

“Crunch—crunch—”

Elsewhere,

In a dark, windy alley, rustling sounds could be heard.

Xie Lin, who had narrowly escaped pursuit to this spot, was growing impatient. “Ancestor, can you stop squeezing that plastic bag? Can’t you just give me some peace?”

The pink little octopus that had accidentally saved Xie Lin waved its tentacles. “Is this how you treat your savior?”

The rustling continued incessantly.

“Sorry, I was wrong,” Xie Lin said, lowering his head and curling up in a pitiful, homeless pose. He really was foolish to think a child would be easy to reason with.

Seeing him crouched against the wall, the pink octopus discarded the plastic bag it had just picked up and approached.

It stretched out a tentacle and patted his foot—since it couldn’t reach anywhere else—“Have you been discovered?”

“…Not yet.”

“Then how did you get hurt like this?”

“Ha… it’s a heartbreak. What do you know, little octopus who just came ashore?”

Rustle-rustle-rustle—

Seeing the octopus rubbing that mysterious plastic bag again, Xie Lin, afraid the noise might attract pursuers, apologized once more, “Please stop… I’m sorry.”

The little octopus was easygoing. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

It put down the bag and continued, “So, were you exposed?”

“Why do you keep asking that? No! No exposure! I’m hiding well!”

“If you’re hiding so well, how did you get hurt like this?”

“Heh, I told you, heartbreak. I was hurt by my lover.”

“You’re really unlucky.” The pink octopus solemnly resolved to add “stay away from love” to its list of lessons now that it had just arrived on land.

Suddenly, a small head popped out of the nearby trash can, addressing the octopus, “Don’t believe everything he says. He’s just fooling you.”

Hearing this, Xie Lin quickly straightened up, trying to salvage his fragile image. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not like that.”

But from a shadowed corner, another voice bluntly exposed him, “Who doesn’t know you?”

“I told you, this body isn’t suitable for you. You have friends and family, but you just have to cry over someone else’s wife, wanting to ‘resurrect’ her husband. Now look where you are. This is your own doing.”

“Heartbreak? You need feelings first. You don’t have any. You’re just jealous because you saw a beautiful wife and turned green with envy. The whole family is chasing you. What heartbreak? You just lack emotional intelligence.”

“Ahem… clownfish, don’t misuse human words you barely know. Also, I called you all here to help me, not to mock me.”

The pink octopus raised a tentacle. “I’m not even as big as your palm; I can’t save you.”

“Not that I’m…” How could I put my hopes in a random little octopus who looks useless and whose background I don’t know?

“But don’t worry, I’ve already called someone for you.”

“Who?” Xie Lin was surprised. The least expected was now the most promising.

“My great-uncle.”

That rank sounded venerable. Xie Lin’s face brightened, rubbing his hands eagerly. “When will great-uncle arrive?”