The Royal Crest's grand lobby was brightly lit, but the air was like a thin layer of mist... cold and sharp.
At a table near the glass door, F3 sat with a few Shanghainese gentlemen.
The exquisite cappuccino was fragrant, but the stories had a smell of gunpowder.
Marcus (leisurely flipping through the electronic newspaper): "This morning's news is all about Aurora... it's like the whole school forgot who was the host here."
Jenden (laughing softly, fingers twirling the espresso cup): "The crowd is always susceptible to hallucinations... especially when led by a smile."
Liam (leaning back, voice low and even): "But hallucinations are fragile. Just one touch in the right place."
The Shanghainese ladies sitting next to her pretended to read the news but their eyes never left the three people.
The lobby door opened. Aurora walked in.
The light reflected on her black hair, her green eyes scanned the entire room... then locked onto F3.
She said nothing, just smirked.
The smile was full of hidden meaning, like a direct message: "I'm still standing here, what are you guys going to do?"
Marcus slowly folded the newspaper, Liam put down the cup, and Jenden just curled his lips slightly, enough to say that the game wasn't over yet.
Aurora continued to walk past, her heels clicking steadily. Just as she was about to turn into the main hallway, the silhouettes of four people blocked her way.
Knox (deep voice, standing with Blacke, Zane, Easton): "You kept the whole school up at night last night."
Blacke (with an unpredictable smile): "Win a game of pool, shake the whole system."
Zane (hands in pockets): "So… what's your next move?"
Aurora tilted her head, her eyes sharp but calm.
Aurora: "Next move? Sometimes, you just need to stand still… and let the other person lose their balance."
The F4 exchanged a brief glance, as if they understood each other.
At the coffee table, Jenden put down his cup, his voice low but loud enough for Marcus and Liam to hear:
Jenden: "If she wants to stand still... we'll drag the ground under her feet."
Marcus nodded slightly, Liam smiled, a smile that was not warm at all.
In the corner, the Shanghai group's camera lens flashed, capturing the moment Aurora walked with F4.
The power game had changed the rules.
And F3's retaliation... had just begun.
The sound of Aurora's shoes had just disappeared in the hallway, Jenden leaned toward Marcus and Liam.
His voice was low, as if he was discussing the weather, but underneath was cold steel:
Jenden: "She won in the pool room last night... she'll pay the price in class this morning."
Marcus smiled faintly, opening the hologram on his watch:
Marcus: "I just got word: the Economics professor will be giving a surprise group test. We can… adjust the group list."
Liam tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes calculating each step:
Liam: "Not just in class. Tonight, the Art Institute Gala… we'll make sure Aurora doesn't have a place to stand next to F4."
Jenden curled his lips, raising his espresso:
Jenden: "Good. Let her understand… the spotlight never shines on its own, there is always a human hand controlling it."
Noon, Classroom 12
Aurora opened the door and walked in, but immediately noticed something strange.
On the hologram board showing the test group, her name was pushed into group 5 of all the new students, the weakest in the class.
On the other side of the room, Marcus was discussing something with the teaching assistant, caught her eye and… smiled politely as if nothing had happened.
Aurora (thinking): You guys think this will make me confused? Interesting.
Afternoon, in the backyard of Royal Crest, F4 found Aurora leaning against the railing, the wind blowing a few strands of hair in front of her face.
Knox: "Are you okay? I heard the test…"
Aurora (interrupting, calmly): "They want me to be in the weak group. Then I'll make the weak group the news of the week."
Blacke chuckled, Zane looked at her with a half-curious, half-admiring gaze.
The Art Institute Gala, it was dark. The main hall was filled with yellow lights. Sparkling evening gowns, perfectly tailored suits.
Aurora walked in, every eye following her. But then she realized, all the best photo spots were taken by F3 and the Shanghai group.
Whenever she approached, the polite greetings would unintentionally push her to the edge.
Liam raised his glass from afar, smiling as if in a toast… but his eyes were cold.
Aurora did not retreat.
She straightened her back and walked forward, finding a small space between the two VIP areas. And there… the light from the ceiling lamp happened to shine down, covering her as if everything had been pre-arranged.
Jenden paused for half a second. Marcus frowned.
Perhaps… an unpredictable move had just appeared on the chessboard.
Gala's music played, as soft as the sound of a distant waterfall. Aurora stood in the narrow light, but her every move seemed to attract everyone's attention.
One hand lifted a glass of champagne, the other hand gently stroked her hair, her eyes briefly glanced at Jenden, enough for him to realize: She was not afraid.
From the second floor balcony, Knox and Blacke observed.
Knox: "She is… taking back the stage."
Blacke (laughing): "No. She is turning F3's stage into her own."
The microphone sounded, the Gala MC invited a "lucky beauty" to the stage to start the waltz.
Before F3's astonished eyes, Aurora was called.
It was no coincidence that a famous photographer captured the moment she stood under the lights and posted it online, making her the center of the Gala's hashtag in just 15 minutes.
Aurora stepped onto the stage. But instead of choosing a strange gentleman, she turned to F3.
Aurora: "Mr. Jenden... are you brave enough?"
Marcus gently squeezed his wine glass, Liam raised his eyebrows, and Jenden... did not back down.
He stepped forward, took her hand.
The waltz began
The two moved rhythmically, like a wordless fight.
Jenden (whispering): "You are playing a dangerous game, Aurora."
Aurora (smiling): "And you are dancing in the middle of your own battle."
With each turn, her silver skirt flared out, attracting the lights and all eyes.
Every moment, the auditorium seemed to have only one image, Aurora, not F3, not the Shanghai group.
But… right when the song was about to end, an "accidental" situation happened, a guest slipped, spilling a glass of red wine on her dress. The surrounding audience gasped.
Marcus stood nearby, smiling. Liam took a sip of wine, his eyes satisfied.
Pushed into a corner
Aurora paused. For a few seconds, the lights, cameras, and hundreds of eyes focused on the red wine stain on the silver silk. If she left the stage, Gala would remember this moment as the first stain of the "new beauty".
Jenden tilted his head, his voice low as if to ask her to retreat:
"Knowing when to leave the game… is also a skill."
Suddenly, from the corner of the hall, F4 appeared. Knox stepped forward, took off his shiny black vest, and lightly draped it over Aurora's shoulders, covering the wine stain.
Blacke grabbed the band's microphone:
"Since it's Gala… why not turn the accident into a performance?"
Rowan signaled the band to switch to a faster waltz. Knox held out his hand to Aurora:
"Madam, may I?"
Aurora just smirked, placing her hand on Knox's. The whole stage exploded. Cameras flashed continuously. In a few minutes, F3's "dirty trick" was erased, replaced by Aurora's image continuing to shine, even brighter than before.
When the song ended
The applause was thunderous. Aurora bowed slightly, her eyes still holding the smirk as if sending a message straight to F3:
"This game, I also know the rules."
F4 stood behind her, like a steel wall.
On the second floor balcony, Jenden tightened his grip on the railing, his eyes darkened.
Marcus and Liam glanced at each other.
They knew... the next chapter would be the real revenge.
The last lights of the Gala gradually dimmed, the background music softened, but in the hearts of those present, the echoes of Aurora and Jenden's impressive dance still echoed.
F3 stood on the sidelines, their eyes intently following Aurora and F4's backs as they left together, like a perfect couple. Jenden, Liam and Marcus couldn't hide their bitterness and jealousy when they saw F4 being accompanied by the beauty they desired.
Liam (mumbling): "Why them and not us..."
Marcus (smirking): "It's just temporary, this is just the beginning."
Jenden (cold): "They will pay for taking her."
In the land of Luneva, the dark night fell over the primeval forest, the full moon was as big as a jade shining through the forest canopy. Aurora walked through the rows of ancient trees, wearing a pure white dress like an angel, gently holding a scepter made of soft, curved tree roots.
A tiny fairy, with sparkling wings, fluttered gently beside her:
The little fairy (in a gentle but somewhat worried voice):
"Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are the days of the blood moon, the days when your power will weaken…
You will no longer be yourself, be careful or you will lose and…"
Aurora paused, her green eyes filled with worry:
Aurora (sighing, worried):
"What should I do? If I become weak like this… I might really be defeated by F3. That is something I cannot let happen."
All the animals in the forest, the sparrows, the white doves, the spirit beasts with shining eyes, all gathered, surrounding her like a protective wall.
The spirit beasts (in unison to reassure):
"Don't worry, Princess Luneva. We will always be by your side and help you. Your true power lies within you, not just in your scepter or physical strength."
Aurora nodded, her eyes becoming as determined and cold as before:
Aurora:
"That's right. I cannot lose. I cannot give up, for my family, for Luneva… I will fight with all the strength I have."
The forest was silent, only the rustling of leaves and the chirping of animals echoed like Aurora's oath of determination under the magical blood moon.
This would be a great turning point, from the bright light of the human world back to the challenging sacred world of Luneva, where Aurora had to face her own destiny.