Aurora sat in the middle, her cream-white dress making her look like a piece of the moon falling to earth. The F4 sat around her, their eyes both indifferent and dangerous.
Blacke slightly raised his lips, his eyes as cold as a knife:
"You've agreed, Aurora. That means from now on... you belong to us."
Knox crossed his arms, a half-smile flashing:
"You know, kid, once you say it, we'll never let go again."
Zane propped his chin up, his smile seemed playful but his eyes flashed with possessiveness:
"The kitten has already voluntarily entered the glass cage... how can it escape?"
Easton raised his glass, his voice both warm and deep:
"We don't just want to protect you... but also want to keep you. Forever."
The F4 looked at each other, the corners of their lips curved into a smirk like hunters when they were sure their prey couldn't escape. And their eyes were focused on Aurora, both amused and possessive.
Aurora still sat up straight, her clear blue eyes staring back at each other. In her heart, she thought to herself:
"So this is what it feels like to be locked in a sweet glass cage?"
"They laugh as if they have their fate in their hands, but... no one knows, I am Aurora, the last queen heir of Luneva. I belong to no one, except the forest and the moonlight."
She chuckled softly, a smile that was both sweet and cold, causing Blacke and Knox to be slightly stunned.
"Maybe a year in the human world will be the longest year of my life... because I am sitting in the arms of F4. But I will be patient. I will look, I will listen, I will learn... to understand the true nature of humanity. And then... I will disappear. Silent as a wind, returning to Luneva."
Meanwhile, each of the F4 had completely different thoughts:
Blacke ": She doesn't know, that look only makes me want to hold on tighter. Aurora... you can hide from anyone, but you can't hide from me."
Knox: "Kitten... one day you will no longer smile at me, but will tremble in my arms."
Zane: "The more you resist, the cuter the kitten becomes. And the more mysterious something is, the more I have to unlock it. Aurora... I will lock you in my world."
Easton: "Dangerous, but also innocent to the point of heartache. Aurora... you think you are testing us. But actually... you are the one who is falling into this test."
Aurora raised her wine glass, her lips curved into an unpredictable smile, and said softly:
"Do you think you have possessed me?"
The four of them tilted their heads in unison, their eyes sparkling with interest, and answered in unison:
"Definitely."
---
F4 looked at each other, the corners of their lips curled up as if they had just achieved their hidden goal. The atmosphere in the room once again fell, but instead of being tense, this time it had the color of a power play.
Blacke tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes seemed to be examining Aurora's every reaction:
"Baby... we don't want empty words. I want you to prove what you just said. A real promise... not just to get over it."
Aurora sat up straight, her eyes as clear as ice, not blinking. Her voice was calm, light but powerful:
"What do you want?"
Knox lifted his chin, smiling crookedly. He raised his hand to signal to the assistant standing nearby. Just a few seconds later, a luxurious leather folder was placed in front of him. Knox pulled out a thick piece of paper, clearly an official document, then calmly pushed it towards Aurora.
Aurora frowned slightly, her eyes flashing with surprise and suspicion. Slender fingers lightly touched the edge of the paper, skimming the sharp print. And then, the green eyes widened a little.
"...A contract?" Aurora's voice dropped, half surprised, half wary.
Knox leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, lips curling into a dangerous smile:
"That's right. We don't want empty promises. This is… a contract. If you sign, it means you accept to belong to F4, just as you said."
Aurora raised her head, her eyes flashing like a knife in the night. She looked straight at Knox, then scanned the four of them. The hand holding the paper trembled slightly, but her voice was cold and clear:
"I will sign. But not now. I will only sign when you really fulfill your promise to build schools, build houses, and help the poor. If you can do it… I won't hesitate."
A short silence, then all four of them chuckled softly. Not a mocking laugh, but a laugh of delight.
Easton tilted his head, his eyes deep and deep:
"Very smart, Aurora. You know how to keep your trump card for yourself. Unlike those girls who only bow to power."
Zane propped his chin, the corners of his lips curled up with interest:
"Alright… little girl. We will play by your rules. Wait and see how we prove it."
Blacke raised his glass of wine, his eyes shining with an inexplicable gentleness:
"Alright, Aurora. We respect that determination."
Knox was the one to finish, his voice was both cold and sweet like pouring honey mixed with poison:
"But remember… once we fulfill our promise, you will have no way back."
Aurora put the paper down on the table, smiling faintly. In her heart, she seemed to hear the fairy's whisper from long ago: "Humans always want to be bound. Their beautiful words… hide invisible chains."
She breathed softly, her eyes looking out the window where the white snow covered the Changbai Mountains. White, pure, but also cold enough to make her heart tremble.
Aurora understood once more
Humans can be gentle, can promise, can give light… but behind it all, their true nature is still possessiveness and control.
And she, Aurora, was entering that game. A game that she herself was not sure she could escape.
---
And in that moment, Aurora felt her heart tighten, trembling, sweet, and dangerous.
The table was so quiet that the sound of knives and forks lightly touching the porcelain plate could be heard. Aurora raised her wine glass, her slender fingers sliding along the rim of the glass like an unintentional dance. But then, instead of drinking, she suddenly pulled her hand back, a little harder than necessary.
"Clang"
A few drops of dark red wine splashed onto the pure white tablecloth, spreading a dark red stain like blood. All eyes of F4 turned to Aurora at the same time.
Knox frowned:
"Kid, do you know... each small stain like this can ruin the entire perfect table?"
Aurora just tilted her head, her voice light:
"But wine is born to flow... not to be trapped in a glass forever."
Easton chuckled, but the smile was faintly cold:
"Are you comparing yourself to a glass of wine, or a drop of wine that just fell on a towel?"
Zane rested his chin on his hand, his eyes sparkling:
"Whatever it is... once it falls on the F4 banquet table, there is no way back."
Blake was silent for the longest time, then lowered his voice:
"Aurora, you just challenged our 'possession'. But... it also makes it more interesting."
Aurora looked up, her lips curved into a hidden smile. Her expression remained calm, but her heart was in turmoil. "Humans... are truly dangerous. They want to hold on, but are also ready to crush. Sweet, but also suffocating. Possession and freedom, only separated by a fragile line of wine."
She put the glass back on the table, her voice as soft as the wind:
"Then, let's try to hold on... can you hold on forever?"
The atmosphere at the banquet table was as tense as a string, both warm and lurking with the risk of breaking.
Knox suddenly curled his lips slightly, his silver-gray eyes flashing with danger. Without saying a word, he tilted his wine glass slightly. The crimson liquid spilled out, falling onto the table, mixing with Aurora's stain.
"Sometimes," Knox said in a low voice, his fingers twirling the empty glass like a game, "we are also willing to let this perfection be broken... as long as you understand that Aurora, you are F4's."
That sentence rang out, both like a bondage and a dangerous oath. Aurora looked at the wide wine stain, then let out a hidden smile, no one could guess whether it was a compromise or a protest.
Zane gently lifted his glass of red wine, his silver-gray eyes glanced at Aurora, a half-smile appeared as if he had just uttered a curse without saying it out loud. Instead of drinking, Zane placed the glass in front of her, as a tacit sign that "from now on, you will taste all the flavors with us."
Blacke was different. He didn't say a word, just took off the cold black gemstone ring from his finger and placed it on Aurora's left ring finger. The action was simple, but Blacke's domineering gaze seemed to nail a message: "whether you like it or not, you are bound to F4."
Easton stepped closer, his eyes were cold as ice, but the corners of his lips drew a teasing curve. He pulled a silk scarf from his coat, loosely tied it around Aurora's wrist, his fingers tapping lightly: "The chains don't need to be made of iron or steel, as long as you belong to us."
The four people Knox, Zane, Blacke, Easton, four different ways, but all had the same sole purpose: to deeply engrave in Aurora that she would never escape this siege.
Aurora clearly felt the air pressing down on her chest, as if surrounded by four predators. The feeling was both dangerous and suffocatingly sweet. Her intuition told her that the year ahead would be the longest year of her life. A year here, could be like ten years elsewhere…
"These are the F4, the most powerful tycoon and mafia sons in the world. Descendants of wealthy families, holding underground and shining empires in the business world. To them, the upper class, which is admired by the world, is just a "poorer", inferior class."
"Their egos are too big, their ambition is to control everything."
Aurora suddenly felt cold sweat rolling down the back of her neck. She began to wonder "maybe... I am really afraid of this world, the world of those who have everything."
The images of her two sisters Rina and Diana appeared in her mind. One dead, one missing... all were victims of the tycoon world. Would she make the same mistake?
F4's gaze swept over Aurora, sharp and wild. For a moment, she saw them as four bloodthirsty beasts, and herself as prey trapped in a golden cage.
The pressure was so heavy that Aurora almost suffocated. She thought to herself, "Humans are scary."
F4 looked at Aurora, their eyes both sharp and gentle. Blacke said in a low voice:
"Why are you so tense, kid? We didn't mean to stress you."
Knox curled his lips, his eyes still stern but his voice was warmer:
"The first time, because sooner or later you'll be ours, why worry?"
Aurora was startled. For the first time... she realized that F4 also understood her feelings. She was silent, a little embarrassed, her heart still tightened by an indescribable feeling.
Zane chuckled softly, a little cold, a little gentle:
"Okay, okay... don't think too much. Let's go, let's go back to the hotel, prepare for the party."
Easton walked over, pulled out a chair for Aurora to stand up. She stood up unconsciously like a docile cat, her green eyes sparkling in the faint light from the chandelier.
In her heart, the thoughts kept swirling, "Humans are scary... perhaps even scarier than the fairy said. They are both warm and dangerous... and now, I am standing in the middle of those four powerful beasts..."
Aurora suppressed her shiver and followed F4. The four powerful figures followed behind, slowly and authoritatively. She carefully observed their every movement and gaze.
When they entered the elevator, Aurora unconsciously touched the cold steel wall. The sound of the elevator closing echoed, and in that moment, she felt strangely small, a queen heiress of Luneva, now entering a world of power, of humans, and of rules that she had never fully understood.
F4 stood around, their eyes following Aurora's every move. Blacke looked at her, a slight smile flashing across the corner of his lips, both cold and warm:
"Don't be afraid. We will be with you."
Aurora smiled slightly, but her green eyes were still filled with vigilance. She knew that the next year would be the longest period of her life…
Right after Aurora and F4 entered the elevator, from the hotel lobby, the figures of F3 appeared with the Shanghai ladies. Jenden, Liam, and Marcus walked forward, their eyes solemn but not hiding their curiosity. Behind them, Xiao-Yu, Min Qian, Tiffany Wei, Li Xia, Chen Yuling, and Zhao Feiyan followed, their eyes flashing with jealousy and probing.
Jenden looked straight at Aurora, his voice low and meaningful:
"I didn't expect you to be with F4… and even at their villa last night."
Liam glanced at the ladies behind him, curling his lips:
"Look at them, no one wants to share the spotlight with F4."
Marcus took another step forward, his voice slightly whispering:
"But this is an opportunity. Aurora seems to have always been hiding something… Perhaps, if we dig into her past, we will know her weakness."
Min Qian looked intelligent, her eyes flashing:
"Exactly. Aurora doesn't always want people to see her true nature. We need to take advantage of that."
Li Xia innocently interjected, smiling sarcastically:
"I'm curious… how powerful is Aurora's family background? Would anyone dare to be her political fiancé?"
Tiffany Wei sighed, her eyes filled with contemplation:
"It's no wonder. Looking at the way F4 pampers her, protects her… it's clear that Aurora's family background must be extremely powerful, more than we thought."
Xiao-Yu glared at Li Xia and then interrupted:
"We have to find out if Aurora is the daughter of the government or some other powerful family. If not, why is she so favored? She was directly admitted before the semester ended, and the principal specially arranged the class, and the head chef personally served her..."
Chen Yuling narrowed her eyes, her voice tinged with curiosity:
"If it's like this, Aurora is no different from a real "princess".
Zhao Feiyan nodded:
"Definitely, if she's not the daughter of the government, her family background must be superior to F4 to explain it."
Jenden frowned, his voice serious:
"Okay, we don't blame them. They are more powerful than us, everyone knows that. But Aurora... is something we have to pay attention to. We will monitor her every move, and exploit any loopholes."
Min Qian smiled, looking at the young ladies:
"This will be the perfect plan. We can protect Aurora, and at the same time understand her true personality and family background."
The group was silent for a second, all eyes turned to the elevator, where Aurora was standing with F4. A feeling of tension but also curiosity filled the entire hotel lobby.