Aurora walked slowly down the long corridor, the pale yellow light reflecting on the polished floor. She felt F3 and the Shanghai ladies following closely from afar, but her gaze did not waver. In front of her now, there was only F4.
Knox leaned over, his voice warm but still a bit playful:
"Your room is 104. Blacke is 105, Knox is 106, Zane is 111 and Easton is 112."
Aurora glanced at the room numbers, realizing that all of F4's rooms surrounded her room. Blacke and Knox were on both sides, Zane and Easton were opposite. A map of power was silently built around her.
She took a breath, but without thinking much, she stepped into the room. Before she could close the door, Blacke leaned over, placed a hand to block it, his eyes sharp but gentle:
"Wait a minute."
Aurora stopped, looking straight into Blacke's eyes. Her voice was calm but full of authority:
"I know what you want… But I will still decide for myself."
At that moment, a group of security guards approached, standing at attention on both sides of the hallway. In Aurora's hand was the fashionable handbag she had just taken from F4. Easton curled his lips, his voice warm but commanding:
"Hurry up and change, Aurora."
Aurora nodded, walked into the room, put her handbag on the table and gently closed the door. Outside, Blacke still leaned one hand on the door frame, his eyes seemed to see through her every thought. Knox, Zane and Easton stood still, like "pillars" of protection, but also made her feel both safe and controlled.
Aurora quietly took out her things from her handbag, feeling both tense and strange inside. Part of her wanted to be free, but another part felt… comfortable knowing that F4 was right outside, ready to protect and at the same time keep her under their control.
Aurora stepped out of the room, her beige-white cheongsam dress hugging her slim figure. The thin veil swayed slightly with each step, her creamy white high heels lightly tapped on the shiny hallway floor. Her low bun with a few soft curls made Aurora look both pure and charming.
Right in front of her, four familiar figures were waiting. F4 in exquisitely tailored black suits, each line seemed to be reflected by the yellow light to enhance their noble temperament.
Knox gave a half-smile, his voice low and teasing:
"Finally, the princess has shown up."
Easton crossed his arms, his sharp eyes scanning Aurora from head to toe, slowly commenting:
"Better than I thought. But…" he paused, raising his eyebrows "don't let anyone out there look at you for too long."
Zane smiled slightly, the smile hiding many layers of meaning:
"If you enter the hall with this appearance… then all eyes will definitely be drawn to you."
Blacke did not say anything immediately, only took a step forward. His deep eyes locked onto Aurora, causing her to stop involuntarily. A moment of silence fell before he lowered his voice, like an order but containing an incomprehensible gentleness:
"Let's go. You are the center tonight."
Aurora blushed slightly, but quickly nodded, walking towards them. The four young men separated, forming a semicircle like an invisible line of bodyguards, ready to escort her down to the hall.
Around eight o'clock in the evening.
The shiny black Rolls Royce rolled down the road leading to the tycoon party. The city lights outside the glass door flashed by, reflecting faint streaks of light on Aurora's face.
She sat in the middle seat, her white and beige cheongsam dress neat, her green eyes gently looking out the glass door. Beside her, the four F4 boys each had their own style, but all of them were looking at her intently.
Blacke spoke in a deep, authoritative voice as if reading straight into her mind:
"You don't need to be so pressured. It's normal, right, little girl? It's just that F4 wants you to belong to F4."
Aurora was slightly startled, a faint smile appearing on her lips. These rich guys... can read her mind? She thought to herself, but then told herself, "I still have to calmly get through this long year. After all, F4 has a wide network of relationships, it will be convenient for me to understand human nature. But... it's really stressful. Could this be the feeling that Rina and Diana, my two older sisters, experienced before they disappeared into this world of tycoons..."
While she was lost in thought, Blacke suddenly spoke, his voice soft but full of command:
"Aurora, don't look at the window. Look at us. Talk."
Aurora turned back, the distance was so close that she almost touched Blacke's lips. Her heart stopped for half a beat, but then she quickly regained her composure, replying in a cold voice:
"So... what do you want to talk about?"
Knox leaned over, the corners of his lips curled up:
"About what you promised. We will support you as you wish. But don't forget, you still have one request to fulfill for life."
Aurora sneered, her eyes half sweet and half cold:
"I guess it's... "belong to F4 forever", right? Humans, always like to possess."
Zane smiled faintly, his eyes shining like a predator:
"That's right. You will be the first girl... and the last. Forever belong to F4."
Knox leaned closer, his voice gentle but hypnotic:
"Whatever you want, whatever you like, just say it. F4 will do as you wish."
Blacke interjected, his deep eyes locked onto Aurora:
"Remember, Aurora. You belong to F4. Whatever you want to do, whatever you like to do... we are willing to turn white into black to back you up."
Easton, who was usually quiet, slowly spoke, his voice both cold and warm, the standard of a domineering CEO:
"In this world, Aurora... everything has a price. But you don't. You're an exception. You only belong to F4."
Aurora heard, chuckled softly, her eyes teasing:
"You guys are exactly like those domineering CEOs in Chinese romance movies."
The four men laughed in unison, their smiles both disdainful and concealing certainty. Blacke tilted his head, his voice low, cold and sweet:
"Aurora, perhaps you don't fully understand the meaning of our words."
Aurora was momentarily stunned, her heart rippling. Did she really... not fully understand? But then she smiled faintly, hiding her unease.
"Anyway... it's ridiculous."
The Rolls Royce still sped away, carrying with it thoughts that were intertwined between sweetness, danger, and the darkness of power.
When the Rolls Royce stopped in front of the gate of Ngoc Son Villa, Aurora frowned slightly, her eyes filled with surprise. The large villa was located on the mountainside, with pure white walls, dark red tiled roofs, and towering ancient trees in the garden, and pine forests rustling in the wind. The path leading to the main hall was paved with shiny marble, with European lanterns hanging high on both sides, casting warm yellow light down. The iron fence was exquisitely curved, the large gate was heavy but still exuded authority, both magnificent and bearing the appearance of a long-standing power.
F4 stepped out of the car, each with their own demeanor but all exuding an air of power. Blacke wore sunglasses, walking confidently; Knox wore a vest, his shoulders straight, his eyes looking straight ahead; Zane had a teasing half-smile; Easton stood behind, his eyes gentle but still dignified.
Blacke spoke, his voice deep and warm:
"This is the villa of the Yushan family. Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors exploited precious woods and minerals around the mountain, gradually accumulating huge wealth. Currently, the main activities are investing in high-end tourism, mining, and owning several luxury hotels around the area."
Zane chuckled, looking at Aurora:
"We are also at his hotel."
Knox added, his eyes turned to the villa gate, where the first guests had already appeared:
"Currently, he is holding a big party, inviting both business partners and tycoons. This will be a very... interesting evening."
Aurora smiled lightly, stepping in, her big green eyes looking around, the large gate, the bright lights, the soft music from inside, and hundreds of eyes watching. F4 slowly followed behind, like four powerful bodyguards escorting her. Aurora's every step made the eyes of the attendees turn towards her.
Immediately after, the sound of the engine roared, nine Lamborghinis appeared on the paved road, rushing into the yard. It was F3 and a group of young ladies from Shanghai, all wearing sparkling, luxurious outfits, getting out of the car with pride and eyes full of purpose as they approached Aurora.
Seeing Aurora with F4, many guests began to whisper:
"The globally famous young master of F4 is walking with a young lady... but who is she?"
"Looking at her appearance and temperament, she is definitely not an ordinary type."
Zane leaned over, the teasing smile still on his lips:
"Actually, Aurora... as soon as she entered, all eyes were on you."
Knox gently leaned closer, his voice warm:
"Just calm down. This is our world."
Aurora smiled slightly, said nothing, just walked slowly in the hall, clearly feeling every gaze, every concern and even the calculations hidden behind the sunglasses, the cold eyes of F4 and F3. The space was bustling, flashy, powerful... and she knew, a year here, would be a year full of challenges, full of observation, full of strategy...
Aurora walked into the banquet hall, her beige white cheongsam dress fluttered with each step. F4 stood around, each with their own demeanor, both cold and protective of her like powerful bodyguards, but their eyes flashed with possessiveness. No one dared to approach without permission, and all eyes unconsciously turned to Aurora.
F3 and the young ladies from Shanghai walked in after, their eyes glancing at Aurora with curiosity and a bit of jealousy. Some rich young masters and sons from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Chongqing began to approach, smiling kindly but with ambition in their hearts, wanting to take pictures with Aurora and F4 and post them online, wanting to have a relationship with the four rich young masters. Some even took out their phones, intending to ask for WeChat.
Aurora smiled and replied softly:
"Sorry, I'm not here to make others famous."
Although her tone was gentle, her eyes quickly scanned each face: friendly smiles on the outside, curious and jealous eyes hidden inside. Aurora understood human nature: smiles could be a cover for greed, for jealousy.
She walked by, still smiling softly, and accidentally heard two young ladies from Hong Kong and Chongqing laughing happily, hugging and talking… but just a few minutes later, that laughter turned into evil whispers, gossiping about each other, just because of a dress, a look or a word. Aurora smiled softly, feeling excited: this was an opportunity to understand more about people, about their complexity and duplicity.
Looking around, Aurora took a deep breath, happily saying to F4:
"Thank you for bringing me to such an interesting place."
F4 chuckled softly, his eyes stopping on her, both warm and powerful: as if to emphasize that Aurora, she would always be their person.
Aurora glanced at F3 who was entering the hall, knowing that they had arrived a long time ago but she did not pay any attention. In her heart, she still maintained an observant attitude, understanding that "whether F3 or anyone else here, they were just a part of the observation game she was participating in. As for F4, those four powerful young masters, they were the world she had to face directly."