Aurora had just closed the door, the laughter and teasing words of F4 still echoed in the hallway:
"This little girl is really cute..."
She blushed, stomping her feet in anger. "She's cute, not cute! How corny, disgusting, you're still young and calling her a baby! You're crazy, you're so possessive!"
While grabbing her pajamas from the bed, Aurora muttered, her face grimacing. She quickly walked into the bathroom, slamming the door.
The warm water flowed down, but instead of relaxing, Aurora continued to vent her anger:
"Oh my god, I'm so angry! I told you not to tease me, but you still do it! You guys think you're so domineering? You like strange things! Always fighting, possessive to the point of not needing it!"
She ruffled her hair, raised her face to the water, and gritted her teeth:
"Let's see… If I complete this mission well, I will return to Luneva as queen. At that time, you guys won't be able to hold me back! I will disappear, so you guys can stop being so possessive!"
Just like that, Aurora cursed while bathing. After washing and washing, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel, still muttering and pouting. When she finished putting on her pajamas, Aurora jumped onto the bed, hugged her pillow and hit it hard a few times, then bit the blanket, struggling like a child throwing a tantrum:
"Hateful! Hateful! Hateful!!!"
But after a long while, Aurora's breathing gradually slowed down. The anger dissipated, leaving only silence in the luxurious hotel room. She lay on her back on the bed, eyes looking at the ceiling, suddenly remembering in her mind…
F4 had spent 22 trillion USD just to invest in the project she participated in. Not for her alone, but for her sake, they were so determined. Thinking of that, Aurora pursed her lips, then muttered to herself, her voice gradually getting smaller, mixed with a bit of shame:
"Well… well… anyway, you guys aren't completely unreasonable. You guys also support the poor, the ecosystem… and… and you also want me to fulfill your request…"
Aurora turned around and hugged her pillow, her face still flushed, whispering the last sentence, sounding like both reproach and praise:
"… You guys are… very good."
Aurora lay on the luxurious hotel bed, the sheets and pillows smelling of gentle lavender. But her eyes didn't stop at the ceiling, but turned to the wide open window. Outside, the night sky was covered in a quiet color, the faint moonlight shining on the dark bamboo forest in the distance.
At that moment, Aurora's heart suddenly ached. The nostalgia for her true homeland, Luneva, suddenly arose strongly. She longed to return to the place of magical green light, where the fairies still waited, where her loyal spirits and familiars lived. There, she would be asked questions that only Luneva could answer.
But reality was binding. This was just a hotel in the mountains, surrounded by concrete and electric lights. She knew clearly that to open the way back to Luneva, she needed to touch a place filled with the breath of nature, a real forest.
Aurora tilted her head slightly, her eyes meeting the misty green forest not far from the hotel. A daring thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
"Tonight… I'll sneak away." She pursed her lips, her heart pounding.
The image of the F4 flashed by, making Aurora hesitate a little. They would never leave her alone, especially at night. But she didn't want to be stopped. This was her own business, a secret she had never told them.
Aurora closed her eyes, trying to lull herself to sleep, but in her heart she had already made a plan: when the darkness was deepest, she would leave the hotel, follow the small path leading straight into the forest… to find the open gate.
Thinking and doing. Aurora quickly put on a thin coat, walked lightly to the door of the room. She opened it slightly, stuck her head out, and glanced around the hallway. Luckily, the hallway was empty, no one in sight. F4 seemed to have returned to their rooms. Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, quickly walked through each door, her heart pounding, afraid that someone would suddenly open the door and discover her.
Finally, she reached the hotel lobby. Strangely, even though it was midnight, the main door was still open. The pale yellow light from the chandelier fell on the marble floor, making the space cold and quiet. Aurora hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath, stepped out, and headed towards the enveloping darkness.
But she didn't know... in a room upstairs, Jenden, Liam, and Marcus were still awake, along with a group of Shanghai ladies discussing how to approach her. Soft laughter and calculating whispers could be heard. And then, they happened to see Aurora's silhouette looming in the dark hallway, sneaking out of the hotel gate.
"The prey... has come to them." Jenden smiled coldly.
Behind Aurora, gazes began to follow, like a pack of wolves seeing a lost deer in the dark.
---
Aurora had just stepped through the hotel gate when her intuition suddenly arose. The vague murderous aura behind her made her stop. She didn't need to turn around to know that the F3 and the Shanghai ladies were tailing her like wolves hunting for prey.
Aurora stood still, sighed in frustration, and thought to herself:
"I didn't expect... even when I went home, I would be stalked by a pack of wolves. Humans are so troublesome."
Then suddenly, she felt another sharp, possessive gaze. Aurora slowly turned her head, not looking at F3 and the young ladies but looking up towards the hotel.
And then, her heart sank to F4's room... the lights turned on.
"It's over..." she muttered and glared at F3 and the young ladies, making them freeze when they saw that they were being ignored by their prey.
At that moment, the phone in her pocket vibrated. Aurora looked at the screen, her eyes wide:
"Damn it... It's Blacke."
Reluctantly pressing the answer button, Blacke's voice rang out, low, both blaming and worried:
"Are you really planning to hide from us? Hmm, kid?"
Then Knox interrupted, his voice cold:
"Aurora, where are you going in the middle of the night?"
Zane sighed:
"Do you know how fast our hearts beat?"
Easton was gentler, but still reproachful:
"Why do you want to leave us? Do you know how worried we were?"
Aurora tiredly pressed the phone to her ear, frowned and closed her eyes as she walked, and clenched her fists. Behind her, F3 and the young ladies were excited because they thought there would be a good show, but before they could move forward…
From afar, the silhouettes of four tall people gradually appeared at the hotel gate. F4, while walking, exuded an overwhelming aura, their cold eyes locked onto Aurora.
Aurora glanced at F3 and the young ladies who were about to push forward, then snorted:
"Why are you guys so annoying? I got discovered, damn it!"
The young ladies opened their mouths, and F3 was frozen like a statue.
Aurora turned to look at F4, an awkward smile appeared on her lips, her voice lowered but still forced:
"Good evening… F4."
F4's gaze stopped on her, possessive, worried, and as cold as a knife.
F4 slowly walked forward, his cold aura forcing both F3 and the young ladies to take a step back. Not paying any attention to them, Blacke leaned over to look at Aurora, his voice hoarse:
"What's wrong with you? You want to run away again, little girl?"
Aurora glared at F3 and the young ladies, then raised her chin, pointing straight at them:
"It's all… their fault!"
The young ladies were stunned, and F3 widened her eyes, Liam blurted out an unbelievable sentence:
"What? We didn't even have time to touch you…"
Before F3 could explain, Easton and Knox slowly approached, their heavy footsteps pressing down. Knox's icy gaze locked onto Jenden and Marcus, and Easton chuckled, but that smile was no different from a hidden threat.
Jenden swallowed hard, still trying to stay calm:
"We were just talking when we saw Aurora walk out the gate. We didn't do anything to her."
Aurora, like a child caught in the act, lowered her head, not daring to meet F4's eyes. She hesitated, her little finger still pointing at F3 and the young ladies, her voice low:
"They... suddenly wanted to approach me."
Marcus frowned, interrupting:
"But didn't you think about asking why she left the hotel room in the middle of the night?"
The words seemed to add fuel to the fire. F4 turned to look at Aurora in unison. She smiled awkwardly, scratching her cheek:
"Um... I just wanted to get some fresh air. Can't sleep."
The tense atmosphere immediately eased. Blacke sighed softly, his voice lowered, his eyes became gentle:
"You're so stupid... next time you can't sleep, tell us. If you want to get some fresh air, let us go with you."
Easton gently placed his hand on Aurora's head, rubbing it as if to comfort her:
"Be good. We were worried to death when you did that."
Aurora bit her lip, her face red, but she still didn't dare to resist.
Behind her, the young ladies' faces changed. Seeing Aurora being pampered by F4, their hearts felt like they were being torn apart. Xiao-Yu clenched her fists, her eyes red with anger. But before she could open her mouth, Easton turned around, a faint smile on his lips:
"All of you are forbidden from coming near Aurora. One more time... don't blame us."
After saying that, he patted Xiao-Yu's shoulder lightly. Just a touch, but it was enough to make her whole body shiver, memories of the previous torture came flooding back. Cold sweat poured down her forehead, Xiao-Yu didn't dare look straight into Easton's eyes.
The young ladies were silent, only able to stand there dumbfounded as Aurora was protected by F4 and taken into the hotel.
In the middle of the night, F4 helped Aurora into the hotel door, the warm yellow light shining on the walkway, reflecting her big, round, green eyes.
"Do you want to catch some more wind, kid?" Blacke asked, his voice both cold and warm, as if he could read her mind.
Aurora shook her head softly:
"No… let's go to sleep… tomorrow we have to go to the top of Baifeng Mountain…"
Knox smiled, gently stroking her hair:
"Then let's go to sleep, kid…"
Aurora was so angry that she wanted to explode. Her hands clenched into fists, her eyes focused on F3 and the young ladies standing far away, as if she wanted to crush the annoying pack of wolves. She gritted her teeth, her mouth forming a mumble:
"Damn it… because of you guys, my plan to return to Luneva was ruined."
Blacke saw this and walked over, his voice lowered but he still kept a small smile:
"What are you talking about, kid?"
Aurora turned her face, forcing a smile:
"No… nothing…"
Zane leaned over slightly, his warm hand gently stroking her long black hair:
"Sleep well, tomorrow we will go to the top of Changbai Mountain."
But Aurora still couldn't help it, glaring at F3 and the young ladies once more, her eyes sharp as a knife. While F4 hadn't noticed, she raised her middle finger, a small action but enough to express her disobedience.
The young ladies from Shanghai were angry, their mouths tightly shut but they didn't dare to resist, while F3 stood there, their bloodthirsty eyes still looking at Aurora, their hearts burning but their bodies felt as if they were being restrained by F4's overwhelming power. They wanted to move forward, wanted to snatch her away, but they were all powerless under F4's overwhelming shadow.
Blacke glanced over, his smile both solemn and delighted:
"Don't worry, little girl. We won't let anyone bother you."
Aurora felt warm and angry, sweet and spicy, her eyes glanced at F4, then finally sighed, lowered her hand, and followed them into the elevator, preparing for a short night's sleep before going to the top of Baifeng Mountain tomorrow morning.
Aurora entered the room, and before she could breathe a sigh of relief, F4 stopped at the door, Blacke's voice was both cold and warm:
"Little girl, go to sleep well. Don't leave the room again, understand?"
Aurora nodded slightly, her face slightly red, trying to appear obedient:
"Yes... I understand..."
---
The door closed, locked silently, Aurora stood for a moment, her eyes absentmindedly looking at the ceiling. Immediately after, anger flared up, she rushed to the bed, rolling back and forth, cursing and getting angry:
"Oh my god... I want to go home but it's so hard... Humans are so annoying! Damn it!"
She bit the pillow, grabbed the blanket, and used her hands and feet to hit the bed, as if she was throwing a tantrum against the whole world. The feeling of being surrounded by F4, having her plans ruined by F3 and the young ladies, made her both angry and helpless. Each hit, each whisper in her heart seemed to want to release all the frustration of the day:
"It's so difficult… why does everything have to be so complicated…"
But deep down, Aurora knew that she couldn't escape F4 forever, nor could she abandon her own responsibilities… so while throwing a tantrum, feeling resentful, she began to tell herself that she had to find a way to overcome this stressful year.
Aurora gradually took a deep breath, trying to calm down. In her mind, the image of Luneva appeared clearly: the vast forests, the sparkling light from the familiar spirits and beasts. She began to calculate, to plan to sneak away from F4 again, hoping that tonight would be her chance.
But as soon as she reached out to open the door, the door was locked and silent. Aurora frowned, angrily cursing under her breath:
"Damn it, I'm not a prisoner!"
She stepped back, her eyes looking out the window. Looking around, Aurora breathed a sigh of relief:
"Good… they've all gone back to their rooms."
But immediately, she realized the painful reality that her room was on the third floor. If she jumped down to the yard, she would definitely break her leg, or even be more dangerous. Aurora threw herself onto the bed, sat up, her eyes looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"Now… if I raise animals in Luneva, maybe I can talk to them, it'll be less boring…"
Aurora chuckled, her eyes flashing with excitement as she thought of Luneva:
"That's right… raising pets is like humans, just need to connect with the spirit beasts through nature. Tomorrow, I'll go adopt a cute kitten from Luneva. Haha, that's right… I'll make it my spirit beast, I can talk to them if I want!"
She lay down on the bed, the feeling of joy and excitement dispelled all the fatigue in her body. Aurora closed her eyes, a smile still on her lips, and finally fell into a gentle, peaceful sleep, carrying with her the image of Luneva and her beloved beasts in her dreams.