Rose Hotel, A Narrow-Road Encounter

By the time they reached Soto City, night had fully fallen.

Two rows of lanterns hung at the city gate, their orange-red glow casting a warm light over the gate tower.

Most of the shops along the streets had already closed. Only a few restaurants and inns still had their lights on, with the clinking of cups and faint laughter drifting from within.

Soto City was nearly twice the size of Notting City. Though it could not compare to the imperial grandeur of Heaven Dou City, it was still bustling and prosperous.

The five of them found a fairly large restaurant and had dinner. The food was much more refined than the fare at Nuoding Academy's cafeteria. Xiao Wu polished off more than half a plate of braised beef by herself, eating to her heart's content.

After several hours of rest and Tang San's treatment, Zhu Zhuqing had recovered more than half her strength.

After absorbing the Diamond Vine and the Life Ancient Tree Spirit, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had gained basic healing abilities. Though it could not bring the dead back to life, it was more than capable of closing wounds and restoring stamina.

"Let's find somewhere to stay now." Yun Tian wiped his mouth and stood. "I saw a Rose Hotel up ahead on the way here. I heard the accommodations are pretty good, and it's close to Shrek Academy."

"Rose Hotel? That's a nice name." Xiao Wu patted her round little belly. "Let's go, let's go. I've been tired all day. I want a good night's sleep."

After crossing two streets, they indeed saw an exquisite three-story building at the corner.

Its facade was made of warm red brick, and two neatly trimmed rose bushes swayed gently in the night breeze outside. A gilded sign reading Rose Hotel hung above the entrance, while a lightbox beneath it gave off a soft pink glow, creating an atmosphere of warmth and subtle intimacy.

Yun Tian pushed open the glass door and walked in. Behind the counter stood a middle-aged innkeeper in a neat uniform, his head lowered as he worked an abacus.

Hearing someone enter, he looked up. There were five young teenagers. Though they were not dressed luxuriously, each carried an unusual bearing, unlike ordinary poor students.

"Rooms? How many?" The innkeeper set down the abacus.

"Four." Yun Tian held up four fingers. "We need two rooms."

The innkeeper flipped through the register, looking troubled. "Sorry, we have a lot of guests tonight. There's only one room left. It's a large suite with four beds, originally prepared for traveling merchant groups. If you don't mind squeezing in, you can make do."

"Only one?" Xiao Wu leaned over the counter and glanced at the register. There really was only one room left.

Yun Tian thought for a moment, then turned to ask the others, "It's already this late. Even if we look for another hotel, there might not be any vacancies. How about we make do for tonight? There are beds, and everyone can sleep in their own."

Tang San nodded, showing no objection.

Xiao Wu shrugged indifferently. "Anything's fine. It's only for one night, anyway."

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a moment. Her gaze swept between Yun Tian and Tang San before she gave a slight nod. "I'm fine with it. As long as Xiao Wu is there."

Her meaning was obvious. If Xiao Wu, another girl, was sleeping with them, she would not have to worry about the awkwardness of sharing a room with two unfamiliar boys.

Though after spending the afternoon and evening together, she felt that neither Yun Tian nor Tang San was the type to act improperly, it was always best to stay cautious while traveling.

With Xiao Wu beside her now, she had nothing to worry about.

Seeing that they all agreed, the innkeeper quickly registered their details and handed them a copper key. "At the end of the third floor, room 307. There's hot water in the kitchen. If you want some, come down and get it yourselves."

Yun Tian took the key and was about to lead everyone upstairs when the hotel's front door was suddenly pushed open from outside.

A fragrant breeze carrying the scent of cosmetics swept in, and a tall teenage boy with golden hair and mismatched eyes stood at the entrance.

He wore an expertly tailored white suit. Two buttons of his shirt collar were undone, revealing firm collarbones and an air of carefree unruliness.

A girl in a red dress was tucked beneath his left arm, and a girl in a green dress beneath his right. Both were only fifteen or sixteen, their makeup exquisite as they nestled against him and laughed coquettishly.

The boy swaggered in, idly waving a folding fan. When he spoke, his tone was frivolous. "Innkeeper, the usual. That best suite—I'm taking it for the night."

The innkeeper looked up and immediately forced a smile. "Young Master Dai! But... that room has just been booked..."

"Booked?" The boy snapped his folding fan shut and raised a brow. His differently colored eyes gleamed with a lazy yet dangerous light beneath the lamps. "Who booked it? Tell them to give it up. I'll pay double the room rate."

Yun Tian turned around and calmly assessed the golden-haired boy at the door.

Dai Mubai.

Though he looked younger than when he first appeared in the original story, there was no mistaking those mismatched eyes or that wild, unrestrained air.

He was the third prince of the Star Luo Empire, one of Shrek Academy's core members, and the owner of the Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul.

At this very moment, he clearly had no idea what he was about to face.

As Dai Mubai spoke, his gaze casually swept over the figures standing before the counter. But when his eyes passed Yun Tian and landed on the petite figure in black leather behind him, his entire body suddenly froze.

The arms wrapped around the two girls fell away as if struck by some invisible force.

Caught off guard, the two girls nearly fell to the floor and both cried out coquettishly, "Young Master Dai, what are you doing...?"

It was as though Dai Mubai had not heard them at all. His mismatched eyes were fixed on the black-haired girl behind the counter, who was staring back at him with the same icy gaze.

The smile on his face seemed to have been carved away with a knife, leaving behind only shock, panic, and an indescribable guilt.

Zhu Zhuqing had seen him too.

In that instant, her body trembled slightly.

The chill in her catlike eyes seemed to solidify into tangible ice, radiating from the depths of her dark blue pupils.

These past days, she had fled from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou border, narrowly escaping death time and again, struggling countless times at the edge of life and death—all to find this cowardly fiancé of hers.

But what did she see now?

A spoiled young man in a flashy white suit, embracing women on both sides and living it up in a small foreign town.

She had risked her life escaping her family just to see him once, while he was here flirting and laughing with two women in his arms.

Zhu Zhuqing felt something scorching churn in her chest, burning her throat tight and turning her fingertips cold.

She gritted her teeth and forced out two words through the gaps between them. Her voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone in the hotel lobby to hear clearly.

"Disgusting."

Dai Mubai's face instantly went deathly pale.

But the pair of girls had no idea what was going on.

The girl in red was the first to flare up. She glared at Zhu Zhuqing and shrieked, "Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you insult our Young Master Dai? Do you even know who he is?"