Rose Hotel

The soft orange light of the setting sun cast its final rays through the half-drawn curtains, falling on the face of the girl lying on the bed.

The girl raised a hand to shield her eyes from the hazy sunset light, which was not particularly dazzling, and let out a soft moan as she began to wake.

She turned her head and looked at the boy sleeping soundly with his head on the table beside her. The evening sunlight fell across the side of his face, leaving her gazing blankly at him from time to time.

After letting her mind wander for a while, she recalled how she had lain on the boy's back along the road, and how he had coldly swung out a sword Qi strike at the men in black pursuing her. Two patches of red rose on her cheeks again.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy slowly woke as well. Sitting in the chair, he rubbed his somewhat stiff neck and looked with sleepy eyes at the girl, who had woken long before him.

"You're awake too. Oh, right, I never introduced myself on the way. My name is Yu Tianshuang, and I'm a student at Skywater Academy. What about you?"

As he spoke, he took medicine and bandages from the Storage Soul Tool on his finger.

The girl looked at the girl walking toward her and used both hands to lower the blanket covering half her face, revealing a pair of sexy red lips. "My name is Zhu Zhuqing. I-I'm from the Star Luo Empire."

"Oh, you're actually from the Star Luo Empire. Why did you come all the way to our Heaven Dou Empire? And why were those men in black chasing you?"

The boy set the medicine on the table and looked at the girl, asking casually.

I'm from the Star Luo Empire, and he really doesn't mind at all?

"Um... because of some family matters."

"All right, let's not talk about that for now. First, could you, uh, move the blanket? I'll change your dressing."

Yu Tianshuang's face was a little red, and his eyes darted away, but he said it all the same.

At his words, the girl's delicate, pretty face instantly flushed red. Then she said softly, "Yu, Yu Tianshuang, don't, don't change the dressing yet. Um... do you have any money on you? Could you lend me some?"

Yu Tianshuang was puzzled, but he answered, "Yes. How much do you need?" As he spoke, he put down the medicine and bandages, then took a purse from his ring.

"I, I, I don't know either. Um... lend me some money to hire a healing-type Soul Master in the city, and then... then you won't have to change the dressing."

After speaking, Zhu Zhuqing pulled the blanket back up, leaving only her beautiful violet eyes exposed as she looked at Yu Tianshuang.

Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's words, Yu Tianshuang froze with the purse in his hand, his whole body going still.

I actually forgot about healing-type Soul Masters. And to think you spend every day with Hanhan, an inheritor of the Nine Heart Begonia, yet you've made things this awkward. She... must think I was deliberately trying to take advantage of her.

Glancing at the medicine and bandages on the table, Yu Tianshuang put them back in his ring as though no one else were present, then walked to the door. "Um, I'll go find you a healing-type Soul Master. Get some rest."

Seeing Yu Tianshuang's rather comical actions and hearing his slightly awkward words, Zhu Zhuqing burst out laughing.

As Zhu Zhuqing lay in bed, images of Yu Tianshuang kept rising unbidden in her mind: his cold, handsome appearance when he had saved her, and the awkward, ill-at-ease look he had just worn. As she thought about them, the corners of her mouth lifted without her realizing it.

Yu Tianshuang left and returned just as quickly.

The door opened, and Yu Tianshuang walked in with a middle-aged woman.

As an emerald-green light shone over Zhu Zhuqing, the middle-aged woman said, "All right, the treatment's done. Your boyfriend really was worried about you. He found out where I lived late at night and called me over to treat you. Well, the treatment's done. Not bad, the Rose Hotel is considered the best couples' hotel in Suotuo City. You young people enjoy your time together, haha."

"We're not..." The two hurried to explain, but the middle-aged woman gave them a knowing smile and left the room.

Feeling that the wounds on her body had completely healed, Zhu Zhuqing finally began to look around the room she was in. She discovered that it was decorated entirely in shades of pink, giving it a romantic atmosphere.

Yu Tianshuang sensed the atmosphere too and hurriedly waved his hands. "When I was carrying you, this was the nearest hotel. I didn't have any thoughts like that, so don't misunderstand."

Zhu Zhuqing waved a hand. Although her cheeks were still slightly red, she said calmly, "I know..."

Time passed, minute by minute, and night had quietly fallen.

Both of them felt that the atmosphere was a little strange. They exchanged a glance and spoke at the same time.

"I'll go get another..."

"I'll move farther in..."

After speaking, she ignored Yu Tianshuang, who was still standing there in a daze, and hurriedly turned around, pulling the blanket up to cover herself.

"Oh, this is so embarrassing, honestly... How could you say something like that?"

Yu Tianshuang stood there in a daze for a moment. After thinking it over, he went to the door and said, "Um... get some rest. I'd better go get another room. Um... see you tomorrow morning."

With that, he dashed out.

The night passed without incident, and the two fell asleep with all sorts of strange thoughts on their minds.

Early the next morning, someone knocked on Yu Tianshuang's door.

"Yu... Yu Tianshuang, are you up?"

Zhu Zhuqing's cool, commanding voice came from outside the room.

"I-I'm up. Wait a moment."

Yu Tianshuang opened the door and saw Zhu Zhuqing standing outside with her head lowered, her pretty face slightly red.

"Come in first."

He stepped aside, and Zhu Zhuqing entered Yu Tianshuang's room.

She looked up and around the room and found it identical to hers, with the same romantic pink decorations and style.

"I don't have a Storage Soul Tool, and I lost all my travel money while those men in black were chasing me. But don't worry, I'll definitely pay back the money I borrowed from you, and... and repay you for saving me."

Yu Tianshuang hurriedly waved his hands. "There's no need, no need. You don't have to take it to heart. When you see injustice on the road, you should draw your sword and help."

After he said this, the two fell silent again. As the minutes ticked by, Zhu Zhuqing was the first to break the awkward silence.

"I'm going to a place in this city called Shrek Academy to find someone. Once I find him, I'll have him pay you back first. As for saving me, I'll definitely repay you for that in the future."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Yu Tianshuang with a serious expression as she spoke.

"Him..." Yu Tianshuang murmured.

Then he remembered something and hurriedly said to Zhu Zhuqing in delight, "Shrek Academy? That's great! I'm going there too. We can travel together."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Yu Tianshuang with a trace of suspicion on her pretty face.

"Don't misunderstand. I came to Suotuo City this time to go to Shrek Academy and bring back someone who's like a younger sister to me."

Seeing the suspicion in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, Yu Tianshuang hurriedly explained.

Seeing how ill at ease Yu Tianshuang was, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help bursting out laughing again. Then she forced back her laughter and nodded. "All right, let's go together."

The two had just stepped out of the room when they heard an argument downstairs.

"Why should I give it to you? You big pervert! You're here by yourself with, with two girls, getting, getting a room. Besides, Third Brother and I got here first. Don't you know what first come, first served means?"

The speaker was a girl dressed entirely in pink. With her hands on her hips and a slightly bashful look, she was extremely cute.

"Hmph, what a joke. Who doesn't know this room has always been mine, Dai Mubai's? If you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being discourteous."

At that moment, an ordinary-looking boy in blue beside the girl in pink stepped forward and said slowly, "Then I'd like to see just how discourteous you can be."

"There seemed to be two rooms left yesterday. I booked one, so there should only have been one left. Those people downstairs must be arguing over it."

Zhu Zhuqing did not answer. Her delicate hands gripped the railing so tightly that they turned somewhat pale, and she stared coldly at the blond man embracing a woman on each side.

Sensing that something was unusual about Zhu Zhuqing, Yu Tianshuang asked hesitantly, "That blond man arguing downstairs, he couldn't be the person you're looking for, could he?"

Zhu Zhuqing stared at the blond man with a woman in each arm, her gaze icy and her pretty face covered in frost. As though she wanted to kill him, she said coldly, "Yes..."