It was getting completely dark. The street lights were on, stretching far away.

When David drove the car to the downtown, he said, "Let's go and eat something. You didn't enjoy the dinner anyway."

Alice looked at the bruise on David's clean and handsome cheek, "You should put some ice on it."

"I'll deal with it when I get home tonight. Don't worry about it." David still smiled like the warm sun. He didn't want to give Alice any burden.

"I shouldn't have hit Emily. I'm sorry. Is she hurt?” Alice held her hands together. Emily was David's girlfriend after all. She really shouldn't have beaten her good friend's girlfriend. It would put David in an awkward position.

David raised his slender and beautiful fingers and flicked Alice's head lightly. "If you do hurt Emily, she will make your life in school more terrible in the future."

"You are worrying about that." Alice sighed and smiled at David. "I'll be more careful in the future. There is only a month left before the exam. When I start my internship in the senior year, I don't have to see her very often.”

David looked out of the window, looking for a nice restaurant. He diverted the topic, "What do you want to eat for a late supper? KFC? Your favorite beef burger and some egg tarts?

"Just take me home." Alice shook her head.

David knew that if Alice lost her appetite, she must be in a really bad mood. He started the engine and drove to a remote cottage area in west. When he stopped the car, Alice opened the door and got off.

"Alice..." David got out of the car and caught up.

"I'm all right, David." Alice turned around and smiled at him. "Go home and remember to put some ice on the bruise. See you at school tomorrow."

David wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words. He smiled and said, "See you tomorrow at school."

Alice opened the door and went into the house.

Alice's home was located on the second floor. David watched the lights on and stood by the car for a long time before driving away.

Alice rushed into the bathroom and washed her body thoroughly. She stood in front of the mirror, and she saw the blue and purple bruises left by the man on her shoulders and chest. Tears came into her eyes uncontrollably.

She rubbed her face hard, and wanted to rub away all her bad mood. She grinned at the mirror, but her smile was bitter.

She supported her aching head and forced herself not to think about the night spent with that man, but her brain just didn't listen to her. The man's words kept ringing in her ears.

"Girls nowadays are not worth a cent in front of money."

Alice shook her head, trying to get rid of all her thoughts.

At this time, her phone rang. It was Emma calling.

"Did Bruce do anything to you? I'm not good at driving. I failed to catch up with his car! If David hadn't called me just now and told me that you were all right, I would have called the police. Are you at home? I'll go check on you.''

"I am all right now, Emma. Don't worry about it. It's already ten o'clock. You should go to bed earlier." Alice hurried to laugh. She answered Emma in the best state so that she would not worry.

"Are you really all alright?"

"Um! I am really all right. You know, I am heartless. You know, this isn't the first time Bruce makes trouble with me. I don't really care about it.” Alice did not say that this time Bruce seemed to really have the idea of killing her. Now her body was still shaking as she thought of the scene that she was immersed in the rolling sea.

"I'm relieved to hear that you're fine." Emma finally took a deep breath and hung up the phone.

Alice grabbed her cell phone in her hand, laying on the bed and looking at the bright energy-saving lamp on the roof.

She didn't think too much about Bruce. The diamond ring that she gave to the wrong person was the real problem.

She had to get up and go take a chance at the Royal City Hotel.

Thinking in this way, she dropped asleep.

She was worn out these two days.

......

Mark's phone call awakened Alice from her sleep in the early morning.

"Alice, why don't you return the diamond ring to me! You want to keep it to yourself, right?!" Mark deafened Alice's ears with his roar.

"I am too busy these two days. I will definitely give it back to you!"

Mark shouted on the other end again, so Alice quickly removed her cell phone from her ear.

"I'll give you another day. If you don't return it by then, your mother will get out of the hospital and go home!" Saying that, Mark hung up the phone.

Alice took a long breath and looked at the time. It was only 5 o'clock.

She found that there were new messages on WeChat. They were from David. The sending time was 11 o'clock last night. He sent it right after he took her back home.

"I bought you some food, and hung it on your door. If you haven't slept yet, come out and take it." There was a big smiling face in the end.

When Alice went out, she saw a bag of KFC hanging at the door.

A beef burger, a chicken drumstick, plus two egg tarts. Those were her favorite. Although the food was already cold, she still felt warm in her heart.

The KFC became Alice's breakfast.

After changing clothes, she went out early to the hospital to see her mother and brother. She bought them breakfast, and consulted the doctor about the operation of her mother's kidney replacement. Then it was about time, so she took a bus and went to school.

When the students in school saw her, they all crowded together and whispered.

Someone sent the video recorded in the canteen yesterday to the school forum. Now the whole school knew what happened yesterday and it had become the hottest topic now.

Alice turned a blind eye to it. She went to the classroom and got a seat to review her lessons.

For some reason, neither David nor Emily came to school today. Nor did Emma.

Alice sent Emma a WeChat message, asking why she didn't attend class, but Emma did not reply.

After class, Alice had just finished putting away her textbooks and class notes when May Smith and two other girls passed by and glanced at her. May was so arrogant as if she was some kind of socialite, and she said something in a low voice.

"Some people are still living in the childhood fairy tales, dreaming that once Cinderella wears her crystal shoes, she can meet the noble prince, and thus get rid of poverty."

While saying, May had walked away with two other girls, laughing.

Alice stood still. She raised the corners of her lips and smiled. She just shrugged it off.

After leaving the campus, Alice went to the subway station and got on the subway leading to the Royal City Hotel.

After arriving at the Royal City Hotel, Alice looked up at the high and luxurious building. She could not lift her feet and move for a long time.

This was where she dedicated her body to someone else for the first time. On that day, she was drunk, standing in front of the Royal City Hotel like she did now and looked up at the tall building surrounded by gorgeous neon lights, swearing that she would never step here again.

She didn't expect that she would come here again.

The sky darkened and the lights lit up. The city was brilliantly illuminated.

Alice finally took a deep breath and went in. She looked at the receptionist who was smiling formally and asked her directly.

"Excuse me. May I know the name of the guest in Room 2218, and his contact information?"

For hotels like this, they would have the contact information of their VIP customers.

Unexpectedly, the smile on the receptionist's face disappeared immediately. "Sorry, miss, we are not allowed to leak out the private information of our hotel guests, not to mention the information about the guest in Room 2218."

"Why?" That was the only hope for her to find that man.

"Sorry, miss, this is our company policy."

Alice didn't want to miss her only chance so she asked the receptionist, "So can you tell me, has he checked out or not?"

The receptionist was caught in an awkward position. "Miss, why do you have to ask the information about the guest in Room 2218?"

"I really have something urgent to deal with." Alice was anxious.

The receptionist could tell she was really worried. She thought for a while and shook her head. "The guest in Room 2218 will never check out."