Seven

ZETIAN’S POV

Uh, why would there be a child in a storeroom of a bar? There shouldn’t be a customer so crazy as to bring their child to a bar, right?.

“Hey, little bun,” I whispered gently. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

No response.

I softened my tone.

“Did you sneak in?”

Still nothing.

I tried again.

“Were you also locked in here by someone?”

Silence.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

“Do you like sweets?”

For a moment, he hesitated, his little fingers twitching slightly. But then, as if realizing he was being spoken to, he curled further into himself, his shoulders shaking harder.

He was scared. Terrified.

I leaned back, giving him space.

“It’s okay,” I murmured. “I won’t hurt you.”

The two of us, adult and child, peacefully occupied a corner each, sitting in complete silence—an unlikely pair, trapped in the same darkness.

Then, the light above us flickered. A few rapid flashes before it gave out completely, plunging the room into pitch blackness.

A soft, chattering sound filled the silence.

It took me a second to realize what it was—his teeth. He was trembling so hard, his teeth were clattering together.

I almost laughed despite the situation.

“Scared of the dark?”

The chattering paused for half a second—before resuming, even louder.

I sighed, shifting closer. He flinched slightly but didn’t run.

Slowly, cautiously, I sat down beside him.

Sleep must have taken me at some point because when I woke up, I felt something warm pressed against my leg.

Blinking, I glanced down—only to see the little boy nestled against me, his small fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt.

I stared.

A slow smile pulled at my lips. He reminded me of my old pet cat—timid yet secretly affectionate.

This little bun seemed to have felt my gaze, and his little face blushed a bit, but this time, there was no more panic in his eyes. Instead, his big, adorable eyes were filled with curiousity.

He was really just like my little pet cat, even their eyes were the same.

My hands were itching to pet him, and at some point I gave up on resisting and reached out to pet the adorable fluffy little hair.

But then, my smile faded when I discovered something wasn't right.

His forehead was burning.

A fever!!.

Now this was really bad.

“Zetian, look for a way to save him before he passes out,” Gemini suggested through panic.

Panic shot through me. Katherine had locked me in here and would keep me locked up here until the audition was over tomorrow, at the very least.

If we weren’t out by morning…then, it would be too dangerous for his health.

While getting anxious over the time, I noticed that somehow, a beam of light seemed to be reflecting into the store.

It wasn’t from the light bulb, so where was it from?.

Raising my head, I saw that it was a small skylight, which was falling from a small window.

Quickly I looked around the storeroom, and finally caught sight of a ladder.

Hope flickered as I moved quickly, dragging the ladder over.

“Come on, Little bun. Climb up. Go get help.”

His wide eyes darkened with stubborn refusal. Instantly he shook his head.

Funny enough, I understood his meaning, then smiled and pecked his cheeks.

“You’re quite loyal after all, you want to suffer together with me?” he nodded and my smile grew even wider.

“Well, I guess you are still little for that, my love. Look, this window is too small, I can’t get out. But If you get out first, you can find someone to come save me.”

I smiled softly rubbing his hair. “You’re a brave boy, aren’t you? But now, I need you to be my hero. Be aunt's superman.”

After a long hesitation, he finally obeyed. But just as he reached the top of the ladder–My vision blurred. Dizziness struck, I lost control of my legs and my body collapsed, falling from the ladder in one swift movement.

From the edge of the window, the little bun saw this scene, and panic rose up on his previously dull and lifeless little face.

He wanted to fall back to me, but I held on to the last bits of my strength and said just one word,

“Go,” I encouraged.

Under the light of the stars, my face was pale and fragile, but that did not obscure my startling beauty. Especially that pair of moist and lively eyes that were like a sea filled with endless stars.

I was no longer the ignorant countryside girl and ugly duckling they used to call me.

However, of what use was that now?

I smiled bitterly. I guess before I get to have my revenge, I would fall to my death here..

“Zetian, don't give up yet. You can't end our existence like a weakling!!!.” Gemini groaned.

I smiled.

“Well, at least before dying, I had done a good deed in saving the little bun. You know, If my child had not died back then, he would probably be around this age..”

After the car accident five years ago, in shame, the Andersons family had sent me away to a university specialising in accepting wayward children of the elites in America, leaving me to fend for myself. But I withdrew from that university and reapplied for the University of South California, almost going crazy in my pursuit for all kinds of knowledge. All because I wanted to defeat Cindy, and take back everything that was mine! Most importantly, acting was the biggest dream of my life.

After returning back from California, using this face and a solid foundation of acting skill, I was spotted by Katherine, and successfully entered the industry’s largest company–Moonlight Entertainment.

I should have had a bright future from then, but I guess Cindy decided to become a pest to me. She followed me into moonlight, and through bribing Katherine, she was now suppressing me from all directions….