She hit him and ran—thrilling to the core.
Eloise hurriedly ran into the room, standing by the bed to put on her robe. Her movements were swift, as if a monster were chasing her. A steady sound of footsteps came from the backyard. Isidore walked in against the light, his expression hidden in the shadow.
Eloise, as if facing her natural enemy, rushed towards the door in haste, her belt only half-tied, without a care. Isidore quickly caught up, cornering her against the wall, one arm braced against it.
His tone was fierce. "You've got the guts to hit, but not to run?" Eloise cowered, weakly protesting, "You're the one who bullied me first!"
Bullying? Isidore's gaze dropped slightly. Her bathrobe had completely come undone as she fled, the collar wide open, half of her chest exposed, with a glimpse of a pinkish areola showing on one side.
Her gaze lifted, and under the dual effect of tension and movement, she breathed heavily. Her fair cheeks were flushed with two rosy clouds, and her clear blue eyes, sparkling with moisture, looked fresh and alluring, like a juicy, ripe peach.
She paraded herself like this in front of him, and then had the audacity to blame him for bullying? When a rabbit is pinned to the ground and torn apart by a wolf, does it blame its own meat for being too tasty?
He narrowed his eyes, about to speak, when someone passed behind him. Swiftly, he turned to the side, shielding Eloise more closely. Unexpectedly, in that brief moment of carelessness, she slipped out from under his arm, pressing her hand to her chest as she chased after the young man. "Young sir, what is that place over there?"
The man answered that there was an activity center ahead, with many entertainment options. Eloise gave a soft "Oh" and was immediately yanked back, her waist tightening as Isidore, his face dark with anger, began fixing her clothes and tying her belt.
Eloise obediently raised her hand, cooperating as she innocently changed the subject. "I heard there's something fun over there, shall we go check it out?" Isidore saw through her avoidance and delay, and with a cold laugh, he murmured, "You can escape for a moment, but can you escape for a lifetime?"
"Sure," he said with complete patience. "Take a shower first." She turned and walked towards her room. Isidore had long since grown accustomed to her absurd behavior and calmly followed behind her.
After finishing her shower, she was gone again. Isidore made a note of it in his mind, then shuffled out the door in his slippers.
The activity center of this hot spring resort was spacious, with a shooting range that could be called professional. Eloise was there, surrounded by a group of college men, each with a perfect stature. The one standing closest to her was, to her surprise, the very young man who had once left her staring in awe.
She was laughing in the middle, looking like a decadent, promiscuous princess surrounded by a harem of handsome men. Isidore narrowed his eyes, mentally marking her down, suppressing his irritation as he walked toward her. Eloise clearly saw him in her peripheral vision but pretended not to notice him.
She was performing with exaggerated intonation. "A national shooting champion? That's so impressive!" The young man, embarrassed by the praise, scratched his head. "Don't listen to them, I'm just the best among college students!"
This was a group of students from a sports university, taking the opportunity to come out and have some fun. When Eloise had gazed at him several times, the college man was left with a deep impression of this beautiful and charming young woman.
Later, when he saw her casually stroll into the shooting range, he couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence, his gaze involuntarily lingering on her. His friends, noticing this, teasingly nudged him forward to strike up a conversation. At first, he was worried she might be the sweet but aloof type, but he quickly realized that she was even more adorable than he had imagined.
When the college man was being modest, she widened her eyes and seriously said, "That's still very impressive!" The college man's heart skipped a beat. Gathering his courage, he suggested, "How about I teach you how to shoot?" Eloise's eyes curved into a smile. "Sure!"
This shooting range allowed ten targets to be hit in one round, with different levels of prizes awarded based on the total score as an incentive. Eloise's gaze wandered over to the prize shelf, spotting a third-tier bear bag and commenting, "It's so cute!"
The college man first demonstrated. "Like this, arm outstretched..." He fired a shot, hitting very close to the bullseye. Eloise clapped in approval, mimicking his actions as she took a shot, which narrowly grazed the edge of the target.
"No, it's not like this," the college man said with a smile, stepping forward to correct her flawed movements, almost hugging her from behind. Isidore, unable to hold back any longer, walked over and tilted his chin at the college man. "Hey, how about a round?"
"Sure... sure," the college man replied, stunned. Eloise kindly reminded, "He's a national champion." "So what?" Isidore shot her a cold glance.
He stood at the shooting range, raising his arm. "What matters in shooting isn't the posture, but the focus." He said this, though it was unclear who or what he was mocking. Eloise was about to sneer in disdain when she saw him casually pull the trigger, and the bullet hit the bullseye, perfectly centered.
Everyone was stunned. He fired several more shots, each one landing squarely in the bullseye, without the slightest deviation. Meanwhile, the college man lost his composure after Isidore's first shot, making several mistakes. One shot even landed outside the five-ring. Seeing the young man's face turn red with embarrassment, Eloise couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy.
However, when only two shots remained, Isidore's posture remained steady, yet he scored a three and a two. The crowd was puzzled until the staff brought over a teddy bear bag and congratulated him on winning the third-tier prize. He pointed toward Eloise and said, "Give it to the one with that conspicuous lady over there."
Eloise took it with flushed cheeks, holding it to her chest, glaring at Isidore with a look of defiance, while Isidore returned her gaze with equal coldness. At this point, even the slowest person could sense the unusual tension between them, and the so-called competition lost its significance.
The college man became the disappointed loser, standing aside with a gloomy expression. Eloise didn't notice his mood at all. She snorted and turned away, saying to him, "Don't worry about that guy. Let's go singing!"
The college man forced a smile at Isidore. "Shall we go together?" Isidore said nothing, merely shoving his hands into his pockets, coolly following behind Eloise. When they arrived at the music bar private room, a group of guys enthusiastically approached Eloise, inviting her to play a game.
She had no idea that these people were here to "take revenge" for their friend. Isidore was already irritated with her and found a certain satisfaction in watching her stumble. He coldly sat on a distant sofa, observing from afar.
The game was the classic King's Game. First, roll the dice, then play rock-paper-scissors with the player corresponding to the number rolled. The winner gets to assign a task for the loser to do; if the loser fails, they must drink.
Eloise kept getting selected, losing every time at rock-paper-scissors, and the tasks assigned were always impossible for her to do. By the end of the night, the wine glass never left her hand. She thought it was just her bad luck, unaware that the others had secretly teamed up to play tricks on her.
Isidore saw her behavior becoming more unruly as she grew drunk. Frowning, he walked over and seized her wrist with a firm grip: "Let's go back." Eloise looked up at him, pouting pitifully. "Let me win just once!"
"Can I add one more?" Isidore sighed inwardly and looked toward the game organizer.
