Chapter 7

“You’re up early, it’s only eight twenty…” Zina glanced at the clock on the wall, stretched lazily, and hurried to dress and get out of bed.

Zina wore a slim-fit top with black and white stripes, and whenever she stretched just a bit, her midriff was sure to show. She paired it with white casual pants and white flat sneakers. Perhaps inspired by how nice Yixuan’s loose hair looked, she too let her hair down, instead of her favorite ponytail. Zina resembled a wealthy heiress, exuding an inexplicable aura of elegance.

The two of them went downstairs and exited through the north gate, heading toward Puhua Street. Along the way, they garnered countless second glances. On Municipal Road 670, their presence surprisingly caused several rear-end collisions and red-light violations. Even more astonishing, one driver followed them against traffic, only to be fined 800 yuan by a traffic officer, albeit still staring lecherously at the pair’s slender figures.

Upon arriving at Yutian Business KTV, they entered the elevator, but unexpectedly, this elevator-which had been problem-free for years-stopped at the fourth-floor exit. Fortunately, they were already at the exit; otherwise, they would have been stuck between floors.

“Yixuan, let’s get out and take the stairs. The elevator’s broken,” Zina said, looking resigned.

Leaving the elevator, they wandered around, unable to locate the stairs. Unwittingly, they found themselves in a ten-meter long corridor on the fourth floor of Yutian Business KTV. Along the corridor, there were rooms every three meters or so. The fourth floor was reserved for VIP suites, with a total of six rooms on both sides.

Intrigued, Zina and Yixuan walked down the corridor, curious.

“Yi Yuan Ju? What does that mean? Yi He Ju? What’s that about?” Zina pondered, staring at the words inscribed above each suite’s lintel.

“Haven’t you been to a place like this before?” Yixuan asked.

“No, but these room names are quite interesting,” Zina replied with a smile as she continued walking forward, despite there clearly being no path ahead.

“Why is it so damn hard to find a girl to entertain!”

Bang!

Suddenly, a burly man burst out of the room nearest to Zina and Yixuan, sporting a thick beard and three knife scars on his face. As soon as he stepped out and turned his head, he laid eyes on the two stunning women.

“Well, aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes! You’re worth the wait! Now, how am I supposed to choose?” he remarked lustfully while eyeing Yixuan and Zina, nervously rubbing his palms together with a hint of hesitation.

Hearing his words, Yixuan and Zina froze instantly. They were less than a meter away from the room, and the burly man took two steps towards them. He placed one hand on each of their shoulders and forcefully pushed them into the room.

“What are you doing! Let go of us! Open the door!” Yixuan shouted, while Zina managed to break free from his grip.

“Well, this one’s got some spirit!” he said, reaching out with his index finger to lift Yixuan’s chin. Yixuan slapped his hand away and turned to open the door, but he wrapped his arm around her with force.

“Let her go, let her go!” Zina screamed angrily, her face flushed red with rage, eyes blazing with fury, though she was still scared inside.

“Let me go! Let go…” Yixuan struggled in his arms like a small fish caught in his grasp, her efforts futile.

The burly man paid no mind to their protests, puzzled by these unexpected reactions from the women he assumed were just playing along.

Seeing Yixuan’s struggle, Zina slapped him hard across the face. Surprised by their resistance, as he thought they were just joking, he grew angry. He tossed Yixuan aside and violently pulled Zina into his arms. His right hand clawed at her shirt collar, ripping it in half, revealing a pink strapless top underneath, her back barely covered by two straps. Then he reached to tear off her top as well.

“Bang!” Yixuan grabbed a wine bottle from behind the door and smashed it over the burly man’s head. The bottle shattered, but his head was unscathed, and he didn’t faint. Glaring angrily at Yixuan, he slapped her to the ground, and blood instantly streamed from the right corner of her mouth.

“You’re asking for it!” the burly man roared. The slap left Yixuan dizzy and unable to stand, her body too weak.

“Ha ha!” The burly man let out a loud laugh, holding Zina in his left arm. With his right hand, he tore through her bandeau and bra, leaving her upper body completely exposed. Her fair skin and disheveled hair only fueled his desires. As Zina twisted her body and flailed her arms, her struggles seemed to invigorate him even more.

He scooped her up with one arm and tossed her onto the couch. As Zina tried to escape, he pinned her down and began kissing her, caressing her body with his right hand while forcefully reaching into her pants with his left. With two swift movements, Zina’s legs were left completely bare.

“Lazy cat Zina, you have a call… Lazy cat Zina, you have a call…” Zina’s phone lay shattered on the floor, ringing with an incoming call.

The phone was less than two feet away from Yixuan. She grabbed it, but had no idea what it was or how to use it. She only intended to use it as a weapon. Slowly, she crawled toward the couch.

“Let go! Let go of me…,” Zina cried weakly, her eyes filled with despair. The burly man was already removing his trousers!

“Damn scum!” Yixuan, holding the phone tightly in her right hand, smashed it against the man’s head. He swiftly turned and punched Yixuan in the head, knocking her to the floor, her mind going blank as if she were about to faint but still vaguely conscious.

The burly man didn’t care about Yixuan’s wellbeing. He turned back, stripped off his clothes, and continued his assault. Despite Zina’s struggles, her legs were firmly clamped by the burly man; she couldn’t escape his clutches.

Zina was being kissed and caressed by a burly man who gradually invaded her body. She screamed and cried, helplessly struggling, but no one was there at that moment to pull the villain off her…

“Hello! Hello! Zina? Zina? Hello! Hello!…” Ye Chen became panicked as he heard the tragic cries coming from the other end of the phone.

“What’s happening?” Cai Erman asked.

“Hello? Hello? Zina? Hello? Speak up, what are you doing? Speak up!…” Ye Chen repeatedly asked, but all that came from the other end were screams.

“Uh… I am…”

“Who are you? Where are you? Who are you?…” Ye Chen hurriedly asked as he received a reply from the other end.

“I am… I am Yixuan, we are now…”

“Where? Where?” Ye Chen urgently asked.

“On the fourth floor, in a room…”

“Hello! Hello!…” Yixuan on the other end dropped her head and passed out, as it turned out her sudden movement had accidentally answered the phone call.

“Mingzi! Fourth floor, hurry to the fourth floor! Something happened to Zina!” Ye Chen shouted hastily, and Mingzi quickly ran over.

“Let’s go! What are you waiting for, to the fourth floor!” Seeing Mingzi with wide eyes and Ye Chen looking stunned, Cai Erman shouted at the two.

“Hey! You three!…” A supervisor tried to call after them, but no one cared who he was at that moment!

“Let’s take the stairs, they’re closer,” Cai Erman said, panting.

“Okay,” Ye Chen replied.

“Ye Chen, what exactly happened? What happened to my sister?” Mingzi asked seriously.

“Hurry to the fourth floor, I heard Yixuan’s voice, she… she had no strength at all, something must have happened,” Ye Chen said while running alongside Mingzi.

“Where? Where did they say they are?” Upon reaching the fourth floor, Mingzi paced back and forth, frantic.

“She said they’re in a room!” Ye Chen replied.

“A room? Damn it, kick them open one by one!” Mingzi yelled, entering a corridor and kicking at every door like a gang boss!

He kicked open one, nothing; another, nothing; yet another, still nothing…

“Kick! Damn it, just kick!” Ye Chen and Cai Erman also entered the corridor, rushing ahead of Mingzi, if one kick didn’t do it, two kicks, if two didn’t suffice, three!

“Boom! Bang!”

“Damn it! Who’s knocking like that! Looking for trouble!”

“Crash! Clang!”

Ye Chen kicked open a door at the far right end of the corridor. On the sofa, a naked man was lying on top of a woman with disheveled hair, who weakly moved her head. At first, Ye Chen didn’t think much of it, but then he noticed someone lying beside the coffee table on the floor. Recognizing the clothes, he realized it was Yixuan. And the woman under the man? Ye Chen didn’t dare to think about it, he truly didn’t.

“What are you looking at! Go get help!” Mingzi shouted from outside the door upon seeing Ye Chen frozen in place.

“Damn it! You son of a bitch! Get out of my way!” Ye Chen clenched his fists and dashed into the room, smashing his fist into the man’s head.

“Ah!…”

“I’ll kill you!” Mingzi saw everything in the room; the burly man who had been on top of Zina was kicked away by Ye Chen, and her hair fell loosely across her face.

Mingzi punched and kicked the man, who was already dazed from Ye Chen’s blows and had no strength to fight back. Mingzi was relentless, grabbing anything he could and smashing it on the man. He kicked with all his might, sparing no effort!

Ye Chen took off his work clothes and threw them aside, then removed his white shirt underneath and wrapped it around Zina. Zina was not coherent, and when she saw Ye Chen handing her the shirt, she jerked back, curling up in a corner of the sofa. Ye Chen said, “It’s me, Ye Chen, it’s me.”

Zina didn’t look at Ye Chen but started mumbling his name.

Ye Chen gently wrapped the shirt around her, and Zina did not resist anymore. Ye Chen held her tightly in his arms.

“Stop hitting him! You’re going to kill him!” Cai Erman held Mingzi by the waist, trying to intervene, but Mingzi was beyond caring about life or death, continuing to beat the man mercilessly.

“Damn bastard! I’ll kick you to death, you son of a bitch!” Mingzi punched and kicked, tears streaming down his face… He cried, no longer punching or kicking, and slowly squatted down, not daring to look at his sister. He buried his head deeply, tears dripping onto the floor, as if hitting his own heart.

“Cai Erman, see how Yixuan is doing,” Ye Chen said, looking at Yixuan and then at Cai Erman.

Cai Erman helped Yixuan up from the ground; she was still unconscious.

“Yixuan? Yixuan? Looks like she’s been knocked out, look.” Cai Erman gently touched Yixuan’s mouth with his right hand, getting blood on it. He showed the bloody spot to Ye Chen. Ye Chen frowned, a surge of anger coming from his nostrils, and turned his head to look at the burly man lying on the ground groaning, his gaze sharp, cold, and ruthless!