Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Fate’s cruelest jokes always seem to be played on the kind-hearted.

Because I tried to help an old woman find her lost dog, I was lured into a narrow alleyway.

Mouth gagged, nose covered, drugged unconscious.

One moment my eyes closed; the next, they opened.

From that point on, my life plunged into endless darkness.

I woke up with a violent start.

It was as if my brain had retained the high-pitched terror from just before I was drugged; by the time I struggled awake, I was drenched in a cold sweat.

I couldn’t tell if the foul stench filling my nostrils made me want to vomit more, or if the sudden, crushing weight of fear was what truly suffocated me.

My hands and feet were ice-cold, and for a moment, my mind was a total blank.

“Oh, another one’s awake.”

It was a man’s voice.

He seemed to glance back, letting out two dry chuckles.

“So she’s awake, big deal.”

The person who replied was a woman, her voice raspy like an old duck.

She slapped the man. “What do you keep looking back for? Focus on your driving. It’s not like they can escape.”

The man laughed again and agreed, “True, true. They’re not going anywhere anyway.”

Only then did I slowly regain my senses.

I forced myself to steady my mind. *Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.*

As it turned out, psychological suggestions are useless in the face of absolute terror.

My tears were already flowing uncontrollably.

Because my mouth was taped shut, my sobs were choked in my throat. I sounded like a trapped animal, letting out a mournful whimper.

The pathetic reality was that my current situation was no better than that of a cornered beast.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

With a voice of sheer desperation, I told myself:

*He Yanan, you must stay calm! You have to get out of here!*

*Your mom and dad are waiting for you!*

*You can’t just accept this fate!*

*You have to escape!*

Around me, the sound of crying rose and fell. I warily scanned my surroundings to grasp my situation.

My hands and feet were bound, and I was stuffed into a cramped van.

Sharing my fate were ten other girls beside me.

Some were still unconscious, while others had woken up before me. Their eyes held the same shock and horror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

The eleven of us were tossed into the narrow van like common cargo.

Bodies were pressed against bodies, heads against heads; there wasn’t even an inch of space to stretch.

The windows were tightly covered with black cloth, blocking any view of the outside.

I couldn’t call out to passersby for help, nor could I note any landmarks or the general direction we were traveling.

My heart sank a few degrees further.

The van drove through the night, bumping along the road and making countless turns.

I had never seen the man driving.

But that woman-I would never forget her face as long as I lived.

She was the Granny who had begged me to help find her puppy.

At the time, I had just come out of the Old Street.

There aren’t many people on the Old Street. Since I was studying for my second attempt at the postgraduate entrance exams, I had specifically chosen a study lounge there to ensure I could focus without distractions.

That day, I had gone to pack up my personal belongings from the lounge to head home.

Heaven rewards the diligent. After enduring countless grueling days and nights, I had finally passed! I had made it!

My joy was beyond words; I could already see a bright future waving at me.

But I never could have imagined that the moment I stepped out of the study lounge, what awaited me was a living hell.

I was clutching my books, and I hadn’t walked more than a few steps when I saw a hunched old woman crying nearby.

I was surprised for a moment, and she happened to look up at me.

Then, wiping her tears, she walked toward me.

I instinctively took a few steps back.

The Granny said a lot while crying.

Her Mandarin was broken, heavily laced with a thick accent.

I listened carefully for a long time before I roughly understood what she meant.

She was from out of town and had come to the provincial capital to take care of her pregnant daughter-in-law. Just now, her daughter-in-law had asked her to walk the dog, but she hadn’t held the leash firmly, and the dog had bolted.

She was a stranger in a strange land, no one could understand her dialect, and she didn’t know how to use a cell phone. She had been searching for hours, but there was still no sign of the puppy.

She said her son and daughter-in-law didn’t like her much to begin with and valued the dog more than her. If the dog was lost, they would never forgive her.

As she spoke, she wiped away more tears.

I admit my heart softened, but I still maintained a shred of caution. I suggested, “How about this, Granny? I’ll call the police for you and let them help you find it.”

She waved her hands frantically. “Why involve the police for such a thing? If this becomes a big deal, they won’t give me any peace at home.”

I wavered.

Seeing this, she said hurriedly, “Young lady, please, just help me take a look over there. If it’s not in that alley, I’ll stop looking. If I get scolded, I get scolded. These old legs of mine really can’t walk anymore.”

My heart softened completely.

I thought, *It’s just one look, right? It’ll only take two minutes.*

So I agreed and walked quickly toward the alley.

Keeping the Granny’s description of the puppy in mind, I looked around every corner of the alley for the little dog.

Perhaps I was too focused on finding the dog, or perhaps their kidnapping techniques were simply too practiced, but I didn’t even notice someone behind me.

It wasn’t until my mouth was suddenly covered that I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I finally realized what was happening. Just as my brain tried to react, I lost consciousness and collapsed instantly.

When I woke up again, I was here.