The dagger gleamed with a pale light under the dim lamp.
Several bearded men were waiting nearby.
"Five minutes," the man said, pressing the dagger against Wen Lan's cheek.
"If she doesn't come in five minutes, it's time for you to bleed."
Wen Lan turned her head away in fear and swallowed nervously, "Don't."
"That damned girl is busy with work, who knows where she is now. But she has money!" Wen Lan hurriedly spoke, "She's got plenty of money!"
Wen Tang's heart ached.
But her money wasn't just blown in by the wind.
To put it nicely, she was a secretary.
A secretary on call twenty-four hours a day.
Less nicely, it was selling herself, and she was willing.
"I brought the money, let her go," Wen Tang said as she pushed open the door.
She was holding a small case in her hand.
She placed the small case on the poker table and opened it, "Check the goods, no waiting after time's up."
The man glanced at the bills and then his gaze settled on Wen Tang.
Her black V-neck shirt contrasted sharply with her fair skin under the dim light, stirring up restlessness and desire.
He stroked his chin and approached Wen Tang with ill intent.
The dagger withdrew from Wen Lan's cheek.
She screamed, "Ah Tang, you have to save Mom."
The man lifted Wen Tang's chin with the dagger, surprised to find that Wen Tang was not afraid at all.
Her composure seemed to exert a subtle pressure, making her appear quite imposing.
Who wouldn't want to lay a finger on such a woman?
"Can I take her away now?" Wen Tang asked calmly.
The man leaned close to Wen Tang's ear and took a deep sniff.
"Nice scent, clearly high-quality stuff," he said delightedly, stowing away the dagger, "Your mom just said, the debt she owes will be paid off with you, from now on you are mine."
Wen Tang's pupils tightened.
She looked at Wen Lan.
Not surprised, but shocked.
"Wasn't it just a hundred thousand yuan?" Wen Tang asked her.
Wen Lan's lips trembled, clearly feeling guilty.
The man burst into laughter, "Back then it was a hundred thousand yuan, but now it's much more than that."
"Little girl, I admire you for bringing a hundred thousand yuan here all by yourself. But, brother, I deal in interest on interest. Otherwise, what? Should my brothers and I drink the northwestern wind?"
The other bearded men laughed out loud.
Wen Tang's ears seemed to block out the laughter; she could accept paying off gambling debts, but being sold was something she could not accept.
"Mom, for the sake of gambling, you can even discard your own daughter?" Her gaze was cold as she looked at Wen Lan.
Unexpectedly, Wen Lan wasn't remorseful either.
She turned and said, "If you were a boy, would your mother have fallen to this state?"
"You'd be living the high life, secured in the position of a young madam by now!"
"Now, every time I open or close my eyes and see you, I feel so annoyed I itch."
Wen Tang clenched her hand, her heart shattered.
The man grew impatient, "Okay, enough with the melodrama in front of me, I don't have the time to listen to you babble."
He was eager to get to the meat of the matter.
He reached over, grabbed Wen Tang's arm, and walked her out.
This unexpected touch startled Wen Tang, making her shiver.
She struggled, but the man's grip was tight as he forcibly stuffed her into the car.
The others followed into the vehicle.
Wen Tang struggled and looked into the rearview mirror.
Wen Lan didn't give chase, probably staying in the room to count the money.
Her heart had died, suppressing her panic and confusion she spoke, "Let's make a deal."
"A fixed price, 500,000."
The man looked at her, and several bearded men also laughed out loud.
"Brothers, did you hear that?" He stretched out five fingers, "She's offering us 500,000 to sleep with her once!"
Wen Tang only felt sickened.
It seemed there was no need for negotiation anymore, even if it meant death, she absolutely couldn't let herself be defiled.
She sat silently in the car, trying to find an opportunity.
The car was heading towards the suburbs.
She blindly guessed, it must be to quickly get it over with in the open, out of the public eye.
Wen Tang's gaze narrowed as she looked at the ditches on either side of the road. The sides were overgrown with weeds, and she realized her chance had arrived.
With a peripheral glance at the door handle next to her, she appeared heartbroken and stared straight ahead, but in actuality, she was silently counting.
"Three, two, one!"
She quickly opened the door and jumped out.
The several men watched in shock and dismay as Wen Tang rolled into the ditch.
The car stopped abruptly, and several burly men got out, standing on the asphalt road and peering into the ditch.
It was dark, and the surroundings were overgrown with weeds and trees.
They couldn't see clearly where she had rolled to.
"This woman's got some nerve!" A man punched the van.
"If she gets away, her mother won't."
They left unwillingly.
Wen Tang hid in the bushes, not daring to breathe, watching the car's taillights fade until they disappeared from view.
She swallowed hard. Although the pain in her leg was intense, she didn't dare neglect it.
She struggled to crawl out of the bushes, her leg pain as if a bone had pierced into the flesh.
She didn't dare move another step.
How she had climbed out of the ditch relying solely on the strength in her hands and her other leg felt like she was on the brink of death, pained and desperate in the outskirts.
But she was not someone who resigned to fate.
Even if it took longer, she would crawl back if she had to.
Wen Tang bit down hard, persisting, but after more than ten minutes, she had only moved a hundred or so steps. Her eyes uncontrollably reddened, and when she looked at her palms, they were sticky and greasy.
The blood had dried, but the pain was unmistakable.
She accepted the reality that she was likely going to be left here today.
Looking up, she thought for the first time that the moon was so beautiful.
Just when she felt her eyelids grow heavy, the lights of a car caught her eye.
Wen Tang instinctively shielded her gaze from the strong light that made it impossible to see clearly.
However, the man sitting in the car grew grim.
By just the nose and the jawline, he had already recognized who it was, the woman he had been with countless times in bed. His face cold, he pulled over to the side of the road.
In a blur, Wen Tang seemed to see Pei Heyan slowly walking towards her, then she collapsed.
Lu Nianxin witnessed this scene, saw the blood on her body, and was slightly shocked, then disdainfully and distantly said, "Looking at her half-dead appearance, people would think she's just had a rough time in the bushes, bad luck."
Pei Heyan frowned, picked up Wen Tang, and walked towards the black Cullinan.
Lu Nianxin followed reluctantly and sat in the passenger seat.
Pei Heyan drove to the hospital.
The car sped much faster than before. Lu Nianxin wanted to follow into the hospital, but all she heard Pei Heyan say was, "It's getting late, go back and rest early."
Lu Nianxin wanted to say more.
Assistant Zhang ran over from not too far away, "President Pei."
Pei Heyan nodded briefly.
Assistant Zhang focused on Lu Nianxin, "Miss Lu, I'll take you back."
Lu Nianxin clenched her fingers in anger.
Pei Heyan turned and entered the hospital.