Finally, it was the day that she would be discharged from her stay at the hospital.
She had woken up and found her housemate, rich girl Ye Runyu standing before her, with a change of clothes. Runyu straightforwardly revealed that she had been intimately calling out 'Saviour' in her sleep. She quickly lied that it was the main lead of a South Korean drama she was watching, called 'The Saviour'. Luckily for her, Runyu did not ask further.
She asked Runyu if they had heard of Herman since the fire. Runyu had laughingly told her that someone had caused the fire with her bad cooking, but it had only affected the floor they were on and the next few floors around them. So Herman's unit which was on a different floor further up, had been unaffected, yet he had been screaming like he was going to meet with the Grim Reaper that day. With all the things going around in her head, she didn't know to cry or to laugh. She chose to fake a laugh instead, so that Runyu would not be concerned.
"Did the fire mess things up for you that day?" Runyu suddenly asked.
"That day?" Zhi Xun repeated, feigning ignorance. Did Runyu know ahead of time what was going to happen?
"Yes, we assumed that you were going to give him your first time when you informed us that you two would be practising and studying in your room. So we pretended to do something in the living room, but the minute both of you entered your room, we left."
Zhi Xun looked strangely at Runyu. "Do you really think I am that kind of person? We've just been together three months."
"You've been dating three months, but you knew him for a few years," Runyu said. "You said this to us when you told us that you wanted to bring him home to your aunt and uncle on the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Oh, right. I forgot. But, first times sound so scary." She shrugged. "I don't know if he would be rough or gentle."
"Well, I don't have a boyfriend, so I wouldn't know for myself how it would feel." She thought for a few seconds, before continuing, "But my married sister said, if you meet the right one, probably it will also feel right when it comes to that."
Zhi Xun blushed. "But I don't know if he's Herman."
"Never mind if he's Herman or not. Fact is that you're not married yet. But have you thought of your future, anyway? He hasn't been there to support you every time you need someone, it was us, your sisters from a different mother, who were there," Runyu stated. It was true. When she was unable to study with her extreme levels of stress, her housemates had taken care of her and brought her for karaoke and a few drinks to relax, all at their own expenses. When Zhi Xun needed a smartphone for her assignment, she had offered to buy her a new one, but she instead asked to buy from Runyu her old phone that she wasn't using. Runyu had insisted she take it off her hands for free. Even when her mother had a sudden relapse in hospital, it had been Runyu who drove her a few miles to the hospital for her to check on her mother. Fortunately, her mother had turned out fine.
"You even borrowed money and did part-time jobs to get something for him. And what has he done for you? If you think carefully about it, do you think that he deserves you?"
Zhi Xun was speechless. Even though Runyu never had a boyfriend before, what she was saying was spot-on. Was she really that insignificant in Herman's life? But even then, was it fair to end the relationship at this stage? She decided she had to, after how he had almost raped her.
Thank you, Runyu, she whispered in her mind.
.......................................................................
Runyu dropped her off at the apartment, as she had some errands to run outside. As she didn't have classes till the next day, she decided to call Herman out to confront him about what had happened. Maybe it was better, to end the relationship straight away. As the saying goes, short pain is better than long pain. If they weren't meant for each other, there was no purpose in continuing it.
A strange man answered the call, and insisted she go over immediately, or Herman's life would be in danger. She didn't think of informing anyone due to the urgency of the situation, so she rushed over to the address provided. It was a deserted building, not one that had any forms of security, and isolated from the public. She didn't call the police, as she didn't want to endanger Herman's life. Even if she did not love him, he was after all, a friend.
She opened the main door to the building, finding it unlocked. The minute she entered, someone grabbed her from behind and flung her onto a pile of paper boxes on the ground. Another person had her gagged, while holding her firmly. They were so strong that she was unable to push them off her.
She realised that Herman was sitting on a chair in a corner, not bound or gagged, but with a fifty-odd year old man pointing a knife towards his neck. Could they be the debt-collectors that Herman had been telling her about, which were ready to collect on a debt his late parents had owed?
She looked towards Herman, and he nodded, confirming what was on her mind. What were they going to do to them?
"The outstanding balance of the debt is $30,000," the man next to Herman suddenly said. "Write down your family's number, or provide me with your online banking details, and I will let him go."
He kicked a clipboard with a paper and pen towards her. She wrote "I have no money. I have a sick family member in the countryside."
Herman quickly shouted, "I promise that my art exhibition will bring me some money, that I can pay you with. But I need her help!" he pointed towards her.
"Help in what way?" the man sneered.
"It's a nude art exhibition. I don't have a model. She's my girlfriend. She will do what I want," Herman said.
Zhi Xun almost choked on her own vomit. She would do what he wanted? Did he respect her, before deciding that she would be his nude model? No, she strongly objected to that! She wrote "NO, I WON'T" on the paper .
"There's another method if you're unwilling," the man said. She looked towards Herman for any hints that they could escape, but saw nothing from his face. The man pulled out a paper from an envelope. It was a sketch of a couple making love. Was this one of Herman's drawings?
"You two can do this...or that." he pointed towards a blank TV screen. She knew what he meant. They were going to force them to be pornographic stars. But how would she ever have a future in society, if that was going to happen? For sure, any pornographic material was sure to be leaked, as how it had happened to so many celebrities before. But her family and her mother depended on her future. She couldn't risk it. Maybe there was a chance of escape.
The man released Herman, and whispered to him. Herman got down on his feet and crawled to Zhi Xun, nervous. The person who had been holding Zhi Xun also released her, and Herman removed her gag, pulling her into an embrace. Tears had been welling inside her eyes, and she quickly rubbed them away with her sleeve to prevent Herman from seeing her on such a vulnerable state.
"What do we do now?"
"Do it," he said. "We have to convince them." No matter if it was the nude art exhibition or pornographic material, it would be detrimental to her future if her identity was exposed one day. Perhaps she could choose to kill Herman instead, or do some gang work?
She slapped him hard on the face. Herman flew into a rage and ripped her cotton dress, before hurling vulgarities at her. In her anger, she kicked him in the shin and fought him off before running to the fifty-odd year old man. "I'll do anything but this. I'll work for you, I'll spray paint on cars, houses, but not this." She was planning her escape.
"Girl, this is outdated. Do you think we still do such things, in this age?"
He reached out and pinched her nose, to force her mouth to open. It wasn't long before she started coughing. She felt a glass of water with something inside being poured down her mouth, but she still felt nothing unusual.
The man released her with an insidious laugh. "You've just been drugged. You won't feel it, but soon, you will be begging for relief. It's either your boyfriend, or all the three of us."
She was scared stiff, falling backwards on her back. Even in her previous lifetimes, she had never been violated. All of her sexual encounters had been consensual, but there was a few lifetimes that she had not even.. had any sexual contact with anyone. The drink the man had given her must have had some kind of aphrodisiac.
Maybe if she hadn't rushed over without thinking further, to rescue her stupid jerk of a boyfriend, none of this would even happen. But what if he died because she didn't come? That was why she had come. She had really been too foolish!
Then she remembered the mobile phone in the inner pocket of her dress. While the drug hadn't kicked in, she coolly walked into the corner and pretended to unbutton her dress, with her back to them. She reached into her dress and drew out the phone without them realising, swiftly unlocking it with her fingerprint.
There was a shortcut to dial 'Saviour' for help on her main phone screen. She quickly tapped it and replaced the phone in her inner pocket.
Then she started screaming as the phone call connected.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
