Suddenly, her eyes lit up. The long-awaited university acceptance letter had finally arrived.
Her face flushed with joy, a wide smile spreading across her lips. She couldn't wait to open it and confirm the contents before clutching it tightly, ready to rush inside and share the good news with her parents.
As she reached the courtyard gate, she noticed it was slightly ajar. Her heart skipped a beat—had she failed to close it properly when she left? She didn't dwell on it, however. Stepping into the yard, she was immediately met with a strange commotion.
"Dad, Mom, I'm home!" she called out instinctively. "Guess what I have in my hand?"
Silence was her only response.
Just then, several men with menacing expressions appeared before her. She was terrified; she had never seen such vicious-looking people—they were clearly up to no good. Her eyes widened in horror, and the bag of snacks and the university acceptance letter she was holding clattered to the ground.
Her gaze darted around in a panic. She saw her father pinned to the floor by two burly men with thick, fleshy faces. They had a chokehold on him, and he was curled up in agony. One of them held a handful of harsh white powder, forcing his hand over her father’s mouth, while more of the substance lay scattered about, staining his clothes. It looked as if they were force-feeding him the powder, only stopping because of her sudden arrival.
Her mother was being held fast by two other men, her arms pinned so she couldn't move. A cloth was pressed over her mouth, and she could only emit muffled, desperate whimpers.
The moment her parents saw their daughter, their eyes went wide. Their expressions were filled with boundless fear and despair, silently signaling the grave danger she was in.
"Little sister, you're back," the leader said, a malicious smirk curling his lips. His voice sounded like a whisper from the devil himself, making the girl tremble from head to toe.
In a desperate move, her mother lunged forward and bit the hand covering her mouth. The man winced in pain and loosened his grip.
"Nini, run!" her mother screamed at the top of her lungs.
Quick-witted as always, the girl turned and bolted. But before she could reach the gate, the leader leaned against the doorframe, blocking her path. The man who had been bitten backhanded her mother across the face, sending her head snapping to the side as blood seeped from her lip. "Stupid bitch, you dare bite me?" he snarled, immediately shoving a dirty rag into her mouth.
"Who are you? What are you doing? Let my parents go! Help! Help!" the girl shrieked in panic.
"Go ahead and scream," the leader sneered, his face full of malice. "Even if you scream your lungs out, no one is coming to save you."
He wore a black tank top that hugged his tattooed torso. From dragons on his left to tigers on his right, the ink spread down both arms and up to his neck—his body was more covered in tattoos than a breakfast shop’s menu. His mouth was always curled in a cruel grin, revealing a jagged row of yellow and black teeth. His eyes were small, sharp, and filled with lecherous greed.
An Xiaoni stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. Since she couldn't run, she decided to fight. She lunged toward her mother. "Let her go! Let my mother go! Let my father go! What do you want? You monsters!"
She couldn't break the grip on her mother, no matter how hard she tried. She struck at the men holding her, but her strength was nothing more than a tickle to them; it had no effect. Impatient, one of them shoved the slender girl aside, and she lost her footing, collapsing to the floor.
Her parents’ eyes brimmed with tears of panic and concern, yet they were powerless to act. They didn't care what happened to them, but their daughter—the treasure they had held in the palm of their hands and never once scolded or struck—seeing her thrown to the ground caused them unbearable pain.
"An Xiaoni, Capital University acceptance letter," the leader said, holding up the letter she had dropped. He read it out, word for word. "About to start university, are you? You don't look very old. How about you forget about school and come with me instead?"
"Mmph... mmph..."
"Mmph... mmph..."
An Xiaoni’s parents struggled desperately, but they were held fast, helpless as fish on a cutting board.
"You guessed right—we are the bad guys. Little treasure, sit back and watch the show. It’s free of charge." The leader waved his hand and gave a silent, toothy grin. He leaned down and hoisted An Xiaoni up from the floor by her arm.
"Get to work," he said, his voice cold and ominous.
"Yes, Brother Ji," replied the man pinning her father, pulling out another packet of powder. With his other hand, he forced her father’s mouth open.
Brother Ji, nicknamed Huoji—a pimp and a low-level thug—watched as the entire packet was dumped into An Zhenyue’s mouth.
"Ahhh! What are you feeding my father?" An Xiaoni wailed, her arm gripped tightly by Huoji, leaving her unable to escape.
"Something delicious, little treasure." Huoji’s sinister grin widened.
An Xiaoni suspected it was poison or something equally lethal. Terrified and on the verge of a breakdown, she pleaded, "Let me go! What do you want? Money? I’ll give you whatever you want—just don't hurt my parents!"
"I want your father’s life. Will you give me that?"
An Xiaoni froze in shock.
"Why? What you’re doing is a crime! You’ll go to prison!" Naive An Xiaoni was trying to reason with criminals.
Reasoning with villains is like playing a lute to a cow. The men erupted in raucous laughter, mocking her ignorance. She twisted her arm with all her might, but she couldn't break free.
An Zhenyue let out a pained sound, the powder making his throat dry and raw, and he fell to the floor, coughing violently. As some of the powder was coughed out, the man scooped it up and smeared it back into his mouth.
Huoji said arrogantly, "An Zhenyue, it’s good stuff. Why waste it? You know how expensive this is, don't you?"
Coughing, An Zhenyue managed to gasp, "Let my wife and daughter go... and take my life."
"Hahahaha!" Huoji’s maniacal laughter echoed throughout the room.
An Xiaoni’s blood ran cold. Fear washed over her like a tidal wave, drowning her completely. She felt nothing but helplessness and despair, her mind blank. She had no idea what fate awaited her and her family.
She didn't understand why this was happening. Just an hour ago, the three of them had been laughing and talking. She had only gone out for a snack and picked up her acceptance letter from Capital University on the way back. Today was supposed to be a day of celebration; she couldn't fathom how these monsters had suddenly invaded their home.
"Hold onto this little treasure," Huoji commanded. One of his lackeys stepped forward and clamped his hands onto An Xiaoni’s arms.