Leiyinyin was grabbed, gagged, and dragged straight outside.
All she could do was whimper and plead for help from the one or two passersby who saw her.
No one helped her.
The three burly men looked so menacing that everyone chose to steer clear.
Leiyinyin was filled with despair, yet still clung to a faint hope.
She hoped someone would call the police after the men left.
She had hoped so when they shoved her into a filthy van; she had hoped so when they tied her up. But after the van had been on the road for more than half an hour, that little hope of hers, like a feeble flame in a storm, went out.
"We're two kilometers from the edge of the city," the driver said casually, puffing away at his cigarette.
The other two men laughed and joked, equally at ease.
By then, Leiyinyin was no longer simply hoping. An idea had come to her. She knew she had to escape before they got there, or she really would be beyond saving.
She began struggling, fighting with all her strength.
"Stop moving, you bitch! Fuck!"
"Knock her out."
"Can you two handle this? Don't mess her up. It's not often we get a college student. If she's damaged, we won't get much for her."
The information revealed by that remark was shocking.
They hadn't even seen Leiyinyin's ID. Her bag did contain study materials for the civil service exam, but that proved nothing, and they hadn't looked through them closely. Once she was in the van, they'd gone straight for her phone and switched it off. Other than that, they hadn't touched a thing.
That meant they'd investigated Leiyinyin before making their move.
They probably weren't new to this. They might have been certain no one