Fear

Gu Ziran wanted to try to wriggle free of the ropes, but he dared neither move too much nor bite at them in front of these men. All he could do was curl up in the back seat and cry.

"Y-you... where are you taking me? Why have you tied me up?"

He was, after all, a boy with an intellectual disability. Faced with something like this, his helplessness nearly spilled over. He was so afraid of being beaten. Mother Gu was not here to protect him, and he might be beaten for a long time. It would hurt terribly.

Hearing his voice tremble with fear, the men up front looked even more amused, like wolves eyeing a tasty little wild rabbit.

The director raised his hand and knocked each of them on the head. "Wipe your drool! Fuck, don't even think about touching the customer's goods! Especially you Alphas. Don't get your pheromones on him. What if the customer smells them and refuses to take him?"

Then he put on a kindly expression and said to Gu Ziran, "Ziran, life at the orphanage is hard. I've found you a good home. This gentleman is rich! Just stay with him and behave, and I guarantee you'll live even more comfortably than a rich family's young master."

Gu Ziran did not understand what he meant. He only shook his head over and over. "No, I don't want to! I want to go back. Let me go back!"

"That's not up to you!" The director's expression changed, and he told the other three, "Hold him down! We're almost there. Don't let anything go wrong!"

"Fuck, behave yourself! I'm telling you, I never planned on taking you back when I brought you out this time! Cooperate if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, I'll get a death certificate made for you and throw you into an underground brothel to service clients!"

Gu Ziran could not understand his words, but he was terrified. Just like that, the three young men pinned him to the seat and covered his mouth as they took him to an upscale nightclub.

They entered through the back door. The director took him into a room, thrust a set of clothes at him, and pointed at the bathroom and the three young men behind him. He asked Gu Ziran, "Are you going to shower and change yourself, or should I have these three help you?"

Gu Ziran shuddered. If he did not change, he might be beaten.

Gu Ziran could only take the clothes and go shower by himself.

He walked out timidly. The moment the director and the three young men saw him, their eyes lit up!

Gu Ziran had delicate features and large, bright, watery eyes. His skin was fine and smooth all over, with even his body hair sparse. The slender stretch of waist exposed beneath his short top was straight and delicate as jade, small enough to encircle with one hand-a waist that could steal souls! Especially with his current look of humiliation and restraint, fear and anger, the sight stirred desire.

One young man could not resist reaching out to feel him up, but the director kicked him and snapped, "Get lost! The gentleman hasn't even had his hands on him yet. Who says it's your turn? If you dirty him, where are we supposed to find another piece of top-quality merchandise like this?"

They shoved Gu Ziran out the door and headed straight for a private room on the third floor.

The nightclub was crowded. Gu Ziran remembered what Mother Gu had told him: if he was in danger, he could ask passersby for help. He thought he must be in danger now.

On the way to the third floor, Gu Ziran encountered several drunks. Before he could ask for help, one nearly grabbed him, mistaking him for a rent boy. Frightened, he backed away again and again.

He nervously dug his nails into his palms, growing more and more desperate. The people here were all so frightening. Could he find someone willing to help him?

As they rounded a corner, several men approached from the far end of the long corridor. Tall and handsome in suits and polished shoes, they did not look like drunks. Gu Ziran's heart pounded. He was not sure whether he could be saved, but he still wanted to try.

As they drew closer, Gu Ziran's heart beat faster and faster. The director led the way, with the three young men behind him. Walking in the middle, Gu Ziran put what little cunning he possessed to use at that moment.

Finally, as he passed the first man coming toward them, Gu Ziran summoned his courage, threw himself at him, and clung tightly to his waist.

He shouted without a care for anything else, "Sir, save me! Save me! Please, help me find a policeman! Sir..."

Gu Ziran seemed to have used all his courage and strength to beg this stranger for help, but the tall man seemed stunned by the sudden turn of events. He looked down at Gu Ziran, met those tear-filled eyes, and actually fell into a momentary daze.

His face livid, the director grabbed Gu Ziran's arm and yanked him back. At the sight, the three young men immediately reacted too, forcibly hauling Gu Ziran away, pinning his arms, and covering his mouth.

The director bowed and scraped as he apologized to the men. "Sorry, gentlemen. We haven't trained our rent boy properly. Sorry he offended you."

As Gu Ziran was dragged away, he kept looking at that man. Only when he was dragged into the private room did the last glimmer of hope in his eyes die, replaced by endless despair.

Mother Gu had clearly told him he could ask passersby for help, so why were they unwilling to help him? He did not understand.

The dimly lit private room reeked of pungent alcohol mixed with choking cigarette smoke. It was nauseating.

After Gu Ziran was flung inside, a vicious slap landed on his face! He lay on the icy floor, unable to keep from sobbing softly in pain.

At that moment, he felt like a little cat or dog at someone else's mercy. This nightclub, with all its glitter and indulgence, was full of sanctimonious hypocrites, so no one would come to save him.

A tipsy man sat on the enormous sofa. Suppressing the urge to kick Gu Ziran a couple more times, the director bowed to the man and said, "President Li, I've brought him. Take a look. Are you satisfied?"

The man addressed as President Li swayed as he stood and walked toward Gu Ziran, saying, "Don't hit the boy. You people really don't know how to treat a beauty gently."

The director kept nodding, his back bent. "Yes, yes, yes. We're all rough men. How could we compare with your gentleness, President Li? If you ask me, if this boy catches your eye, it would be a blessing earned over eight lifetimes!"

President Li chuckled twice, crouched, and gently tipped up Gu Ziran's chin. Looking at his handsome, tear-covered face, he smiled in satisfaction. "I'll keep him. Go see my secretary for the money tomorrow."

Money? Gu Ziran seemed to understand. The director had sold him!

Hearing this, the director hurried to thank him. "Thank you, President Li. Thank you! Oh, President Li, I've got a few more over there. They aren't as pretty as this one, but they're all clean and innocent. Would you like to..."

Gu Ziran's heart jolted. Even though he had never been clever, he now understood who the "few more" the director mentioned were!

President Li kept his eyes fixed on Gu Ziran and waved impatiently at the director. "We'll talk about it later. Let me test this one first."