The night was so thick it seemed impossible to cut through.
Out on the open sea, a luxurious ocean liner moved slowly through the darkness.
On the ship’s top deck, an underground auction was in full swing. Wealthy businessmen packed the room, and the atmosphere was tense and feverish.
The female auctioneer wore a red dress. Her figure was alluring, her curves striking, and every gesture was steeped in seduction.
“Last lot. Number nine. We’ll open at ten million.”
Her sweet, sultry voice drifted through the room, inflaming the crowd.
A young woman, no more than twenty years old, knelt on a cushion at the center of the stage.
Her face was small and delicate, her skin pale with a rosy glow. Her clear, lively eyes were as innocent as a fawn’s, and the beauty mark beneath one eye was perfectly placed. A gauzy garment, light as silk, half concealed her body…
At the sight, more than a few men in the audience swallowed involuntarily, a barely restrained impulse stirring in their hearts.
Here on the high seas, beyond the jurisdiction of any country or region, the evil in human nature was given free rein.
Anything at all—living or dead—could be auctioned off. And the moment the ship reached shore, every trace that any of it had ever existed would vanish.
Wen Yining stared blankly at the scene below, unable to understand how she had ended up here.
She was only a second-year student of traditional Chinese medicine at Jiangcheng University. For as long as she could remember, she had lived an ordinary life in Jiangcheng with her maternal grandfather.
She had planned to help out at his clinic during summer break. But the moment she stepped out of the university gates, everything went black. When she woke, she was here, about to be auctioned off like merchandise.
She had thought about escaping. That thought vanished completely when she saw another woman being whipped until she was barely alive.
Was she really going to end up in the hands of these people who would devour her without leaving a trace…?
“Fifteen million!”
“Twenty million!”
“Thirty million!”
Greed, savagery, depravity… the vileness of human nature was on full display.
The bids climbed higher and higher.
Wen Yining did her best to keep her expression calm, but her fingertips trembled uncontrollably where no one could see.
She was so afraid.
One scorching gaze after another swept over her, from her cheeks to her chest, then down between her legs…
“One hundred million, going once.”
“One hundred million, going twice.”
Death’s footsteps crept ever closer to Wen Yining.
The auctioneer picked up the gavel from the table. “One hundred million…”
Just as she was about to bring it down, the doors were kicked open with a bang.
The guests all turned around.
A group of masked men in black stormed into the hall, each armed with a submachine gun. They opened fire on the crowd.
“Ahhh!”
“Ahhh!”
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Those who reacted quickly fell in the aisles; those who reacted too slowly collapsed in their seats. Still others pulled pistols from their pockets and fought back.
In an instant, the auction hall became a nightmarish slaughterhouse. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the air filled with a thick, nauseating stench.
Wen Yining was crawling away when something heavy suddenly crashed down on top of her, pinning her in place.
She turned her head to look—
It was the auctioneer in the red dress. A bloody hole gaped in the center of her forehead, and blood streamed out, pooling on the floor and staining Wen Yining’s white gauze garment red.
It was her first time seeing mangled flesh and blood from so close. Even as a medical student, she could barely keep herself from throwing up.
Gunfire roared and bullets flew all around her, deafening.
More and more bodies lay scattered across the floor, including those of the masked men in black who had stormed in.
Wen Yining realized her chances of escaping alive were slim. So she simply stayed prone, closed her eyes, and pretended to be dead, praying this disaster would end as quickly as possible.
The gunshots around her gradually grew sporadic. Not a single bullet struck her, but footsteps drew closer and closer.
Tap. Tap. Tap…
Wen Yining’s heart pounded violently. She forced herself to breathe as quietly as possible. Blood on the floor had nearly soaked through her gauzy garment.
They hadn’t noticed.
They hadn’t noticed her.
Wen Yining prayed silently. Please, don’t let them see me.
The footsteps suddenly stopped.
A shadow fell across her face, blocking the bright light inside the room.
Terrified, Wen Yining didn’t dare move. The air beneath her nose seemed to have solidified.
She had no idea how much time passed—so long that she began to wonder if she might already be dead.
“Master Xiao, it’s all taken care of.”
A man’s voice came from above her.
“Mm.”
The reply came in a low, resonant voice, as though roughened by thick smoke. It traveled down her ear canal, seeming to scrape against her very nerve endings.
Suddenly, the auctioneer’s body was kicked aside.
Whether the auctioneer was simply very light or the person kicking her was very strong, the body rolled several times across the floor, striking it again and again.
Wen Yining felt a chill run down her spine.
“You tell me… the Lu family has given me such a grand gift. How should I return the favor?”
Pei Xiao’s tone sounded casual, but beneath it lay a faint chill.
“Whatever you want to do, Master Xiao, I’ll follow you without question.”
Ling Yi answered without hesitation, then noticed his boss gazing with great interest at a woman’s corpse on the floor.
She was beautiful, to be sure…
What a shame.
Ling Yi sighed inwardly. What a shame Master Xiao had no interest in women.
“I’m quite satisfied with this gift…”
“…”
Huh?
Ling Yi was thoroughly thrown.
Master Xiao had left everything behind in Country M, concealed his identity, and returned to the Lu family in Country A to acknowledge his father. While he was still aboard the ship, someone from the Lu family had sent a squad of mercenaries to shoot him dead. And this gift…
He was satisfied?
Master Xiao was a complete freak.
“What should we do with these bodies?” Ling Yi asked.
Pei Xiao gazed thoughtfully at the woman’s corpse in front of him. “Tiger sharks are around these waters year-round. Throw them all into the sea.”
“Yes.”
Ling Yi was about to turn and leave when he saw the corner of his boss’s mouth suddenly lift in a strange smile.
“Especially this one in front of me. Chop her up and throw her overboard.”
“…”
Ling Yi stared silently at the woman’s body lying face down on the floor, his mouth twitching.
“Yes.”
Master Xiao was getting more and more twisted.
…
Sister Baishui has a new book!
Male lead: Pei Xiao (a deranged big shot who falls for the heroine at first sight and wants to make her his)
Female lead: Wen Yining (a soft, adorable little rabbit on the outside, with claws underneath)
It’s a “he chases, she runs” story, and a “destined to be together” story too. Hope you like it~