In the late summer of 1988, on a storm-lashed day, thunder rolled across the sky.
“You little bitch! Stop right there!”
“Let’s see how far you can run! I’ll break your legs when I catch you!”
The shrill curses—mixed with frantic footsteps and the barking of dogs—were torn apart by the raging wind, drifting faintly up from the foot of the mountain.
That was Wang Guifen’s voice.
Jiang Li trembled all over as she heard it.The fear was carved deep into her bones.
She didn’t dare look back.All she could do was run—run with everything she had.
The muddy road beneath her feet was slick and treacherous, every step like a tug-of-war with death.
She wasn’t wearing any shoes.
The red embroidered wedding shoes she had specially bought for her marriage—one had been lost when she jumped out the window to escape, and the other had sunk into a mud pit halfway down the road.
Now her tender feet were caked in filth, sliced open by sharp stones and thorns, blood flowing freely.
The bright red wedding dress clung heavily to her soaked body.
The fabric wrapped tightly around her frame, outlining the curves of a girl who had not yet fully matured—but was already breathtaking enough to make one’s heart race.
Especially her waist.
Far too slender.
Rainwater streamed down her long neck, sending shivers of goosebumps across her skin.
“I can’t stop… I absolutely can’t stop…”
Jiang Li clenched her teeth. Her lips were frozen purple, and she tasted the metallic tang of blood.
If she was dragged back, her life would be over.
Her stepmother, Wang Guifen, needed bride-price money for her own son.She was selling Jiang Li to a bald factory owner from the neighboring village—a man in his fifties.
That old man had already driven two wives to their deaths.Rumor had it they were tortured to death in bed.
He was a pervert, especially fond of tormenting young girls.
Wang Guifen had taken three thousand yuan from him and planned to send Jiang Li over that very night to consummate the marriage.
Jiang Li had escaped only by risking her life, leaping out of the window.
Behind her, flashlight beams swung wildly—like wolves’ eyes hunting their prey.
Closer.
Even closer.
“Over there! I saw red clothes!” someone shouted.
Jiang Li’s heart seized. Panicking, she plunged headfirst into the nearby woods.
This forest was strange.
A circle of rusted barbed wire surrounded it, with a wooden sign hanging from it. The writing had been washed nearly illegible by rain—only the red character “Restricted” could still be vaguely made out.
Jiang Li didn’t care what it meant.
Even if it was the gates of hell, it was better than being dragged back into that den of demons.
She found a damaged gap in the wire fence and crawled through without hesitation.
The rusted wire snagged her red wedding dress—rip—tearing open a long gash in the sleeve and exposing an arm as pale as congealed cream.
Sharp barbs sliced into her skin, blood immediately spilling out and running down with the rain.
Jiang Li gasped in pain. Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t dare make a sound.
Using both hands and feet, she scrambled through the fence and stumbled deeper inside.
The forest was terrifyingly silent.
She had no idea how long she ran. Her lungs felt like they were about to burst, her legs heavy as if filled with lead.
Just as despair was about to swallow her whole, a light suddenly appeared ahead.
A row of neat red-brick buildings.
Only two stories tall, hidden behind towering plane trees, solemn and imposing.
From the easternmost window on the second floor, a warm yellow light glowed.
Jiang Li felt as though she had grabbed hold of a lifeline.
Dragging her already-numb legs, she staggered toward it.
She assumed it was just an ordinary residential compound.
As long as she could hide inside—even begging to stay one night—anything was better than being caught.
Reaching the building, she climbed using a drainpipe and an outdoor air-conditioning unit, gritting her teeth as she went.
She had trained in dance at a cultural troupe before—her body was flexible, her limbs agile.
Even now, utterly exhausted, her instinct to survive unleashed astonishing strength.
Rainwater streamed down the wall, slick and slippery.
More than once, she nearly lost her footing and fell.
Finally, her fingers hooked onto the second-floor windowsill.
With the last of her strength, like a soaked little kitten, Jiang Li tumbled through the half-open window.
Thud.
She hit the wooden floor hard.
The main lights were off; only a dim desk lamp glowed.
Warm, dry air enveloped her instantly, chasing away the chill.
She lifted her head and looked around the room in terror.
It was large—but bare.
No unnecessary decorations.A single military cot, a desk, a wardrobe, and two chairs.
A massive military map hung on the wall.
The blanket was folded with perfect precision, like a block of tofu.The bedsheets were so smooth there wasn’t a single wrinkle.
Everything radiated coldness, discipline, and restraint.
This didn’t feel like a home.
It felt like a temporary command post.
A distinct scent lingered in the air.
Cool tobacco, mixed with a powerful, aggressively masculine presence.
The smell made Jiang Li instinctively uneasy.
She shrank her neck and struggled to get up, wanting to find somewhere—anywhere—to hide.
Then—
Splash—
The sound of running water abruptly stopped.
It came from behind a frosted glass door on the other side of the room.
Jiang Li froze.
Her heart felt as if it had been seized in a brutal grip, stopping for half a beat.
Someone was here.
Someone was in this room.
And… he had been showering.
The thunder outside had been so loud that it had drowned out the sound of water. She hadn’t noticed a thing.
Now the water had stopped.
Next came the soft sound of someone drying off.
Then—
Click.
The bathroom door handle slowly turned.
White steam poured out through the crack, carrying heat and the clean scent of soap.
Jiang Li was terrified out of her wits.
She wanted to run—but her legs were limp as noodles, unable to stand.
She wanted to hide—but the empty room offered nowhere to conceal herself.
It was over.
Out of the tiger’s den—straight into the wolf’s lair.
The door opened.
A large, rough hand pushed it aside.
Then a long, powerful leg stepped out.
Jiang Li’s eyes widened. She forgot how to breathe.
It was the most dangerous—and most oppressive—man she had ever seen in her life.