El amor es venenoso

Capítulo 2

International prostitution ring!

Yin Li's mind suddenly became unable to think, and she felt as if she had fallen into hell in that instant.

“This kind of thing has happened at our hotel before,” Jamila said in a low voice while keeping an eye on her surroundings. “They are foreigners who look for women from other places to kidnap and sell abroad. Several girls who have stayed at our hotel have been kidnapped by them.”

Yin Li said, trembling, "Since you all knew, why didn't you call the police?"

Jamila gave a wry smile: "Miss Yin, you're too naive. They're not benevolent. If we call the police, we'll definitely face their retaliation. Those people have no humanity." He sighed, "You'd better not look for her anymore. Go home, otherwise, even you might..."

He sighed again, turned to go into the store, but was stopped by Yin Li. He turned back and saw her bloodshot eyes, and his heart trembled: "Miss Yin... is there anything else?"

“Tell me,” Yin Li said, emphasizing each word, “where do they usually pick up girls?”

As Yin Li walked onto that dark street, she didn't feel scared at all. Perhaps many people have had this feeling: when anger and fear reach their limit, they enter a state of being able to kill anyone who gets in their way.

Moreover, Yin Li is definitely capable of this.

Under the night sky, that alley seemed so long, and even the countless stars appeared dim and lifeless. Xiaowen, I hope... you're alright.

Suddenly, a light shone from behind her. Startled, she turned around and saw a small van without license plates coming towards her. It stopped steadily in front of her, the door swung open, and two tall white men rushed out, covered her mouth, dragged her into the van, slammed the door shut, and the van disappeared at the end of the alley in no more than ten seconds.

Yin Li's mouth was stuffed with a dirty cloth, and the ropes binding her body were so thick they could hold an ox. She suppressed the urge to vomit and coldly stared at the two white men sitting beside her. They kept talking, but she couldn't understand a word they said.

Time ticked by, and Yin Li felt as if this journey was an eternity. As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the van finally stopped in the Gobi Desert. One of the blond men removed the gag from her mouth, untied the rope, and said in broken Mandarin, "Don't try anything funny, you can't escape."

I never even considered escaping. Yin Li stared coldly at him, flexing her wrists which were numb from being tied up, desperately suppressing the urge to let these two men devour her heart. She was roughly dragged out of the car by them. On that stretch of Gobi Desert, there was another van parked, also without a license plate.

Two men, one tall and one short, waited outside the car. The shorter one was likely of East Asian descent, with a large black mole on his lip. Yin Li was brought before them. The shorter man leered at her, looking her up and down, a smirk playing on his lips, and said in perfect Mandarin, "Good stuff. A virgin?"

"yes."

"How much?"

"Three thousand."

With a twitch of her eyebrows, Yin Li thought, "Is she only worth three thousand?"

"Two thousand five." The short man bargained, and Yin Li gritted her teeth, enduring it all for Xiao Wen's sake.

"Two thousand seven hundred. Lowest price!"

The short man hesitated for a moment, then glanced greedily at Yin Li. Yin Li glared back angrily, wishing she could gouge out his murky eyes.

"Okay, deal, but I need to check if she's a virgin."

Yin Li's expression changed. He said he would test her... How did he plan to test her?

“Okay.” The two white men nodded.

Yin Li clenched her fists, her knuckles turning pale. Endure, she had to endure!

The short man chuckled twice, grabbed her hand, dragged her into the van, and pressed her down hard beneath him, his face filled with repulsive lust: "Don't worry, I'm just testing you, I won't touch you. You'd better be obedient, or you'll suffer less."

Yin Li laughed angrily: "I'll say the same thing back to you."

She raised her hand and swept it across the short man's face. His eyes glazed over for a moment, then he stood up, got out of the car, and said to another white man, "Su Pu, give me the money. She's a virgin."

The two men who kidnapped Yin Li took the money and drove away behind Fenghua Mountain. Su Pu smiled and asked the short man, "Brother Xiang, what do you think? Isn't this woman beautiful?"

"Not bad, we can get a good price." Xiang Ge chuckled twice, then realized he had a splitting headache. "You drive, I need to sleep for a while. Damn it, I've caught a cold."

Su Pu laughed loudly: "You and that Russian woman had too much fun last night, didn't you?"

"You little rascal..."

The van started moving. Yin Li hugged her knees and sat in the empty back cargo area, feeling an urge to cry. She had the drug to escape the clutches of these devils, but what about Xiao Wen? What should she do?

She couldn't imagine what had become of Xiaowen at that time.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed her shoulder. She was startled and turned around to see a Uyghur girl with ordinary features but very fair skin.

"Who are you……"

“I was bought by them too,” the girl said. “My name is Duna.”

"Hello." Yin Li nodded to her, but did not tell her his name. Apart from himself, no one in this place could be trusted.

"Cheer up, the real tears are yet to come." Dona patted her shoulder. "That short thug is a pervert. You're lucky he didn't touch you this time."

I've always been unlucky. Yin Li smiled bitterly, "It was because I used a special sleeping potion."

"Where are we going?" The warehouse had no windows, so Yin Li couldn't see the road outside. Duna said, "I don't know either, but they must be going to sell us to someone else."

"Just us?"

Dona shook her head: "I hope it's just the two of us."

Yin Li stopped talking and just sighed deeply. She hoped that she could see Xiao Wen at the last stop after she was resold. No matter what she became, she had to take her back.

"Are you a tourist from the mainland?" Duna asked again. Yin Li nodded but did not answer. Duna looked at her with pity. "How pitiful. My home is right next to the desert. They lied to me and said I could find work in the city. They brought me from my hometown, and then I was sold."

"How many times have you been sold?" Yin Li looked into her eyes. Those blue eyes were very beautiful, reminding her of someone who had a pair of beautiful ice-green eyes. From the first moment she saw them, she was captivated by those eyes.

"Twice." Duna gave a desolate smile. "Every time I'm sold, my value increases by a few hundred yuan. If I had known I could be sold for so much money, my father probably would have sold me too." Tears finally streamed down her face. Yin Li felt a pang of heartache. He hugged her shoulders and let her lean on him. If that person were by his side, he would probably be crying in his arms like this too.

"Damn it, shut up!" Su Pu shouted from the front row, startling both of them. Yin Li hugged Du Na even tighter, just like he was hugging Xiao Wen.

The car stopped as the sun was setting, and they were roughly taken off the vehicle. It was still a desert, but now there was a three-story hotel that looked very dirty. The sign was dilapidated, but the word 'Manka' could still be vaguely seen.

A man wearing a headscarf stood in front of the door. Xiang Ge and Su Pu greeted him. He looked at Yin Li and Du Na, then gestured with his chin towards the door and said, "Go in."

Yin Li walked into the dilapidated Manka Hotel and found that the interior was completely different from the outside. The decor was very luxurious, and Afghan carpets covered almost every corner.

A group of girls sat on the sofa, some of them only teenagers, many of them sobbing softly. Yin Li felt a surge of anger rising in her chest. These people were simply beasts, and even Allah would not forgive their sins.

Qin Wen was not among those girls.

A fat man sat on the most luxurious sofa, holding a silver cup in his hand. His belly was so big that it looked like it was going to burst his expensive black suit.

"Boss Yu," Brother Xiang said with a smile, "I've brought you another delivery."

The man, nicknamed "Old Yu the Pig," coldly sized up Yin Li and Du Na, finally fixing his gaze on Yin Li: "Where did this girl come from? She won't cause any trouble, will she?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Yu, she's a backpacker, she's safe," Brother Xiang quickly said.

"Very good." Boss Yu nodded in satisfaction and asked Yin Li, "Are you a college student?"

"Yes." Yin Li stared at him fiercely, not feeling afraid at all. Only the fire of anger burned wildly in her body, almost swallowing her reason.

"Okay." Boss Yu nodded to Brother Xiang. "A big buyer is coming later. Take them to take a shower and change their clothes."

Yin Li and Du Na were pushed into the bathroom. Hot water poured down from the showerhead, running down her face and dripping into the bathtub along with her tears. Xiao Wen wasn't there. She didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.

She dared not imagine the worst outcome. They had come all the way through the dangerous Princess Mausoleum together. Xiaowen, you can't die here, die at the hands of these beasts.

Clearly, humans are far more terrifying than ghosts.

She must rescue the girls here, and she will make those beasts get the punishment they deserve!

When she opened her eyes, a terrifying determination shone in her dark pupils.

When they came out of the bathroom, they saw two pieces of clothing in the style of the Western Regions on the bed. Yin Li's face immediately darkened, and Duna looked at her strangely: "What's wrong?"

"This...this outfit is supposed to show your midriff, right?"

"right."

Yin Li almost cried: "I have excess fat around my waist..."

She slowly descended the stairs after changing her clothes. It was a white dress with a strong Arabic style, the bodice covered only by a white silk scarf around her chest, and the skirt tied at her waist, reaching all the way to her ankles. She wore beautiful jewelry on her head and neck, and a transparent veil covered half of her delicate face, making her surprisingly beautiful, eclipsing the beauty of Duna who followed behind her.

The silver wine glass in Boss Yu's hand almost fell to the ground. He walked up to her, lifted her chin, and she angrily pushed his hand away: "Don't touch me!"

"You're so beautiful, I almost don't want to sell you." Boss Yu gazed intently at her, and she felt a chill run down her spine. No, she had to endure it, wait for the buyer to arrive, and then arrest them all and send them to the police station…

Just then, the man who had been guarding the door suddenly walked in and whispered in Boss Yu's ear, "He's here."

Boss Yu sneered, "Please let him in."

Even long afterward, when Yin Li recalled this incident, she would feel an urge to bang her head against a wall, wondering whether it should be called a good match or a bad one.

The man who walked in was none other than the handsome man with icy green eyes.

III. Maggots on the Tarsal Bones

At that moment, Yin Li was so shocked that she could hardly think. She could only stare blankly into his icy green eyes, just like half a month ago when they first met, she was once again captivated by those beautiful eyes.

Situ Xiang, however, seemed not to recognize her, his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds. Boss Yu smiled and said, "Mr. William, you are very welcome to the Manka Hotel."

"Hello." Situ Xiang shook hands with him and sat down on the sofa covered with colorful velvet. A girl handed him a glass of red wine, which he accepted elegantly and took a sip like a nobleman.

This was the first time Yin Li had seen him in a suit; the grey linen suit made him look like a successful businessman. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips as he glanced at the row of girls standing up and said, "Is this what you prepared for me?"

“Yes, Mr. William.” Mr. Yu nodded. “These are all specially selected for you. You can choose one of them. Of course, if you have enough money, you can take them all.”

Situ Xiang sneered, stood up, walked to Yin Li, and gently lifted her chin: "No need, I've already made my choice."

"You have excellent taste, Mr. William," said Boss Yu. "Young lady, why don't you greet your new master?"

Yin Li remained motionless, still reeling from the shock.

"What's her price?"

"Ten thousand..." Mr. Yu paused, "...US dollars."

"Deal, but I need to inspect the goods first." Situ Xiang looked at Yin Li with a wicked smile, and Yin Li immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Inspect the goods! Again, inspect the goods! Does he really think she's merchandise?

She was about to reach her breaking point.

"Of course," Boss Yu chuckled slyly. "There are very beautiful bedrooms upstairs that will surely satisfy you."

"Very good." Situ Xiang took Yin Li's hand and led her up to the second floor. The long corridor was lined with beautifully crafted soundproof iron doors. He opened one of the doors and forcefully pushed Yin Li onto the bed. Yin Li roared, "What are you doing?"

Situ Xiang winked at her, shielded his right hand with his body, and pointed to the vase on the table behind him. Yin Li immediately understood, grabbed the bedside lamp, and threw it at him hard: "You scoundrel, get out of my way!"

Situ Xiang dodged to the side, and the lamp smashed squarely onto the vase. The vase hit the ground and shattered, and a bugging device the size of a button rolled to his feet. He stepped on the bugging device, which made a slight popping sound.

Yin Li let out a long sigh of relief and slumped onto the bed. Situ Xiang walked over and sat down beside her: "What a stormy reunion, my darling."

"Who's your baby? Stop being disgusting!" Yin Li raised her hand to hit him, but Situ Xiang grabbed her wrist and looked at her seriously. "Xiao Li, what happened?"

Yin Li finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears. Situ Xiang quickly pulled her into his arms, letting her tears soak his expensive Armani suit. Only after she had cried herself to sleep did he take a handkerchief from his pocket and hand it to her: "What happened? How did you end up here?"

“Xiaowen is missing.” Yin Li said, choking back tears. “I heard that she was most likely kidnapped by an international prostitution ring, which is why I infiltrated this organization.”

Situ Xiang was speechless: "You really have a lot of nerve. Do you know how dangerous it is here?"

"I know," Yin Li said through gritted teeth, "but what's a little danger compared to getting Xiao Wen out?"