On New Year’s Eve during the Spring Festival, my girlfriend, Shannon Zach, excitedly announced that she had signed us up for an international tour. I didn’t think much of it at the time—just another adventure for us as a couple.

The moment the plane landed, however, she hurriedly ushered me onto a bus. For two straight days and nights, the vehicle roared down winding roads. I watched the increasingly familiar landscape with a growing sense of dread. My hands trembled as realization dawned on me.

We were heading straight back to the place I had escaped from four years ago—my old hometown, a place I had vowed never to return to.

Sensing my unease, Shannon’s pretense faded. Her face darkened, a cruel smile tugging at her lips.

“I’m selling you to a black-market factory full of women,” she declared coldly. “The boss running that place is none other than your sister.”

My stomach churned. The air around me seemed to collapse inward as her words echoed in my ears. My own sister—the very person I had spent twenty years of my life faking my death to escape from—was waiting for me.

I had been tricked. And by Shannon, the woman I’d loved and trusted for two years.

——

Seeing the terror on my face, Shannon softened her expression, offering a deceptively gentle smile.

“Alan, didn’t you say you loved me?” she cooed. “I’m in deep trouble—I owe a massive gambling debt. Will you help me?”

My throat constricted as panic overtook me. I knew what awaited me at my sister’s hands. My voice shook as I pleaded desperately.

“Please, just take me back home. I’ll get you the money—I’ll work hard and support you for the rest of your life!”

Her expression twisted into a sneer. “Do you think I can afford to wait?” she snapped. “If I don’t pay up in three days, they’ll kill me.”

She jabbed a finger at my chest. “You’ve been living off me for two years, you useless piece of trash. It’s time to pay me back—with interest.”

Her words cut deeper than any knife. “Trash.” That same label had haunted me during my childhood under my sister’s ruthless reign. I remembered vividly how one of her subordinates had dared to insult her. My sister had buried that person alive, dousing them in honey to attract swarms of ants. The man had been devoured.

If my sister heard Shannon speaking to me like this, what horrors would she unleash on her?

Terror gripped me as I stared at the woman I had once adored. Hot tears streamed down my face, my voice breaking.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to build a home with me? That I was your family?”

Shannon’s hand brushed my cheek tenderly, but her words were ice-cold. “Family helps each other, right? Alan, help me.”

I shook my head violently, my lips trembling.

Her gaze hardened with a flicker of pity. “You’re the most heartbreaking when you cry, Alan,” she murmured. “You’re the most handsome and innocent of all my boyfriends.” She sighed dramatically. “If it weren’t for this debt, I really wouldn’t want to sell you.”

Her voice suddenly grew fierce. “You’re mine—no one else gets to touch you!”

Before I could react, she tackled me back into the carriage, pulling out a length of rope to bind my hands behind me. The metallic glint of a dagger flashed in her hand as she held it against my face.

“Alan, you don’t want to be humiliated, do you?” she whispered. “Let me help you.”

The blade sliced into my skin, sending searing pain across my cheek.

“No!” I screamed, thrashing desperately. “Not my face!”

Memories flooded back—the time I had accidentally spilled boiling water on myself as a child. My sister had cut off the maid’s hands and fed them to the crocodiles for not drying the pot properly. She had threatened the doctor, demanding he heal my face or face unspeakable consequences.

“Your face looks just like Father’s,” she had said. “No one is allowed to ruin it.”

If Shannon scarred me now, I shuddered to think what my sister would do.

Ignoring the burning pain, I begged frantically. “Please, don’t ruin my face! Anything but that!”

Shannon laughed cruelly. “I already asked Hazel,” she said nonchalantly. “She said men in the factory don’t need good looks—just functional bodies.”

Despair engulfed me as her words sealed my fate.

Hazel? Could it really be the same Hazel from that factory four years ago?

Before I could process the thought, Shannon continued slashing at my face. The searing pain stole my voice, and blood streamed into my eyes, staining my vision crimson.

“I know Hazel,” I choked out through the agony. “Take me to her.”

If Hazel saw me, she would surely send me back. I clung desperately to that hope.

Shannon froze for a moment, the knife in her hand pressing deeper against my skin. Her face twisted with fury.

“You’re really shameless, aren’t you?” she spat. “Still trying to cozy up to Hazel?”

Her eyes gleamed with malice. “Fine, I’ll ruin this pretty face of yours. Let’s see how you seduce anyone after this.”

The pain became unbearable. I wailed until darkness consumed me.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself being dumped unceremoniously at the factory gate. My body ached, and my face throbbed with burning pain. The person talking to Shannon nearby caught my attention—it was Hazel.

“Hazel!” I croaked weakly, my voice barely audible.

Hazel turned her head, momentarily startled by my pitiful state. “How does he know my name?” she asked suspiciously.

Shannon’s face darkened. She stepped forward and stomped hard on my mouth, silencing me.

“He must’ve overheard our phone call,” she lied smoothly. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter now.”

Hazel lit a cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke as she mulled over Shannon’s words.

“Is that so? Well, you wouldn’t dare mess up, would you? How many have you brought me so far?”

“This is the seventh,” Shannon said confidently, lighting Hazel’s cigarette. “Don’t worry, I know the rules. He’s got no family, no relatives—just an orphan. Even when he was with me, he was still a virgin.”

Hazel squatted down, blowing smoke rings toward my face as she scrutinized me.

I clung to a fragile glimmer of hope—if she recognized me, she would surely send me back. After all, if my sister found out her men had kidnapped me, they would all pay with their lives.

But Hazel's expression turned to one of disgust.

“Tsk, what happened to his face? He looks hideous,” she said dismissively, standing up and turning away.

My heart sank into a bottomless pit. She didn’t recognize me. Had Shannon disfigured me so badly that even Hazel couldn’t tell who I was?

Grief and despair surged through me. I wanted to cry out, but my throat felt stuffed with cotton.

“He’s too restless,” Shannon said mockingly. “What if he uses his face to seduce someone and escape? Better to ruin it—the face doesn’t matter anyway.”

She crouched beside me, her voice low and mocking in my ear.

“See? You thought you could seduce Hazel, but she says you’re ugly now.”

Summoning every ounce of strength, I forced out a few words between clenched teeth.

“You’ll all die...”

Hazel’s eyebrows shot up. She kicked Shannon aside and let out a chilling laugh.

“Did he just curse us?” she asked, amused.

I shook my head frantically, trying to convey my true meaning. No—that’s not what I meant. I wanted to warn them: if they didn’t send me away quickly, they really would die.

Hazel grabbed my jaw, prying my mouth open. Her still-burning cigarette pressed against my tongue.

A sharp, searing pain tore through me. The acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air as my screams echoed around us.

“Ugly brat,” Hazel sneered, spitting thick phlegm onto my face. “Who do you think you are, threatening us?”

Shannon picked up a wooden stick from the ground and jabbed it into my mouth.

“How dare you offend Hazel? Let’s see how much you scream now,” she snarled.

Blood mixed with wood splinters filled my mouth, choking me. I struggled for air as tears streamed down my face. Was this how I would die?

“Enough,” Hazel finally commanded. “Don’t ruin him completely—we won’t get paid if he’s too broken.”

Shannon hastily tossed aside the bloodied stick, breathing heavily.

The agony lingered, but one thought remained clear in my mind—I had to survive.

“Alright, so are we heading in now to sign the contract and get the money?”

I was hauled to my feet by two large men, their grip like iron. They dragged me toward the factory. Just then, a small car pulled up—it was my sister's car!

Desperately, I struggled against their hold, throwing myself toward the moving vehicle. The car screeched to a halt, and the back door swung open.

My sister stepped out, her heels clicking sharply on the pavement. She frowned as she looked down at me, sprawled in the dirt.

“Fionna! It’s me! I’m your little brother!”

I tried to call out, but my voice was hoarse and broken. I stared up at her, silently pleading for help.

Instead of the rescue I’d hoped for, Fionna—a woman I once trusted—yanked me up roughly and slapped me across the face.

“You little punk! How dare you cause trouble for our boss!”

The slap was so hard, I coughed up blood, splattering it onto her pristine high heels.

Horrified, Hazel knelt down, hurriedly wiping her shoes clean.

“I’m sorry, Boss,” she said, groveling. “This new brat is making a scene. I’ll take care of it!” Another woman, Shannon, joined her, crouching down to assist. Meanwhile, I lay in the dirt, watching helplessly as they ignored my suffering.

Fionna, it’s me! I’m Alan!

Fionna narrowed her eyes at me. “New arrival, huh?”

“Yes,” Hazel—the one who had dragged me in—replied quickly. “But he’s trouble. We had to rough him up. He even cursed at us!”

Fionna tilted her head thoughtfully. “Hmm... first time here and already causing problems? What’s his background?”

“A college graduate, Boss. Top of his class.” Shannon seized the moment to chime in.

My sister’s gaze lingered on me, her expression softening for a brief moment. “If Alan were still alive... he’d be about that age. Probably just graduated from college too…”

Hearing her say my name, my heart raced. I struggled against my restraints, shouting with what little strength I had left.

“Sis! It’s me! I’m Alan!”

“Shut up!” Hazel barked, kicking me square in the face.

Pain exploded as my wounds reopened, blood seeping freely. My tongue was swollen, my mouth mangled—I couldn’t form the words I so desperately wanted to say. All I could do was cry out in agony.

“Huh?” My sister paused, crouching down to get a closer look at me. For a fleeting moment, I thought she recognized me. But as I tried to speak, I coughed up another mouthful of blood, splattering it across her face.

Both Hazel and Shannon froze in shock. They scrambled to clean her up, one wiping her face while the other dragged me toward the factory.

Inside, an iron bucket brimming with filthy water waited ominously. Hazel didn’t hesitate. She grabbed me by the hair and shoved my face into the murky liquid.

The foul water rushed into my mouth and nose, cutting off my air. My lungs screamed for oxygen, my body convulsing in panic. When I thought I’d drown, she yanked me up by the hair, only to slam me back under again.

Over and over, the cycle repeated. I lost track of time, my strength fading with each agonizing second. Finally, she threw me to the ground like a piece of garbage.

“Boss,” Shannon said, turning to my sister. “This brat dared to offend you. What should we do with him? Maybe we start by pulling out his nails and then treat him to some ‘pearl milk tea’?”

Terror shot through me at her words. I’d seen what they meant by “pearl milk tea.” It wasn’t a drink—it was torture, designed to break even the strongest men.

This was it. My turn had come. I stared at my sister, praying for mercy. But her eyes burned with cold fury.

“Do what you want,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate. As the world darkened, a strange calm washed over me. I’d see Mom and Dad soon. At least in death, I wouldn’t be alone.