Zhan Yahui couldn't understand what was happening to her and it all felt like a dream to her because in no way she thought she could be seeing a tremendous golden clock, shining brightly in mid-air. The gong sounds that continuously reverberated pounded in her head so hard that threatened to give her a seizure.
But as if an invisible force was there that neither let her collapse nor shut her eyes to the phenomenon happening before her.
At first, it was just some whispers creeping into her ears and hazy flashes appearing before her eyes. It was so frightening that the gun in her hands trembled.
What the hell is…going on…?
The memories and the voices crashed at her with a force akin to a destructive tsunami wave and it was only an instant that the reality began to sink deeper into her heart from where there was no way to escape. At one moment, it was the night sky and at another moment, she was in a strange world that terrified her from within.
"That bastard Liu Jinhai! Only three days…only three days to pay sixty million. Is he nuts! Does he think money grows on trees?" The loud, outraged and resentful voice of Ouyang Haitao burst into a room as he kept cursing Jinhai.
Zhan Yahui froze. She couldn't believe her eyes and ears.
Dad…?
"Impossible! I won't be able to pay sixty million! Kai-Ming too doesn't have that kind of money! I already sold all the jewelry she had…The meager amount of money her job gives is nowhere enough!"
His fellow gambler and drinking buddies suggested. "But doesn't she have a daughter?"
"Yeah so what? What will that annoying and pesky brat do! Yahui only knows how to irritate me! It feels disgusting when she calls me 'Dad, dad.' I am not her father and neither do I want to be one!"
Zhan Yahui stared at Ouyang Haitao, her heart almost stopping to beat.
"If only I didn't need Kai-Ming's money for my businesses, I wouldn't have had to deal with their shit."
"Now, now, it's not the time to curse her but use her instead."
"Kai-Ming doesn't-"
"I mean her daughter, idiot. Yahui? Or whatever her name is," hus friends leaned and whispered, "You know there is a good market for girls like her."
"Market?" Ouyang Haitao frowned.
One of them chuckled. "For selling her. There are all sorts of men in this world and some men are very interested in young and budding flowers~ If you could secretly sell her, you have no idea how much cash you will land in. You will bathe in money, buddy."
"Are you crazy?" His jaw dropped. "Don't you know who rules the underworld? Liu Jinhai is the law himself. It's next to impossible!"
"It is possible," he whispered even lower, "Word is that some fallen organizations are scraping here and there to make a new route for this transport. Trust me, Liu Jinhai doesn't even have a whiff of it."
Ouyang Haitao found it extremely tempting but also dangerous. "But I need the money in three days. The route isn't even established yet. It's too soon and too risky."
He smiled. "Some special arrangements can be made to accommodate your request but of course, you have to cough out money for that."
He grimaced. "Why would I be frustrated like this if I had money already?"
"Pipe down, Haitao. You are so impatient. No wonder your businesses ended up in losses."
"You…"
"You are gonna get loads of money after selling that daughter. You have no idea how much people can spend their wealth to get sex. Enough that you can repay sixty million and also the cost of this request."
Ouyang Haitao blinked. "So you are saying that they will let me sell her first and I can pay after I get my money?"
"Pretty much."
The greed naturally set in Ouyang Haitao but more than that, it was desperation and fear of Jinhai that made him utter the next words. "I will do it. Not like I have a choice."
The friend chuckled. "That's the spirit. I have a contact. I will let you know when we are ready."
"But what about Kai-Ming? Once she realizes that Yahui isn't anywhere, she will run off to the police!"
"That's tricky indeed but until the cops will learn about her disappearance, the girl will already be sailing out of this country. There is no way that either the cops or Liu Jinhai will be able to get her back. It's indeed at the last moment. Three days are quite the crunch-"
"I will take it," Ouyang Haitao breathed hard. "I just want to get rid of Liu Jinhai's debt once and for all. If I have to sell Yahui for that, then so be it. Kai-Ming isn't useful anymore so let her daughter do the job then!"
When Ouyang Haitao left, the friends had a debate among themselves.
"This is too risky! Why did you offer this deal to Ouyang Haitao?"
"Yeah, it's already so difficult to make this secret way under Liu Jinhai's nose. If any leak happens…"
The friend who talked to Ouyang Haitao all this time said, "Because we also need money, you idiots. And fast. It's not gonna happen for free. We will squeeze all the money Ouyang Haitao will get after selling that daughter and that money will only help us to make all the arrangements faster! We cannot delay anymore. The longer this project goes on for, the more we are at the risk of getting caught by Liu Jinhai."
Floating in a strange world of clouds and memories, Zhan Yahui watched the entire conversation unfold and the fact that Ouyang Haitao didn't hesitate even once to agree to the plan of selling her made her feel as if her heart was stabbed by a chain of thorns.
Before she could process that grief, the memories cruelly swirled around her showing bits and pieces of all the love she showered on Ouyang Haitao but how he never returned the same.
And eventually, the memory of that fateful day came that had changed her life forever.
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