2 Chapter Two: Flashback

* Flashback: 8 years earlier*

Next door to a school there happened to be a sweet shop and on certain days, with permission the 12-year-old, Zhi Ruo would be allowed to go there after school and then wait there to be picked up. She would go to pick out her favorite candies and get an ice cream cone.

What she didn't tell her father was she also went because a very cute and very popular boy from school would go there too. He would always buy an ice cream cone and sit alone.

Today she mustered all the courage she had and planned to confess her feelings. She planned everything out, step by step. She just had to put her plan to action.

That day after school she rushed to the sweet shop so she could get there before anyone else. She pulled out her well-written letter holding in front of her chest and walked straight to the counter. Today she bought two ice cream cones, vanilla for her and strawberry for Tadashi Gao, her crush!

Zhi Ruo's cheeks flushed as she saw him walk in. Her stomach tingled with butterflies making her feel more nervous.

....

Tadashi walked through the door of the little sweet shop next to his school. His cool attitude and attractive face made all the girls in the background gush out loud. He was of course used to this behaviour. He found it annoying.

'OMG he is so cute.'

'I want him to be my boyfriend.'

'He is so cool. He doesn't even have to do anything and just he's handsome. '

'I wish he would just look at me. That would be enough.'

Voices filled the sweet shop. Zhi Ruo heard all the other girls talking but she didn't care. She prepared for this. She knew there would always be his other admirer's their. Luckily he walked straight to her.

Tadashi noticed Zhi Ruo right away. After all, SHE was the only reason he came to this place at all. With all these annoying girls he wouldn't normally bother with such places.

Today she bought two ice creams, huh? Is she waiting for somebody? Is It another boy? Without realizing it, Tadashi walked straight to her.

Zhi felt like the luckiest girl in the world. This was like a scene from one of her best fantasies of how this interaction was to play out. To think he walked straight to her. With all those other girls around to.

Inside she did a little fist pump. 'Yes. take that girls!'

Now the 2nd step of the plan.

"This is for you Ta...Tadashi." She held out the ice cream cone for him. Her heart was pounding.He was looking straight into her eyes. Tadashi's eyes were normally cold but today they looked light..almost happy.

'Yeah right. Like he would accept an ice cream from just anybody.'

'Who does she think she is?'

'Yes, who is this person anyway?'

The voices grew louder around them. Zhi Ignored them. Today nothing would stop her.

Tadashi cheerfully took the ice cream from her hand and smiled. "Thank you."

Could this really be happening? Zhi Ruo bought this ice cream for me? I'm the guy she's waiting for? I must be the luckiest guy alive. Tadashi looked at Zhi's silver wild hair and dark mysterious eyes. She is the most beautiful girl in the world. "If I could end up marrying her I could die from happiness," he thought to himself. He grabbed her hand and led her outside to talk in private. This was his chance to tell her how he felt.

'Is this really happening? Is he really holding my hand?" Zhi Ruo was extremely excited and utterly nervous.

They stopped in front of a large tree in front of the sweet shop. Zhi''s heart fluttered. This is where lovers usually stood. Before she lost her courage Zhi handed him her confession letter. This was it. Her last step. It's all up to him now. What would his reaction be? Could he possibly feel the same way about me as I do about him? Zhi let her imagination run wild. Just for a second.

At that very moment a large black SUV pulled up, the tires screeched to a stop. Three large men ran out and picked both of the kids up like they were rag dolls. The two icecreams tossed aside.

The two kids were roughly taken out of the SUV after 20 minutes of speed driving and savagely tossed into an abandoned building.

The kids were tied up and left in a dark room. They could hear a one-sided conversation. A person could be heard, "Just the girl? I got it, boss. I'll get rid of the boy. Yup, she will be ready to be picked up in an hour. No problem, the others will take the SUV to a different location. Yup, I'll stay here with the girl and wait for you."

The phone call ended.

The other men heard the conversation and needed no further instruction. Like professionals, they quietly headed back to the SUV and left.

The man who had been on a phone gave a spine chilling laugh when he was finally left alone. "Now it's time to play."

The two kids whimpered as the mans footsteps grew closer. Zhi was petrified. Her heart thumped and her mind raced.

Tadashi could hear Zhi start to hyperventilate next to him but he couldnt do anything to help.He had to get her out of here!

The man with the phone slipped into the dark room with the kids and immediately hit the boy in the back of the head knocking him out, leaving him in a dark corner. The man then picked up Zhi Rio, handling her as if she weighed as much as a feather.

The man brought Zhi into a room across the hall. In the small room there was a clutter-filled table and a dirty mattress on the floor.

Zhi now understood his intentions and lost it. How could this really be happening? We were just 2 kids eating ice cream. Who does this to kids? The panic started to take over and she tried kicking and hitting with all her might, it was useless. She might as well be hitting a rock. She screamed and pleaded for him to stop. The man laughed. "I'm going to have fun with you until your daddy's done paying the ransom." He gave another bone-chilling laugh. "I like it rough baby girl, scream for me!" the man demanded.

'So this is why? Money?'

The man took a gun off his waistband and tossed it on the dirty table, pulled his pants down and started undressing Little Zhi. He held her arms down and licked her cheek all the way up to her ear and whispered, "keep screaming baby girl."

Zhi couldn't help it. She didn't want to obey, she wanted to stay silent but when he forced her legs apart her cries could be heard in every room of the building until the sound of a gunshot ended all sounds.

Zhi felt the man drop on top of her. He was so heavy. She felt like he was going to crush her small little body.

She was in complete and utter shock. She tried pushing him off. She yelled and kicked and tried shoving him off but she couldn't. tears streamed down her face until someone else managed to finally get her out from under the crushing wait of the man. Zhi could once again breathe. She looked up.

It was Tadashi. He saved her. Tadashi took the mans gun and shot him.

Tadashi immediately started pulling Zhi up , while she could only look blank. He looked at Zhi's sad eyes and hugged her and then grabbed her hand. He dragged her with him and they ran. They ran and ran until they couldn't anymore.

They were in the middle of a street hoping a car would stop for them. Luckily they didn't have to wait long.

A car pulled over and an older couple ran towards the two kids. The wife held the children's hands while the husband called the police. The husband quickly learned these were the 2 kids the police had been looking for. Dispatch asked the couple to stay with the kids until a police unit arrived. That was the last time Tadashi and Zhi ever saw each other.