Chapter 3 Beginnings (3)

Three days later, Shen Li could disembark.

Clothes, wallet, cell phone, and a bank card, all were new. Especially the clothes, frighteningly fitting.

"I am Mr. Huo's assistant Situ, Quick 2 is my number, if you have any instructions, you can call me directly," said Situ with a gentle voice.

Shen Li shook her head, "I don't have any instructions. Clearly, there is no connection."

Situ heard her and smiled indifferently, "I'll escort you off the ship."

It wasn't until she disembarked that Shen Li saw the full scope of the luxurious cruise ship, her experiences over the past few days always felt unreal. Only the pain in her body was real, causing a sudden sharp ache in her heart that she could not attend to at the moment.

When they got to the intersection to hail a taxi, Situ drove up in a black Maybach and opened the rear car door, saying, "Please get in."

Shen Li shook her head vigorously, "No need, I can take a taxi home by myself."

"This is an order from Mr. Huo, he asked me to take you to your residence," Situ said, then added, "It's Mr. Huo's residence here."

A bucket of ice water seemed to pour over her, and Shen Li finally understood what Situ meant, she said dejectedly, "I understand."

Huo Siyu had said she should be at his call, wanting her to do things without saying but implying. Those things could surely not be done in the street, there must be a dedicated love nest. This was taking her to get familiar with the route.

The car drove for over an hour and stopped in the most expensive Camphor Garden community in N City. A luxurious villa of over a thousand square meters equipped with a fountain and a swimming pool in the yard.

"Mr. Huo hardly lived here, only asked for regular cleaning by housekeepers. Now Miss Shen can freely use this place, and you can call me at any time if needed," Situ said, handing a bunch of keys to Shen Li.

Shen Li looked at the keys in her hand, her only feeling was, "Your boss is really rich."

One hundred million U.S. dollars or so, the amount was so huge that she had no concept of it. Until this luxurious villa was freely available for her use, the bought person that she was, it truly felt shocking.

Situ smiled faintly and said, "There is a car in the garage, the car key is inside, and the money in your card is also unlimited, please feel free to use it."

Shen Li was speechless for a while before saying, "Your boss is really generous."

"Money is just a number, if you make the gentleman happy, he naturally won't treat you poorly," Situ said in a matter-of-fact tone.

The key point was not money, but that Huo Siyu was very satisfied with Shen Li. How to spend the money didn't matter, so why not spend it on something he was pleased with?

"Heh... treat me well..." Shen Li was at a loss for words, suddenly recalling what Huo Siyu had said, that as long as she pleased him, and he felt good, he would give her a tip that she could use to pay off her debt.

She involuntarily shivered. Pleasing him was out of the question; she was lying still, inert, and Huo Siyu was nearly tormenting her to death. If she tried to please him, she would probably really lose her life.

After all, she and Huo Siyu belonged to two completely different worlds, with no way to connect at all.

"If you have no further questions, I will take my leave," Situ said, and reminded finally, "Please keep your mobile phone switched on."

With that, Situ turned to leave.

"Wait..." Shen Li suddenly called out to him and asked, "I didn't voluntarily participate in the Night Color auction, was I kidnapped and taken there by Night Color?"

These past few days, she had been pondering over one question: why had she appeared at that auction?

"Night Color never robs civilians; they have their own sources," Situ said matter-of-factly, turning to Shen Li, "In other words, someone kidnapped Miss Shen and sold you to Night Color, and that's how you ended up being auctioned off by them."

A heavy blow suddenly made it hard for Shen Li to catch her breath.

"I'll be leaving first; call me if you need anything," Situ said, and then drove off.

Shen Li was left alone; gazing at the empty villa, she felt a chilling cold over her entire body.

Without entering the house, she sat down on the garden bench. Now that she finally had a moment of peace, she needed to sort out her thoughts.

She remembered clearly that yesterday was her twentieth birthday—a rare occasion when Father Shen called her, saying that everything was ready at home, and asking her to come back for the celebration.

She had hesitated at first, but given the rarity of her father's calls, she decided to return. After she arrived, her stepmother, Fang Hongxia, and stepsister, Shen Yueh, were both there. Surprisingly, there were no arguments. She didn't drink any alcohol and went to sleep after eating.

Then she woke up at the auction.

The answers were at the tip of her tongue, but she still wanted to ask for clarity.

She got up and rushed outside, only to remember that Camphor Garden was an upscale gated community where it was impossible to hail a cab at the entrance. Although she was reluctant to use Huo Siyu's things, it couldn't be helped at the moment, so she opened the door to the garage.

A row of sports cars greeted her, in a variety of colors that dazzled Shen Li. Although she had passed her driving test, and had some knowledge of cars, she didn't know much. In front of her now, she recognized none. Ultimately, she chose a white one; it seemed less ostentatious.

The Shen family also lived in N City, just half an hour away from Camphor Garden.

After parking the car downstairs, Shen Li felt a piercing coldness as she went up to the Shen family's residence—not a separate villa, but a high-end community.

Ever since high school, she hadn't spent a penny of her family's money, though it wasn't like the Shen family was short on cash.

Why would they treat her this way?

Using her keys, she opened the door, and before she could step inside, she heard her stepmother, Fang Hongxia's self-righteous voice: "I did it all for this family. The company was in so much debt; if we didn't sell her, what could we use to pay it back? We've raised her for so many years; now was the time to make use of her. It's what she ought to do."

Father Shen's voice was very low, filled with guilt, yet there wasn't much blame in it, only saying, "She's my own daughter... How... How am I supposed to face her departed mother with what you've done?"

"Oh, I knew it, you still have that vixen on your mind," Fang Hongxia's voice rose as she screamed at Father Shen, "If you hadn't refused to divorce that seductress back then, why would I have had to abort our child? What, do you want to bring her back, or has she come looking for you again? I know that vixen has no shame. Just watch, I'll go and scratch her face in a minute."

"What... what are you even saying?" Father Shen said with a mixture of frustration and anger, "We're talking about Ah Li right now, where exactly did you take her?"

"I sent the photo over, and someone bid one million," Fang Hongxia stated smugly, as if it was the most natural thing. Had she known Shen Li could sell for so much, she would have gotten rid of her a long time ago. "With that one million, we can pay off the company's debts and even send Xiao Yue abroad. Otherwise, counting on an old thing like you, our mother and daughter would starve to death."

"You can't do that to Ah Li," Father Shen raised his voice.

Fang Hongxia's voice got louder, "I did it, what are you going to do about it? If you're so brave, go report it to the police, and let the whole family die together."

Shen Li, outside the door, could no longer bear to listen. She burst in forcefully, and with a loud "clang," the arguing Fang Hongxia and Father Shen involuntarily turned to look, their expressions changing drastically upon seeing Shen Li, especially Fang Hongxia, whose eyes bulged as if they might pop out.

"I've already called the police. The crime of human trafficking is enough to keep you in jail until you die," Shen Li said with an icy voice.