Chapter 374

Insert 17: The Misfortune of Yǐn Tiānjié

A solid blow struck her nape, and Yǐn Tiānjié was dragged by the man behind her into what used to be her bedroom. She had feigned unconsciousness, despite the pain causing her forehead to sweat; she endured and maintained a calm face.

How could these scoundrels even bear to lay their hands on such a young girl like herself?

Yǐn Tiānjié cursed under her breath, as if she had forgotten that she had once been one of them.

“Come help, let’s get her onto the bed.”

She was thrown onto the bed, and her bedding now had an unfamiliar smell of smoke, which made her feel even more nauseous.

“Get the rope, tie her hands and feet up.”

Her wrists and ankles were bound tightly with thin hemp ropes, and they even searched her, taking away the five thousand yuan she had just taken from her coat pocket. However, after being dazzled by the money, they didn’t search her inner pockets further.

“Damn, this girl’s got some cash.”

“Breakfast?”

“It’s not available, damn it, there’s a police check in the community, and the security guards at the entrance are questioning people. We can’t leave for now. Let’s just eat the instant noodles we stole yesterday.”

“If the police get serious, we need to leave tonight. After breakfast, we’ll sort out all the valuables… Why would you steal a kid’s piggy bank? It’s heavy and doesn’t have much money.”

“Just leave everything here, we can’t take it all. Damn.”

Yǐn Tiānjié endured the lingering pain, lying on the bed and eavesdropping on their conversation. Clearly, these two were the thieves responsible for the recent string of thefts, using her rented house as a base and piling stolen goods here.

After a while, the smell of instant noodles wafted through the room, but it had a peculiar scent.

“Damn, did you steal fire chicken noodles?”

“At least we have something to eat, don’t be picky. Once we’re out, I’ll take you to the top floor of the Balance Commercial District for some Japanese food.”

Their voices were one coarse and one fine, but the main point wasn’t that. What caught Yǐn Tiānjié’s attention was that their voices sounded familiar.

“How does this girl have the keys to this place? Damn, could Yǐn Tiānjié be keeping a mistress?”

“Ugh, if Yǐn Tiānjié has money to keep a mistress, why would he drag us into trouble with the Huángfǔ family? If our brothers hadn’t run fast back then, we’d all be in jail with him! We shouldn’t get involved in that, it’s too dangerous.”

“Damn, do you think he really went to jail?”

“Think about it, he hasn’t shown up at the company for days, hasn’t contacted anyone. He might be in trouble, maybe even dead, or worse, captured by the Huángfǔ family.”

The thick-necked thief mimed a cutting gesture across his throat.

Indeed, it had happened.

The younger brother was gone.

From the conversation, Yǐn Tiānjié understood that these two thieves were members of her team, here to “earn extra money.” Their proficiency in lock-picking suggested they were repeat offenders.

After Yǐn Tiānjié was sent to the Research Institute, most continued to work for the Glorious Family, while a few distanced themselves from the matter. These two still had their sights set on her, now caught.

Though she was furious, she dared not jump up and curse. At this point, whether she was Yǐn Tiānjié no longer mattered. There was no way she could deal with these two creeps.

“Damn, my mouth hurts from eating.”

“You can’t handle it? I only put half the seasoning in your bowl.”

“Damn, I can’t anymore, I’m going to drink some water.”

One of the thieves couldn’t handle the spicy noodles and left the bedroom for water.

But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Yǐn Tiānjié felt another thief climbing onto the bed beside her. His rough hand like sandpaper explored her face, making her shudder and sweat.

Was he going to molest her again?

Last night and today, how could she keep encountering such things? Was this some kind of retribution?

“Damn, the water in the kettle is too hot… Damn, what are you doing?”

Fortunately, the thief who went for water returned quickly, stopping the other from touching her.

“This must be the first time in ages I’ve touched a woman.”

“Damn, you look so satisfied, let me touch too.”

… Had these two never seen a woman before?

Yǐn Tiānjié was only sixteen, and they wanted to take advantage of her? She cursed internally but remained still, unable to resist due to her bound hands and feet. They hesitated to wake her, but their rough hands caressed her face, neck, nose, and lips.

“Skin so smooth, this little mouth… Damn, do you think she could be Yǐn Tiānjié’s sister?”

“What? Yǐn Tiānjié has a sister?”

“When someone goes to jail, the police notify the family, right? This must be to get clothes and stuff for him. I remember you have to pay to go to jail, look, she just took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills.”

“Oh, so he really went to jail.”

These two continued to discuss her identity while touching her.

It was disgusting, and the anger and resentment turned into a deep sense of injustice. Yǐn Tiānjié now detested men from the bottom of her heart.

Suddenly, one of the thieves said loudly, “Damn, I can’t hold back anymore.”

Rip—

Yǐn Tiānjié knew this was the sound of a zipper opening.

She felt her scalp tingle. Did they plan to do this right here?

She hadn’t even enjoyed her own body yet, how could she let these two thieves take her chastity?

If anything else happened, she would scream for help, hoping to alert the neighbors.

“Hey! Brother, don’t do anything rash, I haven’t even taken off my pants!”

Thankfully, the thief who had initially touched her face remained relatively calm.

“Damn, why are you stalling at a crucial moment? I don’t think this girl will wake up anytime soon!”

“What if she does? If you touch her and we get caught, the charges will be different. Don’t be impulsive, young man. Once we’re out, I’ll take you to Starlight International Nightclub. The girls there are top-notch.”

“Damn, have you been to Starlight International?”

“No, I guessed.”

Given their background in debt collection, they knew well which crimes to avoid, like theft and robbery.

“But this girl is too pretty. If I stay in this room for a day, I might not be able to resist. Damn, give me a cigarette, I’ll go out first.”

“I’ll go cool off too.”

They left Yǐn Tiānjié alone on the bed, walking out one after another… This time, they were saved by the law.

Unexpectedly, she found herself in a situation where she could become a red-clothed disaster. Yǐn Tiānjié’s emotions were complex. She squinted and peeked at the bedroom door, confirming the two thieves weren’t watching her, then slowly revealed the phone hidden in her sleeve. She often kept her phone in her sleeve, so she hadn’t put it in her pocket when she entered.

From their conversation, the two thieves had probably gone to the balcony to smoke. Yǐn Tiānjié estimated they wouldn’t return until they finished a cigarette.

She needed to call for help urgently but couldn’t make a phone call.

Does 110 accept text messages?

Clearly not.

Frustrated, she flipped through her phone and finally focused on a new contact.

——————

——————

When Fànnī was standing next to Àyì, she also saw the message content.

“The Jin Hénán Yuàn is not far from here. This message seems bad. Is she your girlfriend?”

“No… Boss! A friend of mine is in trouble. Can I borrow your car? It’s nearby, I’ll be back soon!”

The boss of Lǎijiā Cleaning Service looked puzzled, but Fànnī said, “Take my car. Tell me the situation on the way.”

The text from Yǐn Tiānjié looked very ominous. Àyì didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“Thanks, Miss Fànnī. Àhó, Àhó, come help too!”

“Okay!”

Àyì didn’t go down, but he called Àhó away.

Master Ye discovered he was the only one left on this scaffolding.

“You two just skipped work? I have to clean this wall alone?”

Fànnī’s vehicle was a pickup truck, uncommon in China. Àyì, whose family ran an auto repair shop, was quite excited sitting in the car.

But after the engine started, he quickly lost his excitement.

“Hold on! Miss Fànnī! This is too dangerous!”

The engine roared, the vehicle jolted, and the driver laughed crazily.

This wasn’t a pickup truck; it was a monstrous EVA Unit 2.

Fànnī reassured him, “Relax, it’s an emergency. Tell me, who is the person asking for help?”

Àyì glanced at Àhó in the backseat, whose face was pale and clutched his mouth, clearly unable to speak.

He explained himself, “We rescued a comatose woman last night and exchanged phones this morning. We just received a distress signal.”

Àyì summarized briefly.

Without discussing the age-adjustment mechanism, there wasn’t much else to say. He couldn’t mention being slapped for trying to undress her.

“So, you don’t know her well?”

Thinking about it, they didn’t even know her full name, only knowing she was surnamed Yǐn.

During a sharp turn, Fànnī glanced at Àyì.

“Xiao Xiao, do you like her?”

“What? No, not at all!”

“Don’t hide it,”

After a short drive, the pickup truck stopped at the entrance of Jin Hénán Yuàn.

The security guard didn’t argue but leaned out and asked, “Which building? Cars without permits can’t enter for now.”

Fànnī responded, “So strict? Is this a cadre compound?”

“Miss, you don’t look like a thief… There’s been a theft in the neighborhood, and the police are checking every household.”

Àyì held his phone out the window.

“We received a distress message. Jin Hénán Yuàn, Building 7, Unit 403. Did you see a young girl come in this morning?”

Yǐn Tiānjié was around fifteen or sixteen when she left the Youth Apartment. Àyì wasn’t sure if she had aged since then.

“Hold on, you said Building 7, Unit 403?!”

The guard seemed to recall something and hurriedly put on his hat and stood up.

“Bad luck, my memory! Come quick, something might happen!”