Chapter 55: Don’t Touch Me

“Brother!”
Zhong Da emerged from the kitchen and, upon seeing Zhong Yuan approaching, called out while subtly hiding his left hand behind his back.

“No need to hide it; I saw it,” Zhong Yuan said coolly, then added, “Two girls are still missing.”

Zhong Da nodded. “They must have gone to the basement.”

Zhong Yuan glanced at his watch. “Let’s go pick up Xiao Hua!” With that, he turned and headed toward the stairs.

Down in the basement, it was pitch black for some unknown reason.

Zhong Yuan found the switch and tried it, but no matter how he flipped it, the lights refused to come on. It seemed those who went down had already cut the power!

“Call Xiao Hua. Tell him… you’re introducing two girls to him and ask when he’s free to come out and hang,” Zhong Yuan instructed Zhong Da before turning and walking away.

Suddenly, with a sharp snap, all the lights throughout the villa went out. Darkness swallowed the entire mansion.

Inside the home theater room.

Xiao Hua was suspended on a peculiarly shaped wooden frame. His clothes were still on, but the upper garment was nearly in tatters, with each tear revealing fresh, bloody wounds. Though the wounds looked gruesome, none were deep.

Opposite him, Lin Zhonghai held a whip in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other, eyes narrowed as he admired the ‘masterpiece’ he had created.

Abruptly, he tossed the whip aside and moved to a nearby cabinet, pulling open a drawer filled with various oddly shaped tools.

His eyes gleamed with interest as he scanned the tools and finally selected one, lifting it up.

“Li Hua?” he suddenly chuckled, then, in a low voice under Xiao Hua’s frightened gaze, murmured, “Or should I say, Dong Hua?”

Dong Hua was Xiao Hua’s real name.

Xiao Hua froze, then grew pale with shock. His previously steady composure crumbled at once.

“You recognized me all along?” Xiao Hua couldn’t help but ask.

Lin Zhonghai smiled. “Not really. I just thought you looked familiar. Someone sent me a photo earlier, and that’s when I remembered.”

Xiao Hua recalled that a few minutes ago, Lin Zhonghai had indeed glanced at a phone.

“So, tell me, what do you want with me?” Lin Zhonghai toyed with the tool in his hand, a smile playing on his lips as he asked slowly.

A chill swept through Xiao Hua’s heart. He grit his teeth and said, “Weren’t you the ones who came after us?”

Lin Zhonghai scoffed. “You’re not gay, so you probably don’t know this, but I can tell if a man is gay with a single glance. When Hongwei dragged you in, I knew you weren’t one of us.”

“Then why didn’t you refuse?” Xiao Hua asked in surprise.

Lin Zhonghai gave him a strange look. “Why would I refuse? Meat that walks itself to the door—why not eat it? Besides,” he stepped closer, pressing the tool coldly against Xiao Hua’s cheek, sending a shiver of goosebumps over him, “I’m guessing your brother will be down soon. Imagine if I did this to you right in front of him—would he regret what he did to you?”

Lin Zhonghai’s excitement grew as he spoke, his gaze growing more brazen.

He shifted his feet until he stood behind Xiao Hua.

One hand landed on Xiao Hua’s back, tracing slowly down his spine. His rough fingers brushed over the wounds, causing sharp pain.

Xiao Hua tensed completely; his breathing grew rapid and ragged, his eyes reddening with panic.

He was utterly terrified!

Damn it! He never intended to give in!

“Brother Yuan! Brother Da! Why aren’t you here yet?”

Xiao Hua struggled, but the wooden frame—no matter how he wriggled—remained immovable.

Lin Zhonghai seemed only more exhilarated by his attempts to break free.

Suddenly, he leaned close, his mouth near Xiao Hua’s ear, his saliva-coated tongue sliding lightly over the earlobe, a slick, warm sensation that made Xiao Hua shudder in disgust.

“Damn it! Don’t touch me!” Xiao Hua finally exploded in a furious outburst. “You sick faggot! Stay away from me!”

Lin Zhonghai obediently stepped back but then said, “That fire at Songka Estate a few days ago—was that your doing?”

The question struck Xiao Hua like a bucket of ice water, instantly cooling his rising fury. He turned his face awkwardly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lin Zhonghai chuckled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

No sooner had he spoken than Xiao Hua felt a hand grab the waistband of his pants from behind.

“Damn you…” Xiao Hua’s eyes widened in horror as Lin Zhonghai began pulling at his trousers. He twisted and writhed desperately, but escape was impossible.

A cold sensation crept over his backside.

Xiao Hua’s body froze.

At that moment, a loud bang echoed from the firmly shut door, as if a heavy object had slammed against it.

Lin Zhonghai’s movements halted.

Xiao Hua’s heart leapt with hope.

But then Lin Zhonghai laughed.

“Do you think you’re about to be saved?” he asked, smiling.

Xiao Hua froze again, the faint hope he’d felt now stuck, neither rising nor falling.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked hesitantly.

Lin Zhonghai replied, “Didn’t you notice how heavy this door is when you closed it?”

Xiao Hua stiffened once more.

His unease deepened.

“They can’t get in. But I’m considerate to the things I like. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they can watch you,” he said, pulling a remote from his pocket and pressing a button.

With a beep, the giant movie screen lit up, displaying Xiao Hua’s image.

His hands were raised high, bound to the strange wooden frame, his youthful face marked by fear, anger, and helplessness.

His upper clothing was torn and bloodstained. His pants were half pulled down, caught at his knees. As the man behind him lifted his shirt higher, his private parts were exposed.

“There’s an LCD screen on the wall outside this room,” Lin Zhonghai whispered, his voice a demonic murmur that sent chills down the spine. “What you see now is showing there too. How thoughtful of me, right?”

Shame burned like a raging fire, threatening to consume all of Xiao Hua’s sanity.

“What do you want from me?” Xiao Hua growled through clenched teeth.

Lin Zhonghai laughed. “I want to fuck you! The moment I saw you, I wanted you! You don’t know how much I love boys like you who aren’t gay! It’s so much more satisfying! Especially when you cry and beg me to stop—I love that the most!”

A cold dread shot straight to Xiao Hua’s forehead.

“Pervert!”

Lin Zhonghai paid no mind to the insult, laughing heartily instead.

“Tan Wei must be dead by now, right?” Lin Zhonghai suddenly asked.

Xiao Hua paused.

Looking at the expression on Xiao Hua’s face on the screen, Lin Zhonghai laughed again. “I love kids like you—so young and inexperienced, it all shows on your face!”

Xiao Hua was angry, anxious, panicked, and ashamed all at once, his face flushing white and red in rapid succession.

“Ai Kun is dead too, isn’t he?” Lin Zhonghai asked again.

Xiao Hua clenched his jaw, refusing to show any expression.

But Lin Zhonghai seemed to find his answer in Xiao Hua’s face.

“So, you plan to wipe out the entire Foshou Gang, huh?”

Xiao Hua shut his eyes tightly, pressed his lips together, and bowed his head.

Lin Zhonghai laughed loudly.

Then, suddenly, he slapped Xiao Hua’s butt hard. The sharp crack sounded like thunder, making Xiao Hua jump as if struck by electricity. If not for being bound, he might have leapt three feet high.

“You sick pervert! Don’t touch me!” he hissed through gritted teeth.

But the man behind him didn’t care.

“Do you have a deep grudge with the Foshou Gang?” Lin Zhonghai asked again.

Xiao Hua remained silent.

Lin Zhonghai pressed his chin against Xiao Hua’s shoulder, staring intently at the face on the screen, and whispered, “Silence won’t help you. But if you want me to make you talk by other means, I can do that too.”

Xiao Hua’s face drained of color.

Lin Zhonghai was delighted.

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Hua finally spoke—it was not something he couldn’t say.

“Back when Tan Wei kidnapped us wanting one million dollars, we couldn’t pay. He tried to kill us. We escaped, but he caught up and fought us. Then he died. Since then, the Foshou Gang has kept sending people after us. We had no choice. Since your gang won’t leave us alone, we won’t just wait to die! You’re Chinese, you should know—we never strike unless provoked, but if we’re attacked, we fight back!”

Lin Zhonghai raised an eyebrow. “I see. You’re right: if someone kills you, you fight back. But if you’re outmatched and end up dead, you can’t blame others, right?”

Xiao Hua frowned.

“Of course, I like you,” Lin Zhonghai continued. “If you’re willing to submit and follow me, I’ll let your brother go. But from now on, you can’t contact him, and he can’t set foot in Dongli Mansion again. How about it? Not a bad deal, right?”

Following him was out of the question, Xiao Hua thought, no matter what. His head might be severed, blood spilled, but never would he lose his dignity.

Still, for now, submitting might be the best option.

As he thought this, he couldn’t help but silently howl in his heart, “Brother Yuan, Brother Da, are you guys really coming or not?”