The world was pitch black.
That was Si Jiang’s first sensation upon regaining consciousness. His hands were bound, a coarse fabric covered his eyes, and he was lying on a freezing floor.
What had happened?
He remembered being at a bar with a crowd of people to celebrate his birthday. He had been in a foul mood, his attention fixed on his phone, finding the rare boisterousness of the scene grating. People had swarmed around him, offering toasts, giving gifts, or sycophantically trying to curry favor, their faces all wearing the same exaggerated, plastered-on smiles.
But Si Jiang remained unmoved because he was waiting for a phone call. It was a call he should have received at the very first opportunity, yet for over a decade, he was always the one waiting.
Frustrated, he had shaken off the noisy crowd and walked to a nearby convenience store to buy a pack of cigarettes. Just as he lit one, his phone vibrated. It was the familiar number. Si Jiang answered with a hint of nerves, but as the voice on the other end spoke, the anticipation on his face vanished, replaced by a sneer directed at no one in particular.
"Tell them that if they think my birthday is so unimportant, they can just pretend I was never born! There’s no need to have a secretary complete this 'task' every year!"
With that, he slammed the phone onto the ground, his heart a mess of rage and resentment—or perhaps, just weary disappointment.
And at that exact moment, the earthquake struck.
He didn't remember much after that, only a sharp, agonizing pain in his right leg. When he finally drifted back from unconsciousness, the world before his eyes had turned into a living hell.
"What... happened?"
He tried to move, but his leg felt broken, and his lower body seemed pinned into the concrete, immovable. Panic began to set in. Was he going to become a cripple? Was he going to die here all alone? No, he refused!
He struggled, trying to call out to every person who ran past, begging them to stop and pull him out. But in the face of a natural disaster, everyone was consumed by their own terror, fleeing for their lives, searching for the people they cared about.
Too many people were screaming for help.
Si Jiang was merely one soul among the masses in an ocean of despair. He was neither a woman nor a child, neither elderly nor infirm; why would anyone give him special treatment? In the face of catastrophe, he no longer possessed his usual dazzling halo. He was no longer the priority, no longer the one whose every word was an order. He was just another pair of dusty hands to be ignored or forcefully shaken off.
"Help me..."
"I don't want to die... I don't want to be a cripple..."
"Is anyone there? Save me..."
"Please, I don't want to die here alone..."
No one listened to his pleas. Si Jiang had never felt such utter hopelessness. Dust and grit from the collapsing buildings filled his nostrils and mouth; the loss of blood drained the warmth from his body. His voice soon became hoarse and broken, growing fainter by the second.
He didn't want to die. Today was his birthday.
Just as Si Jiang was about to give up, a pair of worn-out shoes, faded and peeling at the soles, stopped before his eyes. He instinctively reached out and grabbed them, clutching them like the final lifeline of his existence.
*Whoever you are... please, help me. I’ll give you anything.*
Perhaps some deity heard his silent plea. The hammer of fate fell, and at that moment, the deal to sell his soul was struck.
The owner of the shoes crouched down. Amidst his desperate hope, she pulled down her mask, revealing a familiar birthmark. She looked at him as if viewing a prized catch, her lips curling into a stiff, cold, predatory smile.
"Got you."
Then, this woman—whom he had always considered weak and powerless—moved several heavy obstacles and pulled him out with freakish strength. His entire body suffered secondary abrasions from her rough handling, making him groan in agony. Zong Yan, seemingly annoyed by the noise, saw that he wouldn't shut up. She raised her right hand like a blade and chopped it mercilessly against his neck.
*How can a woman know a move like that... the kind you only see in TV dramas...*
That was the last thought in Si Jiang’s mind before he blacked out.
*So, where am I now?*
Si Jiang writhed in panic.
"Ah... it hurts! Fuck!"
The nerves in his injured leg finally transmitted the sensation of pain to his brain. He curled his body, his thoughts a chaotic mess.
Hadn't Zong Yan saved him? Then what was going on now? Why was he tied up? Had his wound been treated? Had a doctor been called?
Where was Zong Yan?
"Hey! Is anyone there!" he shouted.
The shout left his throat burning with a searing pain. His mouth felt dry and bitter; he had no idea how long it had been since he’d had water.
"Zong Yan? Are you there? Hey!"
No one responded.
Si Jiang felt a surge of fear. He tried to move his injured leg; it was clearly misaligned. Was it a fracture? How severe? If he didn't get to a hospital soon, would it be beyond repair?
"Can anyone hear me? Please take me to a hospital! I think my leg is broken!"
His voice echoed back almost instantly, as if it had hit a barrier the moment it left his lips. Si Jiang froze. He shifted his body forward, but before he could move far, he hit a wall.
He was locked in an extremely narrow space.
The moment he realized this, Si Jiang’s entire body stiffened uncontrollably. A long-buried fear, hidden deep within his memories, finally found a way to crawl out of the abyss, screaming with excitement as it prepared to drag him into hell.
"No, don't."
"Let me out... let me out!"
He suddenly began to struggle violently, slamming his head, his injured leg, and his body against the walls as if his life didn't matter. The cramped space was like a cage, forcing out his deepest terrors. His forehead bruised, his crudely bandaged leg began to bleed again, and his face scraped against the floor, leaving mark after mark upon his once-handsome features until he was barely recognizable.
If this were the Si Jiang of old, he would never have done such a thing or allowed himself to look so pathetic. But at this moment, he was trapped in a nightmare, completely devoid of reason. He could think of nothing but escape.
"Mom, Dad, save me... where are you..."
Hot liquid soaked the black cloth over his eyes and slid down his face, washing away tracks of grime.
"It's so dark. I'm scared."
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of footsteps approached, bringing light to Si Jiang. He huddled on the floor, dazed.
A pair of hands tore off his blindfold.
Zong Yan stood before him, holding a single candle. The weak candlelight flickered unsteadily, but Si Jiang’s dry eyes locked onto it as if it were a water source in a desert.
"Si Jiang," Zong Yan called his name. Her voice was the same as always—calm and dull.
Only then did Si Jiang slowly shift his stiff gaze toward her.
"It really is you," he said. "You didn't intend to save me."
If she had meant to save him, she wouldn't have locked him in here.
"I did save you," Zong Yan stated the fact.
"Then why didn't you take me to the hospital?" Si Jiang sneered.
"Young Master Si, you really are sheltered from the reality of the world, aren't you?"
The woman before him looked at him with something akin to pity. "Do you know what's happening outside?"
"An earthquake. I'm not an idiot."
"Yes, an earthquake. Half the buildings have collapsed. What magnitude do you think an earthquake like that is?"
Si Jiang hesitated. "Uh... a six? A seven?"
Zong Yan placed the candle on a sink. The light illuminated the entire room, and only then did Si Jiang realize he was in a renovated bathroom.
"Do you think the hospitals haven't collapsed? Do you think the doctors are all fine? Even if a hospital is still standing, how many people do you think are waiting for rescue right now?"
"There are countless severed limbs and corpses on the streets. Not to mention those clinging to life by a thread. And you? You just have a leg injury. If you went to the hospital, how many people would be ahead of you in line?"
"Would you wait and wait, until you lost all sensation, while more severely injured patients were continuously brought in?"
Si Jiang’s face grew paler with every word. "No, that wouldn't happen. I'm..."
"You're the only son of the city's richest man, the eldest young master of the Si family. You'd surely get special treatment, right?" Zong Yan seemed to have guessed his words long ago. "Si Jiang, in an earthquake like this, what do you think happened to your parents, who spend all day in their top-floor offices? How has their business been affected? Do they even have the time to think of their rebellious son, the one who just had a falling out with them?"
"No, shut up! It's not like that! They'll be fine. They... they're definitely looking for me!"
Si Jiang’s lips trembled. Zong Yan’s words were like a sharp blade, mercilessly stabbing into the most fearful corners of his heart.
Zong Yan turned on the faucet to wash up, but the pipes only groaned a few times; no water came out. It seemed the conveniences left by the former residents had finally been destroyed by the earthquake.
Zong Yan sighed. Although this unfinished building was terrifyingly sturdy and hadn't collapsed, she could forget about water and electricity. After throwing Si Jiang into the bathroom, she had risked going out to scavenge, bringing back a haul of daily necessities.
Paying? She would have to find a shopkeeper first, and she had no idea if any were still alive.
*What now?* Zong Yan pondered. The dim candlelight flickered with the flame as she calculated her existing supplies. Drinking water would have to be "taken" or collected from potential distributions. As for food, the refrigerator wouldn't last more than a few days; the vegetables and meat inside needed to be used quickly. The induction cooker and gas stove were useless, though luckily there was a small portable gas stove in the unit—but the gas canisters might not last long.
As she thought, her gaze swept over Si Jiang on the floor.
There was also this burden.
At the thought of the resource pressure he would cause, Zong Yan suddenly felt a twinge of regret. She should have just let this scumbag die there.
"..."
*Should I throw him back?*
Zong Yan rubbed her fingers, hesitating. This man, who had always been so high and mighty, was now rolling on the floor like a pathetic wretch, his once handsome and charming face covered in filth and scars. If she threw him in front of the people at school, probably not a single person would recognize him. Even her roommates, who had long admired him, would likely just scream in horror.
Well, she didn't even know if they had survived, and it was none of her business anyway.
Si Jiang clutched his knees, shaking his head as if talking to Zong Yan, or perhaps to himself. "You're lying to me. Someone must be looking for me. My parents, Chen Bai, and..."
"And who else?"
"And... what does it matter to you?" The man refused to answer further, staring stubbornly at the floor. "What would someone like you, with no friends and no parents, know?"
Zong Yan didn't care about his insult; after all, he was stating the truth. She was just curious about one thing. "Si Jiang, do you know how long you've been asleep?"
"What do you mean?"
Without another word, Zong Yan left the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Si Jiang was left alone in the dark once more.
He struggled to sit up, his mind a chaotic mess. What did Zong Yan mean by those words? What was she trying to do?
His parents should be fine. The call from the secretary had told him they were flying to America. An earthquake wouldn't affect them in the air. But what if it did? If something happened to the plane... what were the chances of survival?
*No, don't think like that, Si Jiang.*
He began to feel a chill throughout his body. He tried to hug himself, but his hand brushed against something on his leg. Looking down, he saw that his injured leg had actually been treated and bandaged.
It was obvious who had done it.
Si Jiang’s emotions were complicated. What was Zong Yan’s angle? He didn't believe for a second that she was unaware of the things he had done to her, both openly and in the shadows, since high school. So why would she save him? Out of kindness? Impossible; this woman didn't possess such a quality. Because she wanted a reward? Then she should have asked for it already. Because she wanted to take the opportunity to get revenge?
But leaving him there to die, waiting for the aftershocks, would have been much simpler.
He didn't understand this woman. And he didn't know how that kid Chen Bai was doing. Furthermore, where exactly was this place? And what did Zong Yan’s last question mean?
*Do you know how long you've been asleep?*
Could it be that he had been out for days?
*Days...*
Si Jiang was suddenly struck by a terrifying thought. If that were true, and if people had gone to look for him near the bar and found nothing for days... in their eyes, would he already be considered a missing person? A dead man?
No, no. He was still alive.
Si Jiang scrambled to get up from the floor, trembling. He had to get out of here and tell everyone he was alive.
*Clang—!*
The sound of a chain, ignored until now, rang out. Si Jiang’s body jerked to a halt as he tried to rush out, pulled back by a sudden force.
He froze. He reached up to his neck, then looked back.
Zong Yan had actually put a collar on him. Like a dog on a leash, she had him locked away.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 司疆 | Si Jiang | The male lead/victim; a wealthy, arrogant young man. |
| 宗盐 | Zong Yan | The female lead; calm, resourceful, and currently holding Si Jiang captive. |
| 陈柏 | Chen Bai | A friend or associate of Si Jiang. |
| 烂尾楼 | Unfinished building | Refers to a construction project that was started but never completed. |
| 怪力 | Freakish strength | Literally "strange strength" or "monstrous strength." |
