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Humiliation and Promotion
墨書 Inktalez
Peng Ping, 27 years old, with long, flowing hair and delicate features that make it hard to guess her actual age, stands at nearly 1.68 meters tall. She enjoys wearing various dresses and high heels, often proclaiming, "With height comes confidence." Her curvy yet slender figure, combined with her fashionable attire, makes it difficult for men to overlook her.
As the manager of a foreign enterprise's sales department, she has climbed the ranks from a salesperson to a business executive, thanks to her language skills, beauty, and her relationship with her boss. Married for two years to a decent man—an honest designer with a good salary—she feels fortunate. To others, their family seems quite enviable, and indeed it is; Peng Ping is satisfied with her current situation: a harmonious family life and some extra money to enjoy life. As for children, she thinks they can wait a few more years.
On a quiet Monday evening just before the New Year, Peng Ping drove her smart car into the underground parking garage of her apartment complex. Arriving home before six o'clock, she took the elevator to the sixth floor but noticed that the stairwell's sensor lights were off. Tightening her down jacket, she stomped her knee-high boots twice on the ground; the crisp sound of her heels echoed in the empty stairwell, yet the lights remained unlit.
Sighing, she regretted impulsively buying an apartment in this complex. It was marketed as upscale, but now that property prices had dropped, no one wanted to buy anymore. The property management was failing too; broken lights went unattended for ages, and repair requests took forever to process.
Using the dim light from her phone, Peng Ping unlocked her door. Just as she stepped inside, someone suddenly covered her mouth from behind and tightened their grip around her neck, pushing her into the apartment.
The shock left Peng Ping momentarily dazed. Having led a smooth-sailing life until now, she had never encountered such a situation. As reality set in, she realized she was being kidnapped; someone had blindfolded her and sealed her mouth with packing tape, rendering her unable to scream. Her hands and feet were bound with rope.
The origin of this incident dated back several days to a dimly lit private room in a small restaurant where three men—Cheng Laoda, Cheng Lao Er, and their fellow villager Xiao Yao—were having their last gathering before the New Year.
With the holiday approaching and not much money earned this year, they lamented their lack of success. "It's embarrassing to go back home," one said. "Among us three, my brother is the only one with a stable job as a security guard in a community. Xiao Yao and I have had a rough year." They clinked their glasses together and took a sip.
"Honestly," Cheng Laoda replied after gulping down his drink, "my dead-end salary doesn’t leave me with anything to save. This community hasn’t sold many apartments this year; they can’t even collect property fees anymore. They’re about to stop paying salaries."
"I've already decided to quit at the end of the year and look for another job next year," he added.
"Who knows what we’ll do next year? There’s no money saved," Xiao Yao chimed in.
"You two are both over 25 and still don’t have serious girlfriends," Cheng Laoda teased. "You spend your days helping people move and your nights working security; you could be making decent money instead of running around delivering services for two or three hundred."
"Ha! As if you’re any different! We can’t afford to hang out at clubs or play on social apps like WeChat or Momo," Xiao Yao retorted. "Brother, you’ve been at that community for almost a year now—haven’t you met any wealthy people who could help us find some profitable opportunities?"
"Who would buy into our community? The occupancy rate is under ten percent; there’s no atmosphere at all," Cheng Laoda replied. "The facilities aren’t even complete; we don’t even have proper surveillance set up."
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