Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 51

“Who the hell dares to touch them?” A loud voice echoed at the warehouse entrance. “Get out of my way!” The thugs surrounding the two beauties scattered before they could even lay a hand on them. The sisters, still trembling from the shock, looked up to see another group of men entering the warehouse. This time, they weren’t thugs. Some were in their thirties, others in their forties, led by a bald, burly man who looked like he meant business.

“What’s going on here?” “Baldy” glared menacingly at Quan. “Brother Qiang…” The man who had grabbed Chen Qian earlier whispered a few words into “Baldy’s” ear, covering his mouth. “Damn it,” “Baldy” slowly approached Quan. “You dare disobey me?” Quan stammered, backing away, his leg in a cast making it difficult to move.

“Baldy” stepped forward and slapped Quan hard across the face, knocking him to the ground. “Wang An, you almost ruined my plans.” “Brother… don’t hit me… don’t hit me…” Quan pleaded, shaking his head as he sat on the ground. “I… I was wrong… I was wrong…”

“Baldy” ignored Quan and knelt in front of the Chen sisters. “My apologies, Chen sisters. My brother is ill-mannered.” He stood up, sat on a sofa, and pointed to the one opposite him. “Come, sit down. Let’s talk.” The sisters, like frightened deer, timidly obeyed. “Who… who are you? What do you want from us?”

“I’m ‘Baldy Qiang.’ I have some influence in the underworld around Mentougou [a district in Beijing]. I invited you Chen sisters here today to avenge my brother. Although he disrespected Chen Qian first, he already mentioned my name. Your boyfriend should have handed him over to me, but he broke my brother’s leg instead. He clearly doesn’t respect me…”

“Hou Longtao…” “Shut up, I’m not finished yet. ‘East Star Prince’ made me lose a lot of face in the underworld, and I’m going to get it back in front of these bosses today.” Baldy Qiang pointed to the men who came with him, three of whom were sitting on a sofa, clearly of higher status.

“You… you let my sister go. Hou Longtao is my boyfriend. Why did you grab her?” Chen Qian held her sister tightly. She knew denying her relationship with Hou Longtao wouldn’t help her situation, but pretending to admit it might help her sister escape. “Because it wasn’t easy to grab you directly, so we had to use her as bait.” “Now she’s useless to you. Let her go, please.”

“Sister…” Chen Xi looked up, her pretty face covered in tears. She understood her sister’s intention. “I can’t… I can’t…” “Xi, don’t say that.” Chen Qian quickly pulled her sister’s head back into her arms, preventing her from continuing. “Brother Qiang, please let my sister go.” Although Chen Qian was timid, she was, after all, a sister, and at this critical moment, her sense of responsibility to protect her sister outweighed her own fear.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Baldy Qiang shook his index finger. “Don’t be silly. I can’t let any of you go until I’ve dealt with Hou Longtao. Actually, you should blame yourself. It’s all because of you. Who told you to be so beautiful, so pitiful? It breaks my heart just looking at you. Your sister is also a rare beauty. How were you two born?” The sisters’ bodies shrank even tighter at the man’s frivolous teasing.

“Alright, Baldy Qiang, we’re not here to watch you flirt with girls. Get down to business.” One of the bosses was getting impatient. “Alright, alright,” Baldy Qiang took out a phone with a speaker function. “Hey, what’s that kid doing?” “He’s eating in a restaurant.” “How many people are there?” “Two in total, him and a guy in his forties.” “Good, it’s time.”

“Yes.” The person on the other end of the phone agreed. Then there were footsteps, followed by the sound of people entering a restaurant. “Hou Longtao, your phone.” “What? Do I know you?” “Why so much nonsense? Just answer it.”

“Hello.” Hou Longtao’s voice became very clear. “Prince, this is Baldy Qiang from Mentougou.” “Brother Qiang? What do you want? I don’t think we know each other, right?” Hou Longtao’s tone was polite. “We don’t, but I have two people here who I think you’ll be interested in.” “Brother Qiang, just get to the point.” His voice deepened, probably sensing Baldy Qiang’s ill intentions.

“Hehehe.” Baldy Qiang pointed at Chen Qian, and immediately someone grabbed Chen Qian’s hair. “Ah! Let go of me!” The woman cried out in pain. “Brother Tao… Brother Tao…” Chen Xi cried into the phone. “Qianqian!? Xi!?” Hou Longtao’s voice was filled with surprise, worry, anxiety, and anger.

Baldy Qiang turned off the speaker and walked a few steps away. “How is it? Prince, come and get them.” “…” “Hey, hey, hey, don’t rush to threaten me. Only two of you are allowed to come. Don’t risk it, or else…” Baldy Qiang put away his phone and turned to wave at his men. “Get ready.”

Several thugs immediately pulled the two girls up, tied their hands together with a rope, and dragged them to a thick iron chain hanging from the ceiling. At the end of the chain was a large iron hook. The men hung the rope on the hook, and Baldy Qiang pressed a button on the wall. The chain slowly began to rise until their four arms were stretched straight up.

Although the sisters resisted and struggled, two weak women were no match for a group of burly men. The only thing to be thankful for was that the hook wasn’t raised too high, and they could stand steadily without having to tiptoe. “How is it? Not too uncomfortable, right?” Baldy Qiang walked over.

Chen Qian didn’t speak. She didn’t know what to say, and the future was completely unpredictable. “You… you let us go… This is… il… illegal detention… If you let us go now… I… I won’t call the police…” Chen Xi was really frightened. Knowing it was useless, she still clung to the law as a lifeline.

“Hahaha…” A group of men laughed in unison. Baldy Qiang pinched the girl’s chin. “You’re so adorably stupid. To tell you the truth, I didn’t just grab you to deal with Hou Longtao. I never intended to let you go.” “What!” “What did you say!?” Both women’s eyes were filled with fear.

“Hehehe, you’re just unlucky. My boss just asked me to find him a pair of beautiful sisters to be sex slaves,” Baldy Qiang patted Chen Qian’s face. “After my brother got into trouble, I checked your background and found out you had such a lovely sister. Anyway, I’m going to turn against Hou Longtao, so I might as well take this opportunity to solve everything.” “I… I don’t understand… How… how do you solve it?”

“Women are so damn stupid. If I only wanted to get back my face, I would have gathered my men and fought him directly. Now that you sisters are in my hands, I’ve also completed the task my boss gave me to find him sex slaves. It’s just that your boyfriend is unlucky. To avoid future trouble, I have to lure him here with you, and then…” Baldy Qiang ran the index finger of his right hand across his neck.

“We… we won’t be your boss’s… sex… sex…” Chen Qian bit her lip, unable to say the next two words. “You have no choice. After my boss has had his fill, I’ll take good care of you. You’ll be raped a dozen times a day, and it will all be filmed. You think you’ll still disobey then?”

“Brother Tao… Brother Tao will save us… He… he’s very smart… He can definitely save us…” Although Chen Xi said this, both sisters understood that Hou Longtao was their only hope. “Hehehe,” Baldy Qiang chuckled. “Two people against more than twenty of us, how can he save you? Besides, Hou Longtao is a famous lover. With you sisters as hostages, I could make him kill himself, and he’d do it!”

At this moment, Baldy Qiang’s phone rang. This time, he only listened and didn’t speak. After finishing the call, he snapped his fingers. “They’re almost here. Gag the two Chen sisters. Everyone, take your positions.” Chen Qian and Chen Xi’s mouths were taped shut, so they could only make “mmm” sounds. A group of thugs formed a fan shape behind them. Baldy Qiang and Quan sat on a loveseat next to them, waiting for the main character to arrive.

Another seven or eight minutes passed, and six men walked into the warehouse. Leading the way was Hou Longtao, followed by a middle-aged man in his forties who looked unremarkable, but had piercing eyes. The four men behind them were clearly Baldy Qiang’s men, “escorting” them. They stopped not far from the sisters. Hou Longtao’s face was expressionless.

When the two women saw him, they began to make “mmm” sounds again, twisting their bodies. “Shut the hell up! Move again and we’ll strip you!” Baldy Qiang shouted, and the sisters had to stop moving. The muscles on Hou Longtao’s face twitched slightly. “This must be Brother Qiang. You certainly have a lot of influence, enough to scare two weak girls. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Prince, why bother mocking me? You must recognize my brother, right?” Baldy Qiang patted Quan’s shoulder. “You hit him hard, breaking his leg.” “That matter has nothing to do with these two. You grabbed them just to lure me here. Now that I’m here, Brother Qiang, release them first.” “How can it not be related? That matter started because of Chen Qian.” “That matter started because of your brother.”

“Yes, yes, it’s because of my brother,” Baldy Qiang suddenly jumped up, barking like a mad dog. “But you beating him is disrespecting me.” “Then what do you want?” “What do I want? What do I want? I want to get my face back.” Baldy Qiang muttered as he walked up to Chen Qian. Suddenly, he grabbed the collar of her coat and ripped it open, the buttons flying off. “Mmm,” Chen Qian shook her head desperately, tears welling up again.

“Don’t touch her!” Hou Longtao lost his cool and took a step forward, only to be held back by the two men behind him. He struggled and shouted through gritted teeth, “Wang An, I’ll bury you alive!” “Hmph.” Baldy Qiang released Chen Qian and walked over menacingly, delivering an uppercut to Hou Longtao’s chin. If he hadn’t been held back, it probably would have sent him flying.

As Hou Longtao’s head fell back down, blood was already flowing from the corner of his mouth. Chen Xi closed her eyes in pain. She loved this man. Chen Qian’s heart also clenched. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t bear to see this “bastard” suffer. Because she was a kind-hearted woman, and even more so because the man was suffering for her sake.

“Pfft,” Hou Longtao spat a mouthful of blood on the ground. “Let them go, I’m at your disposal.” “It’s not your place to bargain here. Everything is under my control. Why should I listen to your demands?” “I… I beg you to let them go, please.” “Wow! Did everyone hear that? The famous East Star Prince, begging me in a low voice. I’ve really earned a lot of face.” “You’ve gotten what you wanted, let them go.”

“I could have let them go, but I made a promise. As long as they’re in my hands, even if I want you to die, you have to agree.” Baldy Qiang took out a silver folding knife from his pocket and threw it in front of Hou Longtao. “You wouldn’t want me to break my promise in front of these beauties, would you?” “What!?” Hou Longtao’s eyes widened. “You want me to…” “That’s right, I want you to kill yourself.” “Are you kidding me?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Baldy Qiang’s face hardened as he walked back to the two girls. “You have no choice. Let him go.” The four men who had escorted Hou Longtao back to their side. “You can run, and you might be able to call the police before I catch you again, but before the police arrive, these two women will have been raped to death.” “You won’t escape the police investigation either.”

“Hou Longtao, I’ve been investigating you for over half a month. I know exactly what kind of person you are,” Baldy Qiang narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you going to do it?” The muscles on Hou Longtao’s face twitched. He very slowly bent down and picked up the knife. “Mmm,” Chen Xi began to squirm again. She knew Baldy Qiang’s

plan. Even if she didn’t, she could never watch the man she loved take the knife for her. Chen Qian didn’t react much. She didn’t believe Hou Longtao would really do it.

“What guarantee do I get?” “Guarantee? Although I don’t need to give you any guarantee, you are a famous figure after all. I have several big shots from Mentougou here, and I promise you in front of them that if you kill yourself, I, Baldy Qiang, will never harm your women. But if you don’t do as I say…” Baldy Qiang took out another knife and slipped it under the hem of Chen Qian’s sweater. “Every three counts, if you don’t do it, I’ll tear off a piece of her clothing. After I strip her naked, I’ll rape her. One, two, three…”

“Wait, wait!” Chen Qian’s sweater had already been ripped open in Hou Longtao’s cry. “Don’t touch her, I beg you! I’ll do as you say.” Hou Longtao’s teeth were grinding. “Very good, then what are you waiting for?” Baldy Qiang grabbed Chen Qian’s black cotton underwear. Hou Longtao turned the knife towards his abdomen. The hand holding the knife was shaking violently, obviously unable to do it.

This was completely understandable, but if the sisters knew that Hou Longtao had once shot himself, then his current behavior would be a little strange. “Still can’t make up your mind? One…” “Don’t count anymore!” Hou Longtao roared, “Lao Qin [Old Qin], you do it.” “Ah!?” The man in his forties who had come with him was shocked. He had been quietly standing on the side, never expecting to be assigned such a task. “Prince… Prince… I…”

Hou Longtao pulled Lao Qin over and shoved the knife into his hand. “Do me this favor.” “No… no… no… Prince, I can’t…” Lao Qin looked frightened. Although he took the knife, his hand was shaking even more violently than Hou Longtao’s. “Hurry up, hurry up, don’t waste time.” One of the bosses shouted, “Either we see blood, or we fuck the girl. I think fucking the girl is more fun. I’ll go first.”

“Did you hear that, Hou Longtao? I can’t stop him.” Baldy Qiang said gleefully. Hou Longtao looked up and saw Chen Xi staring at him with a pair of terrified eyes. Chen Xi saw the man’s eyes were incredibly firm, yet contained deep love. She knew what the man was going to do, and she shook her head wildly, tears streaming down her face. “Look, the girl can’t wait.” The boss made a gesture to step forward.

“Baldy Qiang, if you don’t keep your promise, I won’t let you go even as a ghost.” Hou Longtao suddenly grabbed Lao Qin’s wrist and pulled him in front of himself. “Qianqian…” The folding knife was extremely sharp. He didn’t even feel much pain before blood seeped out from the place where his coat had been cut. No one noticed that as the knife entered his body, a glint of light flashed in Lao Qin’s eyes. “Ugh…” Chen Xi couldn’t catch her breath and fainted.

Lao Qin released his hand and kept backing away until he stumbled and fell to the ground. “No… no… it wasn’t me… I…” No one cared about him. All eyes were on Hou Longtao. They saw him lower his head, his body trembling slightly, his knees slowly bending, finally kneeling down, and then

shaking a few times before finally falling to the left, his blood flowing onto the ground, forming a pool of dark red.

Chen Qian had stopped crying due to shock. She saw that before Hou Longtao inserted the knife into his body, his last look was at her, full of longing and pity. At that moment, all the things related to Hou Longtao flashed quickly before Chen Qian’s eyes. He had saved her twice from bad people, and this time he was risking his life to protect her. He had opportunities to possess her body, but he didn’t. Although his methods were improper, it was all out of love for her.

“Hahaha, wonderful, wonderful.” Baldy Qiang walked up to Hou Longtao. “What a East Star Prince, still has to curl up at my feet like a dead dog.” “Re… release… them…” Hou Longtao gripped the knife handle with his right hand and barely supported his body with his left hand. “You’re really a stupid Bī [a vulgar term for a woman, used here as an insult],” Baldy Qiang grabbed his collar and dragged him up. “You’d give up your life for a woman. But your sacrifice was in vain. How could I let these two beautiful girls go? Is your brain fucked up?”

“You bastard!” Hou Longtao squeezed out these words one by one from between his teeth. “Ah…” He cried out in pain and suddenly grabbed Baldy Qiang’s neck, while pulling out the folding knife inserted in his abdomen and holding it against his throat. Baldy Qiang never expected Hou Longtao to have the strength to explode. He only felt the sharp blade digging into his flesh, and his neck was wet, not knowing if it was his own blood or Hou Longtao’s blood, and he was terrified. “You… you… don’t mess around…”

“I fuck! You don’t want to live anymore!?” A group of thugs were about to rush up to save him. “Come over and I’ll take his life!” Hou Longtao tightened his arm around Baldy Qiang’s neck. “Don’t… don’t come over…” Baldy Qiang also quickly stretched out his hands and waved them in front of him. A group of thugs had to stop, but they were still watching intently, ready to kill at any moment. “Lao Qin! Lao Qin!” Hou Longtao shouted again.

“Huh? Ah?” Lao Qin, who had been frightened, finally came to his senses. “Go release them!” “Oh, oh, okay.” He trembled as he went over and untied the sisters’ ropes, and then pinched Chen Xi’s philtrum [the vertical groove between the upper lip and nose] hard, waking the girl up. Chen Qian had already torn off the tape on her mouth and ran to Hou Longtao’s side with tears streaming down her face, pulling on his clothes. “Longtao, Longtao, you… you…” “Brother Tao…” Chen Xi also ran over.

“Go… go, leave me alone, go!” Hou Longtao looked pained. “No… no…” Neither of the sisters moved. “Where can they go?” One of the bosses stepped out from the crowd. “This is the deep mountains and forests, there’s nowhere to run. I think you’re about to die, right? You release him, and I’ll let you go.” “Do you think I’ll still believe you? Huff… huff… huff…” Hou Longtao began to slowly retreat towards the warehouse door, his breathing becoming more and more rapid. With a knife to his throat, Baldy Qiang could only retreat with him.

Lao Qin had regained his composure at this moment. “Prince, let me do it.” He replaced Hou Longtao in holding the hostage. “Heh…” Hou Longtao covered the wound

with his right hand and knelt on one knee. “Brother Tao…” Chen Xi and Chen Qian supported him on either side. Now was not the time to talk, the most important thing was to leave here.

The group “retreated” very slowly, a broken line of blood left behind Hou Longtao. The thugs followed closely behind, maintaining a distance of seven or eight meters. Not far out of the warehouse, Hou Longtao could no longer hold on, and the strength in his legs quickly disappeared. As a result, his body became heavier and heavier, and Chen Qian and Chen Xi couldn’t drag him, so they had to slowly lay him on the ground.

“Longtao… don’t…” “Brother Tao…” Both girls were already crying their eyes out. “Hehehe, your master won’t last much longer, you should think about your own future.” The thugs began to threaten Lao Qin. “If you release Brother Qiang now, we might spare your life, otherwise, we’ll tear you apart later.” “Sto… stop talking nonsense, throw over the car keys.” Lao Qin was still loyal.

Hou Longtao and the others seemed not to hear these conversations. Now he and the two sisters were like they were in a completely different world. Hou Longtao grabbed the hands of the two girls. “Qian… Qianqian… Xi, I… I can’t save you… you, I… I couldn’t protect… protect you well. Xi, can… can you… forgive me? Qianqian… I… I’m re… really… really love you. Xi… Qianqian… I… ah ah ah… Xi… Qian…”

Hou Longtao wasn’t faking it at all. As blood flowed, he could feel his consciousness gradually blurring. He even seriously considered whether he would really end up like this. At this time, he thought not only of the sisters beside him, but also of Ru Yan, Xue Nuo, and the others. If something really happened to him, how sad would they be? “Brother Tao, you… you don’t talk…” Chen Xi held the lover’s hand tightly. “Brother Tao, I love you, I forgive you, Brother Tao…”

“…Xi…” Hou Longtao’s eyes also moistened. He released Chen Qian’s hand. “Let… let me… touch your face again…” “Mmm… Brother Tao…” The girl closed her eyes, but Hou Longtao’s hand, stretched out in mid-air, fell weakly. “Brother Tao!” Chen Qian suddenly threw herself on the man and cried loudly. This was the first time she had called him so affectionately, but unfortunately Hou Longtao didn’t hear it…