With that, she went straight back to the seat she had been sitting in.
However, those people had no intention of letting him go.
Several people surrounded Song Mai. The others didn't seem to speak Chinese, except for the short guy who could speak some, though his pronunciation wasn't very good.
The short man spoke a string of words in an unknown language to the middle-aged man, seemingly conveying Song Mai's message. The middle-aged man, who was in charge, looked very dissatisfied. After speaking a string of words, the short man turned to look at Song Mai with an exaggerated expression.
“Our boss said that you have to agree whether you like it or not. We’re not asking for your opinion, we’re informing you that our boss’s word is law in Zicheng and there’s no point in resisting.”
The middle-aged man looked at Song Mai, his dim yellow eyes filled with desire, and his oily, shiny skin made Song Mai feel nauseous.
She picked up her phone to call the police, but the man standing to her right slapped it away as soon as she got it in her hand.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Song Mai shouted for help even louder, but still no one was willing to come forward.
In desperation, she stomped hard on the short man's foot and ran desperately towards the store exit.
As long as she ran out, with people coming and going, she didn't believe that these people could still be so rampant, and with so many people around, it would be easy for her to hide.
But she had only taken two steps when a man swiftly grabbed her hair and pulled her back.
Song Mai clutched her head in pain, while the short man laughed wildly.
"Trying to run? No way! It's an honor that our boss even notices you. You'd better come back with us and we'll make sure you live the high life."
As he spoke, a man hoisted Song Mai onto his shoulder and strode toward the back door of the restaurant.
Song Mai looked up and saw a white minivan parked there.
She had a bad feeling. Her phone wasn't on her, and if these people took it away again, she would be left with no one to turn to.
Thinking this, she quickly shouted at the restaurant owner who was hiding next to the cashier:
"Please call the police! We are our compatriots! Are you really going to just stand by and watch us die?!"
The restaurant owner trembled with fear: "Young lady, it's not that we don't want to save you, but they are local thugs who appear and disappear without a trace and are extremely arrogant. Even the police can't do anything about them. If we offend them, my whole family will be unable to continue making a living here."
Song Mai felt a wave of despair. In this situation, why should she expect someone to risk the safety of their entire family in exchange for her safety?
She slowly closed her eyes: "Then please tell my friend that he will be coming to find me in a little while. We originally planned to have dinner here."
The restaurant owner glanced at the phone on the ground and slowly nodded.
At this moment, she only hoped that Chu Xing could arrive quickly.
The man carrying her walked quickly towards the van, and Song Mai, unwilling to give up, wanted to buy herself another chance.
She couldn't understand why she would encounter such an accident when she was just out traveling.
She yelled, "Wait!"
The short man grinned, his mouth a deep red, and impatiently slapped her across the face: "What is it now?"
Song Mai feigned grievance and said, "I can go with you, but you just said that I can live a life of luxury after following your eldest brother. Can you at least let me have a meal first? How can I believe you can make me live well if I haven't even eaten yet?"
The short man refused without hesitation, saying, "As long as you're willing to come with us, you'll have plenty to eat and drink."
Upon hearing his disagreement, Song Mai immediately refused, struggling fiercely: "You won't even let me have a full meal, and you want to talk to me about the future? Isn't that ridiculous? How can I be willing to do this?"
The short man, fearing further trouble, had no choice but to truthfully report the situation to the middle-aged man.
The man glanced at the bustling crowd outside the restaurant and frowned.
Only after confirming that there were no police officers around did they put Song Mai down.
The short man picked up a menu from the table, casually named a few dishes, and urged the owner to hurry up and pack them up for takeaway.
Seeing that she couldn't delay for long, Song Mai quickly said with dissatisfaction, "I don't like any of the things you ordered."
The shorter man, not expecting this woman to be so troublesome, angrily said:
"That's all, take it or leave it!"
Song Mai pouted: "How can I live well like this? I can't even decide what I like to eat. I thought I had found a sugar daddy, but it seems he's just putting on a show. He only orders cheap food for me."
In fact, the short man wasn't complaining about the price of the vegetables. He was clearly just looking for dishes that could be cooked quickly, so he could avoid any complications and leave sooner.
The dishes that can be made quickly are nothing more than cheap things like scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
He reluctantly asked the owner to add another dish of shredded pork with garlic sauce, but refused to add anything else.
Song Mai was extremely anxious, constantly looking towards the door.
Chu Xing was nowhere to be found. She had sent him the address a long time ago, but he still hadn't come.
If we delay any longer, the dishes will be ready.
The boss was genuinely afraid of this group of people. He worked incredibly fast, cooking several dishes at once. The food was ready in just a few minutes, and he packed it into several boxes and handed them to the short man.
The short man winked at the man who had been carrying Song Mai, and the man immediately picked up Song Mai and headed towards the back door.
Just when Song Mai felt utterly hopeless, that familiar voice finally rang out, like heavenly music.
"Put her down!"
At this moment, Song Mai felt like she wanted to burst into tears.
He finally came to save her.
Upon hearing Chu Xing's voice, the group turned around. The short man sized up Chu Xing, a hint of disdain on his face.
"You want to save her?"
"yes."
The short man burst into laughter upon hearing this.
The restaurant owner quickly whispered to the side, "Young man, judging from your clothes, you don't seem to be a local. You probably don't know the situation here. These people are notorious vagrants, each with several lives on their hands. They usually do illegal business. If you get involved with these people, this young lady is definitely not going to escape. You are no match for them. Take my advice, you should just give up and leave Zicheng as soon as possible to ensure your safety."
Chu Xing looked at the restaurant owner's earnest and well-meaning manner, and a sneer appeared on his lips.
"If your wife were taken away by someone else, could you remain indifferent and only care about your own safety?"
The boss immediately fell silent.
Chu Xing said to the short man, "Tell your boss that I'm not letting him take the person away. He'd better be smart and tell him to put the person down and get lost, or don't blame me for being impolite."
The short man looked incredulous at what he was hearing, and it took him a long time to relay the message to the man he called "boss".
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