CM - 37

Shen Tingwen’s lips were pale when he left Zhou Shuirong’s place. On the way back to the hospital, several of his wounds reopened. Blood stained the bandages, and he was drenched in sweat.

He hadn’t lied to Zhou Shuirong; he was indeed in a lot of pain. But he had exaggerated for effect, so Zhou Shuirong would think he was faking it. Although he wasn’t sure if she’d worry about him, he didn’t need to actually play the victim.

Back at the hospital, the trauma doctor treated his wounds while scolding him: “Still running around like this, you got off easy.”

Shen Tingwen, a grown man, wouldn’t be incapacitated by a couple of cuts. A bit of pain wouldn’t kill him: “Thanks.”

The doctor’s remaining words were stifled. He said nothing more.

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Only Shen Tingwen was left in the ward. Feeling restless, he went for a walk outside and unknowingly ended up at the end of the corridor.

At the end of the corridor was a large window, outside of which the night was as bustling as the day. Hospitals never truly had night; they were always this lively.

Suddenly, someone appeared behind him and called out again: “Shen Yu’an.”

He didn’t turn around.

The person didn’t leave either: “Your face is too unforgettable; there’s no way I could be mistaken. Shen Yu’an.”

Shen Tingwen remembered that voice; it was the person who had mistaken him in the emergency room earlier. He turned around and repeated the same line: “You’ve got the wrong person.”

The person shook his head: “Two years ago, in Mong Kok, Shantung Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong, there was a kidnapping case. A group of criminals kidnapped two students. These two students were supposed to transfer flights in Frankfurt the next day, then go to Manchester for summer camp.”

Shen Tingwen listened as if hearing someone else’s story, showing no reaction.

The person seemed a bit doubtful but finished speaking: “One of the kidnapped students was named Shen Yu’an, and the other was Yang Yici. I’m Yang Yici, and you’re Shen Yu’an.”

Shen Tingwen said: “Is that so? How unfortunate.”

Yang Yici pulled up his sleeve and showed Shen Tingwen his arm: “At that time, both our arms were marked with numbers by wire. Now they’ve become scars. If you’re not Shen Yu’an, then let me see your arm.”

Shen Tingwen could show him both arms.

Yang Yici only saw one tattooed arm: “You’re blocking it!”

Shen Tingwen put his sleeve down: “Leaving aside that you’re truly mistaken, even if you weren’t, what do you want with something that’s already in the past?”

Yang Yici looked into his eyes: “I owe him an apology and a thank you.”

Shen Tingwen smiled faintly: “There’s no need to be so formal.”

Yang Yici seemed to realize he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted and gave up: “I came to the hospital for a full body check-up. I’m going to New Zealand next week, and I might not be back for ten or twenty years. If you really aren’t Shen Yu’an, then I apologize for bothering you.”

As he turned to leave, he hoped Shen Tingwen would call out to him, acknowledging he was Shen Yu’an. But Shen Tingwen didn’t, so he didn’t look back. It seemed he had to let that experience go.

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The kidnappers belonged to the largest gang in the Delta region, involved in everything from gambling and prostitution to drugs. Hong Kong was chaotic at the time, and they took advantage of the disorder to commit many crimes. After he and Shen Yu’an were kidnapped, they were beaten daily. He was even threatened with being taken to the “Joy Room” because he kept crying. What was the Joy Room? It was where they satisfied their perverted desires. Several captives were stripped naked, subjected to torture, humiliation, and sexual abuse. Regardless of gender, no one who entered came out alive.

Yang Yici was terrified at the time, crying and begging them to let him go. They would burn his nipples and earlobes with cigarette butts and held him down, using a red-hot iron rod to dilate his anus. Finally, just as he was about to be thrown into the Joy Room, Shen Yu’an claimed he had AIDS, which made them abandon him and turn their attention to Shen Yu’an instead. Just like that, Shen Yu’an was taken into the Joy Room. Yang Yici never saw him again until his parents found him.