The salon she selected was packed. While waiting in line, Sera pulled out her phone. "Actually, I think that man we ran into when we went to The Dusk was quite handsome." She pulled up a photo from her album. "This one, remember?"

Sipping my milk tea through a straw, I reminded her that the man was a model, and she had almost caused a massive blunder by nearly trying to order him like an escort.

Chapter 23: Drugged

Sera offered an "oh". "Someone who looks like that brings zero security, he's only suited for a one-night stand."

I almost choked on my milk tea. Then, Julian's sharp face unbiddenly flashed across my mind, and I nodded in agreement. Yeah, zero security. Whoever ends up as his girlfriend is going to drain her mind with worry.

The next day, Sera met her blind date at a Chinese restaurant. Having nothing better to do, I tagged along to look out for her. Watching them from a distance, I saw Sera and the man chatting amiably, and I couldn't help but feel happy for her. Midway through, Sera turned around and flashed me a victory sign; judging by the progress, things were highly promising.

After dinner, the man suggested taking Sera to a KTV for some karaoke. I sent Sera a message: Can't you do that next time? Why go to a KTV on a first date.

Clearly, the girl's brain had already been completely compromised by hormones, telling me not to worry.

Sera replied nonchalantly: Besides, if he actually tries to take advantage of me, I can just make him take responsibility for me.

Faced with such foolishness, I was utterly speechless. I had no choice but to find a cafe near the KTV to wait for her, reminding her to notify me immediately if anything went wrong.

As it turned out, before I could even finish my coffee, Sera called. The background audio was incredibly chaotic, mixed with blaring music and the sound of a flushing toilet, indicating she was inside the KTV's restroom.

Sera's voice sounded somewhat anxious. "After I arrived, I realized it wasn't just the two of us; several of his friends were there too. There's this bald guy who has directed some highly unpleasant stares at me a few times. My palms are completely drenched in sweat, and drinking multiple glasses of water hasn't helped at all, I'm still so tense."

Sera asked, "Am I being a bit of a coward?" Toward the end, her voice grew slightly raspy as she murmured, "Chloe, why do I feel a bit dizzy."

Realizing something was wrong, I demanded to know her room number, adding, "Don't hang up, stay exactly where you are!" A sudden knocking sounded on her end, followed by a woman calling Sera's name. She offered a brief response, and the call cut out.

I paid the bill in a frantic rush, ignoring the red lights as I sprinted across the street and dashed straight into the KTV. My mind was a complete chaotic mess along the way, and I almost tripped several times.

Reaching the room Sera had mentioned, I flung the door open in a fury, only for a menacing laugh to echo from inside. "Oh, look, another one delivered herself right to our door. We must have a good time with them today." With that, a man roughly grabbed my arm.

Sera let out a soft cry, telling me to run. She had almost certainly been drugged, slumping limply against the sofa. Aside from Sera and her blind date, there were three men and a woman inside the room; the woman was dressed provocatively, clearly not anyone decent.

Disaster. Sera had run straight into another piece of trash.

A package deal of trash, accompanied by three thugs.

Even I was likely unable to save myself.

The bald man yanked my arm, roughly dragging me further into the room. "Don't be scared, beautiful, big brother will keep you company properly in a moment, I definitely won't disappoint you." The room instantly erupted into disgusting laughter.

I used every ounce of my strength to struggle, clamping my teeth hard onto the back of the man's hand. Instinctively shaking me off, he delivered a vicious kick to my leg. "Ungrateful bitch, don't refuse a polite offer only to take a beating!"

A burning pain flared across my calf, but driven by pure survival instincts, I could no longer care about the pain. Summoning a sudden surge of strength from nowhere, I helped Sera up and lunged toward the exit.

The people in the room clearly failed to react in time. By the time I cleared the threshold, someone inside finally shouted, "What are you standing there for? Chase them!"

Gritting my teeth, I dragged Sera forward with immense effort. Sera was a completely innocent, decent girl; even if it cost me my life, I could not let her fall into the hands of those bastards.

Chapter 24: Pay a Severe Price

Damn it, I had never realized a KTV corridor could be this long and dark; back in middle school, a simple eight-hundred-meter run almost took half my life.

The footsteps behind us drew closer and closer. The men pursued us like predators hunting prey, and noticing that my strength was failing, they deliberately slowed their pace, tossing out crude jests. "Quite spunky, aren't you? Let's see if you can keep that backbone in a moment..."

Sera tried to push me away. "You leave first, don't let me drag you down." I told her to shut up. I had no idea what kind of drug they had given her, terrified that something disastrous would happen to her in my hands. Dread and panic flooded over me like an overwhelming wave, and as my strength diminished to practically nothing, both Sera and I collapsed right outside the door of a lounge.

Just as those bastards were closing the final distance step by step, I slumped on the floor and pounded frantically on the door of the most luxurious lounge at the end of the corridor.

The room inside was thick with swirling smoke, a heavy scent of tobacco mixing with the pungent aroma of alcohol. It was filled exclusively with men. Not a single person was singing, and compared to the chaotic noise outside, the interior was quiet to a near-eerie degree. It was also possible my abrupt intrusion had stunned them.

Slamming the door shut, I gasped for air frantically like a dying fish, managing to squeeze out two words with immense difficulty: "Save me."

Everything inside seemed frozen in time, the room completely still. As I repeated my plea, a young man finally rose from his seat slowly, looking at Sera and me. "Holy shit, what's the situation?"

A violent pounding rattled the door from outside, accompanied by shouting: "Don't think hiding in there is going to save you! People inside listen up, if you know what's good for you, open the door and don't get in the way of my business."

The young man turned his head to look in a certain direction, seemingly seeking permission from someone else. I faintly caught another man murmuring a name, saying he didn't like meddling in random affairs either, telling him to just open the door.

Even a powerful dragon struggles to crush a local snake; those thugs outside were truly more than ordinary people could handle. My heart turned completely cold in an instant.

The people outside began kicking the door. The young man walked over, uttering an apology as he reached for the handle, preparing to open it. Just then, someone sitting at the very back of the lounge stood up. "Wait."

The room was dimly lit, allowing me to only faintly discern the man's deep, handsome features. He strode forward with long steps, halting his companion's movement to open the door. Leaning down, he pinched my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze as a low chuckle escaped his throat.

"Chloe?"

The other men in the room were completely bewildered, someone asking in surprise, "What's going on? Julian knows her?"

Before Julian could answer, the door was violently kicked open. The leading bald man, his face twisted in a menacing snarl, lunged forward and grabbed me by the hair. "Bitch, trying to act pure? I'm absolutely sleeping with you today—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the thugs behind him as a chorus of groans erupted in the corridor. Julian retracted his foot elegantly, gesturing for his companions to move Sera and me onto the sofa. Several other men from the lounge stepped out, swiftly subduing the bastards in a matter of moments.

The bald man was dragged before Julian, his face pinned flat against the floor. Julian slammed his foot down onto the man's hand. "Who the hell are you calling a bitch?" His voice lacked any ripple of emotion, yet it felt like winter ice, causing involuntary shivers. He asked faintly, "Was it this hand you used to pull Chloe's hair just now?"