Life: A Black and White Film

The door behind her closed.

She could not help turning around for a look. It was as if they had finished their lovers" rendezvous, and now they were immediately going their separate ways. There were times when he simply gave a feeling of distance and cold detachment.

His words floated in Wen Han"s mind and left her unsettled. Knocking on Agnesa"s door, she asked whether Agnesa wanted to go find something to eat. Agnesa had just had a nap and caught up on some sleep. Now that she was awake, she was hungry as well, so she gladly slipped her arm through Wen Han"s and headed downstairs with her.

However, the lobby before their eyes had unexpectedly become a whole other world.

Everywhere, there were people.<>This is an UNAUTHORIZED copy, taken from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

w.a.n.g Wenhao, surprisingly, was standing by the door, wedged in amongst the throng.

The ethnic-Chinese owner of the inn was so busy perspiration dripped from his forehead. One moment he was speaking the local language, the next moment English, then j.a.panese, Korean, etc., etc. All types of languages were rotated through, one after the other, as he continuously explained to everyone, "We really have no rooms left."

The owner was kept busy for a long while until he finally was able to send away a batch of people.

When he heard Wen Han say that they wanted to have dinner, he cried a tearless cry. "Sir and madams, the people of Nepal are all already meditating in their dreams, yet all of you are just now wanting to have dinner. Ah, there"s nothing left, nothing left." He pointed at the empty cupboard behind him. "I"ve got absolutely nothing."

Wen Han"s stomach was growling hungrily. She wanted to go outside to see but was stopped by the inn owner. "The general strike is not a joke. Don"t go wandering about."

Remembering that Cheng Muyun had said the same, she, too, felt that it was dangerous outside. "Forget it. There are crackers in our rooms anyway. We"ll just make do tonight."

"But I want to eat something hot." Agnesa shot a pleading look for help at w.a.n.g Wenhao.

w.a.n.g Wenhao seemed somewhat preoccupied. Glancing at his watch, he told Agnesa, "I"m going out for a look. If there is food, I"ll bring it back for you guys."

Agnesa pulled Wen Han along with her and chased after him. "Let"s go together. The atmosphere here is too suffocating."

w.a.n.g Wenhao frowned, wanting to turn her down.

The light bulb in the lobby went out with a pop. There had been no warning at all.

"G.o.d!" someone shouted. "The power"s gone out in this d.a.m.n h.e.l.lhole again."

"It"s such a h.e.l.lhole here! What decade are we living in, still having general strikes?"

"Yeah! If I had known, I would have just stayed in India!"

"I just came from India. Indian hotels are so shabby and rundown! But I never would have thought it"s even more annoying here! There aren"t even any rooms."

All complaints.<>This is an UNAUTHORIZED copy, taken from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

"Let"s go. Don"t stay here. There"s going to be a fight." In the darkness, Agnesa towed Wen Han with her and squeezed their way out of crowd. Jogging until they were out in the alley, she exhaled a deep breath. "I swear, we absolutely have to go back to Kathmandu tomorrow. Let"s go find something to eat first."<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the translation has been taken without consent of the translator.

When they stepped out of that alley, though, the scenes they beheld around them were even worse than the one in the inn.

Now, they both finally fathomed what the general strike the inn owner had been speaking about actually looked like. The moonlight was very dim. Everywhere on the crude street were the roadblocks that demonstrators had put up, built of stone as well as wood and cloth sacks filled with dirt, obstructing all the ways out.

Very beat-up cars blocked both sides of the road, and countless dark-skinned locals sat both inside and outside of them.

Not far away, police held water cannons and loaded rifles, completely combat-ready.

There were no lights, no street lamps. Any person a dozen or so paces away would look indistinct.

She suddenly thought of those Western horror movies, where usually, at a time like this, nothing good would happen.

&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;<>This is an UNAUTHORIZED copy, taken from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

A dark arm reached over and grabbed ahold of Wen Han. In fright, she broke away from it, slamming into a car behind her.

An angry shout sounded out, telling the two of them off.

Bowing incessantly, Wen Han continuously said sorry, so scared her face had drained of colour. She clutched Agnesa"s hand tightly and dragged her back in the direction they had come from. But before they had taken even two steps, pandemonium broke out in the mob.

Sudden chaos swamped around them, knocking them around.

The two were b.u.mped and driven into a corner of a wall. Panicked, they looked at one another and gripped the other person"s hand tightly. Before the mob made their next charge, Wen Han eyed out the entrance to the alley and, pulling Agnesa, rushed straight for it.

Good thing.<>This is an UNAUTHORIZED copy, taken from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

Good thing.<>Please read this a  hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

They had not gone far, so they could still get back here.

After the terror subsided, she looked back. The mob behind her and the police who had been stationed there to keep order were already clashed together.

Daring not to delay, she began moving forward with quick strides.

She had thought they would be able to get back and take refuge in the inn, but contrary to her expectations, its front door was tightly shut, evidently locked by the owner. Looking around at a loss, she asked, "Do you know where the back door is?"

"Back door? Since when was there a back door?" Agnesa was frightened as well and wanted to slap her hand against the door.

"Where did you two go?" In the darkness, someone asked this question.

Wen Han paused blankly. Turning, she saw it was w.a.n.g Wenhao.

"To find food!" Agnesa was breathing in ragged gasps. "Why is the door locked? How are we going to get back in?"<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the translation has been taken without consent of the translator.

w.a.n.g Wenhao glanced them over, then pulled off his gla.s.ses.

He was deliberating, how would he be able to first get the two of them back to the inn and then take those once-lost, now-recovered goods, as well as—

From the blackness behind him, a dagger extended out and pressed against his neck.

At the same time, two other arms reached around Wen Han and Agnesa"s necks and gripped their throats.

"Do not move," someone stated with a low voice in stiff English.

For a moment, all dialogue disappeared. In that alley, n.o.body dared move as they stared at one another in dread.

On the street, the hordes of people were shouting fiercely, clashing into one another.

No one would notice this spot that they were in.

Fear had caused Wen Han"s face to turn ashen. The person behind her was pressing viciously against the wound on her shoulder, and her entire body quivered from pain. "We"re tourists&h.e.l.lip;"

"Shut up," the person behind her snapped.

She looked in terror at the ones who had overpowered w.a.n.g Wenhao and Agnesa and recognized them as two of the people who had been speaking Kyrgyz in the hallway.

She breathed rapidly, jaggedly, her mind filled only with one person"s shadow.

Only him. As if she was drowning and had grasped that one last, life-saving straw, when she thought of him, she drew in a deep breath and tried to calm herself. He said—he promised!—that he would come back, that he would escort her safely out of here&h.e.l.lip; out of Lumbini.

As a result of this thought, her heart began racing at a rate that slightly exceeded physiological limits.

She even began to feel short of breath, like she was suffocating.<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the translation has been taken without consent of the translator.

All of a sudden, two heavy objects were thrown off of a balcony.

The small stones and gravel that flew up from the impact splattered against Wen Han"s and Agnesa"s faces, and the two women once more screamed in horror.

Those two objects that had tumbled down were Cheng Muyun and Meng Liangchuan, whose bodies were both almost half-soaked by blood. With their upper bodies tied up in rope and their eyes bound, they had been thrown to the ground, and they appeared to be seriously injured.

It was just that, when they were tossed down, Meng Liangchuan had let out a m.u.f.fled groan, while Cheng Muyun had seemed like someone who was already dead, not making even a sound.

Wen Han seemed as if she had been struck by lightning. Her entire gaze was entwined on the blood-covered Cheng Muyun.

His words were still spiraling in her head.<>Please read this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

A little bit of trouble. He had said he had gotten into a little bit of trouble. This was that so-called "little bit of trouble"?!

A sudden feeling of panic coursed madly out from her blood and spread, seeping into the very depths of her insides. In that instant, she felt only that the sky and ground seemed to be spinning. The taste of blood surged upward into her throat. Her heart could not bear the strain, and it sank.

Sank to the bottommost depths.<>Please read this at hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

She nearly blacked out.<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the translation has been taken without consent of the translator.

"What are you looking at?!" The man behind her gave a fierce kick to the back of her knee.

A cry slipped from Wen Han"s lips. With a thud, she collapsed onto her knees. w.a.n.g Wenhao immediately began to struggle, and he snarled in a low voice, "Don"t go picking on a woman. If you want money, just say it!" That man was taken aback for a moment but then quickly wielded the handle of his dagger, slamming it viciously into w.a.n.g Wenhao"s temple and knocking him violently to the ground. w.a.n.g Wenhao pressed his hand over his head. Blood streamed out from between his fingers, but he only glared ferociously at that man.

Another person spat, "No. We have angered police. We need foreigners with us so we can leave Lumbini. Don"t try any funny business. We will let you come back."

After he said this, two shadowy figures immediately stepped forward and tied w.a.n.g Wenhao up in the same way. Right as they were about to gag him, Wen Han all of a sudden stood. "Take me&h.e.l.lip; Let him go."

Her hands were balled her hands tightly into fists, but still she could not control the trembling that came over her.

This action had come about on impulse, and she did not know at all why she did it.

To exchange for w.a.n.g Wenhao and bring him back to safety?

No.<>This is an UNAUTHORIZED copy, taken from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

It was for him, that man whom she did not even know how badly hurt he was.

What good would it do for her to be taken away together with him? She had no idea.

There was simply a tremendous strength within her heart sustaining her and helping her rise to her feet. She had heard them and comprehended: they wanted to take a few foreigners hostage to ensure they could leave Lumbini. Once they left this place, they would release her.

But, why did they need to abduct Cheng Muyun? Why?

Wen Han, just don"t think. Don"t keep thinking about it. The situation is very simple. They just want hostages to guarantee that when they run into police, they"ll be able to escape smoothly—

Her entire body was shaking. She was unable to believe she would actually do this. But she truly had done it.

"Wen Han!" w.a.n.g Wenhao shouted in Russian, "Just leave me. Don"t worry about me!"

Someone gave him a vicious kick, then pulled out a towel, stuffed it into his mouth, and completely sealed his lips with black tape. w.a.n.g Wenhao"s eyes instantly grew wide, and he fixed them on Wen Han, shaking his head fiercely.

Before Wen Han could see his action, though, she was already ruthlessly shoved into the wall, and her hands and feet were bound.

From the instant Wen Han was thrown over someone"s shoulder, they were in a constant state of pressing forward.

The entire journey was dark and b.u.mpy. All she could sense was the pain in her abdomen from the pressure, and before her eyes, there was only endless blackness.

Those several men never exchanged any words the whole time.

Along the way, there were the sounds of water, the wailing of wild beasts, as well as all different sorts of strange noises. She had listened carefully in the beginning. Later, though, she felt a cold, moist feeling on her shoulder. Her wound had started to bleed, the blood dripping downward, and gradually she began to lose her ability to form proper judgments.

When afternoon came, those people finally arrived at a crude little village.

Everyone was thrown into a rundown shack, and someone was left guarding all of them. The exception was w.a.n.g Wenhao, who was taken away.

After w.a.n.g Wenhao was brought into a presentable house, a middle-aged man stepped up to him and loosened his bonds. Laughing heartily, the man said to him in fluent Kyrgyz, "My friend, your woman is so very beautiful. Were she not your woman, I would keep her by my side."

w.a.n.g Wenhao took the gla.s.ses that someone handed to him. Wiping them clean, he slipped them on. "How do you know she is my woman?"

"A woman who chose to step into the fore of peril when you were about to be abducted away should not have no relationship with you." This leader of the group understood the situation and grinned so widely his teeth were showing. His manner of showing a mirthless, insincere smile caused people to feel a chill that came from the bottom of the heart.

"Our deal was that you get my goods back and abduct those two men, not my woman." It was apparent w.a.n.g Wenhao was not in a good mood. "Don"t tell me all you wanted was to get a good look at what my woman looks like."

"No, no, I only wanted to help and oblige this great love between the two of you."

The several men in the room all broke out in loud, brazen laughter.

"Or maybe you suddenly discovered that there is a woman you can use to control me, so you deliberately brought her here to ensure our deal will go smoothly." w.a.n.g Wenhao did not feel like continuing to beat around the bush with him. "I am a trafficker. I am doing business right now. I"m not some maniac who"s willing to risk his life."

The middle-aged man took a seat and patted a wooden table. "Sit, my friend."

w.a.n.g Wenhao was alone here. Even if he was filled with burning fury, he still dared not truly shed all pretenses of cordiality, so he had no choice but to sit down. The rage in his heart had already acc.u.mulated to the point that it nearly blinded his good sense. He had originally hired two bodyguards, but had not expected that they would actually steal his stuff.

In the end, he was here fighting alone and had even dragged Wen Han into the mess.

"The fact that you lost your own goods proves that, while you are in Nepal, you will need to listen to us in order to successfully complete this business transaction. What do you say? Is that right, my friend?"

w.a.n.g Wenhao could not be bothered to say any more and got down to business. "How long do you need to finish inspecting my stuff?"

"Twenty hours. The jewels that you brought need at least that amount of time. You do know that because of the strike, Nepal"s roads are paralyzed. My appraiser still has not arrived yet." Bending his index finger, the leader gave a knock on the table with it. "Let my men take you to have a look around at the local sights and culture. While we are at it, we will give you a few of our women. Yours will have to stay with me temporarily. When twenty hours have pa.s.sed, I will escort you both away from here.

"Fine." w.a.n.g Wenhao agreed to this without hesitation.

"What about those two men? What do you want us to do with them?"

"Do whatever makes you happy. Since they dared to steal my goods, there should be some punishment for them one way or another."

&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com.  If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the translation has been taken without consent of the translator.

On a dry pile of hay, Wen Han sat with her back against the wall behind her. Not only was fear gripping her heart, her wound had also been aching with pain this entire time. She could only incessantly comfort herself, It"s okay, it"s okay. They said they would release the hostages.

They just want a few foreign tourists.

Maybe they are just locals who are taking part in the strike—

All of a sudden, someone approached her. Instinctively, she shrunk back. Something cool was placed against the skin on her shoulder. She wanted to shirk away, but that person was already holding her body in place.

There was first the sound of scissors cutting clothing open, and then the gauze on her wound was ripped off.

Someone was helping her to treat her wound.

She did not dare move. She could smell a faint, fragrant scent by the tip of her nose—it seemed that person was a woman. Nepali women were very conservative, and an unmarried woman would forbid a man from touching her body. She had not expected that the kidnappers would be so particular about this as well that they would actually have a woman come to bandage her wound for her.

"Her skin is so nice." The other party was speaking in Kyrgyz, thinking she did not understand.

"Women from outside here all have nice skin." A man was chuckling. "But no matter how nice their skin may be, it"s still not as nice as yours."

What followed after were all words of sweet nothings.

After the person had finished dressing Wen Han"s wound, she asked the man who was with her whether they needed to feed Wen Han some food. The man with her answered, no, they did not need to, because these people would be leaving soon.<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com.  If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the translation has been taken without consent of the translator.

Stillness once more fell all around her.

She did not know whether it was day or night, for all she saw before her eyes was darkness.

She only knew that there was no longer anyone moving about nearby.

Fear began to suffuse through her, uncontrollable as it devoured away her pathetic little bit of levelheadedness.

Just why? Why did they need to bring them here? They had already come into the mountains to avoid police. Why had they still not released the hostages? &h.e.l.lip;

Right then, a finger caressed her cheek.

The feeling caused a shudder to instantly come over her. However, she soon perceived the characteristic mannerisms of this particular caress. Too familiar. It felt all too familiar—

It was him&h.e.l.lip; It was him?!<>Please read this at hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

The tape over her lips was cruelly torn off, and the white towel that had been stuffed in her mouth was tossed aside.

With her mouth suddenly loosened, she wanted to open it to ask whether it was him. But then, something covered her lips.

This was a deep kiss that absolutely belonged to that man—there was no room for doubt. It plunged to the depths of her throat, a kiss that seemed as if it wanted to suck out your soul. This time, he was even somewhat brutal as he took her lips between his teeth and ferociously sucked and bit down on them. His teeth broke skin, and her blood was sucked out—a deep, penetrating pain. And the thirsting desire that could be felt in the action—

Under his luring guidance, she began to return his kiss, as if she was giving all the turmoil, all the fear of this entire day over to him.

It was as if only in this way did she know that she was safe.

She was safe—as long as he was here.

"You have begun to know how to kiss, dearest." He began to lap away the blood on her lips with his tongue before turning to take her little earlobe lightly into his mouth. "In this country, they always say that a good woman must often blush with embarra.s.sment and be ashamed and fearful in order to not be despised by people&h.e.l.lip; But I simply like the way you are right now. You tell me, how am I to leave you? How can I let go of you? If you stay with me, there is a very good chance you will die."

Question after question.<>This is an UNAUTHORIZED copy, taken from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com.

They were addressed to her, yet they were also not addressed to her.

She did not know how to answer.<>Please read this at hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com

She had too many doubts herself that were on the verge of surfacing, as well as numerous chaotic and complicated speculations. "You—"

"You should not have gotten to know me. Wen Han, this man in front of you, his eyes hold no leniency, no mercy. Here, today, you will witness that very soon. I am a devil that lives in h.e.l.l. Or perhaps you can say, I&h.e.l.lip; am h.e.l.l."<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the translation has been taken without consent of the translator.

Completed:

12 of 50 Chapter segments
0 of 1 Epilogue