Whilst scanning the area with her eyes she saw that she wasn't alone, there were five other men in the room with her. All of them were large and bulky with tattoos plastered on their bodies, some had tattoos on their faces. They exuded malice.

Li Xiuying tried to speak, her voice cracked: "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

One of the men walked towards her. He had a dragon spiraling from the left side of his face around his neck and down beneath his top. He gave her a sinister smile: "Well look who decided to join us." He jerked off the rag from her face.

Li Xiuying quivered: "What... What do you want with me?"

Dragon tattoo: "Mmm what does anyone want? Money of course. You're worth quite a lot Dr Li." He put emphasis on doctor.

Another of the men who had a long scar running from his forehead of the right hand side across his face to the corner of his left jaw spoke "You woke up just in time. We're about to have a little chat with your family."

He called a number and put it on loudspeaker. Ring Ring, Ring Ring.

A sickly sweet woman's voice rang out: "h.e.l.lo."

Face scar spoke : "Li Yu Yan. Keep quiet and listen. I have your beloved cousin, Dr. Li Xiuying with me. I want 5 million cash in unmarked bills dropped off at Zhanqiao Pier at 3 am. Come alone, don't even think about contacting the police. You won't be able to deal with the consequences if you do. If you don't deliver the money by 3 am we can't ensure that little Dr. Li will be as intact as she currently is. HE HE HE." His name was full of venom.

Li Yu Yan's voice held fear and worry as she spoke:" I I I, How do I know she's still alive? I demand to talk to her!"

The Face scar put the phone next to Li Xiuying.

Li Xiuying screamed: "Yu Yan It's me, get help, get.."

SLAP!

The long haired man gave Li Xiuying a heavy slap across her face.

Li Yu Yan panicked voice screeched: "Xiuying, Xiuying!"

Li Xiuying spat out blood, the inside of her cheek was cut and the corner of her lip was busted.

Face scar spoke into the phone again: "3 Am Zhanqiao Pier." He then put the phone down.

One of the men left to go and collect the money.

Li Xiuying just lay on the ground. None of the men approached her but they sat in a large circle around her, watching her like some sort of caged animal. All exits around her were blocked, she couldn't escape.

At 3 am Face scar received a call.

Face scar listened to the voice on the other end of the line and then spoke: "Well I guess we're having fun tonight then. Yeah, Yeah, we'll make sure she's conscious when you arrive. You'll get your turn. " He put down the phone and slowly stood from his chair and walked towards LI Xiuying.

Face scar: "Well Dr Li, it seems your family haven't been able to collect the money, they wanted more time. So we get to have a little fun with you while we wait."

Li Xiuying screamed at them: "You're lying! Let me go! Let Me go!"

How could they not be able to gather 5 Million! Anyone of her cards had over that amount.

The men all approached Li Xiuying with laughter in their eyes. Dragon tattoo and another man with a samurai type hairstyle licked their lips in antic.i.p.ation. Li Xiuying tried to back away from the approaching meaty hands.

She screamed whilst trying to move away: "Don't touch me! Don't touch me! You're lying. You have the money let me go!!" Tears escaped her eyes.

Dragon tattoo sinisterly chuckled: "I like my women with a little bit of fight in them."

Li Xiuying tried to fight back. She even managed to bite a hand but her face was met with a vicious slap.

Li Xiuying screamed and sobbed: "Help, NO NO, No! I can get you the money, please let me go. please."

The men just laughed at her. Someone ripped off her s.h.i.+rt; b.u.t.tons scattered everywhere. Face scar took out a Stanley knife and cut down the seam of her trousers and cut away the rest of her s.h.i.+rt. She was lying in her underwear s.h.i.+vering on the grimy floor.

Face scar took the tip of the knife and lightly trace it from the left side of her forehead down the side of her ribs, her hip and her leg. The other men started groping and touching her all over.

Face scar cut the rope around her wrists and ankles.

Li Xiuying's wrists and ankles had rope burns, the skin was broken and bleeding.

She tried to punch and kick out, she tried scratching, biting anything to keep them away. But she was too weak. Dragon tattoo pinned her arms above her head. The man with the samurai hairstyle and the other with red contacts each held her legs open.

Face scar leaned over her and breathed right near her face: "I wander how much energy you'll have when we're done." He licked the side of her face, saliva dripping down her cheek.

Li Xiuying whimpered: "Please let me go."

He sat up between her legs and cut off the remaining flimsy barrier of protection on Li Xiuying's body. Her underwear was thrown aside and her descent into h.e.l.l began.

...

It took two days for Li Yu Yan to deliver the money to the group. For 2 whole days, 48 hours, 2880 minutes she was brutally tortured by the group. They had done unimaginable things to her body. They used fire, electricity, objects, knives, ropes and some things she couldn't even tell what they were.

They left Li Xiuying in a dark corner of the warehouse for her family to find. She just laid on the floor naked, bruised, scarred and bleeding, all manner of bodily fluids coated her black and blue skin. Tears fell from her eyes onto the ground.

Eventually, Li Yu Yan, Li w.a.n.g and Li Mei Wu had arrived at the warehouse and found her.

They rushed in and put a blanket around her and took her home.

They tried to comfort her with words but how could their words repair the damage that had been done?

Li Xiuying wanted to call the police to investigate, she wanted the people who had done this to come to justice. But her family refused they said it would bring shame upon her and the family. They said that the police probably wouldn't find the perpetrators anyway. They then kept implying that it was her fault she was a.s.saulted.

"Who told you to go to such a place alone?"

"Why didn't you call someone to pick you up?"

Li Xiuying didn't have the energy to battle her family and society as well as the demons within her.

She felt broken and alone.

Li Xiuying locked herself in her room for weeks. She didn't want to be out there, were they could get her again. She wanted to feel safe and secure.

She suffered another heavy blow to her soul several weeks later. The Chen family on hearing about Li Xiuying's "incident" as they like to refer to it called off the engagement. They made it seem like it was for her but at the same time seamlessly chastised her for being selfish for trying to hold onto someone who should have been her companion for life.

"After what you've been through its understandable you wouldn't want another man touching you."

"When you've full recovered I'm sure we can find you someone else."

"Chen Wei is getting older and you're not exactly pure and intact anymore, it would be selfish of you to hold him back."

"Who could really accept you after everything that's been done to you? Don't worry though I'm sure with your reputation as a doctor someone is bound to be willing to marry you."

The Li and Chen family didn't care about the fact that what Li Xiuying needed now more than ever was their support. She needed to feel loved, wanted, cared for. She needed to feel like a worthy human being not just a used piece of trash.

Li Yu Yan got engaged to Chen Wei a week after Li Xiuying's and Chen Wei's engagement was called off. Everyone was busy celebrating the happy couple. Whilst Li Xiuying wallowed away in self pity.

Li Xiuying felt alone and isolated. She only had her now crippled mind for company.