Two women stood over five-foot-seven, both with short hair. One had a streak of blue dye, which, perhaps from not being reapplied during her long stay in the detention center, only remained on the lower half of her hair. The black roots had grown out, giving her a strange appearance.
Both were around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. Not much older than Ye Huohuo, they carried themselves like tough street girls. They tilted their heads and looked at Ye Huohuo sideways, their faces clearly conveying disdain and a clear intention to pick a fight.
Ye Huohuo noticed that a small section of tattoo was visible on both of their wrists, peeking out from their sleeves. However, the exposed part was too small to discern the pattern.
"Didn't you hear what the boss said? You dare to dodge the boss's slap? You must be taught the rules since you're new!" the blue-haired girl said, pushing Ye Huohuo's shoulder as she spoke, her demeanor incredibly arrogant.
Ye Huohuo was pushed back half a step. The muscles in her body tensed defensively, and she became like a blade about to be unsheathed, a faint aura of killing intent even radiating from her.
However, these individuals were not true masters, merely hoodlums. They couldn't sense the killing intent and continued to push Ye Huohuo's limits.
Tigress, standing behind Ye Huohuo, grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her as if she were a chick, laughing triumphantly. "Still so stubborn, little girl? I like the stubborn ones. It's been too long since I had anything fresh; I'm getting an itch!"
As Tigress spoke, her hand reached inside Ye Huohuo's clothes, her rough palm beginning to move up Ye Huohuo's lower back.
Ye Huohuo became instantly furious. She dropped what she was holding, grabbed Tigress's offending hand with one of her own, and clenched the other into a fist, ready to strike Tigress's eyes.
She didn't want to cause trouble here, but she was certainly not someone who would be bullied without fighting back. At this moment, Ye Huohuo was prepared to turn on everyone in the room, willing to fight them all into the hospital if necessary.
Just at this critical juncture, Ye Huohuo's clenched fist was stopped by a slender hand. "Boss, she's new and doesn't know the rules. I'll teach her. Look how thin and small she is; she can't even take one punch from you. After all, she's just arrived, and if she gets seriously hurt, the counselor won't be able to explain it. I'll teach her to be obedient and serve you properly!"
The speaker was none other than Xiao Hua, who had been acting like a frightened quail earlier.
Tigress rolled her triangular eyes, looked at Xiao Hua, then at Ye Huohuo, whom she still held. "Pah!" she spat, throwing Ye Huohuo to the ground. "You teach her properly how to behave if she wants to survive here. Don't be like that dead one before, who didn't know what was good for her!"
Ye Huohuo's fist remained tightly clenched, but she ultimately didn't strike. Pulled by Xiao Hua, she followed her into the restroom.
Xiao Hua brought in two large basins of dirty clothes, closed the door, and lowered her voice, "Are you okay?" Her concern was palpable.
Leaning against the tiled wall of the restroom, Ye Huohuo, with a furrowed brow, studied the thin girl in front of her. "Why did you help me?"
"Before you arrived, I was the one they bullied. The moment I saw you, I knew you would be their next target. It's because you, like me, are thin and weak and no match for them. And that Tigress..."
Xiao Hua lowered her voice even further, almost whispering into Ye Huohuo's ear, "She's mentally disturbed. She looks like a woman, but she's like a man; she likes women, especially thin, weak girls."
As Xiao Hua spoke, she cast furtive glances towards the door, as if afraid someone would rush in at any moment.
Hearing this, Ye Huohuo immediately recalled Tigress's hand inside her clothes moments ago, and a shiver ran down her spine.
"Has she... bullied you?"
Xiao Hua's nostrils flared slightly, as if she were suppressing her emotions. She bit her lip before speaking, "I can't do anything about it. Only by sticking close to her will others stop bullying me, otherwise..."
As she spoke, she pulled up her sleeve, revealing numerous bruises and contusions on her arm.
"Did they beat you?" Ye Huohuo's recently relaxed fist tightened again.
"In this room, Tigress is the boss. The one in the red sweater is called Fox; the two who stopped you, the one with the blue streak in her hair is Blue Wolf, and the other is Gray Wolf. These four are the overlords of this room. Everyone besides me is bullied by them. But I'm the thinnest and have no allies, so I get bullied the worst. I have no choice but to submit to Tigress. Being bullied by her for a while is better than being beaten every day. You... you be careful. If you can't take it anymore... just submit to Tigress! Otherwise, you'll be beaten every day!"
Xiao Hua lowered her head, her voice barely audible, as if she were mumbling. If Ye Huohuo hadn't been standing so close, she wouldn't have been able to hear anything.
Ye Huohuo took a deep breath and patted Xiao Hua's shoulder. "Thank you for the warning. I'll be careful. I won't fall out with them unless it's absolutely necessary."
Ye Huohuo picked up a dirty piece of clothing and placed it in the sink, starting to wash it. When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. As long as they didn't do anything too excessive, she intended to endure for now.
Her entire focus now was on proving her innocence. She didn't want any unnecessary complications.
Xiao Hua also came over to help her wash. She lowered her head, her collar opening a bit too wide, revealing her slender neck and a sliver of her collarbone. Ye Huohuo, glancing inside unintentionally, saw it was covered in purplish bruises.
Recalling Xiao Hua's description of Tigress's perverted tastes, a chill ran down her spine. The place on her lower back that Tigress had touched felt hot and tingling.
The two of them washed for a long time until all the dirty clothes were finally cleaned and hung on the clothesline in the restroom.
Looking at the clothes, Ye Huohuo sighed, "Xiao Hua, thank you. I really don't know how long it would have taken me to wash these myself." Her words were sincere, and her gratitude genuine.
Xiao Hua shook her head. "I just don't want you to end up like me. This is all I can do to help you. As for the rest, it's up to you."
As soon as they finished washing clothes, a whistle for dinner could be heard from outside.
Each person in the room had two plastic basins and a plastic spoon. All eleven of them took turns reaching their basins through a small opening in the large iron gate to get their food.
Everyone received a coarse-grain steamed bun and a ladle of spinach and egg soup.
After serving their meals, they placed them on the table, everyone sitting down, ready to hear the whistle for eating.
Looking at the fist-sized steamed bun and the soup with a few oil droplets floating on it, Ye Huohuo felt a pang of sadness. What kind of fate was this? Good things always seemed to elude her, while misfortune was unavoidable.
She never imagined she would fall to such a state. Not only had she lost her freedom, but she also had to eat like this every day. For someone like her, who believed food was paramount, this was the cruelest fate.
Finally, the whistle for eating sounded. But just as Ye Huohuo was about to bring the steamed bun to her lips, it was snatched away by someone.
She looked up at the person who had grabbed her bun; it was the one in the red sweater, Fox, as Xiao Hua had called her.
"Don't you know the rules? Half of your ration must be offered to the boss, or you won't get a bite! Xiao Hua, didn't you teach her earlier?" Fox glanced at Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua was so scared that the half-steamed bun in her hand almost fell to the ground. Of course, the other half had already been placed into Tigress's basin. "I, I forgot!" her voice trembled, as if afraid that speaking louder would invite a severe beating.
Ye Huohuo looked at Tigress's basin, where several half-steamed buns were piled up.
Everyone in the room, except for Fox and the two Wolves mentioned by Xiao Hua, handed over half of their steamed buns.
Ye Huohuo watched as Fox took her entire steamed bun, leaving her not even a crumb. She gritted her teeth, but had no choice but to endure.
She told herself she had to be patient. The two female police officers had warned her that if she caused trouble in the detention center, her right to see her lawyer and family would be revoked.
She didn't want to lose the bigger picture for a small gain. She needed to stay informed about the progress of Li Mochen and the others' investigation outside.
Endure! She had to endure!
However, often, people force you to the point where you can no longer endure.
Ye Huohuo never expected that what had happened before was merely an appetizer. The real nightmare began when it was time to sleep at night...