“How ugly.” She heard the man say.

Afterward, he grabbed a white woman and walked out. They could still hear the woman’s nonstop curses and cries, but once the door was closed, it was dead silence in the room again.

That was their sixth day in captivity.

At that time, they had already been out at sea for six whole days. Other than the measly food they were given that would not let them starve or let them be full, there were only these boatmen who would harm the women’s body and would drag some of them out every day and throw them back in.

However, one look across and everyone good-looking and had a good body had already purposely made themselves look ugly so they were safe for now, but unsure for the future.

Xia Ruoxin walked to a little corner, and all that they could drink and eat were here. There was a very strong smell, but someone would clean it every day and pour these items into the sea. When they brought it back again, there would be the smell of the sea.

Perhaps those people were afraid that the ventilation was poor, and if someone got sick, the disease would spread like wildfire. Hence, the hygiene was not too harsh on them as these people were the cargoes on the ship; they were people that could sell for a good price.

Once Xia Ruoxin thought of the woman that got pulled away, she felt a sense of terror that would not go away. She lowered her head and looked at the potty on the floor. She clenched her teeth, tolerated the disgusting feeling coming out of her throat, stuck her hand in, and smeared it all over her body.

She walked over to Shen Wei and smeared some on her, too.

“Xia Ruoxin, you’re really disgusting.”

Even though that was what Shen Wei said as she endured through it, she did not move and let Xia Ruoxin smear the dirty thing on her.

“Mm.” Xia Ruoxin was also used to this smell. “However disgusting it is, you pooped it out.”

“It’s not only me,” Shen Wei frowned and said disapprovingly.

“It is you. I saw it just now.” Xia Ruoxin was still in the mood to joke with Shen Wei. Shen Wei looked at her, and both of them started laughing. However, amongst their laughter was unspeakable suffering.

They had already been lost for ten days.

Every time the men came, they would take a woman with them. When the woman got thrown back—at the start, they would still be crying; but after a while, they would be numb to it. Also, after going once, it seemed that they would receive something like meat or fish and also some money.

Even if it was all of these, it could allow the disheartened women to fight for it. Their initial horror became numbness and then hope. They started to learn how to dress themselves up and would use the water they saved to wipe their faces and would want the men to come in and pick them.

Shen Wei and Xia Ruoxin had all sorts of disgusting things smeared all over their body. Additionally, their faces were pockmarked; and they had slimmed down quite a lot recently so their smelly and thin bodies would make men feel disgusted and not want to touch them.

That was why until now, no one had even talked about them.

Some would wolf down the things they used their body to exchange with, but the others would hide it carefully.

Shen Wei leaned on Xia Ruoxin’s shoulders.

“Do you regret it?”

“Regret? Regret what?”

Xia Ruoxin nonchalantly opened her dry mouth. “Perhaps this is our tradition. I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to make myself disgusting. I want to persevere no matter how difficult it is.”

“Me, too.” Shen Wei placed her hand behind her ear. Both of them were equally smelly and disgusting, but they had never found fault with each other.

There were more rumblings beneath their feet. In this dark and place without sun, they would never know where they were—which ocean they were in or which country they were near. They could only float on the seas.

Just like that, days went by; and they were still stuck in this prison-like cabin.

This was their thirtieth day of being missing—just nice a month.

Rainy had already stopped yelling for her mother, perhaps she knew that no matter how much she called for her, she would not return.

She hugged a photo frame on the table and refused to let go of it until Chu Lui came back. She took the photo frame and went to find Chu Lui.

“Uncle, can you help Rainy?”

Even though Chu Lui was so tired until he could not be alert, he still carried his daughter and brought her into the room.

Then, Rainy passed the photo frame to him.

“Uncle, can you take this photo down for Rainy?”

Chu Lui took the photo frame, and inside was a picture of Xia Ruoxin and Rainy.

He placed his hands on his daughter’s head and said, “Tell Uncle, what do you want to do with this?”

Rainy tip-toed and placed her hand on Chu Lui’s knees. She pitifully pouted her lips, and her eyes became red.

“Rainy’s afraid that she would forget about Mommy so she wants to put Mommy in her bag. That way, Rainy can remember Mommy’s face no matter when. I won’t forget Mommy, and I can find her.”

Chu Lui carried her up and let her sit on his lap.

“Rainy won’t forget about Mommy.”

“Hm?” Rainy blinked, and a few tears dropped. “I won’t?”

“You won’t.” Chu Lui placed his big hands on his daughter’s face. “Because Rainy and Mommy look very similar. When you grow up, you’ll look like your Mommy so when you see yourself, you would know what your Mommy looks like. Rainy will never forget what your Mommy looks like; neither would Uncle.”

“Uncle…” Rainy raised her hand to clutch Chu Lui’s finger.

“Is Uncle Rainy’s Daddy?”

Chu Lui carried his daughter up and let her stand on his leg. He was not even worried if his daughter’s feet would dirty his suit pants worth tens of thousands.

“Why would Rainy say that?” Tears started welling up in his eyes. Actually, he was waiting for this ‘Daddy’ for too long so he did not even know if he was worthy of her calling him that.

Rainy bit on her lip and extended her hand to hug Chu Lui’s neck. “Don’t cry, Uncle. If Uncle wants Rainy to call Uncle ‘Daddy’, Rainy will.”

“Okay.” Chu Lui started choking with emotions and used his big hand to pat his daughter’s back. “Daddy did you wrong and let Rainy suffer. It was Daddy who didn’t save Rainy at the start and led Rainy to lose a kidney.”