When Wang He Di leaves the small village he grew up in, to find work in the streets of glamourous and dangerous Shanghai, the first thing that catches his eye is the beautiful Shen Yue, a young woman also trying to make her fortunes in the "Paris of...
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Yue looks at He Di in disbelief, shaking her head.
"What?"
"We have to leave tonight."
"What are you talking...what do you mean? We can't leave, we can't leave, we...we have...we have a home and..."
"Yue! I need you to take a deep breath and just listen without panicking, okay?"
She nods her head and wipes her eyes.
"Okay."
He Di cups her chin and looks at her very seriously in order to press the urgency of his point.
"Yue, we cannot stay in Hong Kong! The general is a very important man in the Japanese Army, which means he has a lot of pull and power in Hong Kong. He has now marked you as a conquest and he will not stop until he has you!"
Yue lets out a pained sob, tears streaming down her face. He Di continues.
"There are stories surrounding him... stories about his brand of brutality. He was previously stationed in Nanking... I made inquiries when I learnt that he had requested you to perform."
"What?"
"Now that you are within reach for him, when he finds out that I am your husband he will have me killed...he may even have our daughters killed."
Yue gasps when He Di says this, shocked at what he is saying.
"No, no, nooo!" She shakes her head.
"Yes Yue, he will rape you until he has had his fill...he will pass you on to his soldiers, and if you resist they will kill you!"
She lets out a louder sob and He Di pulls her into to him squeezing her tightly. He continues.
"I don't mean to scare you my love, but I just need to impress up on you that we do not have a choice but to leave, and we must do it now! I will fill you in on everything once we are out of the hotel. Now take my hand and let's go!"
They take the back stairs to avoid any further interaction with the Japanese. They make their way down to the kitchens, where they find Xi Ze and Jia who are taking a short break from the ongoing festivities in the ballroom. There is still more food to be served, as the party will go on all night. When Xi Ze sees He Di's expression, his face falls. They all walk outside into the alley and Xi Ze says,
"So you are leaving Hong Kong?"
He Di nods his head sorrowfully.
"I was afraid of that." Xi Ze says in a bleak voice. "I was hoping against hope I suppose."
"He made his intentions for Yue very clear I'm afraid."
"We will miss you." Adds Jia with tears in her eyes.
