The stars and moon were dim, the night was as thick as ink that wouldn't dilute.
The wilderness was deserted, two beams of headlights like static ghost fires, turned the tranquil night chilling and eerie.
In the beam of the headlights, rain threads were weaving haphazardly.
Before the headlights, Xu Ruotong’s arms were each held down forcefully by two burly men.
Wild grass and sharp stones jabbed at her smooth back, the friction from her intense struggle sent piercing pain throughout her back.
Rain fell dense and continuous on her bare skin, the bone-piercing chill and fright caused her body to shake uncontrollably.
A man held a DV, standing to one side, capturing every moment of her fear and struggle.
The men were all dressed uniformly in black, their faces hid under black hoods, with only their eyes showing.
She twisted her head in despair, tears streaming down her face, she pleadingly looked towards a car parked less than two meters away from her.
The car was a black Lincoln.
A flash of lightning suddenly split the murky sky leaving a dazzling wound. Along with the deafening thunder, in less than a second of the bright flash of lightning, she vaguely saw a man's face through the rain-streaked car window.
“Ahhh--”
With a terrified and sharp scream, Xu Ruotong was awakened once more by the same nightmare.
She touched herself, yet again, she was drenched in cold sweat.
“Damn! Xu Ruotong, what the heck is going on? If this keeps up, the whole dormitory is going to end up with nervous breakdowns because of you!”
Glancing at the heavy darkness outside the window, Xu Ruotong, like those previous nights that shared similar situations, apologized very embarrassedly.
Her roommates didn't say anything further, but they all tightened their blankets over their ears, afraid of being startled again by her midnight cry and ruining their precious sleep.
Luckily, the day after was a Saturday, no classes to worry about.
Xu Ruotong sighed, wiping her slightly damp forehead.
At that moment, a head appeared at the top of her bunk bed, suppressing its voice and whispered, "Tongtong, did you have a nightmare again?"
The one asking this was Qiaoqiao, who slept on Xu Ruotong's upper bunk. Among the four people in the dormitory, her relationship with Xu Ruotong was the best.
Xu Ruotong forced a bitter smile.
That was not a nightmare, but something that genuinely happened to her half a month ago on a particular night.
"I'm fine, you go back to sleep."
"You must maintain a good condition. As soon as the day breaks, you still have to participate in the competition. I'm waiting to celebrate your victory."
Four months ago, Xu Ruotong signed up for the talent show, "Talent Star".
During the audition, she sang while playing her guitar, she played the violin in the preliminaries, and she played the piano in the semi-finals. With each successful stage, she remained the highest-rated favorite to win. With her current popularity and fan base, even many nearly top-tier stars couldn't match her.
However, all the finalists are powerful candidates, with her current terrible condition, how is she supposed to compete with them for the championship?
After having lunch at noon, she headed straight to the college gate from the cafeteria.
The live broadcast of the finals was scheduled to start sharply at eight o'clock in the evening. However, there were many preparations to be done. The Tv station had notified her to reach the recording studio by two o'clock in the afternoon.
Xu Ruotong was about to call a taxi when her phone rang from her bag.
The caller was an assistant representative of the competition's organizing committee, one of her primary tasks was to coordinate with the contestants.
"Xu Ruotong, you don't have to come! The program group and director just collectively decided to cancel your qualifications for the finals."