Once the contracts were signed, Lin Ye and the middle-aged man named Zhao Defa were led directly to the underground parking garage and into an all-black special service vehicle.
The cabin had no windows.
The moment the doors closed, it felt as if they were cut off from the rest of the world.
The engine's startup was nearly inaudible. Only a slight vibration proved they were moving.
Zhao Defa had been silent since they got in. After the vehicle had been driving slowly for over ten minutes, he fumbled in his pocket for a crumpled pack of cigarettes, lit one, and then offered another to Lin Ye.
"Hey kid, want one?"
Lin Ye shook his head.
"Thanks, but I don't smoke."
Zhao Defa didn't seem to mind and just nodded.
"You're still in school, aren't you, kid? Why are you out here looking for a job like this?"
"My father's sick. I need money for his treatment."
Hearing this, Zhao Defa gave Lin Ye a complicated look, nodded, and didn't press the matter.
He sighed to himself.
