"Vienna, an ancient city with over 1,800 years of history..."
A woman in black work clothes, with golden hair and blue eyes, narrates the long history of this city in flawless English.
Zuo Yuanyin stands in front of Maria Theresa Square, listening to the mechanical language of the guide, and lets out a yawn.
In fact, when she first came to this city some time ago, she also took a similar part-time job.
Because she had done it before, she was even less interested. It's just that universities will hold some similar social activities, in the name of broadening horizons and expanding knowledge.
There is, however, one advantage - skipping classes becomes more convenient. Put on a show, and she can slip away when everyone disperses.
"Alright, I'll give everyone twenty minutes for a break, and then we need to meet at the entrance of the museum."
The team leader looks around at everyone, raising the loudspeaker to signal the break.
"I'm off."
Zuo Yuanyin gave a wink to a quiet-looking girl next to her and indicated towards the museum's side entrance.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out here." The girl glanced around and made the okay sign with her hand.
Without hesitation, Zuo Yuanyin slipped out from the side entrance...
"Finally free!"
There weren't many people in Maria Theresa Square. Occasionally a couple would walk by, startling a flock of pigeons, accompanying the sound of the central fountain, forming a beautiful scene.
She looked up to the sky. It was a pale blue, adorned with patches of clouds that looked like cotton candy.
All in all, every aspect here seems to be much stronger than Jiangcheng City, at least it doesn't have such severe smog.
But for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to like this city.
Perhaps, it has something to do with the word "hometown."
"Dad, I'm back!"
Zuo Yuanyin carefully watched the wooden stairs under her feet, which already had a few holes that had cracked open. Walking on it caused it to squeak.
A dim light from inside the house shone out through the door gap, casting a long shadow.
"Huh, the lights are actually on today?"
Standing outside the door, she felt a strange atmosphere. Zuo Yuanyin swallowed subconsciously and gently pushed open the door...
Inside the door, Zuo Qiuming was being held down by two burly men on the table, his right hand fingers spread open. Another man, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, a bulging belly, was wiping the fruit knife she often used with a blue silk handkerchief.
"You choose, which one do you want to chop off?" The man waved the shiny fruit knife, approaching her father step by step.
Terrified by the scene before her, Zuo Yuanyin froze on the spot for a moment before rushing to her father's side, plucking up the courage to ask, "Who are you guys? What are you trying to do?"
Under the light, Zuo Yuanyin could clearly see the man's face...She had never seen such an ugly person before.
The nearly bald head was like a gourd, uneven in shape, with large ears stuck on either side of the head.
"You don't need to know who we are, your old man owes us ten thousand Euros. Do you have money to pay it back?" One of the men holding her father spoke.
"I... I don't have any money, please let go of my father, I can work to repay the money... I can do several part-time jobs, I believe I can pay it off soon." Zuo Yuanyin watched the figure gradually approach, her voice fainted down involuntarily.
The man scrutinized her from top to bottom, finally seizing her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes directly. A malicious smirk curled at the corners of his mouth.
"The lass looks good, fresh and tender. If you really had to work all those jobs, I might find it hard to let you," he said, amusement flickering wickedly in his eyes.
A harsh laugh echoed from the two burly men standing beside him…
Zuo Yuanyi felt a shuddering chill course through her, not quite catching his underlying implication. All she saw was his hand swiftly coming down, the blade of his knife plunging accurately into the tabletop, just millimeters from her father's fingers.
Zuo Qiuming screamed, nearly fainting in fear.
Zuo Yuanyi was also scared into a cold sweat. Her body went limp, collapsing onto the ground, gasping for air.
The man gently wiped the cold sweat from Yuanyi's forehead with the silk cloth he had just used to clean his blade. "I'll spare your father's finger for today. Tomorrow night, Oster Hotel 816, I'll be watching your performance," he said with a veiled threat.