My sister told me that the “family” we were in had changed.
She had thought it was safe here, but now it seems no different from the outside.
But where could we possibly run to?
Did my sister overlook something…?
We walked out of the same room as Uncle Wan. Even if we wanted to escape, how could we?
Sister Siwei shared her plan with me—to slip away when leaving the interview room. But we had underestimated Uncle Wan.
He seemed prepared. The moment we stepped into the hallway, those menacing uncles approached, greeting him one after another. After he muttered a few words, we were surrounded and taken straight to the “family.”
We had no chance to run.
The second time, Sister Siwei planned to resist inside the room, but again, there was no hope of escape.
All the aunties obeyed Uncle Wan’s commands without question. The moment they took control of us, we had no way out.
After two failed attempts, Uncle Wan assigned people to watch us around the clock. We were under constant surveillance—even going to the bathroom required permission.
Only then did I finally understand what Brother Gu Yu meant when he left.
“If we don’t leave now, we’ll never get out.”
But… even if we had left then, would Uncle Wan have let us go?
Would he have allowed us to escape?
This life dragged on for years, to the point where I grew numb.
Countless times, I moved between the powerless real world and the powerless “prison,” finding no way out in either.
The two worlds mirrored each other, forming an even greater prison.
Over the years, Sister Siwei and I tried countless times to escape this “family,” but we could do nothing.
The entire city was filled with “family members.” There was nowhere to hide—I was too well-known. I was the “hero,” and everyone recognized my face. I’d be caught immediately.
Thankfully, Sister Siwei was the “healer.” No matter if we were beaten or injured, she could always heal us at once.
She often smiled and told me that she could heal not just a person’s body, but also their soul.
I never understood what she meant by that—until the very end.
That night, we failed to escape again. Uncle Wan came to our room, where only Sister Siwei and I remained.
“Xiao Li…” Uncle Wan walked in with a bottle of liquor and sat cross-legged on the floor. “Tell me… haven’t I been good to you? Why do you want to run?”
The air reeked of his foul stench.
“Brother Wan… If this were just a ‘pyramid scheme,’ fine. In a place like this, gathering people under that pretense is one thing. But now you’re killing people,” Sister Siwei said urgently. “Don’t you see you’ve gone too far? If this continues… what will become of us?”
“Killing people? Tsk…” Uncle Wan shook his head, stood up with the bottle, and said, “Come with me.”
He led us into the hallway—a circular corridor with an empty center, allowing us to see people on the opposite side.
**”Family members! Sorry to disturb you so late, but could you all step out for a moment?!”**
Uncle Wan’s booming voice echoed.
People emerged from their rooms, looking confusedly in his direction.
We were on the fifth floor, able to see people on multiple levels of the corridor, all staring at us.
“Xiao Li, how absurd do you think people can become after being brainwashed?” Uncle Wan asked quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Let me show you an experiment.”
He took a deep breath and shouted:
**”Family members! We have a new rule! Starting tomorrow, no one is allowed to wear socks! Those who do will be punished!”**
Sister Siwei frowned, baffled, while Uncle Wan kept smiling.
“Xiao Li, do you think they’ll accept this new rule?” he whispered.
“This is ridiculous…” Sister Siwei said. “It’s a meaningless rule.”
“Just wait and see.”
After a brief pause, voices erupted:
“Brother Wan, should we take them off now?”
“Got it, Brother Wan!”
“No problem!”
Uncle Wan smirked and turned to Sister Siwei.
“Xiao Li, now try to stop them.”
“What?”
“You can use any argument you want,” he said. “Right here. I’ll allow it. See if you can get them to revoke this ‘new rule.'”
Sister Siwei seemed eager. She stepped forward and asked, “Can I really say anything? You won’t hurt me or the ‘hero’ for it?”
“Of course.”
With his permission, she quickly composed herself and shouted:
“Everyone! Don’t you think this ‘new rule’ is absurd?!”
Silence fell over the entire building.
“‘No socks starting tomorrow’—doesn’t that sound bizarre to you? It doesn’t help us escape or unite! Why follow it blindly? We’re all equals—why obey every order without question?”
Her words made sense, yet no one responded.
Why did they obey Uncle Wan so unquestioningly?
What had he done to them?
Soon, an uncle across from us spoke.
“Xiao Li, what’s the big deal? It’s just socks.”
Once one spoke, others joined in.
“Exactly, Xiao Li. We all like you—don’t ruin that over socks.”
“I was tired of wearing them anyway.”
“Our ‘family’ got this far because of ‘rules.’ What’s wrong with that?”
“Yeah!”
The crowd erupted.
Voices clamored from all directions, as if the whole building had exploded.
Sister Siwei’s gaze turned icy.
**”Enough! Quiet!”**
Uncle Wan’s roar silenced everyone.
Standing beside him, my ears rang.
**”Everyone, relax! Xiao Li was just joking on my orders. Remember the new rule and get some rest! We’ve got another big day tomorrow!”**
“Got it, Brother Wan!”
Just as he dismissed them, an auntie screeched:
“Since we’re all here—let’s chant our motto!”
I recognized her—one of Uncle Wan’s “captains.” She led the daily chants, and I dreaded it. When they shouted, they strained their necks with fervor.
“Work hard today!” she bellowed.
“Or beg tomorrow!!” they roared back.
“Suffer today!”
“Or starve tomorrow!!”
“Our goal when we leave—”
“Buy oil mines in East Africa! Mansions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou!!”
“Good night!”
“Good night, Captain!!”
They marched back to their rooms in unison. Uncle Wan turned to us.
“Come, Xiao Li. Let’s have a drink.”
Back in the room, he shut the door, pulled out paper cups, and poured liquor for himself and Sister Siwei.
“Xiao Li, do you see now?” he said. “This is what people call a ‘pyramid scheme.’ I’m the villain, the ringleader. But once it grows, even I can’t control it anymore.”
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