CH 2

After the man finished speaking, the expression on Fatty's face changed immediately, and he frowned, obviously not happy, "I brought that girl back first, and I'm really reluctant to give her away..."

Lee didn't even look at him, smoking a cigarette with a stern look, and didn't speak.

On the contrary, the grandfather glanced at the fat man, spoke first and scolded, "Worthless. She's just a woman. You can find it anywhere."

The short fat man muttered, "That's easy to say. There are a lot of women, but it's hard to find premium goods. I've been so busy with business lately that I haven't eaten meat in a few days, I’m just waiting to satisfy my cravings."

Lee was indifferent and said emotionlessly, "Really."

The fat man forced out a bitter smile. This time he didn’t dare say anything.

They are all Grandpa Tuva’s subordinates. In terms of seniority and age, he is a few years older than Lee. But in this place, there is no such thing as respecting the old and loving the young. The law of the jungle is that the strong prey on the weak. The strong are king. Lee joined for only four years but has already climbed to the position of second-in-command. This young man has a solid body, a hard heart, and attacks ruthlessly. He has made a name for himself in the blood and gore of the past few years. Except of Tuva, all the bandits were afraid of him.

The fat man only ranked seventh or eighth here. Although they are all bandits, nobody has the courage to challenge the King of Hell.

He thought about it and soon came to a decision. Grinning with a mouthful of yellow teeth, he said: "If someone asks me for it, I'm definitely not willing to, but Brother Lee, if you ask me, that's different. Isn't it just a Chinese girl? Since you like it, my brother will bear the pain and give it to you."

Lee raised his eyebrows and said, "Thanks.”

The fat man laughed, "Look at what you're saying. We are brothers, what are you polite for?”

A few meters away, Ruan Nianchu huddled in the corner, her body shivering, watching the two people, one tall and one short, joking ang laughing. She couldn't understand what they were talking about, she only saw that the man named Lee was facing her. He leaned against the wooden table casually, the corners of his mouth arching upward giving him a half-smile look.

She bit her lip, and her heart skipped a beat, suddenly getting a hunch that her situation will be worse.

At the other end of the room, the men were still chatting about the kidnapped woman.

The fat man is full of lust, smacking his lips and saying that Ruan Nianchu’s skin is so white. Like the snow that he saw in Tibet, China ten years ago. That her face was small, no bigger than a palm, and her eyes were shining brightly like stars. He also said that she has a good figure, a slender waist, and a peach hip, and he can tell that she is strong at a glance.

The obscene words coming from his mouth are endless.

Lee listened with a blank expression, smoking a cigarette but did not speak. He glanced at the corner of the wall again. The girl curled up into a small ball, her hair covered most of her face.  She was dirty, no matter how you looked at it, you couldn't see the alluring look coming from the fat man's mouth.

He snorted and quickly looked away.

A few minutes later, the half-pack of cigarettes was empty, and more than a dozen cigarette butts were scattered on the ground.

Grandpa Tuva sat in the room for a while. Tired, he got up and prepared to leave while several people sent him outside.

But a few steps away, he remembered something again and paused. He turned and said to several of the people with a deep voice, “A few days ago, the boss said he will have a new errand for us.” As he spoke, he looked at the twenty-six or twenty-seven-year-old young man, “Lee, accompany me to see the boss when the time comes."

Lee nodded.

The wind picked up and Grandpa Tuva covered his mouth and coughed a few times. His tone softened and said, “You worked hard a while ago. Don't go out these few days, stay at home, and rest well.” A smile hung from the edges of his mouth as he scanned the room for the thin figure, grinning subtly at the men.

*

Just as Ruan Nianchu expected, that night was something she would never forget.

As the people walked out of the house, she struggled, looking around for sharp weapons that she could use. She had to flee, protect herself, and live. The remaining light caught a glint of metal, a pair of scissors that fell to the floor. Ruan Nianchu was overjoyed and hurriedly moved closer in that direction.

However, in a flash, a strong force came held onto her waist and lifted her upwards.

Ruan Nianchu was very light and was picked up by the man like cotton. She was stunned and couldn't react in time, she just felt that the world was spinning in front of her eyes, and when she regained her composure, she was already carried upside down on the shoulders of the calm man.

It was the man named Lee.

Her mouth was sealed with tape, and she struggled instinctively. After a few seconds, she realized something and calmed down, no longer moving. In this case, she can only keep telling herself to stay calm. This group of people is extremely vicious, and she must not offend them.

Lee's face was indifferent, ignored the others, picked her up and walked straight out. In this position, her clothing is riding up, exposing her snow-white waist. The man’s hand happened to be in that position.

It’s hard, wide and rough.

Ruan Nianchu gritted her teeth, her whole body tensing up. The skin he touched was as hot as fire.

Ruan Nianchu struggled to turn her neck as he stepped outside the home to look around and discovered that she was in a densely forested camp with numerous thatched and wooden cottages that were surrounded by lush vegetation. It is a large area, and at night, the field of vision is hazy, making it difficult to make out the precise appearance of those dwellings; all that can be made out is their general outline. A circle of individuals had gathered around a fire in the center of the open area. They were eating meat and drinking alcohol while laughing aloud.

When she noticed the firearms hanging on those people, Ruan Nianchu's heart abruptly grew cold.

She was carried to another wooden cottage.

The person who carried her kicked the door open, and then threw Ruan Nianchu directly onto the bed in an extremely rough manner. The bed board was made of a few pieces of wood, some hay and a layer of sheets casually spread on it. She was thrown onto the hard bed painfully and groaned with pain.

The instant Lee turned on the light, the whole room was illuminated. He drank water while he stood in the middle of the room facing away from her, his beautiful black back straight and tall.

Ruan Nianchu didn't know what would happen.

Her hands and feet remained bound and immobile. At the foot of the bed, she had to curl up her knees and eyed him warily.

The silence did not last long.

The man placed the clear glass in his hand on the table with a light "bang," and then, to Ruan Nianchu's surprise, he started to undress while ignoring her completely.

Ruan Nianchu’s pupils constricted instantly.

Lee took off his black shirt, turned his back to her, crumpled it and threw it away. She faced his strong and capable back. His narrow waist and wide shoulders formed a classic inverted triangle on his bronze-coloured back which also had a lot of scars and numerous wounds from knives and guns.

A blue-grey dragon moved along with him on his shoulders and arms, opening its teeth and claws in a revoltingly savage manner.

She turned her face, closed her eyes, and clenched her fingers behind her till blue veins began to show after she suddenly felt a burning flush spread across her cheeks. At the same time as the light in her immediate vicinity suddenly vanished, she could hear footsteps approaching.

In the darkness, Ruan Nianchu held her breath and heard her heart beating like thunder.

In a matter of seconds, the man climbed onto the bed and with a tug of his hand, she was pushed underneath him. She was unable to speak, but the rage in her eyes as she fixed her attention on his face lighted up the night.

The man is clearly defined, has a very tough hard and handsome appearance, but at this moment, the edges and corners are dimmed by the darkness, and he looks a little softer. His face was so close that she can even see his thick and long eyelashes.

Lee also stared from above her, his eyes cold and deep. The girl’s eyes are large and clear, her face stained with dust and mud but her delicate features still vaguely distinguishable. His tight chest muscles were pressed against her, and she could clearly feel his rapid breathing and his body undulating above her.

“Hmm.” Ruan Nianchu tried to beg him to let her go and let out a cry.

The next moment, Lee glanced at the window, pulled a thin blanket over them, isolating them from several prying eyes. Then he raised his hand above her head, intentionally or unintentionally, his lips brushed the hair on hear forehead.

I don't know if it was anger or panic but Ruan Nianchu was shocked and trembled violently.

He started to move while all the clothes on her body were still completely intact.

Ruan Nuanchu was slightly stunned. Her frightened eyes turned into astonishment and puzzlement. His arms were propped up on either sides of her body and his warm breath sprayed on her face. It was warm, cool and a little ticklish.

What is he doing? She doesn’t understand.

Two strangers staring at each other in the darkness. There was only the sound of Lee’s slightly heavy breathing in the whole room and the creaking of the wooden bed.

Under such circumstances, Ruan Nianchu was confused and dazed at first then her cheeks flushed red. She has a sensitive sense of smell, and this room and this bed smell like him.

The smell of tobacco, a faint smell of blood and a strong hormonal smell.

Ruan Nianchu stiffened her body, frowned, and looked directly at the pair of dark and deep eyes above her. Not knowing if it was an illusion, she saw the man’s eyes were getting darker and darker, and something was spreading inside.

She panicked and subconsciously looked away.

Lee also closed his eyes.

He inhaled a scent from the girl's body that he had forgotten about. It has a similar freshness and sweetness to morning jasmine in bloom. It is the scent of daybreak from my hometown.

Outside the house, the night is as thick as ink. A few figures stayed for a while, wiped their mouths and finally left in satisfaction.

*

Ruan Nianchu stayed by Lee's side like this.

Thankfully, no one snuck outside that room to listen after that night. Lee left her alone for two days in a row, only bringing her food and water at set intervals. The two of them remained silent the entire time.                              

Occasionally, the fat man would run outside the house to peek at the captured Chinese woman, his heart itchy and wanted to ask Lee to give her back. "Brother, you already tasted her; why don't you give her back to this brother?" he asked with a smile. I will return her in a few days if you want her back.”

Lee didn’t say a word, just gave him a cold look that made the fat man shudder.

Everyone in the Tuva Group realized that Lee had fallen in love with the kidnapped Chinese girl and that others should avoid approaching her. Because of their fear, those who coveted her beauty dared not attempt it again.

Ruan Nianchu sensed that the man named Lee is unique from the other people here. She considers it a blessing that he did not violate her, hurt her, and even saved her from the insult of the fat man.

It did not, however, change her constant urge to escape.

Her wallet, passport, ID card, and cell phone were all taken away when the fat man first caught her. She wouldn't be able to establish her identity in this nation even if she was able to flee. But they are all incidental. The most crucial step is to leave first.

Ruan Nianchu has been waiting for the right moment.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the third day after she was caught that the opportunity came.

After they finished eating, as per usual, a stooped old lady came to clean up the dishes. After the old lady left, a 13 or 14-year-old youngster came into the house and said something to Lee in Khmer. After a while, Ruan Nianchu saw Lee nod expressionlessly, opened the

door and left.

Before leaving, he glanced back at her.

These days, Ruan Nianchu’s freedom has been restricted, and the scope of her activities is only within this wooden house. The only thing she can do is to observe this man. She found that his eyes were exceptionally good-looking. Most of the time, the color of his pupil is light black, and his eyes are cold and bright.

But currently, his gaze on her is very deep, with a warning of danger visible on his dark eyes.

Ruan Nianchu understood his meaning. It's to make her behave better and not to run around.

She nodded calmly but, in her mind, she thought, “He is not here, so I’d be a fool not to run.”

Lee left, and the sound of his footsteps receded along the wooden oil board outside, getting farther and farther away. After a few minutes, she gritted her teeth and opened the door to check. The corridor and the open space in front of her were empty, and there was no one else.

A godsend. Ruan Nianchu's heart turned upside down as she took a step forward.

*

The camp was big, and it took Ruan Nianchu nearly 20 minutes to get around all the way, and she almost got lost. During this period, she avoided two scouts patrolling with guns.

The foliage and branches of the jungle outside cover the sun and the sky. Large amounts of sunlight are blocked by lush, green vegetation, while birds and insects are chirping in the background.

Ruan Nianchu ran in without looking back.

She had never been to this place before, and naturally she didn't know the way, so she could only walk aimlessly. Suddenly her calf became caught on something, she frowned and looked down. She accidentally tripped over a thorn.

Ruan Nianchu didn't stop, he continued through the pain.

However, at this moment, a cold voice sounded behind her, deep and extremely low in tone, “There is still half a meter before you enter the minefield. If you take another step, no one will be able to save you."

“..." Ruan Nianchu's eyes jumped. Chinese, the Chinese characters are correct. She turned her head, and saw a tall figure against the light, lazily leaning on the trunk of a tree, staring at her with uncertain eyes.

Her surprise was instantly overshadowed the panic, she hesitated and asked suspiciously, “… you can speak Chinese?” No, his Chinese pronunciation is too standard, so he blurted out: “Are you Chinese?”

"It doesn't matter who I am."

Li Teng was very calm, "The important thing is, only by following me can you survive."