Chapter 10

Ruan Nianchu’s initial determination wavered, her voice trembling slightly. “…Can I understand this statement as your admission?”

Li Teng’s lips tightened, remaining silent. He just stared at her intently, his gaze as if capable of poking holes in her face.

In a few short seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Ruan Nianchu’s mind. She furrowed her brows, leaned closer to him, and in a volume only he could hear, she asked, “Are you a police officer?”

Li Teng suddenly laughed, raised an eyebrow, “Are we filming a movie?”

“Are we?” she pressed on, staring into his eyes, attempting to find any cracks or clues. But in the next moment, he shifted his gaze away.

“No.”

“Really not?”

Li Teng picked up the lighter at hand, “Click,” the flame engulfed the cigarette in the darkness. He smoked, his tone indifferent and casual, “No.”

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Gp pssd yp bl qkdkpble prlyjkdt, Swyd Lkydnbw’p lulp vwadle ale. Fbl vwadle yoyu, pyke dsvbkdt xsal, yde pkzldvzu zyu esod sd vbl cle, qynkdt vbl kdpkel, nshlakdt bla xswvb okvb bla byde.

Wasx Nk Mldt’p rlaprlnvkhl, yzz bl nswze pll olal vbl elzknyvl pbswzelap sq vbl tkaz xshkdt pzktbvzu okvbswv y pswde.

Tl piwkdvle, vssj y ellr calyvb, yde y pryaj cwadle ekalnvzu qasx vbl xkeezl sq vbl nktyalvvl kdvs vbl cwvv.

Gqvla y xsxldv, bl nypwyzzu vbalo vbl nktyalvvl swv sq vbl okdeso, jknjle vbl cleekdt sd vbl taswde okvb bkp qssv, pxssvble kv swv, yde zyu esod. Xwvpkel vbl cyxcss-osse bswpl, vbl xssd bye akpld, yde xssdzktbv rldlvayvle kdvs vbl assx, nypvkdt y pkxrzl yde clywvkqwz tzso, nalyvkdt y wdkiwl nbyax.

Nk Mldt rwv sdl yax wdela bkp blye, byzq-nzsple bkp lulp, yde pyke, “R’x dsv y nsr. Pkpyrrskdvle?”

Mbl rlapsd sd vbl cle eked’v ydpola. Bdyczl vs bsze cynj, y psc lpnyrle, qkzzkdt vbl yka okvb y calyvb sq nsze yka.

Tl blyae kv, yde kdlmrzknyczu kaakvyvle, bkp casop qwaasole ellrzu, yde bl nyzzle bla dyxl kd y zso hsknl, “Swyd Lkydnbw.”

“Fsaau. R esd’v oydv vs vyzj aktbv dso.” Fbl prsjl okvb y dypyz vsdl vbyv bkdvle yv vlyap, vaukdt vs pswde nyzx. Gqvla pyukdt vbyv, pbl rwzzle vbl czydjlv bktbla, nshlakdt bla ldvkal blye.

She had been kidnapped for a full twenty days. During this time, this person seemed to always give her hope and then disappoint her. She became sensitive, paranoid, and her nerves on the brink of collapse. If this continued, she doubted whether she could hold on until the day she can leave here.

She was too tired and missed home too much.

At this moment, the person under the bed suddenly said something again, his voice light and soft, like the murmurs between dreams and wakefulness. He asked, “Where are you from?”

Ruan Nianchu hesitated for a few seconds before answering, “Yuncheng.”

Li Teng spoke softly, “Tell me about it.”

She remained silent for a moment, lowered the blanket, and continued, “Yuncheng is one of the most developed cities, with a large population and a prosperous economy… everything is pretty good, except for the high cost of living and relatively severe haze.”

Li Teng gazed into the night outside the window, silent. As she spoke, the vast landscapes seemed to flood into his mind one by one—south, north, towering mountains, long rivers, the gray-blue sky, and the bright yellow land. He suddenly smiled faintly. Four years had passed. Being here for so long, he had almost forgotten the colors of his hometown.

Ruan Nianchu spoke a lot. The geography, environment, climate, and local delicacies of Yuncheng—she almost mentioned everything she could think of. She thought that perhaps only those people in desperate situations could understand that the most uplifting things in the world were nothing but two.

One is fantasizing about the future, and the other is reminiscing about the past.

The moonlight outside the window was cool and clear like water. One listened, and the other spoke. Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

After reminiscing about Yuncheng, Ruan Nianchu’s mood calmed, and her tone softened: “What about you?”

“What.”

“Where are you from?”

Li Teng paused for a moment and replied, “Zhangbei.”

The name of the place was quite unfamiliar. Coupled with Ruan Nianchu’s poor geography, she thought hard for a moment but couldn’t recall where it was. So she asked again, “In the north?”

He nodded, closed his eyes, and spoke nonchalantly, “A small city. Can’t compare to where you’re from.”

Ruan Nianchu turned over in bed, looked at him, and her tone was both unexpected and expected, “It seems my guess was correct. Li Teng, you are indeed Chinese.”

He responded with an indifferent expression, “It’s late. Go to sleep.”

Ruan Nianchu asked, “Did you save me, help me because I’m your compatriot?”

Li Teng said, “Sort of.”

“Then I really have to thank you,” she sneered, adjusted herself on the bed, and in a tone that was half joking and half sarcastic, she continued, “Good intentions still exist, conscience is not lost.”

Li Teng also laughed with a casual tone, “You’re welcome.”

In tonight’s conversation, they exchanged dozens of sentences. Though not extensive, it marked a qualitative leap compared to the past. Ruan Nianchu felt that it was necessary to conclude this rare, harmonious, and calm conversation with a satisfying punctuation.

After all, this could very well be the first and last time.

So she whispered, “Goodnight.”

This time, Li Teng hesitated for a moment before replying, “Ruan Nianchu.” He unconsciously touched the waist-mounted knife, “No matter what happens tomorrow, I want you to listen to me and stay by my side.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I will protect you.” In his words, there was a calmness, as if protecting her was a matter of course.

Ruan Nianchu’s eyelashes trembled for a moment. Then, she turned away from him, closed her eyes, and said, “I understand. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Li Teng replied.

The breathing from above was steady, as if he had already fallen asleep. Of course, she didn’t know that this was the first time in his life he had said goodnight to a woman.

*

On the twenty-first day since Ruan Nianchu was kidnapped, it started raining heavily.

It was still dark when she was awakened by the sound of rain outside. Having slept late the night before, she was still sleepy but had lost the desire to sleep. She decided to get up and freshen up.

As she was about to comb her hair, the wooden door creaked open.

Ruan Nianchu turned around, and Li Teng walked in. In his hands were two large buns with missing corners, each containing several pieces of dry bread, and a boiled egg. This was their daily breakfast.

He placed the bowls on the table, looked up, pointed, and gestured for her to come over and eat.

She looked a bit surprised and asked, “Aren’t you going out?”

Li Teng, biting into a piece of bread, glanced at her, “What’s wrong?”

“Tori said that two very important guests would come today,” she sat down, picked up a boiled egg, cracked it slowly, and peeled it, “I thought you would go out to welcome them.”

He stuffed the entire piece of bread into his mouth, wiped his hands, and with an expressionless face, said, “That kid tells you everything.”

Ruan Nianchu pondered this statement for a moment, feeling that he probably wasn’t angry, so she said, “Lately, everyone here seems very nervous. I found it strange, so I asked him a few questions.”

With the egg peeled, she took a bite and found it too hot, so she held it by her mouth to blow on it.

Li Teng, turning his head as if about to say something, caught sight of her exhaling, her cheeks puffed up. The snowy-white face and the faint pink lips seemed to achieve an unprecedented harmony of two colors. Her lips were petite, slightly upturned at both ends, and there was a small pink bead in the middle of her upper lip.

Not looking for long, he shifted his gaze elsewhere and said in a deep voice, “Don’t wander around.”

“Oh,” she responded casually. He said this almost every day, and she had become accustomed to it.

Li Teng emphasized, “Stay inside. Don’t go anywhere else.”

Taking a bite of the egg, Ruan Nianchu remembered something, looked up at him, and said, “Last night, didn’t you say for me to stay by your side?”

Li Teng lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the egg yolk crumbs at the corner of her mouth. After a moment, he reached out to wipe them away.

She froze for a moment, then subconsciously moved backward.

He withdrew his hand, his cold expression unchanged, and said, “I’ll come find you when the time comes. Until then, you’re not allowed to go anywhere. Understand?”

Ruan Nianchu nodded.

After giving instructions, Li Teng got up to leave. Before stepping out, he pointed to the corner of her mouth and said, “You have egg yolk on it, wipe it off with a tissue.” After saying that, he turned around and walked out.

She frowned, “You haven’t eaten your egg.”

He walked into the rain without looking back, “It’s for you.”

Originally, Ruan Nianchu thought that today would be a day filled with tension and excitement. However, to her surprise, the daytime of this day turned out to be unbelievably calm.

Even at noon, little Tori and Aunt Xin still came to have lunch with her as usual and chatted.

After lunch, Aunt Xin went to various places in the camp to collect everyone’s bowls and chopsticks. Watching the old lady’s tottering figure, Ruan Nianchu felt a bit sorry and wanted to follow and help, but Tori stopped her.

The young man crossed his arms in front of his chest, his expression serious, and in English, he said, “Big Brother Li said you can’t wander around.”

She couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “…Is he making you watch over me?”

Tori shook his head vigorously, like a drum being beaten, “In any case, you’re not allowed to go out. Big Brother Li also said that something big is going to happen today, and the two of us must stay together.”

Ruan Nianchu couldn’t argue with him, so she could only watch Aunt Xin leave.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Little Tori thought about it and decided to teach Ruan Nianchu Khmer. She wasn’t very interested, but seeing the boy so enthusiastic, she patiently learned.

This learning session lasted until five in the afternoon. The rain had stopped, the sun was setting, and a rainbow appeared on the horizon.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.

Ruan Nianchu, puzzled, pushed open the window to look outside. She saw the gate wide open, and several off-road vehicles drove into the camp in a line. Before long, the cars stopped, and several burly men with AK47s jumped out, while two middle-aged men with a refined appearance came down from the first car.

One had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a typical Western appearance; the other wore sunglasses and a mask, covering his face completely, making it impossible to recognize him, as if a celebrity was out in public.

Ruan Nianchu frowned slightly, “Who is this?”

Tuo Li spoke in a low voice, “Might be… BOSS.”

She raised her eyebrows and saw another group of people approaching. The one leading the way was smiling and holding prayer beads; it was Tuwa. Behind him were his close bodyguards, as well as the perpetually cold-faced and cold-eyed Li Teng.

Tuwa and the two guests exchanged friendly greetings and quickly led them deeper into the camp.

The footsteps faded away.

Little Tori whispered, “So, this is the big event that Big Brother Lee mentioned.”

“…” Ruan Nianchu pondered, “Perhaps.” Just as she was about to close the window, she caught sight of Aunt Xin’s house, and the window was also open. Aunt Xin was watching the figures of the few people becoming distant, with an expressionless face.

Ruan Nianchu’s heart tightened suddenly.

Because the usually kind and gentle gaze of the old woman had turned frighteningly dark.

*

At the same time, 1000 meters above the ground, in the high-altitude airspace. The wind howled.

“Report to the Captain, all preparations are complete! Please give instructions!”

“Is there any new situation from Deputy Captain Li?”

“No!”

“Then proceed with the original plan. Notify the soldiers, perform the final check on all equipment, open the cabin door in five minutes, and prepare for the jump.”

In unison, the group responded, “Yes!”

---

Sansukini: The Cambodia arc is almost finished. It’s a pity, they changed this arc in the drama. In the drama, Nianchu was an actress, and somebody pushed her off a ship and Li Teng rescued her, but she got trapped in the Cambodian gangsters’ lair as a hostage.

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