The corners of Xu Si’s eyes lifted slightly, and her voice was a bit hoarse as she scanned the area behind him. She hadn’t expected Azhen to arrive so quickly. She also hadn’t expected him to come personally, and even less so, that he would come alone.
He chuckled softly, leaning down as he gently embraced Xu Si. His fingers caught on the hemp rope behind her. With a forceful tug, SNAP! The coarse hemp rope simply broke apart.
His fingertips grazed lightly over the marks the rope had left on her arms, his voice tinged with heartache.
"You’ve been hurt. The way these people tie knots is still as lousy as ever. Later, I’ll kill them all as an apology to you."
Xu Si hadn’t paid attention to his words. Her mind was entirely captivated by the JINGLE JANGLE sound from his hands, as if a specialized shackle had been placed around her.
Before she could turn her head to confirm, he suddenly drew even closer, forcibly interrupting all her movements.
"Why has your voice gone so hoarse? Just wait a bit, and I’ll take you out to see a doctor. Don’t worry, someone will handle the situation outside."
"If it can be left to someone else, why did you come?"
"Because there’s a bomb. I was afraid you’d be frightened, so I came to be with you. What about you? How did you end up here?"
Xu Si’s lips trembled slightly, her throat parched. After a long while, she answered his question in a breathy voice, "They said you’ve been looking for them."
The air stilled for a moment.
The man cocked his head, gazing at her for a long time, his eyes scrutinizing every inch of her skull. Then, his lips parted, and he gently bit down on her delicate, vulnerable neck. The pressure was light, bringing a tingling, dull ache. His voice held a hint of an obsessive smile.
"Did I hear you right? So you came here to help me?"
"Mhm." Xu Si closed her eyes in pain. Remembering the report, she found herself somewhat tolerant of his actions. Her breathy voice was desolate as she asked, "Did I misjudge? Are they not important?"
"They are important. This is one of the strongholds I hadn’t found yet."
Xu Si’s brow smoothed, the tired muscles in her face relaxing slightly before she spoke again. "If you say they’re important, then they must be very important. So why did you bite me?"
The confinement cell’s air vents were too small, making the oxygen thin and the air a bit stuffy. A single small light bulb provided insufficient light to illuminate all the dark corners. With no wind entering, the air remained stagnant.
"Because I’m very happy."
Pei Zhen’s lips curved into a smile, his enchanting eyes upturned. He didn’t release his embrace, and his shoulders trembled slightly. His hand moved to her ear, gently stroking her hair, his voice muffled and unclear.
"Anything you do for me makes me happy. What’s more, you trust that I’ll come to protect you. Trust... that’s so rare."
"Don’t be happy just yet," Xu Si said softly, tipping her chin up. "I have a gun on my back. If anything happens later, you can use it to defend yourself."
Pei Zhen embraced her. "There won’t be any ’if anything happens.’"
His voice was very faint, almost inaudible.
Xu Si’s expression shifted subtly, her eyelashes fluttering.
She hadn’t misjudged.
Pei Zhen truly didn’t take the people outside seriously in the slightest.
The crisp sound of flowing water rang out once more. It wasn’t harsh on the ears, but it was unsettling.
For a thirsty person, listening to the sound of water was a particular form of mental torture.
Xu Si bore with it, her cheek pressed against his sharply defined profile. Lifting her head slightly, she used what little strength she had regained to speak, simply leaning her body weight onto his shoulder.
In the confined space, such close contact meant every movement was easily felt by the other.
Since Pei Zhen had entered, the rusty, medicinal smell in the confinement cell had grown much fainter.
Xu Si licked her lips, her gaze unintentionally falling on the neglected report on the floor. Suddenly, she asked, "Azhen, do you want to suck my blood?"