What to Do After Being Transported into a Mature-Themed Novel and Caught in a Storm of Passion - Chapter 104

Country T’s military had violently suppressed the protests, leaving many dead or wounded in its wake. Public fury swelled like a storm, plunging the nation into chaos. Yet inside the sealed warehouse, an unexpected calm lingered between the two captives.

“Here—mix these two paints,” Pu Feide instructed, his voice steady despite the circumstances. “When it dries, it becomes a bright gold. See how it looks wet first?” He tilted the palette toward Xue Zhixiao, but the dim light swallowed the pigment’s true luster. “A shame the lighting is so poor. You’d see the color better otherwise.”

Xue Zhixiao glanced around at the warehouse’s shadowed corners, her gaze briefly catching on the thin sliver of light seeping through the food delivery slot. She shrugged it off and turned back to him, dipping her brush into the paint as he guided her. Despite five days in captivity—first in the mine, now here—and his untreated gunshot wound, Pu Feide showed no trace of panic. His beard had grown in, and blood loss had paled his complexion, but his movements remained deliberate, his explanations crisp and patient as he taught her the art of painting Buddha statues.

Xue Zhixiao found herself mesmerized. The way his fingers adjusted her grip on the brush, the quiet humor threading his words, even the focused furrow of his brow—it all made the outside world fade. For a moment, she forgot the danger, the political storm brewing beyond these walls.

Then the food slot screeched open.

Harsh white light flooded the space, and Pu Feide reacted instantly, shoving Xue Zhixiao behind him as he squinted at the silhouettes framed in the doorway. Two figures struggled against each other, one seemingly restraining the other. A low whistle pierced the air, followed by a voice like grinding gravel.

“Well, well. Didn’t expect a little beauty in here.”

“Brother Zusu, I told you! They’re really here! Just three days of watching them, then I get paid—I’ll give it all to you, I swear!”

The spotlight swung directly into their faces. Pu Feide’s eyes burned, his vision swimming with afterimages as he turned away. Beside him, Xue Zhixiao gasped, her hands flying up to shield her sight.

“Brother Zusu, please—don’t hit me again! Two more days, and the money’s yours! If you break my legs now, how can I—” The plea dissolved into screams as flesh struck flesh, the sound wet and brutal.

Pu Feide blinked hard, forcing his vision to clear. Before he could assess the scene, Xue Zhixiao’s shriek tore through the warehouse.

“Feide! FEIDE!”

Her cry was raw with terror. Someone had yanked her arm, dragging her toward the light. Pu Feide lunged for her, but two pairs of hands seized him from behind, their grip vise-tight. The man clutching Xue Zhixiao leered, his breath reeking of stale liquor as he sneered, “Let us have some fun with her first. Consider it interest on the debt.” His fingers dug into her waist, his laugh a guttural rasp. “Look at those curves—soft as fresh dough. Heh. Perfect for kneading.”