Mysterious Love

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She saw two shadows jumping off the boat, holding tools and digging something in the mud by the riverbank with quick movements.
Ruan Nianchu frowned suspiciously.

 

Not a fisherman?

 

While thinking, she squatted down and hid behind the waist-high grass.

 

After a while, the two shadows finished their work, threw down the shovel in their hands, bent down and took out a large metal box from the pit.
Judging from the posture of the two, the box should be very heavy.

 

They loaded the boxes onto the boat.

 

A short and fat middle-aged man came out of the cabin, wearing a jacket.
He looked half bald with a fat head and big ears.
He squinted his eyes with a cigarette in his mouth, and said in Khmer, “Open it and inspect the goods first.”

 

The two men nodded their heads and pried the lid of the metal box on the ground with a screwdriver.
The fat man stepped forward to check.

 

From far away, Ruan Nianchu couldn't see what was in the box but she vaguely realized something.
It was too late to want to leave.
Then there were footsteps behind her.
Her heart tightened and before she could react, someone grabbed her neck from behind.

 

A few minutes later, Lila returned but there was no sign of Ruan Nianchu.

 

“…” She was confused, looking around and shouting: “Nianchu? Ruan Nianchu? Don’t joke with me! Where are you?” Her voice scattered in the wind but the Mekong River was calm and dark in the distance.

 

No one responded.

 

*

 

I have been kidnapped.
This was the first thought that came to Ruan Nianchu's mind after she sobered up.

 

And it turned out to be true.

 

She opened her eyes and found herself thrown on the floor of a dimly lit room.
The air was damp and salty and the room had a rotten, musty smell.
She tried to move, but both her wrists were tied behind her back, as were her legs.

 

In a few seconds, Ruan Nianchu's brain was still unable to react.
She wanted to scream, but couldn't make a sound.
Only then did she realize that her mouth was also gagged.

 

Her lips trembled and fear struck in an instant, engulfing her limbs and bones.

 

Outside the door, there was the sound of someone talking.
I don’t know what they’re talking about.
Ruan Nianchu took a deep breath and let it out, forced herself to calm down, rolled her eyes and looked around – the wooden house is very common in Cambodia, a table, a few chairs, shabby and broken  furniture, and a kerosene lamp hanging overhead.
The  moths flutter on the lampshade, casting a huge shadow, strange and frightening.

 

There is a faint sound of water.
This place should not be far from the river bank…

 

With a “bang!” the door was violently pushed open from the outside.

 

“…” Ruan Nianchu was startled and instinctively moved back, her back against the wooden wall, her clear eyes looked frightened and vigilant.

 

Three people entered the room, one of them, she recognized as the short and fat man from the fishing boat earlier.
The fat man looked at her, grinned, and said something to the other two men.

 

Seeing this man's wretched smile, Ruan Nianchu pressed against the wall, panicked and afraid.
The fat man crouched down, looked at her, and touched her face with his fat, dirty left hand.

 

Ruan Nianchu was disgusted, turned her head without thinking, and avoided it.

 

The fat man let out a loud snort, raised his eyebrows and raised his hand to slap her.
However, just a second before the slap fell, a middle-aged man in his fifties stood at the door and coughed.
The man had gray hair, a square face and a lion nose, and there was a scar from his eyebrow going across the left side of his face.

 

Seeing this, the fat man did not dare to be presumptuous anymore, he withdrew his hand, stood up, and respectfully called out with the others, “Grandpa.”

 

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, and in the next moment, he looked at Ruan Nianchu with dissatisfaction, “What's going on?”

 

The fat man said resentfully, “Grandpa, this woman saw our goods.”

 

“Didn't you say that the place is very secret and will never be discovered?”

 

The fat man was embarrassed, hesitatingly stammered, not knowing what to say.

 

Grandpa snorted coldly, bent over to sit on the chair, glanced around and frowned, “Lee is not back yet?”

 

As soon as the words came out, the sound of heavy and powerful footsteps came from outside.

 

Ruan Nianchu's body shrank into a ball.
She didn't understand a word of what these Cambodians were saying.
Only when she heard the footsteps did she turn her head subconsciously and looked at the door.

 

A pair of black boots came into view.
They were somewhat worn, stained with mud and a little dark red blood.

 

The leg that it is attached to is extraordinarily long and wrapped in black trousers, as slender and beautiful as a white poplar.
Ruan Nianchu's eyes followed, and the figure and appearance of the owner of the leg came into view little by little.

 

The man was very tall with a narrow and thin waist, broad shoulders and a straight back.
His face is thin with a very dark complexion.
His facial features are handsome and tough, the lips are thin, the nose bone is high.
The most noticeable are the deep and cold eyebrows, indifferent, but with a heavy sense of oppression, very compelling.

 

He wore a plain black T-shirt, smoking a cigarette, and exuded a powerful aura just by standing there.

 

The look he gave her was smoldering.
She gave a startled glance at him and noticed that his arms were long and strong, bronze in color, with a huge and terrifying greenish-gray dragon's tail extending down to his cuffs.

 

The actual person is not an ordinary character.
Ruan Nian's heart tightened at the beginning, and she glanced away quickly.
She noticed that when the man had entered the room, he glanced at her, his eyes were measured and unscrupulous.

 

“Grandpa.”

 

He put out his cigarette and spoke in Khmer.
But the timbre is extremely low, and the individual pronunciation is distinctive, obviously different from the other people.
Very recognizable.

 

Grandpa asked him, “How are things going?”

 

He said nonchalantly, “It's settled.”

 

Grandpa smiled and said, “You've always done a good job, I'm very relieved.” With a sweep of his eyes, he said, “If everyone were half as good as you, I wouldn't have to work so hard as an old man.”

 

Grandpa laughed and said, “You've always handled things properly, I'm very relieved.” After saying that, his eyes swept away, “If everyone is half as good as you, this old man would not have to work so hard.”

 

The fat man gritted his teeth and did not dare to refute.

 

Grandpa was obviously in a good mood, he patted Lee's shoulder and said, “You worked hard today.
If you want anything, just tell me.
If Grandpa can get it, I will give it to you.”

 

He expressionlessly glanced at the corner, lowered his eyes and lit another cigarette, “What is that?”

 

“Oh, Brother Lee, it's a little girl I caught.
A Chinese person, probably a tourist.
Tonight, I went to get the goods that Dahn gave us, right? This damned girl is sneaking around and peeping! I'll see what I do with her later,” said the fat man, grinning through his teeth.
“

 

Lee paused for a moment when he smoked, raising his eyes, “Chinese?”

 

The short fat man laughed a few times, took out a leather-covered notebook from his pocket and handed it to him, “This is what I found on her.
Look, isn't it a Chinese passport?”

 

Lee took it and squinted his eyes.
For a while, he hooked his lips inexplicably, “That's right.” After saying that, his eyes swept coldly towards the cold and dirty girl curled up in a ball. 

 

He said, “Just her.”

 

Several people in the room were stunned, not knowing why.
Grandpa frowned, “Her?”

 

“Yeah.” Lee nodded his head, his voice cold and flat, “Just her.”