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The afternoon sunlight was scorching.
A gentle knock sounded at the bedroom door.
A moment later, a line of maids dressed in local clothing entered one after another. Each of them carried either an exquisite tray or an elegant gift box.
The maids were all locals with dark skin. They kept their heads lowered respectfully, walked barefoot, and moved with incredibly light steps.
The originally empty wardrobe was quickly filled.
Silk nightgowns, cotton-linen casual dresses, hand-embroidered tube skirts...
Everything was made from soft materials. There were no hard zippers or buttons. Almost all of the clothing used soft ties or traditional knot fastenings, with the focus entirely on comfort and gentleness.
The maids who entered afterward each carried five or six shoeboxes. They respectfully knelt on the floor, preparing to help Xia Zhiyao try them on.
"Ah... no, no. It's fine. I can put them on myself."
Xia Zhiyao hurriedly waved her hands in panic.
"Miss Xia, these were personally ordered by Mr. Shen. If you refuse, we will be punished."
Hearing this, Xia Zhiyao had no choice but to compromise and let them take care of everything.
The maids opened the shoeboxes one by one.
There were more than a dozen pairs in total.
Every pair was a handmade embroidered soft-soled shoe. Some had elastic openings, while others were shallow-cut styles. None had shoelaces; they were all slip-on designs.
The leather was so delicate that it felt like a baby's skin, and the soles were so soft they could almost be folded in half.
With the maids' assistance, Xia Zhiyao slipped her feet into a pair of goatskin-soled shoes.
The size was a perfect fit.
The shoes wrapped comfortably around her feet, feeling soft and warm. When she stepped onto the carpet, they made almost no sound.
But suddenly, Xia Zhiyao realized something.
These kinds of shoes...
They made it impossible to run quickly.
They were suitable for strolling inside a golden cage and walking across carpets, but they were completely unsuitable for escaping.
If she ran onto the gravel roads outside, these delicate soles would probably be destroyed before she even made it five hundred meters.
"Miss Xia, is there anything else you need?" one of the maids asked in broken Mandarin.
Xia Zhiyao quickly shook her head.
"No, thank you."
After bowing respectfully, the maids withdrew from the room.
Night fell quickly.
Rain in the Golden Triangle always arrived without warning.
At dusk, thick dark clouds covered the sky, pressing down over the entire base and filling the air with a suffocating humidity.
Xia Zhiyao remained curled up on the bay window, quietly watching the rain outside.
Click.
The bedroom door opened, and Aunt Mei entered while pushing a dining cart.
"Miss Xia, it's time for dinner."
"Tonight, we have steamed spotted grouper and coconut chicken soup. They are light and nourishing."
Aunt Mei spoke softly as she arranged the dishes on the table.
"Mr. Shen said he won't be coming back for dinner tonight, so you don't need to wait for him."
When Xia Zhiyao heard that Shen Yu would not be returning tonight, her tense body relaxed slightly.
A certain place deep inside her body was still faintly aching. All she wanted was to rest properly.
Fortunately, he was always busy, giving her some time to catch her breath.
Xia Zhiyao obediently sat down at the table and picked up her spoon.
From yesterday until now, she had experienced too many terrifying events and had exhausted both her body and mind.
She had just scooped up a spoonful of soup and brought it toward her mouth.
Bang!
A deafening explosion suddenly tore through the curtain of rain, erupting beside her ears without warning.
The spoon in Xia Zhiyao's hand froze.
Her entire body stiffened.
The peaceful atmosphere of the room instantly shattered.
Xia Zhiyao's hand trembled violently.
The porcelain spoon struck the edge of the bowl with a sharp clatter, and several drops of boiling soup splashed onto the back of her hand.
Gunshots?
Before she could react.
Bang!
Bang!
Xia Zhiyao's face turned deathly pale as she looked toward the window in terror.
Although hearing gunshots here was not unusual, for example, she could often hear them coming from the shooting range in the afternoon.
those sounds had always been distant and hollow.
But the sound just now...
It was far too close.
It sounded as if it had come from the open space behind the White Building, so clear that it felt like the shots had gone off right beside her ears.
Moreover, the steady rhythm of those single shots did not sound like training exercises.
"How... how could there be gunshots?" Xia Zhiyao asked in a trembling voice.
"Did enemies break in?"
"Miss Xia, don't be afraid. It isn't the enemy."
Aunt Mei gently tried to reassure her.
"Not the enemy? Then what is it...?"
Xia Zhiyao's eyes widened.
Could it be...?
A wave of coldness instantly spread through her entire body.
"Aunt Mei, do you know why? They... what mistake did they make?"
Xia Zhiyao hurriedly asked.
"I heard it was something like abandoning their post."
Aunt Mei spoke in an unusually calm tone.
"Mr. Shen manages things very strictly. The Black Wolf's responsibilities are clearly divided. Those people were members of the outer patrol team. Without a written order, they aren't even allowed to approach within fifty meters of the White Building."
"Was it because they got close to the White Building? Has something like this happened before?"
Xia Zhiyao asked anxiously.
"Probably..."
Aunt Mei paused before continuing, "Miss Xia, you don't need to worry. I think Mr. Shen really likes you. Look at the clothes he bought for you—the fabrics are all extremely good."
As she spoke, Aunt Mei helped arrange the clothes inside the wardrobe.
Abandoning their post.
Trespassing into a restricted area.
They sounded like such proper and reasonable excuses.
Such legitimate explanations for disciplinary punishment.
But Xia Zhiyao was not foolish.
It happened today.
And that was what frightened her the most.
A chill she had never felt before slowly spread through her heart.
What terrified her even more was, she had never told Shen Yu about what happened that afternoon.
From beginning to end, she had only met Ji Chen. Then Shen Yu dragged her back and washed her feet.
During those few short minutes, she had been so frightened that she had not dared to mention a single word about what happened.
Afterward, Ji Chen had also left the base.
So how did Shen Yu know?
And how had he known everything so clearly, even knowing exactly who was involved?
Surveillance cameras?
Informants?
Xia Zhiyao subconsciously looked around.
The camera hidden in the corner of the wall?
The gaps in the ventilation vents?
Or the watchtower outside the window?
Every single one of her movements was under that man's surveillance.
Inside this base, she had no privacy.
No secrets.
She was his personal possession.
If another man touched her, he would have to die.
Then what would happen if she herself wanted to escape?
Xia Zhiyao shuddered and did not dare continue thinking about it.
She looked at the bowl of chicken soup on the table, and suddenly her stomach cramped violently.
"Ugh..."
She rushed into the bathroom and leaned over the toilet, dry-heaving repeatedly. However, nothing came out except a sour, bitter liquid.
In the mirror, the girl's face was pale.
The corners of her eyes were red from fear and the strain of vomiting. Her eyes were filled with panic and terror.
Shen Yu.
This man was too terrifying.
Truly too terrifying.
Would he blame her for hiding what she knew?
In this tyrant's twisted logic, could even being harassed be considered a crime?
Would there come a day when she made some mistake that even she herself didn't know about, and he executed her just like those people?
If he wanted to kill her, it would be so easy that he would not even need a bullet.
Xia Zhiyao's tears silently fell.
"What's wrong, Miss Xia? Is your stomach feeling unwell?"
Aunt Mei hurried over and handed her tissues along with a cup of warm water.
Xia Zhiyao tremblingly accepted them. She wiped the corners of her mouth, but her teeth knocked against the rim of the glass, producing a faint clicking sound.
At that moment, she truly wanted to go home.