Outside, the rain was still falling in a steady drizzle, striking the thatched roof of the melon shed with a dull thudding sound.
Su Wan’s body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
Hearing Zhang Guihua’s voice—like that of a vengeful ghost demanding a life—she instinctively shrank back.
Her spine pressed against a pair of scorching, hard muscles.
It was Lei Deshui.
The man who had just moments ago torn into her like a beast had now become her only shield.
She had no time to feel shame. Both hands clutched tightly onto Lei Deshui’s forearm, her nails almost digging into his flesh.
“Don’t… don’t let them in…”
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, carrying deep, bone-chilling fear.
Lei Deshui lowered his head.
In his arms, the woman was curled into a ball. The pale, glowing skin of her shoulders was covered in purple bruises—marks he had left just moments ago.
Those peach-blossom eyes that were always moist with tears were now filled with terror, as if they might shatter in the next second.
This sight inexplicably dulled the violent fire in Lei Deshui’s chest, replacing it with an unfamiliar urge—to shield her under his wings.
Any man would hate to see his own woman this frightened.
Even if this woman had only been with him for less than half an hour.
“Scared of shit,” Lei Deshui cursed gruffly.
He released the hand holding his cigarette and crushed the butt against the edge of the wooden bed, extinguishing it with a sizzle.
Then he grabbed the torn cotton blanket that had been kicked to the side by Su Wan.
The blanket was as stiff as a board, carrying a stale smell of sweat and mildew.
But wrapped around her at this moment, it made Su Wan feel incomparably safe.
Lei Deshui wrapped her up tightly—so tightly that not even a strand of hair showed—like he was wrapping up some priceless treasure.
Though his rough movements nearly twisted her neck.
“If you don’t want to die, shut your mouth tight. Not a sound,” he growled in her ear, his breath hot against her earlobe, making her flinch.
In the darkness of the blanket, Su Wan nodded desperately, not daring to breathe loudly.
Lei Deshui straightened up and stepped barefoot onto the wooden floor.
Every step made the melon shed creak.
He casually picked up the hunting knife still covered in wood shavings, weighing it in his hand.
His gaze turned instantly sinister, like a black bear awakened from hibernation.
He walked to the door and kicked out hard.
“Bang—!”
The large wooden bucket used to catch rainwater was sent flying, rolling down the ladder and crashing loudly into the silent night.
The shouting outside abruptly stopped.
Several flashlight beams shook in panic before converging on the entrance of the shed.
Lei Deshui stood there shirtless. His muscular frame gleamed under the light, the centipede-like scar on his left arm especially horrifying.
He stood there wide-legged at the doorway, the hunting knife in his hand still dripping water.
“Which blind bastard stepped on my melons?” he said coldly.
Though his voice wasn’t loud, it carried a bone-chilling pressure.
By the melon field, Zhang Guihua’s hand holding the flashlight trembled.
The beam landed on Lei Deshui’s face—his eyes were vicious, as if ready to devour someone.
She swallowed hard, her earlier arrogance from coming to catch a scandal instantly halved.
Everyone in the surrounding villages knew what kind of man Lei Deshui was.
Back when fighting over irrigation water, he had once taken a shovel and split someone’s head open.
A man who had been to prison carried a certain ferocity.
Behind Zhang Guihua, Wang Dajun was even more cowardly, shrunk like a quail.
He hunched his neck, holding a wooden stick, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
That was Lei Deshui.
Not to mention fighting him—just one glare was enough to make Wang Dajun’s legs go weak.
“L-Lei brother… still awake?” Zhang Guihua forced out a stiff smile, her wrinkled face looking ridiculous under the flashlight.
“Cut the crap,” Lei Deshui didn’t buy it at all.
He casually spun the hunting knife in his hand, the tip pointing straight at Zhang Guihua’s nose.
“So many people coming in the middle of the night to break into my land—what, bullying me because I’m alone?”
“N-no, no, how could that be!” Zhang Guihua waved her hands frantically, terrified the knife might fly at her next second.
“This is what happened. My useless daughter-in-law ran away. We thought the mountain road behind here is slippery, so we were afraid she might have fallen into some ditch somewhere, that’s why we came looking all the way here.”
Zhang Guihua spoke while sneakily glancing toward the inside of the melon shed.
Although she couldn’t see clearly, the lingering suggestive atmosphere—someone experienced like her could tell at a whiff that something was off.
But Lei Deshui was someone she couldn’t afford to provoke.
“Brother Lei… have you seen a woman pass by?” Wang Dajun also mustered up the courage to ask, his voice trembling like a sieve.
Lei Deshui let out a cold laugh.
He stepped forward, his tall figure directly blocking everyone’s line of sight.
“A woman?”
He spat fiercely onto the ground, the saliva landing right in front of Wang Dajun’s toes.
“I only have blood-sucking mosquitoes here. Want to catch a couple and take them back?”
Wang Dajun jumped back in fear, almost stepping into a muddy pit.
“Get lost!”
Lei Deshui suddenly raised his voice and roared.
“One more step forward and I’ll chop you all up like melons! Get the hell away from here!”
The shout carried thick aggression and killing intent.
Combined with his muscular build and the sharp blade in his hand, it was extremely intimidating.
Zhang Guihua’s heart skipped a beat—she no longer dared to ask more.
If they really provoked this living devil, not only would they fail to find Su Wan tonight, they might not even make it home in one piece.
“Go, go, go! Hurry up and leave!”
Zhang Guihua grabbed Wang Dajun’s arm and fled like they were being chased by ghosts.
The relatives who came with them ran even faster than rabbits.
In the blink of an eye, the edge of the melon field was empty.
Only the sound of rain hitting leaves remained.
Lei Deshui stood at the doorway, watching the fleeing flashlight beams disappear into the woods, and cursed under his breath, “A bunch of cowards.”
He turned back into the melon shed.
Inside the blanket, Su Wan finally felt the tension in her body collapse as the outside noise completely disappeared.
Tears began to flow again uncontrollably.
Three years.
For three years, she had worked like a beast of burden in the Wang family, enduring contempt and beatings.
Every time she was bullied, she hoped that her so-called husband would stand up for her.
But Wang Dajun would always just hide in a corner smoking, or join his mother in scolding her.
And today—
On this stormy night,
in this crude, filthy melon shed,
it was actually a man who had just violated her who stood at the door with a knife, protecting her from those wolves and tigers.
What was this?
Su Wan bit her lip, her emotions in chaos.
Did she hate him?
Of course she did.
But in that moment, she actually felt a long-lost sense of safety from this bandit-like man.
“Enough, stop pretending to be dead.”
The man’s impatient voice came from above.
The blanket was suddenly yanked away.
Cold air rushed in, making Su Wan shiver.
Lei Deshui casually grabbed a dark shirt hanging by the bed—it was what he usually wore for work, still stained with dirt.
“Put it on.”
He threw the shirt onto her, his tone rough and blunt.
“I’m taking you back.”
Those words struck like thunder, instantly shattering the fragile sense of safety she had just felt.
She suddenly looked up, her pale face full of disbelief.
“I won’t go back!”
Su Wan screamed, her voice sharp with fear.
She clutched the edge of the blanket tightly, as if it were her last lifeline.
“I won’t go back… if I go back, I’ll die! They’ll beat me to death! Please… don’t send me back…”