Ten Rules to Bind Her Heart - Chapter 30
# Chapter 30: Investigation
“You mean… Miss Xia’s parents?”
Ken couldn’t stop himself from confirming.
“Mm,” Shen Yu answered through his nose.
“Is there a problem?” His cold gaze swept over Ken.
A chill ran down Ken’s spine. He immediately lowered his head.
“No problem. It’s just… what direction should we investigate? Another background check, or…”
They had already investigated her background. What else did the boss want?
“Find out where they are.”
Shen Yu took a fresh cigar from the drawer, clipped it, and lit it.
Blue flame danced in his deep pupils.
“Find out whether they’re in this region. If they are, determine whether they’re dead or alive, which compound they’re in, or which faction has detained them.”
Smoke left his lips and veiled the emotion in his eyes.
She even called for them in her dreams.
It was irritating.
Shock reverberated through Ken.
Not only had Miss Xia survived, but she had somehow convinced his ruthless boss to mobilize the intelligence network for a private matter with no strategic value.
“Boss, if we find them…” Ken ventured cautiously. “If they’re trafficking victims, should we ransom them?”
In this chaotic region, nine out of ten foreign merchants or tourists who vanished had been tricked into a compound. They were either forced to run scams or dismantled and sold for parts.
Shen Yu watched the rising smoke, his gaze unreadable.
“Find them first. Then we’ll discuss it.”
“…Yes.”
…
The rain stopped.
Xia Zhiyao’s lashes fluttered before her eyes slowly opened.
Every bone in her body ached, especially the injuries across her back, which still burned with the memory of what she had endured.
Fortunately, the fever had broken, and her head was no longer heavy and muddled.
She pushed herself up slightly, and the quilt slipped aside.
“Miss Xia, you’re awake.”
A dark-skinned maid in a longyi approached with a tray. Her gaze was respectful and never strayed.
“Mr. Shen instructed me to apply medicine when you woke.”
The words “Mr. Shen” instantly pulled Xia Zhiyao’s hazy nerves taut.
“Apply… medicine?”
“Yes. You cannot reach the injured areas yourself.”
The maid’s Mandarin was broken. She set the tray on the bedside table. Several dark brown glass bottles sat on it, releasing the cooling fragrance of herbs.
Xia Zhiyao’s face turned scarlet, color returning even to her pale lips.
The injuries were in such humiliating places, and now someone else had to see them.
“I… I can do it myself…” she tried to protest.
The maid continued, “Miss Xia, these are Mr. Shen’s instructions. Please let me do it, or I will also be punished.”
“Then… all right.”
She understood Shen Yu’s terror perfectly.
Clenching her teeth, Xia Zhiyao slowly turned and settled against the pillow on her stomach.
With trembling hands and the maid’s assistance, she lifted the silk nightgown from her waist until large patches of bruised skin were exposed.
The instant the air touched her skin, shame drove her face into the pillow.
Fortunately, the maid worked quickly. Cool ointment spread over the swollen welts, provoking a faint sting.
“Ah…” Xia Zhiyao couldn’t suppress a muffled sound.
It hurt, but the ointment worked. The burning sensation soon eased considerably.
With nothing to do but lie there and her heart still full of fear, Xia Zhiyao began to brood.
In her feverish haze the previous night, she had felt as though someone was holding her. The embrace had been hard and carried a faint scent of tobacco, yet it gave her a peculiar sense of safety.
She even remembered someone feeding her water. The hand had been rough and had not been gentle when it touched her head.
Could it have been Shen Yu?
The instant the thought appeared, Xia Zhiyao crushed it.
Impossible.
How could the murderous demon—the pervert who had beaten her into this condition—possibly have cared for her?
It must have been a fever dream.
Perhaps it was Auntie Mei. Or Dr. Anya.
It could not have been him.
Once the maid had nearly finished, Xia Zhiyao relaxed slightly and asked in a small, tentative voice, “Um… did Mr. Shen go out today?”
In her heart, she prayed desperately: Please be out. Go negotiate some business. Go anywhere, as long as you aren’t in the white house.
She was terrified of seeing him.
The maid was about to cap the medicine bottle when a low chuckle sounded from the doorway.
“Why? Miss me?”
The voice was deep and magnetic, carrying easily across the room.
Xia Zhiyao froze. It felt as though her blood had turned to ice.
She looked back in horror.
The bedroom door had opened without her noticing.
Shen Yu leaned against the frame with his arms crossed. He wore a loose black T-shirt and dark gray tactical trousers.
He appeared to be in a good mood. His lips held an ambiguous smile, and his deep black eyes rested on her without restraint.
The maid immediately gathered the bottles, dropped to her knees in a frightened salute, and started to retreat with the tray, not daring to lift her head.
“Leave,” Shen Yu said with a casual wave.
“Yes.” As though pardoned, the maid fled and closed the door behind her.
Only two people remained in the bedroom.
And Xia Zhiyao was still lying on her stomach, her nightgown pushed up and half her body bare.
The room fell deathly silent.
Her mind went blank. Shame exploded through her. Only then did she grasp how compromising her position was, like a shrimp stripped of its shell and displayed without protection before a predator.
“Ah!”
She gave a short scream and, ignoring the pain, scrambled for the quilt.
“Don’t move.”
The man spoke the two words without hurry.
His voice was quiet, but the authority in it was absolute.
Xia Zhiyao’s outstretched hand froze. Tears instantly gathered in her eyes.
She didn’t dare move. She truly didn’t.
To her, Shen Yu’s words were imperial decrees. She had already learned the consequence of defiance.
Shen Yu crossed the room in a few long strides.
The heavy thud of his military boots made Xia Zhiyao’s heart quiver.
He came straight to the bedside and sat down.
Xia Zhiyao buried her face in the pillow like an ostrich, her body trembling uncontrollably.
“What are you hiding from?”
Shen Yu deliberately pressed his rough fingertip against her.
“Last night, you clung to me and refused to let go. Now you’re awake, you want to deny it?”
An explosion went off in Xia Zhiyao’s head.
It really had been him?
The person who had held her, given her water, and let her cling to his clothes… had truly been this demon?
She raised her head in shock and met Shen Yu’s bottomless eyes.
He seemed entertained by her dazed, foolish expression.
“Anya’s ointment works well. The swelling has gone down quickly.”
Shen Yu leisurely pulled a wet wipe from the bedside table and cleaned the medicine from his fingers.
“No more fever?”
“Heal quickly.”
“In a couple of days, you’ll be ready for the next beating.”
The deliberate cruelty was meant to tease her.
Xia Zhiyao’s pupils dilated. Terror flooded over her reason.
“What?!”
Shen Yu laughed softly at the sight of her losing her wits.
