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What should she do? Resist? How could she, a “deaf-mute,” possibly fight back? Even if she weren’t deaf and mute, how could a woman’s strength possibly match that of a grown man?

Moreover, this man was not ordinary. His fluent Japanese and the sharp look in his eyes as he tested her filled her with an inexplicable sense of dread.

Xu Feng said nothing further, standing silently.

In the darkness, he resembled a dormant beast, exuding an aura of unknown danger.

Time ticked by slowly, each second stretching into an eternity for Kobayashi Yukiko.

At last, Xu Feng moved.

His steady footsteps echoed clearly in the still room as he approached her, measured and calm.

Instinctively, Kobayashi Yukiko wanted to retreat, but her feet felt as if weighed down by lead, unable to move.

Xu Feng stopped before her; the faint scent of tobacco and the rugged masculinity of his breath brushed against her forehead and hair.

She could even feel the heat radiating from his body.

Desperately, she closed her eyes, long lashes trembling, her body uncontrollably shaking.

Enough—life was more important than chastity.

If sacrificing her purity meant a chance to survive, perhaps... there was no other choice.

All she wished for now was to live and find her lost family.

A rough yet warm hand gently grasped her wrist.

Kobayashi Yukiko shuddered as if burned but did not struggle.

Xu Feng pulled her toward a simple wooden bed in the inner room.

“Get on,” Xu Feng’s voice was still calm, betraying no emotion.

Biting her lip, Kobayashi Yukiko silently climbed onto the bed.

The straw was prickly, and the worn quilt emitted a faint musty smell, mixed with sunlight and soapberry scents.

She curled up in the corner, trying to keep as far from Xu Feng as possible.

He climbed onto the bed as well. The wooden planks creaked under his weight.

His tall frame cast an invisible pressure over her. She could feel his presence beside her, his breath audible.

Her tension made it nearly impossible to breathe.

Xu Feng turned to face her. In the darkness, his eyes seemed extraordinarily bright.

He reached out, seemingly to touch her cheek.

Kobayashi Yukiko flinched sharply but forced herself to relax, allowing his hand to rest on her shoulder.

Then the hand began to move downward, unfastening the first button of her cotton jacket.

Her body stiffened, a chill spreading through her core.

She could feel herself trembling—not from cold, but from fear and humiliation.

Yet she did not resist or utter a sound, silently enduring it.

She knew resistance would only bring worse consequences.

Xu Feng’s movements were slow, as if savoring the unwrapping of a gift.

His fingers brushed her skin accidentally, sending shivers through her.

Button after button came undone.

Just as Xu Feng’s hand was about to undo the ties of her undergarment, he suddenly stopped.

Kobayashi Yukiko blinked in surprise; in the darkness she could not discern his expression, only sense his hesitation.

Xu Feng felt a stirring inside himself as well.

Though this Japanese woman was slight, her figure was delicate and, even through clothing, he could feel her softness.

Moreover, once cleaned up, her face would surely be dangerously beautiful.

As a normal man, it was impossible for him to have no thoughts—especially in such a lonely, quiet night with only the two of them.

But he was not a beast ruled by lust.

Her identity was far too suspicious.

Kobayashi Yukiko—her name and those unique eyes—he could not let go of the doubt.

Until he fully understood her background, he could neither touch nor trust her.

If she truly were a hidden female spy, his rashness might cost him his life.

Besides, he bore an indelible hatred for the Japanese.

The images of fallen comrades in the Anti-Japanese United Army often haunted his mind.

“Hah,” Xu Feng chuckled low, a tone both self-mocking and tinged with something hard to define.

He withdrew his hand and swung his legs off the bed.

Kobayashi Yukiko was stunned, utterly confused.

He was giving up just like that? Why? She had already braced for the worst.

Xu Feng moved to the corner where straw was piled.

After rustling about, he lay down directly on the cold floor, using the straw as a simple cushion.

“Sleep,” Xu Feng’s voice came from the corner, weary.

Kobayashi Yukiko remained curled on the bed, her mind a tangled mess.

What did this man really want?

He had brought her here, spoken of “entering the bridal chamber,” even begun to undress her, only to stop at the last moment.

Her confusion and incomprehension deepened.

She quietly turned her head toward the corner.

In the darkness, only a vague silhouette was visible.

This man was unlike any she had ever met.

Rough and domineering, yet seemingly bound by some limit and restraint.

He was enveloped in mystery.

That night, Kobayashi Yukiko hardly slept.

She was grateful to have escaped harm but felt a growing wariness toward Xu Feng, mixed with an indescribable curiosity.

She sensed he too was not fully at rest, his steady breathing laced with vigilance.

Outside, the wind gradually softened, and the sky faintly brightened with dawn’s first light.

How would the new day begin?

She did not know, but she understood that beside this man, she must be even more cautious.

[Notification! Affection level changed: Kobayashi Yukiko, current affection: -8 (Wary)]

In Xu Feng’s mind, the system’s prompt quietly chimed.

From -10 to -8—still negative but a slight improvement.

A faint curve appeared at the corner of Xu Feng’s lips.

It seemed his “restraint” last night had some effect after all.

This Japanese woman was indeed no ordinary person.

...

At the break of dawn, Xu Feng awoke—or rather, had never truly slept.

Though the straw in the corner was thick, it could not block the cold from the floor.

More importantly, with an unidentified Japanese woman in the room, he could not afford to relax.

Opening his eyes, he habitually scanned the surroundings.

Kobayashi Yukiko was still curled on the bed, seemingly asleep, her body rising and falling with her breath.

Xu Feng rose quietly and walked to the door, peeking outside through a crack.

The village was quiet in the early morning; only a few chimneys sent up wisps of smoke.

Xu Feng’s stomach growled awkwardly twice.

He frowned and rubbed his hollow belly.

Going to the stove, he looked around; there was nothing but corn porridge and steamed corn bread.

Only one day had passed since his transmigration, yet his mouth felt as if it were losing taste.

After all, he was a transmigrator. Though life hadn’t been easy before, he could still afford hearty meals of pork trotter rice.

And as part of the Soviet Army’s special training, meals of black rye bread and stewed potatoes with beef, while not luxurious, were filling and oily enough.

But now? Every day, bland soup without a trace of meat.

In these times of rebuilding, the common folk were lucky just to have enough to eat.

Meat? That was a luxury reserved for festivals and holidays.

No, he had to find a way to get some meat.

Xu Feng licked his cracked lips, a flicker of longing in his eyes.

His body needed nourishment now; how could he endure this endless diet of flavorless fare?