Picked up by the Protagonist of a Tormented! MC Novel

Volume 1 Chapter 15

Zeno awakens, the smell of burnt meat overwhelming him immediately. Despite the fact that the food he can smell is burnt, Zeno feels a deep hunger—he has not eaten for a long time. In addition to that, he cannot actually recall the taste of cooked food.

Xi Wei can guarantee that he will not starve to death. Unfortunately, due to their impoverished condition, he cannot afford to eat high-end things like meat or other ingredients requiring cooking.

Zeno is still confused as he opens his eyes. As soon as he realizes he is hearing a stranger’s voice, he is instantly forced wide awake. He wants to stand up, but the end result is that a sudden pain causes him to fall to the ground. Upon closer inspection, the child's soft skin at the knees and palms is torn up, and some of the wounds are filled with clinging bits of pebbles and soil. His brief flurry of movement reopens the wounds, so at the moment they are slowly oozing blood. The clothes are not completely dry, but rather damp and sticky, and very uncomfortable.

Zeno bares his teeth, then spits out a mouthful of sand. He thinks of the protagonist, hovering between life and death, and his heart fills once again with anxiety; judging by the sky the long night has passed, is Xi Wei okay?

He shakes his head and forces himself to drive out the bad thoughts striving to take root, and begins to ponder how to escape his current situation. No matter how frustrated and contrite he his, it will be useless unless he can find a remedy to his current predicament.

He had fainted the previous night after being forcibly carried away by the drunken man. He looks around and finds himself in a very broken down house with poorly sealed walls, and many puddles of stagnant water on the floor. Zeno had been thrown on a heap of firewood; the only dry place in the house.

A quarrel sounds loudly outside the house, and Zeno ignores the pain in his body screaming at him to stop in order to slowly move, step-by-step, to the door. He places his ear next to it with the intention of listening in on what is being said.

“Bob, you’re crazy, she’s dressed so well, her skin is so delicate, she’s definitely from the nobility. You kidnapped a noble!” An old voice anxiously shouted.

Another voice shouts over the one speaking, “Old George, you really are old, no wonder there's been a recent downturn. Sure she is wearing a nice dress, but anyone can see that it's not only old, but also missing both sleeves. Which aristocrat would actually wear such a thing? The clothes have clearly been given away.”

Old George cannot be dissuaded, “If, by any chance, she is a noble, we are done for!”

The drunk is impatient, “In what kind of world do you think that the baby of a nobleman is going to be running around Fenhong Street alone, at night, in the rain? %*#$&, My meat!”

Old George seems to be persuaded into silence. Zeno changes his posture, managing to rap his knee against the door, causing him to grimace in pain.

Outside, the two men seem to reach a consensus and are no longer quarrelling. The air wafting into the house brings only the burning smell of the meat on the barbecue. Waiting for other people to act is not as good as helping yourself, so Zeno begins to think about how to safely escape. Kidnapping cases are quite common in this area. This is his first experience with anything like this, and he lacks the self-confidence to manage it well.

Without giving him much time to consider, the door is opened quickly, and the drunkard from last night walks in while eating a chicken drumstick. Seeing that Zeno is awake apparently leaves him a little surprised, but he quickly rubs his hands, wears a false gentle smile, and whines, “Little sister, you woke up. There was so much rain yesterday, a person alone outside is unsafe, uncle brought you back, I hope I didn't scare you?”