Chapter Ten: Painting a Butterfly on Your Bottom

As soon as Xue Tian'ai finished speaking, he felt a gaze filled with murderous intent lock onto him. The chill that swept over his entire body made him freeze, and, driven by instinct, he quickly glanced in the direction of that stare.

There, Shiomiya Yametsuki was still curled up, hugging her legs to her chest. If one only looked at her posture, she seemed like a frightened little girl trying to protect herself; yet her face was frosted over, her large round eyes brewing an inner storm of wind and snow.

Feeling the sudden cold radiating from her, Xue Tian'ai dared not move a muscle—he had no desire to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

“Hey, Boss,” Weiss chimed in, undeterred by the tense atmosphere and exaggerating shamelessly, “you said back there that this butterfly drawing was the ugliest thing you’d ever seen, that even someone with brain damage couldn’t have made something so hideous.”

Anyone with half a brain and the ability to observe Shiomiya Yametsuki’s unusual reaction would have guessed who those childish doodles belonged to. Weiss certainly wasn’t dumb; he was just being provocative to spice up the journey. After all, the trip from Europe to South America was long, and a bit of banter made the time pass faster.

Yet it was indeed surprising that the pretty little girl, whose hands could kill as elegantly as they could, was so atrocious at drawing.

As Weiss embellished the story, Shiomiya Yametsuki’s expression grew even colder. Sensing the air around him turning to ice, Xue Tian’ai forced out a laugh. “Weiss, did I really say that? The butterfly’s actually quite beautiful—look at those lines, so simple and tight. Just a few strokes, but they capture the butterfly’s graceful dance. And those colors—chaotic at first glance, but they perfectly convey the butterfly’s charm.”

Seeing that Shiomiya Yametsuki’s face remained unswayed, Xue Tian’ai hastily added in Japanese, “I really do love butterflies!”

A snort escaped Shiomiya Yametsuki at the sudden switch in language, the icy façade finally cracking. “Hmph, double-tongued as ever. I know my drawing isn’t great, but you can’t just call it ugly!”

With that, she raised her little fist and waved it in front of Xue Tian’ai’s face. “Say it’s ugly again, and next time I’ll draw one on your butt!”

The thought made Xue Tian’ai shudder. Good grief—if she ever did that, and he ended up in bed with another woman, only for her to discover the masterpiece on his behind... the consequences would be unthinkable.

He was certain: the legendary reputation of "Phantom Butterfly" could be destroyed overnight by a single butterfly drawn on his butt. Eager to avoid that fate, Xue Tian’ai hurried to flatter her further. “Not ugly at all! This painting is earth-shattering, soul-stirring! A masterpiece that would bring Van Gogh to tears!”

“Wow, Boss, I never thought I’d see the day—the king of flattery himself!” Owl interrupted with a squawk.

“Nonsense,” Weiss countered, “it’s not that Boss excels at flattery—he just has the thickest skin. I swear, if you peeled it off, it could stop a bullet.”

“You two must not want your bonuses this month, still daring to tease me!” Xue Tian’ai threatened.

“No, no, Boss, we’re just joking! I saw everyone getting tense, so I thought I’d lighten the mood.”

“Exactly, just a joke. As the kindest capitalist, our BOSS would never hold a grudge!”

The two of them quickly changed tune, showering Xue Tian’ai with praise. It wasn’t about the bonuses—they simply found being with Xue Tian’ai natural and enjoyable, as if all worries melted away.

This ease came from absolute trust, forged by countless life-and-death experiences together since the founding of Butterfly.

“Men’s mouths are nothing but lies,” Shiomiya Yametsuki muttered in exasperation, yet she still pouted at Xue Tian’ai.

“Once, a man saved me and promised to care for me forever, to make me happy for life,” she said mournfully. “But after sleeping with me, he ran off with another woman—and now he’s getting married.”

With that, she buried her head between her knees and let out a few symbolic sobs.

Xue Tian’ai’s eyelid twitched. “Damn, did I really say that back then? How melodramatic!” But seeing Shiomiya Yametsuki’s fake sorrow, he had to comfort her. “Come on, it’s not like I’m abandoning you. It’s the family’s arrangement—I’m just afraid of them, that’s all!”

“Hmph, hmph, hmph!” The little girl was relentless, leaving Xue Tian’ai’s head buzzing.

“Hey, Boss, there are two other men on this plane! Can you two not be so explicit?” Owl, at the controls, scolded like a nagging mother. “And Yametsuki, you should be more reserved as a girl, even if Boss is clueless.”

“Who’s clueless?” “Who’s a little girl? I’m not little at all—ask Tian’ai if you don’t believe me!”

Two irritated voices shot back in unison.

“All right, pretend I never said anything. Carry on, both of you. Even if you start going at it right now, I won’t say another word,” Owl grumbled, focusing on flying.

“There’s no point arguing with them, old cat,” Weiss said, thoroughly entertained. “But BOSS, if you two really want to, I won’t stop you!”

“Get lost! If you want to watch a live peep show, you’re out of luck. But my country’s famous for those movies—I can get you a few for research.” The girl’s shameless retort was delivered without a hint of embarrassment.

Xue Tian’ai’s mouth twitched. Damn, this girl was as bold as ever.

South America’s Country B was vast, renowned for its football, but also peculiar—a strange capitalist nation where criminal syndicates held power sometimes exceeding that of the government. When a pandemic struck, it was the gangs who ordered lockdowns, not the authorities. Government officials hid in safe zones while gangsters maintained order in the streets. To call Country B a gangster state was no exaggeration.

The president was busy lining his pockets, the gangs were running the country, and nothing was black or white anymore—it was a surreal world. Whether this was a blessing or a curse for its people was anyone’s guess.

This peculiar environment made Country B a paradise for assassin organizations, including the infamous Black Skull.

Right now, at Black Skull’s headquarters, their leader Parini was grinning lecherously at a bounty photo on his phone, unable to help but exclaim, “This Eastern chick is a real beauty, and she looks loaded, too. Too bad she’s about to lose her life—what a waste of a pretty face.”

“Boss, if you’re interested, you could have your way with her before you kill her!” suggested one of his lackeys obsequiously.

“Not bad, you’ve got some brains,” Parini chuckled. “There’s no time limit on the bounty anyway—I can play as long as I like before finishing her off.”

“Actually, Boss, you could just kidnap her. As long as the client doesn’t find out, who cares?” another lackey piped up, eager for praise.

“Sigh, you think I don’t want that? But getting the woman and the money isn’t so easy—the client this time isn’t simple. I wouldn’t dare mess around under his nose,” Parini admitted, recalling his past communications with the mysterious employer. Even though they’d only spoken a few times and the client had used a voice changer, Parini could still sense the coldness in his voice, the heavy pressure that came through the phone—it made Parini both fearful and awed.

“So there’s really nothing we can do, Boss? What a shame—everyone says Chinese women have a special allure.”

“Don’t worry. If there’s meat for me, there’ll be soup for you. Once I’m done, you all can have your turn. We’ll have our fun, get the money, and kill her when we’re satisfied,” Parini said, eyes gleaming with perverse anticipation.

“Oh! Oh! Boss, you’re the best! When do we set off?” The henchmen perked up, itching to storm China and vent their animalistic urges.

“No rush, no rush. Tomorrow we’ll set out—rest up, get your gear ready. You’ll need your strength,” Parini replied, his face alight with lewd satisfaction, as if Qin Mengxue was already his prey.

“Haha, Boss is wise!”

“Haha, Boss is the greatest! Should we bring some toys for extra fun?” The Black Skull headquarters echoed with filthy banter.

Meanwhile, back in China, Qin Mengxue slept soundly, sprawling across her wide bed, content in the tranquil night and the bed’s comfort, blissfully unaware of the danger stalking her.

At the same hour, under the cover of darkness, Butterfly’s plane slipped quietly into Country B’s airspace, heading straight for Black Skull’s headquarters.

The stage was set for a classic game of predator and prey, with one twist: Qin Mengxue, the cicada, hadn’t even arrived, and Black Skull, the mantis, was already being targeted by Butterfly, the oriole lying in wait.

“Boss, we’re almost there!” Owl called out, eyes bright as they approached their destination.

“Good. Get ready, everyone—gear up!” Xue Tian’ai, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them, and a chilling aura filled the cabin. “Let’s show this little organization what true despair really means!”