Hidden Assassin 104

“You touch the ball once, I’ll score once.”

Ever since he started playing basketball, Dai Zhiqiang had probably never heard anyone speak to him like that. For a starting player on a team, the opponent’s words were akin to forbidding him from touching the ball – an immense act of disdain and humiliation!

Jia Ming didn’t expect a reaction. He kept his hands in his pockets and slowly walked back. Dongfang Wan and Huang Haobing were stunned for a while before they came back to their senses amidst the cheers of the crowd. They thought this guy had suddenly gotten smart. Dongfang Wan shouted from the sidelines, “Gu Jiaming, play beautifully! Keep it up!” Huang Haobing patted Jia Ming’s shoulder with a smile, “You did well.” The other three teammates also started laughing, their fighting spirit high. The speed and skill Jia Ming had displayed in his series of actions had truly surpassed everyone else. No wonder the captain had called him to play.

Despite the praise, Jia Ming didn’t seem to feel much joy. He kept his hands in his pockets and continued to “run positions” like a ghost on the court. Dongfang Wan’s excitement, which had just been ignited, dwindled again. This guy was clearly mocking her. But it was fine. As long as he played well…

Before she could finish that thought, one of the teammates had already snatched the ball from the opponent. Seeing Jia Ming’s position was a bit eerie, with basically no one guarding him, he excitedly shouted, “Gu Jiaming!” and passed the ball to him. And then…

Seeing the basketball flying towards him, Jia Ming moved his body to the side. The pass, which had originally been well-executed, flew out of bounds, almost hitting a spectator. Huang Haobing, who was about to initiate a fast break, had only taken two steps before awkwardly stopping. Dongfang Wan’s lips twitched a few times, “Gu Jiaming, what are you trying to do!”

“Sorry,” Jia Ming pulled his hand out of his pocket and spread it innocently, “Didn’t catch it… I told you I wouldn’t play…”

If it weren’t for Jia Ming’s previous attack, the other players would have probably rushed over to fight him. Though the players from Class Seven were also somewhat confused, one of them quickly passed the ball from the outside, “Leader, fast break!”

Dai Zhiqiang caught the ball, twisted his body, and started his attack. And then…

A swift interception, a precise steal, a sprint, dribbling past opponents, dribbling past more, another, three steps to the basket, right hand to left, chaos under the basket, the ball went in…

Jia Ming walked back, hands in his pockets.

For the next ten minutes, the entire court became somewhat bizarre. Nearly everyone’s gaze was fixed on this guy who was leisurely drifting across the court. He didn’t catch teammate passes, didn’t assist in defense, but whenever someone passed the ball to Dai Zhiqiang, he would immediately act, completely shutting down Dai Zhiqiang, seemingly unable to be fooled by any fake moves or dribbling. Stealing the ball, attacking, and scoring – completely relying on himself.

Within those ten minutes, Dai Zhiqiang stubbornly got the ball seven times, was blocked twice, stole the ball five times. Jia Ming scored a total of seventeen points. This pattern repeated several times. Even a fool could see that Jia Ming was deliberately targeting the poor guy, Dai Zhiqiang. Among the Class Seven students, many knew that Dai Zhiqiang had a soft spot for Sha Sha. Combining this with Jia Ming’s intimate attitude towards Sha Sha earlier, Dai Zhiqiang’s collision, and all these things, it became exceptionally clear.

For a time, the girls in Class Seven pointed at Jia Ming, whispering among themselves. In any case, if Jia Ming’s performance at this moment were to be infused with romantic elements, then his extreme individualism would become incredibly romantic in the hearts of the girls. Dai Zhiqiang’s face flushed red. After those seven incidents, his teammates didn’t even dare pass the ball to him anymore. Then, a very strange pass came from a player in Class Six who was deliberately messing around.

No matter what, he was still a decent player. Not wanting to be defeated by this shadow, he caught the ball, turned, and started attacking with effort. Soon, Jia Ming rushed over and stood in front of him. They locked in a standoff for two seconds, then Jia Ming suddenly slapped the ball out of his hands. The Class Seven players quickly returned to defense. Huang Haobing and the others were smiling, ready to see Jia Ming attack. However, what happened next was quite bizarre.

Jia Ming dribbled the ball twice, turned around, and shot a three-pointer, sinking the ball into his own basket.

“Ok, ten minutes is up. I have something else to do.” Jia Ming glanced at his watch and waved to the bewildered players, “Have fun.” Then, without going through any procedures like calling for a stop or substitution, he walked off the court. By the sidelines, Dongfang Wan glared at him, “Gu Jiaming, you did that on purpose!”

“Of course, I did it on purpose.” Jia Ming chuckled, “I hate it when people force me to do things. Well, it’s not like there’s anything wrong with you not letting people skip class, but I did ask for leave, and I truly have more important reasons than going to school. You’re a very capable class monitor, but please understand, I’ve followed the school’s regulations.”

“Humph, what reasons do you have! Say it!”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you.”

“I think you’re just making excuses!” Seeing that Jia Ming was walking further away, she shouted, “Gu Jiaming, I won’t give up! We’re not done!”

This shout drew nearly everyone’s attention. Jia Ming turned back helplessly, scanned the surroundings, and finally sighed, “Sorry, but I really can’t accept you. We can’t be together.”

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked away. Immediately, all the spectators directed their bewildered gazes at Dongfang Wan. After a moment, Dongfang Wan, whose face had flushed red, sniffed, and the first tear of grievance finally escaped from her eyes…

************************************************

Making girls cry, a behavior considered a grave sin by many men, didn’t carry any guilt for Jia Ming. After all, besides Lingjing, Sha Sha, and others he valued, everyone else was essentially the same. If you want to play, he’ll just play with you.

After leaving school, he headed straight for the supermarket. When he found Sha Sha in the home goods section, the girl was squatting in front of a beautiful set of cabinets, looking them over. Her little cart was already filled with items she’d chosen. When she saw Jia Ming arrive, she affectionately linked her arm with his, “Look, look, it’s only a little over eight thousand! It’s been discounted a lot, right? I really want to buy it…”

“Last time it was over nine thousand…” Gazing at her hopeful expression, Jia Ming laughed, “Then buy it. We have enough money anyway. Didn’t you and Lingjing look at this set for a long time?”

“Nah, don’t.” Sha Sha giggled sweetly and then shook her head, “I just want to imagine it. Maybe they’ll give an even bigger discount later. Lingjing and I have already decided. We’ll buy a computer for you first. We’ll go see the configuration in a few days.”

“We should buy a water heater first. The weather’s getting colder. You and Lingjing will find it chilly when you shower in a while. Oh, I remember you like this canned food…”

“Lingjing and I already found a water heater in the second-hand market. It’s eight-tenths new, and very cheap… This canned food is expensive. Just buy one.”

The two of them pushed the cart through the supermarket, occasionally picking up things Lingjing and Sha Sha liked to eat and adding them to the cart. Jia Ming would then let Sha Sha choose which ones to keep. Naturally, there were times when Jia Ming insisted on buying a few extra things, and Sha Sha would roll her eyes with a smile, teasing him for being wasteful. As they walked, Sha Sha laughed, “Jia Ming, do you think Lingjing and I are childish? We actually know that you could probably make a lot of money from other places, but we just want to be silly and live our lives.”

“No, I like it this way. It’s just that… Lingjing already found a job, and I still don’t know where to go and make some extra cash. Uh, I’m a little depressed. I wish the internet were more developed. I told you my computer is amazing. I can be a network security expert, at least…”

“Humph, I forbid you from making money doing anything related to assassins. Otherwise, Lingjing and I will die for you…” Sha Sha wrinkled her nose – perhaps people become more similar after getting close. This was a trick that Lingjing often used to appear cute, and now Sha Sha doing it was also incredibly adorable. “By the way, tomorrow and the day after are the weekend. Let’s go sell flowers.”

“Sell flowers?”

“Yeah, the big Xinxin Flower Shop next to school. The owner used to have a shop in the area my dad controlled. My dad took good care of him. When I passed by, I saw a “help wanted” ad outside. I went inside and asked. The owner’s wife said they needed help on weekends too. The three of us can go help. It’s not a lot of money, but they have a motorcycle. You can ride it out to deliver flowers. I told the owner’s wife, I’ll ask you first and give her the answer. What do you think, Jia Ming?”

The owner of Xinxin Flower Shop was a widow named Hu. Jia Ming knew her. She was said to be very close to Sha Sha’s father. They would often greet each other warmly at the school gate. Jia Ming secretly thought that she and Sha Sha’s father probably had some kind of affair. Of course, he wouldn’t discuss this kind of joke with Sha Sha. He nodded with a smile, “Okay.”

So, the next day, Gu Jiaming, who had once forced the world’s number one assassin to retreat, started his first legitimate job. He wore the slightly fluffy uniform of Xinxin Flower Shop and began his leisurely life as a flower delivery worker.

However, a series of events that unfolded later would leave many people in Jiang Hai City unable to enjoy their leisurely lives…

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter