Hidden Assassin 105

Under the desk lamp, a diary lay open:

October 31, 1997 *Friday* Sunny

It’s been two months since school started, and I’ve met my first stubborn opponent, Gu Jia Ming.

Aloof, arrogant, and conceited, he blindly seeks attention by being different. According to Huang Haobing, Gu Jia Ming had a childhood that went completely unnoticed. Living in a large family like the Huang’s, his parents fled due to a disgraceful incident and later passed away. He grew up in the Huang family, ignored and uncared for – there are similar examples in the Dongfang family, of course – and then he met a rebellious girl like Liu Huai Sha, so he started attracting attention in all sorts of strange and wonderful ways. I can understand the blind arrogance born from insecurity.

But understanding doesn’t mean supporting or condoning it. Since I became the class monitor of Class 1-6, I won’t allow such outrageous behavior that undermines class honor to become rampant. It’s my duty.

It’s true, he saved me once on that island, but to be a good leader, one must separate personal feelings from professional responsibilities. I’ll remember him saving my life, but that’s precisely why I need to make him see reason. No one is powerful enough to conquer the world alone, that’s why we need companions.

Yes, he played exceptionally well on the basketball court today. Even in a game that requires teamwork, he still used his individual heroics to grab everyone’s attention. But what good is individual skill, however great? He can use his skills to defeat the students in this school, but can he defeat a stronger team? A university team, a national team, an NBA team?

This is the first time I’ve cried in years, I cried because of that guy. After crying and feeling wronged, I found it quite amusing. Grandpa used to say that if my life had been a smooth ride because I was the Dongfang family’s daughter, I would have to pay the price for that smoothness later. This is a good challenge, I won’t back down, because I am Dongfang Wan.

There’s no moon tonight, so the stars are beautiful. Listening to Luo Dayou’s “Love Song 1990,” I suddenly remembered that summer in 1990.

That summer, I went to Beijing for the first time, I saw the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People, and then I went to Beidaihe to swim. I took out the photos from that time from my treasure box. I was only eight years old then, almost nine. The photo shows a thin, small girl in a red swimsuit, the lifebuoy was snatched from my brother. Grandpa asked us what our dreams were then. My brother said he wanted to be an astronaut, I said I wanted to be the President, and live in the Great Hall of the People.

My brother abandoned his dream the following year, choosing to be a painter, but my dream hasn’t changed. I wasn’t kidding.

Not giving up on something doesn’t mean you’ll succeed, but giving up means you’re destined to fail.

Gu Jia Ming, we’re not done.

…

The CD player continued playing Luo Dayou’s soulful and weathered voice, transitioning from “Love Song 1990” to “Tomorrow Will Be Better.” Under the desk lamp, the girl, fresh from a shower and wearing a light sleep dress, finished writing the last line of her diary. After reading it through once, she closed it and fastened a small golden lock. Opening a drawer, ten or more diaries were neatly arranged, old and new.

No matter what she did, she was always incredibly disciplined and organized.

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

November 2nd, Sunday.

This is Jia Ming’s second day at Xinxin Flower Shop.

The work is actually quite easy. Lingjing and Sha Sha, the two girls, are responsible for occasional watering, pruning, and the light work of guiding and selling. Jia Ming mainly delivers flowers on his motorcycle. This area is mostly a wealthy neighborhood, delivering to hotels, companies, and villas. The morning and afternoon deliveries are a bit busier, while people who come to buy flowers in the evening mostly buy them themselves and leave. Having flowers delivered is too melancholic.

When he’s not busy, he helps out a little in the store, but there’s not much to do. If it gets crowded, Jia Ming naturally has to help with customer service too. Though his looks are not as pleasing as those of Lingjing and Sha Sha, they are not frightening either. When needed, he is more eloquent than the others. Often, customers leave after paying for their flowers after a torrent of his words, only to later remember what they had intended to buy them for – did they plan to cook them?

The flower shop owner, Hu, the widow, is a very easy-going woman. Almost forty years old, she has a beautiful smile and a kind heart. The shop usually has three employees, but now that they have a temporary worker, they are following statutory holidays and letting them rest. Seeing that Jia Ming is a good motorcycle rider, in the afternoon when there’s nothing to do, she suggested that Jia Ming take Sha Sha or Lingjing out for a spin, and bring back some snacks. Her late husband left a large inheritance, so she opened the flower shop not for profit but out of pure interest. However, her affectionate and caring attitude made Jia Ming even more suspicious that she might be having an affair with Sha Sha’s father.

Of course, these are merely Jia Ming’s kind thoughts. Based on his experience, his first day of work was perfect. From finding the address he recorded to the destination, finding the person, delivering the flowers, signing for delivery, and saying thank you for your patronage, every step was simple. On Sunday afternoon, after delivering three door-to-door bouquets, his final order was at a newly built office building. It was almost 2:30 pm. He took the brand new elevator to the 7th floor and checked the sign on the glass door: “Dika Network.”

Jiang Hai City was one of the first cities in China to embrace the internet. Although it wasn’t widespread by the end of 1997, as a new industry, those who saw the potential of the internet had already started investing. In 1998, the internet started its rapid development, but it was always shrouded in a beautiful internet bubble. It looked great; some got lucky and became rich overnight, while others went bankrupt overnight. The internet bubble burst in 2000, and China’s internet entered a new phase of reflection.

When Dika Network was founded a few months ago, Jia Ming had considered applying for a job here, but since they only hired full-time staff, he gave up. Now, pushing open the door, he saw a chaotic scene in the network company. Glancing at someone’s computer screen, Jia Ming couldn’t help but chuckle. It was a coincidence that this network company had been hacked.

“Uh, hello, could you tell me which one is Ms. Li Antong?”

“Inside, second table from the left.”

When he asked the person outside, they impatiently pointed inside. Jia Ming walked over carrying the bouquet of roses. Li Antong, probably in her mid-twenties, wore narrow-rimmed glasses, her appearance was average. She was trying to restore the hacked system. Jia Ming watched for a while, then said, “Ms. Li Antong.”

“Hm? What is it?” She replied without turning around.

“A gentleman at our Xinxin Flower Shop chose a bouquet of roses for you. Please sign for it.”

“Throw it away.”

“Uh?”

“Throw the flowers away, sign yourself, you can leave.”

“Uh, but…” Jia Ming shrugged, “That’s against our flower shop’s rules.”

“Can’t you see I’m busy?! Throw it away, I’ll pretend you already delivered it!”

“Heh.” Jia Ming smiled, “Then… I’ll wait here for a bit.”

Li Antong frowned, seemingly not hearing him. Her fingers danced on the keyboard. Jia Ming looked at the screen, occasionally turning to look at other people’s computers, and couldn’t help but smile. It seemed like he had some time to spare.

Partly because he had nothing else to do, and partly because he genuinely wanted to see what the current state of these internet companies was, Jia Ming stood there holding the flowers, somewhat interested. Everyone in the network company was busy, nobody paid him any attention. At one point, Jia Ming felt a sudden tightness in his chest, subtly shifting his gaze to the side. The blinds of the inner office had been slightly raised, and the person inside was looking at him.

The peeking wasn’t professional, not an enemy, but his gaze was definitely on him. Those eyes… did he recognize them?

He pretended to be casual, turning his body several times, looking at the data on everyone’s computers. After a while, he confirmed the identity of the person peeking inside, feeling a strange mix of emotions. What was he supposed to say? It was quite the coincidence…

It wasn’t anyone he needed to worry about, so he didn’t bother avoiding them. Standing in front of the desk for about half an hour, he frowned, feeling bored. He thought back to the combination cabinet he had seen with Sha Sha the day before. Though a combination cabinet would look strange in the room if everything else wasn’t beautiful, still…

“Hey, could you please get me a glass of water, thanks.”

“Uh… uh? Oh.”

Seeing Li Antong hand him the glass of water without looking at him, Jia Ming couldn’t help but smile. He took the roses and went to pour himself some water. Li Antong thanked him, her frown seeming even deeper. Jia Ming shook his head, his eyes fixed on the person peeking from the office. The blinds, which had been slightly raised, immediately fell down as if they were committing a crime. Looking back at the computer screen, Jia Ming spoke.

“Actually… you’ve been wrong from the start. If you keep going like this, you’ll be busy until late tonight and you won’t be able to sign for me. Sigh… the opponent’s intrusion method is quite special, you haven’t grasped the key point. You need to…”

He spoke in a tone similar to “You guys are terrible,” and Li Antong’s fingers paused in mid-air. Seemingly grasping the key point, she operated for a few minutes, then stopped and turned to Jia Ming, “Then… what about here?”

Sighing, Jia Ming put the bouquet and feedback card down in front of her, then motioned for her to stand up, “Forget it, just sign here, I’ll take care of the rest…”

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