Hidden Assassin 110

# Volume 3: Cohabitation Era – Chapter 6: Azure Sky Below – Section 110: Jia Ming’s Mechanical Theory

**2013-02-08**

The morning dawned with goose-feather snow falling incessantly, blanketing the city of Jiang Hai in a pristine white. Snowplows carved paths through the blanket, only to have them quickly buried again by the falling flakes. At the entrance of Sacred Heart Academy, Ya Han’s old car was stranded in the snow, its hood popped open. Xu Mo, wielding a variety of repair tools, was engrossed in the steaming engine, showcasing his professional car repair skills. Ya Han, clad in a beige trench coat, frowned beside him, trying to dissuade him.

“Teacher Xu, please, really no need to check further. It’s an old car anyway, I’ll just call someone to tow it. No need to fix it.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m an expert in engines,” Xu Mo reassured her with a smile. “I’ll figure out what’s wrong in five minutes…no, three minutes will do.”

“Uh, okay… fine, I’ll leave it to you, Teacher Xu.”

Ya Han rolled her eyes in exasperation. Then, she donned the persona of a chaste maiden, her gaze sweeping over the students passing by, especially those driving in smoothly in their fancy cars. Anyone who dared to smile, she would remember. She would deal with them when they got to school. At this point, she regretted trying to appear simple by taking out a car on the verge of scrap from her home and even pretending to give the butler money to “buy a car.” As Jia Ming said, trying to appear cool attracts lightning strikes. Now, she had given Xu Mo another chance to get close to her.

After the events on the Xingmeng Hao cruise ship, Xu Mo had initially thought Ya Han was pregnant with Jia Ming’s child. He’d been heartbroken. But reflecting on the situation, he realized how foolish he’d been. As the daughter of the Zhang family and a returned overseas student, how could she possibly fall for a young boy? He’d clearly been out of his mind. Their relationship, no matter how you analyzed it, could only be that of siblings. Especially when time passed and Ya Han’s stomach and body remained unchanged, he grew to despise himself for being so foolish.

So in recent times, he had sincerely apologized to Ya Han for his past stupidity. He continued his “long-term plan of true love.” Since they were in the same school, he couldn’t just completely break ties. Ya Han outwardly said it was okay, that they would always be friends, but inwardly she was lamenting how he kept showing up, showing up… Oh god.

Especially this time with the car breaking down. Xu Mo, who was having breakfast outside the school, immediately rushed over. In his heart, he saw it as fate, while Ya Han internally screamed about how he was a nuisance.

After two minutes inspecting the hood, Xu Mo bent down to look at the car’s underside. Ya Han’s mouth fell open: “Uh… Teacher Xu, you’re not thinking of lying down to check, are you? It’s all snow out there… I’ll just call a tow truck.”

“No no no,” Xu Mo quickly stopped her. The ground was covered in snow, and even if he was trying to impress her, he wouldn’t really lie down under the car. He waved his hands, saying, “Just a minute, just a minute.” Ya Han watched helplessly as he rushed around, then a voice came from afar: “Teacher Zhang!”

Few people dared to greet Ya Han directly at this school. She turned her head and saw a graceful figure waving from across the road. It was Ling Jing, wrapped in a blue-grey scarf, sporting a white down jacket and red winter boots. Her rosy cheeks were captivating, the scarf, a little worn, radiating warmth. Next to her, Sha Sha, in a close-fitting black trench coat, exhaled white puffs of breath, waving her hand. Jia Ming, slightly behind, was buying breakfast. He looked over at the busy Xu Mo, his gaze playful.

“Ya Han Jie, did your car break down?” Reaching them, they naturally switched to a more informal address. Ya Han shrugged helplessly, “Yeah, it just stalled suddenly, scared me. Almost hit someone. It’s too old. I have to get a new one.”

“Yes, yes, definitely need a new one,” Ling Jing and Sha Sha crowded in to look at the engine, and Jia Ming, walking up, smiled, “The engine is old, the fuel tank is old, the spark plugs are old, the brakes, the clutch, even the air conditioner is old. I’d bet you haven’t even bothered to maintain this car since you started using it. Poor car… You should sell it to me, I just have a few thousand saved up.”

“Go to hell, you think a few thousand buys a car,” Ya Han retorted, unable to help but laugh at Jia Ming’s eager expression. “It’s just that I never bothered to maintain it. Before, it was always the butlers who took it for maintenance. I didn’t have time.”

“Cut it out, you’re just lazy…”

They exchanged a roll of the eyes, then Ya Han lowered her voice, “Hey, you know how to fix it, don’t you? If you do, help me out.”

“Such a poisonous woman’s heart,” Jia Ming muttered in disdain. “He’s trying so hard to fix it, and you want to use this to get at him. Besides, I’m a kid, you don’t really think he’d be jealous of me over this…”

“I don’t care about him, just keep trying to make him feel inferior, until he’s too embarrassed to show up around me… Haha. Teacher Xu, are you done?”

Seeing Xu Mo turn around, Ya Han’s expression changed as quickly as a June thunderstorm, transitioning from stormy to clear skies. This rare, bright smile undeniably made Xu Mo feel ashamed. He waved his hand, “Uh, it’s not a minor problem, I think the gearbox is messed up, or the torque converter clutch is separating, also, the spark plugs are probably faulty. This car’s so old, I’m afraid you really have to call a tow truck…”

His words hung in the air, his expression awkward. Ya Han, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care. She patted Jia Ming’s shoulder: “Alright, let’s call a tow truck… By the way, Jia Ming, weren’t you saying you might have a solution?”

“Uh, I was just joking,” Jia Ming replied innocently.

“Never mind, never mind, it’s a broken car anyway, let’s try, let’s try.”

Ya Han urged Jia Ming to take action, Xu Mo’s face was a picture of awkwardness. He thought to himself, “I can’t even fix it, and you want a kid to try it?” Beside them, Sha Sha laughed, “No, Jia Ming, you know how to fix cars?”

“No, but fixing machines is all about experience,” Jia Ming shrugged. “Remember that old television at Ling Jing’s house? When it had those streaks, you just had to knock it. Then more streaks, then knock again. Didn’t a great man once say, machines are things you kick hard, and they get better. Cars and TVs probably work the same, haha…”

Idiot…

Seeing him act like a fool, Xu Mo rolled his eyes. Ya Han’s mouth gaped open, while Ling Jing and Sha Sha couldn’t stop laughing. Jia Ming picked up a brick from the roadside. Both girls thought he was just messing around and rushed to stop him: “Hey hey, don’t! It’s a car, you can’t afford to pay for it if you smash it.” A moment later, under the stunned stares of passersby, Jia Ming used the brick to “boom boom boom” on the engine and other parts, then with a satisfied smile, he said, “Alright, try starting it.”

Though she thought it was pure mischief, Ya Han hesitated before getting into the car. Xu Mo watched this farce with a cold gaze, but since the student was Ya Han’s brother, he couldn’t show his disdain. He opened his mouth to exhale a puff of hot air. Suddenly, the old car whirred to life, drove smoothly for a while, then reversed. Xu Mo’s open mouth wouldn’t close for a long time. A while later, Jia Ming and the others, laughing merrily, got into the car. Ya Han poked her head out of the driver’s seat: “There’s still room in the back, Teacher Xu, do you want to come in?”

“Uh, uh… no, I… I haven’t finished my breakfast yet.”

“Oh, then thanks, see you later.”

The car crunched through the snow, leaving Xu Mo far behind. A while later, Ya Han’s muffled laughter came from the car: “Haha… I bet his breakfast is frozen solid by now, hahahaha…”

The witch’s laughter echoed, marking the start of another day.

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

The snow gradually eased in the afternoon. A few students were writing and drawing on the bulletin board outside the teaching area. Ling Jing stood on a chair, occasionally blowing hot air on her hands, then used chalk and a ruler to draw the frame and pattern for the display. A moment later, a girl next to her exclaimed, “Wow, Ling Jing, you draw so beautifully.”

“Heh, thank you.”

“By the way, Ling Jing, you sing and dance so well, and you play the piano too, and you’re such an excellent organizer. Why won’t you join our student council?”

“Heh, actually, I don’t know much about singing or dancing. I’ve never learned. The dancing I did as a child was just following the teacher’s moves. I don’t even know the basic dance steps at balls. Besides, I have lots of other things to do. If I join the student council, I’d lose a lot of time.”

“But you’re already helping us with this.” The girl smiled, then lowered her voice, somewhat gossipy, “Ling Jing, be honest, do you have a boyfriend?”

Ling Jing’s face flushed, and after a long moment, she nodded, “Yes.”

“Who is he?”

“Secret.”

“It can’t be the boy who’s always with you, hmm, it can’t be, we’ve been watching for a long time, your boyfriend’s really good at hiding… He’s not from our school, is he?”

“Uh?” Ling Jing was slightly taken aback, then she laughed, “Why wouldn’t it be Jia Ming?”

“Because he’s not outstanding at all. I think you two are just childhood friends, like those who grow up together, you know, I read in a book that friends like this won’t like each other.”

The girl gossiped, Ling Jing simply smiled. On the other side, Dongfang Lu, holding a small gift box, walked over, smiling, “Heh, you guys are using Ling Jing as a conscript again. But luckily, I have something to give you, Ling Jing. Since you’ve helped our student council this semester, we’ve prepared a little gift for you. It’s our student council’s way of expressing our thanks, please accept it.”

“Uh, this… I can’t.” She hadn’t expected Dongfang Lu to give her a gift at this time. Everyone around them looked at them with the eyes of a male and female lead. Dongfang Lu was generous and straightforward, making it difficult for Ling Jing to refuse outright. But then she saw him smile, “Don’t worry, it’s not a personal gift. Come on, take it.” He grabbed her hand, putting the gift in it. Ling Jing, as if struck by electricity, struggled briefly, frowning, but finally didn’t pull away. Then, she smiled, “Alright, then… thank you.”

“Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Do you have any plans, Ling Jing?” The gift presented, Dongfang Lu felt a secret sense of satisfaction. He knew this girl had a shy, traditional personality. To approach her, he couldn’t cause her to resist or dislike him. You have to take things one bite at a time, and you have to do things step by step. He had always been patient. Now, this was the first step to success.

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