Hidden Assassin 113

“Uh, I accidentally picked it up, so… do I need to sing?”

Looking at the boy who had suddenly appeared, Dong Danwen was taken aback, Dongfang Lu was taken aback, and Dongfang Wan in the crowd was also stunned. Gu Jia Ming, what was he doing here to cause trouble? Ling Jing, however, widened her eyes on stage, shaking the rose in her hand and walking towards them. When she stepped out of the range of the lights, she inserted the rose into a vase by the side of the stage, rolled her eyes, and said, “Why are you only coming now?”

“I got a flat tire on the way, which delayed me a bit.”

“Heh, can you sing? I’ve never heard you sing before…”

“When someone is eyeing my wife, I have to sing even if I can’t…”

As they passed each other, they whispered a few words softly. Although it was only for a moment, their intimate attitude was clearly different from how they interacted with Dongfang Lu. Jia Ming greeted Dongfang Lu, then took the microphone with a smile.

The two of them were just nodding acquaintances when they were at school. Dongfang Lu had assumed that Jia Ming and Sha Sha were boyfriend and girlfriend and didn’t feel much hostility. However, just as he stepped off the stage, he heard Jia Ming say apologetically from the stage, “Uh, since the last performer used their own song, I might as well just perform something I wrote myself. Do you have any blank sheet music?”

As soon as those words came out, the people below fell silent. Where could they find blank sheet music at this time? Ling Jing was anxious, but Dongfang Lu had already grabbed a few sheets from Zheng Zepei. Ling Jing quickly handed them to Jia Ming, who began writing on the piano keys with a flurry of strokes. Then he took the microphone and laughed, “Heh, good, this is something I wrote a few days ago when I was forced by certain people to read romance novels. Originally, there were supposed to be instruments like the pipa and erhu (traditional Chinese musical instruments) in it, but now we obviously don’t have enough people, so I can only use the piano… uh, and the drums…”

Hearing the mention of the pipa and erhu, the people below laughed, asking if he was going to sing Beijing Opera (traditional Chinese opera)? Ling Jing rolled her eyes, looking at the sheet music being written, implying that she and Sha Sha hadn’t forced him to read romance novels. Dongfang Wan in the audience watched this scene and was thinking something else entirely.

On this performance stage, he wasn’t nervous or stage fright, and he could still speak calmly. In fact, from the moment he stepped onto the stage, this boy had become a completely different person. It was still the same ordinary face, just a decent casual outfit, but it had to be admitted that he was more steady and confident than many trained singers and actors.

Of course, it was also possible that he was always carefree, so no one could put pressure on him…

On the other hand, Zheng Zepei smiled as he looked at the young man on stage, “Jiang Hai City really has hidden dragons and crouching tigers, Lu Shao (young master). Your classmate also knows how to write lyrics and compose?”

Dongfang Lu looked at Jia Ming on stage, then slightly frowned, shaking his head and smiling, “Heh, I’ve never heard of him doing this before. This Gu Jia Ming classmate is usually quite low-key…”

Dong Danwen beside him coldly said, “How is he low-key? I think he’s just causing trouble.” After saying that, she felt that she might have been a bit out of line and paused slightly. Then she simply told the two people opposite her about the school’s martial arts competition at the beginning of the semester as a joke. She had been deliberately ignoring Dongfang Lu beside her since the beginning, but Dongfang Lu didn’t seem to mind. After a while, Zheng Zepei shook his head and laughed. From the moment he heard Jia Ming say that his song would have the pipa and erhu, he hadn’t held out much hope. Now he thought this high school student was just messing around.

After about three to five minutes, Jia Ming had finished writing the piano score, which he handed to Ling Jing. He nodded. Ling Jing pursed her lips, took a deep breath… Earlier, she had accompanied Dongfang Lu, and it was also the first time she had played the song. She had no nervousness in her heart, but now, she was both excited and apprehensive. On the one hand, she hoped that Jia Ming would bring her a surprise. On the other hand, she was afraid that Jia Ming’s music wasn’t good, which would be fine for her, but it would inevitably make Jia Ming the target of ridicule.

“Uh, cough cough, okay, this is a sound test…” He sat down in front of the drum kit, plugged in the microphone, adjusted his position in relation to the drums and the stand, and smiled at Ling Jing, who was obviously still nervous, “Heh, it looks like my partner is a bit nervous… Take a deep breath, I’m here.”

Sitting at the piano, Ling Jing looked at his encouraging smile. For a moment, she took a deep breath and glanced at the audience below. This wasn’t a dedicated concert, and everyone was mostly looking up at the stage with the intention of watching the show and heckling. People were chatting and laughing with each other. Down there, she could see her student council members: some were clapping and cheering, some were nodding, some were ignoring, and some had sneering expressions. This was the first time she and Jia Ming were on the same stage together. He said: Don’t be afraid, I’m here…

She had imagined the society they would face in the future, perhaps… similar to this situation. As long as he said: I’m here…

This was their first performance as husband and wife.

“Okay, let’s begin.” Her voice sounded faintly, a little tense but also calm and peaceful. “The song is called… East Wind Broken (Dong Feng Po).”

Then, a soft and elegant piano melody began.

In the hall.

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

A lonely lamp of parting sorrow stands by the window.

Behind the door, I pretend you haven’t left yet.

The familiar place is like revisiting, the full moon only makes me more lonely.

The candlelight that wakes me in the middle of the night is too harsh to blame me…

…

Under the light, Jia Ming’s voice began to rise, accompanied by the piano melody. The sixteen-year-old boy had just passed puberty. He may still have a bit of a gap when imitating Zhou Jie Lun’s (popular Taiwanese singer/songwriter) voice, but it was already good enough for an ordinary person, and even close to perfect.

A truly perfect killer needs to know many things, especially for a killer like Jia Ming who is used to disguising himself. Often, his gun skills, stealth, and other things are secondary. Most of the time, he needs to perfectly play a completely different person, appearing in different places. As one of the most outstanding killers, he can seamlessly transform from a noble to a beggar. He understands philosophy, knows how to taste wine, can comment on current events, knows various musical instruments, is proficient in mechanics and physics, has dabbled in medicine and is proficient in poison, he can do vocal impersonation and imitate different voices. With makeup, he can even transform into a perfect woman – just not in bed…

He has no life principles, no sense of right or wrong, no sense of shame or humiliation.

For survival, no one can imagine how much struggle he has endured, how much training he has gone through. The only thing he doesn’t know is how to live like an ordinary person, because that’s something that can’t be trained.

So, under the spotlight, he kept looking at Ling Jing, who was playing the piano beside him. Over the years, he has always followed her gaze and her steps.

…

A pot of wandering, drifting through the world, it’s hard to swallow.

After you left, the wine warmed up, and memories and longing grew thin.

Water flows east, how does time steal?

Flowers bloom once, but I missed the time they ripened.

…

The soft melody, the relaxed singing, and the drumbeats that felt like they were pounding on the heart. Almost as soon as the first few lines flowed out, there was no more extraneous noise in the hall. Dongfang Wan, who had been ready to watch the show, unconsciously took a deep breath. Her eyes became bewildered. Xun Dan, who was still talking about Jia Ming’s embarrassing stories, stopped. Her lips opened and closed, her expression seemed a bit incredible. Zheng Zepei stopped smiling and glanced at Old Huang who had sat upright beside him. He then looked at the performers on stage and straightened his glasses.

If it were a regular album release by a certain singer, they wouldn’t be surprised, only expressing admiration. But in such a completely unprepared situation, to have such a song appear, it was really a huge shock to them.

Relatively speaking, Dongfang Lu’s song was childish, like the work of a novice.

…

Who is playing a song of East Wind Broken on the pipa?

Time peels off the wall, I see my childhood.

I still remember when we were both very young.

Now the sound of the qin (a Chinese musical instrument) is faint, my wait for you has gone unheard.

…

Before going on stage, Jia Ming had considered many songs. He had tried to create something that suited his age, which was difficult. After all, every famous song was written by a mature lyricist and composer. Many things ultimately require time to settle. So, when he finally chose this East Wind Broken song, he had said in advance that it was a reflection on his experience after reading romance novels.

It was understandable that a talented young man would write new lyrics and pretend to be sorrowful. As for anyone who didn’t believe it and wanted to delve deeper, he wasn’t bothered.

This was a groundbreaking work in the pop music scene, and here, it was a song that transcended time. From this song, Chinese style began to deeply permeate pop music. Before this song, almost anything that claimed to combine Chinese style with pop music could be considered a half-finished product. A little carelessness could easily turn into something like Beijing Opera, which is why Zheng Zepei and the others had scoffed when they heard instruments like the pipa and guzheng (traditional Chinese musical instruments).

Professional musicians know how difficult it is.

Soon, the first part of the song began to reach its end.

…

Who is playing a song of East Wind Broken on the pipa?

Maple leaves dye the story, I see the ending.

I led you along the ancient path outside the fence.

The years of desolate smoke and grass, even our breakup was silent…

The perfect tune of Jiangnan Water Town (a region in China famous for its beautiful scenery and canals), with the innocent memory of a past love, the lingering feelings in everyone’s hearts… flowing out with the sound of music. Seeing the attention of the crowd below and feeling Jia Ming’s gaze, Ling Jing suddenly felt like crying. Tears quietly streamed down her face, some excited, some worried. For her, the lyrics were too infectious, too sad. She didn’t want that silent breakup. Why did Jia Ming sing this way? Was he also worried?

The second part of the song was halfway through when, suddenly, Ling Jing’s piano playing faltered. Immediately, Jia Ming raised his drumsticks, suspended in mid-air. The entire hall was plunged into a silence that felt like a time warp…

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