Hidden Assassin 114

呼……吸……

The abruptly halted music left the audience in the banquet hall momentarily stunned. Ling Jing, who had intended to continue playing, stopped abruptly, hearing Jia Ming also stop. She quickly wiped the tears from her face, embarrassed, and then Jia Ming, holding a colorful ball, stood up with a smile.

“Uh, sorry, that’s it. So… who’s next?”

He smiled brightly on stage, but the people below had already reacted, shouting in unison: “You haven’t finished yet, you haven’t finished!”

“The feeling of this song is amazing…”

“Sing it again! Sing it again!”

Amid the clamor, Jia Ming chuckled, “Uh, sorry, I came to pick someone up to go home. I haven’t even had dinner yet. Uh, who wants to sing? Oh, I saw that beautiful lady over there with her hand raised really high. I think I accidentally stole her performance opportunity. Hey, go ahead.”

No one raised their hand. He tossed the colorful ball to the side where Dongfang Lu was standing. Dong Danwen was still surprised and dazed. The ball flew towards her, and she instinctively caught it, then looked around awkwardly at the few people nearby. “This… that…” She originally planned to perform her own writing in front of the two musicians, but after hearing the song “Dong Feng Po,” she really didn’t dare to come out and embarrass herself.

However, no one seemed to pay attention to her. More than half of the people in front were demanding that Jia Ming finish the song or sing it again. Dongfang Lu looked at the man on stage with a slightly bitter expression. Zheng Ze Pei and Lao Huang had already stood up from their seats and were slowly walking towards the stage. However, Jia Ming was never someone who cared much about other people’s opinions. After he finished speaking, he completely ignored the demands of the crowd below, turned around, and stretched out his left hand: “Let’s go.”

Ling Jing’s tear-stained face still held a smile, which couldn’t be concealed. She ran over and put her right hand into his. It was undeniable that the performance just now was probably a romantic experience that any girl would find irresistible.

Fortunately, this was just a simple, festive party, and neither Jia Ming nor Ling Jing was a famous idol. As they walked off the stage, although many people still expressed their regret by requesting another song, not many tried to stop them. Even if a couple of people ran beside them, asking questions and introducing themselves, Jia Ming casually brushed them off. With the crowd so dense, even if he used a little more force, no one would notice anything amiss. However, as they neared the exit, two middle-aged men squeezed through from the side. Jia Ming was about to push them aside, but Dongfang Lu suddenly stepped out.

“Jia Ming, Ling Jing, wait, wait…”

You can push strangers, but with acquaintances, you have to be polite since you’ll be seeing them in school all the time. Although Dongfang Lu had been completely overshadowed by Jia Ming in terms of singing, he still smiled brightly, seeming not to mind at all. He first praised Jia Ming extensively, then began to introduce the identities of the two middle-aged men. They were both well-known figures in the music industry. In China, if a lyricist or composer didn’t know them, it was practically a sin. Ling Jing didn’t understand this aspect, but seeing Dongfang Lu’s respectful attitude when introducing their names, she politely greeted them, saying, “Nice to meet you.” Jia Ming, however, simply nodded lightly.

“Uh, nice to meet you both. So… we have to go home for dinner, right?”

This attitude clearly indicated that he was asking the two to step aside. The expressions on their faces immediately turned unpleasant. The music industry was a deep and complex world. Even if you were incredibly talented at writing lyrics and composing music, if no one helped you, if no one even wanted your songs, they would be useless. As lyricists and composers, who wouldn’t want to be famous? These two men happened to be the fastest way to achieve fame.

As titans of the music industry, if they showed interest in a particular singer or writer, the person would probably be sitting upright and listening attentively to their instructions, even if they hadn’t eaten for three days. Yet, this young man in front of them had casually told them to go away! Zheng Ze Pei smiled, “Uh, actually, we first wanted to ask, did you really write that song?”

Jia Ming smiled, “I don’t need to explain that. Sorry, it’s 9:10 PM. I haven’t eaten anything because I was busy all night. Ling Jing, are you hungry?”

“I’m hungry too.” Ling Jing’s tone was slightly harsh, because she was angry at Zheng Ze Pei’s remark.

“Well, then…” He reached out to push Zheng Ze Pei aside, but before he could pull his hand back, Lao Huang had already extended his hand to grab Jia Ming’s. The reason why Jia Ming didn’t dodge was that he was already considering whether he should just eliminate these two guys tonight.

“Well, sorry, but since you wrote that song, Gu Jia Ming, you should know its significance to the current music scene.” Lao Huang’s voice was filled with excitement. “I can tell that this is a simplified version of the song you adapted. You said that the song also includes the pipa, the erhu, and other instruments… Uh, sorry, I didn’t bring my business card with me today, but we can arrange a time to have a detailed discussion. This song’s style will trigger a storm in the music industry…”

“Heh, I understand, I understand…” Jia Ming nodded impatiently. “If you like it, I’ll sell you the song next time. But right now… we really have to go. Goodbye.” He pulled his hand away and led Ling Jing towards the door. At the doorway, he turned back and waved, “See you later, Dongfang, have a good time on Christmas Eve.” Ling Jing also waved with a smile, then the glass door separated them into two worlds.

Stepping out onto the snow-covered street, Ling Jing blew on her hands vigorously. Jia Ming unlocked his bicycle, then took a pair of gloves from his pocket and handed them to her. “Here, I passed by a small store when I was fixing the tire. I remembered that your gloves were too small. Christmas present, don’t be picky.”

“Hehehe, thanks.” Even though they weren’t expensive, receiving a gift from Jia Ming made Ling Jing very happy. She put on the gloves, and they fit perfectly. The tips of her fingers were exposed, allowing her to play the piano even with them on.

Silently watching Ling Jing’s happy expression, Dongfang Lu’s gaze inside the glass door was somewhat wistful. The gloves he had carefully chosen for her, which she had generously given away to someone else, were now replaced with these new ones. She had chosen to put them on immediately, expressing her delight. Soon, Ling Jing sat on the back of the bicycle, her arms affectionately wrapped around Jia Ming’s waist. Under the glow of streetlights, car lights, neon signs, and the reflection of snow, the bicycle gradually disappeared down the street.

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

Ling Jing, with her hands tucked into Jia Ming’s jacket pockets, leaned affectionately against his back. Recalling the scene from the performance, her heart still felt sweet. After a while, she felt that the gloves were actually separating her from Jia Ming’s body heat. She took off the new gloves and put them in her pocket, asking curiously, “Jia Ming, did you really write that song?”

“Of course, who else would it be?”

“I was wondering if Ya Han wrote it. You… hmph, no wonder that ugly middle-aged guy doubted you…”

“Hehe, then why were you so angry?”

“Someone doubted my husband, of course I’m going to be angry! But really, it wasn’t Ya Han? I’ll ask her when we get back.”

“Please, Ling Jing, don’t insult the song just to insult me. Could Ya Han, with her childish and neurotic personality, actually write a song? … Actually, you know me. When I’m in a crisis, my inner power explodes. Like I said, if someone covetously eyes my wife, I can only do my best…”

“Yeah, sorry.” Ling Jing rested her cheek against Jia Ming’s back and whispered, “He said he wanted to thank me, then give me a flower. There were so many people there, I didn’t know what to do… plus, I couldn’t see clearly that it was a rose…”

“Don’t accept flowers from anyone next time.”

“Okay.”

“Next time he talks to you, just tell him you’re a good person, that you’ve always been a good person, that your whole family is good… You got it?”

Ling Jing burst out laughing and lightly punched Jia Ming. “Okay, I’ll tell him honestly. I was Jia Ming’s child bride before, and now I’m his little wife. We sleep together every night. He’s already used me many times. I’m a withered flower, a wilted rose. Dongfang, you’re a good person. I’m not worthy of you… how about that?”

“He’ll commit suicide. Remember to go to the rooftop and tell him, then he’ll jump off. I’ll just be watching from below… I’ve never seen anyone jump off a building before…”

“You’re such a bad guy…”

They chatted and laughed all the way, finally arriving at the small villa where Ya Han lived around 9:40 PM. This apartment complex was located in a wealthy area on the side of the school, surrounded by hills and water. Sacred Heart Academy was rich and powerful, even the temporary housing for teachers and staff was in villas. But of course, only important employees like Ya Han, whose families had shares in the academy, would have such accommodations.

White wooden fences surrounded individual courtyards along the road, with green lawns and European-style buildings with red tile roofs and white walls—which, of course, were now covered in thick snow. Most of the foreign staff at Sacred Heart Academy lived here. As they biked along, everything was brightly decorated with lights, creating a festive atmosphere. Ya Han’s villa was also wrapped in beautiful Christmas lights. There were two beautiful Christmas trees in the snow in front of the door. Opening the small gate, Ling Jing sighed, “It’s so beautiful. Ya Han said it was just a casual gathering. She must have spent a lot of time on this.”

She hadn’t come over in the afternoon, so she was amazed by the scene. Jia Ming, however, had already seen it. He pointed to the surrounding houses, “Look how beautiful they are. In this neighborhood, if you don’t even bother, you’ll be looked down upon… and it’s not Ya Han who did this. She hired temporary workers…”

Ling Jing rolled her eyes, “You’re always gossiping about people.” Before she could finish, the countless Christmas lights on the villa flickered several times, making a “sizzling” sound. Then, the entire villa plunged into darkness. From the kitchen window, there were faint flashes of fire and sounds of commotion.

Grabbing Ling Jing’s shoulder, Jia Ming had already pulled out his dagger, “I’ll go take a look. You hide…”

He told Ling Jing to hide behind a Christmas tree in a nearby courtyard, then jumped through the unlocked living room window. The table was already set with bowls and chopsticks. The fire and noise came from the kitchen.

Although there was no light in the villa, the snow outside reflected the light from the other houses, providing ample light for Jia Ming. He crept forward a few steps. Suddenly, a sound of someone falling to the ground came from the bathroom next to him, followed by a soft cry of “Ah!” It was Ya Han’s voice.

The dagger in his right hand spun around, and he gripped the blade tip. He extended two iron wires used for lockpicking with his left hand, inserted them into the bathroom keyhole, and twisted them sharply. He crouched near the door, then lunged out, ready to swing the dagger. Including his reaction time, his swing speed was no slower than an assassin’s bullet.

A moment later, another scream came from the bathroom… Ya Han’s scream.

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