Hidden Assassin 115

After replacing the burnt-out electrical wires and installing new fuses, the entire villa’s colorful lights flickered back to life as the main switch was flipped. Shaking off a large clump of snow that had fallen from the roof, Jia Ming grumbled as he pushed open the door: “It’s supposed to be a peaceful Christmas Eve, yet I have to go out to fix the power outage. You guys are such… Whoa!”

Across the room, Ya Han, clutching a small cushion from the armchair, lunged towards him. Knowing he was in the wrong, Jia Ming took off running, the two of them chasing each other around the room. Ling Jing and Sha Sha, meanwhile, brought out food, drinks, and other things from the kitchen, cheering Ya Han on.

“Hey, come on, I was worried about your safety, not thinking about anything else…”

“If you were thinking about something else, you wouldn’t just get a beating today. You’re such a jerk, stop right there. I’m going to hit you a hundred times…”

“You wish. I’d rather be a jerk than a fool…”

When Jia Ming and Ling Jing returned, they found the entire villa plunged into darkness. Jia Ming initially thought something terrible had happened, only to discover that Sha Sha had left something in the microwave to bake and it had exploded, causing a fire that resulted in a short circuit. When Jia Ming rushed in, Ya Han had tripped in the sudden darkness in the bathroom. Even though the light was dim, it was enough for Jia Ming to see Ya Han’s naked body. This was the second time he’d seen her completely exposed, the first being when she snuck into the Zhang family villa to escape her marriage. After Jia Ming fixed the fuse, she naturally pursued him with fury.

It was truly unfair. Everyone out there makes mistakes. Admit them and take your punishment. No one could be as bold as Jia Ming. He’d done wrong, yet he still dared to act innocent. She’d been seen naked by him twice, yet he showed no responsibility, not even willing to take a few light pillow whacks. He even called her a violent woman and a shrew. It was… infuriating…

The chase went from downstairs to upstairs and back down again. By the time they finished setting the table, Ya Han was out of breath, but she hadn’t even touched a piece of Jia Ming’s clothing. She finally settled down, grumbling, but the battle continued at the dinner table. Whenever Jia Ming went to grab some food, Ya Han snatched it first, gnawing on it as if she were trying to eat him alive. They’d been friends for a long time, so they knew Ya Han’s occasional childishness. For Ling Jing and Sha Sha, this childishness was probably the biggest reason for their strong bond.

It was already past ten at night. As they ate delicious food, drank soda and orange juice, and laughed, Ling Jing brought up the song “East Wind Breaks.” Ya Han’s eyes widened: “Me? I can’t write songs. I took guitar lessons for a while, but songwriting is way beyond me… Ling Jing, you mean this kid wrote a song?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Ling Jing nodded, vividly describing the scene at the banquet. Sha Sha and Ya Han stared in disbelief. When Ling Jing hummed the melody of the song, Ya Han grabbed a guitar from upstairs and tossed it to Jia Ming. Dinner wasn’t over yet, but Jia Ming put down his orange juice: “Sing it here? With a guitar?”

“Yeah.” Ling Jing nodded confidently. Sha Sha chimed in, asking him to sing it again. Jia Ming smiled: “My stomach isn’t full yet. You’re not worried I can’t play guitar at all…”

Moments later, the guitar version of “East Wind Breaks” filled the room.

…

When the song ended, only the sound of the TV drama playing in the background remained. Ya Han stared wide-eyed: “It really wasn’t you?”

“Of course not.” Sha Sha stared at him from across the table. “I’ve never seen him touch any of that stuff.”

Ling Jing nodded: “He must have learned it from someone else…”

Jia Ming’s personality was such that the more he hid his skills, the better. However, since the three women in front of him already knew about his assassin identity, there was no need to hide his talents if they were just for entertainment. After all, Ling Jing and Sha Sha were coveted by many, and he should have some flair too. He rolled his eyes: “You guys really don’t believe in my integrity…”

“Heh.” Sha Sha chuckled. “You can’t expect us to believe in something that doesn’t exist.”

Ya Han nodded, expressing her extreme disdain for Jia Ming’s integrity: “Unless you can provide other evidence. Something specific, something that fits the situation, the mood, and the person, you know? They say people who can compose music can just hum a melody. Isn’t that right?”

“Really want me to?” Jia Ming asked, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Of course.”

“Alright, then it’s for you.”

Hearing him say this, Ya Han’s face flushed: “W-what do you mean for me?”

“Ya Han, you studied in Cambridge. This song is called ‘Farewell to Cambridge’. For the beautiful, lovely, pure, and charming Ms. Zhang Ya Han.”

These words of praise were Jia Ming’s usual fare when he was playing street music or singing in bars, but at this moment, they made Ya Han’s face burn. She took a sip of juice to hide her discomfort. Sha Sha turned off the TV. Then, the light sound of the guitar leaped out.

“Horseshoes trample the stone streets

Deep in the narrow alley, someone prays

The church topples after the rain

A forty-degree angle of the stream of consciousness

A stone sculpture stands in front of the library

Six pence buys a sketch

The fireplace breathes out flames day and night

Years are undisturbed under the kerosene lamp

You in Cambridge are lonely in your black gown

You sing of love with poetry, with beautiful rhyme

A boat of starlight witnesses that classic embrace

Those water plants still miss your long oar…”

This song, which would be sung by SHE ten years later, came from Jia Ming’s lips. The three women across from him looked adorably surprised. Jia Ming shrugged. Ling Jing and Sha Sha exchanged a look, while Ya Han picked up the cushion used for a backrest and started hitting him on the head. She said in a childish tone, “What do you mean I’m lonely in Cambridge, half my life lonely? You just made it up!”

“Hey, hey, I just made up the lyrics, they rhyme, that’s all. I don’t care if you die! You’re not lonely in Cambridge, did you have a lot of boyfriends? Why haven’t you brought any home?”

“You… You.” Ya Han’s face was red with anger. “Hmph, I don’t believe you anyway. You must have just heard this song by chance. Sing another one that fits you.”

“Me?” Jia Ming smiled, his fingers already dancing on the guitar strings. “Grey Space…”

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

At two in the morning, Jia Ming pulled open the glass door at the top of the second-floor stairs, letting in a rush of cold air. Outside was a small balcony. Snow continued to fall, blanketing the world in a peaceful silence. Those who celebrated Christmas were already asleep, but the colorful lights on the rooftops and Christmas trees, shimmering from near and far, merged with the city lights, creating a festive atmosphere frozen in the snow. The sound of a guitar drifted softly from Ya Han’s room.

He had played the role of a jukebox for over two hours last night, shamelessly stealing more than a dozen popular songs from the future. Exhausted, he had stayed at Ya Han’s villa, sleeping in a bedroom with Ling Jing and Sha Sha in another. Lying in bed, he pondered a few things before stepping out.

The small balcony was covered in snow. Jia Ming’s clothes were thin, but his constant practice of Qi Gong meant that a mere two hours of cold wouldn’t harm him. In fact, the chill could even help him think and practice better.

He was reflecting on his extreme actions from the night before.

The simple incident with the microwave had triggered his habitual response to an enemy invasion. His reaction had been clearly excessive. Being mocked was one thing, seeing Ya Han’s body was another, but the key was that he still couldn’t adjust to the pace of ordinary life. However, whether ordinary life would actually benefit him was a difficult question.

This wasn’t an insurmountable problem, nor was it like the scenarios in comics where one couldn’t break through a mental barrier and suffer dire consequences. It wasn’t a major issue, but he couldn’t help but think about it. He sat down on a long chair placed outside, snowflakes falling and soon covering his body. Ya Han seemed to notice him from the window, staring for a long time before putting on a coat, circling the balcony to his side, and pushing open the glass door. She rushed out, her face full of panic: “Y-you… you… what are you doing!”

“Uh, nothing…”

Suddenly stepping into this icy world, even with her coat, Ya Han couldn’t help but shiver. Her feet were still bare on the snowy ground. Without a word, she pulled Jia Ming inside.

“Hey, really, it’s nothing. Don’t need to act like this. I have Qi Gong, sitting out there only benefits me, hey hey hey hey…”

Hurriedly brushing the snow off Jia Ming, Ya Han wrapped her coat around him and pulled him back to her room. “Benefit? No way, you’re crazy. I’ve never seen anyone who could freeze in the cold and think it’s good for them. What’s wrong with you…” Pushing Jia Ming onto the bed, she grabbed the duvet she’d been using and wrapped it around him. Seeing that she seemed to want to grab another blanket from the closet, Jia Ming laughed and stopped her.

“Alright, really, it’s fine, I’m not cold at all…”

“Don’t you dare lift it, I’ll flip out if you do. Uh… I’ll go downstairs and make some hot ginger soup. There’s still some ginger left from today…”

“Hey, you’re not…” Seeing that Ya Han really was going to go make ginger soup, Jia Ming pulled her hand, giving it a sudden yank. Ya Han, unprepared, fell onto the bed, the duvet pressing down on her. Jia Ming held the edge of the duvet, pinning her shoulders tightly. He couldn’t help but feel a bit confused. This woman always trusted her own abilities, so her current reaction was a bit excessive.

“Let go of me, you want to catch a cold tomorrow?”

“I’m more afraid of you catching a cold…”

After struggling for a while, Ya Han looked up at Jia Ming’s smiling face, finally giving up on her attempt to cover him with the duvet. The room was quiet. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere became strangely awkward.

“Alright, I don’t need the duvet, you do… I give up, I’m going back to sleep. Alright.” Looking at Ya Han, who was unable to fight back, Jia Ming started to fantasize as usual: “This position is perfect for a kiss. Women can’t resist it. Kissing someone lying down generally won’t get you bitten, and then you can naturally move on to the next step…”

Of course, this was just a thought. He’d studied psychology, and during his previous missions, he’d also needed to seduce women, and he was usually successful. But when it came to ordinary people who required him to invest his feelings, it couldn’t be denied that Jia Ming was somewhat slow on the uptake. He wasn’t in love with Marilyn, it was just sex for sex’s sake. With Ling Jing and Sha Sha, it was a natural progression, a matter of friendship and love just happening. When these things happened to him, they couldn’t be analyzed according to any logic, and he hadn’t considered any romantic aspects of his relationship with Ya Han, so he didn’t feel this moment of ambiguity.

He’d taken only two steps away from the bed when Ya Han’s voice rang out: “Y-you wait, I have something to tell you…”

“Uh?”

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter