Hidden Assassin 116

The air conditioner was blasting, making the entire villa warm and cozy. The bedroom was dark, with only the light from the large glass doors leading to the balcony providing illumination. Wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the bed, watching Jia Ming grumble as he pulled out another blanket from the closet, Ya Han’s heart was in turmoil.

What should she say?

Her heart was in a mess. Every time she faced him, her feelings seemed to unravel. When she asked him to stay, the first thing that came to mind was the word “confession.” But then she thought again and realized how ridiculous it would be. A teacher confessing to a high school student… Besides, did she really like him? That was a complex question she couldn’t sort out. Plus, he always made fun of her, calling her “silly.” If she suddenly blurted out, “I like you,” he’d probably roll on the floor laughing.

“Okay, done.” Wrapped in the blanket, Jia Ming sat down on the other end of the bed and nodded. “So what’s the big secret? You… want me to teach you guitar?”

Jia Ming’s words provided Ya Han with an opening, breaking her hesitation. She kicked him with her leg, laughing, “Go die, you think your guitar skills are that impressive? I just complimented you a little, and your tail is already in the clouds.”

“Then… let me guess, with this atmosphere, just us two, and you asking me to stay.” Jia Ming wore a mischievous smile. “You must be wanting to confess your love to me, right?”

Boom! Jia Ming’s joking words were like a thunderbolt striking Ya Han. Normally, she would have continued to kick him playfully, but this time, she stared at Jia Ming, suddenly speechless. Should she continue to banter with him, or… should she take the plunge?

In the quiet bedroom, Jia Ming put up his fists to protect his head. After a moment, seeing that Ya Han was stunned with anger, he waved his hand. “Okay, okay, don’t hit me, I know I was wrong. So what is it?”

The woman in her nightgown across from him had a complicated expression, her mood fluctuating wildly. After a while, she finally let out a laugh and stuck out her bare foot from under the covers, aiming a kick at Jia Ming. He caught her foot, and they wrestled for a while before they finally separated. Ya Han said with mock anger, “You idiot, what’s wrong with confessing? Do you think I wouldn’t dare? Humph, if this were ancient times, you held my foot for so long, I could claim you!”

“That’s why I praise the modern world. Okay, hurry up and tell me.”

“Um… Jia Ming,” Ya Han hesitated for a moment. “You… what do you think of me?”

“No way, you really have someone you like?”

“What are you talking about?” Ya Han’s eyes widened in disbelief, caught off guard by his response.

“That’s how they do it on TV, you know. When a guy or girl has a crush on someone, they talk to their best friend, usually asking, ‘What do you think of me? What are my good points? Am I cute?’ They boost their confidence, and then… usually confess. It’s because you already have someone you care about, so you’re worried about whether you’re good enough. Hey, who is it? Xu Mo?”

A mixture of amusement and resentment flashed in her eyes as she stared at Jia Ming for a long time. Ya Han gritted her teeth. “Okay, I do have someone I like… Of course, the situation is complicated now. I don’t know if I really like him, but whenever I see him, my heart goes all jumbled up.”

“I think your heart is always jumbled up.”

“Don’t interrupt me.” She glared fiercely at Jia Ming. “Er, anyway… it’s impossible to confess now. I… I shouldn’t be liking him. If we really got together, people would probably look at us strangely. Plus, he probably doesn’t even know…”

“I know, your dad…”

“…”

“Okay, hehe, you continue.”

“There’s no more to continue…” She rolled her eyes at him and slumped her shoulders. “You tell me, what should I do?”

“Er, I think… you should first figure out if you like each other before thinking about anything else. This kind of forbidden love, of course, it needs mutual affection. Then, as long as you don’t make it public, you can just sneak around and it should be fine. But the problem now is, from what you’ve said, the person doesn’t know you like him, and there’s a high chance of rejection if you confess. Um, for example, if the person is your dad, I suggest you immediately stop this… yikes!”

He was stroking his chin and analyzing the situation when Ya Han kicked the blanket hard. Before Jia Ming could pounce on her, she pulled her foot back under the covers and gave him a defiant glare. Jia Ming sighed. “I was just trying to help you analyze things. Right now, you’re unilaterally in love with someone you shouldn’t be liking. Of course, I’d advise you to give up. Life isn’t a fairy tale…”

“You’re just a kid, what do you know about life? And why are you saying my dad…”

“I was just making a hypothetical scenario.”

“The hypothetical scenario is your dad!”

“Then it wouldn’t be forbidden. If my dad wasn’t dead, you really want to marry him, I wouldn’t mind. I just wouldn’t call you Mom in public. But if my mom wasn’t dead… Are you trying to seduce some married guy at school?”

Taking a deep breath, Ya Han buried her face in the pillow. “I’m not talking to you anymore.”

Jia Ming chuckled softly. “Well, as a friend, I hope you find someone you like, but I also don’t want you to get into a forbidden love that would make people look down on you. Haha, really, anything I say is pointless. You have to make the decision yourself. But whatever difficulties you face in the future, just come to me. I might not be able to do anything else, but killing and arson are my forte. We’re friends, no matter what you do, I won’t let anyone bully you… Get some good sleep, I’m leaving now, uh…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ya Han suddenly lunged from the other end of the bed and wrapped her arms around Jia Ming’s neck. Their bodies pressed together, and Ya Han’s heart pounded wildly.

Even though they’d always been playful, even though Jia Ming had seen her naked, they had never hugged like this before. Underneath her nightgown, Ya Han’s body exuded the faint fragrance of bath soap, her vibrant and alluring limbs, her soft and full breasts, all could be clearly felt through their contact. After a moment, Jia Ming sighed softly. This girl was so pure, she was struggling so much over this one issue.

Jia Ming felt a pang of admiration, while Ya Han felt something entirely different. After hugging Jia Ming, her heartbeat felt like a drum in her ears, her whole body burning with tension. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to hug a man. A certain sentence was stuck in her throat, almost ready to burst out. Then, she felt Jia Ming’s hand stroking her hair in a comforting gesture. It made her feel like a child.

In front of him, she seemed to really be a child. Easily angered, easily silly, easily teased. Most of the time, she forgot that she was six or seven years older than him. Compared to her, Jia Ming was not only skilled, but also calm and reliable. He could easily handle anything with a few jokes. If she wasn’t so much older, if she really was his little sister, then…

“Cough, don’t hold it in, cry it out. Crying will make you feel better… Uh, you’re so mean…”

Almost instinctively, Ya Han punched him hard in the stomach. The words she wanted to confess seemed to disappear.

“Serves you right. When did I look like I was about to cry?”

“But you’re hugging me…” Jia Ming curled up and pointed an accusing finger, then received another hard elbow to the back. “Don’t say it!” This time, he was knocked flat on the bed. Then came a more ferocious barrage of punches.

“Hugging you is so I can hit you like this…” Chop chop chop!

“I told you to dodge, I told you to dodge, I told you to dodge…” Thump thump thump!

“I told you to stop bullying me…” Poke poke poke!

“I told you to stop calling me stupid…” Pinch pinch pinch!

“I told you to stop sneaking a peek at me in the shower…” Stomp stomp stomp!

“I wasn’t doing it on purpose…”

“I told you to stop backtalking…” Kick kick kick!

After a frenzy of punches, Ya Han stood on the bed, looking down at Jia Ming curled up like a shrimp. A sense of accomplishment filled her heart. She’d never felt this good after hitting Jia Ming before. Even though she knew he was letting her win, the thought made her happy. So being a little sad gave her free reign to beat him up. Humph, so much for him bragging about being a cold-blooded killer in front of her.

“Humph, you know you’re wrong.”

“…”

“Hey, don’t play dead.”

“…”

“Hey, you don’t want to spend the night here.”

She kicked him twice, but Jia Ming didn’t react at all. She raised her slender foot and stepped on his shoulder a few times, deliberately moving slowly. This guy always had to get even, he’d definitely grab her foot and scratch her soles. She’d hit him so much, he deserved a little payback. That’s what she thought, but Jia Ming didn’t move. She squatted down and shook him a couple of times before he suddenly jumped up and pushed her back onto the bed.

She let out a low gasp. He kicked her hard in the buttocks twice. Ya Han tried to suppress her laughter. A flurry of punches and kicks forced Jia Ming to retreat. She scrambled off the bed and charged towards Jia Ming, who was about to flee through the door. Suddenly, darkness enveloped her as Jia Ming threw his coat over her head. Then, Jia Ming launched his counterattack.

“I told you to hit me, hit me, hit me…”

“Ah… I won’t anymore, I won’t anymore, mercy…” She whimpered as she begged for mercy, her head covered by the coat, unable to see. Ya Han retreated towards the wardrobe, curling up, until she reached the corner of the room and shrunk into a little shrimp.

“I told you to hit me…”

“I won’t anymore, ah… I really won’t, ah… Jia Ming gege, mercy…”

Hearing Ya Han begging for mercy and calling him “gege” from behind the coat, Jia Ming paused his hand in mid-air. After a moment, Ya Han carefully lifted the coat a little. She saw Jia Ming raise his hand again and quickly covered her head again. “Ah, mercy, Jia Ming gege…”

It was just a playful little fight, so Jia Ming naturally wouldn’t really hit her. His movements were fast, but they were just symbolic slaps and occasional kicks on her buttocks, since she’d already kicked him so much. However, hearing Ya Han timidly call him “gege,” a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. He thought back to their interactions, and he seemed to have truly treated her like a little sister he could tease and play with. This feeling… was warm, but also a little sinister, because he was starting to have impure thoughts…

He shrugged, put on his slippers, and walked towards the door. As he opened the door, Ya Han was secretly lifting the coat again, her expression quite amusing.

“Goodnight, get some good sleep.”

He waved his hand. Ya Han huddled in the corner, sticking out her tongue and making a fierce grimace. Jia Ming chuckled and closed the door.

Holding the coat in her arms bit by bit, Ya Han sat quietly in the corner. Jia Ming’s beating was actually painless, but after being hit, her body felt like it was boiling. It was partly due to her accelerated blood flow, but more importantly, it was a certain kind of shyness.

That little pervert, hitting her was one thing, but he even went so far as to kick her in the buttocks, and wouldn’t stop until she called him “gege”…

Quietly, quietly, the colorful light from the lanterns shone through the window into the room. In the corner, Ya Han huddled together, her pearly white teeth gently gnawing on her finger. Her hair fell loosely around her as she indulged in a complex mix of joy and shyness. She didn’t know where the joy came from. She hadn’t even confessed and was even humiliated by being beaten, but somehow, she felt like she had become… more decadent.

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter