Hidden Assassin 120

As dusk settled, the Huang family’s convoy rolled into New Ning City. This was a large city over two hundred kilometers away from Jiang Hai City. If they continued driving, they would have been back in Jiang Hai by midnight. But due to certain reasons, they decided to spend the night here.

Sitting in the back seat of a small car, listening to his two flamboyantly dressed cousins chattering away, Jia Ming remained stoic, even a bit aloof. He was never a particularly valued child within the Huang family. Many people didn’t even know he existed. After entering high school, he rarely stayed at the villa. However, there were a few traditional holidays he couldn’t avoid – New Year’s Eve, Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and so on.

Out of these festivals, Qingming Festival was the most troublesome. Although the Huang family had settled in Jiang Hai City, their ancestral home was far away. Every year when this festival came around, they would follow the convoy back to their ancestral home to pay respects to their ancestors. The Huang family valued appearances and had many traditional rituals to follow. Going back and forth usually took three to four days.

Although his parents weren’t recognized by the ancestral temple after their death, they were still buried near the ancestral tomb. Every year, he would find their graves, place a bouquet of white flowers, and pay respects. The Huang family’s bigwigs would also remember his late sister who had run away from home and died. They would come over and talk to Jia Ming, paying their respects. It was a way for them to fulfill their duties as elders. All in all, while Jia Ming didn’t feel a sense of belonging to this large family, he didn’t harbor any resentment either. He simply felt, in a detached way, that there was a group of people in this world who shared his blood. But Jia Ming didn’t place much value on blood ties.

They entered the city’s most luxurious Diamond International Hotel. Word was, the Zhang family from Jiang Hai had arrived earlier. They were also going to their ancestral home to pay respects and would be meeting with the Huang family here. Due to the recent financial crisis, both families had suffered significant losses. The Huang family had incurred the biggest losses. While the Zhang family had predicted the potential impact of the instability of foreign foundations and had prepared to shift their focus back to China, their partnership with the Liu family had become strained since the wedding of Liu Wenli and Zhang Yahán was called off. Although they still collaborated, there was a lack of trust in certain areas. Now, the Zhang family was preparing to find new partners.

Naturally, these matters were handled by the upper echelons of the family and had little to do with Jia Ming and the others. After rooms were assigned, the adults prepared for the cocktail party, while the rest of them were free to eat and do as they pleased. The hotel had many amenities for relaxation and entertainment, so they wouldn’t be bored.

Jia Ming, of course, had no interest in these boring kids’ activities. He ordered room service, took a shower, then called Lingjing and Sha Sha. They chatted for half an hour before it was almost eight o’clock. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Opening the door, he saw Xu Yiting standing outside, looking unwell.

“Uh, well… Jia Ming, cousin…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Um, can I borrow… three hundred yuan? Maybe two hundred would be enough…”

Under the light, the bespectacled girl looked like she might have a cold. Her body was slightly trembling, and she kept sniffling. Jia Ming looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “You wait, I don’t have that much on me. Can we go to the bank to withdraw some now?”

“Yeah, thanks…”

He put on his jacket, grabbed his bank card, and took an extra jacket for Xu Yiting. They went outside the hotel. Neon lights blinked on the street. He walked through a street, stopping at the bank. Jia Ming withdrew five hundred yuan and gave her three hundred. “Is that enough?”

“Y-yeah, thanks…”

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, no, thanks.”

“Okay, then I’ll head back.” He patted Xu Yiting on the shoulder, saw that she was about to say something, and then left with a faint smile.

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

Back at the hotel, Jia Ming aimlessly wandered through a few recreation rooms. He couldn’t find anything interesting and prepared to head back to his room. Passing by a banquet hall on the second floor, he saw a woman in a white evening gown stumbling out. She caught sight of Jia Ming and her eyes lit up. She pushed aside the attendant who was trying to support her and ran towards him.

“Ugh, Jia Ming, I heard you were here. I was looking all over for you. Where did you run off to? Ugh…”

He grabbed her evening dress by the long collar and spun her around. Immediately, Ya Han started vomiting on a flower arrangement by the wall. Because her collar was pulled up so high, from her snowy white back to her hips, her entire figure was on full display. Jia Ming pinched his nose in disgust. He frowned and said, “What’s wrong with you, Ya Han? It’s not even nine o’clock, and you’re already this drunk. It’s a cocktail party, not a drinking contest.”

“Ugh… I hate you, you didn’t come looking for me… ugh…”

As she complained, she kicked Jia Ming with her foot. If the dress wasn’t so well-made, the way she was hanging her entire weight on the collar could have ripped it. Jia Ming sighed. “Cut it out. We didn’t make a plan to meet here. How could I possibly find you?”

“That’s because you weren’t trying hard enough. I even asked the waiters for your room number. I was looking for you, but you weren’t there. You’re so smart, if you wanted to find me, you definitely could have.”

That was true. However, Jia Ming knew that Ya Han wasn’t acting this way because of him. They had known each other for several years. Every year when they came home for Qingming Festival, her mood would be low for a while. If he went to her during this time, she’d likely pull him into her childish tantrums, just like she was doing right now.

“Ugh, Jia Ming, do you know how miserable I am? I went back to Mom’s grave again. I talked to her, but she wouldn’t answer me. Dad’s business is not going well, and he wants me to be a call girl. So I just got drunk and ran out. Ugh… I’m a nobody. Jia Ming, will you kiss me?”

There weren’t many people in the hallway, just a few passing waiters. They saw a beautiful young girl whining and acting affectionate towards a young boy, and they couldn’t help but glance over. Seeing her red lips, which still had traces of vomit on them, coming towards him, Jia Ming grabbed her cheek, twisted it until it was distorted, and said, “Get lost. Look at yourself. Go wash up, put on some perfume, kneel before me, and beg me to kiss you. Then maybe I’ll consider it. Tsk, tsk… stand straight. I’m letting go.”

As soon as he let go, Ya Han collapsed against the wall like a puddle of mud. Jia Ming rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. “Hey, what’s the matter with you? You’ve always had your crazy moments, but never this bad.”

“Ugh, Dad wants me to pick a husband from among the Huang family members…”

“It seems your family is really serious about forming an alliance with the Huang family. Is he forcing you?”

“He’s not forcing me, but I know things are not good for the company… Uh, Jia Ming, will you be my choice?”

“I’m not significant to the Huang family. Choosing me is the same as not choosing. Besides, we’re family. We don’t need to involve each other. Hey, can you walk properly? You look like I’m dragging a corpse.”

“Haha, it’s settling, not involving. I’m tired, okay.” She put both arms around Jia Ming’s shoulders and dragged her legs on the ground. She was putting in zero effort. Jia Ming noticed that the woman was becoming increasingly childish lately. She seemed more mature around outsiders, but she reverted to her childish ways whenever she was around familiar people.

Seeing that the elevator was close and there were no familiar faces around, Jia Ming wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her. “Hey, what’s your room number?”

“502, haha. Jia Ming, do you think this position looks like… what’s it called?”

“Looks like what?”

“Uh, like… help! Rape! Help! Pervert! Ugh, I’m still a virgin. My family is rich. Please, let me go!”

Ya Han kicked her legs in the air and cried softly. Jia Ming felt helpless. He wanted to throw her on the ground and slam her into oblivion. At that moment, Huang Haoyun walked out of the adjacent stairwell, a woman by his side. He heard Ya Han’s muffled cries and saw what was happening. Both of them froze.

“J-Jia Ming?” He twitched his face in disbelief. Then, he called out in a deep voice, “What are you doing, Gu Jia Ming? Let go of Ya Han!” He had previously pursued Ya Han, but he had been rejected long ago. Seeing the woman he once loved being treated this way, he instantly looked ready to fight. But before Jia Ming could explain, Ya Han, who was drunk, started wriggling around like a shrimp on Jia Ming’s shoulder, waving her fingers in the air and crying softly.

“Hu-Huang Haoyun, get lost! Mind your own business! I’m Jia Ming’s child bride! He can do whatever he wants to me! As long as Jia Ming… Jia Ming is happy! Get lost! Ugh, ugh, ugh!”

For a moment, the air seemed to thicken…

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