Hidden Assassin 133

Volume 3: Cohabitation Era – Chapter 6: Azure Sky Below – Section 133: Butterfly

2013-02-08

Six cards, followed by a few more pulled out from her wallet, all with various designs, some in Chinese and more in English. A customer service manager standing by the side of the counter saw instantly that there was no hotel VIP card, but he couldn’t help but change his expression slightly. After all, with the hotel’s reputation, they probably couldn’t issue cards at this level.

Citibank, Swiss Bank, Bank of China, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Deutsche Bank, Société Générale… The highest level platinum and VIP cards from major banks in China and abroad. Yuechi Xun, who wasn’t interested in these things, only knew they were bank cards, only withdrawing a fixed amount of living expenses from them each month. However, the other few could roughly recognize that this level of bank card almost all had unlimited overdraft functions. It wasn’t just like the kind of unlimited overdraft card guaranteed by some companies. Without a net worth in the billions and a significant identity, this kind of card would never be easily issued to individuals. Zhang Jingfeng’s father also had one or two of these cards, but some of the most valuable ones were still beyond his status. Forget about an umbrella, if you just randomly threw out one of these cards, you could probably swipe away the entire four-star hotel at any time.

After sorting through all the cards on the counter, the girl nodded lightly, “Sorry, I don’t seem to have it.” Just as she was about to turn around, the customer manager quickly called out, “Miss, please wait a moment. We’ll get you an umbrella right away. You can sit down over there for now.” He said, nudging the waiter beside him, “Xiao Xi, hurry up and get one.”

“…Thank you.”

“Heh, no need to thank me.”

The rain outside continued to fall quietly. The customer manager said politely, without further bothering her. However, the few people who had just checked out couldn’t help but take a few more glances at the girl. In the blink of an eye, the waiter had already brought over a new umbrella. According to regulations, they swiped the card to pay, and Zhang Jingfeng and his group walked out the door and got into the expensive silver sports car.

For some reason, Zhang Jingfeng now felt that his car was a bit shabby. Perhaps running was the trend, because in the time it took him to start the car, the girl in the white tracksuit, with a cold but stunningly beautiful face, had already come out of the door with an umbrella, opened it, and started jogging into the light rain.

The sports car started smoothly and followed behind the girl, driving out of the hotel grounds.

“Are we going to Mr. Zhang’s house now?” The car seemed a bit stuffy, needing a topic. Miss Zhang took the initiative to speak, her eyes, however, looked through the window at the girl jogging in the rain ahead. Of all those bank cards, she only recognized one. She had seen someone use it before, or rather, show it off. It was said to be a symbol of status and position. Now it seemed rather funny.

“Heh, no. My family’s main business isn’t in Jiang Hai. It’s just a villa my father occasionally uses for vacations. I heard Miss Fang and Mr. Zheng were coming, so I had someone tidy it up. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay.”

“Oh? I heard Mr. Zhang’s business is here, isn’t it? Why doesn’t Mr. Zhang live in this villa?” Miss Fang asked with interest, but her expression was rather formulaic.

“The villa is a bit far from my workplace, so I usually stay at hotels.” Zhang Jingfeng answered with a smile.

“Mr. Zhang is so hard-working. I heard that the gentleman who wrote ‘Dong Feng Po’ first sang it in Mr. Zhang’s restaurant, right? Teacher Huang and Teacher Zheng both refuse to talk about that night. I’m so curious.”

With the most charming smile, the conversation finally got to the point. Zheng Zepei on the side frowned slightly, while Zhang Jingfeng just smiled faintly and started talking about the situation that day. He already knew that the other party was interested in this, so there was nothing strange about it. After the Christmas party, the guy named Gu Jia Ming had a negotiation with Old Huang and Zheng Zepei, selling the copyrights of a few songs, but at the same time, he requested that they keep his identity confidential. Later, Zheng Zepei had informed him. Although he was happy to cause some trouble for the young man who had an ambiguous relationship with Ling Jing, he couldn’t refuse Zheng Zepei’s request. With a silver tongue, he described the scene of that day. Fang Yusi in the back seat listened attentively.

The windshield wipers rhythmically swept across the windshield. The drizzle painted a scene of a bustling city shrouded in mist. When the red light turned on, the sports car stopped in front of the white line. Not far away, a bus pulled into the stop, people getting on and off, a simple scene of a city morning.

After a while, the girl with the umbrella ran past the car, turning onto the other side of the street, taking a different path than their direction. Then the green light came on, and as the sports car started up, Zhang Jingfeng saw a black military jeep pull over to the side of the road. A tall woman got out of the car and gave a standard People’s Liberation Army salute to the girl in the white tracksuit.

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

Rain, lights, bright windows, electric wires flashing through the field of vision.

The morning classroom was fresh and lively. Students streamed in, shaking their umbrellas, then hanging them neatly at the back of the classroom. They talked to their friends while patting the water off their bodies and heads. If there was something that could represent the concept of “spring rain,” this scene might be a relatively perfect interpretation.

In the corner at the back of the classroom, Xun took out the books she needed for the first lesson from her backpack and glanced at the young man sketching on a piece of white paper beside her.

“Today… the National Security Bureau people found me.”

“Uh? This morning?” Without stopping his pencil, Jia Ming raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“That’s so rude. But, in the end, they want you to help contact Japan?”

“Yeah, so I gave them Tianyu Jun’s contact information. They… probably misunderstood my purpose for coming to China.”

“Heh.” Putting down his pencil, Jia Ming looked at her with a faint smile. “Anyone would misunderstand. With so many people in the Yuechi family and Gao Tianyuan, as a relatively important member, you come here alone. You’d definitely be considered the link between the two sides. It’s probably not just Yan Huang Jue Xing and the National Security Bureau who think that. You Ming Tian Qin and Pei Luo Jia would think the same. Who would know that you’re just a vase for outsiders to see… silly girl, your old man really isn’t a good person…”

“Tianyu Jun asked me to come to China…”

“Tianyu Zhengze isn’t a good person either. He already knows about me, so he’s trying to get me involved, and at the same time, he wants to get rid of you. As far as I know, his girlfriend, Longtang Wei, is a jealous person. In comparison, Longtang Jing is much cuter… uh, but your old man is different. He doesn’t know about me, but knowing that you are in danger, he still lets Tianyu Zhengze arrange for you. It shows that you are really a married daughter, water that’s been spilled. ”

Recalling the information about the Yuechi family he knew from his previous life, the family with the most influence in Japan, doing all sorts of things to maintain its own status, Jia Ming shook his head and said with a casual smile, “The most important thing is that he’s a Japanese dad. Come on, Japan, that country has a lot of messed-up things. It’s said that Japanese dads will do things with their daughters. Of course, it’s up to you whether you think this way of bonding is healthy. You can also think of him as a good guy.”

“No, no… I…” Lowering her head, Yuechi Xun’s brows furrowed slightly. “Our family doesn’t do that…”

“Oh, you’re angry?”

Jia Ming looked at the slight frown between the girl’s brows with amusement. It was the same as her smile… no, perhaps it could be said that this was an even rarer expression than her smile.

“…No.” After being reminded, the girl seemed to return to her usual faint thoughts. She shook her head to indicate that it was nothing. Jia Ming smiled, “No, maintain your emotions. It can be a good disguise blueprint. When faced with such a statement, it’s natural to be angry. You can ask me to apologize, or challenge me to a duel after class. You can do all of these things with a clear conscience. Because you have enough coldness, showing anger, happiness, or sadness in front of others only requires very simple expressions. As long as you do it well, you can fool others. But if one day you’re no longer Yuechi Xun, this kind of expression is still far from enough.”

“But you won’t apologize… and I can’t beat you.”

“Of course.” Jia Ming nodded naturally. “Because what I said is the truth. Why apologize?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his hand suddenly swung down, grabbing Yuechi Xun’s swinging left hand. The sharp tip of the pen was aimed at Jia Ming’s lower abdomen. “Oh, a surprise attack… not bad.”

As if a child who had done something wrong and was ready to be punished, Yuechi Xun lowered her head and let Jia Ming hold her hand. After a long while, she whispered, “I… I like you holding my hand. Only… only when you hit me, you’ll hold it like that…”

…

…

After a moment of silence, the expression on Jia Ming’s face didn’t change. Then he nodded, “Good. This expression is very good. If an ordinary boy were to hear this, they’d be hooked for sure. There’s a Chinese saying: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To complete the task I gave you, to play with twenty men and two women during your college years and then abandon them, your current accumulation is very important.”

This was the first time he had taught such a challenging student. For the moment, Jia Ming finally felt some sense of achievement. The only flaw was, “…However, you don’t have to always follow what I teach you, you have to learn to think independently.” The last time they fought, Jia Ming dislocated both of her arms, and when teaching her basic disguise knowledge, he used this phrase as an example while touching the beautiful woman’s helpless hand. The expression on Yuechi Xun’s face was clearly much more convincing than when she said it last time.

…

…

The two of them didn’t get caught for their sneaky actions in the back of the classroom. Soon, the school bell rang, and after a while, Jia Ming frowned and asked, “By the way, Pei Luo Jia sent someone over this month. Did the National Security Bureau tell you?”

Yuechi Xun nodded, “They did. It seems… they intercepted them.”

“Yeah, it’s really them.” He nodded. “I just thought if they did this, there’s no reason they wouldn’t show it off to you. It’s also one of their bargaining chips. My intelligence sources are still limited… the National Security Bureau is also working hard…”

Looking at Jia Ming’s thinking face, combined with the content of the conversation, Yuechi Xun’s heart suddenly skipped a beat for no reason. “Gu Jun, you… have you been paying attention to what’s happening in Japan?”

“Of course. If I don’t pay attention, what if Pei Luo Jia goes crazy and suddenly attacks me one day…” Looking at Yuechi Xun’s expression, Jia Ming nodded, deciding to continue the ambiguity. “Besides, you’re here, so I have to make sure you get back safe and sound… although I think it’s probably impossible. After all, you still have to play with twenty men…”

After saying this, Yuechi Xun lowered her head to read her book. Jia Ming continued to lie on his desk, looking out at the playground, thinking about some things. He could feel Dongfang Wan’s gaze falling upon him again.

Of course, Dongfang Wan was only secondary. The problem that was swirling in Jia Ming’s mind at this moment was the series of butterfly effects that had occurred since he returned.

In the original world, Yuechi Xun was naturally contacted and developed feelings for her uncle. A few years later, she ended up committing suicide. Her uncle didn’t die, but he contacted the power of You Ming Tian Qin, trying to stop Pei Luo Jia, but at the same time, he wanted to regain control of the Yuechi family. In the end, no one benefited. You Ming Tian Qin ultimately failed to assassinate Pei Luo Jia in Japan. The Yuechi family was not spared, and Gao Tianyuan later followed the same fate. Then came You Ming Tian Qin and Yan Huang Jue Xing.

At that time, he understood that the alliance between the Yuechi family and Gao Tianyuan was not as smooth as it is now. Although Tianyu Zhengze still saved Yuechi Xun, at that time, Tianyu Zhengze, as an important member of Gao Tianyuan, already had a secret girlfriend, Longtang Wei. A series of factors drove the alliance to be less than successful. In the present, Tianyu Zhengze would be enthusiastic about this alliance, and that was probably partly because of him. After he saved Yuechi Xun, in Tianyu Zhengze’s eyes, he became the person behind Yuechi Xun. Even if it wasn’t the case in reality, he was happy to facilitate this, after all, he also felt a considerable sense of crisis facing Pei Luo Jia.

He wasn’t a person with any nationalistic sentiments, but having been accustomed to the life of bullets and bombs, he always lacked a sense of security. He hoped to prepare for the worst in many things. Exposing himself to Tianyu Zhengze was something he deliberately planned. His idea at that time was that if one day he was really targeted by these people in the dark world, since he was Chinese, he had to survive in China and couldn’t let Pei Luo Jia become too powerful. Although he had also thought about staying away from these people for life, the saying “the greater your power, the greater your responsibility” could also be understood as “the greater your power, the bigger the mess you’ll create.”

If he was just an ordinary person, he wouldn’t have been able to save Marilyn and her daughter. Even if he had saved them, he would have just let them stay for a while. If they didn’t die, they wouldn’t have gotten involved with any gangsters and killed dozens of people. If he was ordinary enough, he might have been beaten to death that time when he and Sha Sha were captured. Even if he managed to escape, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to come back and chop everyone’s heads off. With power at this level, you’ll attract people at this level. He understood this very well.

For this kind of thinking about being prepared, when he felt responsible for Ling Jing and Sha Sha, he “borrowed” Pei Luo Jia’s $7 billion and gave it to Kelly Fernim, in order to leave someone who could help in an emergency. Who knew that in the end, this $7 billion made Pei Luo Jia run around like a headless chicken, and instead, it helped to clean up a large number of spies that Yan Huang Jue Xing and You Ming Tian Qin had placed among them. The conflict then escalated sharply. Yuan Lai Chao Chuang’s incredibly idiotic act of targeting the Xingmeng Hao was probably just a show of force, but after that, the atmosphere in the entire Asian region started to become tense.

The dark world, in a sense, could influence the military and politics. On the surface, it was impossible to go to war right now, but if the dark world’s major battle that was only possible a decade later started in 1998, Jia Ming felt quite depressed. He just wanted to live peacefully and steadily, but he never expected this situation.

He put together the forces from all sides in his mind and carried out a wargame simulation. He finally felt relieved for the moment, concluding that the National Security Bureau and Yan Huang Jue Xing had already taken action, but they were probably just following conservative methods to clean up domestically and intimidate overseas. A real fight was unlikely for now.

He spent a whole day thinking about this. When school was dismissed in the afternoon, the rain was still falling. Today was Thursday, and he figured Ling Jing was already home cooking dinner. He slowly packed his things, ready to leave with his umbrella, when Dongfang Wan, who had been staring at him for several days, walked over and sat down in the seat in front of him. She had a charming smile on her face, “Gu Jia Ming, I need your help.”

Her voice was soft and gentle, completely different from how she usually talked to Jia Ming.

“I’m leaving now.” Yuechi Xun had already packed her bag and gave a slight nod, saying goodbye. She then turned and left.

His mood was already burdened by those national matters. Now, with this kind of diversion, Jia Ming couldn’t help but smile. Looking at Dongfang Wan’s sincere smile, he sighed after a moment, “Dongfang classmate, your smile is so creepy. Can I just say no directly?”

“You…”

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