Hidden Assassin 142

Rain fell in thin, continuous threads. In the café next to the supermarket, soft music drifted through the air.

“I just arrived here, and I haven’t adjusted to the time difference yet. I wanted to rest first and find you tomorrow after I got dressed up, but I didn’t expect to bump into you like this.” Looking at Jia Ming, Marilyn, with her golden hair, smiled. Her voice was as soft as ever, like a woman from the water town of the south. Of course, this was ancient江南, not modern江南. (江南 is a region in eastern China famous for its beautiful water towns, canals, and traditional culture.)

“According to our time here, you should have arrived around 7pm yesterday, first landing in Beijing and then transferring to here. You booked a VIP room at the Huajing Grand Hotel. You came with Mr. Joseph, right?”

Taking a sip of orange juice, Jia Ming casually mentioned their itinerary. Marilyn’s eyes widened in surprise, her gaze filled with a genuine smile. “You… have you been watching us all this time?”

“It’s almost the 21st century, computers can do a lot of things, especially in America… You know? The FBI has records of your activities. Because the results of your last trip were a bit alarming, and you’re coming to China again, that’s a big deal. They reported it to the higher-ups immediately. By the way, I even saw several award photos of Heidi from her singing competitions.”

He said, reaching out to stroke Heidi’s head who was burying herself in ice cream. As a mixed-race child, the little girl didn’t inherit her mother’s golden hair but had a head of black hair like satin, which felt very nice to the touch. Sensing the hand on her head, she shook her head impatiently, stuffing ice cream into her cheeks, and glared at him fiercely.

“No manners! Gentlemen don’t touch ladies’ hair casually!”

Heidi was very angry, and the consequences were dire.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to be aware of this severity. Jia Ming just smiled, his hand still awkwardly resting on the little head that was trying to get rid of him. Marilyn glanced cautiously around, worriedly saying, “Wouldn’t that… cause you trouble?”

“Don’t worry. In America, you might be under surveillance, but this is China. The FBI is not that powerful, and most importantly, I’m just a high school student.” After stroking the little girl’s hair enough, Jia Ming then, in a detestable way, patted her pink cheek and pinched it before releasing it, making Heidi puff up with anger. Annoying! Three years had passed, and he had become so annoying! He wasn’t gentle at all, but she had been thinking about him in America all the time, Humph!

Hearing Jia Ming’s words, Marilyn relaxed. Looking at the little friction between him and Heidi, she said with a smile, “Heidi often talks about you in New York, she misses you. Of course… so do I.”

“Nonsense, I don’t! I just miss… the cotton candy in China!” Heidi retorted, both of them next to her laughed. After a moment, Marilyn switched from English to Chinese, clearly not wanting Heidi to know this content. “After returning to China, I participated in some family affairs. Of course, it’s nothing to do with the Mafia. I’m involved in some cleaner businesses within the family, because these things were mainly managed by Joseph before, so I was one of his assistants, well, I think you know all this.”

“Of course, you’ve done a great job these past two years.”

Marilyn smiled sweetly, reached out to tuck a strand of golden hair behind her ear, and raised an eyebrow. “So… I think you also know that Joseph is pursuing me, and the family… well, I mean, my father, also hopes that I can marry him. Of course, it’s just a suggestion…”

After she finished, she looked at Jia Ming with a smile in her eyes, but she saw that Jia Ming took a sip of orange juice and nodded with a smile. “According to the FBI files, Mr. Joseph is highly praised. The man who was by your father’s side when he came to pick you up three years ago was probably him. This shows that he also holds a high position in your family, and I vaguely remember that he had already started pursuing you eight or nine years ago. He seems to be a good man. If you like him…”

“I don’t like him.” Her eyes flickered gently. “I want to tell you this myself.”

Jia Ming leaned back on the chair. “You’ve decided to think about that man until the day you die? I understand, but I think it’s boring.”

“I forgot about Tang,” Marilyn said with a smile. “I just want to watch Heidi grow up peacefully, and… I made a promise to you.”

“Oh.” Jia Ming whistled. He remembered that promise, of course. “Whether or not you are mine, I will always be yours,” and “Whenever you need me, I will be by your side immediately,” Although he didn’t really care, as a man, facing such a mature and beautiful woman, he still felt an indescribable, powerful attraction. At that moment, Heidi protested, “No manners! I’m just starting to learn Chinese, you can’t speak Chinese.”

Marilyn shrugged and smiled apologetically, switching back to English. “We didn’t know what you were doing or where you lived these two years, because we didn’t want to attract any attention. Gu, how do we find you?”

Hearing this, Heidi stopped venting her anger on the ice cream and put down her spoon, saying, “Why don’t you go to the hotel with us? Then Mommy and I will go to your place, okay?”

Three years ago, when they were being hunted, they stayed in the house that Jia Ming’s parents had left for almost a month, without leaving the house. But now, this mother and daughter are considered high-profile figures, and naturally they could not stay there again. After Marilyn explained, Jia Ming looked at the time and smiled. “That won’t work. Besides, it’s getting late now. I need to go back. How about this, get a good night’s sleep tonight, and I’ll go find you tomorrow, okay?”

“You… we only met for a while…” Heidi looked at him, her eyes almost turning red. She had been sitting there for so long and only had time to sulk. “Don’t lie to me!” Although Marilyn only nodded and didn’t say anything, her eyes were still fixed on Jia Ming, her expression complex.

A simple meeting ended with a farewell. The mother and daughter walked towards the grand hotel not far away, holding an umbrella and looking back every three steps. Jia Ming boarded the bus and headed back towards Sacred Heart Academy.

It was already 6 pm, the sky was getting dark, and Sha Sha must have already cooked dinner at home. However, Ling Jing had been rehearsing at school these days, so the dishes still had to be prepared by himself. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the entrance to the video game room was crowded. On one side were the young residents led by Ah Qiang and Ah Shui, and on the other side were more than ten members of the Yongsheng Gang, shouting curses at each other, completely blocking the entrance to the stairs. Jia Ming sighed and started to push his way through the crowd. “Excuse me, let me through, let me through. Thank you, let me through, thank you…”

Carrying two bags of groceries from the supermarket, Jia Ming pushed through the crowd ahead. Two members of the Yongsheng Gang reluctantly gave way, but the third one was waving his hands and shouting wildly. His right hand suddenly swung out, his backhand landed on the glass jar Jia Ming had bought, and he immediately turned around. “Get out of the way, get out of the way, get out of the way… what do you want, kid?”

“Uh, sorry…”

Jia Ming raised the bag in his hand and was about to explain when Ah Qiang shouted, “F*ck you, what are you being arrogant about? Don’t you know a good dog doesn’t get in the way! He lives here… Jia Ming, go in. I’ll see who dares to touch you!”

“Yeah, who the hell dares to touch him, try it!”

In the eyes of these people, Jia Ming was always a good and honest guy. For a moment, all those behind him started yelling, but the Yongsheng Gang had fewer people and were scared into silence. Jia Ming, taking advantage of the opportunity, pushed through the crowd with his bag. “Thanks, thanks…”

Going upstairs, opening the door, he could still hear the two groups below shouting at each other, but this kind of fight wouldn’t happen. The Yongsheng Gang had fewer people and didn’t dare to fight casually, while the larger group lived here and didn’t want to make things worse. As soon as he entered the door, he smelled the aroma of stir-fried dishes. Sha Sha was watching TV in the living room, asking, “What’s wrong? You came back so late. Heh, it’s pretty noisy downstairs. Do you think they’re going to fight?”

“Sorry, I ran into some acquaintances and it took a while. Heh, those fools downstairs won’t fight, don’t worry. By the way, why is Ling Jing back so early? Didn’t she have rehearsal today?” Jia Ming said with a smile as he put down the bags.

“Shh.” Sha Sha winked towards the kitchen, put her index finger to her lips, and made a silencing gesture. “Don’t mention rehearsal. Ling Jing isn’t feeling well. Humph, those guys at school… and Tan Suyan, I’m going to have a word with them tomorrow!”

“What happened?”

Just as he was puzzled, Ling Jing, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of dishes, looking up and smiling. “Jia Ming is back, dinner’s ready.” But the smile was a bit forced. After saying that, she turned back to the kitchen. Jia Ming quickly followed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…”

“Don’t lie to me, tell me, I’ll help you settle it, okay?”

He reached out to grab Ling Jing’s shoulders, but she still shook her head. “No need…” She walked to the gas stove, just as her body was hugged from behind by Jia Ming. “I don’t necessarily want to interfere with your privacy, but we’re a family. Even though we’re still young, I’m your husband, you’re my wife, I don’t want to see you unhappy. Tell me, okay? Is it about the performance?”

“I… wow…” Leaning on his shoulder, Ling Jing finally couldn’t help but sob softly. After a while, she whispered, “Jia Ming, they said I danced badly and wouldn’t let me dance anymore… Now it’s Tan Suyan from the third grade who is leading the dance. Jia Ming, I’ve been practicing for so long, Miss Fang even said personally that I danced well, how can they do this…”

“Wh-what? The performance is only a week away, and they actually switched dancers?” Frowning, Jia Ming said incredulously. It is true that Tan Suyan is more professional than Ling Jing when it comes to dancing. However, from Jia Ming’s perspective, Ling Jing has an unmatched sense of artistry, both in playing the piano and dancing. Of course, he might be biased, and he might not be seeing things objectively. However, Ling Jing’s hard work during this period is known to all. It’s not a super-professional performance focused on dance. Such a thing happening at this time is really incomprehensible.

Could it be… that Dongfang Lu did this because he couldn’t pursue Ling Jing… But it doesn’t seem like it…

“It must be Tan Suyan working behind the scenes.” At the kitchen door, Sha Sha said angrily. “She can’t beat me in the volleyball team, and she knows that Ling Jing is my best friend, so she did this on purpose. It is said that the student union member in charge of this dance is very close to her, and the dance teacher also has a relationship with her. The student council president, Dongfang Lu, even argued for Ling Jing, but in the end, they made this decision anyway. It’s so awful, I’m going to go ask them for an explanation tomorrow, I’ll see what kind of explanation they can give!”

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