Hidden Assassin 150

“Miss Fang, would you like some tea… no, coffee? Hmm… Jia Ming, where’s the coffee? Why are there only alcoholic drinks here? Sorry, Miss Fang, please wait a moment.”

“Coffee… Do you have any here?”

“I saw a pack last time. Maybe it’s been moved to the top. Let me look for it.”

“Let me, let me! You go get the hot water.”

“Okay.”

Sitting at the small round table in the center of the room, Fang Yusi gazed at the young man and woman bustling about the small table, feeling slightly awkward. It didn’t take long for her initial confusion and disarray upon recognizing Lingjing’s appearance to transform into the awkwardness she was currently experiencing. The girl sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window was probably also a big part of it.

Ever since Fang Yusi had entered, Sha Sha had remained seated there, silent and gloomy as she gazed at her, clearly unhappy. The reason was clear if one thought about it. Fang Yusi had spent a few years in the entertainment industry and wasn’t an idiot. When dealing with ordinary people, she could generally deduce their attitude from their facial expressions. What puzzled her was why Lingjing was so friendly towards her. As for the young man named Gu Jia Ming, though he had been diligently tending to her needs all along, his smile was a bit ambiguous, making it impossible to gauge his intentions – it seemed like kindness, yet it also felt like he was merely maintaining a certain degree of courtesy.

After all these years in the music scene, she never imagined that the Concept band would be comprised of these three young people. But the facts were right in front of her, leaving her no choice but to believe it. After a long time, she hesitantly asked, “Uh, so… you guys are the Concept band?”

“Ah, uh…” Hearing her question, Lingjing stood there, exchanging a look with Jia Ming before offering a forced smile. “That… no, we’re just here to help out. Everyone from the Concept band already left for the day. Hehe, hehe…”

“Oh, I see. Hehe…” Fang Yusi nodded in agreement, but naturally, she didn’t believe this flimsy excuse. After all, she had overheard a good portion of their conversation in the room.

“Uh… Miss Fang, do you like Concept’s music too?” Holding the kettle, Lingjing asked casually.

“Yes, of course I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t… heh… Honestly, Concept’s music is amazing. They can perfectly grasp any musical style. The lyricist and composer are real geniuses…” Hearing Fang Yusi compliment the lyricist and composer as geniuses, Lingjing couldn’t help but glance proudly at Jia Ming. Although the big star wasn’t a very good person, singing was her profession after all. This compliment from a renowned singer made Lingjing incredibly happy. After a pause, she said, “Uh, but… I’m really sorry for barging in like this. It’s because…”

“It’s alright, alright. We’re overjoyed. Right, Jia Ming?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Jia Ming nodded with a smile. It felt to Fang Yusi like entering a bandit’s lair and seeing the bandit leader’s smile, quite eerie.

Rain blew in through the floor-to-ceiling window, with the neon lights from the streets occasionally reflecting inside. Although Lingjing was acting enthusiastic and Jia Ming seemed to be maintaining a level of politeness, the atmosphere was still awkward. Fang Yusi had a guilty conscience, and the fact that Sha Sha remained stoic, only made the atmosphere colder. After pouring coffee for Fang Yusi, as she passed by Sha Sha, Lingjing whispered to Jia Ming, “What’s wrong with Sha Sha? She seems so unhappy.”

“It’s nothing, nothing. Last time, you promised her you’d get her Fang Yusi’s autograph, but it never happened. She’s definitely angry about that. You know how it is, Sha Sha’s been fighting with Tan Suyan lately. Her period’s been irregular, probably came early this time, hehe…” Jia Ming chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. He spoke softly, but Sha Sha clearly heard him. She glared at Jia Ming in annoyance, but Jia Ming didn’t mind and reached out, affectionately patting her cheek twice. Sha Sha let out a soft humph and turned away, like an angry cat.

“Don’t bother me…”

“Oh, right.” Jia Ming turned back with a smile, “Miss Fang, actually Lingjing was supposed to dance for you at the Sacred Heart Academy’s anniversary celebration. Do you remember?”

“Hmm…” Fang Yusi hesitated before nodding, thinking that the moment of truth had finally arrived. She tried to put on her trademark warm smile, but Jia Ming’s next sentence made her feel strange.

“Uh, the thing is, we all think Lingjing dances really well. We don’t know why the student council just went ahead and removed Lingjing as the lead dancer. It’s so unreasonable, right?”

“Jia Ming…” Lingjing called out hesitantly, seeming to think that Jia Ming shouldn’t be bothering Fang Yusi with this matter. However, seeing Fang Yusi’s slightly stunned expression, Jia Ming continued speaking.

“Anyway, I know it’s really rude to ask you for help, Miss Fang, but Lingjing and I are close friends who have been together since we were little. She’s been treated so unfairly, there’s no way we can just swallow this. But we can’t do anything to the student council. They’ve already made up their minds. I think only Miss Fang can help intercede, please.” Jia Ming said this while nodding respectfully, his expression sincere.

“Jia… Jia Ming… That kind of thing… Forget it.”

Hearing these words and looking at the two people in front of her, Fang Yusi opened her mouth, but she couldn’t speak for a moment.

What on earth was going on? They really didn’t know that I asked for Ye Lingjing to be removed? But why would the Concept band act that way? Could it be… they’re not really Concept? Impossible! Though they didn’t seem like the kind of people who could write those songs, still…

No, that girl called Liu Huai Sha looked at me with that kind of gaze, clearly knowing the truth. So what about this boy called Gu Jia Ming and Ye Lingjing? “We’re close friends who have been together since we were little…” Could it be… that he’s warning me?

Fang Yusi’s body trembled involuntarily as she gazed at Jia Ming’s sincere eyes.

That’s right! He and Liu Huai Sha already know the truth. They kept it from Ye Lingjing because… because she admires me, so they don’t want to hurt her. It’s said that Sacred Heart Academy is full of rich kids. This guy called Gu Jia Ming, who could be admired by people like Dongfang Lu and could casually take out 50 million with those mother and daughter, clearly had a good upbringing, hence his deep scheming…

After piecing together all of this in her mind, Fang Yusi took a deep breath and tried to speak naturally. “Hmm, I always thought Lingjing danced really well. It’s beautiful and elegant. I haven’t been there these days. I had no idea they suddenly replaced her. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely mention it.”

“Actually… I don’t dance that well. There’s no need to say anything…” Lingjing blushed and said. Jia Ming immediately stood up and bowed respectfully, expressing his gratitude. “Thank you so much. Lingjing has always wanted to perform with you, and she’s been talking about it all day while practicing the dance moves. Though Sha Sha and I found it annoying, we didn’t want to see Lingjing upset.”

“No need to thank me. It’s my honor to perform with a girl like Lingjing.”

Fang Yusi also stood up and smiled in response. The situation had now reached a point where there was a possibility of a preliminary reconciliation. Fang Yusi smiled naturally. Sha Sha, seeing Jia Ming’s respectful expression, snorted and stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.” She said coldly, pulled open the door, and walked out.

Fang Yusi was taken aback, but there was no way she could stay angry about this anymore. The three of them chatted for a few more minutes, then Jia Ming stood up and said, “I’m going to the bathroom too. You two talk.”

“Huh?” Lingjing looked surprised. After seeing Jia Ming off to the door, she whispered, “What’s wrong? Both of you are acting strange.”

“It’s weird if there’s nothing wrong. She’s a big star, I feel a bit restrained sitting with her. I’ll go check on Sha Sha first. You remember to ask Sha Sha for an autograph, otherwise, she’ll definitely still be angry. Okay. And, the Titanic is at 9:30, don’t chat too long. Big stars must be very busy.”

“Cut it out.” Lingjing couldn’t help but laugh. “Usually, you’re so clueless and don’t care about anything. Sis Yusi is very nice.”

“A big star, it’s only natural…” Jia Ming mumbled, waving to Fang Yusi. She quickly returned a bright smile, then Jia Ming closed the door with a smile.

Lingjing might feel a bit restrained, but it didn’t matter. Now that Fang Yusi understood, she would definitely pay attention to Lingjing’s feelings and make her happy. For Lingjing, being able to have this kind of interaction with her idol would definitely become a particularly beautiful memory. Jia Ming chuckled faintly, turned the corner of the stairs, and walked towards the wine cellar.

In the quiet parking lot, under the bright lights, Sha Sha sat on a concrete block nearby, using a rain-soaked tree branch to angrily beat the ground. Jia Ming walked over slowly and smiled, “Beauty, what are you brooding about?”

“Don’t bother me.”

“Oh, you know I’m stubborn. I love to argue with people.” Jia Ming sat down beside Sha Sha, put his arm around her, and reached under her legs, pulling her onto his lap. She symbolically struggled for a while, but how could she be Jia Ming’s match? She angrily patted his shoulder and complained in a voice full of grievance, “I don’t want to see you being so respectful to Fang Yusi.”

Jia Ming gently stroked Sha Sha’s leg and smiled, “Why?”

“She did something wrong, why are you still asking her to do things?”

“What should I do then?”

“At least… make her know what she did wrong. Make her apologize, make her explain. Last time, those two people from the Yongsheng Gang, they just said a few words, and you killed them. Why is Fang Yusi so special… because she’s pretty?”

“Heh, silly girl…” Jia Ming pinched Sha Sha’s face and laughed. “That’s because the Yongsheng Gang people actually posed a threat to you, while Fang Yusi is just an ordinary person. Ordinary people often do inexplicable things for inexplicable reasons. After the fact, they might not even remember doing them. If we had to be serious with everyone like that, wouldn’t half of the vendors in the vegetable market who wouldn’t budge on their price after bargaining for ages be killed by me?”

Hearing Jia Ming’s analogy, Sha Sha couldn’t help but laugh and hit his chest. “That’s not the same thing. Lingjing was treated that way!”

“Yeah, Lingjing would be sad. If we told her everything, she’d probably be even more heartbroken. Fang Yusi doesn’t care much about Lingjing. She probably did that just because of some reason like her period coming, or just being dumped by her boyfriend, so she wanted to make things awkward. Does it make sense to make her apologize and explain? Look at it now, isn’t this good?”

“But… I just don’t like seeing you being so humble to Fang Yusi, like we’re begging her…”

“At least Lingjing is happy. I don’t care, I haven’t received any scorn or anything. The whole time, I’ve been warning her.” They looked at each other for a moment, then Jia Ming smiled, “Okay, how about this? If you’re unhappy, I can go drag her out anytime you want, and you can beat her up, beat her until she cries and begs for mercy. Do you want to do it tonight or tomorrow night? Hmm, we can reveal our identities, and let her die knowing who did it, or we can make it so that she never knows who did it, how about that?”

Sitting on Jia Ming’s lap, looking at his sincere smiling face for a while, Sha Sha finally lowered her head and smiled, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Her voice had a strange tremor in it.

“Jia Ming, if I were treated like that, would you make me happy like you did for Lingjing?”

“Of course, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” Her voice was slightly choked. Sha Sha hugged him silently for a moment, then chuckled softly. “Lions never bother with the provocations of ants, right?”

“Heh, I’m not a lion, and Fang Yusi is not an ant. We’re all just ordinary people…”

“I like you… Jia Ming.”

“Hmm, I know.”

“Hee, you’re so thick-skinned…”

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