Hidden Assassin 154

## Volume 3: The Cohabitation Era – Chapter 6: Azure Sky Below – Section 154: Running

2013-02-08

The third period of Monday afternoon – which was also the last period – was, as usual, self-study. However, regardless of the school’s rules, as the bell for the second period rang, the mischievous student named Gu Jia Ming had already placed a leave note on the podium, then packed his bag and disappeared. Dongfang Wan had once been disgusted by such behavior, but as time passed, she could only helplessly admit that she was powerless in this matter.

The gloomy clouds never dispersed all day long. Spring had passed, and the humid and rainy summer had arrived. As the boy named Jia Ming rode his bicycle out of the teaching area, Dongfang Wan would often watch from the second-floor balcony. That summer, she wore a pink long-sleeved shirt with wide floral lace and a blue knee-length skirt, her hair simply tied up, with no earrings or any decorations. When the cool breeze blew, she could clearly feel the world. She tried to approach and understand a life completely different from her own, to make herself more mature and profound. However, the result, at least for now, is difficult to conclude – it’s never a conclusion that can be made with specific language.

In Sacred Heart Academy, during such self-study periods, many people would leave, mostly to participate in club activities. Debates, discussions, competition preparations, or even social gatherings were commonplace in this school. However, looking around the classroom, the disappearance of a certain figure still aroused everyone’s interest, leading to discussions.

“Huh? Where did Yue Chi Xun go?”

“The teacher called her over, about the incident at noon…”

“Where… she’s getting special treatment. The teacher’s office is still having a meeting, investigating the reason…”

Despite her solitary and quiet nature, with little interaction with others, as a rare beauty, Xun would unconsciously become the focus of attention in the entire class. Therefore, when the ice princess, who usually sat quietly in her seat, suddenly disappeared, everyone’s minds were filled with various speculations and disappointments. Especially those male classmates who were captivated by her beauty but dared not act, even if she was withdrawn, they could at least feast their eyes on her in the same class, have a reason to be close to her. If she was expelled, then nothing would be possible.

The hushed discussions continued for a while. Suddenly, a student by the window noticed Xun’s voice and shouted, “Look, she’s on the playground.”

“Really? It’s really her, why is she on the playground?”

“Run… running? Impossible…”

“She just settled things with so many people at noon, and now she’s going for a run in the afternoon? She… is she over-energetic…”

Amidst the surprised discussions, a group of people gathered by the window. Dongfang Wan, as the class monitor, had to come forward to maintain order. However, looking at the scene outside the window, even Dongfang Wan found it hard to understand. She had been the first to see the scene in the martial arts club at noon. Perhaps someone had flipped the lights switch, making the room that should have been brightly lit somewhat dim. As Dongfang Wan peeked inside, Yue Chi Xun was sending the last opponent flying with a powerful spin kick. Her fluttering ribbon and the scattered mess on the floor complemented each other, the white figure, which had suddenly transitioned from extreme movement to stillness, seemed to emit dazzling light. When her watery eyes looked over, an inexpressible sense of wonder arose in Dongfang Wan’s heart.

And the scene at this moment seemed somewhat similar to that in the room. Gloomy clouds, people exercising under the occasional breaks in the rain, white sportswear, white sneakers, fair complexion, the white ribbon fluttering in the wind. The girl seemed to be separated from everyone else by a world of her own.

“Uh… just study, don’t wander around…”

Slightly adjusting her mood, Dongfang Wan sat down with a frown, thinking to herself, no wonder Yue Chi Xun only interacts with Gu Jia Ming. Weird people in a weird combination… In this frame of mind, she buried herself in her homework, occasionally looking up, she could still see Yue Chi Xun running on the playground. After about twenty minutes, the whispers started again.

“She’s still running, how long does she intend to run…”

“I counted, she’s already run ten laps, and she doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all…”

“Goodness, four kilometers… honestly, I’d be exhausted after running three laps…”

“No wonder she could take on over thirty people alone…”

“Is she trying to run herself to death?”

Looking out the window, the girl was still running tirelessly on the playground. Dongfang Wan frowned, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to her. Eleven laps, twelve laps, thirteen laps… As the end of the period neared, under the astonished count of everyone, Yue Chi Xun had already run sixteen laps. Just then, Dongfang Wan heard a voice asking questions from outside the window by the corridor.

“Excuse me, is there a Gu Jia Ming in this class?”

Turning her head, the speaker was a tall foreigner, probably in his thirties, his aura revealed him to be an elite individual who had achieved something in certain fields. Hearing his question, the student by the window quickly pointed to Gu Jia Ming’s seat and answered, “Yeah, Gu Jia Ming is in our class, but he seems to have gone home after school, he sits at the back, last seat.”

The foreigner frowned, “Do you know where he lives?”

“Uh… I don’t know that…”

“Okay, thank you.”

After saying this, the man walked in through the back door of the classroom. Considering the expression he had when he said the name “Gu Jia Ming”, Dongfang Wan quickly stood up and followed him. When he tried to open Jia Ming’s desk, she rushed over and pressed it down.

“Excuse me, sir, I think unless Mr. Gu Jia Ming agrees, no one can rummage through his belongings.”

“Hmm?”

For a moment, the man’s eyes became somewhat intimidating, but Dongfang Wan had seen her fair share of the world, how could she be easily frightened? She met his gaze unyielding, “I’m the class monitor, Mr. Gu Jia Ming is absent today due to some matters, he has already gone home. You can come back tomorrow to look for him, or you can leave a message, I can pass it on to him tomorrow.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, the man’s brow relaxed, and then he snorted coldly, “Fine, I’m Joseph, please pass this message on to him tomorrow, I know… uh?”

As he began to speak, Joseph’s gaze suddenly fell on the playground, becoming incredibly sharp. After a moment, he abruptly shook his head, “Thank you, no need to pass it on.” He turned around and went out, downstairs. Dongfang Wan looked towards the playground, her heart still pounding. Yue Chi Xun was running past the nearby bend.

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

“During the last period today, I saw Xun running on the playground, for over ten laps… Amazing…”

The aroma of stir-fried green peppers with pork wafted from the kitchen. Ling Jing was setting the table and talking at the same time, Sha Sha was collecting clothes on the balcony.

“Oh, over ten laps… that’s really comforting…” carrying the dish, Jia Ming said with a smile, Ling Jing nodded vigorously, “Yeah, yeah, a lot of boys can’t run that much, Xun doesn’t seem tired at all, she was still running when school was over… By the way, I’m worried about the fight this time, over thirty people were hospitalized, although not serious injuries, the impact is really too big, the classmates all say that she might get expelled this time, Jia Ming, do you have any way?”

“Don’t worry, she’ll figure it out herself.” He smiled reassuringly. Just as he was about to turn back to the kitchen, a phone rang from the balcony, Sha Sha shouted, “Jia Ming, your special phone is ringing.”

“You answer it.” Ling Jing ran towards the kitchen, laughing. Jia Ming went into his small room from the balcony. Among several peculiar-looking gadgets, the phone was ringing insistently. This was a secret phone he had specially installed. Although he had informed Ling Jing and Sha Sha beforehand, this was the first time it had rung. Turning on the computer, the caller ID showed a Japanese Tokyo address. After hesitating for three seconds, he picked up the phone and listened to the voice on the other end.

“Hello. This is Tenyu Masanori.”

“I know this is the phone you left for Xun, it’s a bit abrupt to call suddenly, it’s a very important matter, I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I decided to call, it’s also…well, a surprise…”

“It’s like this, actually… today is Xun’s birthday… uh, originally, I had planned to come over. But you also know that this is still a sensitive period for mutual probing. If my existence can be downplayed, then it’s best to do so, so she can feel safer… Yeah, I know she likes Gu Jun, maybe it’s more accurate to say she gets along well with him, you also know the situation of the Yuechi family, a life without childhood is really too tragic, so for Xun’s sixteenth birthday, please Gu Jun, pay more attention to her, give her a good memory… even if it’s going to bed, I won’t mind…”

“It’s a bother to you, just consider it my little bit of concern. Anyway, she’s my nominal fiancée… Ah, Wei heard fiancée, sorry, I’ll… Xun’s matter, trouble you…”

There was a flurry of noise on the other end, followed by a hurried female voice, “Hello, you are the Chinese guy? How did you know me? I warn you, if you dare to secretly monitor me again…”

“Click”, Jia Ming hung up the phone expressionlessly. He looked at the darkening sky, muttering a curse, “Boring…”

He walked out of the room, Ling Jing and Sha Sha were both waiting for him by the dining table, their eyes wide with curiosity. After a moment, Sha Sha asked first, “What’s wrong? Last time, you said that phone was very important, this is the first time I’ve heard it ring, is something big happening?”

Ling Jing said, “Is it dangerous? If it’s dangerous…”

“Don’t worry.” Jia Ming shrugged, “Nothing big, just a bored person who found out, let’s eat…”

…

It was almost eight o’clock in the evening, and a light drizzle was falling from the sky. The three of them were huddled on the sofa watching a boring TV series. Seeing the rain, Sha Sha quickly jumped off the sofa, “Ah, it’s raining, got to collect clothes.” Then she ran back, “I collected them before dinner…”

“Forgetfulness is a sign of aging, you know.”

“Where, they say that girls who are a little forgetful are more likeable.” Ling Jing laughed.

“I don’t like that at all…” Sha Sha propped up her chin, feeling troubled by her previous clumsiness. Then the phone next to the sofa rang. This was a normal phone call, and Ling Jing took the receiver casually, “Hello… oh… wait a minute… Jia Ming, it’s your phone.” Covering the receiver, she whispered, “It’s Dongfang Wan.”

“Huh?” Jia Ming took the phone receiver in confusion. Knowing that Jia Ming and Dongfang Wan were enemies in the class, Ling Jing and Sha Sha leaned in their ears, gossiping as they listened to the voice on the other end.

“Uh… I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, I think it’s better to give you a call to let you know, during the last period, a foreigner named Joseph came looking for you, he’s very tall, wearing a suit, he seemed a bit fierce, do you know him? Yeah, he didn’t find you, but he saw Yue Chi Xun running on the playground, he seems to have gone down to look for Yue Chi Xun, when school was over, I saw him standing by the playground… Hey, do you know why Yue Chi Xun was running? I just called the school, it’s already raining, she’s still running, almost a hundred laps, is she trying to run herself to death…”

…

The brightly lit teaching building, with six floors up and down, most of the students attending evening self-study were gathered by the windows facing the playground, looking at the lone white-clad girl on the playground in astonishment and admiration. Compared to when she first started running, her speed had slowed down considerably. Rain was falling from the sky, soaking every inch of her skin. In the blurry rain curtain, she was still running tirelessly…

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