Hidden Assassin 164

The music’s melody was light and agile, flowing out of the window. Light poured down from the stage, engulfing the slender silhouette of Lingjing in its white and black attire. Then the elegant song “Carousel” began. Apart from a slight tremble in her initial notes, she quickly settled into the song.

Lingjing’s voice couldn’t match Wang Fei’s vocal prowess, but her youthful, pure tone held a certain charm. Though she couldn’t replicate Wang Fei’s mature, ethereal melancholy, Lingjing successfully conveyed the warmth hidden within “Carousel’s” independent spirit. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Ya Han stayed silent for a while before speaking: “You taught her this?”

“Yeah.” A nod came from the darkness.

This was a room on the side of the stage. Entering from the backstage, a large glass window offered a clear view of the performance. With most of the lights in the auditorium extinguished, the room remained dark. A sliver of light seeped through the window, outlining the figures and furniture, casting a faint glow around them.

“…”

“… I have a glamorous exterior and dazzling lights,

I am a carousel in paradise,

Just to fulfill children’s dreams,

Climb onto my back and I’ll take you soaring.

I forgot the sorrow of only running in circles,

I also forgot that I’m eternally locked up,

No matter how long I can accompany you,

At least I can let you dream of flying with me…”

As the song flowed, Ya Han held her arms across her chest, her head slightly lowered. It seemed she was gathering her thoughts. After a while, Jia Ming was the first to laugh. “What’s wrong? Anything you want to say? I heard Xu Mo say you had a car accident.”

“Er… yeah.” Absentmindedly, Ya Han nodded.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, no…” She glanced at Jia Ming’s face and then looked away.

“Then what’s going on? You seem so flustered… Uh, is your family forcing you into another marriage again?” Jia Ming chuckled. “Last time you asked me for help, you weren’t this hesitant.”

“No, it’s not that, er… actually…” Taking a deep breath, Ya Han finally seemed to muster her courage. Her teeth gently nibbled on her lower lip. “That… you… are you with Lingjing or with Sha Sha?”

“Eh?”

“I… I found this on Lingjing’s bed, under her pillow. You’re together with Lingjing, aren’t you?” Walking two steps to the table, Ya Han turned on the lamp. Then, she opened her clenched left hand. A pale yellow condom lay in the light. The packaging depicted a banana, signifying its banana flavor. Now, under the lamp, that image was particularly conspicuous.

Seeing Ya Han’s relatively calm expression, Jia Ming blinked. “Actually, that thing isn’t just for doing that. It has many uses. You can carry one in your pocket just in case. For example, if your car runs out of water one day, and you don’t have a container handy, you can use it to get water. Or, for instance…”

“– I’m not joking with you!”

Suddenly, Ya Han shouted, startling Jia Ming. The two of them were stunned for a moment. Jia Ming shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters!” Ya Han exclaimed. “Why wouldn’t it matter! You… you’re still just high school students, still just… just minors… the school doesn’t allow these things. How can you do this… Sha Sha lives with you, how will she feel? And… and…”

“Okay, okay, don’t get excited. Actually, it’s nothing to do with you. It’s just that the situation is difficult to explain. But think about it, things are pretty obvious, right? How many high school students do you see living together like us? Living together, working together, buying furniture together, eating together, sharing things… uh?” Jia Ming nodded at her.

“You mean… the three of you.” Her chest rising and falling rapidly, Ya Han took a step back. Her expression was a complex mix of emotions. She removed the glasses she was using as a disguise. It seemed she wanted to cry, but more than that, she was simply bewildered. “This… how is it possible? You… you all… even share a bed…” The last two words emerged as a groan.

Slowly nodding, Jia Ming let out a long sigh. “The day after we finished the junior high school exams, we were celebrating at Sha Sha’s villa. We drank a lot. You know my tolerance isn’t great. And to make things worse, Sha Sha’s dad must have brought home a girl the night before, and they put aphrodisiac in a bottle of red wine. The dosage wasn’t high, but we were already drunk, and after that bottle, we woke up the next day like this… I didn’t intend to deceive you or anything. But you know, it’s not something you easily tell people. Since you know… it’s good, I guess.”

Jia Ming shrugged helplessly, his smile as open and honest as could be. Ya Han shook her head, retreating to a chair at the table. After a long silence, she said in a confused voice, “It’s good… what’s good about it? You… you’re not even grown up yet, I mean the three of you… Do Ye Dad and Ye Mom know? Does Sha Sha’s dad know? You… the three of you…”

“Well, of course they don’t know. My family’s alright, but Ye Dad and Ye Mom would definitely oppose this. They might even beat me to death or beat Lingjing to death… Sha Sha’s dad wouldn’t allow us to do this either. If it were just me and Sha Sha, it wouldn’t be an issue… Right now, we can’t say for sure. We just have to hide it. We’re all friends, it’s fine that you know. You should be able to understand…”

“Understand! What can I understand?!” Ya Han suddenly raised her head and yelled again. “If you were just with Lingjing or Sha Sha, it would be one thing, but the three of you… no one would accept this. Do you know what you’ll face in the future?”

“I have a general idea.” Seeing Ya Han’s agitated state, Jia Ming curbed his smile and his gaze grew calm. “We’ve already made our preparations.”

“Preparations? What preparations can you make?” Taking a deep breath, Ya Han lowered her voice slightly. “I know you’re powerful. You understand this and that, you can even kill. Whatever you want to do, nobody can stop you. But what about Ye Dad and Ye Mom? When they forbid you from associating with Lingjing, can you beat them to death? They raised you from a young age, would you dare disrespect them? Even if you get past them, can you take Lingjing away? Will she be happy if she leaves with you? You’ve made preparations to face everything… you can’t face anything. I… I consider you my best friends, so… so I tell you this…”

“I understand…”

“You don’t understand!” Ya Han stared into his eyes for a while, then turned away and whispered softly, “You have no future…”

“I didn’t expect you to say that…” Jia Ming, returning her gaze, smiled helplessly.

“Then what should I say? Wish you happiness? But I know how difficult this is, and you know it too…” Her gaze wandered around the room. Ya Han awkwardly repeated herself. “I… you’re my best friends, that’s why… why I’m telling you this. I don’t want… I don’t want you…”

“I know it’s difficult, but I hope we can overcome these things.” Gazing through the glass window at Lingjing on the stage, Jia Ming smiled. “We can only be together, because we can’t be separated now.”

“That’s just an excuse, you’ll eventually break up.” After a long silence, Ya Han said. “Someone will be hurt more severely then.”

“Maybe, I can’t rule out that possibility, but for now, this is the only way…”

Another awkward silence ensued, while Lingjing’s song played on stage.

“The running carousel made you forget your hurts,

In this paradise that provides laughter,

Watching their envious glances,

No need to let them into your heart,

The revolving carousel has no wings,

But it can take you flying everywhere,

The music stops, and you will leave,

And I can only do the same…

…

The music stops, and you will leave,

And I can only do the same…”

Three seconds after the music faded, thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium. Lingjing bowed and said thank you. Ya Han and Jia Ming watched silently. Suddenly, Ya Han said, “Break up, Jia Ming.”

“Huh?”

“You… you have to make a choice, Lingjing or Sha Sha, or maybe neither. The longer you wait, the more painful it will be. You have to give up one of them, or… I… I’m not trying to force you to make a decision, but… I’ve always considered myself your older sister. I don’t want to see you like this in the future. Lingjing and Sha Sha are also my good friends. That’s just your male nature. Men are inherently fickle, you’ll hurt them both… I… I consider myself your older sister. I consider myself… your older sister…” After gathering her thoughts for a while, she rambled on and on, then suddenly seemed to realize her incoherence. She froze on the spot.

“I’m sorry… I don’t know… I don’t know why I’m saying these things. I shouldn’t be saying these things, but… I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I… if we see each other at school in the future, don’t greet me. Until you make a decision or I figure things out, we’re not friends anymore. We’re not friends anymore!”

Unprepared for her sudden outburst, Jia Ming frowned. He walked around the table to her side. “Ya Han…”

“Don’t touch me–”

The moment Jia Ming’s fingers grazed her shoulder, Ya Han yelped as if electrocuted. With a slap, she swatted his hand away. Her body slammed back against the desk, sending several notebooks, a calendar, and the lamp crashing to the floor. Jia Ming’s hand froze in mid-air.

“You’re being unreasonable…”

“You’re fickle…”

“I’m not.”

“You are!”

“You…”

Watching two lines of tears streak down Ya Han’s face in the darkness, Jia Ming stared blankly. Then, he sighed softly and took a step back.

“Well… sorry.” He nodded and headed for the door. “You can calm down for a bit, I’m going.” As he opened the door, Jia Ming paused. “You’re probably right. It’s not just Ye Dad and Ye Mom. When you’re angry, I’m helpless too.” Then, the door slammed shut, shutting out the noise from outside and Jia Ming’s figure.

Ya Han swayed in her chair, sat down, covered her face, and sobbed softly.

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