Hidden Assassin 170

There are some people who, when dissatisfied with their current life, often reminisce about the past, yearning for the simplicity and beauty of their younger days. They want to change everything about their present, make life more regular and structured, healthier and more perfect. Ya Han is one of these people.

Realizing her unrequited love for Jia Ming, even if she couldn’t forget him immediately, she hoped to cope with this difficult period by leading a more regular life. She aimed for a life of rigor and health, filled with studying, exercise, and work—everything neatly planned and running on track. This would prevent her from dwelling on those depressing and painful thoughts that made her want to cry.

Her transformation began that very night. After school, she returned to her solitary villa. Her meals were meticulously prepared according to strict nutritional guidelines, neither lavish nor simple. After dinner, she turned on the television, tidied her room, exercising and digesting simultaneously. She then took a bath, practiced yoga for an hour to calming music, took another bath, caught up on school matters, and finally settled down with an old book she hadn’t touched in a long time. At precisely eleven, she switched off the lights and went to bed.

The tossing and turning she did on the bed after the lights went out is beside the point. The next morning, she woke up to her alarm clock, the sky just beginning to dawn. She ate breakfast outside the school and went to the office, placing her belongings on her desk. Then, she grabbed a sketchbook she hadn’t touched in a while and headed to the highest pavilion on the school’s back hill. From there, she could enjoy a commanding view of the surroundings.

Golden morning rays burst forth from the eastern horizon. Below her gaze stretched a cityscape of streets and houses, one after another. In the narrow alleys, doors opened, residents appeared on rooftops brushing their teeth, vendors pushed their carts filled with steaming breakfast food, and the market bustled with vendors haggling with housewives. Students, with their backpacks, emerged from their homes, chatting and running in groups.

This was once Ya Han’s favorite scene. Alleys snaked into her line of sight, weaving past the backs of countless houses, appearing and disappearing, the buildings blocking each other from view. You could only ever see one side of the houses, with the rooftops and windows of another house hidden behind. Sometimes you could see figures moving, flowers on window ledges, and an elderly person watering them. But then, they would vanish back into their rooms. This scene was rich in imagination, inspiring visions of people’s lives, experiences, and trivial matters. It was like gazing into one’s future, and because it was morning, everything seemed vibrant and exhilarating.

However, despite the beauty, her pen moved erratically across the sketchbook. School staff members occasionally passed by the pavilion, taking their morning exercises. At one point, Ya Han finally stopped sketching because in her field of vision was the room where Jia Ming, Lingjing, and Sha Sha lived. When the three small figures came out of the room, walking side by side, she tried to pretend she didn’t see them but couldn’t. She closed her sketchbook and sat silently in the pavilion for a while, until the three figures disappeared from her view. Jia Ming seemed to turn around and glance back, but the vertical distance between them was several hundred meters, so she didn’t think he could see her.

The three of them were living together…

Her mood was ruined for the day, but it wasn’t a big deal. One day she would overcome this heartache. She decided to avoid the teaching area for the rest of the day to prevent seeing him and having him strike up a conversation. If time could dilute steadfast love, then it could also dilute the undefined friendship between them. She needed to make her resolve clear to him, so their friendship would naturally fade away. She wasn’t the kind of strong person who could be friends with someone they couldn’t love. Whether it was cowardice or burying her head in the sand, she could only manage the situation this way.

However, fate seemed unwilling to fulfill her plans. During the second period that morning, she left her office and passed by the faculty room, hearing the chatter inside.

“Gu Jia Ming… he’s a problem student. That fight he started at the beginning of last school year… hehe, I still remember it. Teacher Jin, aren’t you his homeroom teacher? What’s he like?”

Ya Han had built a mental defense, but hearing someone mention Gu Jia Ming’s name, she instinctively stopped. In the large faculty room, a group of teachers were chatting, among them Xu Mo. He was the one who had brought up Jia Ming’s name.

“Gu Jia Ming, he doesn’t have much presence. He always sleeps in class, his grades are mostly passing but he never gets high scores. The most peculiar thing is that he takes a class off every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He’s polite, always calling us ‘Teacher,’ but no matter what you tell him, he’ll do it his own way. I just can’t do anything with him…”

“How can he do that? That’s terrible…” one teacher exclaimed.

“He, he’s just… you know, although he’s surnamed Gu, he’s actually a member of the Huang family. We mentioned some concerns during our home visit, but apparently his parents passed away, so the elders of the Huang family don’t really care about him. He gets little attention and discipline, so he’s developed this solitary, eccentric personality.”

“Actually, the Huang family really doesn’t care about him… that’s what I heard…”

“This is the first time I’ve met a kid with this kind of personality.”

Another teacher chuckled, “But maybe that kind of personality is more attractive to girls these days. Don’t they always say, ‘A man’s got to be bad to be loved?'”

“Impossible,” another female teacher countered with a laugh.

Teacher Jin laughed, “Maybe it’s true. You know, over half his homework is done by the girl sitting next to him.”

“His deskmate? You mean the Japanese student, Yue Chi Xun?” Everyone who had taught in the Class 16 of Grade 1 remembered Xun’s appearance.

“Impossible!”

“How is it impossible? His homework is here today. I’ll find it and compare it to Yue Chi’s…” To prove his news was interesting, Teacher Jin enthusiastically began searching through the homework stacks. After a while, he pulled out two homework books and began circulating them.

“It’s, it’s really true…”

“Boys can’t write so elegantly, and there’s clearly a Japanese influence…”

“How, how can this be…”

“Didn’t the meeting last time say we need to deal with some typical cases? I think…”

“Yes, his behavior has been quite bad…”

It was difficult to say why, but after reading the homework, everyone started talking about it. Teacher Jin just shook his head, “No, this isn’t a good idea. After all, the children of those families are quite sensitive. He hasn’t done anything too outrageous… And Teacher Zhang has handled him most. She’s talked to Gu Jia Ming a lot, but every time he just pretends not to hear and does it again.”

“It’s said that Teacher Zhang and he are fellow students from the same martial arts school… That’s what some people say.”

“Oh, Teacher Zhang… she wouldn’t favoritism like that…”

The chatter in the room continued, and Ya Han turned and left silently. Xu Mo glanced back, seemingly catching sight of a familiar figure, and followed her out. But when he reached the hallway, there was no one there.

Thinking about the teachers’ discussion about Jia Ming, Ya Han walked to the opposite building, heading towards the second floor. Unable to resist, she peered into the classroom of Class 16 of Grade 1. Xun, with her beautiful and refined features, was diligently taking notes. Jia Ming, as usual, was slumped over his desk, fast asleep. Gazing at his rather jarring sleeping position, Ya Han felt a surge of bitterness. Just before the end of class, the teacher finished his lecture and assigned two practice questions. She went into the classroom without thinking.

“Gu Jia Ming, have you had enough sleep?”

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

If you calculated Jia Ming’s sleep based on the average adolescent’s sleep schedule, he wasn’t getting enough.

The previous night, after warning “Yan Huang Jue Xing”, (炎黄觉醒) he discovered some rather troublesome matters. The situation was somewhat urgent, so he had to gather intelligence and data alone, then organize and summarize the information, working until dawn. These matters required being prepared for any eventuality. Although working the entire night wasn’t a big deal for him, with his youthful vigor, he was naturally tired, and since he could sleep in school, he decided to catch up on his rest. At the same time, he was still quietly analyzing the situation in his mind, making his sleep less than sound. Suddenly, he was woken up.

“Sleeping in class, repeatedly, despite being told not to. It’s bad enough you let someone copy notes for you, but you’re also letting them do your homework! Can she help you with everything for your whole life…” Ya Han somehow felt a resentment towards Jia Ming for his relationship with Xun, as well as with Lingjing and Sha Sha. She was particularly angry now.

“Sorry, Teacher. I won’t do it again…”

“That’s what you always say. Bring me your test tomorrow.”

“Yes…”

“And… clean the faculty room after school every day, for a week!”

“Uh…” Jia Ming stared at Ya Han in shock. But she had already turned and walked out of the classroom. Under the watchful eyes of the students, Jia Ming chased after her, “Uh, Teacher… I have a question…”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses!”

“Uh… that…” Jia Ming sighed, “Lingjing and I take turns cooking at home, each of us for a day. I really can’t do it today. I won’t go clean…”

Hearing Jia Ming’s confession, Ya Han felt a pang of sadness. You and she take turns cooking, living together, sharing a bed. Do you know how much I’ve covered for you? Do you know what those people are saying about me behind my back… She bit her lip, walking quickly ahead.

“You dare not clean?”

“You know me. You’re being unreasonable…”

“I’m being unreasonable! Why don’t you kill me?”

The bright sunlight illuminated their two resolute figures on the lawn in front of the classroom…

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

Since that morning, Sha Sha’s stomach had been aching. Her period had ended several days ago, and she was usually very healthy. She shouldn’t have been experiencing this.

Maybe it was because she got up too many times last night…

After learning about Jia Ming’s secret side, they understood why he sometimes went out at night and didn’t return. Of course, understanding was one thing, but they still worried. The realm Jia Ming was involved in was a world where he could face knives and guns, a world of life and death. Often, they thought it was simply a fantasy, but whenever Jia Ming mysteriously went out, they would start speculating, filling their minds with fear.

One night, she joked to Lingjing that Jia Ming never told them what he was doing when he went out, maybe he was sneaking off to meet a lover. Maybe it was Xun, or perhaps some other pretty girl. Lingjing’s reply was: “At least he’s not in danger if he’s meeting a lover. That’s better than him dying.”

They would rather accept Jia Ming going out with other women than the possibility of him dying.

Of course, they didn’t really mean it. If Jia Ming really was with other women, they wouldn’t be happy about it.

Because of this, although they didn’t say it out loud, Sha Sha had gotten out of bed to drink water ten times last night. Maybe that’s why she caught a chill. During the last period of the afternoon, she asked for permission to go home, wanting to take some medicine and help Jia Ming prepare dinner.

As she walked past the street corner, it seemed that another conflict was brewing. The Yongsheng Gang (永盛帮) was having a large-scale standoff with the residents. This time, both sides seemed very angry, and it looked like they might actually start fighting. The residents were furious, and more members of the Yongsheng Gang were arriving and gathering, effectively blocking the street corner.

“Come on, if you’ve got guts, chop me up! Don’t think we’re scared of you…”

“Don’t get cocky, you bastard. Watch out, I’ll kill your whole family…”

“If you’ve got the balls, come at me…”

“Do you think I’m afraid?”

At the center of the confrontation stood A Shui and the others, some holding wooden sticks and other weapons, shouting and yelling. Sha Sha had seen this kind of scene many times. They’d exchange insults for a while, and then someone would make a move. She didn’t want to get caught up in it, so she squeezed her way along the side of the road, trying to cross to the residents’ side. Not far away, an old woman who had been cleaning up her street stall was pushed to the ground by the crowd. Sha Sha paused and rushed over. She hadn’t noticed that several people in the crowd had exchanged glances as she charged toward them.

“Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

“What are you pushing for? Get out of the way, can’t you see there’s going to be a fight?”

Several items had fallen to the ground. The old woman wanted to pick them up, but someone shoved her again, then kicked her cart. The whole cart flipped over. Someone else was about to make a move when Sha Sha suddenly rushed in and pushed him away. “What are you doing! Leave the old woman alone!”

“It doesn’t matter if I hit you!”

Seeing someone make a move, the man who had been pushed away grabbed a stick and charged at Sha Sha. She cut his wrist, then kicked him back. At the same time, several other people surrounded her.

…

…

Ten minutes later, Jia Ming passed by, a lollipop in his mouth, a gift from Lingjing. In his line of sight, a brawl had broken out, spiraling out of control.

To be honest, he was a bit upset at the moment, which was naturally because of the cleaning assignment for the faculty room after school. Now that he was back, there was no way he could go over there.

The situation was pretty obvious: Ya Han was being unreasonable, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Would he really beat her up or kill her? If friendship was that simple, then he would have lost the meaning of having friends. Lingjing and Sha Sha would also sometimes be unreasonable when they had their periods, and he still couldn’t do anything about it.

Dozens of people were chasing each other around the street corner, creating chaos. Pedestrians and vehicles were staying far away. But to Jia Ming, the scene seemed somewhat ridiculous. He sighed and walked through the crowd. Fight, fight, hopefully they all kill each other. However, as he walked, someone ran towards him. It was A Shui, with a minor injury on his hand, looking anxious.

“A Ming, wait…”

“What’s wrong, Shui Ge?”

“It’s Sha Sha. She got injured earlier and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Ah, be careful…”

“Bang!” A wooden stick slammed into Jia Ming’s back, breaking in half. The man who had charged at him flew backward, blood and teeth spraying. Jia Ming instinctively drew back his right fist, which had been thrown forward in a flash. “What did you say?” The lollipop fell from his mouth, landing on the ground.

“Uh, that… Don’t worry too much…” A Shui stared at Jia Ming, whose eyes had suddenly become terrifying. “Sha Sha got hit on her hand, but it should be fine. She… uh, her stomach is hurting…”

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