Hidden Assassin 179

The end of June saw the final exams, followed by summer vacation.

Although I had agreed to Ya Han’s request and disguised myself to counsel Xu Yiting, their relationship had not improved since then. Ya Han naturally stopped going to the Ye family’s martial arts school, so I hadn’t seen her since the beginning of July.

After the exams, Xun returned to Japan. I didn’t call her, and naturally, we didn’t have much contact. However, Tian Yu Zheng did call to express his gratitude and admiration. On May 10th, Yu Jin Xiang had killed the Da Nei Chang Du and forced Yuan Lai Chao Chuang to retreat for the second time, becoming the new king of the dark world. Recently, Yan Huang Jue Xing had secretly revealed the news that China would be responsible for all of Yu Jin Xiang’s actions, so his identity had finally been established. Naturally, he also talked about some of Pei Luo Jia’s recent movements.

Under the joint suppression of Gao Da Yuan, Yan Huang Jue Xing, and the Silent Lyre, Pei Luo Jia’s Japanese headquarters could only choose to defend. Pei Luo Jia’s branches around the world, however, were temporarily inactive due to some disagreements with the headquarters. But the situation was precarious, so they couldn’t make any drastic moves here. In late June, several high-ranking Japanese cabinet officials were assassinated, and the effects of the financial crisis were still lingering. Although Japan was less affected, the entire country was in a state of tension. With the government’s massive intervention, conflicts resulted in bloodshed, but they remained small-scale skirmishes.

I naturally kept a close eye on all this, and when Long Tang Wei, who was incredibly curious about me but had a fiery temper, yelled at me on the phone, I hung up. I let Tian Yu Zheng handle the explanations.

Despite the fact that she had committed numerous sins – early dating, living together, lesbianism, and being someone’s young wife – Ling Jing remained an exemplary, well-behaved child. Her final exam results ranked her third in the entire year, placing her prominently on the honor roll. In contrast, I, with my scores consistently hovering around sixty in every subject, stood beside her. In the eyes of the teachers, we were like a slave and a princess. As for the other students who were also well-behaved and admired Ling Jing’s delicate looks, they found it truly perplexing how two people so different could be good friends.

Under Ling Jing’s constant encouragement, Sha Sha’s grades had also improved significantly compared to the past. This time, her scores were all around seventy to eighty, and she didn’t have any failing subjects. She had basically reached an average level. While she was already overjoyed, Liu Zheng was ecstatic. He hosted a feast to thank Ling Jing and me, expressing his gratitude to Ling Jing and giving me a serious lecture about learning from Sha Sha, striving for excellence every day.

“Striving for excellence… my foot! I’m done!”

Like many fathers who wished for their children to succeed, Liu Zheng, who had a background in the underworld, always hoped that his daughter would become a female scholar. However, he raised her alone, surrounded by a group of ruthless gangsters, and she had developed a penchant for fighting since she was young. She had no interest in academics. It would have been fine if it had remained this way, but who knew that after being with Ling Jing and me, her grades gradually improved, and her temperament seemed more refined. This time, seeing her make such great progress, he happily signed her up for two tutoring classes. But six or seven days after summer vacation began, Sha Sha, with a large backpack slung over her shoulder, kicked open the door of the Ye family’s martial arts school, announcing that she would be running away from home and skipping school.

Actually, Sha Sha’s running away wasn’t anything new. Although she didn’t achieve any great wealth in the underworld, Liu Zheng owned several properties and real estate in Jiang Hai City. Since Sha Sha became aware of things, she had been running around from one place to another, solely based on her mood and preferences. Previously, Ling Jing and Sha Sha were as close as sisters, and they would occasionally stay at the Ye family’s martial arts school. This time, when Ye Dad and Ye Mom called Liu Zheng, he, who always doted on Sha Sha, had nothing to say. He left his daughter with us because he wasn’t really worried.

From that day on, Sha Sha occupied the small attic above the martial arts school. I naturally went over every day, playing games with them, playing poker, and serving as a punching bag when they practiced martial arts. The only drawback was that there was only one TV in the house, so playing video games for too long would always disturb Ye Dad from watching the news. In the afternoon, when a cool breeze picked up, we would read or chat in Ling Jing’s room or the attic. The two girls, wearing light summer clothes, lay down on the bed in a relaxed manner, looking at manga or romance novels. Outside the window, the sky was clear blue, with white clouds like cotton. In this scenery, the three of us nestled together quietly, feeling the flutter of our hearts and the tranquility, experiencing the tenderness and affection that I cherished most.

Our relationship had become so intimate that in this environment, as long as we weren’t deliberately trying to, physical contact and touch between us wouldn’t arouse overly strong desires. In the past, when Sha Sha had her period, I had even tried to gently cover her legs with my hands and fall asleep with her. Appropriate touch could also calm down chaotic emotions. Of course, this attic was not a suitable place for making love. Ye Mom had to go to work every day, and Ye Dad, though mild-tempered, would definitely beat us to death if he found out that his daughter and another girl were having a threesome under his roof. There was no doubt about that.

Out of consideration for avoiding any suspicions, I would leave when the two girls finished reading and fell asleep. In the meantime, I would get more martial arts instruction from Ye Han during the noon or afternoon hours. Ye Mom had naturally told Ye Han about my “relationship” with Sha Sha. However, I could still sense that even if I didn’t marry Ling Jing, Ye Dad would still leave the martial arts school to me. This touched me deeply. In fact, being with Ling Jing and Sha Sha, inheriting the small martial arts school, or becoming an acupuncturist and massage therapist was a beautiful future I had imagined for myself.

In this world, I had the best family and friends. Only someone who had struggled on the edge of life and death every day, as I had, could truly understand how precious such a life was. In my life as an assassin, even in my most powerful days, I wouldn’t dare say I was still alive the next day.

Every few days, I would go shopping, or return to the rental apartment near the school for an all-night party, or browse through various shops, looking at things we coveted. In fact, in the past year, we had accumulated over three hundred thousand yuan through various channels – the biggest source of income came from the several songs that the Concept band sold. But Ling Jing had more long-term plans: to go to university together, buy a house together, buy a car together. Most importantly, she was afraid that we wouldn’t be able to hide this income from our parents. If they didn’t know my background, they might be proud to tell their parents that I could both sing and write songs, or even be a musical genius sought after by countless stars. But after knowing the truth, they would instead be reluctant to let others discover my special abilities.

Time flowed like the clouds in the sky, passing by day after day. Heidi, who was in New York, would send an email every day, long or short, as if writing a diary, telling me about her life lately. The lively little girl like an elf was never short of thrills and excitement, catching insects to create specimens, exploring the huge basement of an old house in the countryside, and so on. Marilyn would also write occasionally, sharing some interesting things about Heidi, our family, or New York City, but she never mentioned anything about the Mafia, probably not wanting to cause me trouble. It felt like we had two pen pals.

From June to the end of July, Dongfang Wan’s toy factory plan finally began to be implemented. During this time, she had already used all the capital and manpower at her disposal. She had her family members conduct evaluations, and she had even borrowed funds from relatives like Dongfang Lu. Finally, she bought an old factory building on the riverbank in the suburbs. When I received a call to come and take a look, the factory building, not very big, was still under renovation. There were only two people in the simple office: Dongfang Wan, dressed in a women’s suit, trying to appear mature, and Xu Yiting, wearing glasses.

This was the first time I had seen Dongfang Wan after the holiday. In fact, our relationship had already become strained before the holiday. Ever since “Jian Suyan” had openly admitted that she was my child bride, Dongfang Wan had never given me a good look. Although she generously discussed with me the payment standards for designing toys and asked about the equipment I needed, she would always get “莫名其妙” (莫名其妙 literally means “mysterious” or “unaccountable,” but it’s often used in a humorous way to describe someone doing something irrational or nonsensical) angry after a while. Only after realizing her gaffe would she apologize and leave.

When I walked in now, Dongfang Wan, who was struggling with a pile of files and forms, quickly finished her work and stood up. Xu Yiting, who was working hard on a calculator beside her, looked up at me and then nodded, quietly saying, “Cousin.” Then she continued to focus on her work.

“Finally here. Come on, I’ll take you to see your studio.”

The factory building outside the office was filled with dust from the construction workers and a strong smell of paint. I frowned, “Why did you bring Xu Yiting here too?”

“There’s no one else, okay?” Dongfang Wan rubbed her forehead tiredly and shrugged, “Anyway, Yiting is good at math. I’m paying her, and it won’t affect her studies. I handle the big picture, then I teach her to do the details, and then I revise it. We’re almost finished with the initial budget and planning. How about that? Pretty impressive, huh?”

“So you and Xu Yiting are the only two employees in this factory?” I rolled my eyes, speechless for a moment, “There’s a bunch of talented people in the Dongfang family. For a small factory like this, any work team can finish it in a few days. Why are you bothering with this… Besides, for a workshop like this, there’s no need for a plan…”

“It’s the three of us! I’ve posted advertisements, you know. But many people came and saw me and then ran away. I don’t want people with such bad taste. And our family matters… hmph, you wouldn’t understand. Anyway, they’re all treating this as me playing around, just to borrow money from my older brother and my father. I’ve agreed to all sorts of humiliating conditions. Everyone is watching me! This overall planning is a reflection of a person’s ability. How can I rely on others!” Dongfang Wan raised an eyebrow, opened a nearby door, and said decisively, “What I’m doing is not a small workshop! Here, this is your studio, and it cost me a lot of money…”

The Miss Dongfang who usually didn’t care about money looked heartbroken as she spoke. I took a casual look around. There was a computer, a desk, a printer, and some small machines for cutting, welding, and manufacturing, all neatly arranged. Since the studio was big enough, they only occupied about half of the space. However, the walls were painted snow white, and the floor was spotless. It was clear that there had been a lot of effort in decorating it.

“Just this computer cost me thirty thousand yuan… hmph, you have your own computer, you see. This small machine is the one you specifically requested. It’s so small, yet it costs fifty thousand. And this… this…” Dongfang Wan introduced these things to me, looking heartbroken. Then she turned her head and asked, “I’ve bought everything you said you needed for the first step. Do you need anything else?”

“No, not for now.” I tapped on the thick iron door and looked at the welded security bars. If I wanted to do more extravagant experiments, it definitely wasn’t possible at this time. I’d think about it later.

Although Dongfang Wan’s stubbornness was laughable, I didn’t doubt her ability to keep this factory going. After all, the Dongfang family could easily find a few people to handle something of this scale. And then, through the Dongfang family’s trading network, there would be no possibility of losing money. The only problem was that if Dongfang Wan could survive the first stage on her own, she might be recognized by the family. Once she asked for the family’s help, they could definitely find a solution. However, the family’s recognition of her would definitely decrease, or even affect her official family ranking after graduating from school.

For the wealthy Dongfang family, Dongfang Wan’s actions were really just childish play. However, Dongfang Wan’s ambitions were not so simple.

“I asked people from the company to take a look and evaluate it. The electronic pet program you gave me the second time is much better than the one in Japan. And the craftsmanship isn’t too complex. I’ve been running around these past few days, and everything is ready. I can still borrow some reliable management personnel to help during the first two months. There are so many people laid off now. As long as we have an adult standing by, it won’t be hard to recruit workers. The first batch of goods will be shipped nationwide, and after the capital returns…”

Dongfang Wan stopped talking, looking at the formerly simple factory building that was being renovated. She pressed her lips together firmly.

“Then… we can celebrate…”

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