Hidden Assassin 183

They walked into the bustling banquet hall, the torrential rain outside still pouring relentlessly. Sha Sha’s face was full of dejection, her expression slightly gloomy. “What’s the matter? I’m not a bad person, why would Mu Zhen Zhen… sigh…”

Actually, Mu Zhen Zhen hadn’t said anything disrespectful at the door, just that after knowing Sha Sha was the only daughter of Liu Zheng, she couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. They had a few awkward exchanges, and Sha Sha, no fool, could naturally hear the unnaturalness in the other’s words. After a few unfulfilling conversations, Mu Zhen Zhen left in a hurry. Sha Sha didn’t feel like staying outside to enjoy the cool breeze either, so the three of them turned back from the doorway.

Though she felt dejected, she couldn’t bring herself to hate Mu Zhen Zhen. After all, no matter what, her dad was a gangster, even if he seemed like a good father in her eyes. No matter what, she could never see him as a good person in the traditional sense. Ling Jing comforted her for a while, and Sha Sha turned to ask, “Jia Ming, my dad… has he done a lot of bad things?”

“Bad things? Heh…” Jia Ming patted her head like he was patting a little girl, saying proudly, “Not as much as I have.”

“Eh…” Sha Sha was slightly taken aback, then laughed, “What are you talking about… you.”

“I’m telling the truth, I’ve killed quite a few people.”

“But you only killed people who came looking for trouble first, right? My dad… since he’s in the black society, he must have gone looking for trouble, right? Extortion, vandalizing, debt collection, beating people up… I saw him take people to vandalize a shop when I was little. And… drug trafficking… Jia Ming, you should know about these, did my dad ever traffic drugs?”

Jia Ming smiled, remaining silent. Sha Sha’s expression gradually dimmed as she looked at her father, who was negotiating with others ahead. These hundreds of big and small gangsters… the excitement she felt a while ago now turned cold. “He… did he really traffic drugs? He used to say he would never do that…”

“The world of adults isn’t as simple as we imagine. Some things are unavoidable.” Jia Ming shook his head in consolation, “There are millions of people in Jiang Hai City, if some people are addicted to drugs, there will inevitably be people who traffic drugs. If the Shazhu Gang forbids this business, naturally there will be other people who will take their place. If the Shazhu Gang completely avoids it, the gang won’t be able to grow big, actually it’s like the Yongsheng Gang. Those bosses all went to prison, the gang disbanded, but as soon as they saw the power vacuum, the little gangsters who used to make a living under them gathered together. If you want, we can take Uncle Liu away, I’ll make a bomb and blow up everyone in the restaurant. Then we’ll kill all those in the Sanqing Gang, but after a while, there will definitely be another group of people to take their place. There are good people and bad people in this world, some walk the straight path, others take shortcuts, all making up a certain proportion. Even the country can’t do anything about it in the short term, it can only control it slowly under a tacit attitude. Actually, compared to the Sanqing Gang, which always tempts people to take drugs, Uncle Liu is already much better. Only by controlling the drug trafficking business can he possibly control the business from going off the rails. Besides, he’s a good dad, that’s the most important thing, isn’t it?”

“Suddenly you sound like a philosopher…” Ling Jing laughed after listening to his long speech, “But Sha Sha, I think he makes sense. I think Uncle Liu is very good, just leave it at that. When you argue with people, you can say that my sister’s dad is the boss of a black society, and we can call two truckloads of people to beat you up anytime, how cool is that? Besides… haha, you’ve already boarded Jia Ming’s pirate ship, just accept your fate, haha…”

Ling Jing seemed docile and well-behaved, but in reality, her heart was not as well-behaved as a typical good girl. She pinched Sha Sha’s cheeks affectionately, a lightness mixed with an inseparable purity. Sha Sha was rebellious as a child, but later her moral compass and refinement were gradually influenced by Ling Jing, becoming like a good person due to proximity. If it weren’t for Ling Jing and Jia Ming, she might have become a fiery gangster girl. The reason she felt dejected was mainly because she had spent a long time with Ling Jing’s family, fearing their dislike… although their relationship was still good now, who knows if Ye Dad and Ye Mom would be harassed by the underworld or see their evil deeds, and suddenly hate her? After being comforted by the two, she gradually recovered.

“Alright, alright, I know I’m on the pirate ship. Hmm, I’ll find time to talk to my dad, tell him to retire like they say in the books… hmm, Jia Ming, it seems like they’re talking very heatedly, they won’t really fight, will they…”

At the most central seat in the banquet hall, Huawei of the Sanqing Gang and Liu Zheng were tapping the table and discussing something fiercely. The Sanqing Gang’s henchmen stood behind Huawei, and naturally, Liu Zheng also had quite a few people behind him. Many small gang leaders gathered around unconsciously. Jia Ming smiled.

“What are you kidding? There are only a few of them. If they really dare to move here, they’d probably die from a mouthful of saliva. Although… hmm?” Looking at Huawei, who was talking through the gap between the crowd, Jia Ming frowned slightly, “They seem to be… proposing marriage to your father…”

“Eh…”

“…So, I think our Wen Yi and Xiao Sha are truly a match made in heaven. You know, the situation in Jiang Hai City is not peaceful these days, if we’re not careful, there may be large-scale fights, then blood will be shed, people will die… I believe everyone here loves peace, besides, you and I are both old, we should be thinking about the future of our young people. You see, I named my son Wen Yi, I don’t want him to get involved in this kind of business. He’s now been admitted to a prestigious university, I hope I can find him a virtuous and well-matched wife. Your Sha Sha will soon turn seventeen, and I’ll get her a new car, don’t worry, it’ll be the most luxurious one. I, Huawei, am not that kind of stingy father-in-law, hahahaha…”

Huawei said, raising his glass and laughing heartily. During such a sensitive period, if the two largest gangs became in-laws, the situation in Jiang Hai City would naturally calm down. Hua Wen Yi, from the Hua family, is nineteen years old this year and is studying at a prestigious university in China. Sha Sha will soon turn seventeen. Although they haven’t reached the age of marriage yet, it’s not uncommon to get engaged or even sleep together and create a common-law marriage. For a while, some gang leaders around also nodded in agreement, and Liu Zheng nodded and smiled.

“Mr. Hua is right. In this society, harmony makes money. What’s more important than making money, heh? Although we’re all out in the world, we’re all people from Jiang Hai City. Now there are layoffs and financial crises in society, the flood hasn’t finished yet, if we stir up more trouble, then it would be truly a sin. As for Yongsheng Gang’s territory, my plan is for everyone to get together, each managing a part…” He said, making Huawei nod repeatedly, and then he turned around subtly.

“Heh, as for my wild girl… hmm, this is Wen Yi, good, good, you look like someone who will do great things. Heh… he’s at HuaZhong University of Science and Technology, right? Good school…” Pointing at the young man with a three-seven split hairstyle behind Huawei, who looked quite handsome, Liu Zheng praised with a smile. Huawei, Liu Zheng, and the late Li Yongsheng, although they all thrived in the underworld, they shared the same desire to see their children succeed. Their sons had been admitted to prestigious universities, making them feel proud. He waved his hand, telling the young man to call Liu his father-in-law. After a round of greetings, when the topic returned to marriage, Liu Zheng sighed with a smile.

“Don’t mention it, don’t mention it. My wild girl, her grades at school are terrible. Her mother passed away early, and I spoiled her since she was little. Now… don’t even mention it, all she does all day is fight and cause trouble. How can I manage her? Now, don’t even talk about prestigious universities, I’d be happy if she could get into a junior college…”

“Aiyah, you shouldn’t say that. She’s the daughter of a powerful man, when Sha Sha was little, I heard she had a straightforward personality. I like young people like that, they’re full of energy! My Wen Yi may look gentle and refined, but he also likes to play and have fun, I believe they will have a lot in common.”

“Ai, to be honest, I heard that wild girl has a boyfriend at school. What in the world is happening in this world, these little girls are talking about boyfriends at such a young age… But I can’t convince her, after all, we’re almost in the 21st century, society emphasizes free love…”

“Where, where… Lao Zheng, don’t be fooled by what you see on TV, children don’t understand anything. Free love is just child’s play, when it comes to getting married, you still have to meet through matchmaking, listen to your parents. Sha Sha is your daughter after all, she’ll definitely listen to you. And that so-called love is just childish curiosity, our Wen Yi won’t take such a small matter to heart. Haha, don’t worry, don’t worry…”

Liu Zheng only has one daughter, Sha Sha. If anyone marries her, the business of the Shazhu Gang will naturally fall to him. Huawei was hoping to have his son marry Sha Sha and then merge the two gangs, but he was pressing hard, while Liu Zheng kept nodding in agreement, acknowledging everything he said, but kept dodging the issue of marriage. Huawei obviously understood that this matter couldn’t be settled quickly, and after talking about the topic for a long time, he finally laughed and said,

“Heh, children actually have their own world. Lao Zheng, you’re right, first there has to be love… By the way, where is Niece Sha Sha? It’s your birthday today, she must have come over… Lao Zheng, you’re wrong. Even with a good daughter, you can’t hide her away. Look at how many young people are here today, you should let her come out and meet everyone, so everyone has an equal chance to pursue her…”

As he said this, Liu Zheng wanted to say casually that Sha Sha was busy today. A Sanqing Gang member whispered something in Huawei’s ear. Huawei immediately laughed and fixed his gaze on the girl standing in the crowd with a gloomy face.

“Heh, I told you, I haven’t seen her in a long time, Niece Sha Sha has grown so beautiful. You probably don’t remember Uncle Hua, but I’ve seen you when you were little. Hmm, this time Uncle Hua has prepared a small gift for you, Sha Sha, you must accept it.”

Seeing that Liu Zheng’s daughter was so beautiful, many people started whispering to each other, many regretting that they were a step behind in the matter of becoming in-laws with the Shazhu Gang. But now that the Sanqing Gang had taken the lead, no one dared to have that idea anymore. Hua Wen Yi saw Sha Sha and was quite amazed. He had thought this was just a political marriage, who knew that the other party would be such a beauty. As for Liu Zheng’s previous mention of Sha Sha having a boyfriend, no one paid much attention to it. They thought it was just a high school relationship, a bit of child’s play, no one would take it seriously.

However, the subsequent developments were indeed unexpected.

Everyone thought that even if this girl was as unruly and willful as Liu Zheng said, she wouldn’t make a scene at such an important event. Who knew that when Huawei extended his hand holding a small gift box, Sha Sha’s face remained gloomy, arms crossed, completely indifferent. This girl has a big personality.

A few seconds of silence, just when Huawei’s face was about to change color, a young man also walked out from beside Sha Sha with a smile, pushing Huawei’s outstretched hand back to his chest. “Heh, sorry, really sorry, Sha Sha can’t accept your gift.”

This action was quite audacious. Although Huawei looked friendly and amiable, everyone in the underworld in Jiang Hai City knew that Huawei was extremely ruthless and cruel. Countless people had died under the hand that was now holding the gift. And this young man, who looked ordinary, dared to push it back, truly audacious.

There were murmurs in the crowd, some were guessing the young man’s background, while others were already certain that his death was imminent.

Liu Zheng, sitting beside him, his face changed slightly, then calmed down. He had long seen Jia Ming as his son-in-law, even his own son, partly because Sha Sha had a very good relationship with him. If Sha Sha married him, she would be happy. Secondly, he also understood that although Jia Ming seemed weak, only knowing how to run away during fights, he always had a fierce side to him at crucial moments. Recalling Cao Dongfeng’s incident back then, when faced with danger, Jia Ming was able to grab a hostage in front of a Japanese kendo master, allowing Sha Sha to escape first and still save his life, proving that he was capable of protecting himself and his family. Besides, Sha Sha had a very strong personality. Although she seemed to boss Jia Ming around, with Liu Zheng’s experience, he could see that Sha Sha actually listened to Jia Ming for everything. He was able to tame this willful daughter into a docile little cat, so Jia Ming naturally had his abilities.

Jia Ming was never one to seek attention. Now that the Sanqing Gang was clearly forcing them into marriage, although Liu Zheng thought rationally that he should gradually deal with it, Jia Ming, seeing that the matter concerned Sha Sha, directly stood up to give the other party a warning. This attitude, in fact, was very much to Liu Zheng’s liking. Men should have some courage at such times. He used to think that Jia Ming lacked courage, he wasn’t like a young man at all.

Thinking this in his heart, he sat there with a faint smile, watching the scene unfold. It would be good if they could coexist peacefully, but if he could see Jia Ming stand up for himself, it might be worth fighting the Sanqing Gang.

Glancing coldly at Jia Ming for a moment, Huawei put on a smile, “This gift is from Uncle Hua, it’s for Niece Sha Sha. I wonder who this young man is, why do you decide things for Niece Sha Sha?”

“Heh.” Jia Ming smiled, “I’m Sha Sha’s agent.”

“Agent?”

Huawei repeated with a chuckle, looking at Sha Sha across from him. Sha Sha just glanced at him, then focused her gaze on Jia Ming’s face and laughed.

“He’s my husband, I listen to whatever he says, of course he can decide everything for me… You’re talking about things like that today, my husband will be jealous. Even if he doesn’t say anything, I wouldn’t dare accept it… yeah, that’s it.”

Although Sha Sha was always bold and outgoing, when she said these words in front of so many people, she couldn’t help but feel shy, her cheeks turning red.

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