Hidden Assassin 190

“What… what happened?”

Mato’s sudden shout startled everyone around him, and Ya Han was taken aback. Having trained in martial arts, she instinctively clenched her hand when someone reached for something she was holding. Turning her head, she saw Jia Ming standing beside her, offering her another glass of water.

“Drink this.”

“Uh…” Though she couldn’t figure out what was happening, she nodded, accustomed to following Jia Ming’s instructions. She exchanged cups with him and took a sip, only to realize that he had also taken her cue stick, a harmless smile on his face.

“I can switch places. Zhang laoshi, you must be tired. I’ll play this round for you.”

Suddenly appearing out of nowhere, taking Ya Han’s cup without a word, and then Mato’s sudden cry, everyone was still trying to piece things together. Lin Wan Zhen, standing aside, laughed. “Taking Ya Han’s place? Little brother, what’s your relationship with Ya Han?”

Jia Ming shrugged and looked back at Ya Han. She hesitated for a moment before smiling, “Well, he’s my brother, Gu Jia Ming. Jia Ming, Wan Zhen is a classmate from university. We were close when I was at Cambridge.”

“Nice to meet you, Wan Zhen jie.” Jia Ming greeted her like a model student. Initially, everyone thought Zhang Jing An only had Ya Han as a daughter, but then they considered that such a large, influential family would naturally have many cousins and relatives. However, seeing how close he was with Ya Han, it was clear he was particularly close to Zhang Jing An’s branch of the family. Some people secretly memorized his name, wondering if perhaps Zhang’s wealth would one day fall into the hands of these relatives.

After introducing Lin Wan Zhen, they turned to Mato, who was still staring at the glass in Jia Ming’s hand. After exchanging greetings, Ya Han frowned slightly, her gaze shifting between the glass in Jia Ming’s hand and Mato standing beside her. Though she didn’t attend such gatherings often, she was worldly enough to recognize the flicker in Mato’s eyes. Combined with Jia Ming’s demeanor, she had a preliminary idea of what was going on.

“So… game on?”

Casually placing the glass on the edge of the pool table, Jia Ming’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the glass as he smiled at Mato. Mato hesitated for a moment, then nodded awkwardly. “Heh… of course… who breaks first?”

“Break first, you break.” Seeing Mato approach, Jia Ming casually placed the glass on a small platform beside Ya Han, then waved his hand. “Wait, let’s talk about this first. Usually, there’s a little something at stake. How much are you guys playing for?”

“One hundred…”

“Too low,” Jia Ming interrupted him before he could finish, then pulled out his wallet. “One hundred yuan isn’t worth the trouble. Ya Han jie, how much do you think is fair… uh, this is tough, I didn’t bring much. Ya Han jie, could you lend me some?”

His words were rapid, like beans being tossed in a pan, leaving Mato speechless. Ya Han, her gaze shifting between the glass beside her and Jia Ming’s chattering mouth, seemed lost in thought. She only came back to reality when Jia Ming called her name. She opened her handbag, “Uh… how much do you need?”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Jia Ming laughed. “As much as you can give.”

Everyone, including Ya Han, was stunned. The crowd began murmuring amongst themselves. Ya Han was Zhang Jing An’s only daughter, and everyone knew that he doted on her. Teaching at the Sacred Heart Academy was her profession and passion, but considering her background, she could command billions of yuan at any moment if she needed it. So what did “as much as you can give” mean? Was there ever a way to borrow money like that?

Raising the stakes from one hundred yuan to a thousand or even ten thousand wouldn’t be a big deal. If it wasn’t their own money, they might be called spendthrifts at most. But this young man clearly targeted Mato from the start, intending to use this pool game to force him into a corner – assuming, of course, that his pool skills were exceptional.

Everyone was not a fool. They could all sense the unusual tension in the air. Their gazes darted between Mato, Ya Han, and the glass of water. Lin Wan Zhen had been about to speak, but stopped when she thought about it. If there really was something in the water, it was his own fault – inviting someone over to play and then drugging them, leading to some things happening, wasn’t uncommon amongst some wealthy but ill-mannered young people. But such things were usually either consensual, where everyone was drugged and having a wild party, or the drugged party was powerless and received a payout to keep quiet, even in court, they wouldn’t be afraid. But to do this to Ya Han, it was hard not to think of her family… Did Mato lose his mind…?

Though from a black-society background, Mato wasn’t a habitual offender in this area. He had been persuaded by Yi Hua Ying, and now, exposed, he was flustered and didn’t know what to say. Seeing Ya Han hesitate for a moment before taking out a checkbook from her handbag, she wrote an amount on it with a few strokes. Then, her voice seemed softer than before,

“I’ve spent some of my salary and side income from the Sacred Heart Academy these past years. I have just over a million yuan… I can also overdraft my account, but… a million, okay?”

Jia Ming took the check, shrugged, and smiled. “Not bad.” He tossed the check onto the pool table. “See, I got the money. If you don’t mind the amount, let’s get started.”

A million.

No one could possibly see this as a friendly match anymore.

Mato wiped the sweat off his forehead. Of course, he could refuse, but the question was what Zhang’s family would do to him afterwards. Even though he was working out of town and his younger brother was studying abroad, his father was involved in the underworld in Jiang Hai City. With Zhang’s influence, if they decided to punish him for this incident, considering their family’s long record of misdeeds, there would be no way out.

As Yi Hua Ying had said, he had approached Ya Han because of her beauty and family background, and his experience in Cambridge. He hadn’t had high hopes for her response, but those hopes had been kindled by Yi Hua Ying: Ya Han seemed more interested in him than Xu Mo. He had hope, but that hope had been brutally dashed. Ya Han could cry for an entire night for the man she loved, she could reject Xu Mo and everyone else’s advances, so what did her smile mean to him? Most importantly, maybe that smile wasn’t even for him. Maybe she had found the person she loved here – they both thought about it but neither said it out loud.

In an instant, Ya Han herself, and the vast background and influence behind her, suddenly seemed distant. People fear not disappointment, but the hope that once existed. Regardless of whether Yi Hua Ying had persuaded him because he disliked Xu Mo, the end result was that he had been convinced. Drugging her was a minor matter, he had heard countless stories from countless people, he hadn’t imagined things would go so poorly for him.

The problem was how to solve it now. His family wasn’t poor, but a million yuan was a significant amount for him to come up with. He couldn’t refuse this game, but he didn’t dare to refuse. This boy was playing on Ya Han’s behalf, and Ya Han had produced a million yuan – did this mean that Ya Han, known for her kind heart, was willing to let this go, as long as he played the game? Win or lose – if he won, he’d naturally have to return the money – and this would be the end of it.

Subconsciously, he told the truth. “I don’t have that much cash on me right now.”

“It’s okay, I believe in your integrity. If you win, take the money. If you lose, just write an IOU.” Jia Ming smiled and pulled out a coin. “Heads you break first, tails I break first. What do you say?”

Mato looked hesitantly at Ya Han’s face, which was unreadable. Yi Hua Ying, who had spoken with Jia Ming’s two cousins earlier, came up from behind and whispered something in Mato’s ear. Mato gritted his teeth and finally nodded. “Let’s play.”

This boy wasn’t very good at pool. He should be able to beat him, win the game, then apologize to Ya Han – he certainly couldn’t keep the check – for now, that was all he could do. Or maybe he should just lose…

After some deliberation, he decided he still needed to win the game first. Then his apology to Ya Han would be more sincere. However, things didn’t give him much choice.

The coin toss resulted in Mato breaking first. He had once dedicated a lot of time to pool, and had a record of 98 points in a single game. He was confident he wasn’t far off from a professional player. Of course, the first shot was difficult for anyone to pot a ball. He struck the white ball, which grazed the red ball before stopping, giving Jia Ming a meaningless opening shot.

Jia Ming approached the table and tapped the cue ball lightly. The red ball dispersed slightly, but it was still meaningless.

According to the rules, the next shot should be for scoring… Mato thought. Scatter the red balls a bit more. But the white ball was still close to the red ball. In everyone’s eyes, there were almost no balls that could be pocketed in a single shot. Jia Ming took a breath, propped his hands on the pool table, stood there for a good half-minute, then suddenly bent down.

In an instant, there was a crisp bang on the table. Fifteen red balls scattered. The first red ball near the white ball slammed into the second, which then bounced off the side of the table and hit the third, sending it directly into the pocket.

One point.

“Lucky shot, he pocketed one,” Lin Wan Zhen laughed.

Without hesitation, Jia Ming walked to the other side of the table, bent down, and aimed the white ball directly at the black ball, which yielded the most points. It went into the pocket, eight points. This shot was a straight shot, so no one was particularly surprised. When the black ball was placed back, Jia Ming took a casual shot, and another red ball went into the pocket.

Nine points.

When the black ball went into the pocket for the second time, Mato’s face began to change. People around him started to show curious looks, and more people gathered around. Even Dongfang Wan, who had been wandering between the dance floor and the lawn, came over, her face showing a look of surprise as she looked at Jia Ming and the table.

From the initial invitation to the shopping and dancing, he had never really stood out. He blended into the crowd, unremarkable. His appearance and demeanor were unremarkable, but now, that aura had completely changed.

Eyes fixed on the table, calculating precisely, bending down, striking the ball, Jia Ming seemed to have transformed into a professional pool player. Even his plain suit seemed to become more upright, and the atmosphere around the pool table, thanks to him alone, became sharp and intense.

This… is this what Su Yan jie’s teachings have produced…?

Red ball, black ball, red ball, black ball… The rules of snooker require you to pot a red ball, then any colored ball, with the black ball being the highest scoring. If you clear the table in one shot, the highest score you can get is 147 points. For professional players, the number of times they clear over 100 points in a single game is a measure of their skill. From Jia Ming’s current attitude, it was clear that he was steadily moving towards that 147 point goal. By the time the black ball went into the pocket for the sixth time, the scoreboard showed 48 points. The area around the pool table was crowded, the two Huang family cousins, standing not far away, had their eyes wide open, as if watching an alien they had never seen before.

Forty-nine points.

Fifty-six points…

Fifty-seven points…

When the black ball went into the pocket for the tenth time, reaching 80 points, Jia Ming finally made his first mistake. The red ball didn’t go in, but the white ball brushed against the red ball and stopped at a very tricky angle. However, in a snooker game, the highest score you can get in one shot is 147 points. Unless Jia Ming continued to foul and lose points, Mato had no chance of winning.

He exhaled and raised his hand towards Mato, who was drenched in sweat. “Your turn.”

With Jia Ming’s level of play, it was practically impossible for him to foul. So on this next shot, Mato failed to pot the red ball.

Standing up from the side of the table, Jia Ming began to finish the game.

Ya Han stood quietly by the pool table, as if her soul had left her body.

No one could imagine how much she cherished her feelings for Jia Ming.

Their cold war had lasted for three months, they hadn’t seen each other in almost two months. She was the one who had insisted on no communication and no contact. Afterwards, Jia Ming lived happily with Ling Jing and Sha Sha, while she hid in the darkness, letting loneliness and pain gnaw at her heart.

Burying herself under a mountain of work at school didn’t mean she could really forget about these things. Overwork and sleepless nights led to a relapse in early July. In the cold hospital room, she recalled the time when Jia Ming, Ling Jing, and Sha Sha had come to visit her. Back then, he had helped her resolve a forced marriage situation, and they had taken turns visiting her every day. They were good friends then, but now they were a flirtatious boy and her shameful rivals. They three lived happily every day, while all she could do was think about them, and then cry in pain… What else could she do?

She could only cry, cry, cry endlessly…

After she recovered, her family wouldn’t let her deal with anything at the school. She had more time to reflect, and then Mato came. She was grateful for this senior who had looked after her in Cambridge. Going to Cambridge alone was like running away from home. Without her family’s support, her fellow students had been a huge help, not materially, but more in terms of her emotional support. She had never forgotten that.

Mato was interested in her, she could probably sense that, but of course, she couldn’t directly tell him no, that would be too vain. Besides, he kept coming to visit, and she had no choice but to receive him. At night, she would think back and cry, but she couldn’t cry too hard, she didn’t want to show the red circles under her eyes, and in that sense, Mato had a positive effect on her – she was a conservative woman, so doing something like directly telling the principal “I’m heartbroken, I need to take a leave of absence” was something she couldn’t bring herself to do at this time.

Coming to the dance with Mato was a minor thing, but seeing Jia Ming was the biggest event for her in months. Seeing Jia Ming escorted by Dongfang Wan, she was filled with resentment – that guy was flirting again. Dongfang Wan was also seduced by him – it was like she was complaining: If you want to be a playboy, I should be the first, you know. Of course, she was just thinking.

She refused to greet Jia Ming, hoping that he, always polite, would come and talk to her. This feeling was simply like drinking poison to quench one’s thirst – but Jia Ming thought she didn’t want to be disturbed, and even though they were close enough to each other to see each other, they didn’t interact for the entire barbecue session. Her resentment grew. She chatted and laughed with Mato for a long time, then thought about how she had always been the one who had been in love, feeling sad, she angrily ate a chicken wing that was far from delicious, but after calming down, she felt like she was going to vomit. After going to the bathroom, she saw Jia Ming sitting in the hallway eating, and she couldn’t resist passing by.

She wasn’t the kind of woman who knew only how to indulge in her desires. Her strong moral compass told her she shouldn’t be around Jia Ming anymore, because there was no way it would work out. But the weight of two months’ worth of tears was pressing down on her, and on a whim, she walked over. Two thoughts were battling within her, one telling her to go back, the other telling her to pretend to run into him by chance. Before a decision was made, she really did run into him.

After two months, they finally had a conversation. On the surface, she was calm, but inside she was excited beyond words. Especially after Jia Ming took the initiative to clarify his relationship with Dongfang Wan, her resentment instantly vanished. But this joy was mingled with anticipation, pain, and struggle. She shouldn’t have come, because this man could never be hers. But even though she knew she shouldn’t have come, she couldn’t resist. Even if she couldn’t resist, she knew she shouldn’t have come…

Then Mato came and asked her to play pool. She wanted to say “I’m not going”, but her body was already standing up before she had even finished thinking. There was no way out, so she said goodbye. Her heart was like a saw being rubbed back and forth by a rough hemp rope, the rough feeling scraping at her heart, gradually hurting, gradually bleeding, left, right, left… She felt like she was being split into countless pieces.

Then Mato brought her the water and Jia Ming came over. And now… This pool game was for her, but her mind was not on it. Looking at Jia Ming, she didn’t know what she was thinking. Sometimes she thought about the glass of water next to her, there was something in the water, Mato had put it in. He was so nasty – so she had just given him a million yuan – of course, if Jia Ming hadn’t said “take as much as you can give” to target Mato, she might have immediately called her father and asked him to transfer tens of millions of yuan.

But sometimes she thought, maybe she should thank Mato for that glass of water. Without him, how would Jia Ming have come over? She remembered what Jia Ming had done before. He had fought for Ling Jing, played basketball for Sha Sha, sang for Ling Jing on Christmas Eve. She had hoped that they three were just friends. Thinking about it now, he hadn’t done anything spectacular for her. But now he was playing pool for her. She listened to the score, heard everyone’s surprise, and watched Jia Ming’s focused demeanor. For a moment, she suddenly felt like he was hers, there was no Ling Jing, no Sha Sha…

She watched, thinking. Her thoughts jumped here and there, and eventually, overwhelming sadness welled up inside her. Her eyes slowly became moist. She couldn’t hold back her tears. She sniffled, turned her head towards the glass, and reached out to push it. The glass tipped over, splashing water, and the glass shattered. Jia Ming glanced over. She turned her head and pushed her way through the crowd, running away. Luckily, everyone was focused on Jia Ming, so no one saw her crying.

“Excuse me, please make way, I’m going to the bathroom. Sorry, excuse me…”

She kept saying this, pushing her way through the crowd. A few colored balls were left on the pool table. Jia Ming, holding the cue stick, stopped expressionlessly, looking at the pile of shards, not knowing what he was thinking…

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