Hidden Assassin 191

Ya Han knocked over the glass with her hand and then left dejectedly. When Jia Ming stopped moving, others noticed one after another.

By then, some had already understood that the water must have been drugged. Of course, Ya Han couldn’t actually test the water, and staying wouldn’t have much meaning either. However, since she had knocked it over with her own hand, did it mean that she didn’t want to pursue the matter further and let it go? For Ma Tuo, for Yi Huaying, and everyone else, it was a matter of great concern.

Only four colored balls remained on the table. Although it was certain that Ma Tuo would lose, the game wasn’t over yet. Jia Ming held his cue stick, stared at the shards for a while, then finally turned his head, his gaze cold as he looked at Ma Tuo: “I think there’s no need to waste time, do you?”

In snooker, there are penalties for fouls. If Jia Ming started fouling from now on, he could still lose. Of course, this was just a possibility. At this point, there was no point in playing dirty. Looking at Jia Ming, Ma Tuo hesitated before nodding. From the beginning, this young man, ten years his senior, had brought too much pressure.

“Then… you owe me one million… I’ll remember it.”

Standing by the table, he said this calmly, then suddenly raised his cue stick in his hand. With a bang, he slammed it onto the table. The entire cue stick shattered into four or five pieces, the pool balls bouncing on the table, one of them flying directly out, striking Ma Tuo’s cheek.

………………

The pool ball landed on the floor, making a crisp sound as it hit the tiles. Everyone around was startled by this sudden action.

However, even though the action was somewhat rude, Ma Tuo didn’t dare say anything. No one else would interfere. This boy was Ya Han’s younger brother. Finding out that his sister had been drugged, he could do whatever he wanted. This time, Ma Tuo had only himself to blame.

What was more important was that throughout the series of events that had occurred previously, this boy had played with an incredibly fierce demeanor that left everyone else completely breathless. He possessed a spirit far beyond his years—some wealthy families liked to give their offspring elite education, like Dongfang Lu, for example. Although he was only seventeen years old, he already had a natural leadership aura about him, his skills and abilities not inferior to outstanding adults. In the eyes of everyone, Jia Ming, who possessed such a spirit, would undoubtedly occupy an important position in the next generation of the Zhang family’s foundation. It would be too late to curry favor and ingratiate themselves. Who would dare offend him for the sake of a deserving Ma Tuo?

Glancing at Ma Tuo and Yi Huaying, Jia Ming turned and left, following the direction Ya Han had taken.

………………

The clock had passed eleven, and the night was gradually approaching. Music mingled with the sound of waves crashing in. The sea breeze had a hint of chill to it. The gathering crowd was no longer as scattered as it had been at the beginning. Around the large bonfire on the beach, in the dance parlor, and in the entertainment room, there were groups of people gathering. Couples hid in secluded spots, bidding each other farewell after finding each other at the party, then drove off, heading to the hotels outside to open rooms. Walking down the corridor along Ya Han’s path, there were fewer people here. Passing by the large washroom, Jia Ming didn’t stop, because he knew that Ya Han probably wouldn’t go to the toilet to cry.

There was no sign of Ya Han in the hallway ahead. Jia Ming walked back and forth, then turned onto the second floor. In the center of the second-floor hallway, facing the sea, there was a half-moon-shaped terrace. The glass window was open, the sea breeze blowing in, and Ya Han stood at the edge silently looking at the black sea surface reflecting faint phosphorescent light. Not far away, people were walking and laughing around the large bonfire. Looking sideways at the coastline, it was the glittering city skyline. The large port was bustling with activity, countless ships brightly lit, and there were lone ships on the sea in the distance, their lights flickering on the water, sad and lonely like flickering candles.

“It’s pretty sad to have friends like that,” Jia Ming stopped beside her. “But it’s not your fault.”

Ya Han looked up, but didn’t speak. There were no tears on her face, but it was still easy to see traces of crying.

“Putting drugs in the water… It was mainly Yi Huaying’s instigation. I heard that they have a grudge against Xu Mo. Ma Tuo had that idea when he found you earlier, and as for Yi Huaying, he deliberately instigated Ma Tuo to do this today. What happens next… do you want to handle it yourself or should I? Tell your father or your stepmother, they can take on these two guys head-on. If I do it, you can have them do whatever you want. Don’t worry, it’s no trouble at all.”

“Or… let it go.” Ya Han seemed to not care about Jia Ming’s opinion of Ma Tuo or Yi Huaying, lowering her head in a daze. “I’ll just tell my stepmother, she won’t let them get away with it, heh…” She suddenly laughed. “You know? Women are the most vengeful creatures, they hold grudges over everything.”

“It’s not a small matter…”

“Yeah, it’s not.” Ya Han interrupted him. “If… you hadn’t come today, I would probably be sleeping with one of them, Ma Tuo or Yi Huaying, tomorrow morning. Then… heh, then they would think I would marry them because of this? No…”

The sea breeze blew up the strands of hair at her neck. Ya Han reached out to hold them: “I’ll make them die, and then I’ll…”

Seeing her emotion, Jia Ming quickly interrupted: “Hey.”

“Heh, not that. The small matter I’m talking about is you, Ling Jing, and Sha Sha…”

Whenever she mentioned this, Jia Ming was always speechless. Now he really couldn’t understand why she was bringing this up again.

“Actually, I’ve thought about it a lot these past few days. I feel like I really meddled too much. Ling Jing and Sha Sha, it’s none of my business how they want to be with you. Why am I getting so angry about morality and all that? It’s your three people’s business anyway. You like it, so you like it. You’re not hurting anyone else, I… heh, I…”

Ya Han shook her head, a look of sadness on her face. Now she really hated herself. Many times, impulse was a moment, hesitation was a moment. Crying as she walked out of the crowd, she thought she would use this opportunity to make up with Jia Ming, or simply give in to him and herself, say, “I love you, I like you, I’m crazy, I’m jealous, I want to be with you,” and let Jia Ming worry about whether to choose her or Ling Jing and Sha Sha. Of course, she couldn’t share Jia Ming with Ling Jing and Sha Sha. To put it another way, as a latecomer, what right did she have to divide up Jia Ming? How would Ling Jing and Sha Sha look at her? She had her own pride. Confessing was out of the question. She thought she should at least make up, but when the words were about to come out, they turned into faint reproaches and self-pity…

What to say next?

Let’s make up… Brother Jia Ming…

Heh…

“But I can’t help it. I can’t help but think about these things. I can’t help but feel… feel that you’re a playboy. I know you haven’t done anything wrong, I’m wrong, I’m sorry… It’s so hypocritical, Zhang Ya Han… but anyway, you have no hope…”

Biting her lip, she shook her head and turned to leave. Jia Ming stood there, sighing in a troubled way. A few meters away, Ya Han’s back trembled slightly. Jia Ming turned his head to look. From the corridor, a tall figure that looked like a servant was walking towards them.

So, should he do something about Ma Tuo and Yi Huaying’s matter or not? He turned his head and looked at the bonfire on the beach. Jia Ming was thinking. Compared to the more abstract and complex emotional issues that were closer to him, he preferred to do simple and direct things. In the current situation, killing two people seemed like a good outlet… No!

He suddenly turned his head, taking two steps towards Ya Han. Countless scenes flashed through his mind like lightning. He instinctively felt something was wrong, but for a moment, he couldn’t tell if it was the effect Ya Han’s conversation had had on him. Meanwhile, Ya Han and the tall figure in front of her had reached each other. Because the figure was blocked by Ya Han, Jia Ming couldn’t see clearly, but it was obvious that Ya Han’s body stiffened for a moment.

The lighting in this corridor wasn’t very bright. If it hadn’t been someone like Jia Ming paying attention, they probably wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual about those two. But at this moment, Jia Ming had already understood. The man had reached out and covered Ya Han’s mouth. As his figure rushed out, the man held Ya Han and retreated towards the room next door.

Open the door, close the door. As the door was about to close, Jia Ming suddenly lunged forward, his right hand reaching into the ungclosed gap. No matter how strong his body was trained, his fingers being trapped still brought intense pain. However, as he landed on the ground, he obviously startled the people inside, successfully preventing the door from closing.

Because of the lighting in the corridor, the man noticed Jia Ming, but he didn’t necessarily think Jia Ming could see what was happening over there. As Jia Ming rushed forward, Ya Han blocked the man’s line of sight. He was too close to the door. He hadn’t noticed that Jia Ming had already rushed over when he went in directly. Naturally, he wouldn’t close the door with force. The pain in his hand was nothing. Jia Ming flipped over, crashing directly into the room. In the light, he saw the scar on the face of the man behind Ya Han, and the Type 54 pistol with a silencer in his hand. And seeing him charge in, the man retreated two meters, turning Ya Han, who was facing him, around, but still holding her mouth shut.

During the summer camp when he first met Ya Han, it was this man with the scar on his face and his accomplices who had robbed a bank, then kidnapped him, Ling Jing, and Ya Han. The result, of course, was that he was tortured to death by Jia Ming, and then went to jail with his companions. He didn’t expect that after so many years, he would be released early.

Ya Han obviously recognized this man as well. Her eyes fixed on Jia Ming as he charged in. Jia Ming didn’t dare move much at this moment. He was confident that he could dodge the bullet fired by this kind of rookie revenge seeker, but he wasn’t sure if he could disarm him before he threatened Ya Han. For a moment, he stood there with a look of distress and fear, looking like an ordinary person who was trying to do the right thing.

“Don’t speak… Close the door…” After hesitating for two seconds, the scarred man finally reacted. He pointed the gun at Jia Ming and waved it. Jia Ming closed the door with his backhand, then raised his hands: “This… I…”

“Don’t speak, don’t move, or I’ll kill you!” After four years, the scarred man obviously couldn’t recognize Jia Ming, who had grown up. With a low growl, he pointed the gun at Ya Han’s forehead again, releasing his hand from Ya Han’s mouth, strangling her neck: “Ms. Zhang, Ms. Zhang… Do you remember me?”

“You… what are you going to do… ugh…”

Ya Han’s expression froze, then a look of pain appeared on her face. Apparently, the scarred man’s hand was tightening around her neck. “Heh, what am I going to do… You tell me what I’m going to do. These past four years in jail, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. You’re from the Zhang family, you’re a teacher… because one day I’ll get out, I have to use these two clues to find you, you know? I think about these things every day. I recall your appearance. You’re so beautiful. Four years haven’t changed you one bit. I recognized you at a glance. See, how deep is my memory, can you feel it… heh heh heh…”

“Ugh… ugh… ugh…”

The hatred that had been ingrained for years finally had a chance for revenge. The expression on the scarred man’s face was somewhat twisted as he chuckled, his right hand strangling Ya Han’s neck, tightening continuously. His eyes stared at Jia Ming by the door. Ya Han’s lips trembled as she struggled to breathe, but the expression on her face was becoming increasingly painful.

Calmly, Jia Ming lowered his raised hand. Although he knew that the scarred man wanted revenge and wouldn’t easily kill Ya Han like that, he really didn’t want his friend to suffer like this. Noticing Jia Ming’s abnormal actions, the scarred man suddenly turned his head: “What are you doing? Want to die?”

“Nothing.” Looking into the other man’s eyes, Jia Ming put on a pure and harmless smile, just like the one he had during the summer camp four years ago. “Uncle… can I trade with her?”

The scarred man suddenly widened his eyes.

“Because, she’s my sister, and she… she’s my girlfriend. I can’t let them be harmed. So… Uncle, you want a hostage, I’ll trade with them, please…” Jia Ming slowly uttered these words, and for a moment, it was as if the scene from four years ago was replaying. The scarred man suddenly pointed the gun at Jia Ming: “It’s you!”

Jia Ming’s eyes turned cold: “If you have a grievance, you should settle it with the person who wronged you. If you’re a man, come at me! You let her go, if you want to fight one-on-one or kill me, it’s up to you.”

“Heh… heh heh heh, unbelievable, heh, unbelievable…” The gun trembled in the scarred man’s hand, and his expression seemed a little crazy. “It really was all so easy. You’re righteous, you have guts. Right, right, four years ago I said you were a man, now you’re really being a man, haha… haha…”

“Four years ago, it was my design. I’ve studied martial arts. It was I who injured you. It has nothing to do with her, you let her go.”

“Heh, studied martial arts, played me…” The scarred man nodded. “I’m fucking ready to see if your kung fu is even impervious to guns!”

He pointed the gun at Jia Ming, as if he was about to pull the trigger immediately. Under Jia Ming’s calm gaze, Ya Han hurriedly shouted: “No… it wasn’t him, don’t do anything! He was just a kid four years ago, what did he know? I did everything! I stole the gun and it went off! Are you a man? What are you talking to a kid for? Whatever happened is my fault!” She spoke, tears already streaming down her cheeks. She sobbed, “Jia Ming, don’t worry about me…” Even though she knew some of Jia Ming’s abilities, she absolutely didn’t think Jia Ming could dodge bullets.

Looking into the scarred man’s eyes, Jia Ming said each word clearly: “No, it was me.”

The scarred man still shook the gun, but he didn’t fire directly: “Heh, another scene like this, are you making a movie? I change you, you change me. You fucking think I’m still listening to you now? You’re all going to die! The question is who dies first! You know martial arts. To be honest, I’m kind of scared of you. What are you thinking now? You’re thinking of distracting me and then taking me out like in the movies, I’ll give you that opportunity. Heh, see, there’s a fruit knife over there, go get it.”

On the side of the room, there was a small living room. On the table, there was a fruit bowl filled with fruit, and on top of it was a sharp fruit knife. Hearing him say this, Jia Ming walked over, took the fruit knife, and faced him across the table. The scarred man laughed.

“You guys love movie plots, don’t you? Fighting to die? I’ll give you that opportunity.” He spoke, increasing the pressure on Ya Han’s neck. “Put your hand on the table, use the knife to stab. The harder you stab, the less pain she’ll have. Come, let me watch… I’m afraid of you. It’s no problem to cripple your hand first, heh heh heh…”

Looking at Ya Han’s increasingly painful expression, Jia Ming let out a sigh, put his left hand on the table, and raised the knife. He could only hear Ya Han struggling to say, “No… ugh… ugh… don’t… don’t stab… him… ugh…” By the end, her mouth was wide open and she couldn’t speak. Jia Ming gritted his teeth and stabbed down. The blade pierced straight through his hand, piercing through the surface of the wooden table, nailing his palm to the table. Blood gushed out, flowing on the table.

“This… will do…” Lowering his head, Jia Ming seemed to be enduring the pain. The scarred man was stunned at this point. He originally estimated that the other party would hesitate for a long time before stabbing, but he didn’t expect the boy in front of him to be so ruthless, stabbing directly through his own palm. Even now, he didn’t even groan. He didn’t look like a young man at all…

It was in this mood that Jia Ming suddenly raised his head. His eyes, full of murderous intent and threat, shot into the scarred man’s eyes. In the midst of the intense murderous aura, he growled:

“Shoot…”

“Bang—”

The ferocity and murderous intent that had reached its peak in Jia Ming’s body, how could a gangster like the scarred man endure it? At that moment, as Jia Ming’s voice rang out, he seemed to be bewitched and pulled the trigger. In the next instant, Jia Ming’s body flew up, knocking over the chair behind him, and slammed heavily to the ground. The bullet pierced through his deadly left chest and came out, blood blooming.

In an instant, Ya Han’s world went blank.

“Ah—”

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