Hidden Assassin 260

“So, a man’s dignity is a really good thing, huh?”

As dusk approached, walking on the snow-covered town road, Jia Ming made a seemingly sarcastic remark. Beside him was Ya Han, kicking snowballs all the way. The streetlights flickered on, their orange glow casting a gentle and relaxed light over the town’s streets. There weren’t many people out and about; every household had lights on in their windows.

Only the two of them were out, no Mike, no Will, no one else they knew.

The challenge that afternoon was accepted by Mike without hesitation. Based on their conversation, the cause was simple: a small conflict fueled by jealousy over a woman, which then escalated into a man-to-man duel that could only be resolved by a fight. Later, Will explained the situation in more detail: many retired veterans lived in this town, including some who had been elite members of special forces, mostly black men. Because of this, fists were often seen as a more effective way to resolve issues than the law, leading to the development of a martial culture unique to the town. If the children in town got into any conflicts, they would agree to a duel at the same time the next day.

Will had also grown up in the town. Even though he was a police officer, he was accustomed to this custom. After all, being able to fight fairly and resolve everything with one fight was much better than harboring resentment endlessly. Once Mike agreed, the matter was settled: the two of them would duel in the abandoned factory outside town the next afternoon. Jia Ming could understand this way of solving problems, but…

He couldn’t stand being called a coward, which was the root of his current sentiment. With such a psychological weakness, he had killed many people in the past.

“Alright, I know you never care about those boring things.”

Walking beside him, Ya Han smiled faintly. According to Mike and Will’s plans, they had intended to accompany them on a tour of the town. But Ya Han, claiming to be unwell, stayed in the hotel. After the two men left, she called Jia Ming out. It was a small scheme of hers. However, there was nothing much to see in the town at this time. The few shops there were basically closed on a snowy day with no outsiders around. The only thing they could experience was the town’s cozy atmosphere.

“Do you know the undefeated secret to arguing with people?” Jia Ming turned to ask.

“What?”

“It’s to never take what the other person says seriously. The moment you care, you lose.”

“Don’t make street brawls sound like an Olympic sport, alright?”

“But it’s very useful for you girls.”

“I’ve never brawled in the streets!” Ya Han laughed and protested.

“It’s always good to be prepared.”

The town was not large. After walking through a few streets, they had already seen everything. The surrounding mountains and rivers were covered in snow, and night had fallen. They could only see the general outline of the landscape. The two walked slowly under the streetlight, and at the edge of town, they found a store next to the gas station that was still open. Inside, the middle-aged owner was leaning to the side, watching the television mounted on the wall. When the two of them pushed the door open, the owner glanced back and then, perhaps sensing that they posed no threat, smiled and said, “Please feel free to browse,” turning his head back to the movie.

Connected to the gas station, the supermarket was mostly for travelers passing by, with most of the space dedicated to instant food, drinks, travel backpacks, and various things for entertainment on the road. However, there was a small section displaying books and videotapes. It seemed that the little supermarket served the town residents more often. In this weather, there wasn’t a good place to go for a date. The romantic idea of two people standing back-to-back, foolishly watching the snow scene might work for younger boys and girls, but one of them was a female teacher who was six or seven years older, and the other was a student with a mysterious background. Even though their identities were ambiguous, doing something like that would only elicit laughter. At this point, all they could do was wander aimlessly in the only open supermarket. Ya Han was flipping through English books on the shelves, while Jia Ming was outside looking at exploration bags, simple tents, and occasionally taking out an army knife used for expeditions to examine it.

The snowflakes outside continued to fall incessantly. Perhaps because the owner was bored watching the store by himself, and having determined that the two of them posed no threat, he didn’t bother with this seemingly strange couple. After walking around for a while, Jia Ming took a bottle of soda for Ya Han and opened a bottle for himself. He then went to the counter to pay: “Is it okay if we look at the books here?”

“Please feel free. You can move the sofa over there.” The owner seemed surprised to hear Jia Ming speaking English fluently. He then smiled, “Japanese?”

“Chinese.”

“Oh, China…I went to Vietnam twenty years ago…”

“The Vietnam War?”

“Not a pleasant memory… War is….” The owner picked up a glass of wine from the counter, his smile kind, “The Chinese army is very strong, especially their spirit… But China was very backward then. How are things now? Oh, your English is so good. You live in New York?”

“No, we’ve always been in China. We’re here on vacation. China, well…it’s pretty good now. If you have time, you can come and play.”

“Definitely.”

They smiled at each other. Jia Ming took the soda and walked over to Ya Han. The supermarket wasn’t big. Although the sound of the TV covered the sound, Ya Han still heard their conversation. She frowned and said, “I hate it when people ask us if we are Japanese or Korean.” Having spent three years studying in Cambridge, she was well aware of China’s current position in the world. Jia Ming, however, just smiled nonchalantly, “It’ll be fine in a few years. China will become the first choice.”

“You know everything?”

“Of course.”

Ya Han stared at him for a moment, then smiled in satisfaction, “I never knew you were so patriotic. Truly worthy of being a Young Pioneer.” Whenever he did anything remotely good, Jia Ming would always say, “This is what a Young Pioneer should do.” Heaven knows how long it had been since he automatically left the Young Pioneers. But Ya Han was well aware of his catchphrase.

They drank soda, moved the sofa and chairs, and settled down in the book section. Ya Han picked up an English novel called *Perfume: The Story of a Murderer*. She was naturally interested in the book because of the word “murderer.” Jia Ming flipped through the shelves, looking at *Superman*, *Batman*, and other comics. The more he looked, the more he thought American comics were not as good as Japanese ones. The shelves were mostly practical books, or magazines. There were few comics and literary classics. In a corner were some Playboy magazines and other pornographic magazines. He wasn’t interested in flipping through those. He finally picked up a cooking instructional book and was engrossed in reading it. Ya Han occasionally glanced at him and seeing that he was reading a cookbook instead of pornographic magazines, she rolled her eyes repeatedly.

Time passed minute by minute in the small store. Ya Han flipped through the novel, Jia Ming walked around occasionally, and the owner watched TV with relish. The color TV on the wall was broadcasting Nicholas Cage’s new film *The City of Angels*, which had been released in April of that year. When the film was halfway through, the theme song *Angle* began, with a soft female voice. Ya Han couldn’t help but put down her book, and Jia Ming, who was looking at a magazine nearby, turned around.

“With all your time, wait patiently for another chance.

Wait to return to the right turning point.

There’s always a reason, you feel uneasy.

At the end of the long day, I need to catch my breath. Need a beautiful exit…“

The female voice was soft and melodious, perfect as if it were the voice of an angel. For a moment, it seemed as if the entire quiet supermarket was enveloped in the magic of the song. In such a quiet and cozy snowy night, with such a song, it absolutely had the power to move everyone. On the screen, the heroine was alone in the villa, looking for Seth, who had been following her all along…

—

“…Wrapped in the wings of angels, fly away from the world.

Away from the dark room. And the endless fear.

You were pulled from the swamp of fantasy, out of the silent indulgence.

Wrapped in the wings of angels, may you find comfort…”

A few minutes later, the music gradually slowed down. The heroine on the screen was sleeping peacefully with Seth by her side. Ya Han opened her mouth, “Nicholas Cage’s…what film is this?”

“City of Angels…” Jia Ming pointed to the videotape shelf nearby. Ya Han followed his instructions, pulled out the videotape: “We have a VCR in the hotel…why don’t we buy it and watch it? This song is so beautiful.”

“Uh…” Jia Ming smiled and then shrugged in agreement.

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

Since they had decided to watch the movie back at the hotel, fries, sunflower seeds, and soda were essential. Ya Han bought a big bag of snacks excitedly. The two of them returned to the hotel together. It was only eight o’clock, and the lobby downstairs was quite lively. They went up to Ya Han’s room, closed the door, then took out their snacks, arranged the seating, and started playing the videotape. Ya Han turned off the lights. They sat on the sofa where they had eaten lunch, with a small table filled with snacks between them. However, Jia Ming thought it looked like a scene from a documentary about a tea party at Zhongnanhai (the Chinese leadership compound).

“Don’t you think so?” When Jia Ming told Ya Han his thoughts, she threw a bag of potato chips at his head and laughed, “Just eat your snacks.”

In terms of plot, *City of Angels* wasn’t particularly original. An angel who guides the dead in a hospital falls in love with a doctor. Then he decides to become human. After they finally share a romantic night together, the doctor is killed in a car accident, which is even more melodramatic. However, that *Angle* song is absolutely a classic. Cage’s extraordinary acting skills are on full display. For artistic expression, things with concrete references are actually easier to express. However, things like angels and gods are abstract and a person can’t really have a concrete grasp on them. However, Nicholas’ performance truly conveys a kind of inhuman “angelic” feeling. This is certainly an unconventional concept. However, compared to the countless angels in countless films that can’t escape human nature and appear stiff, the Seth played by Nicholas Cage gives viewers a feeling that is closer to what god would be like.

However, regardless of the film, it wasn’t very tempting for Jia Ming. He sat in the darkness, accompanying Ya Han while watching a romance film. He was bored in his heart, thinking about other things and occasionally paying lip service to Ya Han’s words. As usual, he always played the devil’s advocate.

“Hey, Nicholas Cage’s eyes are so handsome…”

“They’re a bit scary when they’re wide open.”

“An angel in a black trench coat…so cool. He has such a good physique…”

“Don’t you think he has too much chest hair for an angel?”

“That’s what makes him masculine. You’re just a kid. What do you know…Americans are really hard to understand. You know, since she likes Seth, why would she even say she’s going to marry that doctor?”

“Are you sure it’s a rational choice to talk about love with a kid?”

“Ugh…”

Ya Han took off her shoes, curled up her legs on the sofa, and sat in silence until the heroine died in the car crash. In the darkness, she didn’t know if she cried. When the credits rolled, she asked in the dark, “Hey, since the heroine died and went to heaven, why doesn’t Seth go die too? He was an angel before, so he wouldn’t be afraid of death, and he could go to heaven to see the heroine… Hey, are you asleep?”

After half a minute, Jia Ming, who seemed to be dozing on the sofa next to her, didn’t reply. The subtitles on the TV were all black and there was no light. She couldn’t see his expression at that distance. She was angry and knelt on the sofa, leaning halfway over the small table. She reached out and waved her hand in front of Jia Ming’s eyes, “Hey, I’m talking to you. You’re asleep during such a great movie…”

Looking at Jia Ming’s sleeping face from close up, Ya Han felt a sense of frustration, but she wasn’t sure what it was about. At that moment, Jia Ming lazily opened his eyes, “Because that’s what the film is promoting: be positive, be optimistic, work hard every day, study hard…”

His expression only seemed to suggest that he found the movie boring, but he didn’t seem very sleepy. Their eyes met, and Ya Han laughed, “Oh, I thought you were asleep…” She intended to sit back on the sofa, but her words faded away in her throat, and her body remained in that position.

Gradually, the forced smile she was putting on faded away. She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and then leaned down and kissed Jia Ming’s mouth.

In the dark, quiet room, this was the first kiss between the teacher and student, who were seven years apart…

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

There are many things I want to say, but after hesitating for a long time, I’ve decided to write some things as a summary of this volume in a few chapters. I recommend *City of Angels*, I watched this film years ago, but I didn’t understand it then. I recently re-watched it and suddenly found it very interesting. I especially recommend the theme song *Angle*. It’s so beautiful.

I recently got in touch with some old classmates, and then I finished watching *Star Ocean*. On top of that, I’ve been running around for my brother’s transfer, and my mood has been very affected. These feelings might be suitable for writing a melancholic novella, but I don’t have much time. The first time I watched *Star Ocean* was many years ago, when I was in high school. It was discontinued back then, and then it was updated later, but I didn’t watch it. In my memory, all the characters were still alive. This time, after finishing it, I feel that those who have passed away, the erosion of time, and the helplessness of humans are more heart-wrenching than many tragedies… haha, I suddenly feel a bit similar to the style of *Star Ocean*. I always habitually imitate others…

I’ve rambled again. Well, this is still a YY novel, don’t worry, I won’t write tragedies just because of one tragedy. ^_^.

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