Hidden Assassin 288

Yu Yingzi Feng and Lei Qing’s disdain or scorn didn’t bother Jia Ming. He was simply intrigued by the news about the Siede Group, a news item that had stirred his thoughts. His online communication with Kelly Fenimore had never stopped. He knew she was still looking for him, but even a genius couldn’t surpass decades of computer technology in just two or three years. Therefore, Kelly’s choice of Jiang Hai as her destination in China was intriguing.

Yu Yingzi Feng and the others might see her arrival as a rare opportunity for investment and development, but Jia Ming knew that the real reason for sending someone from the Dark Harp was their interest in Dongfang Ruo’s unusual superpowers. If it had been someone else, it might have been possible to say that the main purpose was Dongfang Ruo, and that the Rothschild family also saw the potential for development in Jiang Hai, therefore, a Jiang Hai investment project was included as a side-benefit. However, knowing Kelly Fenimore’s personality, Jia Ming knew she would never be interested in any normal person’s investment and development plan. She wouldn’t even consider it, let alone “take a look.”

This woman could be crazy, she could be calm, she could watch Natalie Annis die, and then face Pei Luo Jia’s relentless crazy assassination attempts, negotiating between various dark organizations, uniting the nascent coalition against Pei Luo Jia. In essence, she was like a spoiled child who only does what she finds interesting. So, the fact that she chose Jiang Hai instead of Emei Shan as her direct destination could imply other motives.

In any case, Jia Ming wasn’t a genius with a quick mind. If he were on a battlefield, he could rely on experience to make sure he won in small-scale strategic planning, but he wasn’t particularly outstanding in terms of overall strategic vision. He may have tried to get close to Kelly because he admired her and wanted to make her his backer, but being remembered by such a brilliant woman every day was definitely a headache.

He sat quietly at the round table, cracking sunflower seeds. To the people around him, he had returned to his usual stoic silence. After 5:40 pm, more people continued to arrive for the birthday celebration. Dongfang Wan was telling Ye Dad and Ye Mom about her experiences in Hong Kong during her winter break, and they were all laughing and chatting harmoniously. Dongfang Wan might have a slightly condescending attitude towards her peers, but she was still quite respectful and polite towards her elders.

“…You know, Causeway Bay is so crowded and the terrain is so complex. When I saw someone disappear, I was terrified and immediately called the police. I looked here and there, I thought there really was a Hongxing Society (a famous Hong Kong triad organization) in Causeway Bay. I thought maybe someone was kidnapped… I organized the trip, so I quickly called everyone back. Then I called a very influential businessman in Hong Kong and asked him for help… Thankfully, he found his way back that night. I was so scared that night that I didn’t sleep at all. The next day, with two panda eyes, I put on sunglasses and took them to the Madame Tussauds wax museum on Peak Mountain…”

As she talked about her trip to Hong Kong, Dongfang Wan seemed quite cute. Duan Jingxian laughed, “Little Wan is amazing, she can organize so many people for a trip, especially when something happens, she can stay calm. Our Lingjing is totally different. She can even forget the soy sauce at the grocery store, then she frantically searches the house for the soy sauce she just bought. If she discovered someone was lost on a trip, she would probably freak out.”

“Calm? I was so scared I couldn’t even cry, I was terrified, my hands were shaking when I was making calls. If crying worked, I would’ve sat on the street and cried all day…”

Dongfang Wan and Duan Jingxian chatted and laughed. Sha Sha and Lingjing were gossiping about the school, things like which girl was dating who, and who had broken up with who. They liked this kind of gossip. Ye Han usually didn’t talk much. He listened with a smile as others chatted, then chatted briefly with Jia Ming about the Huang family’s recent situation. He was a distant relative of the Huang family, but he couldn’t help much at this juncture. He didn’t know that Huang Bingxiang had been released from detention yesterday and was about to be prosecuted. When Jia Ming told him, he sighed with a touch of regret and said:

“He’s always been good to his family. A couple of years ago during the New Year, he ran into me and told me he had gotten a piece of land in the city center and asked if I wanted it. He said I could move the martial arts school there because it was too far away from your mother’s hospital. I refused, but he was really a nice person.”

Jia Ming nodded, “Yeah.”

To the outsiders, Jia Ming’s somewhat reserved demeanor at this moment made him seem more like father and son with the equally quiet and composed Ye Han.

The banquet hall was already 80% full. Most people had friends they knew, so the six of them at Jia Ming’s table were alone for a while. Ya Han came over with a smile, greeted Ye Dad and Ye Mom, and took the seat next to Lingjing. “I’ll say hello to my family, toast a few elders, and then I’ll sneak over here to eat. If I have to accompany everyone for drinks table by table, I’ll die. Lingjing, you have to save a spot for me.”

She winked at Jia Ming and walked towards the center of the banquet hall where there were more people.

A few minutes later, a familiar figure appeared at the table. Wen Congyi came over with a warm smile and asked, “Sorry, are all the seats taken? Can I sit here?” He seemed to intentionally choose the seat next to Lingjing. Lingjing hadn’t responded yet, but Ye Han smiled and said, “Oh, that seat is taken, but there are still a few empty ones on the side.”

“Oh, thank you.” He pulled out the chair next to Ya Han, smiled and looked around. Lingjing and Sha Sha obviously didn’t pay any attention to him, so he naturally didn’t need to chat with Jia Ming. Dongfang Wan and Duan Jingxian were already talking, so he couldn’t interrupt. He stood up with a smile and extended his hand to Ye Han, “Nice to meet you, my name is Wen Congyi.”

“Oh, I’m Ye Han.” Wen Congyi’s manner was very good, naturally making a good impression on Ye Han. He shook his hand and smiled, “Mr. Wen, you’ve been working out.”

“Just call me Xiao Wen. I’ve been keeping up with my fitness in the US. Are you a fitness coach, Mr. Ye?”

Ye Han was a big guy, he had been practicing martial arts, which made his body strong and fit. This question was right on target. Soon, Wen Congyi was asking Ye Han about his martial arts training. Lingjing and Sha Sha weren’t happy about it, but they didn’t bother with him, they just chatted amongst themselves. Before long, Wen Congyi and Ye Han seemed to be getting along well. He stood up, picked up the teapot, and filled everyone’s cups with tea. He seemed to casually smile at Lingjing and say, “By the way, I didn’t pass the intelligence quiz earlier, but I made it to the third to last round.”

Lingjing didn’t plan on answering him, but it caught Ye Han’s attention. Duan Jingxian, also paused her conversation for a moment, “Mr. Wen knows Lingjing?”

“Ah, we were introduced earlier.” Wen Congyi nodded casually, “We were playing the intelligence quiz in the game room together just now. Mr. Ye, she… oh, Ye Lingjing…”

“We’re family.” Ye Han circled his finger, “Lingjing is my daughter. Sha Sha and Jia Ming are practically our children, too. Xiao Wan is their classmate and good friend.”

Lingjing rarely had male friends in front of Ye Han and Duan Jingxian, since she grew up playing with Sha Sha and Jia Ming. Wen Congyi’s words were light and easy, but the deliberate intimacy he showed was enough to make people feel something, not just Ye Han, but even Duan Jingxian couldn’t help but stare at Wen Congyi for a few seconds. Jia Ming could even feel how much of that stare was “mother-in-law looks at future son-in-law.” They had originally hoped that Jia Ming would be their son-in-law, but since he had become a couple with Sha Sha, there was nothing more to be said. Wen Congyi’s image and temperament were excellent, and his conversation was appropriate. Naturally, it was justified for them to have such an evaluation. Before Jia Ming could even speak, Lingjing smiled pleasantly.

“Just now, Ya Han’s stepmother brought him and Ya Han on a blind date and introduced him to us. We ran into him in the game room. He was very good at the intelligence quiz, but we had something to do, so we didn’t stay and watch. We came over first.”

“Oh.” Ye Han nodded, his smile unchanged, but he knew he had misunderstood. Duan Jingxian looked away and continued chatting with Dongfang Wan, no longer fantasizing. On the other side, Lingjing exchanged a sly look with Jia Ming. With a simple sentence, all the goodwill Wen Congyi had cultivated in front of Ye Han was reduced to a “friend zone” situation.

Wen Congyi smiled. He didn’t deny the blind date, but simply talked about his recent return from the United States. Soon, another couple sat down in the empty seats. Around 6:20 pm, the crowd began to quiet down. The lights dimmed. Zhang Jingan walked onto the stage at the front of the banquet hall, expressed his gratitude to everyone present, and a group of female servers began to enter the hall with trays.

The banquet began.

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