Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

Only—was there really an assassin organization in Songjiang, of all places? Yang Juehuan's heart gave a violent shudder. Songjiang really did have one. He remembered that the assassin "Nameless," whom they had caught that time, had said there seemed to be an assassin organization in Songjiang called the "Black Widow." Could Wang Yanqiu belong to it too?

On the surface, however, Yang Ce remained utterly calm, still "diligently" reading the newspaper in his hands, while Wang Yanqiu's expression was also perfectly normal—quietly listening to her MP3, occasionally humming a line or two under her breath, the very picture of a youthful girl.

The seminar was still proceeding slowly. Nearly an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of it ending. Yang Ce had by now read most of what was in the newspaper; no matter how carefully one read a paper, an hour was about enough.

Sometimes excess brings about its opposite. When Wang Yanqiu had come over, Yang Ce was already reading the newspaper; now that more than an hour had passed, if he kept on reading, it would start to look a little fake.

Yang Ce casually set the newspaper down, let out a long breath, then turned his head toward Wang Yanqiu and asked with a smile, "Are you a tourist here?"

He and Wang Yanqiu had been sitting together on this bench for nearly an hour now, and Yang Ce figured that, by any ordinary standard, it was about time to say hello.

Wang Yanqiu took off her earphones and turned to look at Yang Ce. "Sorry—what did you say?"

"I said, are you a tourist here?" Yang Ce repeated what he had just said, a little helplessly.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Wang Yanqiu made no attempt to hide it. As far as she was concerned, this man posed no threat to her whatsoever—he was just a passerby.

"Ha, just a guess. I'm not a local either." Yang Ce shrugged and smiled.

"You're a tourist too?" Wang Yanqiu was bored as well, and now that someone was here to chat with, she naturally wasn't about to refuse.

"No, I work here." Dressed as he was, Yang Ce looked nothing like a tourist; insisting he was one would only have invited suspicion. "Though I did come from the mainland."

"Is that so?" Wang Yanqiu nodded. "I'm from the mainland too. I came out here to look around over the winter break."

"By yourself?" Yang Ce seemed to be making small talk, but in truth he was fishing for information about Wang Yanqiu.

Wang Yanqiu, however, had her guard down completely around Yang Ce. She nodded and said, "Yeah, just me. I like the feeling of traveling alone."

"Ha, being alone is nice enough. But if you're a student, doesn't your family worry when you go off by yourself?" Yang Ce asked.

A flicker of sorrow passed through Wang Yanqiu's eyes, so faint it was almost imperceptible. That was right—born into a family like hers, so many things were beyond her control. Once she finished university, she would have to marry someone she didn't like, and after that, she would probably live out her days in stifling constraint. "My family isn't around. They're all very busy and have no time for me." In an instant her expression was normal again, and she spoke flatly.

"I see." Yang Ce certainly hadn't expected Wang Yanqiu to tell him the truth—and it was impossible that she would tell the truth to a total stranger like him.

In any case, truth and falsehood were all mixed together now; what Yang Ce wanted was whatever information Wang Yanqiu let slip unintentionally.

"I happen to be on leave these few days. How about I be your tour guide?" Yang Ce probed casually. Right now he needed to figure out which side Wang Yanqiu belonged to, so naturally he had to find a way to get close to her first and win her trust.

"That—" Wang Yanqiu was taken aback; she hadn't expected Yang Ce to make such an offer. She was here on a mission, not to sightsee at all—how could she possibly have Yang Ce play tour guide for her?

"What, don't trust me? Ha, I may not be a local, but I've lived here for a while now. At the very least, I won't get us lost." Yang Ce was talking pure nonsense—these days, if he went out without taking a taxi, he couldn't find his way anywhere.

"No, it's fine—better not. I don't want to put you out, and I do like the feeling of being on my own." Wang Yanqiu hesitated, then declined Yang Ce's "kind offer."

"Ha, it's no trouble. Meeting like this is fate. My name's Liu Lei—and you?" Yang Ce said with an easy smile, and did not press the matter further; doing so would only put Wang Yanqiu on her guard and make her suspect his motives.

Even so, Yang Ce still used a fake name. He had read a novel once in which there was a ruthless character named "Liu Lei," and he had borrowed the name for himself on the spot.

"Wang Yan," Wang Yanqiu said flatly.

Wang Yan. Yang Ce laughed inwardly. Her name was plainly Wang Yanqiu, yet she had changed it to Wang Yan. He did not call her out on it, though, only nodded and said, "That's a lovely name. By the way, why have you been sitting here all this time? Must be over an hour now."

Wang Yanqiu's heart gave a jolt. Liu Lei—Yang Ce—was sitting there reading a newspaper, while she had simply been sitting with no aim at all. If she claimed she was sitting here listening to her MP3 and enjoying the scenery, that wouldn't hold up either; the scenery here was hardly beautiful, and there were no attractions nearby. It was hard not to arouse curiosity.

And if she said she had stopped to rest because she was tired from walking—well, resting for over an hour seemed a bit too long. Wang Yanqiu's mind raced. She somewhat regretted having said so much to Yang Ce; had she known, she would have put on a cold, aloof air from the start.

Wang Yanqiu stretched lazily, then said with a faint blush on her face, "It just so happens I wasn't feeling well today, and after walking a lot, I sat down to rest a while."

There were many reasons a person might not feel well, but coming from a girl's mouth—and especially with her pointed emphasis on "today" and "just so happens"—there could be only one explanation: her period had come.

Yang Ce was stunned by Wang Yanqiu's words. He never would have expected her to come up with such an excuse. Instinctively he glanced toward the space between Wang Yanqiu's legs, unconsciously using his ability. Within the pale pink panties, a small dark thicket met Yang Ce's eyes, and his heart gave a sudden lurch. Liar—where was it, then? Down there it was clean and bare, with nothing padded at all. Yang Ce wasn't sure what had made him steal a look beneath Wang Yanqiu's body. Confirming whether her words were true was one reason, perhaps; the second was probably that his motives weren't entirely pure. Wang Yanqiu had a fine figure—petite, yes, but very pleasing to look at. Yang Ce lost himself for a moment, then hurriedly recovered his composure. "I see."

Because of Wang Yanqiu's words, things had turned awkward between them. Yang Ce couldn't very well call her out on it—if Wang Yanqiu then asked him how he knew, he would have no idea how to answer.

Now Wang Yanqiu had a perfectly good reason to sit here, while Yang Ce—having finished the newspaper—looked rather odd continuing to sit there. He didn't care about that, though; he casually pulled out his phone and pretended to dial a number.

"Hey, Guo Qing? It's Liu Lei. When are you getting here? I've been waiting almost half an hour. Yeah, Zhao Yanyan and the others have already gone on ahead—you're the only one missing. All right, all right, I'm still here waiting for you, just hurry up. What? Who? Ding Baosan? Never heard of him—who the hell is that guy anyway? Fine, enough, I'll hang up."

Yang Ce rattled off a stream of nonsense, which also gave him a reasonable excuse to keep staying there, making Wang Yanqiu think he was waiting for someone. To be continued.

839. On the Eve of the Assassination