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墨書 Inktalez
At Randall International Airport in Lusang Nation, a young man dressed casually walked slowly into the airport café.
"May I help you?" the waiter asked politely, leaning forward slightly.
"I'll have a black coffee." He particularly enjoyed the bitter taste of black coffee; he liked the sensation of bitterness dancing on his tongue, much like his profession and his life. Usually, he rarely smiled, except when he was killing. But he knew that this smile wasn't for himself; it was for the one about to die. Since death was inevitable, why not keep a good mood for the journey?
He chose a corner seat facing the entrance, a habit of his. He needed to maintain control of the situation at all times because he understood that surprises always came when you least expected them. This was one of the reasons he had never failed in his ten years in the field. Of course, there was another crucial reason: his instincts were sharper than most people's, likely honed through years of training. Just like a good hunter could sense nearby prey, a clever prey could always feel danger approaching.
So, as soon as he ordered his coffee, he sensed a gaze upon him, though he did not turn around. Once seated, he pinpointed the source of that gaze: near the entrance, an Eastern girl in a pink dress was frequently glancing in his direction.
The girl looked somewhat familiar, but he paid her no mind. Even if they had met before, so what? Humanity was constantly getting to know and forgetting each other throughout their lives; it held little significance for him.
When the coffee arrived, he picked up the cup but did not drink. He watched the steam rising from it and inhaled the faint aroma of coffee beans; this too was an enjoyment, no less than drinking the coffee itself. At that moment, the girl approached him gracefully, her pink dress flowing with her steps like a dancing butterfly. As she came within two meters, he caught a subtle fragrance—elegant and delicate.
"Xin Yi! It really is you!" The girl's voice brimmed with uncontainable surprise.
"You are..." He looked up and replied calmly.
"I'm Shen Shanshan..." As soon as she finished the first half of her sentence, her face flushed with embarrassment as she continued, "You might not remember me, but I know you! I'm from the Foreign Languages Department; we even went camping together that year at Jade Lotus Lake..."
"Oh, please sit." Xin Yi didn't even lift his backside from the chair.
Shen Shanshan awkwardly sat down across from Xin Yi. "Where are you headed?"
"Back home."
"Ah, that's great! I'm going back too; we're on the same flight."
"What brings you to Lusan?" Seeing that Xin Yi remained silent, Shen Shanshan continued to ask.
"I'm here for tourism."
"Yes, Lusan has beautiful scenery. If I had known you were coming earlier, I would have acted as your tour guide to show you around."
"I'm not touring in Lusan; I have no interest here. I've just visited a few neighboring countries. It's just that there are no international flights from there to get back home."
"Oh... neighboring countries can be quite nice too. For example, Kofit! I heard it's famous for diamonds. Didn't you bring back a few for your girlfriend?"
"Ha ha." Xin Yi laughed noncommittally.
"What have you been doing all these years since graduation? I haven't heard anything about you from any of our classmates. I've asked a lot of people..." Shen Shanshan suddenly realized she had let something slip, and her usual girlhood modesty was disrupted by this unexpected surprise, so she quickly stopped speaking.
"Oh, I started my own Farm, doing some farming. There's not much to say." Xin Yi seemed unaware of the implications in Shen Shanshan's words and continued to speak lightly.
"Ah, a Farm sounds wonderful, like a paradise, free and easy. Just thinking about that kind of life is pleasant." Shen Shanshan looked at him with longing. "I must visit your Farm when I get back. Is that okay?"
"Of course, you're welcome. By the way, are you working in Lusan?"
"Yes, I studied foreign languages, right? I'm currently a translator at the Heavenly Pride Nation Embassy in Lusan."
"Oh, isn't that great?"
"What's so great about it? There's no freedom at all. It's nothing like your carefree life where you can go wherever you want."
"Are you going back this time for work?"
"No, my mother is unwell..." At this point, Shen Shanshan's expression darkened.
"It's okay; nowadays, any illness can be treated."
"Yeah, I hope it's nothing serious. By the way, it's almost time; we should board."
Not long after the plane took off, Xin Yi intended to rest for a while since it was a long journey of over ten hours, and sleeping was one of the easiest ways to pass the time. Shen Shanshan came over; she switched seats with a large white woman who was reluctant and grumbled as she did so, while Shen Shanshan kept thanking her.
Looking out at the white clouds from the window, Xin Yi remained silent. Shen Shanshan nudged him with her elbow: "After all these years, you're still so cool. Do you know what we used to call you behind your back back then?"
"What?" Xin Yi turned his head to ask.
"Ha ha, guess." Shen Shanshan smiled playfully at him.
"I can't guess."
"You really have no spirit; just take a guess." Shen Shanshan grabbed Xin Yi's elbow and shook it playfully.
"I really can't guess."
"Don't just say you can't guess without trying; are you deliberately brushing me off?" Shen Shanshan was a bit angry. Since they met, she had been putting her warm face against his cold shoulder. As a reserved girl, this was already quite difficult for her, yet Xin Yi still wore an indifferent expression, which made her pout.
Xin Yi didn't mean to keep her at arm's length, nor was it that Shen Shanshan was unattractive. On the contrary, among women, Shen Shanshan could be considered a refined lady or at least a beautiful girl. She had a slender figure and a long neck, with a delicate oval face and smooth skin. When she spoke, her two rows of pearly white teeth were revealed, and especially when she leaned closer, a faint fragrance would waft into the air, stirring the most primal instincts in men to protect and cherish her. Under normal circumstances, she might easily win Xin Yi's favor. To be honest, Xin Yi was not a paragon of virtue; he had had many women before, though that was merely out of necessity. However, Shen Shanshan encountered him at the wrong time and place. Throughout their mission, Xin Yi remained tense and did not allow himself even the slightest distraction because that little bit could be fatal. It wasn't until he received Brother Three's notification that the mission was successfully completed that he finally relaxed.
Xin Yi remained silent, and Shen Shanshan sulked in response. Time crawled by slowly. Eventually, Shen Shanshan yawned and leaned back in her chair to sleep.
At this moment, Xin Yi found himself unable to sleep. Looking out at the clouds swirling outside the window, his thoughts drifted into an endless fog. Xin Yi felt like a pawn in life; since he became aware of his surroundings, he had been moving along a path designed by others—learning Kung Fu, acquiring knowledge, killing—all predetermined. The one who arranged all this was the imposing old man sitting in a wheelchair—Xin Shengtian—his grandfather. Xin Yi had never known what his parents looked like or any details about them. In his youth, he desperately wanted to unravel this mystery and tried every means possible but ultimately only received four words from Xin Shengtian: "The time is not right." He hated Xin Shengtian for his coldness and tyranny and resented him for paving a path of peril for him. He wanted to rebel but dared not do so solely because of Xin Shengtian's promise: "When I think you are ready, I will tell you everything." For this promise, Xin Yi ruthlessly turned vibrant lives into history. He was not afraid of killing; he feared the night. Whenever night fell, he could only wrap himself tightly and shrink into a corner like an injured lone wolf tending to its wounds under the cover of darkness.
The Xin Family was a mysterious clan with its own estate in the heart of Longchuan City. Although it was called an estate, Xin Yi thought it resembled more of a castle—high walls blocking out the world's noise while also shutting out its wonders. It felt like an aging lonely man severing all ties with everything around him, barely surviving in the dark corners beneath the sunlight. Xin Yi despised this decaying atmosphere; thus, after killing for the first time at sixteen, he bought a farm in the outskirts of Longchuan and moved there. Xin Shengtian did not stop him because he was confident that as long as Xin Yi existed in this world, he would never escape his gaze. For ten whole years, Xin Yi did not return to Xin Manor; however, whenever there was a mission, Brother Three could always find him no matter where he was.
Brother Three shouldn't actually be called Brother Three; he was older than Xin Shengtian and served as the steward of the Xin Family. He referred to Xin Shengtian as "Master," while Xin Shengtian called him Brother Three and instructed everyone else to do the same. Perhaps only they understood the significance behind those two words—Brother Three. He was robust and tall with a healthy complexion; whenever he spoke, the air around him seemed to tremble slightly. There were no signs of aging on him except for one arm—his right arm had been cleanly severed from the shoulder—but that seemed not to affect him at all; he could do everything that able-bodied people could do and even better.
Xin Yi had secretly resolved that once Xin Shengtian revealed everything about his parents to him, he would completely sever ties with this family and live the life he desired—not killing anymore or living in solitude but marrying and having children like a normal person and then living an ordinary life. The woman beside him could be considered a good candidate.
Thinking of this, Xin Yi couldn't help but turn to look at Shen Shanshan again. At this moment, her fair and delicate face glowed with a rosy hue; her exquisitely small nostrils gently flared with each breath she took; her long eyelashes elegantly curled upward; her pink lips glistened softly... From any angle one might evaluate her, she could be considered among the finest women. However, before his own matters were resolved, hurting better women would only cause more damage; Xin Yi sighed deeply.
Seeing Shen Shanshan's eyelashes flutter slightly made Xin Yi quickly turn away. After thirty seconds passed, he felt Shen Shanshan's head gently resting on his shoulder; the pleasant scent from her hair wafted into his nostrils. Turning back around, Shen Shanshan didn't open her eyes but he knew she was pretending to sleep—the rosy blush on her face and her trembling eyelashes betrayed her. Xin Yi didn't move either; having such a beautiful woman leaning against him was indeed an enjoyment.
After days of tension gradually relaxed in the fragrant air surrounding them, Xin Yi began to feel sleepy too as he drifted into slumber accompanied by the roar of engines and the sound of wings slicing through air. He slept very comfortably during this nap; it felt like many years since he'd slept so sweetly. When he gradually regained consciousness, he sensed warm breath near his ear and suddenly opened his eyes to find two affectionate eyes gazing back at him. Upon seeing Xin Yi suddenly awake, Shen Shanshan let out an "Ah!" in surprise; her pretty little face instantly flushed bright red as she hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt and said "I need to go to the restroom," rushing away while colliding with a flight attendant in the aisle.
Watching Shen Shanshan's flustered retreating figure made Xin Yi sigh and shake his head with a bitter smile...
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