Heidi

After turning that corner, he saw the little girl again.

It was on the way back from the Ye Family Martial Arts School to the Huang Family villa. Every day, after finishing his homework and watching TV at the Ye Family, it was usually around ten at night when he left to go home and sleep. Under the streetlights, the dark-haired mixed-race girl stood in ragged clothes, looking over at him with tentative hesitation.

He had first seen the little girl again three days earlier, also at night.

Jianghai City was a major city, after all. Though it was close to midnight and they were already near the outskirts, the street was not deserted. Several shops were still open, and a fried noodle cart that packed up late was always parked by the roadside. Construction crews lived year-round at the other end of the street, so workers would come over in twos and threes late at night for a snack. It was in front of that fried noodle cart that he had spotted the mixed-race girl by chance. At the same time, she saw him too.

Unlike the exquisitely doll-like image she had presented over a month ago, the little girl was now dressed in filthy, tattered clothes—Jiaming could still recognize them as the clothes Shasha had given her. Her face was streaked with grime, and she was still barefoot. Staring down at the road, she held out her hands and cautiously paced back and forth in front of the fried noodle cart. Every so often, she would raise her little face to look at the cart, twitch her dirty little nose, and sniff. When she saw Jiaming, she was clearly puzzled for a moment before watching him leave.

Only her eyes remained as crystal-clear and flawless as before.

Jiaming did not know why the little girl had ended up like this. Judging from the state of the mother and daughter when he first saw them, their family should have been quite wealthy. They had fine clothes and so many bodyguards. Even in a foreign country, if they needed help, they could have gone straight to the embassy. Besides, although the money Shasha had given them was not much, it should have been more than enough for an international phone call. Why had they fallen into this state? And... where was her mother?

Jianghai City had developed rapidly over the past few years. Beyond that street were several construction sites, but there was also a Dangerous Building. It was supposedly awaiting demolition and reconstruction, but for various reasons, no work had begun even now. Homeless people and beggars often went inside to live there. Judging by the little girl's appearance, were she and her mother living in that building now?

He was not someone whose compassion overflowed. During his years as an assassin, he had long understood that while the world lacked all kinds of people, it never lacked people who needed help. Even if he gave his life, how many could he really save? Still, when he saw the little girl's eyes, Jiaming could not help feeling a trace of pity. Nine, perhaps ten—he had been about that age when he was taken away and made into an assassin.

On the second and third days, the two merely exchanged a glance each night. The little girl would always watch Jiaming leave timidly. The fourth and fifth days were the weekend, and he spent the nights at the Liu Family villa. By Monday night of the second week, he had played too late at the Ye Family's place. It was nearly midnight by the time he passed that street. There were almost no pedestrians left, and the fried noodle cart was preparing to close. The little girl stood before it, raising her hands as she struggled to say something to the owner.

Even a genius could not learn a foreign language in a month, especially Chinese, widely acknowledged as one of the hardest languages to learn. The little girl stammered haltingly, while the fried noodle vendor grew impatient with her pestering and said loudly, "Hey, girl, get lost. You hang around here every day. I'm not running a charity. Go on, get lost..."

After they struggled with each other for a while, the little girl finally understood that there would be no result. She turned around and squatted by a nearby drainage ditch, crying softly. Hugging her knees, she curled herself up tightly. Every now and then, she glanced toward the road, but Jiaming was hidden in the shadows, and she could not see him at all. Though it was already summer, the weather had not completely warmed up yet. It was still cold at midnight, and the little girl carefully rubbed her bare feet together.

After watching for a while, Jiaming finally sighed and walked over helplessly.

At Jiaming's sudden appearance, the little girl abruptly lifted her head. She seemed to want to run to him, but ultimately did not move. She believed Jiaming was the person who had saved her and her mother that night, but Jiaming had always denied it.

Walking up to the fried noodle stall, Jiaming said, "Boss, do you still have fried noodles?"

"Ah, yes, yes. Sit down, it'll be ready right away. Hey, you came at just the right time—I was about to pack up."

"Okay." Jiaming nodded. "Three portions. Pack one to go, please."

As he spoke, he beckoned to the little girl. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she ran over to him, saying in English, "Big brother..."

"Sit." Speaking in English as well, Jiaming had the little girl sit beside him. Then he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, gently wiping the grime from her face without saying anything.

A moment later, the first plate of fried noodles arrived. Jiaming pushed it in front of the little girl. Watching her wolf it down, he gently stroked her back and asked the vendor, "Boss, does this little girl come here every day?"

"Oh, she only started coming a few days ago. She looks like a foreigner, and it seems like she waits for someone here every day. She didn't find them the night before last or last night. She stayed until I closed up and still refused to leave, just squatting nearby and crying. Sigh, poor thing. But I'm only running a small business myself. Even if I wanted to help, there's not much I could do. Kid, do you know her?"

"Oh, she's a distant relative of mine. She just came back from the United States and got separated from her family a few days ago. I only found her now. I'll take her home right away."

"Ah, the United States. That's a wonderful place..." The vendor launched into an endless account of the United States' virtues, but Jiaming had no interest in listening. He poured a glass of water and brought it to the little girl's lips when she choked, saying softly, "Eat slowly."

"Mmm... thank you... big brother..."

"Eat slowly... What's your name?"

"I'm... Heidi. My name is Heidi Tang."

"Heidi Tang..." Jiaming repeated. She really was mixed-race.

Before long, the second plate of fried noodles arrived. Jiaming quickly finished his, while Heidi desperately kept eating, though she still left some behind. Then, led by Heidi, Jiaming carried the packed fried noodles toward the Dangerous Building at the other end of the street. Just as Jiaming had expected, the mother and daughter really were living there.

What Jiaming did not know was that the Dangerous Building had housed many homeless people and beggars two years ago. However, around the Lunar New Year, nearly half of it had collapsed without warning. Since then, fewer and fewer people had dared to live there. They passed through the pitch-black, deep corridor and climbed to the third floor. At the far end, a faint flicker of firelight glowed. The little girl was about to turn back and speak to Jiaming, but Jiaming, who could see even in the darkness, suddenly covered her mouth.

From the end of the corridor came a woman's weak struggles and cries for help...