Goodbye! The Mature Woman and the Little Girl

The atmosphere in the room turned a little strange.

Marilyn's face flushed slightly, but she had clearly adopted that bold American style, staring unblinkingly at Jiaming with one slender leg still resting in his lap. As for Jiaming, after staring blankly for a moment, he gave a small shrug. "Uh, I don't think so, but... it still feels kind of strange..."

According to Jiaming's experience, though, the situation before him was simple enough. It was nothing more than doing it. In his previous life, to ensure there were no flaws in his career as an assassin, things like girlfriends and love had never existed. Even trustworthy companions had been exceedingly rare. Assassins worked alone; the only person they could trust was themselves.

Still, under such circumstances, he had naturally slept with women. When there were no missions, he would occasionally pay for an unfamiliar high-end prostitute, never contacting her again after one night. Or, if he met a female assassin who made a decent impression, they would discuss methods of killing while trying all sorts of difficult positions, climax after climax. Sometimes, after a major mission, even without much desire, they still had to get a room and spend the night together. Otherwise, it always felt as though nothing had truly been brought to a close.

Sex did not need a reason. Sometimes it was for lust, and sometimes there was not even lust involved. The current situation was similar. Given how this woman behaved when she fell in love with someone, it was absolutely impossible that she had fallen for a little boy like him in just over ten days. Ultimately, today's events had struck her too hard. Even if she said she had forgotten that man, she still needed some sort of self-destructive feeling to numb herself. Of course, for an assassin who had struggled on the line between life and death countless times, such a tiny sense of decadence did not even count as a diversion.

On the other hand, as far as Jiaming was concerned, at least physically, he was no longer really a child. He was not without thoughts toward this mature female body, but...

It was just strange...

"Uh, I..." Marilyn said softly. "I remembered the time you gave me an injection, and... and the way you sometimes looked at me. I thought maybe you would... be interested in this, and... might like it..."

Though she had gathered her courage, the moment the words left her mouth, she felt awkward inside. A fourteen-year-old was still a child. Would doing this affect him for the rest of his life? Then she saw Jiaming let out a breath. "Of course I like it. Men benefit from this sort of thing anyway, so I couldn't ask for more. As long as you've thought it through, then..."

After hearing that, Marilyn bit her lower lip and reached to unfasten her clothes. A moment later, as her white underwear slid down along the alluring curves of her thighs and her beautiful blond body was laid bare before Jiaming, he seemed to remember something. It made him scratch his head in frustration.

"Uh, well, you know... I'm only fourteen. Although it can work down there too, still... ahem, it definitely can't compare to those American, uh... American whatever-they-are. If you... uh, what are you doing..."

As he spoke, Marilyn had already gotten out of bed and hopped over on one leg. She knelt gracefully between his legs, raising her flushed cheeks.

"Didn't... didn't you say I had to serve you like a beast of burden for two lifetimes? Then... let it start now."

She pretended to be calm, but inside, she was wildly agitated, her heart pounding like a drum. Her hands reached out to undo Jiaming's pants. Then, suddenly overcome by sorrow again, tears streamed down her face.

Jiaming sighed. He was just about to decisively push her away when Marilyn stopped crying and lifted her face with a smile that mixed boldness and shyness. She parted her sensual lips and lowered her head between Jiaming's legs.

"Mm..."

Jiaming spread his legs and lay back on the bed, staring at the mosquito net above him with a rather strange expression.

This really was... such a strange feeling...

Over the next few days, Tang Jingyao's death threw all of Jianghai City into an uproar. Naturally, no one traced it back to Jiaming.

Every afternoon and evening, he went over to play with Heidi and teach her the basics of Qigong. Marilyn would practice alongside her as well. Heidi truly was adorable. She loved clinging to Jiaming's side, calling him "Brother, Brother." Sometimes, when she disliked a dish, even her mother could not persuade her, and she would merely sulk beside the table. But once Jiaming said a word, she would obediently eat it. Combined with his intimacy with Marilyn, Jiaming found it hard to describe whether their relationship was more like siblings or father and daughter.

Since dinner was at Lingjing's house and homework had to be finished at the Ye Family Martial Arts School, Jiaming usually came over each evening only to say a few words before leaving. Once, Heidi cried and fussed until Jiaming had to stay and eat a few bites before going. He would leave the Ye Family Martial Arts School around ten at night and then come here afterward. It felt as though Lingjing were his wife and he was merely sneaking out for an affair.

By then, Heidi was usually asleep. Jiaming and Marilyn would shut the bedroom door tight and keep their voices low as they made love. In truth, neither of them had particularly strong desires in that regard. The reason they did it every night was merely Marilyn's own concern. On one hand, she worried that this might affect Jiaming's future. On the other, she worried that if she refused him, Jiaming might be unhappy, because a man who had only just discovered such things would surely be unable to get enough of them. That was what she thought, and believing Jiaming might be too shy to ask, she insisted that he come every night. Jiaming naturally found it difficult to refuse, and so things developed into this arrangement.

Even so, they did not actually spend much time making love. Perhaps because Marilyn still regarded Jiaming as a developing child, as long as he did not take the initiative, she would usually help him gently with her mouth. Afterward, they would lie in bed and talk about all kinds of random things. Basically, Marilyn would speak softly while Jiaming listened beside her, occasionally offering a comment.

Compared to actual lovemaking, Marilyn was more enthusiastic about showing off her body before Jiaming. Every night, the bedroom lights remained on. Marilyn would lie there completely naked, letting Jiaming touch her as he pleased, or holding him like a mother, or rolling gently beside him in all sorts of poses so he could admire every private part of her body. No matter what they were doing, the blond beauty would always chatter on about ordinary domestic matters—how she had nearly cut her hand while chopping vegetables that day, how Heidi had nearly fallen over in a daze, and countless other little things.

Jiaming would occasionally reply with some meaningless remark, but he knew that even if he said nothing at all, Marilyn could happily talk by herself until dawn as long as he was beside her. And no matter what he wanted to do to her, she would never evade or refuse him. Over time, a hint of warmth arose in Jiaming's heart.

After sleeping a little, around two or three in the morning, Jiaming would begin meditating on the bed before doing some simple exercises. Marilyn naturally followed along, but she always gave up because she could not keep up with Jiaming's pace. As she meditated, she would ramble about all sorts of mystical things, guessing that Jiaming had perhaps been adopted by some martial arts master, or had fallen off a cliff as a child and obtained miraculous skills, or had undergone a series of bizarre and dangerous adventures in his childhood. Her ideas were endless and strange. Yet they remained nothing more than her personal fantasies; she never truly asked Jiaming about them.

As they spent time together, Jiaming discovered that this curvaceous, typical foreign woman possessed the heart of a Jiangnan girl: gentle, delicate, and sensitive. She never hesitated to reveal every part of herself before those close to her, whether her strengths or flaws. Even the most embarrassing little secret in her heart, she would share with Jiaming as though it were something amusing. It might not have been love, but she truly could give everything she had to Jiaming without holding anything back, asking for nothing in return. Sometimes, when she sat naked cross-legged on the edge of the bed, clumsily forming hand seals while speaking softly, Jiaming's desire would surge, making him want to push her down immediately. How should one put it? Perhaps two words described her best: charmingly naive.

That Saturday and Sunday, Jiaming lied to Lingjing and Shasha, ending the three-person cohabitation for the time being. Knowing they would soon part, Marilyn strongly insisted that Jiaming spend at least two days with Heidi, while Heidi cried and fussed, begging Jiaming to spend a holiday with her. This mother and daughter were still suspects in Tang Jingyao's case, so going out was naturally impossible. During the day, Jiaming played video games with Heidi, and the three of them occasionally played small games together, enjoying themselves immensely. At night, after Heidi fell asleep, Jiaming and Marilyn talked in the room. During those two days, they did not lie naked in bed and talk until dawn. Instead, they turned off the lights and slept beneath the same blanket like a married couple, holding each other as they drifted off.

That Monday afternoon, after school, Jiaming did not go to the Ye Family. Instead, he had a proper meal with the mother and daughter. As the sun set, the three of them left the house and headed for a small park nearby. The moment of parting was drawing close.

"Have you forgotten him now?"

"Mm, I've forgotten him."

"You're not sad anymore?"

"I'm not sad anymore."

"Good. Then it's time for a new life. After you return to the United States, if you meet someone better..."

"Don't say that!"

"Mm?"

"I won't marry another man again. Chinese customs are beautiful. I gave my body to you, so I won't give it to anyone else."

"You brainless woman with big breasts. Back when China's streets were full of horse-drawn carts and everyone lived in thatched huts, maybe customs like that existed. But things are different now. Besides... I can't give you anything. I'm fourteen now, and you're exactly twice my age. That means when I'm twenty, you'll be forty. When I'm twenty-five, you'll be fifty... Ow."

"Don't talk nonsense." The blond woman gave the little man beside her a light smack, her voice coquettish. "Once I decide something, I won't change my mind. Whether or not you're mine, I'll always be yours. As long as you remember me once in a while, call me, or come see me, that will be enough. If you need me, I'll come to your side immediately."

The little girl, skipping along ahead, could not hear what her mother and brother were saying. She merely laughed and pointed at a group of children gathered nearby. "Brother, Brother, what's that?"

"That? That's cotton candy. Do you want some, Heidi?" Jiaming looked in that direction. It was a small cotton candy machine. A middle-aged man poured white sugar into the center, and it turned into thin strands that flew outward. By turning a little bamboo stick around, he could gather the threads onto it, gradually forming a huge cotton candy.

"Can you eat it? Yay!"

The three walked over to the stall. Jiaming paid for three cotton candies. Because there were so many people, the children all had to line up before they could get theirs. Heidi stood in front of the machine, staring in wonder at the cotton candy being made, her eyes sparkling and her expression utterly adorable. Jiaming and Marilyn sat down on a row of chairs nearby.

"I hope you won't tell anyone about me, and don't contact me for no reason. That would make things difficult for me."

"Mm." Marilyn looked down at her intertwined fingers and answered quietly like a demure young wife.

"Of course, if there's ever real danger, if your or Heidi's life is at risk, I have an emergency contact number here. Leave a message there, and I'll come over." He took out a slip of paper and handed it to her. "Keep it safe."

"Mm!" Marilyn took the note and tucked it into her clothes. This time, her nod was much firmer.

"Personally, I don't think Heidi should get involved with the Mafia. That line of work is no good. Of course, I have no right to decide. If you and your father think..."

"I'll listen to you." Marilyn smiled and nodded. "I said I'd serve you like a beast of burden for two lifetimes. Whatever you say, I'll listen."

"Heh, serving me like a beast of burden is something you can do in bed." Jiaming smiled.

Before long, Heidi came over holding three sticks of cotton candy. The three sat in a row, taking small bites. Seeing that the appointed time was approaching, Jiaming took Heidi's hand, and the three of them walked toward a patch of grass nearby.

"Heidi."

"Mm."

"Will you promise Brother Jiaming something?"

"Mm."

"Don't tell anyone about Brother, okay?"

"Mm."

"We agreed yesterday that Heidi wasn't allowed to cry." Jiaming smiled and lifted Heidi's little face. She had finished her cotton candy, and just moments earlier, she had been nodding while lowering her head to desperately lick the little bamboo stick. But now her eyes were already full of tears. Seeing Jiaming's smile, she burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Heidi can't hold it in, I'm sorry..."

"Okay, okay. We agreed, didn't we? If there's a chance, Brother Jiaming will come visit you." He gently hugged the little girl. A moment later, he placed the half-eaten cotton candy in his hand into hers. "Don't cry. Brother Jiaming will give you this one. Be good."

When he looked up, Marilyn's eyes were glistening with tears as well. The two embraced softly. She lowered her head and kissed Jiaming on the lips. There were many elderly people strolling nearby, so they did not dare kiss for too long. To anyone watching, it would only seem like a Western custom.

"I'll miss you," Marilyn said.

Jiaming smiled. "I'll say it again. If you meet a man you like, marry him. Don't be stubborn."

Marilyn did not answer. She merely shook her head through tear-filled eyes.

Then Heidi came over and hugged Jiaming again. She should only have kissed his cheek, but the little girl stubbornly pressed her sugar-sticky lips to Jiaming's mouth. Then she choked out, "You have to watch me leave."

"Mm." Jiaming nodded.

"And when I grow up, I'm going to marry you." The little girl looked utterly determined. Jiaming laughed and rubbed her head.

Marilyn took the little girl's hand, wiped away her tears, and walked toward the small fountain in the middle of the grass. Holding her cotton candy, the little girl kept looking back every few steps at the boy in the distance, who continuously waved at her. Before long, they reached the fountain. The two foreigners who had been sitting on its edge with their backs turned finally noticed them. One old and one young, they came forward to greet them.

"Daddy, why did you come too?"

"We've temporarily reached a reconciliation with the Gambino Family. When I heard something had happened to you, Joseph and I rushed over immediately. Sigh, let's go home." The old man hugged her and spoke.

"Marilyn, it's good that you're all right." The man named Joseph looked at Marilyn's lovely face, unable to conceal the fervor in his gaze.

Ignoring the adults' conversation, the little girl turned back with her cotton candy. The figure she wanted to see one more time had already vanished behind the small grove of trees, nowhere to be seen.

.