Act of Deception

After sending Marilyn and Heidi away, life returned to its previous rhythm.

Days passed by routine, and weekends were still spent enjoying cohabitation with the two. In secret, he continued to train his body.

During the battle at the abandoned cement factory, Jiaming had already realized that in terms of agility, this body was even more outstanding than his peak condition in his previous life. This was because he had accumulated training experience, understood his strengths, and knew how to exploit them. Therefore, the training of this body had basically been without any detours, maintaining an optimal foundation. At this rate, in a few more years, he would have the confidence to face any dangerous challenge, even facing the Japanese assassin king, Minamoto no Yoritomo, from Peiluojia, who was also his former partner.

He had to admit that when it came to assassins, Japan produced many excellent ones. Gods Without Thought, Ten'u Masanori, Tatemaru Michiaki, Oomori Yoshi—just these few names from memory, and he wasn't confident he could defeat any of them. Of course, he wasn't planning to get involved in Peiluojia's affairs right now. After Blue died so pathetically, Peiluojia should have sent elite assassins to investigate, but they likely returned empty-handed because that incident could be considered a pure car accident.

And according to Peiluojia's rules, a first failure was a mistake, but a second failure was unforgivable. This way, they wouldn't bother Marilyn and her daughter anymore. Marilyn should also understand the importance of her identity. As long as these assassins couldn't find out anything for a while and were led in another direction, the consequences would be immense.

The middle-aged dwarf assassin he impersonated was actually a real person, a pervert with supernatural abilities. In his original life, after his physical condition reached its peak many years later, he found the dwarf after partnering with Minamoto no Yoritomo. In a battle, although he killed the dwarf, he himself was on the brink of death. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the assassin king, died covering for him. It was fine if Peiluojia couldn't find him now, but if they really did, the consequences were unimaginable.

Among the people in Peiluojia that he had some thoughts about, one was Minamoto no Yoritomo. Although that person was cold and Japanese, during the time they partnered, he treated Jiaming very well. Later, his death was actually due to a tragic misunderstanding. Now that Jiaming knew the whole story, he could naturally prevent it from happening. However... judging by the situation, he currently had no killer's intent, and they had no prior acquaintance. If he were to offer help, the likely outcome would be being killed by him directly.

As for the other, it was the perverted militarist named Gods Without Thought, who harbored hatred towards all Chinese people. Jiaming, having received assassin training from a young age in Peiluojia, actually had very weak concepts of country and nation. However, because of that pervert, he suffered a lot from childhood, and later they had a major falling out. When he stole classified information and defected from Peiluojia, he had a small confrontation with this guy, where he suffered a bit of a loss. Thinking about it now made him very depressed. Of course, this was purely hypothetical—past life, past events. If it wasn't necessary, he didn't want to confront that life-threatening pervert.

At the end of June, school began its summer break. During the long summer vacation, the three children mostly spent their time at the Liu Family's villa, enjoying games, videos, computers, and swimming, living very comfortably. Not far from their residential area was a very nice beach by the sea, which was crowded with people in the summer. Jiaming and the other two took tents and stayed there for three days, eating barbecue until Shasha got an upset stomach and a toothache that made her miserable, finally giving up. It was also a fulfillment of last year's camping idea.

As special students from the school, in early August, Lingjing and Shasha participated in a national-level youth martial arts competition. Jiaming was not a participant and couldn't join originally. However, the main competitors, Lingjing and Shasha, said they wouldn't go if Jiaming didn't. Most people who knew them knew that the three had been good friends since childhood, and no one thought of it in terms of romance. In the end, Jiaming was arranged to be a cheerleader and accompanied the competition team to the capital for the event.

However, this competition later caused them a bit of trouble.

Among the Xinghui Middle School competition team, there was a second-year junior high student named Cao Dongfeng. Although he and Shasha didn't usually interact, they were from families that knew each other, as his father, Cao Jinghao, was a major subordinate of Shasha's father. This person came from a triad family, had failed two grades, and was already sixteen years old upon graduating junior high. He was very tall. Since his age was just within the upper limit for the youth martial arts competition, the school considered him a key member of the martial arts team. Upon seeing Lingjing, he was utterly smitten and sent her two flowers daily.

He was already sixteen, a main player, and came from a triad background. The teachers didn't dare to say anything about his behavior, but Lingjing was naturally extremely disgusted. Shasha would usually scold him fiercely. One day, during a break in the competition, he actually asked Lingjing to meet him in a secluded spot in the gymnasium to present flowers and confess his feelings. Fortunately, Lingjing was prepared and called out Jiaming and Shasha, who were following behind. Then, holding Jiaming's hand, she kissed him sweetly on the cheek and announced, "He's my boyfriend!"

If Lingjing didn't have a partner, Jiaming might have had to consider the consequences if this rumor spread. But at this time, knowing that Lingjing and Shasha were a couple, and out of friendship, he naturally became the perfect cover for this unconventional relationship. The two of them immediately acted as if they were deeply in love, and Shasha, who was eager for chaos, then ran over and pulled Jiaming, saying, "He's my boyfriend too!"

Cao Dongfeng's face turned ashen.

At this moment, the two girls, not only was Lingjing beautiful and refined, but Shasha's appearance was also not bad. Although her temper was fiery, she had a tall and fit figure. With her ponytail tied up, her clean and healthy image could attract a lot of attention on the street. Yet, this ordinary—no, this creepy man, who was even half a head shorter than the girls, had managed to capture both of them!

Cao Dongfeng had seen rich men keeping mistresses and lovers. He himself had two girlfriends, but at this moment, he felt an urge to kill!

It was simply unforgivable. These two girls knew about each other's existence and got along so well! There were rumors on campus that the three of them lived together during the holidays, and it turned out to be true...

He came from a triad background and acted on his impulses. However, as he prepared to attack, the two girls were also ready and shielded Jiaming behind them.

"Run if you see things going badly," Lingjing said.

"No need, we two can handle him," Shasha reassured him.

The feud was thus ignited. He never expected that this man, not only creepy, perverted, cowardly, and short, but also a freeloader, and a freeloader who made both girls look happy. Cao Dongfeng, admitting he couldn't beat the two, retreated dejectedly. From then on, Jiaming had to endure constant sarcastic remarks and death-staring gazes.

Jiaming naturally didn't take him seriously, focusing instead on playing the role of a cowardly, incompetent, freeloader boyfriend. He knew that the more pathetic he acted, the more enraged the other person would become.

On the other hand, Shasha knew that Lingjing liked Jiaming. The two girls immediately arranged many scenarios. For example, whenever they were alone and Cao Dongfeng saw Jiaming and Lingjing together, Lingjing would kiss Jiaming on the cheek. Jiaming, unaware that she was using this for her own benefit, would also put his arm around Lingjing's waist, and the two would appear incredibly happy.

During the daily competitions, Jiaming, as a cheerleader and errand boy, was always extremely attentive, handing out towels, water, and even giving massages. While this was him being friendly, such people were often underestimated. Cao Dongfeng would take opportunities to mock him for lacking manly spirit. Jiaming, unable to pinpoint the sarcasm, would pretend not to understand and continue his massage contentedly.

And whenever Lingjing had a competition, Shasha would mischievously throw two large embroidered balls at him, demanding he fulfill his cheerleader duties. Jiaming would juggle the two colorful balls, becoming a spectacle on the field. Cao Dongfeng inwardly and outwardly despised him, but whenever Lingjing finished her match, she would always ignore him and first take a towel to wipe Jiaming's sweat, asking if he was tired. In Cao Dongfeng's eyes, the behavior of these three—two girls and one boy—was interpreted as flirting and attentive care. Watching from the side, he was so consumed by jealousy that his eyes turned bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth. Jiaming and the two girls would then retreat to a hidden spot and roar with laughter.

Unfortunately, the martial arts competition ended too soon. Xinghui Middle School's team won second place. Cao Dongfeng went home full of anger. Lingjing's personal use of public resources hadn't yet progressed from kissing cheeks to kissing lips. After returning, things reverted to their original state, which she deeply regretted. As for Jiaming, he experienced the wicked pleasure of toying with younger people and felt quite pleased.

After school started in September, the three entered their second year of junior high. Cao Dongfeng tried to cause trouble for Jiaming several times at school, but Jiaming either avoided him or chose times when all three were present. He might dare to confront Lingjing, but he couldn't afford to offend Shasha's father. In October, there was a minor confrontation, but it didn't involve any actual physical contact.

At that time, "The King of Fighters '95" was released, and arcade games became very popular. The three teenagers occasionally went to play. One day after school, they went to an arcade halfway to their destination. Lingjing liked playing airplane games but died quickly and screamed nearby. Shasha and Jiaming were playing "King of Fighters '95." For Jiaming, a game that required such precise control presented no difficulty at all. However, his opponent was Shasha, and to prevent her from getting angry, he let her win repeatedly. After winning a few rounds, Shasha was in a great mood and decided to give the arcade machine to the pitiful classmate Jiaming to have some fun, going to the side to protect Lingjing.

After Shasha left, Jiaming was bored playing. He had to pretend to be interested, pressing the buttons with clumsy fingers, preparing to control the game character to achieve a mutual destruction in three rounds. While he was playing, Cao Dongfeng, along with four or five thugs, lifted the curtain and walked in.

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Well, the names of those Japanese people were written down casually. There shouldn't be such names among Japanese people, and I didn't bother to check any information. Everyone can just read it as it is. As for Oomori Yoshi, it was actually inspired by the words "Ootearai" (washbasin) that were always on the toilet when I watched Japanese adult animations. I thought it sounded very natural, hehe. This kind of creative inspiration is finally being used now, and I feel very satisfied.

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