"I knew you would definitely come to find me for a drink one night." Jin Feiyu sat comfortably at the back of the bar, raising his glass to the approaching Ku Yue.
"Do you know everything?" Ku Yue calmly walked up to him and sat down, "Including...I'm here to kill you?"
"Including that you need this." He reached into the shadow beside him and took out a square thing, placing it on the table. It was a deep brown carved peach wood box exuding a profound simplicity. The slowly rotating light overhead cast gorgeous light patterns on its surface.
Ku Yue's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end.
"People as indifferent as chrysanthemums[1]; this is the best expression to describe the true top-notch assassins. I'm happy to play along with you until now; I don't want your identity to scare the residents here." Dark red alcohol trickled from the bottle into an empty glass as Jin Feiyu pushed the glass towards Ku Yue, saying with a smile, "Ku Yue, you're worthy of me buying you a drink."
"Thank you." Ku Yue downed the drink in one go, the astringent taste still lingering in his mouth.
The soothing and melodious music floated in the surrounding air, the same song "Butterfly Kisses" as before—
There's two things I know for sure
She was sent here from Heaven, and she's Daddy's little
girl
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
She talks to Jesys and I close my eyes
The man's warm voice came over and over again.
Since Ku Yue first came to that bar, the music played there had always been this song, never changed.
"You're completely different from the guys who came before," Jin Feiyu stated.
Ku Yue remained silent, swirling his empty wine glass, which reflected Jin Feiyu's smiling face. He appeared to be under forty, but his hair was an unusual silver-white color. He wore a stylish pair of black-framed glasses, and when he smiled, fine lines had already appeared at the corners of his eyes. Nevertheless, his handsome face and clear eyes made him an exceptionally charming man. This charm was a long-term accumulation, the result of slow transition of experience and vicissitudes over time. It was not obvious but adhered to him discreetly.
A person like this was undoubtedly not someone that the "colleagues" who came before him could deal with. It was likely that his employer, after countless failures, was willing to spend a significant sum to hire him. His service fee had always been more than a hundred times that of an ordinary assassin. This fee was not something everyone could afford or would be willing to pay.
"Want to know what's in here?" Jin Feiyu gently tapped the box.
Ku Yue shook his head. "My duty is just to deliver it to my employer. What's inside is not my concern."
"You truly are different from the rest," Jin Feiyu shook his head with a smile. "This time, she has found the right person." He looked at Ku Yue. "When are you planning to make your move?"
"When you finish that glass of wine," Ku Yue replied honestly. There was still a little less than half a glass of red wine in Jin Feiyu's glass.
"If I were to ask you to fulfill your duty on the last day of next month, would you refuse?" Jin Feiyu asked very seriously.
Ku Yue's brows twitched slightly. The 26th of next month is King's birthday, and I'm preparing a birthday gift for him — Luoye's happy face during the day suddenly flashed before his eyes.
"Okay," he didn't hesitate much. He had a three-month agreement with his employer, so he could act next month. This was not a breach of contract for sure.
"Thank you," Jin Feiyu poured him another glass of wine. "How is she doing?"
"She?" Ku Yue stared blankly.
"Your employer."
Ku Yue recalled briefly and said, "A beautiful woman; she should be a part of those who live an excellent life. Although I didn't see her entire face."
"Assassins' instincts are usually accurate," Jin Feiyu sighed and added in a relaxed tone, "If she really is living well, I'll be relieved."
Perhaps it was the effect of alcohol, or perhaps it was because the man in front of him was so unique, or maybe it was the environment they were in at the moment was more suitable for chatting than for murder. In a departure from his usual strict adherence to the principle of only asking the "three essentials," Ku Yue, for the first time, asked, "Murder for love[2]?"
He had seen too many women who love deeply, hate fiercely[3]. For a man like Jin Feiyu to have one or even several such women appear in his life would be far from surprising.
"Hahaha," Jin Feiyu gracefully clinked glasses with him. "She is my biological daughter."
The two glasses collided, their tinkling lingering for a while.
Footnotes:
[1] 人淡如菊: keep away from fame and wealth. A metaphor for people who live in a simple and unadorned manner, just like chrysanthemums.
[2] 情殺 (qíng shā): murder done with motives of passion.
[3] 爱之深, 恨之切: deeper the love, deeper the hatred.
Translator:
Butterfly Kisses is written in English in the raws. You've no idea how glad I am; it's such a pain to translate poems and songs. And…
🎅Merry Christmas!!🎄🎁
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