novelraw Chapter 2 Trading
Chapter 2 Trading
"A deal..." Song Xinyuan turned to look at her and said, "Tell me, what kind of deal?"
The girl spoke very quickly, saying, "If you let him go, I guarantee he will never have the chance to appear in front of you again."
Song Xinyuan raised an eyebrow, surprised, and carefully examined the girl.
She wore brown boots and black stockings, with only a sliver of her perfectly shaped calves peeking out between her red and black long skirt. Her legs were plump and supple, just like her face—not obese, but perfectly proportioned, just enough to accentuate her youthful beauty and subtly exude an air of intellectual elegance.
Looking at her face alone, she is like a plump jujube; but if you look at her as a whole, with her ponytail draped over her shoulder, she becomes like a tall poplar after the rain.
But that face... Song Xinyuan felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Because his profession requires him to be anyone at the right time and to get close to anyone, Song Xinyuan has almost become a polymath. He not only needs to be good at life-and-death combat, but also needs to know how to recognize people and things.
He could tell at a glance that the girl's seemingly simple clothes were actually quite valuable.
A wealthy young lady, still a student, spoke in a tone that sounded as if she were protecting a desperate outlaw.
Could this man be someone she instructed? The thought flashed through Song Xinyuan's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
It would be incredibly foolish for a mastermind with such a powerful background to personally come forward to bail out the assassin they hired to kill.
Song Xinyuan glanced at the bleeding from the man's wound and asked nonchalantly, "Why should I believe your guarantee?"
The girl's voice was calm and steady, quick but clear: "Because 'trust' is a better choice than murder."
"In civilized society, killing someone, no matter how justified the reason, is a stain that can never be washed away in the eyes of others. On the other hand, if you kill a yakuza, their revenge will continue until you die."
Song Xinyuan looked at her, his tone suddenly turning cold, and said resolutely, "I offended one person or a group of people, not an entire extreme sect. A group of people can always be wiped out."
He dared to lie to me; this is the price he has to pay!
As he spoke, Song Xinyuan grabbed the knife he had taken from the man and raised his hand to stab him.
Two voices rang out at the same time again.
"Xiaojun!"
"The wakatoshi (young leader) of the Mishima Group, Joichiro Mishima!"
The man repeated the name Mishima Joichiro, tears streaming down his face, terrified of death. In her panic, the girl called out Kirihara's name, biting her lip tightly.
Song Xinyuan smiled, stood up, and said to the girl, "As expected, you recognize me."
He walked towards the girl, and for every step he took, the girl took a step back.
As he walked, he threw the man's knife, cell phone, wallet, and blood-stained rag into the river beside him, then flung the bullets out of the gun and casually tossed the gun on the ground.
This action made the girl breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Song Xinyuan stopped three meters away from her, his expression calm, making it impossible to tell that he had just stabbed someone.
He said, "You just mentioned the word 'deal.' Since it's a deal, you're suggesting that he never appear in front of me again. In return, what can I do for you?"
The girl didn't answer, looking at the man behind Kirihara Akira with some worry. She wasn't worried about him personally, but rather about his death affecting the subsequent events.
She asked, "You're not going to kill him?"
"I won't kill him," Song Xinyuan said. "What you said makes perfect sense. If we kill him, things will be very difficult to clean up."
The girl said, "In that case..."
She was just about to ask if she should call an ambulance for the man when she heard the siren of an ambulance approaching rapidly.
"..." She was speechless for a moment, then understood everything.
From the very beginning, Song Xinyuan had no intention of killing anyone. He had an almost arrogant confidence in his ability to control the situation. The reason he knocked down the enemy and made a gesture as if he was about to kill him was simply to extract as much real information as possible from the other party.
When the enemy first mentioned the "Mishima Group," it was very likely that they just said a name offhand, or even the name of their enemy force, in an attempt to divert attention from the enemy.
After being frightened, his second remark about Mishima Joichiro of the Mishima Group finally gained some credibility.
This is a common technique used in interrogation.
In this series of events, the only thing he couldn't completely control was the arrival time of the ambulance.
Fortunately, although this is a rural area, it is not backward and is very close to the county. The ambulance arrived in time and at just the right moment.
Otherwise, that yakuza guy would have died from excessive blood loss.
Before the medical staff arrived, he roughly cleaned up the traces he left at the scene, and then left with the girl in another direction.
The two strolled along the country road as if nothing had happened.
As he walked, Song Xinyuan finally remembered where he had seen the girl before—at a funeral.
The funeral was packed with people, and Song Xinyuan's main attention was focused on avoiding danger, so he only had a negligible impression of the beautiful girl who should have been the center of attention.
He said, "I want to apologize to you. You came all this way to pay your respects to my parents, and I just scared you... What should I call you?"
The girl gave him a deep look and said, "That's not important. Let's talk about the deal."
This business-like approach suited Song Xinyuan perfectly. He would only feel a headache if the other party was someone he knew from Wuyuan Xiao and they wanted to talk about feelings.
"Let's continue our previous topic," Song Xinyuan asked. "What do you hope to gain in return for your help?"
"In exchange for your help," the girl casually remarked, seemingly uttering a meaningless statement.
Song Xinyuan glanced at her thoughtfully.
The girl continued, "You don't need to worry about these details. Just believe one thing: you and I are both being watched by them. We have a common enemy. That's enough, isn't it?"
Song Xinyuan shook his head and cut to the chase: "You are a rich heiress with an unknown background and a powerful background, while I am a pitiful orphan who lost both my parents. We have the same goal, but our identities and statuses are different."
In this situation, having to deal with both the Yakuza and you, this mysterious person, is a difficult problem with both sides being shrouded in mystery. It's too troublesome.
"I believe you come from a wealthy and influential family, so why would you choose to date a powerless orphan like me?"
At this point, the atmosphere cooled down slightly. There was no hostility between them, but the clouds in the sky were too thin and pale due to the rainy season, making the atmosphere feel somewhat cold and indifferent.
The girl stopped and slowly said to Song Xinyuan's back, who had taken two steps forward, "You're right, my family does indeed have a powerful background and a significant influence."
Song Xinyuan didn't turn around. She took a deep breath and continued, "But my family is not me, and my family's resources are not my resources."
"I need an assistant, someone who is experienced, wise, and capable enough to assist me."
Song Xinyuan tilted his head and bent slightly, saying, "Thank you for your kind words."
Afterwards, they strolled towards the funeral home. Song Xinyuan did not give a direct response, nor did the girl urge him or force him to give an answer.
Speechless all the way.
The annoying rain keeps falling.
Song Xinyuan only stopped when the two heard a loud, drunken voice coming from a window not far away.
He began, "I don't want to get involved in the power struggles between the wealthy and the underworld."
The girl turned around and said, "I understand."
"If your proposed cooperation is limited to intelligence sharing and providing mutual assistance at crucial moments and in necessary situations, then this suggestion is not bad," Song Xinyuan continued. "It's always a good thing to have more friends."
"But only if you can really help me solve this problem."
"You're right," the girl replied calmly.
"Then let's keep our distance and remain mysterious."
The girl blinked, then suddenly smiled, giving the illusion of roles being reversed. In the past, she would always say similar lines to boys who approached her.
"You're right, Xiaojun."
It was only then that Song Xinyuan belatedly realized that calling him by his name seemed to imply intimacy.
What's this? A beautiful girl pursuing someone?
……
……
Back at the funeral home, many tables of exquisite dishes were laid out on the second floor. Everyone sat on the tatami mats, and before long, quite a few people had become drunk.
Song Xinyuan also separated from the girl before entering the gate, keeping his distance as he had said before.
She sat down in the corner, next to a beautiful woman in a black suit. The two had many similarities in their eyes and brows; were they mother and daughter, or sisters?
It's hard to tell from their appearance; they're mature yet not old, and they're wearing light makeup. Their demeanor suggests they're mother and daughter... Song Xinyuan speculated idly.
He was now very interested to see how this young lady would use her family's resources.
Judging from her previous words, she should be a character similar to a "caged bird". The resources at home are not a gift to her, but rather a source of oppression, so she has to seek help from outsiders. In this situation, how can she ask her mother for help?
Song Xinyuan watched that side discreetly, with great interest.
Oh, they've started talking. They're sitting up straight, probably discussing serious business.
Hmm, it seems like a good start; the conversation between the two sides is very gentle and serious.
Oh? Why did she suddenly look stunned?
Why did they suddenly get so excited? What are they talking about...? Halfway through his gossip, the girl suddenly turned her gaze to him, startling Song Xinyuan so much that he instinctively looked away.
Anyway, it has nothing to do with me; I'm just a bystander.
What's going on? Why did her mother suddenly stand up and walk towards her?
The tall, beautiful woman in a black suit approached Song Xinyuan and said directly, "Xiaojun, it's been a long time."
"Do you want to be my family?"
Song Xinyuan was dumbfounded. A crack appeared in his usually calm expression, and his eyes clearly said as he looked at the girl, "My God, big sister, you..."
I want to work with you, and you want to acknowledge me as your stepfather?