Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 35, Section 14: Personal Charisma
"Lang li ge lang er lang li ge lang~"

—Big Bird Spinning Bar—

It was nearing the end of the day when the store opened, and He Ye was walking down the stairs with his guitar in his arms, humming a little tune as he went, looking smug and cocky.

This unnamed little tune, with its cheerful 4/4 time signature, perfectly reflects his mood at that moment.

Today is April 10th. It's been almost a month since I started working at the Big Bird Spinning Bar, and the turmoil of that wedding of the century has subsided in five or six days. He Ye now has 5500 kronor in savings—his own 1500 kronor per week plus Nicole's 500 kronor.

While not a fortune, it was more than enough to last a month or two. He Ye was preparing to end her life in Greeley City and head to a distant place.

He had been reading the newspaper these past few days and learned that the annual beauty pageant in Skavis City was just around the corner in April, when all the city's beautiful girls would shine on stage. As a gentleman, he couldn't possibly miss such a celebration.

So he decided to make Scaves his first stop.

Plans never keep up with changes. As it stands, the National Security Bureau isn't particularly keen on arresting the mysterious man who broke the egg. He Ye no longer faces any obstacles from wealth or the police in leaving this place.

In three days, he will receive his weekly paycheck, sing one last song at the bar, and then say goodbye to the people and things there.

include--

"Sir! What makes you so happy?"

A girl with shoulder-length black hair walked towards me with a happy expression. It turned out to be Nicole Griffith, who was carrying a basin full of glasses into the bathroom.

These glasses were all dirtied by her mixing drinks, and she should have cleaned them herself. Meanwhile, during her time off work, Miss Bella—that cynical woman who loved cigarettes—continued to teach Nicole how to mix drinks.

She's already an excellent bartender, isn't she incredibly talented?
He Ye plucked the strings and smiled: "It's a secret."

Nicole pouted and brushed past her, muttering, "So stingy!"

After watching her figure disappear, He Ye scratched his head, wondering if he should leave her a letter before leaving, so that it wouldn't be considered leaving without saying goodbye.

But then I thought about it again and realized that I had already taken good care of this homeless little girl.

Nicole has now learned bartending and has the means to make a living, so there's no need for him to leave a farewell letter. He can just pack his bags and run away when it's quiet at night, just like before.

We've only known each other for a month or so, and our relationship isn't that deep, so she wouldn't go to the trouble of traveling all over the city to find me.

"Whoosh~ Isn't that the hero of Gladys City?! What's making you so happy?"

When He Ye walked to the first floor of the bar, several bartender colleagues were sitting at the bar. They were whistling and greeting each other, winking and exchanging friendly glances.

Bartender Brooke was also there, casting admiring glances at He Ye with the same kind of friendly, clique-like gaze.

He Ye, who was holding a guitar, knew what was going on. With a relaxed smile, he sat down near the bar and chatted with his colleagues before starting work.

A few days ago, Miss Elsa's wedding of the century caused a lot of trouble. Although the kidnapping incident ended smoothly, the aftershocks are still lingering.

The first thing that caught everyone's attention was the popularity of the Royal City Express, which led to Leon Rossi's name being featured in it—the headline was even more outrageous: "A Shining Light of Humanity☆The Brave Gentleman of Glary City!"

The content needs no further explanation.

So much so that after receiving the newspaper, everyone at the bar where Big Bird roamed knew that he had gone out to attend a wedding while also putting on a heroic act, making his already popular popularity even greater.

Colleagues joked about it, saying that the honorary citizen medal mailed by the National Security Bureau was something they had never seen before, and that it supposedly had the effect of being exempt from the death penalty under the Public Security Law.

In short, He Ye has been working here for almost a month now, and his current colleagues admire this handsome gentleman who plays the guitar only so-so but sings really well. If a popularity poll were conducted among the employees in the store now, he could easily surpass Ms. Bena to become the 'Number 1 Most Desired Colleague'.

I imagine every place has different people and things. Even though it's just a few kilometers from home, He Ye saw scenery here that she would never have seen when she was drowning her sorrows in alcohol before.

He is always popular.

"drink wine!"

"you are welcome!"

He Ye and his bartender colleagues clinked glasses and chatted casually about interesting things until the middle-aged supervisor came down with a stern face. Only then did the bartenders reluctantly go to do their work preparing for the opening.

Only Brooke and He Ye remained at the bar.

The friendship between the two close friends needs no further explanation; they even shared a staff room, a testament to their deep bond.

While waiting for the bar to open, Brooke leaned her arm against the counter and shared some recent funny stories with him.

"Did you know that a new bookstore recently opened on the street?"

"A bookstore?" He Ye plucked the strings of her guitar, amusing herself. "When did you start studying literary works?"

“Hey, you just don’t understand,” Brooke said mysteriously, leaning closer. “That bookstore is called ‘Seagull Bookstore,’ and I assure you, the owner is the most tasteful person I’ve ever met!”

He Ye became interested: "How so?"

Brooke pulled out a magazine from under the bar in a more mysterious way; the cover of the magazine featured a stunningly sexy woman.

Without a doubt, it's a pornographic book.

Brooke said in a serious, low voice:

"This is a gem I found in that bookstore. The owner even praised my good taste. Seriously, every single one of the girls there is gorgeous! Those thighs, that skin, wow! Just look!"

Hearing this, He Ye's Adam's apple bobbed.

It seems that mature men can never avoid those kinds of topics. Well, it's natural for mature men to have all sorts of fantasies, especially about beautiful women.

Holding onto the idea that if someone recommends it, you should at least try reading it—He Ye stroked his chin and turned to the first page with a scrutinizing gaze.

Wow~

A bikini-clad woman reclines on a sofa chair, her fair skin radiant in the sunlight, and she smiles brightly.

Suddenly——

He Ye closed the book without making a sound.

He Ye put down his guitar and stood up.

He Ye tucked the magazine under his arm and prepared to go back to his room.

Brooke didn't say much when he saw this. He knew that his friend was quite satisfied with his recommendation and was preparing to go back to his room to enjoy it properly. After all, looking at sexy magazines in public and looking at them in one's room are two completely different things.

“If Brant and the others come, just tell them to come upstairs and knock on my door,” He Ye said calmly. Brant is a member of the band.

“Okay.” Brooke wiped the wine glass.

Soon, He Ye went upstairs with a sexy magazine in her hand.

Just then, someone came out of the washroom. It was Nicole, who had just finished washing the glasses. She had already put the glasses in the storage room. When she saw He Ye walking towards her, she happily went up to him.

"Sir! I just looked in the mirror and I think I seem to have grown taller. Could you please show me and tell me if I have really grown taller?"

Nicole walked over as she spoke, gesturing with her hands to her head, standing on tiptoe eagerly, with a smile on her face.

This put He Ye in an awkward dilemma, because he couldn't raise his hand because he had a magazine under his arm, but Nicole, who was standing in front of him, was so lively that he couldn't ignore her.

Speaking of growing taller?

He Ye glanced at her casually and didn't pay her any mind. How tall could this seventeen-year-old girl grow? She'd only reach his chest; she'd still be a girl. He didn't like the idea of ​​a promising future; he preferred to seize the moment.

Forget it, I'll just ignore it.

"Mmm, you've grown taller..." He Ye said, clutching the magazine tightly, ready to slip past her.

Seeing this, Ni couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. She had just been brushed off when she greeted him, and now she was being brushed off again, so she pouted and quickly followed.

Then, he grabbed He Ye's wrist.

"Just a few gestures will do!" Nicole pleaded.

But when he tried to hold on, he didn't manage to get a good grip. Suddenly, He Ye's shoulder slumped down, causing the sexy magazine he was holding to fall to the ground, leaving him stunned.

Paji.

The magazine pages, falling from mid-air, swayed, and countless beautiful women seemed to leap out from them before finally landing on the ground, settling on the first page featuring a beach girl.

Heye: "..."

Nicole, holding hands: "..."

The atmosphere was quite subtle at that moment. Nicole's cheeks visibly flushed, and her eyes showed a hint of bewilderment and shyness.

He Ye, being a mature man, thought for a moment and felt confident he could handle the situation. So he coughed.

He Ye: "Who threw that pornographic book at my feet?"

……

Camera turns

—Big Bird Spinning Bar & Performance Stage—

At 8 p.m., the Teens in Times performed their songs as usual. Half of the fans and drinkers who came to support them had already left. On stage, He Ye, holding his guitar, shone brightly.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, it's all my fault!"

The customers drinking at the bar listened to sad songs and couldn't help but feel emotional. The bartenders were also busy and happy. It can be seen that the popularity of the bar is rising. Big Bird Spinning Bar is about to become a 'famous landmark' on Narcissus Street.

Of course, if He Ye were still around.

Just then, someone pushed open the door and walked in.

The man was a Peruvian wearing a hat. He went straight to the second-floor entrance, and the security guard did not stop him. He then easily entered the game room on the second floor of the bar.

He then stopped at a game table, surrounded by enthusiastic gamblers. After playing a few games, the man made eye contact with another disguised Peruvian.

Soon, the two quietly left the game table and went to the balcony under the moonlight. They chatted and drank as if they had become friends because of what happened at the game table.

They were inconspicuous in the noisy bar.

"Have you obtained those files on the metal materials?"

As they chatted, they gradually switched to speaking in hushed tones in their dialect, making sure no one around them was paying attention. This was a rendezvous between two spies.

"I've obtained the Northmetal files. The remaining ones are highly classified, and I'll have to give them to you in three days. Also, one of my informants may have been caught."

After the man finished speaking, he looked somewhat melancholy.

Upon hearing this, the bespectacled man opposite him nonchalantly replied:
"Don't worry, Victor. You should know that the intelligence investigation department of Country A is not very capable. They are like pigs that have eaten their fill of oil, doing nothing and just acting as informants. You haven't shown your face or voice, so how could you have been caught?"

After listening to the bespectacled man's speech, the man called 'Victor' lifted the brim of his hat, revealing his green hair hanging down.

His eyes were brown, and he stared straight at the bespectacled man opposite him, pursing his lips as he said:

"I hope so."

Victor dared not talk back to his superior, because he was the captain of this spy team, who had come two months ago on a mission from Country C.

After a brief exchange of intelligence files, the two decided to leave. The next agreed meeting place was still the Big Bird Spinning Bar, where they would hand over the remaining stolen files three days later. At that time, Victor might need to personally go to the company to steal them.

But that's exactly what spies do, and it's a relief that it was just a military-to-civilian steel plant, not a National Security Bureau or a research and development institute.

The two left the noisy and chaotic bar one after the other, inconspicuously.

Then, some time later.

More people came in.

The man who walked into the Big Bird Spinning Bar was a middle-aged man with wavy blond hair. He first glanced at the bar's stage and breathed a sigh of relief when he confirmed that the lead singer, Leon Rossi, was taking a break during intermission. He didn't have to sit there and wait for him to come down.

Mark walked confidently to the bar.

Sure enough, the black-haired youth was sitting there.

He had taken off his coat, leaving only a white shirt, and placed the mask on the table. Thanks to this disguise, no fans would come to surround him while he was resting.

"Hey, Leon."

He Ye was talking to Brooke about the sexy magazine from that afternoon—he had been criticized for returning it to Brooke without even glancing at it after that embarrassing incident—when he suddenly heard someone call his name; the voice sounded very familiar.

Turned his head and looked.

Despite the significant difference in appearance between him and Mark, He Ye recognized his longtime friend from his eyes and thought to himself, "Wow, how did he go from a greasy middle-aged man to a charlatan?"

"Raymond? Ottoser?"

He Ye tried calling out a few names to confirm, names that were not yet used in the team but were safe to use.

Brooke, who was standing next to him, saw him arrive and her eyes lit up as she interjected, "Isn't this the owner of Seagull Bookstore? You two know each other?"

Mark nodded seriously and said:
“Yes, Raymond. He and I are old friends.”

Upon hearing this, He Ye stood up to confirm there was no mistake. Although he didn't know why Mark had come, he still cooperated and said:
"Shall we catch up?"

Mark nodded quickly: "Let's catch up."

Brooke was filled with emotion upon seeing this, thinking to himself that his bro friends were truly scattered all over the world—but it was not unusual for a talented gentleman like him to be featured in the newspapers for his bravery.

They no longer cared about the two who left.

Then, naturally, two more people sat down at the seats next to the bucket and mop. By this time, the bar was bustling with activity and packed with people, practically full.

The two were talking in hushed tones in a secluded corner.

"What's the matter this time? This is the third time you've come to see me."

He Ye asked with great curiosity, but he didn't ask about the spy team's current situation, since their appearance showed that they had been safely transferred.

Mark took a deep breath and said:
Do you have any plans to be resurrected?

Heye: "...?"

Mark sat up straight and said seriously:
"CORE has undergone personnel changes. The hawks have gained strong support from the opposition party and won the domestic partisan battle. Those doves and sheep have lost their footing, and the times are starting to become turbulent again..."

"The spies that have been lurking in various places have been restarted, and the funds for CORE's operations have been transferred. Our team's first account alone is a full three million crowns."

"Three million?!" He Ye's pupils widened in shock.

"Yes."

Mark pursed his lips: "Of course, it's 'us'."

He Ye understood the unspoken meaning in his words: "..."

He suddenly understood why Mark had said such absurd things, asking him if he wanted to try to resurrect him…

Good heavens, fate really likes to play jokes. Just when I was preparing to find a new life, the organization suddenly became rich again—what a cruel twist of fate.

He Ye almost cried and covered her face: "Why don't you take the liberty of allocating a sum from the 300 million to me as a condolence payment?"

"That won't work."

Mark, with the stern face of an iron-fisted leader, said, "The team needs money everywhere to restart operations, how can we allocate funds to you at this critical juncture... Of course, if you're considering 'resurrecting' and joining 'us,' that's a different story."

After hearing this, He Ye slowly lowered his hand from his face. He looked at his old friend and saw a lot of emotions in his eyes.

He Ye knew that his return was not based on any need for personal gain, but on something much deeper.

However, he never looked back. At most, he would help the spy team if they got into trouble later, out of sentiment.

“I’ve made up my mind, my mind is made up.” He Ye said slowly as he refused, “Besides, my spy file has been destroyed, hasn’t it? Spy He Ye no longer exists in CORE’s organization… You should forget about me.”

“But you can also use a new identity to operate…” Mark’s lips trembled as he tried to persuade him, “Anyway, CORE doesn’t recognize people, they only recognize files.”

He Ye was speechless for a moment. Why did this guy feel so cheesy? He was even more troublesome than Sophia, repeatedly trying to persuade her to stay.

"Sigh, let's see." In the end, He Ye chose to keep it.

Mark looked at the somewhat sentimental He Ye and thought to himself that he couldn't stop He Ye from leaving before, since the organization wasn't paying him.

But now that CORE has won the revival match, if he plays the emotional card a few more times, he'll definitely beat He Ye.

"Alright then, you think about it, I'm leaving now."

Mark also said goodbye and stood up.

Soon, a greasy middle-aged man in the bar disappeared. The night seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents were already surging beneath.

(End of this chapter)