Luring Him to Fall - Chapter 2

After removing the mask, I raised my head and looked at him.

The warm amusement vanished from Xie Jingchuan’s eyes, replaced by gathering darkness.

“Why is there a veil beneath your mask?”

I smiled and fiddled with my fingers. “Well, I told you. Assassins can’t let their victims see their faces.”

The faint candlelight stretched his shadow across the room. He did not lose his temper. Instead, he sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and asked unhurriedly, “Why can’t they?”

At once, a wave of sadness welled inside me.

“I had a colleague. His name was Noodles, and he was a good friend of mine. One of his victims saw his face, took revenge, and killed his whole family.”

Xie Jingchuan sipped his tea. “Are you afraid I’ll take revenge on you?”

“Of course not.” I grinned. “I don’t have a family. I’m an orphan.”

His expression turned thunderous.

I eagerly pulled the dagger from my sleeve. “Can I kill you now?”

“No.”

Damn him.

I was angry.

“You broke your word! You said I could kill you once I took off my mask.”

His gaze settled on my veil. Once again, he coaxed me in a gentle voice.

“Remove that veil, and I’ll let you kill me. How does that sound?”

I walked over, bent down in front of him, and held out my little finger.

“Then pinky-swear. You’re not allowed to lie to me.”

He laughed when he saw how serious I was.

“Childish.”

But he hooked his little finger around mine anyway.

I straightened and promptly removed my veil.

When I did, Xie Jingchuan’s long, elegant fingers clenched hard.

He seemed to be fighting desperately to contain his temper.

“Why is there another veil underneath?”

“How many veils are you wearing?”

“I told you. Assassins can’t let their victims see their faces.”

Xie Jingchuan rubbed his temple in exasperation.

“Forget it. Go.”

“I’m not leaving. I haven’t killed you yet.”

I planted my hands on my hips and glared at him with wide, indignant eyes.

“Are you lying to me again?”

“Miss.”

“Yes?”

Xie Jingchuan suddenly seized my wrist and pulled me into his arms.

I landed on his thigh, stunned, my eyes round with confusion.

He tipped up my chin. His cold, breathtaking features filled my vision. Though he was smiling, a vicious light glinted in his eyes.

“Do you know what happened to the last person who toyed with me?”

His beautiful fox-like eyes flicked toward the courtyard.

The peonies outside were blooming an unusually vivid red.

His lips brushed my ear almost deliberately, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

“The last person who toyed with me became fertilizer for those flowers.”

“I offered to let you go, yet you refuse. Do you want to become fertilizer too?”

The moment he finished speaking, Sixteen returned with blood all over his face. He had just killed someone.

When he caught me sitting so intimately on Xie Jingchuan’s lap, his expression changed in shock.

Xie Jingchuan glared at him, and Sixteen hurriedly turned his back.

Foster Father always said that while the green hills lasted, there would always be firewood to burn. In other words, as long as I remained alive, I would have another chance.

I stood.

“I’ll come kill you tomorrow.”

The moment I left, Sixteen entered the room.

“Master, I fear that young woman may not be as foolish as she appears. Keeping her alive could invite disaster. Why not let me kill her now and eliminate the threat?”

Xie Jingchuan picked up the veil I had dropped and toyed with it, his eyes lowered.

“How could such an empty-headed fool be skilled at scheming? You’re worrying over nothing.”

“Master, you aren’t interested in her, are you? She came here to assassinate you!”

“If she approached you with another purpose, the consequences could be disastrous.”

“How could I possibly be interested in a woman whose face I haven’t even seen? I merely find her amusing. Her stupidity is almost adorable.”

Sixteen persisted. “What if there’s a devastating beauty beneath those veils and you fall for her once you see her face? She is an assassin.”

“I have seen every kind of beauty. How could I fall for an assassin?”

“Besides, if a woman that beautiful were truly this foolish, someone would have used her to seduce me long ago. Why would she need to become an assassin?”

Sixteen opened his mouth to argue again, but Xie Jingchuan cut him off impatiently.

“Enough. You’ve said too much today.”

“Get out. And remember to collect twenty strokes of the rod.”

Sixteen had no idea what he had done wrong or why he was being punished for no reason. Dejected, he answered, “Yes.”

He had just turned to leave when Xie Jingchuan stopped him again.

“Go to the military camp tomorrow. Don’t come back at night.”

Sixteen muttered under his breath, “You’re sending me to camp because you’re afraid I’ll interrupt you tomorrow, aren’t you? No wonder you punished me!”

“You say you aren’t interested, but finding someone amusing is how falling in love begins. If there really is a peerless beauty under those veils, you’ll be a goner!”