...
The atmosphere in the room fell silent.
Two glasses of liquor sat on the table. One remained untouched, while the other was half-empty, casting shallow shadows under the dim light of the room.
Fang Li, having been contradicted, pursed his lips slightly before quickly relaxing into his usual, somewhat condescending composure. Angry? Why are you angry? Did I say something wrong?
Shen Ruxu was in no rush to argue back. Then I'd really like to know, what is your sister in your eyes?
Fang Li answered without hesitation, She's a good girl.
His sister was indeed good. She had great grades, was obedient and polite—someone from a completely different world than Shen Yi.
Shen Ruxu nodded. Is that so?
My younger brother used to say my sister was a coward. He said she would instinctively fear even the sound of a gunshot, and told me not to scare her for no reason.
But in reality, my sister is no coward. And, of course, she's no good girl either.
Shen Ruxu found it hard to define her personality.
She wasn't a bright little sun.
She was more like a beam of light devoid of temperature.
Neither bright enough nor warm enough.
But she could sink into the abyss alongside them.
For the first time, Shen Ruxu had such a strong desire to share. His chattiness made Fang Li feel a bit weird.
And then? What exactly are you trying to do by telling me all this? Fang Li impatiently set down his glass and checked the time on his phone. Several unread messages were stacked up, all urging him on.
Urging him to hurry up, urging him to make a move, urging him to stop delaying.
He took a slow, deep breath.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, then let his hand drop, resting it on the knife he had been keeping pressed against the side of his chair.
The handle of the knife was cold.
Liquid courage emboldens a coward.
He had drank quite a bit today.
Fang Li needed that bit of alcohol to prop him up, to give him the nerve to thrust the knife in his hand.
Nothing much.
Shen Ruxu snapped back to reality.
His gaze landed on Fang Li's face as he resumed his usual smile.
I just wanted to tell you—
The young man leaned forward slightly, smiling mischievously, Your malice towards my sister is practically spilling out of your eyes, my good friend.
The moment those words were spoken, Fang Li's eyes widened sharply in an instinctive reaction of shock.
He subconsciously pulled out his knife.
His movements were fast; the blade traced a silver-white arc in mid-air.
In that exact same instant, Shen Ruxu also drew the folding knife he carried on him.
For the record, he genuinely hadn't planned on doing anything to his friend beforehand.
Carrying a folding knife was just an occupational habit.
Going out without a knife or a gun was like going out without a phone to him.
Bringing a gun to meet a friend would be too bizarre, so he only brought a knife.
But unexpectedly.
The two of them had actually clashed weapons.
Fang Li had originally intended to catch him by surprise. One stab, and in three seconds at most, everything would be over.
But he never expected that Shen Ruxu would also bring a knife.
Before Fang Li could even raise his arm, the cold folding blade was resting lightly against his neck the very next second.
The edge pressed precisely against his carotid artery. His skin could feel the metallic chill and sharpness, and Fang Li's movements froze.
...What a coincidence.
Shen Ruxu's voice sounded by his ear, inexplicably carrying a somewhat ghostly chill. Did you bring a knife too?
The freezing touch against his skin terrified Fang Li so much that he nearly flung his dagger away.
His eyes widened in horror as he met Shen Ruxu's gaze. Desperately suppressing the urge to tremble all over, he decisively chose to strike preemptively with words:
Shen Ruxu, what is the meaning of pulling out a folding knife!!
It's not unusual for a criminal to casually carry some tools of the trade, right? As he spoke, Shen Ruxu's gaze fell on the dagger in Fang Li's hand, and he added,
And what about you, good friend? Did you bring a dagger to peel an apple for me?
...
They stared at each other in silence.
This scene was too fucking absurd.
After the two masters of backstabbing both pulled out their knives, they stared at each other in dismay for a few seconds.
Facts proved that sometimes, there was a reason people could be friends with each other.
Have you fooled around enough, Shen Ruxu? Fang Li suppressed his panic. He didn't believe Shen Ruxu could actually go through with it. He played these kinds of pranks on him often enough; he might just be joking right now.
Fooled around?
Shen Ruxu blinked, finding the word rather humorous.
He couldn't help but reflect on whether his temper was usually too good.
Had Fang Li forgotten what his profession was?
You have to know, when their organization was on a mission, even an earthworm passing by would be chopped in half.
Taking advantage of Shen Ruxu's momentary distraction, Fang Li seized the opportunity and violently thrust his arm forward. The dagger's blade aimed straight for Shen Ruxu's abdomen.
His arm had barely moved forward an inch when a sharp pain flared in his scalp.
Shen Ruxu grabbed his hair and effortlessly yanked his head backward. The sharp, piercing pain caused Fang Li to instantly lose all his strength. Immobilized, he screamed in agony.
I thought we were friends, but you want to kill me just like that?
The pain left Fang Li's chest heaving violently.
Shen Ruxu showed no mercy whatsoever. This humiliating and helpless feeling caused Fang Li's psychological defenses to completely collapse. He jerked his face up and yelled, Who is your friend?
With red rims around his eyes, he screamed hysterically, Shen Ruxu, do you know? We've known each other for three years, and every day I've spent associating with you has made me feel miserable, even disgusted.
Fang Li had tried hard for this friendship too.
Clinging to the thought of maybe I can pull him back, he had tried time and time again, only to fail every single time.
Criminals could not be forgiven, and if he continued to associate with bad people, there truly would be no turning back for him either.
Therefore, when someone approached him and asked him to cooperate in an elimination operation, he hesitated for a few days before agreeing.
The task those people gave was simple: figure out all of the target's locations and report back to them.
After that, all he had to do was deliver a single stab.
Just today, the arranged snipers were already lying in wait outside early on.
They hadn't let the snipers take action yet because they were afraid of alerting the snake in the grass.
Shen Ruxu's anti-reconnaissance skills were not low. If he sensed something was wrong and walked away, there would absolutely be no second chance to trick him into coming over.
They could only wait until he completely let his guard down.
Sit down defenselessly and pick up that glass of liquor—
Or it didn't matter if he didn't pick it up.
As long as I stab him once, Fang Li muttered. I don't need to stab him to death, just injure him, just limit his mobility. Then the people outside will come in and finish the rest.
Who would have thought that this moody psychopath would actually have a sister complex? He had merely casually brought up his sister, and the entire conversation had completely imploded!?
He was so full of hatred.
Listening to his accusations, the corners of Shen Ruxu's elegant mouth curled up slightly. He covered his mouth forcefully, his entire body trembling from the intensity of his laughter.
Sorry, sorry, I really had no idea that being friends with me was so painful for you.
The suppressed, barely-there laughter seemed especially twisted and eerie in the old, run-down rental apartment.
Shen Ruxu said, Actually, for the sake of our acquaintance, it wouldn't have mattered even if you stabbed me once.
I wouldn't have been angry.
But who asked him to insist on talking about Shen Yi.
He just kept blathering on about things Shen Ruxu hated hearing.
If he had only sat down and joined him in praising Shen Yi, Shen Ruxu wouldn't have been ready to kill him.
The malice in Fang Li's words was practically overflowing.
It was a shame, really, but he could always find new friends.
He absolutely would not leave any future threats lurking around for Shen Yi.
Shen Ruxu flipped his folding knife over so the blade faced downward. He crouched down and looked straight into Fang Li's eyes. "I don't plan on dying here today. I promised my sister I'd be home early."
"My father used to say that an assassin must always keep their word. I suppose being an older brother is the same, isn't it?"
As he spoke, he drove the folding knife cleanly and precisely into the man's carotid artery. He murmured softly, "As a brother yourself, you should be able to understand my responsibilities as an older sibling."
"So, please, just die."
