Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 10. People can laugh when they are extremely speechless.

——Big Bird Spinning Bar——

At nine o'clock in the evening, the bar was filled with extravagance and debauchery.

The familiar Big Bird Spinning Bar is open for business as usual, and it's even more crowded than usual on weekends.

Right now, sitting at the bar is a new face that Brooke has never seen before.

"To be honest, although the atmosphere here is very lively, it always feels like something is missing, such as—some powerful jazz music."

The blond youth spoke eloquently, his tall glass filled with the lowest-proof sparkling wine, and he shook his head as he commented.

Bartender Brooke didn't care about the atmosphere in the bar; his eyes were always darting around, observing the customers coming and going, hoping someone would appear.

“You’re right, sir, but there’s no point in complaining to a bartender about this. It depends on whether our boss has any plans to hire a resident band.”

Brooke, wiping the silver wine strainer, said absentmindedly. There were only a few hours left in the day, and if that English gentleman didn't show up soon, he was going to lose a hundred dollars to his colleague's bet.

Damn it, how could he not come?

Faced with Brooke's absent-minded reply, the blond youth sitting opposite him seemed thoughtful.

“You’re right.” After a moment, he snapped his fingers and stood up. “I’m going to talk to your boss. It’s such a shame that such a great place doesn’t have music.”

After saying that, the handsome blond youth left, his dashing figure disappearing into the swaying crowd. The glass of sparkling wine, which he had only taken a sip of, remained on the bar. What a waste!

Soon, the seats in front of the bar were empty.

Brooke continued his shift absentmindedly, muttering sadly, "My hundred dollars..."

Just then, a homeless man passed by.

Clutching her last thousand dollars, Nicole walked resolutely toward the second floor of the bar where the big bird spun around, under the colorful neon lights.

“Hey, homeless people are not allowed here.”

The security guard at the stairwell leading to the second floor stopped her. He was wearing sunglasses and had a burly build that exuded intimidation; he could easily take on two of her.

Seeing this, Ni took off her hoodie, revealing a disheveled face, and said with a firm gaze, "It's me."

The security guard's eyes seemed to tremble behind his sunglasses, and he immediately became respectful: "It's you! Please come in!"

So, without making a fuss, Nicole walked to the second floor of the bar where the big bird spun around, carrying a thousand dollars.

“My hundred crowns…” Brooke was still muttering at the bar.

Time passed slowly until, 20 minutes later, a customer with a melancholy expression walked into the bustling Big Bird Spinning Bar.

He Ye has arrived.

He walked past the glamorous girls, hands in his pockets and expressionless, wearing that trench coat. He returned once again to the bar, a place brimming with decadence and desire.

"A glass of water, please."

He walked to the familiar bench and sat down, then listlessly waved his hand.

When Brooke saw him, she was speechless and almost dropped the rag in her hand.

I'm so glad to see you.

After a while, he smiled with satisfaction.

He Ye had no idea about the bartender's ulterior motives, but he was too lazy to expose him. Actually, he shouldn't have come today, because the note said to meet at the Big Bird's Roundabout Bar tomorrow—wiping his mouth with a handkerchief covered in benzoin would make most people sleep for a day, so meeting the next day was normal.

Ke Heye was, after all, a well-trained spy. The organization had given him targeted training for this kind of old guy from over a decade ago, so he could wake up after only a few hours of sleep.

"I'll just take it as a comforting remark," He Ye said, waving his hand again. "Just give me a glass of water."

"Why not order a drink?" Brooke asked, puzzled. "We don't usually serve water here; it's not on the menu. You can go home and let it breathe before drinking."

He Ye felt that the question was very inappropriate, so he could only remain awkwardly silent. He was penniless, and the hotel had only been rented for two days, so when the room expired in the afternoon, he could only sheepishly check out and leave his luggage with the ladies at the front desk.

Then we spent the night at the Big Bird Bar.

"Just tell me if the water is free."

"Of course it's free, bro. I'll even treat you to a drink since you had a perfect attendance record today."

Bartender Brooke skillfully mixed the drinks, the silver strainer dancing in his hands, flying left and right like an acrobat's performance.

Finally, a glass of fiery whiskey was served.

"I can tell you're troubled today, bro."

"This is our second strongest drink," said Brooke, leaning closer to the bar with his elbow on the counter. "Hopefully it will make you feel better."

Upon hearing this, He Ye fell silent for a moment. He did indeed have something on his mind, too many things on his mind, and even a bitter feeling of wanting to talk about it but having no way to bring it up.

The start of a new life fails, but you get through it.

The graduate students he met at the orphanage and the corrupt director who was posing as a priest pushed his moral boundaries to the limit.

Despite being such a cheerful young girl named Nicole Griffiths, she ended up having her wallet 'borrowed' by her.

Thinking about this, a bitter feeling welled up inside me.

"Mouth and teeth!—"

He Ye picked up the strong liquor and drank it all in one gulp!

Tons of tonnes of tonnes of tonnes!

Whiskey slides down the throat into the stomach, and the high concentration of alcohol numbs the nerves again. Everyone says that alcohol is a bad thing, but what can you do without it when you're feeling depressed and sad?

"Wow, this wine is really good!"

He Ye slammed the cup down, his face flushed!
"I'm glad you like it, bro." Brooke smiled and said, like an old friend, "Would you like another drink?"

He Ye was a little touched.

"What's your name?"

“Brook.” Brook shrugged and said, “Although my colleagues always tease me that it sounds like the name of one of his childhood friends.”

"It's a good name."

"Thank you."

He Ye chatted with him casually, one sitting on a high stool raising a glass, the other standing at the bar shaking a glass of liquor, his eyes darting around. It was supposed to be a place to drown one's sorrows, so why did it make him feel so at ease? This decadent and wretched place was completely incompatible with a new life.

The bar was brightly lit and filled with decadent revelry.

"A plate of fried rice, please... Sigh."

Just as He Ye was chatting with Brooke, a familiar voice came from beside him.

He Ye was stunned, and turned his head to look when he heard the sound.

What came into view was a worn-out hoodie. Nicole, with her short black hair, pulled down the hood, revealing her disheveled face, full of sorrow—she had only been gone for half a day, and this girl had already made herself look filthy again, like a rat.

"you?---"

He Ye's words caught in his throat for a moment.

He never expected to see this guy so soon.

Brooke spoke up first, whistling and cheering:
"Hey, isn't this the celebrity Nicole?"

“Hey, don’t even mention it…” Nicole covered her face in despair.

"Could it be that you lost? That's strange."

Nicole could only manage a bitter sigh: "We've been set up by bad guys."

He Ye sat there, his eyelids twitching as he listened to their conversation, because the content of their talk made him suspect something bad.

What does it mean to be set up by bad guys?
And Brooke, didn't you say you didn't know the homeless Nicole?
A complex mix of emotions welled up inside her, but He Ye ultimately decided to focus on the important things first and turned to strike up a conversation with the sullen acquaintance beside her.

“Hey, Nicole,” He Ye said coldly.

"Huh?" Nicole, who was sitting next to her, shuddered.

She turned her head stiffly, and upon hearing the sound, saw the last person she wanted to see. He Ye, holding a wine glass, pursed his lips and met her gaze.

For a moment, Nicole's trembling body couldn't express her emotions, which were revealed even more clearly than her words—

It was tears.

Crystalline tears welled up in her eyes.

"Ugh... Waaah... Waaah..."

"Sir, I'm so sorry... Waaaaaah..."

"I...I...Whoosh~"

A choked voice.

She cried so hard that tears streamed down her face. Nicole knelt down in front of He Ye, hugging his trousers and rubbing them against him, like a fool who regretted her actions.

He Ye was incoherent; the words she wanted to ask were choked back by her tears, so she could only suppress her anger and curse:

"No...why the hell are you crying? I'm the one who's been wronged, OK?"

Nicole bit her lip and trembled, "I...I'll bear with it...I'm sorry, sir."

"You two know each other?" Brooke asked curiously.

Watching Nicole, whose crying had gradually stopped and turned into sobbing, she wiped away her tears with both hands, crouching beside her like a kitten that had done something wrong—

With mixed feelings, He Ye turned around and explained to Brooke first:

"It's that homeless man I treated him to fried rice last night. You said you didn't know this strange guy."

“Uh…” Brooke shrugged awkwardly. “I can’t help it, I can only recognize people by their faces… By the way, Nicole, you want fried rice, right? Hey, I’ll go and urge you right now.”

After saying that, Brooke left, because he could tell that the atmosphere between the two was not right, and he didn't want to get involved.

After Brooke left, only the two of them remained, looking at each other in bewilderment.

He Ye took a deep breath to calm himself down, then looked at Nicole next to him. He took out the note from his pocket—it was Nicole's handwriting, a note left on the white dress.

"Can you tell me something? I think you're still a good kid," He Ye said, taking a deep breath.

"Sir..." she said, stealing a moment from her tears.

"I'm only going to ask you three questions now. Just answer them and don't change the subject or talk about unrelated things."

He Ye spoke without joy or sorrow, his face expressionless, yet he tried his best to remain patient.

Nicole nodded seriously: "Okay, okay."

She stood up and sat back down, though she seemed a little restless.

"My first question is, what do you mean by writing that you'll go to jail if you can't pay back the money?...Do you owe money?"

Nicole pursed her lips, remained silent for a long time, then lowered her head and said quietly:

"Yes, I owe Baplow Credit Company 24."

Heye: "?..."

and many more.

"Snatch the young master?" He Ye frowned.

“24…” Nicole whispered.

Upon hearing this number, He Ye felt a sense of bewilderment and helplessness, because he felt like it was a joke—after all, his house cost about the same three years ago.

"How could you owe so much money?" He Ye asked, bewildered, rubbing her forehead. "Are they loan sharks?"

“I don’t know either…” Nicole lowered her head even further. “All I know is that the bills keep piling up and we can’t pay them back.”

Okay, okay... Phew.

He Ye felt he was quite patient, so he took another deep breath and decided to change the subject and continue asking about the point that had been bothering him.

"What does Brook mean when he says you won again?" He Ye asked patiently.

Nicole tapped two fingers together underneath, muttering to herself:
"There's a gambling operation on the second floor of the Big Bird Spinning Bar. I only found out about it about four weeks ago. They play dice, cards, and steel balls up there. You can bet just two coins per round..."

He Ye interrupted directly, without caring about the cause and effect:

"You played it, didn't you?"

“Yes, sir…” she bowed her head in repentance.

If the previous one was speechless, then He Ye now felt like she was laughing in exasperation.

"What were you thinking, playing that game... haha."

Nicole stammered as she explained, gesturing with her hands:

"Because I'm so lucky, I've never lost. In the four weeks since I discovered the gambling games on the second floor, I haven't lost even once..."

"You always win at gambling, right?"

"Hey sir, you're so knowledgeable!..."

"..." He Ye was left with only bitterness, unable to even manage a twitching smile.

He no longer intended to care about this awful guy, realizing that his kindness had indeed been wasted—wasted in the stinking sewers.

Right now, there's only one thing I want to do.

"Give me the money back."

“…” Nicole’s movements were stiff.

“The money you borrowed from me without my permission is theft. I can put you in jail whenever I want,” He Ye said expressionlessly.

"Ugh...uh ...

"Then give me back the money." He Ye no longer showed any pity.

“…” Nicole’s movements stiffened again.

"Could it be that you're completely broke?" He Ye asked worriedly.

"Yes, yes... I've already returned 17,657 kronor to the Baplo Credit Company, leaving only 1,000 kronor. But I never expected to have such bad luck."

Nicole lowered her head and spoke with difficulty. She was honest and spoke very clearly, even about how much money she had taken.

"Now, I only have 10 yuan left for fried rice."

She timidly took out two five-yuan coins, each printed with a portrait of a middle-aged bald man.

"Haha."

He Ye, who was amused by the situation, covered her face, feeling somewhat helpless.

It's like a middle-aged office worker returning home to find two pairs of men's leather shoes in the entryway, assuming his wife is cheating, only to discover his son walking out with a man and introducing him as his boyfriend—that feeling of helplessness.

"What about my money?" He Ye just sighed.

Upon hearing this, Nicole clutched her chest as if making a vow, and nervously closed her eyes, saying, "Sir, once I pay back the loan company, I'll pawn myself to you and do whatever you want! You, you can ask me to do anything!"

"No, I just want the money in my wallet."

He Ye sighed wearily.

"..." Nicole remained silent for a long time, looking at He Ye's sad expression. There seemed to be a familiar emotion in his eyes. She knew she had made a mistake, and finally made up her mind to speak, slowly touching her chest.

“I understand. I will go to Baplo Company to get the money back… You, you can just wait here for my good news.”

Ke Heye did not believe him as always, and he shook his head.

"I will go with you."

(End of this chapter)