Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 33, Section 12: Glistening Pebbles
"As the central figure in this incident, your bravery has been witnessed by us and the citizens! What were your feelings when you went in to exchange hostages?"

"Ugh."

"During the kidnapping, you subdued the assailants with an over-the-shoulder throw, and then, together with the police, arrested them all in the park! Was this sudden situation something you had planned beforehand?"

"Ugh!"

"Which moment did you find the most thrilling? When I heard you exclaim 'sniper,' did you actually spot a sniper?"

"Ugh……"

The lawn next to the sidewalk railing.

He Ye stood there, pushing away the camera that was almost in his face. He looked dejected and sighed. In front of him were a special correspondent from Wangcheng Express, his assistant who was taking notes, and the neighbors who arrived later.

Like a sunflower surrounded by a cluster of flowers.

"You're so brave!"

"Young man, that's really well done!"

"Well done!"

Immersed in the wave of praise, he did not lose his way, for the cheers of the big bird circling around were even louder.

He Ye's current priority is to get out of there as soon as possible. He tries to brush off questions from reporters from several news agencies as much as possible, and he doesn't care how they report on him.

The reporter and assistant from Wangcheng Express also noticed the problem, so they now stepped back slightly from the crowded area.

Looking at each other.

"A meaningless answer." The assistant drew three wavy lines around the character "sigh" with a pen.

"But at least you've answered the question, haven't you?" The reporter stroked his chin. "You could use your literary skills to break down these few words into a long and eloquent answer about the principles of integrity."

"Just making things up?" The assistant raised an eyebrow.

“Oh!” The reporter shook his head. “How can you say it’s fabricated? We’re just deconstructing his words from our perspective. A thousand people will have a thousand Hamlets, let alone the meaning of the words.”

"Understood." The assistant lowered his head and began writing furiously.

The two reporters from the Royal City Express stopped talking about He Ye, and the neighbors' praise gradually came to an end. Leaning against the railing, He Ye thought that they should be able to disperse now.

Then I found that someone else had squeezed next to me.

Two people squeezed in: a mother leading a boy. They looked familiar; they were the same boy that the mother, who had been crying and wailing, had exchanged with He Ye for.

The two men came before him, and he bowed deeply.

He Ye was stunned.

"Thank you so much, kind teacher. I don't know how to thank you enough. This is all the money I have on me right now. I hope you won't mind and will accept it..."

The woman spoke with a sob in her voice, pressing the boy's head down in gratitude, which softened the grass on the lawn.

The onlookers were silent, and Lian Heye was stunned for several seconds before he came to his senses. Then, embarrassed, he helped the two of them up and said repeatedly that it was okay.

As for that crumpled banknote lying on the ground, He Ye felt hot just looking at it, let alone taking it!

"I really don't know how to thank you..." The woman wiped away her tears and sobbed uncontrollably, as she was helped to her feet.

"...Letting this child grow up well is the best way to thank me," He Ye gently comforted the mother. "Nothing else is needed."

"I will remember your words." After a long while, the mother nodded heavily, her eyes red.

At that moment, the boy next to her tugged at He Ye's clothes.

“Teacher, this is my favorite thing. My mother said you saved my life and I want to be grateful, so I’m giving it to you.”

He Ye looked down.

The boy held a smooth, brown pebble in his hand—a beautiful stone that could be found anywhere. It was his most treasured possession.

"I found this on the beach yesterday. Although it's not one of my prettiest stones, I'm only bringing it with me today. I have many more beautiful ones at home, teacher. You can come to my house to get them... Here, take this one first."

The boy spoke earnestly, handing over the pebble in his palm. His mother's expression was slightly unnatural, because giving a stone was hardly a presentable gift, but they didn't know how else to express their gratitude.

He Ye looked at the little boy who was barely taller than her belly, a child so young that she had to bend down to touch his head. After a moment, she simply reached out and took the boy's hand with a smile.
"Thank you, what's your name?"

"Inotia".

"That's a good name. Study hard." He Ye patted the boy's head and took the pebble with her other hand. "I'll accept the gift."

Although it was a trivial gift, He Ye didn't mind, and felt that it would be difficult to end the situation if she didn't accept something in return.

"Thank you, teacher." The two bowed deeply, moved.

He Ye waved his hand, feeling the stone in his palm. The neighbors who had gathered around him still had things to say. This kind of treatment made He Ye realize that there seemed to be more warm-hearted people than he had imagined.

Fortunately, police officers arrived and cleared a path—this was already the third wave of the offensive.

The crowd parted to make way for a young and beautiful woman with silver-gray hair. There seemed to be some indescribable weariness in her eyes, but when she came to He Ye, all that remained was her dignity.

"Thank you for rescuing these hostages. I've already heard about your story from my subordinates. Glaley needs more kind-hearted citizens like you."

The young woman with silver-gray hair said that the rank on the police badge on her chest was... wait? Three stars and three stripes? Such a young and accomplished colonel?

He Ye was shocked by her military rank. Of course, the other party only saw this as surprise at the police officers, after all, not every citizen is good at dealing with the National Security Bureau.

"Uh...it was nothing." He Ye said calmly, finding it rare to see a beautiful colonel of similar age to herself.

"May I ask your name?" she asked, extending her hand.

"Leon Rossi".

He Ye subconsciously reached out his hand to shake hands with her.

But then he noticed his hands were a little dirty, covered in dust from the railing—just as he was about to pull them back, the silver-haired young woman calmly shook his hand, which surprised him.

She spoke methodically and gently:

"In principle, you should be rewarded, but I'm busy right now and it's inconvenient for me. I really appreciate your help today. Mr. Leon, on behalf of all the staff of the Greenley City Security Division, I thank you again."

"You flatter me, you flatter me..."

He Ye slowly released her hand from his grasp. She was indeed a beautiful colonel of similar age, but her rational demeanor made her appear much more mature.

After saying a few more words of thanks, the young colonel left and was replaced by another young police officer who looked somewhat familiar.

After watching his boss leave, Lieutenant Darren approached He Ye and extended his hand:

“Hello, Mr. Leon, I am Darren, the person directly in charge of this operation. I’m sorry to have dragged you into this.”

Faced with the outstretched hand again, He Ye could only awkwardly shake it once more.

"Hello."

It wasn't as soft as I expected.

“We have all witnessed your heroic deeds. The city of Gladys has a special way of recognizing brave citizens like you, which is to award you the medal of honorary citizen of Gladys. Would it be convenient for you to come to the police station? We would like to express our sincere gratitude to you.”

I was quite curious after hearing the first half;
Upon hearing the second half, He Ye's expression turned serious.

"Uh, I don't pursue fame or fortune."

After a moment, He Ye declined, but in reality, there were quite a few citizens watching around. When he shook hands with Isabel, the reporters were also busy taking pictures. How could this uproar about the sudden kidnapping not attract attention with such an ending?
"Most importantly, I have work to do this afternoon." He Ye noticed that Officer Darren was hesitant to persuade him to stay, so he spoke up to stop him from doing so.

"Alright then, could you please tell us where you live? We'd like to mail the Medal of Honor to you."

"..." He Ye hesitated for a while before finally giving the name, "Big Bird Spinning Bar, No. 72 Narcissus Street".

Darren remained silent for a moment, then pursed his lips and said, "Okay."

"..."

After a sudden fit of coughing.

Officer Darren continued the conversation seriously:

"Since you still have things to do, we won't keep you here. We just need to ask you a few simple questions to get a better understanding of the situation before you can leave. Is that alright?" Officer Darren looked at him with a questioning expression. Clearly, this was the final goal: to understand the facts of the matter from the person involved. Although the truth had already come to light, the necessary record-keeping process still had to be completed.

He Ye did not refuse and cooperated in recording.

They genuinely seemed unaware of their own identities, which made sense. How could someone with a 50% resemblance to a notorious villain possibly be associated with a righteous orphanage teacher?
So soon, He Ye chatted for a while longer, and by the time the officer who was taking notes closed his pen and notebook, everything was finally resolved.

Now even if someone wants to stop him, they can't!

"Sir, sir! Are you alright?"

After the police officers left, Nicole rushed forward to check if He Ye had been handcuffed with a silver bracelet and taken away.

"It's nothing." He Ye simply shook his head.

Seeing this, Ni patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "That scared me to death!"

The surrounding citizens didn't pay much attention to this somewhat suspicious conversation, simply assuming that the short-haired girl was worried about He Ye's personal safety.

The two had been stuck for almost half an hour longer than expected, and hadn't even had lunch. He Ye was also feeling exhausted. Fortunately, the robbery incident had now come to a complete end.

The crowd gradually dispersed as the police officers left.

Because He Ye is also leaving.

"That's enough, that's enough. It's over, there's no need for you to keep surrounding me. I'm leaving too."

He waved for the citizens to leave, and they bid farewell to this kind gentleman with a sigh and a pat on the shoulder.

Then He Ye strolled away, Nicole following beside her. Before leaving, Nicole realized how dramatic today's events had been; the wedding venue was still a mess.

Some neighbors gathered around Miss Elsa, offering words of comfort and concern; others were cleaning up the ruins of the wedding venue.

I just came to attend a friend's wedding, but it turned out like this. Even if no one was hurt, it's still frustrating.

I didn't even get to eat a few bites of the cake properly.

"Let's find a place to grab a bite on the way back. What do you want to eat for lunch?" He Ye's voice came from behind him; he was actually hungry too.

Nicole and he were walking on the lawn, heading towards the street leading to the main gate. They had just fled in the opposite direction in their haste, and had failed to cross the guardrail.

"Anything is fine... Sir, are you alright?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"After all, the original wedding ended like this."

He Ye remained silent for a moment: "..."

From midday to the bright afternoon sun, the two walked across the lawn and under the shade of trees, unknowingly passing by someone without noticing.

Just as He Ye was about to tell her how she felt at that moment—

“Um… Mr. Leon.”

He was stopped in his tracks by a soft yet melancholy voice.

Miss Aisha had already stood up and looked at He Ye, who was about to leave, and called out to ask him to stay. So the two of them turned around and looked at each other.

"..." For some reason, at this moment Nicole thought that perhaps the gentleman's friend was not that Harold, but someone else who wanted to send blessings, so she pouted slightly.

"What's wrong?" He Ye looked a little suspicious.

"Are you... leaving?" she asked in a low voice.

What a strange question. Everything is over and dealt with, so why stay here?
Everything...

It seems that not all things are like that.

He Ye then remembered something she had forgotten not long ago. The feelings that had arisen in her heart when she first looked through her diary had now turned into regret for not being able to properly bless her... and sympathy for her.

His heart, no longer sentimental, was no longer that of Cao Cao, nor did he like married women. Although it was a bit apologetic to say this, Miss Elsa and Harold had been engaged for so long that they must have had intimate relations. If possible, He Ye hoped that his wife would be as "simple" as he was.

After a moment's thought, I spoke.

“Uh… I sympathize with what you’ve been through, Miss Aisha. Nobody wants to experience something like this,” He Ye said slowly. “I know you’re a strong person, you have a strong heart, and this will pass.”

"Thank you for your comfort, Mr. Leon. I...I...you saved me..."

Her fingers were twisting underneath.

“It’s actually the same as saving Inotia,” He Ye said calmly. “That’s the little boy’s name.”

He hoped that this statement would make things clear.

Miss Kesha's inner turmoil is greater than imagined. Her trusted fiancé turned on her with a knife, and she may very well live under this shadow for the rest of her life.

Therefore, she hopes to have someone she can trust.

"...But no matter what, you saved me...you know, this is..."

Elsa is speaking.

He Ye didn't listen to her carefully. Instead, he noticed someone staggering towards her from behind. He was dragging his injured body. It was Quinn, a black-haired, freckled young man.

If there is any way to escape.

After a moment's thought, He Ye had already formed an idea.

“Okay, stop—” He Ye stopped her and stepped forward, “Please turn around.”

Just as Miss Elsa was about to utter her moving and heartfelt words, He Ye gently touched her shoulder, causing her to turn around in a daze.

Quinn was clearly delighted to see Miss Elsa:

"Miss Elsa, are you...are you alright?!"

"Quinn..."

“I’m so glad you’re alright…at least we’re all still alive…” Quinn stepped forward to talk to him, both happy and embarrassed.

He Ye waved goodbye from the side; this was the best opportunity to slip away.
"Then you two can continue your conversation. I'll be going now... Miss Elsa, your bread is delicious, especially today's. Although there's a lot of sugar in it, I don't mind. Also, it wasn't just me who saved you back then; there were others too. Mr. Quinn shoved that bastard away with his body, and he stepped forward to help."

At this point, He Ye turned around and looked at the two parties involved, giving them a goodbye look: "Goodbye, goodbye."

“Mr. Leon…” Miss Elsa murmured, turning around.

“Uh, well…” Quinn was a little embarrassed.

"..." Miss Elsa was silent for a moment, then turned to look at her shy childhood sweetheart. In the end, she just shook her head with a slight lump in her throat and thanked him for his help.

"Thank you, Quinn."

"You're welcome, this is what I should do."

The sounds of conversation gradually faded into the distance.

Is everything finally resolved now?
He Ye finally felt a sense of relief, as if nothing had happened.

But for some reason...
"Mr. Leon, will you... will you come to the bakery again?"

Miss Elsa's voice finally came from behind. She had already said goodbye to Quinn, seemingly with a hidden meaning, as if she was saying something about waiting. This made He Ye feel a little awkward, so he quickly quickened his pace and pretended not to hear.

"Sir, are you alright?" Nicole asked abruptly as she caught up.

"It's alright, it's alright." He Ye turned her head. "By the way, where were we? Going to lunch? Oh right, what do you want to eat?"

"Is anything alright? By the way, sir, how are you feeling right now? That was my question earlier, and I haven't answered it yet!"

"..." He Ye thought for a moment and smiled helplessly, "What else can I do? That's it. I just helped someone out of the way while I was congratulating them on their wedding. Why do you like to meddle so much? Although this wasn't the ending I expected, it's not too bad... I've repaid the favor and have no more regrets."

"Whoosh! That's good!" Nicole smiled broadly, because her husband's smile was so beautiful.

He Ye knew that this little guy was always easily happy for no reason, so he didn't say much. He tossed the smooth pebble in his hand, held it up to the sunlight, and it seemed to be shining brightly.

……

(End of this chapter)