Chapter 362 - In Exchange

Qing Zihao's mind went blank for a few seconds. His hard glare was not doing anything to Christina's face. It was like she was in a state of peace instead. Was she looking forward to dying? his thoughts asked.

He had pointed a gun to multiple people already. But this one did not even budge. Her eyes were empty and he could swear that there was a small smile on her lips.

Was she taunting him?

He touched the barrel to her temple and she closed her eyes. Her breathing was fine.

"You're okay with dying?" he asked.

"I don't mind dying, Zihao," she said so softly that it sounded like a whisper. "Not at all."

Right, with everything that she told him tonight. Her death would be something that was already in the near future. One way or the other, the people of the Red Hand would find her and kill her. Somehow…

"Why should I let you live?"

"Because I didn't do anything to you. Not even to your grandfather."

He had been wanting to ask. "Why? Why didn't you kill him?"

She opened her eyes and stared at his face. "I didn't want to."

"Why not? Was it because of me?"

Christina half scoffed. "I don't know either, Qing Zihao. I don't know why I didn't kill your grandfather. Maybe I had been too preoccupied in my nightly walks with you to find the time for it." Christina sighed like she was bored of this. "Are you going to kill me or not? Cause I'm tired of having a gun in front of my face."

Qing Zihao finally dropped the gun and sat himself on the bed. "What do you want to do now?"

Christina took a deep breath. "I don't know. The one thing I can offer you are the names who did this to your grandfather."

His eyebrow twitched. "And in exchange?"

"You take me under your protection. You give me a new identity."

A laugh rumbled from deep his stomach. "It's that the reason why we became friends? So you could leech off me when the time comes?"

Christina took it like a blow in the chest. "How dare you say that to me?"

Qing Zihao averted his gaze. "You're the one who had been lying all along."

"I was never lying to you!"

"What about that thing about your parents? How you ran away?"

Christina settled in her chair. "I did sort of ran away. I did it when I was finally here and refused to kill anybody."

He shook his head. "When are you going to give me the names?"

"As soon as you can provide me with new papers."

He nodded. "That could be done in a week."

"I'm not going back to the diner."

"As expected. They would look for you there." He gave her a tired expression. "I'm going to house you until we get you a new identity."

"Guest room?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to have to explain to my parents about everything. They can't know yet. They just got back on their feet about my grandfather's death."

"So I'll stay here?"

He nodded. "It'll be fine."

**

But it wasn't fine. Christina didn't know what part of her thought that she was going to be alright in this scenario. Why did she even think that Qing Zihao was going to be chill about everything? His grandfather just died. It was like they were back into square one.

The only positive thing here was that they were finally seeing each other as they were. He was a future mafia lord and she was an assassin.

"With all things considered, I would let you use the bed," he said and took the comforter and dropped it on the floor.

"Are you that scared to sleep next to me?"

"No," he said.

"Are you being a hypocrite? You don't want to sleep next to a person who had killed a lot?"

"You're manipulating me," he said but gave up anyway. "I'm in no mood for it. If you want me on the bed just say so."

"I just don't think that you deserve to sleep on the floor after everything."

Qing Zihao got back on the bed just as Christina was getting on. She could already feel her muscles complaining under her skin.

"Do you need anything else?" he asked.

"For you not to kill me while I'm sleeping."

"I still have something that I could get from you. Once, I get those names, maybe I would revisit my decision earlier."

She closed her eyes. "Let's talk again tomorrow." 

Jetlag pulled Christina almost immediately.

**

It was not long when she awakened yet again. Even while asleep, her ears could still hear even the slightest sound that was out of place.

She could hear the scratches. It sounded much like the ones she made while she was climbing this room. She was out of the bed in an instant.

She 'tsked' when Qing Zihao did not even budge, his light snoring could be heard all over the room. He was in deep sleep. How had he managed to stay alive all this time?

Christina disappeared in the shadow, wielding a small knife in her fist. Her vision had not cleared yet so she blinked all her sleep away.

She strained her eyes to hear more, her heart was pounding. It didn't sound like there was anyone else on the pipes. But who knew, maybe there was someone in the house too.

Then that would mean that she would have to move fast and search for the other. Assassins rarely worked together, but her case was definitely something special.

Maybe they came for Zihao because they knew that he meant something to her.

As soon as the window slid upwards, Christina moved. She did not wait and pulled the person and stabbed him on the neck multiple times, scattering blood.

She turned the body.

It was a face she knew.