Chapter 433 - I Talk A Lot About Dead People

Feng Xuan was stretching on top of the bar that Qing Chen had installed on the ground of their rooftop. Her arm muscles were aching from carrying her weight, but now was not the time that she should give up.

She had to get back in shape. That should bring her some alignment in her life, right? She had been sweating all morning and she was actually feeling good with the sun warm and the wind freely blowing.

She used to do this everyday when she had been studying gymnastics. She couldn't even believe sometimes that she had been able to do some of the poses there.

She was travelling upside down the bar. She was almost at the end of it when she heard footsteps. A second later, Qing Chen's head popped up. He was carrying two cups of coffee and had a bright smile on his face.

Feng Xuan gracefully arched her body and lightly landed on her feet. "Good morning," she said, wiped the sweat off her face, and pressed a kiss on her husband's cheek. 

"You seem lively."

"Yeah," she breathed out and took one of the coffee cups. She took a sip. "I've been up all morning."

"What time did you wake up?"

"Oh, I didn't sleep at all," she chuckled. "I thought it was the alcohol. All that 1996 wine was not very helpful with my sleeping. Or it didn't mix well with the whiskey. Anyway, I think I sweated it all off by now."

Qing Chen leaned against the treadmill. "What were you doing just now?"

"I was testing how strong my wrists are."

"Yeah, that looked really beautiful earlier. Especially when you got down."

"Well," she said and did a little twirl in front of him. "In case you're forgetting, I used to be a ballerina."

"Right," he nodded. "All that flexibility."

"Yeah, and you loved it, didn't you?" she winked at him.

He only smiled at her naughty look. "It's six in the morning."

"I know."

"What are your plans today?" he asked her.

"I haven't made up my mind yet," she lied. She already knew what she was going to do today. She knew it since she dropped off Ma Min the night before. "I'll let you know? Or… your men could let you know."

Qing Chen just shook his head. "I'm going to take a bath."

"Okay, I'll just stretch and head down as well. Wait for me in the bathroom?" she smiled too sweetly at him.

He pressed a lingering kiss on her lips. He tasted like coffee. "Yes, of course."

=====

When Feng Xuan got in the car, it was as if she could not drive fast enough. If she wasn't going to get a speed ticket and it wouldn't make her travel far more time-consuming, she would've sped through these streets. Granted, she might hit two or three people on the busier streets.

All she knew was that she was thankful when she finally arrived in front of Auntie's House. Marks of the night before was evident from the gravel and stony parking lot. There were wrappers of things that Feng Xuan thought were not available from this establishment.

The front porch was a mess with a collection of beer bottles and marks of the spill probably from the people who were wobbling out of the doorway just about to go home during the early morning. Feng Xuan wasn't even surprised when she found a man sleeping on one corner. His shirt was unbuttoned on the lower part, leaving his heap of a belly exposed. He was lightly snoring despite the growing heat.

Feng Xuan knocked on the closed door. When no one answered, she knocked harder. On her third try, it finally opened a few inches.

"Can't you read the sign?!" the hoarse voice behind the door said. "We're closed. Come back around eight in the evening!"

"I'm looking for Ma Min," she said calmly.

"Ma Min is available tonight. Call around six and reserve her." 

The door was about to close when Feng Xuan slid her foot between it and the doorway. She almost smiled. She came prepared. The door opened wider and she took off the sunglasses on her nose. "Tell her Feng Xuan is looking for her."

The woman who was behind the door looked like she had a rough night. Her hair was half-up in a messy ponytail and her face was smudged with leftover make-up. She must've been in haste to get to bed. The circles under her eyes were proof enough.

"Who are you again?" the woman scratched her head. She looked younger than she thought. Maybe not even twenty.

"Feng Xuan," she said.

The woman waved. "Come in, I'll get her."

The entire floor was empty and dark. Surprisingly, it was cold inside. Also, it was very dirty. Bits and pieces of food could be seen from all corners. Just how rowdy things could get here?

Would it be that loud that no other patrons would hear when another man was getting slaughtered in the next room?

Auntie's House was an assassin spot that was disguised as a shabby restaurant that offered more booze and women than food. All the servers were members of Auntie's House—meaning, all the girls there were training to be assassins, or some of them already were. Including Ma Min.

"What do you want?" a sleepy voice asked.

Feng Xuan turned from the mess and saw Ma Min in what looked like an oversized itchy sweater. "I need to talk to you."

Ma Min sniffed the air and slid one of the doors open. After deciding that it was clean enough, she gestured for Feng Xuan to come in. The walls were painted in the traditional sense depicting scenes of nature and occasionally featured a well-dressed woman.

"It's eight in the morning. What do you need?" Ma Min groaned and pressed her face against the table with her eyes closed. "I think I have a hangover. What the hell did you make me drink last night?"

"Oh, I didn't get to sleep because of the wine."

Ma Min took a peek at her. "You look a thousand times better than I do. Maybe I could get to look like that if you just tell me what you need then I could get back to sleep."

Feng Xuan sucked on her lip. "Do you remember what you said last night?"

"Oh no," Ma Min said and pressed the heels of her hand on her eyes. "Did I say anything about the next targets? Where are the other hideouts? Gosh, I'm such a bad drunk!"

Feng Xuan frowned. "Nothing of the sort."

"Oh, thank goodness!" she exclaimed. "If it's not something like that then I'm safe." She smiled but it quickly disappeared as her eyes dropped in sleepiness. "So what did I say last night?"

"You said something about a dead person?"

Ma Min raised her eyebrows. "I talk a lot about dead people."

"Yeah, you told me about this one that wanted me to know that she's doing well."

Ma Min shook her head in confusion. "And that is?"

"My mother."

Then Ma Min's face twisted.