Follow the light《Zhanyi version》

Chapter 5: Names for the death

Haoxuan's POV

Lily made herself comfortable while I watched her elegant movements, from the way she had been behaving she would be a great actress if Lily hadn't chosen to be an assassin, though I think Lily had her own reasons to choose the dangerous path she was walking now.

"Coffee or tea?" I held a cup up while inspecting her eyes, they were emerald green with small freckles of gold playing inside them like fire, and she smiled before pointing at the coffee.

"I honestly tried to be not such a coffee addicted, but it's hard, you know? And though the coffee of here tastes like a musty old newspaper, it'll do I guess, I prefer everything over tea, and I guess I really need that energy boost of the coffee right now," she held her head slightly oblique while smiling at me, she would indeed have made a great career as an actress if she had chosen the path.

Lily had the face of someone you would remember, it was like a chanting spell, her eyes deep like an endless abyss hiding more secrets than the world, her maroon chestnut brown hair falling down her shoulder and her cherry pink lips that gave a smile that would overthrow the most men, and she knew.

I watcher her slowly folding her hand under the table on her lap while I adjust my glasses, we were both quiet, waiting for Zhoucheng to come, and I myself had never been a talkative type, and judging from how Lily acted she was from nature more an introvert like me, unlike Zhoucheng.

Passing her the coffee I took a sip of my lukewarm tea, "so you have a boyfriend," I almost choked on my tea while looking up at Lily, her golden freckles inside her eyes dancing, while she casually smiled, and she also took a sip from the coffee that was in front of her.

"Judging from your behaviour, I guess you'll have a boyfriend, but I can be wrong too, sorry if so," I bit my lower lip while keeping quiet, praying heaven she wouldn't kill me because even though she looked sweet, I felt the cold murderous aura around her that said, 'don't approach.'

"Yes, I indeed have a boyfriend, and you?" Lily placed her elbows nonchalantly on the table, placing her chin on her hands while looking me deeply into the eyes, she knew I was fishing information, and from the way Lily was watching me, she was calculating how big her chance of escape would be if she kills me, or Lily was measuring if it would matter if she gave me that bit of information.

So I sighed not expecting an answer, "I don't have a boyfriend because who would want an assassin as a girlfriend, and secondly why would I need a prince on the white horse if I am waiting for my dragon to come and rescue me?" She slowly yet gracefully sipped her coffee, her eyes downcast.

And the tense around the room lifted slightly, "why don't you even try to deny that you are an assassin? I mean, of course, after your first attempt?" She looked up, her eyes were unreadable just like her expression; as if she was wearing a mask; a facade.

She opened her mouth to answer when the door slammed open, and Zhoucheng came walking in with heavy footsteps, closing the door behind him.

Immediately I felt the atmosphere of the room change, from comfortable to intensive, and when I turned back to Lily, I saw her eyes being locked into Zhoucheng with an unexplainable look inside her eyes, a whole different lady than the one I was talking to a few seconds ago I realized.

"Why is there no record of your name? As if you never existed? Not here neither anywhere else?" Zhoucheng slammed some papers on the desk while his eyes were still burning into Lily's, and I looked between them as if I was nothing more than air, and a small smirk had crept its way towards Lily's mouth.

"What did you expect? That I would leave a trace? I think every assassin with a few brain cells wouldn't leave a trace like a red flag to say, 'hey I was the one who killed him, come get me,'" Lily's words were as confident as she looked and I knew Zhoucheng was burning with rage, so I slowly pulled a chair out, gesturing Zhoucheng to sit down, and luckily he did.

"Then I guess you do recognize those name?" Zhoucheng took another paper out of the file, passing it to her while I tried to see what was written on it before Zhoucheng gave me a copy of the file.

And I started reading the names; Sephtis, Morana, Mabuz, Than, and so the list went on, and I shifted my gaze to Zhoucheng with a questioning look, what was the meaning of those names?

Lily was smiling, a smile that sent a shiver down my spine, and in that one fracture of a moment I was sure, she was able to kill without a second thought, and her voice shook me out of my thoughts, "yes, I do recognize them, indeed."

"What is the meaning of those names?" I looked from Zhoucheng who was watching Lily, to Lily who was watching Zhoucheng before sighing, tonight I had much to tell Jiyang.

"This," Zhoucheng picked up the paper with the names, "are the name tags the people were found with, the people who were murdered in cold blood, and when I had done my research I found out it wasn't their name, but whose name had all one thing in common-" Zhoucheng was being cut off- what he hated.

"They all have the same meaning which is dead," Lily leaned back into her chair while curling a strand of hair on her finger, smiling deadly.

"Why?" It was all I was able to mutter while my eyes were fixated at her, she looked so innocent, and maybe that's why no one suspected her, and I knew that if it was for Zhoucheng or me to go through this inspection with her alone, we would both have fallen for her tricks.

"I have my reasons you know, those pricks deserved more than just such an honourable death, but I'm sure Hell has a special place reserved for them to burn, are they at least honoured in some way, right?" Lily carried the appearance of a midnight softness while having the inner venom of a fallen angel, and while I inspected her she had letten go of the strand of hair.

And Zhoucheng looked at me, his eyes flickering with burning desire to get her arrogance off her, but it wouldn't work, what Zoucheng was doing was just adding oil to the fuel, and Lily knew, of course, she knew, she would be able to play this game better than any of us.

So I took a deep breath, remembering Jiyang's words when I told him about this case and about Lily.

"Treat her the way you would want to be treated in her place, even though she is an assassin, she is human too, Lily must have her own reasons of doing the stuff she does, after all, a villain is just a character whose story hasn't been told, Haoxuan," I fondled with Jiyang's hair with a small nod.

I once again took a deep breath, how would I want to be treated in her place?

Zhoucheng was about to open his mouth again, and I shot him a warning look to let him be quiet for a moment while trying to come up with something to let her talk, to let her at least open up a bit, all we needed to do right now was winning her trust, but how do you win the trust of a famous assassin?

"How can we assist you in any way?" The look in her eyes changed, for a flicker of a second I saw something playing inside them, a soft burning fire, I knew I had hit the spot . . .

Word count: 1368 words

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Hey~

Once again a small A/N because I wanna know all of your thoughts on the story, I am honestly still so unsure if I should continue, and idk how you all feel about the story, but do you find it annoying I change from POV every time? 

I actually did it because I wanna let you all get introduced to the characters, their way of thinking and their view on other characters, if you do find the change annoying, let me know and I will stop doing it.

Anyways, next POV will be probably from Qihe, and we will continue on the side of Zhanyi.

Thank you for reading, stay safe, take care, don't forget to vote and comment and have a nice day!