…translated…

…translated…

…

Then

“Let’s go grab a bite after work tomorrow. I heard there’s a pretty good Thai restaurant.”

Ye Qing stood at the doorway, holding her little white umbrella as she said goodbye.

Tomorrow would be the hundredth bouquet—the date we’d agreed upon as our anniversary, the day my career as a hitman would end, and the day my new life would begin.

“Don’t pick anywhere too expensive, I’m broke,” I teased with a smile.

“Cheapskate,” Ye Qing said, her dimples showing. “Don’t be late. I hate it when men are late.”

As Ye Qing’s graceful figure vanished into the rain, I reached to close the door, but a hand caught it. A lazy voice drifted into the room.

“What’s the rush? Closing up so early? Are you two actually working or what? No wonder I lose money every month…”

Boss Lu, who had been absent for ages, walked in. He shook the water off his raincoat and sat down in a rattan chair to sip some tea.

He was the most ordinary-looking middle-aged man you could imagine—not ugly, but certainly not handsome—always looking like he hadn’t slept enough. His tone was nonchalant, his work ethic was lackadaisical, and he had a habit of appearing and disappearing without rhyme or reason. That was my boss.

But he was the smartest person I’d ever met. I even suspected he had another identity entirely.

On the surface, we were boss and employee, but in the limited time we spent together, we were constantly probing each other, trying to catch a glimpse of the other’s hand.

The heavy rain tapped against the bluestone slabs at the entrance, creating a crisp, rhythmic sound that added a sense of comfort and freshness to the summer night.

“Xiao Gu, I heard you’re in love?” Boss Lu asked, sounding mocking.

“Uh… maybe,” I said, scratching my head in embarrassment.

“Well, you’d better be careful. If any hotties come into the shop, don’t you dare strike up a conversation. I’ve seen that policewoman’s skills—she’ll beat you into a pulp. And the worst part? You can’t even call the cops, because she *is* the cops. Hahaha…”

Boss Lu cracked a boring joke, and Wang Qiaoqiao burst into laughter.

“I get it. I’ll take down the contact info for any hotties and wait for the boss to come back for a follow-up,” she chirped.

“Smart kid. I’ll give you a five-hundred-yuan raise. Dating costs money, and a man can’t let a girl look down on him for being broke.”

“Thanks, Boss!” I feigned ecstatic joy.

After Wang Qiaoqiao finished tidying up and headed back to school, the shop was left with just the two of us. The atmosphere turned into an eerie silence. The boss sipped his tea slowly while I shelved books according to their serial numbers.

“Xiao Gu, let’s play a game of chess.”

The boss looked at me with a complex expression and pointed to the board by the sofa.

“Alright.”

I wiped my hands with a towel and sat opposite him.

Fine. Every game of cat-and-mouse has to end eventually. Let the reveal show whether we are enemies or allies.

Since I started working at this shop, I’d played him dozens of times, and I hadn’t won once. A few times, I’d even pushed him into a checkmate, only for him to find a way out of the desperate situation and win anyway. No, looking back, those were probably flaws he’d intentionally exposed—he just wanted me to see the illusion that I could win.

“Knight to the center, check,” I launched a fierce offensive.

“Hold on,” the boss said, blocking my knight’s path with his cannon.

“Take the elephant, check again.”

“Swap rooks, counter-check.”

The pieces danced in the boss’s hands like chips on a gambling table. Before I knew it, the tide had turned in his favor. Within twenty moves, my defeat was sealed.

I let out a frustrated sigh, placed the pieces back on the table, and conceded.

“Xiao Gu, your killing intent is too heavy,” Boss Lu said, looking up with a rare, serious expression.

My muscles tensed reflexively. The statement was a double entendre. He was right—he seemed to have seen through my identity.

“When your killing intent is too heavy and you’re too eager to finish the game, you’ll make mistakes that can’t be undone.”

“Boss, your insight is sharp as a blade.”

For the first time, I looked back at him with a hitman’s gaze. A normal person would have been sweating bullets under my stare, but Boss Lu just picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

“Do you know what the most important thing in chess is?”

“What is it?” I stared at him, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

“In chess, winning and losing are both normal. But what matters is that we must be the players, not the pawns being sent to their deaths.” Boss Lu placed a piece back on the board. I looked closely and saw the stone piece covered in cracks, then it crumbled into a pile of gravel.

Was this a warning, or a piece of advice?

What exactly was this inscrutable man trying to say?

“Xiao Gu, I got a new shipment of books today. Do me a favor and finish sorting them tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a nice day, so I’ll give you the day off. Go enjoy your date.”

The boss stood up, patted my shoulder, and walked slowly out of the shop.

“Let’s go to dinner after work tomorrow. I heard there’s a Thai restaurant that’s supposed to be quite good.”

Ye Qing stood at the door, bidding me goodbye under a small white umbrella.

Tomorrow would mark the hundredth bouquet of flowers—our anniversary, the day my career as a hitman would end, and the beginning of my new life.

“Don’t order anything too expensive; I’m a poor man,” I teased her with a smile.

“Cheapskate,” Ye Qing said, her shallow dimples appearing. “Don’t be late. I hate it when men are late.”

Ye Qing’s slender figure vanished into the rain. Just as I was about to close the door, a pair of hands propped it open, and a lazy voice drifted inside.

“What’s the big idea, closing so early? Are you two even taking this job seriously? No wonder I lose money every month…”

Boss Lu, who had been missing for quite some time, stepped inside. He shook the water off his raincoat and sat down in a rattan chair to take a sip of tea.

He was an utterly unremarkable middle-aged man. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he wasn’t ugly either; his face always wore an expression of someone who hadn’t slept well. He spoke with a nonchalant tone and went about his business in a slapdash manner. He was the kind of person who appeared and disappeared without rhyme or reason. This was my boss.

Yet, he was the sharpest person I had ever met. I even suspected he led a double life of his own.

On the surface, we were just employer and employee, but in the limited time we spent together, we were constantly testing one another, trying to get a glimpse of the other’s hand.

The heavy rain drummed against the bluestone slabs at the entrance, the crisp tap-tap-tap lending the summer night a sense of comfort and freshness.

“Xiao Gu, I hear you’re in love?” Boss Lu asked teasingly.

“Um… I suppose so,” I said, scratching my head sheepishly.

“Well, you’d better be careful. If any babes come into the shop, don’t you dare talk to them. I’ve seen that ‘police flower’ of yours in action; she’ll beat you into a pulp. And the worst part? You can’t even call the cops, because she *is* the cops! Hahaha…”

As Boss Lu cracked his lame joke, Wang Qiaoqiao let out a snort of laughter.

“I’m on it. I’ll make sure to keep a record of all the babes’ contact info so the Boss can do some ‘follow-up’ when he gets back.”

“Sharp girl. I’m giving you a five-hundred-yuan raise. Dating is expensive, and a man shouldn’t let a woman look down on him for being stingy.”

“Thanks, Boss,” I said, feigning a look of pure ecstasy.

Once Wang Qiaoqiao finished packing and headed back to campus, the shop fell into an eerie silence. The Boss sipped his tea leisurely while I slotted books back into the shelves according to their call numbers.

“Xiao Gu, let’s play a game of chess.”

The Boss looked at me with a complicated expression and gestured toward the chessboard by the sofa.

“Alright.”

I wiped my hands with a towel and sat down across from him.

It was for the best. Every probe eventually reaches a conclusion. Let the game reveal whether we were friends or foes.

Since I started working at this shop, we had played dozens of games of Xiangqi, and I hadn’t won a single one. There were times I had him backed into a corner, yet he always found a way to claw back to victory from the brink of defeat. No—thinking back, those were openings he had left on purpose. He was merely feeding me the illusion that I had a chance to win.

“Knight jumps. Check,” I said, launching a fierce offensive.

“Not so fast.” The Boss used his Cannon to block my Knight’s path.

“Take the Elephant. Check again.”

“Trade Chariots. Counter-check.”

The chess pieces danced between the Boss’s fingers like chips on a gambling table. Before I knew it, the tide had turned in his favor. Within twenty moves, my defeat was certain.

I let out a frustrated sigh, placed my piece back on the table, and conceded.

“Xiao Gu, your bloodlust is too heavy,” Boss Lu said, looking up with a rare note of gravity in his voice.

My muscles tensed instinctively. The remark was a double entendre; there was no mistake—he had seen right through my identity.

“When your bloodlust is too heavy and you’re too eager to end the game, you’ll make mistakes that can never be undone.”

“You have a sharp eye, Boss.”

For the first time, I looked back at him with the cold eyes of an assassin. Any normal person would have broken into a cold sweat under such a gaze, but Boss Lu simply raised his cup and took a leisurely sip of tea.

“Do you know what the most important thing in chess is?”

“What?” I stared at him intently, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

“In chess, winning and losing are both part of the game. But the important thing is that we must be the players, not the sacrificial pawns.” Boss Lu set his piece back on the table. I looked closer; the stone piece was covered in a web of cracks before it suddenly crumbled into a pile of dust.

Was this a warning, or a piece of advice?

What exactly was this inscrutable man trying to say?

“Xiao Gu, a new shipment of books came in today. I’ll need you to work overtime tonight to get them sorted. The weather’s going to be nice tomorrow, so I’m giving you the day off. Go and enjoy your date.”

The Boss stood up, patted me on the shoulder, and slowly walked out of the shop.

“How about we grab dinner after work tomorrow? I heard there’s a good Thai place.”

Ye Qing stood at the doorway, holding a small white umbrella, bidding me farewell.

Tomorrow was the day for the hundredth bouquet, our agreed-upon anniversary, the end of my assassin career, and the beginning of my new life.

“Don’t order anything too expensive, I’m broke,” I teased her with a smile.

“Cheapskate,” Ye Qing said, a faint dimple appearing on her cheek. “Don’t be late, I hate it when men are late.”

Ye Qing’s graceful figure disappeared into the rain. I was about to close the door when a pair of hands propped it open, and a lazy voice drifted into the room.

“What’s going on? Closing so early? Are you two even working seriously? No wonder I lose money every month…”

Boss Lu, who had been missing for ages, walked in, shook the water off his raincoat, and sat down in a wicker chair to take a sip of tea.

He was an utterly ordinary middle-aged man, neither handsome nor ugly, always with a sleep-deprived expression on his face. He spoke casually, acted lackadaisically, always appearing out of nowhere and disappearing just as mysteriously—that was my boss.

But he was the smartest person I’d ever met. I even suspected he had another identity.

On the surface, we were boss and employee, but during our limited time together, we were constantly probing each other, trying to see through to the other’s true hand.

The heavy rain pattered crisply on the bluestone slab outside the door, adding a touch of comfort and coolness to the summer night.

“Xiao Gu, I hear you’re in love, eh?” Boss Lu asked, teasingly.

“Uh… maybe,” I scratched my head, embarrassed.

“Then you better be careful. If any hot chicks come into the shop later, you absolutely must not talk to them. I’ve seen that police officer’s skills; she’ll beat you into a pulp. And damn, you can’t even call the police, because she IS the police, hahaha…”

Boss Lu cracked a boring joke, and Wang Qiaoqiao let out a giggle.

“I get it. I’ll make sure to note down all the hot chicks’ contact info, so the boss can follow up when he gets back.”

“Smart. I’ll give you a five hundred yuan raise. Dating costs a lot, and a man shouldn’t let a woman look down on him for being stingy.”

“Thanks, Boss,” I feigned an expression of wild joy.

Wang Qiaoqiao finished tidying up and went back to school, leaving just the two of us in the shop. The atmosphere turned into an eerie silence. The boss slowly sipped his tea, and I pushed books onto the shelves by their numbers.

“Xiao Gu, let’s play another game of chess.”

The boss looked at me with a complex gaze, pointing to the chessboard by the sofa.

“Alright.”

I wiped my hands with a towel and sat down opposite him.

Good. All the probing would come to an end. Let the truth reveal whether we were friends or foes.

Since I started working at this shop, I’d played dozens of games of Chinese chess with him, and I’d never won once. A few times, I’d cornered him into a checkmate, but he always managed to find a way out of desperation and win. No, thinking back, those were deliberate openings he left; he just let me see the illusion that I could win.

“Knight to general!” I launched a fierce offensive.

“Hold on,” the boss blocked my knight with his cannon.

“Capture elephant, check again!”

“Exchange rook, counter-check!”

The chess pieces bounced between the boss’s fingers like chips on a gambling table. Before I knew it, the tide had turned in his favor again. Within twenty moves, my defeat was sealed.

I sighed in frustration, placed the pieces back on the table, and meekly conceded.

“Xiao Gu, you have too much killing intent,” Boss Lu raised his head, speaking with a rare seriousness.

My muscles tensed reflexively. This sentence was a double entendre. No doubt, he seemed to have seen through my identity.

“Too much killing intent, too eager to finish the game, will lead to irreparable mistakes.”

“Boss, your insight is truly sharp.”

For the first time, I met his gaze with an assassin’s eyes. A normal person, stared at like that, would have been drenched in sweat, but Boss Lu merely picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

“Do you know the most important thing about playing chess?”

“What is it?” I stared intently at him, ready to strike at any moment.

“In chess, winning and losing are normal, but the important thing is that we must be the players, not the expendable pieces.” Boss Lu placed the chess piece back on the table. I looked closely, and the stone chess piece developed layers of cracks, then crumbled into a pile of shattered rock.

Was this a warning, or an admonition?

What exactly did this unfathomable man want to say?

“Xiao Gu, I got a batch of books today. Could you please work overtime tonight to sort them out? Tomorrow will be a good day, so I’ll give you the day off. Go enjoy your romance.”

The boss stood up, patted my shoulder, and slowly walked out of the shop.