Shen Yi stayed still for a while, his back pressing against the floor, but the silence didn't last long because another knock sounded on the door, soft but persistent, followed by a voice calling out, "Boss?"
It was still Xu Bo.
Shen Yi tried to push Jiang Qi off and muttered in a low voice, "Get off."
But Jiang Qi caught his wrist and pinned his hand above his head not roughly this time, and called his name urgently, sounding more like a command, "Shen Yi."
The name made Shen Yi freeze, and a flash of confusion darted across his eyes as he stared at the man in front of him, wondering how this stranger knew a name that should've been buried deep within files no one had access to.
Before he could speak, Jiang Qi leaned slightly closer and said in a calm but cold tone, "If you don't want to die, stay silent."
Shen Yi didn't reply, nor did he resist this time.
Jiang Qi stepped away from him and walked toward the door. He opened it just slightly before reaching out and grabbing the bottle of wine that had been brought. He said nothing to Xu Bo, who seemed caught off, and closed the door fast.
As Jiang Qi walked past Shen Yi, Shen Yi turned his head slightly, his eyes following the man who now placed the wine bottle on the glass table before sitting down calmly on the two-seater couch. There was a quiet pause, the kind that held tension in the air, and Shen Yi just looked at Jiang Qi, not saying anything, though his gaze remained sharp and focused.
Jiang Qi met his stare and then lightly beckoned him to come and sit.
Shen Yi frowned but did not move.
Jiang Qi raised his brow and asked in a plain voice, "Do you still want to kill me?"
Shen Yi's expression shifted, his eyes flickering with something unreadable, but eventually, he walked over and sat beside Jiang Qi without another word.
He didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, turning slightly toward him and asking, "How do you know me?"
Jiang Qi looked at him without answering immediately, as if trying to read his face, to see if he was faking his confusion, but after a moment he asked, "You really don't remember?"
Shen Yi blinked once and asked back, "Remember what?"
Jiang Qi let out a long breath, loosening his tie before standing up again and walking over to a nearby counter.
He returned with two glasses in his hands, the wine bottle already opened and set on the table.
Shen Yi frowned again, silently questioning why this man was dragging the conversation out instead of giving him the answer he wanted, and deep inside, a strange wave of disappointment rose in him, not just for Jiang Qi, but for himself.
He was supposed to kill this man, yet here he was, sitting and talking like nothing had happened, as if curiosity had now overpowered reason.
It shouldn't have happened, but it did, and his instinct as an assassin whispered that before he ended this target, he needed to know how this man knew his name—because if this knowledge existed, it could be used again in the future.
That was the reason he gave himself.
Jiang Qi poured the wine into both glasses and handed one to Shen Yi, who didn't take it, so Jiang Qi shrugged and placed it on the table before lifting his own.
Shen Yi's patience wore thin, and he asked with irritation in his voice, "Will you talk?"
Jiang Qi chuckled under his breath and replied, "Impatient as always." He took a sip and then added, "We first met seven years ago."
Shen Yi kept a straight face and tried to dig through his fragmented memory, but no image of Jiang Qi surfaced. His memory had been altered too many times to tell what was real and what wasn't, so he didn't trust himself at this point.
"I don't remember," he said flatly, his voice colder now as he began to rise from the couch.
But Jiang Qi spoke again, this time more serious. "You've also tried to kill me six times, though I didn't know it was you until now."
Shen Yi stopped and turned to him, his eyes balnk.
Jiang Qi stared back, searching for something in his gaze and only found emptiness, no flicker of recognition or guilt.
"Are you that good at acting, or do you really not remember anything?" he asked.
Shen Yi didn't respond because he already knew the truth. The memories were wiped clean each time. That was the cost of the life he lived.
Still, he felt something ease inside him.
If Jiang Qi had no solid proof, then nothing tied them together.He could finish the job and disappear without consequences.
Shen Yi's eyes glanced briefly toward the gun that was still lying on the floor not far from where he stood.
Jiang Qi noticed the shift in his gaze, and his lips curved in a knowing smile.
He gave a light chuckle and said, "Still impulsive, Little Black."
The name made Shen Yi's head lift slowly, and he stared at the man in front of him, trying to figure out what kind of grudge or history he carried.
Then a thought struck him and he asked, "Why haven't you killed me?"
Jiang Qi's hand paused with the glass just near his lips, and his eyes trembled slightly, almost unnoticeably, before he set the drink back down and looked directly at Shen Yi.
"You may have forgotten," he said, his voice firm and low, "but I haven't."
Shen Yi suddenly felt that their connection wasn't something trivial, that there was more beneath the surface than he'd imagined.
Still, he wasn't someone who let emotion entangle him, not in this business, and especially not with someone marked for death.
He stood up and brushed off the strange sensation stirring inside him, ignoring the familiar air between them, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Jiang Qi stood as well, following him without a word. He moved closer until he stood right behind Shen Yi, the difference in their heights obvious as his presence loomed silently.
Shen Yi felt the nearness and grew alert, prepared to strike if necessary, but before he could move, Jiang Qi leaned down gently and rested his chin on the top of Shen Yi's head.
Alarmed, Shen Yi was about to push him off, but Jiang Qi was faster and wrapped one arm around him, placing his palm against Shen Yi's abdomen to still him.