Chereads / THE ULTIMATE ASSASSIN / Chapter 8 - The Old Apartment

Chapter 8 - The Old Apartment

After leaving his grandmother's courtyard, Xiwang came to the Main Hall. Passing through a long corridor he then reached the Outer Hall. After passing through another spacious corridor, he finally reached the mansion's main entrance. As before, he walked like a silent phantom and no one noticed his presence. This was another reason why the Phantom Reaper was crowned as the ultimate assassin. It was said that he could walk using 'phantom steps' and, if he chose to, he could conceal himself even in an open area with no cover.

This time, Xiwang's concealment was more by habit rather than a conscious and deliberate action. Whenever he was at an unfamiliar or possibly threatening place for the first time, his honed assassin's instincts would kick in and he would automatically enter stealth mode. He only stopped his phantom steps and ended his concealment when he reached the door.

Xiwng opened the big door and went outside. In the spacious porch, he saw a man smoking a cigar. It was his father Zhu Guanyu. He must have been there for quite some time because a considerable amount of ash had collected around his feet. When Zhu Guanyu saw Xiwang, he called out to him, "Xiwang, are you leaving now?" Xiwang halted his footsteps and answered indifferently, "Don't look so happy just yet, old man Zhu. I'm just leaving the mansion but I'll be staying in Beijing for a while."

In truth, Zhu Guanyu had a lot of things to say to Xiwang. He was, after all, still his son even though he had practically ignored his existence for over ten years. But, he still felt very awkward when interacting with him and understood that it would be very difficult to have a normal father-son conversation with him. So he just said, "What plans do you have while staying at the capital?"

"Old man Zhu, I don't think that's any of your business and we both know you don't really care anyway."

"You don't have to be so hostile. I just wanted to tell you that you should keep a low profile while you're here. You can visit your grandmother, but don't bother any of the other family members."

"I'm actually very good at staying unnoticed. I won't bother anyone unless they bother me first. You don't have to be concerned about that, old man Zhu."

"That's good. But, how long do you plan to keep on calling your father 'old man Zhu'? You know, it's not very respectful." Zhu Guanyu had gotten a little annoyed because Xiwang kept addressing him as 'old man Zhu'. Human thoughts can be very strange at times. He had ignored his son for the better part of his life yet he still felt peeved when he saw his indifferent attitude. It was not that he wanted to have any kind of father-son relationship with Xiwang, not after such a long period of estrangement. But somehow, his pride was still hurt when he felt that his son was not showing him due respect.

"Hahaha…Since when have you ever called me son, old man Zhu?"

There was an awkward silence. Zhu Guanyu knew that Xiwang was right. He did not really deserve the respect of a father because he had never been like a father to him. He wanted to say something but he did not know how to start. So, he just stayed silent. Xiwang also did not continue to speak.

The silent stalemate was broken by a very arrogant voice that came from the side. "I thought the air smelled a little bad. I guess the reason for it was here all along. Little bastard, you know you're not welcome here. You should quickly leave the country again. Bad accidents tend to happen to those who don't belong in the capital." It was Zhu Bao. He came forward and gave Xiwang a condescending glare.

Xiwang looked at the old man and smiled lightly. "Old man Bao, don't choke on your own spit. I was just leaving. Oh, by the way, I got your greeting gift. I'll be sure to give you a return gift when I get some free time." With that, he went on the pathway and left towards the gate.

Zhu Bao stared at his back in fury. He had learned about the fate of the men that he had sent to 'greet' Xiwang not long before. The men had somehow managed to make it to the hospital and reported that Xiwang was a decent fighter. Zhu Bao thought that Xiwang had only learned some simple fighting techniques abroad. After all, the men that he had sent previously were not exactly elites themselves, but merely simple guards. He was determined not to let Xiwang off. The clueless Zhu Bao had yet to learn how utterly fearsome the ultimate assassin truly was.

As Xiwang walked off, he did not notice a pair of eyes, watching him from one of the mansion's windows. It was Zhu Xiulan who was gazing intently at his disappearing back. She was currently feeling very conflicted inside. She still hated Xiwang yet she could not stop her heart from racing every time she recalled his handsome form and his enchanting deep purple eyes.

She had always bullied him yet she now found that somehow she was anticipating meeting him again. Did she actually want him to come back? She was very confused and her emotions were a mess. She had always been haughty and in control. She had never been as undeceive as she was now. She felt vulnerable and she hated the feeling. As his back disappeared she finally muttered to herself, "He's just a bastard." Her tone was not assertive at all. It was as if she was trying to convince herself rather than saying something that she already believed. She closed the curtain and withdrew deeper into the room.

Xiwang did not know that his half-sister was currently thinking about him. His instincts alerted him to the fact that he was being watched by someone but he ignored it as there was no threat. He had spent a long time chatting with his grandmother. It was about 3 PM by the time he left. He went back to the car and drove off towards his next destination.

As he drove off, Xiwang thought back to Zhu Bao's appearance. He chuckled merrily at the thought that the old fogey who hated him to the bones had 'gifted' him this car, albeit unwittingly, which made things a lot more convenient for him. If Zhu Bao had not sent people to 'greet' him, ultimately resulting in him getting this car, then he would have had to use public transportation which would have been more uncomfortable.

Xiwang drove very fast. He soon left Dongcheng District and arrived at the neighboring Tongzhou District, which was where his old home was located. Driving a little more he reached Heixi Street and stopped near a big apartment building. For a long time, Xiwang stared at the building wistfully before finally driving to the parking lot. Xiwang took the stairs instead of the elevator and climbed to the top floor. Finally, he stopped outside a door with the letters E-17 pinned on it. This was the old apartment where Xiwang used to live with his mother as a child.

Shortly after he started making money as an assassin, Xiwang had bought this apartment building from the previous owner. He also bought ten of the neighboring buildings at the same time. He could not bear to tear down his old building, but he had it renovated and installed with modern amenities. Even the elevator was something that he arranged to be installed when he had the building renovated. The building actually looked quite good once it had been re-painted and refurbished.

He hired a manager to look after the building and take care of stuff like collecting rent. Not counting the ground floor of the building which was remodeled to be the residence of the building manager and his family, the building had five floors with four apartments in each floor. Thus, there were twenty apartments in total in the building. Twenty-one, if you include the manager's residence.

He tore down the neighboring buildings and used the empty land to build a daycare centre, a park for children and a parking lot. He had mature trees brought in from elsewhere along with flowers and planted them around the area. When he was done, the whole area was quite aesthetically pleasing. But, he kept his old apartment almost exactly as it was when he used to live in it with his mother.

After a long time, Xiwang finally opened the door and entered his old apartment. Although it could not be considered to be spacious, it was actually not that small. The apartment had three rooms and a separate bathroom. His mother had actually been lucky to rent it so cheap. After Xiwang bought the place, he also kept the rent super cheap. Considering the renovations it became very popular and the tenants felt very lucky to be able to stay there.

Xiwang had hired a professional cleaning company to come and clean the apartment once a month, so it was not dirty or messy inside. He entered each room before finally stopping in the bedroom. For a while, his mind drifted as he recalled those days when he would sleep there peacefully with his mother. He smiled wistfully as he recalled all the things that his mother used to say to him. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Xiwang finally awoke from his trance and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He still wanted to visit his mother's grave before he called it a day.

As Xiwang exited the building and made his way to the parking lot, a middle-aged woman greeted him. She appeared to be in her late-thirties. Her looks were plain and she could not be considered to be beautiful. But, her appearance was neat and she had the air of a competent housewife.

She smiled at him and said, "Hello, there. I've never seen you before. Are you a new tenant here?" Xiwang smiled back and answered, "I guess you could say that. I'm currently staying in E-17." The woman was dazzled by his smile for a moment but she quickly recovered and said, "Oh, E-17! That flat's been empty for a long time. It's good that it finally has an occupant. My husband is the building manager. If you need anything just let us know."

"I will. Thank you. I'm in a bit of a hurry right now, so I'll be off. See you later."

"Okay, see you later." The woman watched him walk off and mumbled to herself, "Such a handsome young man." She was happy that the new tenant appeared to be a refined person. If she knew that he was actually the owner of the building and hence, their boss, she might not have acted as casually with him.