Half an hour later, Xia Lei replicated what had been drawn in pencil on the Mona Lisa’s canvas on paper. He could have gone faster, but he used more time to complete it because he was striving for perfection.
What he drew on the notebook was in a 1:20 ratio of the original. Other than this, what he drew was exactly the same as what da Vinci had drawn.
He also replicated the blurry and unclear Italian words and then tried to interpret it. He was not very familiar with the Italian but this did not stop him. He made a plan for himself to spend five hours on the computer to learn Italian. During this process, he would use his brain’s ability to make the blurred Italian words “clear”, and then use the Italian words that he had learned to interpret the message that da Vinci on left on the canvas.
Time went by slowly. The hotel’s desktop computer whirred and Xia Lei’s brain whirred too. Under normal circumstances, the human brain could not compare with a computer but he was an exception. His brain worked even faster and better than a computer. The computer provided him with the knowledge about the Italian language and his brain soaked up all the information quickly like a sponge.
During this studying process, his brain repaired and perfected the words based on the distinct traits of the Italian words, until it obtained a clear and correct answer.
Five hours passed.
Xia Lei’s brain was filled with knowledge on Italy. There was a short translation written on a blank piece of paper in front of him.
The translation read: I am Leonardo da Vinci. In my life, many unbelievable things happened. I benefited from these things, but I was also very confused. I tried to uncover this secret throughout my life, and there was one point where I thought I was close, but in the end I found that I was still far from the truth. Since you were able to see the contents on the canvas, that means that you also have this ability. Are you also trying to uncover these secrets? I’ve left some things for you. If you can understand my map, then you can find the things that I’ve left behind.”
That was the message that da Vinci had left on the canvas. After he had deciphered it, Xia Lei could not calm down for a very long time.
‘He left the map using this method. Clearly it was left for people who have X-ray vision. He understood this ability, so did he really have a AE capsule? But father had said that the AE capsules which he stole from the research center were the only ones in the world, so where did da Vinci get his AE capsule from?’ He could not understand this.
If da Vinci were still alive today and could give him a chance to talk face to face, then the question would be easily solved. The problem was, da Vinci had already been dead for centuries. Whether da Vinci had or had not taken the AE capsule, or where he had got the AE capsule from… These questions could not be answered.
He sat silently for a while, and returned his attention back to the map.
The map had no words, and was drawn in pencil. It would be extremely difficult to find the corresponding place in the world now. It was as if da Vinci was using this method to test his intelligence.
Xia Lei closed his eyes and the picture of the map on the canvas appeared in his head…
Dawn broke out of the darkness; the night had passed unknowingly. Xia Lei opened his eyes and a beam of light came in from the window, falling onto his face. At the break of dawn, a smile bloomed on his face.
Knock knock knock…
A knocking sound came from the door but Xia Lei did not seem to have heard it. The smile on his face became more and more apparent. This process was like a flower budding, little by little, until it bloomed.
The person who was knocking stopped, but the door was opened.
Qing Caiyue entered. She spotted Xia Lei and was taken aback. She said in surprise, “Director Xia, did you not sleep last night?”
“Hehehe…” Xia Lei laughed out loud.
“Director Xia, are… are you all right?” asked Qing Caiyue, worried. Xia Lei had knocked on her door in the middle of the night to borrow a pencil, and he was now laughing by the window. She was truly worried about her Director Xia’s mental state.
“So it was like that,” mumbled Xia Lei to himself.
“So it was like what?” Qing Caiyue moved closer.
“You are so clever.”
“Um… Director Xia, are you talking about me?”
Xia Lei suddenly closed his eyes again.
“Director Xia? What happened to you?” Qing Caiyue went to Xia Lei’s side. She hesitated, then placed her hand on Xia Lei’s forehead.
Xia Lei’s forehead was not hot, and he had no symptoms of a fever. Qing Caiyue’s hand on his forehead did not affect his brain’s work. In his head, the map that Da Vinci had left on the canvas was taken apart into lines of different lengths and shapes. Some looked like earthworms, some were twisted like a wire, and some looked like iron drills. They constantly combined to form new patterns.
This process was very complicated, and quick. Each wrong pattern was eliminated, and a correct pattern was formed in the midst of a bunch of mistakes, finally taking shape.
A new map appeared in Xia Lei’s head. At the very top of the map was a grave. There was no name on the gravestone, only a cross. Underneath the grave was a very complex underground tunnel that twisted about like a maze. The exit was at the center of the maze, and the entrance was beneath the gravestone.
The secret that da Vinci left on the canvas was solved in one night.
In this one night, Xia Lei had even became proficient in Italian. His brain was sure a miraculous existence.
“Director Xia?” Qing Caiyue moved her hand from Xia Lei’s forehead to his cheek. She did not know where she got this courage from, but when she saw Xia Lei’s handsome face bathing in the morning light, she seemed to have been attracted like magic, and wanted to touch him.
His skin was very smooth and delicate like a baby’s skin. It was very comfortable to the touch.
‘Such soft skin, what skincare does he use?’ This weird question suddenly popped into Qing Caiyue’s head.
Just then, Xia Lei suddenly opened his eyes.
Qing Caiyue hurriedly retracted her hand. Her turned red and she stuttered, “I am sorry Di-director Xia, I, I thought you had a fever.”
But Xia Lei said, “You did not say what place that was, but you had already shown the answer. That place is Bobbio, Italy. The background in the Mona Lisa. Ning Jing also drew that place. A medieval town, houses, tombs… I found it, I found it!”
“Di, Director Xia?” Qing Caiyue became inexplicably nervous. She felt that Xia Lei did not have a fever — rather, he had gone crazy.
Xia Lei suddenly stood up, picked Qing Caiyue off the ground and started spinning. Qing Caiyue’s body leaned back, her long legs underneath the skirt “floated” in the air and drew white arcs in the air like a compass. Her black G-string showed between her legs, which were spread at an angle of forty-five degrees, becoming a beautiful landscape. It played the difficult role of guardian, fighting the air, fighting with inertia, while guarding the mysterious and mature place.
The skirt was flying, the female secretary’s heart was also flying. Everything was messed up in the wind.
“Director Xia! Director Xia? What, what are you doing? I am dizzy, put, put me down…” Qing Caiyue braced herself and gathered her courage. “If you want it that bad, then let’s go to the bed.”
Xia Lei suddenly stopped.
Qing Caiyue’s feet finally touched the ground but she was still in Xia Lei’s embrace. She could feel Xia Lei’s hand on her waist and his strong chest because her chest was pressed against his. They were stuck together like a double sided tape, and the curves of their bodies fitted together like jigsaw puzzle pieces.
The two were like a still painting.
They looked into each other’s eyes, their gazes attracted to each other like the north and south poles of a magnet. This attraction pulled their faces slowly closer to each other and the distance between their lips was slowly becoming shorter.
‘He, he is going to kiss me…’ Qing Caiyue could not suppress her heart’s excitement. She closed her eyes nervously. To be able to have an affair with a man like Xia Lei… she would not regret it even if she did not get anything.
However, before their lips could meet, Xia Lei “woke up” and let go of Qing Caiyue in a panic.
The magnetism they were experiencing had suddenly turned to stone.
Xia Lei coughed dryly. “Sorry, I… I was too hyped up earlier.”
Qing Caiyue heart was filled with disappointment but she forced a smile. “It, it’s okay.”
“Did you need something?”
“I, I came to get my pencil.” Qing Caiyue did not even know what to say herself. Her thoughts were a mess.
Xia Lei smiled, and gave the pencil to Qing Caiyue. “Thank you.”
Qing Caiyue held on to the pencil.She felt as if ten thousand horses were galloping wildly in her heart. This pencil had become her magical barrier.
“Let’s go eat breakfast, then go to the Villepinte Exhibition Centre,” said Xia Lei.
“Didn’t you say that you were not going?”
“I changed my mind. Let’s go.”
Qing Caiyue’s eyes drifted to the notebook on the computer desk. She saw a sentence in Italian and a Chinese translation and some weird lines that she did not understand. She asked curiously, “Director Xia, what is it you are researching this time?”
Xia Lei ripped the page with the words from the notebook and put it in his trouser pocket. He said, “This is a secret, do not tell anyone.”
Qing Caiyue smiled wryly. “Yeah, I know, I will not tell anyone… I cannot even if I want to. I do not even understand it.”
Xia Lei did not explain further. He left the room with Qing Caiyue.
Yelena also came out of her room.
“Good morning, Big Sister Yelena.” Qing Caiyue greeted her obediently.
Yelena only nodded her head slightly.
Xia Lei said, “We will go to the Villepinte Exhibition Center after breakfast .”
“Okay.” Yelena only said one word.
Xia Lei came next to Yelena and whispered, “Tell Alessio to get ready. I want to go to Italy.”
“So soon? What about here?”
“Do as I say,” said Xia Lei.
Yelena nodded again.
There were ten more days to go before the start of the International Weaponry Exhibition in the Villepinte Exhibition Center. So far, all they could do now were things like setting up in the exhibition hall. Qing Caiyue could handle these things, but the Italy trip was urgent. He did not want to wait any longer. There was also an advantage of going to Italy now, and that was that everyone would still believe that he was in France. What he wanted was to take action before the other party became aware of it!
Now, the only trouble would be Jacqueline Eva and these people of the French National Gendarmerie. He needed a way to shake the French people off his tail.
