The NH-90 transport aircraft took Xia Lei to a private hospital in Paris.
The doctor did a checkup on Xia Lei’s body. There wasn’t anything too serious but he told Xia Lei to stay in the hospital to be monitored for one day. Xia Lei accepted readily. He treated the hospital like a hotel, and the first thing he did in the hospital was to take a shower.
A nurse stood in the hospital ward, waiting for Xia Lei to finish his shower so that she could treat his wounds. Jacqueline Eva walked in. She did not say anything but pointed to the door. The nurse glanced at Jacqueline Eva with dissatisfaction but still left the ward. She wanted to clean Xia Lei’s wounds but she understood that Jacqueline Eva was a woman whom she could not afford to upset.
Jacqueline Eva took a bath towel and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was filled with the sound of pouring water. She could not see Xia Lei but she knew that he was inside. Her brain could not help but remember everything that happened in the room that night, till the point of time where three masked people had barged into the room…
‘Those three masked people won against my two subordinates and two Gendarmerie special agents. Their strength is incredible. They carefully planned their operation but Xia Lei escaped just by jumping the car. Isn’t this a little too simple?’ Suspicion rose in her heart.
In the bathroom, warm water trickled down Xia Lei’s body. The dozens of cuts on his body burned. Xia Lei grinned as he grumbled, “That Amanda, I did not offend her, did I? I told to make some wounds on my body but she actually threw a rock at me and whipped me with a tree branch…”
Of course you would need to be stoned and whipped with a tree branch to achieve the kind of wounds you would get if you were to roll down from a car. Amanda had to be ruthless if they wanted to hide the truth from Jacqueline Eva’s eyes.
The sound of footsteps came from outside the bathroom door, soft and slow, giving one the feeling that it was creeping closer.
Xia Lei turned to look. His left eye twitched and he saw Jacqueline Eva. In her hands was a towel. The towel in her hands was clearly unnecessary because he had brought a towel into the bathroom.
‘Did she come… to continue asking me asking my escape process, or something else?’ A wry smile formed on Xia Lei’s lips.
When he left Italy, he could have actually returned straight to China. Going straight back would have been the safest option, but it would not be the most logical option. There were two reasons he had chosen to come back to France.
The first reason was that he had been kidnapped in France. The French intelligence officers were looking for him all over the world, and if he somehow showed up in China, France would definitely send people to China to ask about the situation. By then, not only would he have to face the French but also some people in China. He did not want those who should not know about it to know what happened in France and Italy.
The second reason was the French International Weapons Exhibition. This was a step that must be taken for Thunder Horse Military Factory to step outside of China and become the world’s strongest military enterprise. The French International Weapons Exhibition was the world’s biggest arms exhibition, and it was the best stage. He wanted to conquer this stage, he wanted to send a message to the world of arms dealing — The Thunder Horse Military Group is coming!
Whether for personal reasons or in consideration of Thunder Horse Group;s future, he needed to come to France.
Outside the door, Jacqueline Eva lightly shook her head, and then walked to the bathroom door. She knocked. “Mr Xia, I brought a bath towel for you.”
“Um.” Xia Lei said awkwardly, “I brought a towel in myself.”
Jacqueline Eva replied, “I know. But the hospital’s towels are used by everyone. It is not sanitary. I brought you a new towel.”
Xia Lei was speechless.
Jacqueline Eva reached out and pushed the door open.
Xia Lei let out a yell.
Jacqueline Eva calmly walked into the bathroom. She took down the towel that Xia Lei had hung on the wall and then hung up the towel that she brought in.
“I’ve seen it before.” Jacqueline Eva stared at Xia Lei. “So you do not need to cover it up.”
Xia Lei did not know what to say.
“Be quick. I will help you treat the wounds on your body when you’re done showering.”
“You will help me treat my wounds?”
“That’s right. The nurses and doctors have left,” said Jacqueline Eva. She showed no hint of leaving the bathroom.
Xia Lei smiled bitterly. “I cannot shower with you staring at me like this.”
Jacqueline Evan finally turned and left.
A few minutes later, Xia Lei came out of the bathroom wrapped with a towel. He saw Jacqueline Eva standing next to his bed in a white short sleeved shirt, black mini skirt, and a medical tool trolley beside her. This sight made him a little nervous because he was sure that she was not some nurse, and that that bed would become a battlefield for them, agent versus agent.
The Chinese Bureau 101’s ace agent versus the French National Security Administration’s ace agent… but this was a battle without guns.
Jacqueline Eva picked up a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and waved to Xia Lei.
Xia Lei walked over and forced himself to say, “Are you really going to treat my wounds? I think it would be better if someone professional were to do it. You can help me call for a doctor or a nurse.”
“The doctors and nurses are off work now.” Jacqueline Eva wore a smile on her face. “Don’t worry, I have received professional training. I will make you very comfortable.”
Could one describe treating wounds as comfortable?
No matter what, what must be faced will be faced. Xia Lei climbed onto the bed and lay down on the blanket, exposing his entire back to Jacqueline Eva.
“I will leave it to you,” said Xia Lei.
Jacqueline Eva suddenly took off her heels and climbed onto the bed.
Xia Lei became nervous. “What… do you want to do?”
Pssh!
Jacqueline Eva began spraying hydrogen peroxide on the wounds on Xia Lei’s back without waiting for Xia Lei to finish his sentence. A burning pain came, and it hurt so much that Xia Lei sucked in a sharp breath.
Pssh, pssh…
Jacqueline Eva took out a pair of tweezers with a ball of cotton in from the medical tool trolley after spraying the hydrogen peroxide, and wiped Xia Lei’s wounds.
“Mr Xia, did you really escape by jumping out of the car?” Jacqueline Eva asked, “No one helped you?”
This question was like a signal; the battle had begun.
Xia Lei endured the stimulation from Jacqueline Eva. He said slowly, “The only person who helped me was that driver. I think he was called Rivaldo something. You can investigate him. Oh right, I will return ten thousand euros to you.”
“Do not misunderstand. I am not asking you for money. But I am not against it if you want to repay it.”
“Mm, I know that you are curious about what happened. Other than describing it as fortunate, I cannot find any other suitable words.”
“Tell me about it.”
“That night in your room, for some reason, I was dizzy so I cannot remember what happened. When I woke up, I realised that I was locked in an underground basement. Those three people bound me and took away my clothes. I heard some of their conversation, and they said that Paris had been sealed so they could not leave right away. They then locked me up for two days, and then on the third night they stuffed me into the boot of a car. They did not give me anything to eat or water to drink for two days, so I acted like I was dehydrated, and very weak. I looked terrible so they relaxed their guard…”
“One of them drove the car, and the other two slept. I slowly untied the ropes on myself and then waited for a chance to escape. Later, I heard the loud sound of water. The sound of water reminded of the River Seine. In fact, it was the River Seine. I was sure of what I needed to do, and I only had one chance. I opened the boot and escaped. I fell really badly but I didn’t care so much about my wounds. The moment I jumped from the car, the guy who was driving found me out. He stepped on the brakes and his comrades also woke up. I did not dare to wait, so I got up from the road and jumped into the Seine. They chased me to the river and shot at the river. The bullets scraped past me, and I thought I would be shot, and then drown in the river, but the Lady Luck smiled on me. Those bullets did not hit me. I held my breath and dived down… Later, I climbed ashore. I was too tired and passed out until a driver found me. You already know what happened later, so I don’t have to explain any further.”
He had already known that Jacqueline Eva would not be satisfied with just a simple explanation so he had prepared this story for her. This story was very interesting — it could even be made into a movie.
“It was my fault. I did not protect you properly, and I caused you to experience something like this,” said Jacqueline Eva apologetically.
“It is not your problem. You do not need to apologise to me,” said Xia Lei.
“Do you know why they abducted you?”
Xia Lei shook his head. “They did not say why, but I think it is probably for money or my skills. What else could it be other than these two?”
“Good,” said Jacqueline Eva. “All done.”
“Thank you,” said Xia Lei.
