The Mona Lisa, Da Vinci, Bobbio–a small Italian town, the ancient alloy, AE…All of it muddled Xia Lei’s mind. While it his storm of thoughts confused him, it also motivated him. It was clear to see how eager he was to visit both Bobbio and the Louvre in Paris.
He had to go. He had to. To catch a tiger cub, entering a tiger’s lair was inevitable. Xia Lei had made his decision already, but he couldn’t decide whether or not to take Bureau 101’s staff along as well.
In the past, Bureau 101’s protection was a necessity for trips to France, but now, Xia Lei had the Zodiac Team. Each member of the team was extraordinarily skilled, and they were completely capable of protecting him. He would bring them during his journey to France without a doubt, but the decision would turn Bureau 101 into another problem for him. Xia Lei didn’t want Shi Boren or any of the other higher-ups to know that he possessed such a terrifying team.
Before Xia Lei could make a decision regarding the matter, two more new guests entered his office–Long Bing and Liang Siyao.
Suddenly, Xia Lei found himself faced with three of Bureau 101’s section chiefs at the same time. No matter what the occasion, it wouldn’t be anything good.
“Why are the two of you here?” asked Tang Yuyan. Xia Lei hadn’t even managed to greet his new guests before the shocked woman interjected.
“So I can’t come?” asked Long Bing in a hushed voice.
Tang Yuyan shrugged and shifted her attention to Liang Siyao, who had begun to speak.
“Paris’ weapons and anti-aircraft international military defense system was established in 1992. The exhibition is held once every two years, and is currently the biggest military exhibition in the world. It was initially sponsored by France’s defense and military defense equipment departments, which formed a committee with the goal of hosting the only exhibition to exist at the time that showcased military weaponry and space defense equipment. The exhibition attracted the attention of Europe, Asia, America, Africa, and several hundred ammunitions manufacturers and government organizations. They all come to attend the event, as it is representative of the future of global military weaponry. There will be manufacturers from all five continents and sellers from thousands of companies present. Given the magnitude of such an event, how is it that we weren’t informed of Thunder Horse Military Factory’s participation?” asked Liang Siyao.
She was the CIA's intelligence officer, and she was worthy of the title. She knew Europe like the back of her hand.
The corners of Tang Yuyan’s lips curled into a smile. “So it turns out you came for France’s military exhibition as well. You’re well-informed.”
Liang Siyao faintly smiled. “Then you’re even more well-informed, Section Chief Tang. You arrived before we did, after all.”
“You know that I came here first, so don’t stand in my way. I will be accompanying Xia Lei to Paris for this mission,” said Tang Yuyan.
“I’ll go,” said Long Bing.
In contrast to Long Bing’s interjection, Liang Siyao chose to stay tactful. “However, I am much more familiar with Europe’s current affairs. Let Xia Lei choose for himself.”
The three women all had their eyes on Xia Lei, and he could feel his head aching. Out of the three of them, one was his ex-girlfriend, one was his mistress, and the last woman wanted to marry him. No matter who he chose, he would upset the other two. He could just imagine how difficult they’d be with him.
“Uhhh…”–Xia Lei braced himself–“It’s alright, I’ll go alone.”
“What?” The three women were evidently surprised, and couldn’t believe Xia Lei’s decision.
“You’re from Bureau 101, which makes you vulnerable because of your status. You’d be in danger the moment you arrived in France,” explained Xia Lei.
“And wouldn’t you be in danger too?” Tang Yuyan rolled her eyes.
“I’m aware of what I’m about to face, but I’ve already mentioned my conditions to Yu Shanhe. I’ll be granted official status by the French government, who will also ensure my safety. I’ll be arriving there honourably. Properly. It’s likely that even the CIA wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me either, right?”
“You think that the Americans will act ‘just’ and ‘honourable’ like you?” asked Liang Siyao. “They won’t do anything to you in public, but do you really think that they won’t do anything in secret? To them, the French government’s promises and whatever official status you’re talking about means nothing. It’s not the first time they’ve run amuck, and it won’t be any different. They won’t let you go.”
“Why don’t we all go?” asked Long Bing. “You don’t need to choose anyone. The three of us will go to Paris with you.”
She was always so kind and caring.
Tang Yuyan opened her mouth as if she wanted to speak, but she only silently agreed instead.
Xia Lei’s head was beginning to hurt again. Now that he couldn’t choose since they were all going, what other excuse could he find to reject them?
At that very moment, Xia Changhe also walked into the office. “He’s right. Let him go by himself. You all have prominent titles, you’d only cause problems for him if you came along. Especially you, Ms Liang. As the CIA’s former intelligence officer and your current role managing information on Europe, you basically have a big target taped to your forehead. The CIA wants to get rid of you. If you went to Paris, would they really let you walk out untouched?”
“But–” said Liang Siyao.
Xia Changhe interrupted her again. “Xia Lei is already a target as is, but with you along for the ride, the CIA would have two targets bundled together and presented to them. Same goes for Ms Tang. Think of how many CIA operatives you dispatched in the Middle East. They would definitely want to get rid of you too. As for Ms Long… I won’t talk about your situation. You know it better than I do. If the three of you went, the CIA would be looking at four marks to hit. If just one of you ran into trouble, the rest of you would rush to save them. Isn’t that just what the CIA wants?”
The three women became silent. They looked at each other, and found that they couldn’t find anything to use as a rebuttal.
It was true. Xia Lei was a lone mark if he went by himself. If the three of them went together, the CIA could capture any one of them, and their other targets would be forced to come to the rescue. The CIA would act much more provocative, and Xia Lei would be in a highly dangerous situation.
Xia Lei couldn’t help but give his old man a thumbs up. Well-aged ginger is much more potent than a young seedling.
Xia Changhe winked back at his son.
Xia Lei understood what he had to do. “It’s decided. I’ll go by myself. I can handle this anyways, so you don’t need to worry. It’s not the first time that I’ve come into contact with the CIA. They can’t do anything to me.”
“So you got this and you’re strong enough for it too. Is that it?” asked Tang Yuyan angrily.
Xia Lei laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I know you all care about me, but rest assured that nothing will happen...”
“I don’t think I have the energy to care about you any more,” replied Tang Yuyan.
“Heh. You should all stay for a meal.” Xia Lei was anxious to shift the topic.
“Okay.” said Liang Siyao. She was smiling. “You’ve built a whole new house but I never had the chance to take a look inside. I can go after we eat.”
Long Bing didn’t say anything, but she nodded her head. She was still very worried about Xia Lei.
“Director Xia.” Qin Caiyue had just joined the group in the office. “A certain Ms Shentu would like to see you.”
Qin Caiyue’s words quieted the raucous office. One would be able to hear the sound of a pin drop. There weren’t many people with the surname Shentu, and only one would come asking for Xia Lei. Whether it was Liang Siyao, Long Bing, or Tang Yuyan, everyone knew that Shentu Tiangyin had arrived. She was Xia Lei’s ex-wife. All three women were wondering the same thing. Why was Shentu Tianyin suddenly looking for Xia Lei?
Even Xia Lei had the same question. “Could she be looking for me because of the exhibition in Paris? I’ll seriously eat the office desk if she is!”
“Director Xia?” Qin Caiyue tried to get his attention again. “If you don’t have the time to see her, I can have her wait in the living room.”
Xia Lei snapped out of his trance and said “No, let her–”
“Secretary Qin, can I assume you don’t know who this Miss Shentu is?” Tang Yuyan had once again interrupted Xia Lei. He didn’t even get the chance to properly address his assistant.
Qin Caiyue was stunned for a moment before shaking her head. “No, I don’t.”
“She... she’s your boss’ wife.” said Tang Yuyan.
Qin Caiyue’s mouth was wide open in shock. “Sorry?”
Tang Yuyan corrected herself. “Well, your boss’ former wife.”
Qin Caiyue was speechless.
“I see you still have your way with words, Ms Tang..” Shentu Tianyin’s pleasant voice resonated as she walked in.
She wore a long, black skirt with a matching pair of black high heels. The outfit was simple and didn’t incorporate any unnecessary accessories at all, but it gave off an intensely alluring feeling. She was incomparably beautiful, and she was still as imposing as ever. The moment she walked in, she demanded everyone’s attention and everyone gave it.
The only jewelry she wore was the “Divine Heart”. It was a pendant necklace that Xia Lei had given to her as a gift, but it was originally the same necklace that King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, had presented to his sister, Sibyl. It was delicate, yet brilliant and dazzling, and only served to heighten her profoundly regal aura.
Although Shentu Tianyin and Xia Lei divorced, she never returned it. In Xia Lei’s defense, was there ever a proper time for him to ask her for the necklace back?
“Tianyin, you’re here.” Xia Lei greeted her with a smile, but he was crying on the inside. Tang Yuyan, Long Bing, and Liang Siyao were already enough to make his head ache, but Shentu Tianyin just had to arrive as well. Xia Lei had absolutely no plan to deal with her, and was instead concerned with whether or not his head would explode.
“Hmm... I must talk to you. It pertains to a certain matter,” said Shentu Tianyin. Then, she came to a sudden realization as she turned to look at Xia Changhe. She decided to continue. “This is fath… uncle?”
Normally, a woman would simply address her husband’s father as “father”. Naturally, Shentu Tianyin wouldn’t call him that anymore, as she had already divorced with Xia Lei, so she decided to call him “uncle” instead.
The corners of Tang Yuyan’s lips curled up into another smile. She suspected that Shentu Tianyin had come wearing the necklace Xia Lei gave her on purpose. In fact, she thought everything was on purpose, including the moment where she nearly called Xia Changhe her father.
“Hmm... You must be Tianyin.” Xia Changhe barely reacted to her.
“Father… Uncle.” Shentu Tianyin acted as if she felt awkward. “Xia Lei and I…”
“You two can talk. I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now.” Xia Chenghe never liked Shentu Tianyin. He no longer wanted to stay after the simplest of exchanges with her.
Shentu Tianyin sighed softly. She was upset
Meanwhile, Tang Yuyan laughed. “If you auction that necklace, you’d probably be able to sell it for a few hundred million, right? It’s very beautiful.”
She seemed to be saying so for Xia Lei to hear. Since he had already divorced her, wasn’t it stupid not to take back a necklace worth a few hundred million?
“This was a gift from my husband. Even if it was worth ten billion, I wouldn’t sell it. I know you have one too, but you should know that it doesn’t even come close to comparing to mine. If you want to sell yours so badly, I’d be more than happy to give you two hundred million for it. Is that okay?” said Shentu Tianyin while still keeping her voice soft.
Tang Yuyan was quick to show her discontent. “Hmph! You make it sound like the Tang Family even needs two hundred million. I’d give you one billion if you wanted to sell yours.”
A mysterious smell of gunpowder permeated the office air.
Xia Lei’s felt as if his head really was going to burst. “What’s the matter, Tianyin?”
“One of Vientiane Group’s subsidiary companies needs machinery goods. I came to discuss the request with you,” explained Shentu Tianyin. “I noticed that you built a new house while I was on the way here. How about we continue there?”
“Alright. Do you want to stay for food too?” Xia Lei smiled.
“Hmm, then I will cook,” said Shentu Tianyin.
Xia Lei was speechless.