CH 12

On a sunny day.

Zhen Zhen dressed and visited Louis. She chatted with him about sightseeing in Florence. He arranged for a trusted driver to take her sightseeing.

The driver drove around the city to tourist attraction sites. Zhen Zhen thought the architecture and natural landscapes were beautiful. After sightseeing she asked the driver to take her to an international book shop.

At the book shop, Zhen Zhen selected a book and read for more than an hour. She didn’t want to make the driver continue waiting so she brought the book to the counter.

‘Miss, it’s one hundred and thirty-four euro,’ the shop assistant said.

Zhen Zhen searched her bag but found only yuan notes.

‘Can I pay using credit card?’ Zhen Zhen asked.

‘Yes,’ the shop assistant said.

Zhen Zhen passed a credit card to the shop assistant. While the shop assistant processed payment, Zhen Zhen noticed a suspicious man dressed in a black suit was standing next to her. She looked away after he noticed her staring at him.

‘Miss, here is your book,’ the shop assistant said. ‘Mr, here is your book.’

Zhen Zhen dropped the book bag she bought. She picked it up and accidently bumped into the suspicious man and they both dropped their book bags.

‘I’m sorry,’ Zhen Zhen apologized.

The suspicious man glared coldly at Zhen Zhen like he could kill her, but the second man in a black suit called him from behind.

‘Jia Ha,’ the second man said.

Jia Ha grabbed a fallen book bag, stood and left the shop.

Outside in a black car, Jia Ha sat across his handsome boss.

‘Did you receive the goods?’ boss asked.

Jia Ha passed the book bag to boss. But neither of them expected to see a book about ‘life encounters with bacteria.’

‘Boss, I’m sorry,’ Jia Ha apologized. ‘I deserve punishment.’

Boss tossed the book on the floor. ‘What happened inside the shop?’

‘Earlier I bumped into a girl and I must have picked up her book by mistake,’ Jia Ha said.

Jia Ha noticed Zhen Zhen entered a car in front of him.

‘Boss, she’s the girl,’ Jia Ha said.

‘Follow her car,’ boss instructed the driver.

Jia Ha’s body broke in cold sweat. He knew he seriously screwed up.

Inside Zhen Zhen’s car, she asked the driver to show her famous cathedrals. The driver stopped in front of Saint Mary of the Flower cathedral.

Zhen Zhen entered the peaceful cathedral and she sat in front of a confession booth. She read the signage, inside the booth was Father William.

‘Father William,’ Zhen Zhen called.

‘Yes,’ a familiar suspicious voice said.

‘Father, my new lifestyle is making feel confused,’ Zhen Zhen said.

‘What are your worries?’ the suspicious voice asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Zhen Zhen said. ‘I thought it’s clear I hate someone. But I don’t know why I don’t want to be separated from that person… Father William… what’s love-’

Zhen Zhen didn’t finish her confession, she was kidnapped.

At Ni Sheng’s secret headquarters in Florence.

Inside no one dared to breathe loudly. Yue Gu Zai was interrogating the members who didn’t protect Louis properly and let Louis be poisoned. The members’ fearful eyes pleaded Bai Yu Tian to save them from Yue Gu Zai.

‘Isn’t there anyone who can explained how this happened?’ Yue Gu Zai asked coldly.

Everyone knew Yue Gu Zai threatened if no one gave him an acceptable explanation then he’d punish everyone together.

‘Boss, you have a phone call,’ Elder Chen said.

Yue Gu Zai frowned. He knew Elder Chen wouldn’t interrupt unless it was an emergency.

Everyone was temporarily relieved. They didn’t care who called Yue Gu Zai as long as his attention was off them. But their relief was brief, Yue Gu Zai looked like he could kill everyone instantly.

‘Everyone based here will be disciplined for one month,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

Yue Gu Zai rushed to the car while everyone were perplexed. They didn’t know what happened to anger Yue Gu Zai to the extent of punishing them for a month. But no one dared to protest.

Inside Yue Gu Zai’s car, Zhen Zhen’s driver’s face was sweating.

‘What happened?’ Yue Gu Zai asked.

‘This morning Miss Zhen Zhen asked to go sightseeing,’ the driver said. ‘The last place she visited was a cathedral. I waited in the car for a long time but I didn’t see her come out.’

‘Did anything happen before she disappeared?’ Yue Gu Zai asked.

‘Nothing unusual,’ the driver said. ‘Miss Zhen Zhen bought a book before visiting the cathedral.’

The driver passed Zhen Zhen’s book bag to Yue Gu Zai. Yue Gu Zai opened the book and found two suspicious sealed test tubes.

‘Starting from today, you won’t be working at the main house,’ Yue Gu Zai said coldly.

‘Yes,’ the driver said.

The driver was grateful his heart was still alive and beating.

***

End of Chapter Twelve