On the evening of January 22, 2000, Paris, France.
Neon lights illuminated the streets. Even though the city of Paris was shrouded in cold weather at the end of January, the city's original beauty was not diminished in the slightest. The Arc de Triomphe was majestic, and the Eiffel Tower was brightly lit. From afar, it looked like flowing gold in the night. Both sides of the Seine River were colorful and magnificent. As the river flowed, the lights on the boats added to the charm of the city. As the world-famous city of art and romance, in this magnificent night, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysées, Sacré-Coeur Church, Montmartre Villa … the entire city was like a great work of art.
At nine o 'clock in the evening, the city's night had just entered its most beautiful time. The lobby of the Mercure Hotel in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris was brightly lit. More than ten men and women from Dongfang were chatting and waiting for their companions in the lobby. A few of them had already walked out of the hotel and were pointing at the city's night scenery. Their faces were full of excitement.
Of course, they were Dongfang Wan and her companions who had arrived in Paris in the evening. After checking in at the hotel and having dinner, some of them planned to go out and enjoy the scenery of Paris. Currently, in the lobby, besides the two tour guides, there were four adults from Dongfang. Of the three men and one woman, except for Lei Qing, who we were already familiar with, the rest were unfamiliar faces. These people were representatives of large companies related to the Xi De Group. Among them, the vague leader was a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, and there was a hint of arrogance in his calm temperament. It was difficult for ordinary people to notice it. At this time, he was talking to a few young men and women next to him. Luo Jingwen was among them. When she met the man in front of her, the originally arrogant girl seemed to have become a little bird who could rely on him.
These people chatted in the lobby for a while. Wang Tujia ran downstairs and looked around. Then she walked to Luo Jingwen and whispered, "Hey, did you see Gu Jiaming?"
"I didn't see him."
"Oh …" Seeing that Luo Jingwen didn't have an answer, she went to ask the others. Most of them received similar answers. In the crowd, Li Song's expression gradually became a little unhappy. The man who was talking to Luo Jingwen smiled faintly. "Tu Jia … Are you familiar with that Gu Jiaming?"
Although they had only introduced each other once before, and the two of them had not even talked, he clearly remembered each other's names.
"Ah?"
Hearing the man's question, Wang Tujia turned around. "Oh, we're all classmates, so I asked him to go out with me … How come Mr. Ying knows him too?"
"Oh, I've heard of him."
The man with the surname Ying smiled and patted Lei Qing's shoulder. "Isn't Lei Qing his rival in love? Moreover, the last time my little brother came to Jianghai, he also met him. Speaking of which … they even made a small bet. My little brother owes him a hundred million …"
"A hundred million …" For a moment, the surrounding boys and girls stopped talking, revealing an expression of disbelief. Luo Jingwen hesitated and said, "Are, are you joking?"
"Haha, of course it's a joke. Hehe, it's just a joke …"
"I don't like that kid …" Lei Qing muttered at the side and rolled his eyes.
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, there were probably some who were wondering why Lei Qing was Gu Jiaming's rival in love. However, it was probably not appropriate for them to ask. After all, Jiaming had come with them. If they talked too much about this kind of thing, if Jiaming went shopping with them later, everyone would inevitably feel awkward. After a few more words, Dongfang Wan's figure ran down from upstairs. She frowned and said in a loud voice, "Hey, did any of you see Gu Jiaming?"
After receiving a negative answer, Dongfang Wan walked over gloomily. It wasn't clear whether this gloominess was because she saw Lei Qing or because she couldn't find Jiaming. Following that, she greeted the bespectacled man. "Hey, Big Brother Zi Lan, did you drive enough cars?"
"The cars were provided by the Xi De Group. Right now, there are about 20 people. It's definitely enough."
The bespectacled man was Ying Zifeng's brother, Ying Zilan. As the successor of the Ying family, he had taken over the family business at the age of 18. In the past few years, he had been praised as a genius in the domestic business world. Within Yanhuang Awakening, he was almost confirmed as the successor of the company.
The Ying family of the Chaohai Group, known as the King of the Southeast, was actually not inferior to the Xi De Group. However, the Xi De Group was backed by the Rothschild family and Natalie.
The reason he came this time was naturally to express the importance of this partnership.
"If that's the case, let me drive this car."
"You don't have a French driver's license, and you don't know the roads here. This is different from China …"
"I'll drive slowly and follow you. Don't tell me that the Xi De Group gave you a car to drive and there will be traffic police coming to check."
"Ahem, that's true …" Ying Zilan smiled. "I heard from Zifeng and Qing that you drive as slow as a snail. We'll take care of your speed, so we won't have to worry about any problems …"
"I'm just being cautious, okay?"
Dongfang Wan's explanation made everyone laugh. Ying Zilan said, "Then … are we not going to wait for Jiaming?"
"Forget it …" Dongfang Wan spread out her hands. "He said that he had something to do in Paris. He didn't want to come with us, but now that he's in Paris, he's probably going to deal with his own business …"
"Going alone?
Does he know French? "
"Maybe someone will pick him up, or maybe he has other ways. Anyway, this guy's business is …" She wanted to say that she didn't know anything, but seeing Lei Qing next to her, she said bitterly, "I'm too lazy to care … Let's go … He'll be back tonight."
Since she said that they were going, the matter was settled. A group of people went out of the hotel. Dongfang Wan gave her camera to Xu Yiting, and then called two or three classmates who were familiar with her to get in the same car. Naturally, Lei Qing was excluded.
Lei Qing was used to her supercilious look. In fact, his feelings for her had also faded. Perhaps there was still some resentment in his heart, but as time passed, it would naturally disappear. The motorcade set off from the entrance of the hotel and passed through the magnificent city streets, driving forward according to Ying Zilan's arrangement.
They didn't spend much time in the evening. In fact, this trip was just a quick look at the night scenery in the car. As the ancient symbol of Paris, the majestic and solemn Notre Dame de Paris, the elegant and charming Grand Palais in the night, the Élysée Palace to the brilliantly lit Charles de Gaulle Square, passed under the solemn and towering Arc de Triomphe, and the most famous Champs-Élysées. A group of girls almost screamed when they passed by the most famous Champs-Élysées. This was probably the place where all kinds of famous brands were gathered in the world.
Across the Champs-Élysées was the charming Place de la Concorde. If Jiaming were here, it might trigger some memories. Many years ago … or a period of time later, he first met Natalie in the Place de la Concorde.
But at that time, she was just a girl who wore roller skates and sold flowers.
While driving, they took photos. The Palace of Versailles was a bit far. Because Dongfang Wan's driving speed was too cautious, everyone decided not to go there. Soon after crossing the Seine, they turned back. Walking along the river, they could see many cafes with their own characteristics. These were the famous cafes on the left bank of Paris. Not long after, the Eiffel Tower, the modern symbol of Paris, indeed appeared in front of everyone.
Located on the War God Square on the bank of the Seine, the 300-meter-high iron tower had an indescribable charm both from afar and up close. The brightly lit tower illuminated the entire night sky of the square. The closer they got to it, the more glorious and majestic this iron tower, which was flowing with golden light, was.
The motorcade stopped near the square for a while. Everyone came out to rest for a while. Just now, they continued to move forward after consuming a huge amount of film.
As the cars had built-in intercom systems, Ying Zilan was also explaining the characteristics of the surrounding scenery to everyone as the car drove. He was very knowledgeable, and his explanations were quite humorous. Along the way, everyone was already very impressed by him. Girls like Luo Jingwen who were in the same car as him chattered non-stop.
If Jiaming were here, he would be quite familiar with Paris. But if he had to say, he might only be good at pointing out things like, "This sniping spot has a better view," "This is the blind spot of the police force, suitable for killing," and so on.
The motorcade drove through the 13th arrondissement of Paris. Just now, they had crossed the Seine and made a detour back. This was also called the Gobolin district. There were many Chinese people here. Everyone looked around and made an appointment to come here to shop in two days.
When they reached the 10th arrondissement, some of them recognized the surrounding buildings. This was where the Paris train station was located. They came from here in the evening. If they went a little further, they would be back in the 2nd arrondissement.
It was already past 11 o 'clock in the evening. They got out of the car and went to a nearby restaurant for supper. "Speaking of which, this is the most chaotic district in Paris. There are more pickpockets, and sometimes there are gangsters fighting. Uh … the red-light district is also very prosperous. But you guys are underage, so I won't take you there," Ying Zilan said. Of course, he was not worried about gangsters. But the last sentence made the group of boys feel closer to him. Children liked it when adults did not treat them like children.
After supper, while Lei Qing went to the bathroom, Dongfang Wan said a few words to Ying Zilan and prepared to leave. The hotel that Ying Zilan and the others were staying at was not here. It was time to go their separate ways. Now that there was a tour guide, Dongfang Wan and the others would not get lost.
Ying Zilan was originally unwilling, but seeing that Lei Qing didn't come out for a long time, she didn't know if it was constipation or something else, and Dongfang Wan was too insistent, she nodded and agreed. The four of them went back in one car. As for the other four cars, Dongfang Wan drove them back. Two tour guides knew how to drive, and most of these people's family backgrounds were not bad. It was not a problem to find one or two people who knew how to drive.
When Lei Qing came out, there were only three people waiting for him outside. Ying Zilan patted him on the shoulder helplessly. "Lil Wan's personality is too strong. Why do you have to do this? Just give up …"
*****
The four cars went one after another. When they turned the corner of the Paris street, it was almost twelve o 'clock. Paris was a city that did not sleep at night. But as it was close to midnight, there were fewer people in some streets.
"There are fewer cars on this street. It's faster to go to the hotel."
The tour guide said so through the walkie-talkie. Dongfang Wan leaned on the steering wheel and looked ahead. Most of the shops on both sides of the road were closed. There were a few bars that were still open. There were not many people on the road, but it did not seem too chaotic.
A bus came from the opposite side of the street. The lights dazzled their eyes. The next moment, she saw a few people running out of a midnight restaurant as if they had seen a ghost. There was a faint fire in the restaurant.
"What happened?
A fire?
Should we call the police? "
The warm-hearted Dongfang Wan pressed the walkie-talkie and said. Then she turned to ask Hsu Yi-ting, "I don't know what the French police number is. Do you want to call 911?"
Before she could finish her sentence, the glass door of the restaurant in front of them suddenly shattered. A figure flew out and slammed on the sidewalk on the side of the road. Then, the color of blood appeared.
Although no sound could be heard in the car, everyone who witnessed the scene still felt the intensity of the impact.
Another person flew out.
The latter's injuries were not serious. He staggered to his feet. Behind him, a figure followed him out of the door.
Dongfang Wan and Hsu Yi-ting widened their eyes at the same time.
The woman's figure was as cold as ice. She still had the calm and calm temperament. Her oval face was full of Dongfang's temperament, and her shoulder-length hair was long. At this time, she was wearing a pair of light gray sunglasses. She looked at the staggering figure and then took something out of her pocket.
Even if they did not have much professional knowledge of weapons, they could clearly see that it was the shape of a grenade.
Standing in front of the chaotic door, she twisted the grenade and threw it into the restaurant. Then, she walked to a sports car on the side of the road.
With a loud bang, a terrifying explosion spewed out from the door of the restaurant and swallowed the person who could not get up. The shock wave of the explosion rolled up the woman's clothes and hair. She opened the car door in the midst of the flames and walked in.
At the same time, the person who fled before was about to cross the road and staggered to the other side of the road.
The sports car roared and knocked the person's figure out. In the blink of an eye, the person was hundreds of meters away. Under everyone's gaze, the person turned the corner in front of the road and disappeared.
"Su, Sister Suyan …"
Looking at the disappearing figure, Hsu Yi-ting murmured. Before she could react, the car under her that had been driving at the speed of a turtle suddenly changed. Although it was still quiet, she could still feel that the slight vibration of the turbine seemed to have increased several times in an instant. Dongfang Wan stepped hard on the accelerator and put one hand on the gear. The next moment, the car at the back rushed out like a rocket.
The distance of a few hundred meters was covered in the blink of an eye. Hsu Yi-ting screamed and Dongfang Wan crazily turned the steering wheel. The car almost drifted into the curve in front of them.
A few seconds later, the car began to slow down.
In front of them, the speeding sports car had disappeared. Just now, the light of the siren vaguely appeared on the street in front of them …
*****
After searching for information for a day, I'm exhausted …
Everyone was too enthusiastic. The information in the QQ group was only sent out a day ago.
The group of 500 people was already full, so fast …