Rheinmetall AG’s guesthouse, Xia Lei’s room.

“My colleagues in America found something from the number I gave them to investigate,” said Long Bing.

Xia Lei’s heart thumped. “What did you find?”

“The number is registered to someone named Johann. He is an American from Texas and he works in a slaughterhouse. He has a wife and five children,” said Long Bing.

Xia Lei laughed dryly. “That’s obviously fake. That person wouldn’t be a butcher or have five kids.”

“That person mentioned a laboratory in his messages. What kind of a laboratory do you think he’s talking about?”

Xia Lei said, “How would I know if even you don’t know? I think it definitely has something to do with the Alloy X Project I’m in charge of. The CIA has already established me as a target so perhaps that laboratory is behind it.”

He actually knew that the laboratory was the AE Research Center, but if he knew something that Long Bing didn’t even know, Long Bing would inevitably start suspecting something due to her experience in dealing with things like these. This was why he had chosen to give an explanation like this. He wouldn’t tell her the truth for the time being. After all, this had to do with the AE capsule and himself so it was very important.

Long Bing was silent for a moment as she watched Xia Lei. “Then you and that Sylvia…”

Xia Lei took her into his embrace and whispered into her ear, “Nothing happened with me and Sylvia. You heard us plucking goose feathers. Later, she wanted to seduce me, but that was so that she could drug me. I pretended to play along and secretly switched our cups, then I entered her study and got what I wanted. That’s everything that happened with her and I haven’t hidden anything from you.”

Long Bing finally smiled then, but she still pretended as if she didn’t care. “I don’t care who you get in bed with. I, um, was just asking.”

Xia Lei kissed her lips. He had curbed his arousal at Sylvia’s place, and a ball of fire smouldered in his loins. This ball of fire scorched him painfully and Long Bing was the person who could put out the fire for him. Being close to Long Bing made him very comfortable, and he began to get restless.

“Tang Yuyan is still awake,” said Long Bing.

“Who cares about her? Isn’t she only on duty during the latter part of the night? She wouldn’t come into my room at this time.” Xia Lei couldn’t wait.

Long Bing yielded after a show of resistance. Lust was painted on her face.

However, the door was suddenly pushed open right when Xia Lei was about to unbutton Long Bing’s shirt to touch her breasts. Tang Yuyan appeared in the doorway.

Xia Lei hurriedly took a step back, then slowly put his fists up to Long Bing as he said, “You must understand your own body to learn the secret to Wing Chun. Look at my elbow right now. It is in line with my fist. This way, you can maximise the strength of your attacks.”

This was a legendary reaction, no doubt about it.

Long Bing hadn’t seen Tang Yuyan behind them, but she had guessed who had come since the door had suddenly opened and Xia Lei had reacted so quickly. She also responded quickly as she raised her arms to block Xia Lei’s punch.

The two began exchanging blows in the room, and they acted in concert with each other, complete with skills and patterns.

Tang Yuyan blinked, and stared suspiciously at Xia Lei and Long Bing exchanging blows. What she had witnessed earlier had been different. She had seen Xia Lei reach out to undo Long Bing’s buttons above her breasts, while Long Bing had grabbed Xia Lei’s belt as if to undo it. All these had become teaching and learning martial arts moves in the blink of an eye, however. Who were they trying to fool?

“Ahem.” Tang Yuyan coughed and walked into the room. “Stop the act.”

Xia Lei and Long Bing stopped at the same time and faced Tang Yuyan together.

Xia Lei laughed. “Yuyan, weren’t you supposed to come for the second half of the night? Why are you so early?”

Tang Yuyan lifted one corner of her mouth in a smile. “You two would be in bed right now if I hadn’t walked in, huh?”

“What are you saying? I am learning martial arts from Xia Lei,” said Long Bing.

Tang Yuyan stared at Long Bing’s snow white chest. “Do you need to expose your chest to do martial arts?”

“The button popped open,” said Long Bing.

“Then Xia Lei’s zipper also popped open, right?” Tang Yuyan said as she stared at Xia Lei’s trousers.

Xia Lei glanced down and immediately turned to stone. He wasn’t even aware that Long Bing had pulled his zipper down.

Tang Yuyan harrumphed. “Do you guys think I’m dumb? I guess I am dumb, but I will catch you guys one day.”

Xia Lei and Long Bing shrugged at the same time, completely in sync.

“All right, Xia Lei. I came to report Boss Shi’s words to you. Boss Shi was very unhappy when he received my report. He said you’re not allowed to step out of Rheinmetall AG in the future. No matter what happens, you aren’t allowed to go out. I’m finished. You guys may continue.” Tang Yuyan turned and walked out. She even locked the door when she exited.

Long Bing and Xia Lei still stared at that door. The two of them knew that Tang Yuyan hadn’t left — she was just outside the door.

Xia Lei pulled his zipper up but his heart wasn’t very willing to do so. The fire within him was still burning silently.

And right then, Long Bing made some sounds at the door. “Ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhhh…”

The door of the room was suddenly pushed open yet again, as Tang Yuyan poked her head in.

The gazes of the three clashed, and it was full of awkwardness.

“What’s wrong with you?” Tang Yuyan said darkly. “What’s with those sounds?”

Long Bing remarked indifferently, “I was clearing my throat. Does that have anything to do with you?”

BANG! Tang Yuyan slammed the door, hard.

The next day, Xia Lei gave some work to the German workers, then went to the precision processing workshop.

The machinists in the precision processing workshop greeted Xia Lei one by one. Xia Lei responded to all of them politely. He had used his abilities to cow these German mechanics, so the interactions with them were harmonious.

Xia Lei got in front of an intelligent lathe, and prepared to process a new precision processing part.

Just then, Sylvia walked out of her office and waved at Xia Lei. “Mr Xia, please come over here for a moment.”

‘She actually still has the guts to talk to me,’ thought Xia Lei. He walked over to Sylvia’s office.

Sylvia closed the door when Xia Lei entered the office. She then got a cup of water from the water dispenser and put it in front of Xia Lei.

Xia Lei laughed. “Thank you, but I’m not thirsty.”

After a short silence, Sylvia said, “This cup of water isn’t drugged.”

Xia Lei said, “Even so, I’m not thirsty. Just come out with it. What do you want?”

“I want to talk with you.” Sylvia’s face was full of guilt.

“What do we have to talk about?”

“That… sorry.” Sylvia hesitated as she continued, “Yesterday, I was in the wrong. I’ve been used by someone. I shouldn’t have done that to you. No matter what you did in the past, what I did was a mistake. Just thinking of it now makes me feel ashamed. Please… please keep it a secret for me, or I will get into trouble.”

Xia Lei then understood why Sylvia had approached him of her own accord, and even apologised to him. She was the chief machinist of Rheinmetall AG and she was a German. Right now, he was representing China in collaboration with Germany. This collaboration between both countries was something that the German government saw as extremely important. If the German government knew that she was colluding with an American laboratory, and intended to have him captured and brought to America, ruining the collaboration, then she would be faced with some extremely grave prosecution!

After understanding Sylvia’s worry and fear, a new thought suddenly came to Xia Lei.

“Miss Sylvia, you drugged me. If I hadn’t accidentally picked up the wrong cup, I would be in the Americans’ hands right now, won’t I? You almost thrust me into a dangerous situation. Do you think a ‘sorry’ makes up for that? If that’s how things work, then no one would be left in Germany’s prisons, huh?” Xia Lei put a heavy emphasis on the word “prison”.

Sylvia became anxious. “Mr Xia, what should I do for you to forgive me? Just say it. No matter what your conditions are, I will agree to it.”

“You should probably still remember that mobile phone of yours, right? The Blackberry phone. It contains the messages you sent to your lover. Those can all serve as evidence. What do you think would happen if I were to give it to your German Intelligence Agency?” Xia Lei continued to press the point.

“No, Mr Xia…” Sylvia’s eyes were already filled with tears.

Xia Lei then said, “If you want me to keep it a secret, that’s fine too. Tell me who ‘My True Love’ is.”

“He…” Sylvia started to speak, then stopped. She was very hesitant.

Xia Lei laughed. “You’re still protecting a man who used you, and who doesn’t even care about your situation. All right, it seems there’s nothing else that’s worth talking about. I will give your phone to your German agents right now and let them handle this.”

“Wait!” Sylvia suddenly grabbed onto Xia Lei’s sleeve. “I’ll tell you.”

Xia Lei looked her in the eyes.

Sylvia avoided Xia Lei’s gaze. “He is called Adolf Hillman. He is a German American. He grew up with me, and later went to America to study. He got into Harvard University and got a doctoral degree in biology there. He is my lover. I love him, or at least… I used to love him.”

Love could make a woman dumb, and Sylvia had proven the truth of these words once again.

“Who is he working for?” Xia Lei asked.

Sylvia thought for a moment before saying, “He works for the American government but I’m not sure about the specific position or structure. He has never told me.”

“Last night, did he appear after I got away?”

Sylvia shook her head. “No, there wasn’t anyone in sight when I woke up. I received a call afterwards, telling me how to handle the aftermath.”

“What did that person tell you?”

“He told me not to say anything, or my corpse would appear in the Rhine River.”

“Do you have Hillman’s photo? Let me see it,” said Xia Lei.

Sylvia took out a wallet and opened it. She held it up to Xia Lei.

There was a picture of a handsome young man with golden hair and an attractive gaze in the wallet.

“Mr Xia, I… I told you everything I know. I’m begging you, please forgive me.” Sylvia looked at Xia Lei hesitantly, and quite pitifully too.

Xia Lei walked towards the door.

“Mr Xia…” Sylvia was almost in tears.

Xia Lei turned around and smiled. “I need you to help me process a few parts. Do you have the time?”

Sylvia paused, and her tears turned to laughter. “Of course!”