Ye Jian was unaware that Xia Jinyuan was on the same flight as her. Though the incident with Ye Ying didn’t affect Ye Jian and the students from the various schools’ excitement for the trip, the teachers were unable to relax and enjoy it as much.
They were supposed to depart at noon and return at 9 AM.
At 3 PM, Teacher Zhu and a few of the students from the town middle school returned. Ye Jian did not see Ye Ying at the site, and even Gao Yiyang stayed silent and didn’t inquire further about where Ye Ying had gone.
Shortly after Teacher Zhu’s group had left, Ye Jian’s group boarded the bus headed to the airport.
They boarded the plane at 8:30 PM, and thirty minutes into the flight, most of the passengers had begun to fall asleep. Ye Jian conversed in whispers with her neighbouring seatmate Yang Ye, but she eventually also succumbed to slumber.
Unsure of how long she had slept, Ye Jian was awaken by Yang Ye’s mumbling. The clock indicated that it was only 1 AM in the morning , so there were still 6 more hours left before arrival.
Ye Jian covered Yang Ye with the blanket, which had fallen, before getting up silently and headed towards the bathroom without disturbing anyone.
While she was still washing her hands, someone politely knocked twice on the door, so Ye Jian quickly proceeded to take a few tissues to dry her hands and opened the door…
As nimble as a mountain leopard, a person tried to force his way into the narrow bathroom.
Ye Jian reacted very quickly. Upon noticing the other party’s suspicious behavior, Ye Jian had already lifted her right leg, ready to strike her opponent’s knee.
“What a grandeur way to greet someone. I really don’t deserve it.” A familiar voice with a hint of mischief gradually started to laugh, and a familiar minty scent tickled Ye Jian’s nose.
It was crisp and subtle, just like how its owner had a low-profile.
The right leg that was previously aiming at his knee immediately retracted but not before brushing against his calf.
Ye Jian stepped sideways to allow Xia Jinyuan to enter further such that the door could be closed.
The minute he stepped in, Ye Jian regretted allowing him to enter.
The space within the bathroom was narrow and small, and it contained exactly enough space to accommodate one person, but with him also inside, the space became exceedingly small, and Ye Jian pondered if she should stand on top of the toilet bowl.
It seemed like Ye Jian was shielding herself from the foul smell of sanitizers. However, every shallow breath she currently took was filled with his scent, and Ye Jian, who was sensitive to smell, couldn’t help but take in fewer breaths.
Ye Jian always felt uncomfortable being alone with him, especially in such a small space.
On the other hand, Xia Jinyuan didn’t mind and the cramped space did not affect his mood. When he saw Ye Jian’s expression, which revealed that she would rather stand on the toilet bowl cover, he couldn’t help but laugh in a deep voice.
“Little lass, you fell asleep within thirty minutes of boarding the flight. If you didn’t wake up, I would have gone over to shout and wake you up.” Under the dim light, the handsome face smiled while staring into Ye Jian’s black pupils which didn’t have a hint of happiness. “Finish memorizing these materials in two minutes and give them to me when you’re done.”
The so-called materials were actually photos.
They were photos of four different men, each with their respective profiles written on it: two blond foreigners with blue eyes, one tanned Vietnamese man from Can Tho City, and another Chinese man.
Ye Jian’s gaze locked on the photo of the Vietnamese man and squinted. “Mercenaries?”
“He participated in the Sino-Vietnamese war. After retiring from the military, he became a teacher. He became a mercenary after falling for a woman.” Xia Jinyuan took the photos which she handed over and placed them back into his pocket. “Also known as the Red Scorpion, he has experience fighting in the front lines, and he killed four soldiers sent by the Vietnamese government.”
