Old ways
Zhou Xiuli returned home exhausted. She stood in front of the cabinet in her room and took out the photo frame that she had hidden for almost five years.
The man revealed a bright smile similar to Lu Jia to the camera and held an old-fashioned Ye in his hand.
Her fingers gently stroked the face on the photo album, and her memory couldn't help but return to the moment when the camera froze. She couldn't help but reveal a nostalgic smile when she thought of the man smiling at them.
However, when she realized that her husband, Lu Jia's father, Lu Yao, had left them forever, tears flowed down.
Zhou Xiuli could understand that Lu Jia and herself were becoming estranged, but she definitely could not accept that her daughter had left her because of this.
Otherwise, she would have become the murderer who killed her daughter!
The last time Lu Jia appeared in that video, she mentioned that she was going to return home via Los Angeles Airport, but she still couldn't be contacted on her mobile phone. More than ten hours had passed, and so far, the customs hadn't received any news of her returning home.
Although almost everyone was comforting him, his intuition told Zhou Xiuli that things must have gotten worse.
Her visa to the United States had been expedited, so her ticket to Los Angeles had already been bought as early as daytime. She felt that she should at least do something, so she eagerly left a message with Zhang Xiaoxi on WeChat." Xiaoxi, I'm flying to Los Angeles tomorrow morning to find the local police to follow up on Jiajia. Keep in touch with me at any time in China."
" You're pretty good online. If you receive any news, you must inform me immediately!"
On the other hand, in Zhang Xiaoxi's house not far away, in the dark room, the white light of her phone shone on her face. She looked at the replies from netizens and thought of the dangers Lu Jia might have experienced... insomnia, anxiety and self-blame swept over, making her breathless.
Could she…Could she…
After seeing Zhou Xiuli's WeChat message, the content briefly pulled her out of her suppressed emotions. Zhang Xiaoxi forced a smile and typed on the keyboard on her phone screen.
" Okay, no problem, auntie. I'll definitely keep an eye on the situation at all times…You must stabilize yourself and have a good rest tonight."
However, before she could finish her sentence, her phone suddenly rang and interrupted her. Zhang Xiaoxi immediately picked up the call.
It's from the police station.
" There's been some new developments regarding Lu Jia. We've received news and are very confident that she's still alive. She's suspected to be near Tijuana, Mexico, but…it's too late today. Tomorrow, the staff of the Chinese Consulate in Tijuana will make an international video call with us to inquire about the situation."
Zhang Xiaoxi hung up the phone excitedly when she heard the police uncle's words. She lay on the bed and held her phone tightly, but her sleepiness became even thinner.
As long as he was alive, there was still hope for everything!
However, very quickly, that phone call just now did not solve the problem. Instead, it created more doubts, and thousands of thoughts lingered around her.
For example, why did Luka go to Mexico? She was certain that this had not been part of their original travel plans, let alone Luca's inability to speak Spanish.
Thinking of this, she became even more anxious.
……
Zhou Xiuli, who had also received the call, did not sleep well that night. She immediately returned her ticket. The next morning, she and Zhang Xiaoxi came to the police station again, ready to learn more.
They were brought to a spacious conference room by the police officer in charge. The staff on the screen adjusted their glasses seriously after seeing Zhou Xiuli and Zhang Xiaoxi, who looked tired and tired.
Ladies, before I show you the surveillance footage taken near my consulate, I need to confirm some questions with you."
Zhou Xiuli and Zhang Xiaoxi suddenly felt very nervous. They couldn't help but look at each other, but they managed to calm down.
" First of all, may I ask if Miss Lu Jia has any plans to go to Mexico in her original travel plan?"
Zhang Xiaoxi was stunned for a moment before she immediately said," I'm sure not. After all, we all heard that Mexico is very chaotic. Even if we were together, we would definitely not rashly get involved in such a place."
" Then, according to your understanding, does she have any familiar local friends in the United States or Mexico?"
"I haven't heard of it…"
Hearing the other party's question, Zhou Xiuli was frantic." Can you tell me how my daughter is now?"
The staff member's gaze shifted to look at the woman in front of him who was on the verge of breaking down. He could not help but sigh slightly.
In the next second, a slightly blurry video was displayed on the big screen." This is the video captured by the surveillance cameras outside our consulate. In this frame, Ms. Lu Jia just raised her head at this moment, so we can confirm her identity."
The scene was paused, and Lu Jia's face happened to be captured by the video.
Zhou Xiuli and Zhang Xiaoxi frowned. Although it was obviously night in the picture, they were Lu Jia's closest people. They could be sure that this girl was Lu Jia at a glance.
But at the same time, they could clearly see a tall and burly man holding Lu Jia in his arms and sticking very close to her.
" Wait, then who is this person…Why is he hugging Jiajia like this?"
" After comparing them, we can basically confirm that the other party is the man who carried Miss Lu Jia away in the video in Las Vegas, USA."
“……”
" At first, we couldn't understand why he brought Ms. Lu Jia to the Chinese Consulate in Tijuana, but quickly pulled her into an alley when she was about to be delivered."
The scene progressed along with the staff member's explanation." Until we discovered this…"
A tall, burly, vigilant man placed his hand behind his waist and quickly followed them into the alley after they disappeared.
The scene fast-forwarded. About two minutes later, several tall men dressed in suits and obviously trained quickly took pictures. After seeing the situation inside the alley, they stopped and said something. Then, they immediately scattered and sneakily looked around.
Even Zhou Xiuli and Zhang Xiaoxi, who couldn't see what was going on, could clearly feel a strong sense of threat and tension through the screen.
Who are they? Sneaky. What's going on?
Through the camera, the staff member could feel the panic and fear of the two of them, but he could not say it directly. He could only comfort them," Ms. Lu Jia should have been involved in some dangerous incident, but please rest assured, we have already reported it to the local Mexican police and made negotiations. We will do our best to find her as soon as possible."
*
Phoenix stood outside the carriage with his arms folded over his chest. The thin metal sheet was not soundproof, and he could hear the sound of water splashing in his ears. He could also hear the faint sound of fabric rubbing against skin.
"Hiss--"
A slight inhalation was followed by a sigh from the bottom of his heart.
Realizing that these sounds came from Lu Jia's mouth, Phoenix lowered her eyes slightly. Her Adam's apple moved up and down as she swallowed, prompting her to shift her attention.
But soon, Phoenix noticed that the voices in the carriage seemed to have suddenly disappeared after casually passing the time to the Mexican men who were sitting nearby and chatting.
It was as if he was avoiding standing outside the door. Clearly…they had already done many things that crossed the line.
He seemed to have suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but laugh at himself.
Probably because of her boyfriend in China.
……
On the other hand, Lu Jia felt like she was acting like a thief. Thinking that Phoenix was standing outside and might have heard her actions clearly, Lu Jia, who was tiptoeing, still felt her heart beating like a drum, but her hands sped up.
At this moment, she did not care about her moist and damp skin. She put on her clothes in a hurry, then opened the car door and quickly got out of the car with a red face.
"Thank you. I'm done."
"…Hmm."
Phoenix nodded lightly, then took the bucket from Lu Jia's hand, turned around, and walked forward.
Lu Jia held the things in her hand and followed. However, before she left, she carefully glanced at the group of Mexican men who were sitting not far away and laughing. They looked at Lu Jia with gossiping eyes. One of them suddenly shouted at Lu Jia," No te enojes, chica, Debes perdonar a tu novio íntimo."
- There was laughter again.
Not only did Lu Jia not understand, but she felt a little afraid of it. She picked up the thing in her hand and quickly followed Phoenix.
Phoenix turned to look at Lu Jia and slowed down slightly.
When she returned to the car, she heaved a sigh of relief.
After calming down a little, Lu Jia turned around and looked at Phoenix, who was sitting beside her. After hesitating and hesitating, she couldn't help but ask," Since I can't go to the Chinese Consulate in Tijuana, where do you plan to send me?"
Phoenix remained silent for a long time before he turned to look at Lu Jia and slowly said," Let's head south to Baja California first. Most of the Chinese in Mexico are gathered here. It's convenient for us to hide, so we can spend the night in Baja California."
Although Lu Jia wasn't familiar with Mexico, as a geography person, her good academic literacy allowed her to know that the Baja California Phoenix mentioned was a narrow peninsula extending from the northwest of Mexico. It was like a thin and long arm. It was very special.
Lu Jia did not comment on Phoenix's suggestion. After all, she did need a suitable environment to rest and wash up.
"Alright."
However, Lu Jia wasn't so easy to dismiss. After all, she knew very well that Phoenix still didn't answer her question. Instead, she changed the topic again.
The Chinese consulate in Tijuana was dangerous, so the journey to the embassy in Mexico City must be dangerous. She could understand walking from Baja California.
"And then?"
After all, Baja California is separated from the rest of Mexico by the Gulf of California, which is as short as 90 kilometers and as far as 200 kilometers!
Lu Jia had also learned from books that Cape San Lucas, the southern tip of Lower California, was even known as the 'End of the Earth'. If one went there, unless they took a boat, it was almost a dead end!
So, where was he going? After all, this and Lu Jia think Russia are completely different directions!
Things got tricky.
"You haven't answered me. Where are you taking me? In which country is China's consulate or embassy located? If it isn't Mexico…is it Canada or Russia?"
However, Phoenix remained silent in the face of Lu Jia's questioning and probing. Her thumb gently rubbed the pad of her other slender finger, and she lowered her eyes casually, not saying a word.
... again, again!
Lu Jia couldn't help but turn around and lean over. She frowned and questioned," Did you not keep your promise to me before? Caspar Phoenix…what are you thinking?"
"-sorry."
Finally, Phoenix stopped and looked up at Lu Jia with her indifferent gray-blue eyes.
"I just couldn't help but think of something that bothered me."
Lu Jia took a deep breath and asked angrily,"... What question?"
"Since your boyfriend Laolu is in China, why did you want me to help you find him when you first met me?"
“……？!”
Lu Jia's heart skipped a beat. She froze on the spot for a moment, because she had almost forgotten what she had said when she first met Phoenix.
Yes... After Lu Jia knew that he was from the FBI, she had the idea of asking him to help her find Old Lu.
But who would have thought that things would turn out like this?
Just as she was thinking, Lu Jia's consciousness suddenly returned. She suddenly realized that she and Phoenix seemed to be getting too close again unconsciously. Lu Jia could even clearly see her reflection in his eyes under the sunlight.
She immediately looked away as if she had been electrocuted. She lowered her eyes and said," Don't change the topic. This has nothing to do with Lu Lu!"
"-of course there is."
Phoenix aggressively approached Lu Jia, who was alert and nervous, in this narrow cockpit. She couldn't help but smile, raising her eyebrows and letting out a faint laugh. Her breathing made the space heat up again.
"After all, why should I tell my plans to a lying bad girl?"