210 MY LITTLE SUNSHINE (1/2)

After Zhong Feng returned to Australia the following day, Hu Lei received the call that she had been expecting for a while. She felt both anticipation and fear as she picked her phone.

\”What news do you have for me, Vlad?\” She asked as soon as she answered.

\”Oh, now I am Vlad once again.\” The Russian laughed.

\”Other names come to mind. I can use them if you wish.\” She said with irritation.

\”No, no, I am pleased that we are friends again, Jane darling.\”

Hu Lei did not correct his address. It was not like he would listen anyway.

\”So, what do you have for me?\”

\”Have you told your husband about your plans? By the way, thank you for the invite to the wedding.\”

\”There has been no wedding yet. Keep wasting my time, and I really won't invite you to the wedding.\”

\”He might kill me if he finds out that I helped you if things go wrong. He is not the man he used to be a few years ago.\” Vladimir said with a wistful tone as he remembered the conversation he and that man had had.

\”And I will kill you if you don't tell me what I want to know.\”

\”With friends like you… I have found very little information about Global Volunteer Doctors. It seems like someone went to a lot of trouble to hide everything. The records are sparse and unavailable in modern media. Of course, you should already know that. Or your husband would have already hacked the world and found the information.\”

\”What about the other matter?\”

\”I have handled that too. The package has already been prepared. It shouldn't be hard to use.\”

\”What do you want in return?\”

\”Is our friendship that cold to you?\”

Hu Lei waited.

\”Well, it's nothing too difficult. You know my little sunshine has always felt so bad about what happened years ago. All I ask is that you host him for a few days, indulge his sense of adventure and let him know that bygones are bygones, alright? Then, we will call it even.\”

Hu Lei frowned. The request was simple enough, but she knew to Vladimir it really was a fair trade. After all, his little sunshine was worth to him more than any amount of money. She did not mind the request, but she was also not enthusiastic about it.

She liked Pierre just fine because he was a perfectly alright person. She would even call him a friend. Unfortunately, he also symbolised the beginning of her descent into darkness. It was not his fault, but his lack of culpability also made her dissatisfied.

\”Alright.\” She agreed.