"Could you please repeat your itinerary?"
In the interrogation room at the police station, Captain Adam once again requested.
"After leaving Paris, France, I first went to..."
Once again, Li Yi'an repeated how he had fled from France to England.
In fact, this wasn't his own experience but that of a university classmate. Unlike many of his peers who were focused on their studies, this classmate, born into a wealthy family in Rome, had chosen to travel the world as a backpacker after graduation. He had traversed Europe and even ventured into Africa, leaving almost no corner of the globe untouched.
Envious of his friend's adventures, Li Yi'an occasionally kept an eye on his social media posts. When his friend traveled through North Africa into Spain and then to France, Li Yi'an had the idea to reverse this route for his own escape.
As for the language barrier, Li Yi'an wasn't worried. During his university years, in order to secure a job in a big company after graduation, he had not only studied English but also French and German. Among them, his proficiency in English and French was the strongest, and he had no problem communicating or writing reports.
As for the details, thanks to his friend's frequent posts about food, squares, and churches on social media, Li Yi'an had absorbed a fair amount of knowledge. Many towns in Europe had remained unchanged for centuries, providing him with ample material to work with. Even if some details didn't quite add up, Li Yi'an wasn't aware of them, and Captain Adam might not be familiar with every place either.
Finally, after Li Yi'an reiterated his story, Captain Adam, finding no suspicious points, left the interrogation room. He pondered for a moment and muttered to himself.
"Perhaps he really did escape from France."
Then he ordered,
"Notify the embassy to come and confirm his identity."
...
49 Portland Square.
Pushing his bicycle, Li Guoren remained skeptical until he reached the embassy.
"It's quite strange that someone could escape from France."
But in these times, anything was possible.
As a third secretary, he hadn't thought much of it. The ambassador was currently in the United States, and the consul had sent him over just to check. It was just a routine task.
Arriving at the police station, after Li Guoren stated his purpose, he quickly met with the person in charge. As usual when dealing with the British, he spoke politely.
"Sorry for the trouble."
After the pleasantries, he added,
"But, sir, I can't prove anything. At most, I can chat with him and see."
"Because he has no identification, we're not sure of his identity, which is why we need you to chat with him to confirm."
"Understood..."
Confirm his identity?
Who could confirm his identity?
If they confirmed wrongly, who would bear the responsibility?
This guy, instead of staying in France, why did he have to cause trouble for himself?
As soon as they met, Li Guoren directly asked,
"Why did you leave France? What's the point of running around in such chaos?"
As he spoke, he casually put his bag on the table, his tone a bit impatient.
The familiar language with a hint of a Jiangsu-Zhejiang accent sounded warm and familiar, but the words were sharp. Seeing this man with gold-rimmed glasses and a side-parted hairstyle, Li Yi'an calmly replied,
"Sir, are you from the embassy? Is Ambassador Gu there?"
"Ambassador Gu?"
Li Guoren's expression changed slightly. He carefully scrutinized him and, not only did his impatience disappear, but he even smiled.
"You know Ambassador Gu?"
Ambassador Gu was Gu Weijun, who had signed the treaty in Paris.
Of course, Li Yi'an didn't know him, but he had read a report about his wife, Huang Huilan, who had previously served as the ambassador to France before transferring to Britain after the French surrender. Li Yi'an recalled that the report described not only Huang Huilan's luxurious life but also her diplomatic experiences accompanying her husband across Europe and even to the United States. If he remembered correctly, they should be in the United States now with the first lady.
"I had a chance encounter with Mrs. Huang at a reception at the Paris embassy."
Li Yi'an mentioned it deliberately.
"There has been some business dealings between our families."
Why mention the Huang family?
Because the Huang family was prominent, Huang Huilan's father was a well-known "Sugar King" in the Dutch East Indies, and their family was one of the wealthiest in the Dutch East Indies. And Li, as a common surname, had some business dealings with the Li family. It was quite normal.
So Li Yi'an dared to claim an association with the Huang family. Even if Huang Huilan were present, he wouldn't worry about being exposed.
And more importantly, only by mentioning the Huang family could he hope for intervention from the embassy and possibly obtain a legitimate identity for himself.
Otherwise, with his previous impatient demeanor, how could they possibly help him?
"Oh, I see now! My apologies, my apologies!"
Li Guoren's attitude became increasingly enthusiastic. After all, anyone who had business dealings with the Huang family must be a prominent figure from the Nanyang region. No wonder he managed to escape from France.
This guy must be wealthy!
Almost instinctively, Li Guoren's tone became very respectful. After all, this was the acquaintance of his boss's wife.
And more importantly, he was wealthy!
Wealthy and influential!
If he missed this opportunity, he might never have another chance to meet such a person again!
"Mr. Li, you may not know, but Ambassador Gu and his wife are currently in the United States accompanying Madam Song on her visit."
"Oh, what should I do then?"
Li Yi'an frowned, feeling somewhat helpless.
"Now the British suspect me of being a spy. Without Mrs. Huang's testimony, how can I prove my innocence..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Guoren interjected directly.
"The British are too outrageous. Mr. Li is obviously a compatriot of mine, yet they accuse him of being a German spy. It's truly unbelievable. Mr. Li, please rest assured. Even if we're not brothers, as fellow countrymen, I have a duty. How could I allow the British to frame us? I will definitely negotiate with the British. These British imperialists will only despise us if we don't stand up to them!"
With that, Li Guoren stood up, pounded on the iron door, and shouted loudly in English.
"Open the door, open the door!"
As the door opened, before Captain Adam could speak, Li Guoren, who was no longer as submissive as before, questioned loudly.
"Captain Adam, what exactly do you mean by this?"
"What?"
"On what grounds do you detain compatriots of our ally? Our countrymen suffer all kinds of oppression under the Germans. After finally escaping to England, they are accused of being spies and detained by you. This is absurd! I will protest to the Foreign Office, I will protest to Downing Street. Is this how your country treats its allies?"
Captain Adam, who had been slapped with this accusation by Li Guoren, hurriedly asked,
"Secretary Li, didn't you just say you couldn't prove anything?"
"Prove?"
Li Guoren said solemnly,
"Mr. Li's family is a prominent Nanyang Chinese family, with ties to the ambassador's wife's family. How could I not prove it!"
In an instant, Captain Adam understood. After all this fuss, this guy also had a background.
Fine, let him go.