There was a part of Yang Yi that felt like he was going on the run the day he was supposed to depart.
All the stuff at his house and all the data on his computer which should not be seen by anyone had been destroyed and deleted. Yang Yi only took his clothes, some personal care items, and a box when he left his house.
His car had been sold to a rich friend in his car circle. He sold it for 1.2 million RMB which could not be considered a small sum of money. However, Yang Yi was unfortunate. He was not able to collect it. It was not feasible for the buyer to give him the amount in cash. It was not a matter he needed to worry about though.
Li Fan was waiting for him downstairs. Yang Yi felt like he was being escorted to the airport instead of being sent off by Li Fan. The meaning of the words was almost the same, but the intent behind them was very different.
Yang Yi did not speak when he climbed into the car. It was mainly because he did not know what he should say or what they could talk about. Li Fan turned to look at him and said, “How have you been feeling these past few days?”
“Not great but I do not want to talk about it.”
Yang Yi’s true feelings were not as simple as he described; he had no intention of ever divulging his true feelings. It was not like Li Fan was intending to probe him about it further..
“It is good that you can adapt to the situation. The way you have felt over the past few days will be the norm once you truly begin to walk the path of a spy. Hand over your identity card and phone.”
Yang Yi pulled a plastic bag out of his bag. It contained his phone, identity card, bank account book, property deed, student ID, and passport. All of his documents regardless of whether it was necessary, useful, or not was handed over to Li Fan.
Li Fan took the plastic bag and handed Yang Yi a passport. Then he said softly, “Your name is still Yang Yi, besides that all other details regarding your identity have been changed. You need to be aware of the changes.”
Yang Yi opened his new passport inside was a bank card and an airline ticket to London.
“It is a Bank of England card under your name. One hundred and twenty thousand pounds is already in the account. It is the money I promised you in addition to the money from the sale of your car.”
Yang Yi replied softly, “Uncle Li, did I not already tell you not to give me any money? I cannot use that much and eventually I will end up returning it.”
Li Fan replied without a hint of emotion, “One should be thrifty at home but not while abroad. You should have ample funds. Things are easier when you have more cash. You should take it since I cannot help you with anything else.”
Yang Yi nodded and did not continue to push the issue.
Li Fan did not say anything else because he was a man of few words.
Li Fan looked at Yang Yi again once they reached the airport. He said, “I will not send you off. You will be alone in the future… be careful at all times.”
Yang Yi nodded and opened the car door. Li Fan spoke again as he was climbing out of the car, “Wait, you… nevermind. Stay alert.”
Yang Yi settled back into his seat. He looked at Li Fan, clutched his hand in his own hands, and said, “Uncle Li, thank you for taking care of me all these years. Be at ease. I will be fine.”
Li Fan shook his tense shoulders and murmured, “Ah.”
Yang Yi released his hand and got out of the car. He shut the door and watched Li Fan drive off until his car faded into the distance.
The bond between Yang Yi and Li Fan could not be considered deep. They also were not close. They had only met a few times after all. Yet, Li Fan had watched him grow up even though they were not related by blood. Yang Yi could imagine the things he had done behind the scenes and the sacrifice he had made for him.
Yang Yi took a deep breath before turning and walking into the airport.
Li Fan had already arranged everything for Yang Yi. He just had to carry his luggage and board the plane.
Yang Yi came to the realization that this was his last moment in the country while he was waiting to board the plane. He could never take a step in this country with his feet again.
Yang Yi dropped to his knees and prostrated himself to place a kiss on the ground. Everyone who saw it was surprised.
There were not any complicated feelings or a sense of patriotism behind the action. Yang Yi just wanted to kiss the land he would probably never be able to step onto again.
Yang Yi gazed out the window as the plane took off. He did not stop looking until everything he was familiar with had disappeared beneath the clouds.
He had to start looking forward.
There was no way for him to turn back on his path anyway.
His path forward was an uncertain one. He was still a bit nervous because he had not visited England for more than ten years.
Everything went smoothly when he boarded the plane. He hoped it would be just as smooth when he disembarked. Yang Yi had confidence in Li Fan, but his anxiety was only alleviated after the immigration officer stamped his passport.
Identity cards were not used in England. The government of the UK had planned for a system using identity cards and tried to implement it, but the decision was quickly repealed.
A birth certificate, driver’s license, passport, or bank statement was necessary to provide proof of British citizenship. Yang Yi had a passport and a bank card. Therefore, the issue of his citizenship had been resolved by Li Fan already.
Yang Yi landed in England, but he did not feel like he had arrived until the moment he left the airport. His first priority was to buy a phone with a service plan. If he did not get a phone, then he would be lost in the city.
He had been away for more than eleven years, but he had grown up in England. His ability to communicate in English had not been lost. He was able to speak the language fluently with a pure London accent.
Yang Yi bought a phone and then considered whether he should call all five numbers in the address book or only the number from England.
It seemed like a simple question; however, the two decisions both had advantages and disadvantages. Yang Yi had not made a decision when he obtained the address book, but now that he could make the calls he would need to decide.
Yang Yi eventually decided to make the calls one after the other. He would be able to quickly determine which of the numbers his dad had left for him were still reachable at the very least.
His first attempt to call the Dutch number was intercepted by Li Fan. This time there was no interference and the call quickly connected.
“Hi.” A very gentle female voice said in Dutch.
Yang Yi’s voice was heavy with emotion when he responded because he was nervous, “Hi. I am looking for Phyllis.”
The lady on the phone asked in English, “Sorry, did you maybe call the wrong number?”
Yang Yi replied softly, “It is possible. May I ask how long you have been using this number?”
“It has been a while. More than five years now.”
“If that is the case, I have truly called the wrong number. Sorry, I will not take up any more of your time. Goodbye.”
Yang Yi ended the call and crossed out the first number he had written in his heart. The contact was useless now.
The second number was an England number. Yang Yi decided to call it last because he was in England. If the contact could be reached, then there was a chance he could seek shelter with them. Therefore, the second call he made was to a number in the U.S.
“Hi. I am looking for Mr. Mike Smith.”
“Mr. Mike Smith? If this is not a prank call, I regret to inform you that he passed away three years ago.”
Yang Yi was distracted for a moment when the call ended. He removed the third number from his list as well. He called the number in Poland, but the call was terminated because the number was no longer in use.
His fourth phone call was to a number in Hong Kong. The number was in use, but the man that answered just blathered on for some time. Yang Yi was unable to make sense of anything he was saying. It was apparent the other party could not understand English thus was unable to understand Yang Yi either.
Whether the man was the person he was looking for or not, Yang Yi decided to end the call. It was a waste of time to continue since both parties were unable to understand the other. It was like a chicken was trying to talk with a duck. Even if the other party was only pretending to be ignorant, the contact no longer held any value for him.
There was only one number left. Yang Yi was nervous when he made the call. He was afraid this important inheritance he received from his dad had lost all meaning already.
The voice of an old man answered the call once it connected, “Good evening, who is this?”
Yang Yi took a breath and said, “Hi, I am looking for Mr. John Jones.”
There was a brief moment of silence from the other side of the phone. The person who answered the phone softly replied, "Speaking. Who is this?"
Yang Yi inhaled deeply. His voice was trembling slightly, “I am James Yang’s son.”
The silence was even longer this time.
John finally replied softly after at least ten seconds had passed, “James Yang. Who is James Yang? I do not think I know this person or his son.”
By this point, half of Yang Yi’s confidence had disappeared. He thought for a moment before saying softly, “He was also called Yang Chen. I was told to call this number. It was left for me by him a long time ago.”
John was silent again before replying, “I remember him. Are you looking for me for a particular reason?”
“Yes. Would it be possible to meet in person to talk about it?”
John replied with no hesitation, “No. I do not think that is necessary. Why not tell me your purpose?”
Yang Yi was stumped by the question. He himself was unsure what to do now. He just wanted to contact the people on the list his dad left him. He had not thought this far ahead.
It had been more than eleven years since this list was left for him by his dad. When his dad wrote the list everyone on it was someone he could trust and rely on. However, considering how much time had passed just how much had changed? Could these people still be trusted just because his dad had trusted them previously?
Therefore, would Yang Yi dare to reveal his plan now?
The best choice Yang Yi could make in this situation was to first meet his dad’s old friend. It seemed like John did not want to meet with him, at least it seemed that way. He asked the purpose of the meeting instead. Yang Yi was a bit hesitant to continue. He was not a hyper-vigilant person, but he knew there were still times when he needed to exercise caution.
Yang Yi hesitated for a moment and came to a decision. He did not have any other options. John was the only person he had managed to contact.
“I would like to talk about how my dad died.”
Yang Yi gave John the reason he wanted to meet; he wanted to probe John for information. John replied after a moment of silence, “What if I am not interested?”
“That is okay. Sorry, I will not take up any more of your time then.”
“Thank you.”
John hung up the phone immediately. Yang Yi was left utterly confused by the abrupt end to the conversation. His phone started ringing while he was thinking about what he should do next.
John spoke calmly, “I have changed my mind. Tell me where you are if you want to meet me.”