He is used to waking up to her bright smiles and "good-morning" every day. He likes the breakfast she makes and the gifts she gives him. She is a ray of sunshine.
He wishes Country F is the only country in the world, so that they can never leave it.
He dreams she'll always be there for him
...
Justin's lab is downtown, not far from their hotel. It only takes Lily six minutes to drive there. She nervously rings the doorbell.
Soon, a blonde man opens the door, his eyes alert.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Hello, I'm Mr. Justin's friend." Lily says her name in French, "My name is Lily. I'm here for Ixora. Did Mr. Justin tell you?"
The blonde man closes the door, as if he needs to make a phone call.
Lily is not in a hurry, so she waits there. After a minute, the door opens again. The blonde man invites her in. "I called Justine, but he said the thing you wanted is a little tricky to get."
"What do you mean?"
He doesn't say anything and takes Lily to the basement of the villa.
This is a large room of 200 square meters. It is filled with all kinds of delicate instruments and experimental subjects. A couple of researchers in uniforms are walking around the benches.
Lily is amazed.
Not to mention how much Justin makes working on drugs and military supplies for LH Country, he has enough money to provide the Smith Group with strong logistical support, so she doesn't have to worry about anything.
She follows the blonde man into a small lab and sees several glass jars on the bench. One of them contains the green plant that they took from the Turkish village with difficulty. Justin and his team name it Ixora while studying it.
"Is the liquid in this glass tube from Ixora?" Lily points at one of the green glass test tubes and asks the blonde man.
He nods with a fanatical look in his eyes. "Right! The research has reached the fourth stage with no failure. We didn't expect it to go so swimmingly."
Lily takes a look at the glass jar on the bench and asks curiously, "I remember saving six Ixoras, but there is only one glass jar and four test tubes."
"Another one is taken by Justin," the blonde man says, "He said he bought a new instrument that could break down Ixora faster. He is doing experiments there to avoid the trouble of moving the instruments around."
Lily nods and hesitates before asking him, "Can you sell me one? I don't care how much it costs me."
He shakes his head.
Lily thinks he does not agree and feels somewhat disappointed. But then she grits her teeth and adds, "If money is not good, please tell me what you need. I will try my best to get it."
"Miss Lily, you took it the wrong way." He smiles and says, "You must be important to Justin because he means to keep this place a secret. You can take whatever you want."
"Then why...?"
"Ixora is in early trials and may carry unknown viruses," the blonde man explains, "We need to complete the experiment, test it on animals, and make sure it is safe before giving it to you."
"Some new viruses in plants or animals can be highly contagious and airborne. If they spread in cities, millions of people will die. We cannot afford to take such a big risk."
"I found Justin's lab!"
John is dumbfounded.
Lily is taking off her coat and scarf, so she misses his expression. Then she continues with her back to him, "Mr. Justin called me this morning telling me the location of his lab. I went there. Guess what? Ixora's research is at the final stage. We just need to wait for a month."
Mirth wells up in her and she turns around to hold John's hands, saying excitedly, "In a month, you will be healthy and have a brand new life!"
John finally regains his senses but is poker-faced. "Is that so?"
He panics when she says those words. He wishes that Justin hadn't called and she hadn't found his lab.
Because he knows she will leave when he recovers.
He would rather die than let her go.
"Are you unhappy?" Lily notices he is glum and says carefully, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it from you when Mr. Justin called. I wanted to check on it before telling you this surprise."
John shakes his head and smiles warmly, "I am sorry you have to work so hard for me. Of course, I'm happy you found his lab."
He pauses and raises his hand to stroke her long black hair and cheeks.
Lily's body stiffens. Thinking of his condition, she doesn't push him away. Instead, she grips his hands and says, "A month will pass very quickly. I will always be there for you."
John stares at her with his azure eyes, asking sheepishly, "Always? Will you abandon me when I am well?"
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