Gao Yi was waiting for things to finish up in Paris before leaving, also waiting for Marina to arrange a suitable flight for him.
Then, just after twelve at night, someone knocked on Gao Yi's door.
There had been many people coming and going these past two days, but this was the first time a completely stranger had come knocking by himself.
At the door, Gao Yi saw a middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with deep wrinkles on his face, not particularly tall or burly, sun-darkened but unmistakably Caucasian rather than the Latin American he expected, the kind with slightly darker mixed-race skin.
The person at the door gestured to come in.
Gao Yi took a step back, allowing the knocker to enter his room.
"French? English? Spanish?"
"English."
The visitor asked in three languages and Gao Yi chose English.
