Although the French police are not very efficient, they are generally quite friendly.
Moreover, their attitude towards Chinese people is generally good. After all, compared to other ethnic groups who frequently take to the streets to protest and burn cars, the Chinese community is much more reassuring.
The most common reason Chinese people report crimes is theft or robbery. If serious crimes are occasionally involved, it is often more due to internal strife.
The 13th arrondissement of Paris is a Chinese area, with the vast majority of its residents being honest and hardworking businessmen who immigrated there in earlier years. However, over time, various factions have inevitably become intertwined, leading to occasional conflicts.
Overall, however, the Chinese community poses absolutely no threat to the security situation in Paris. On the contrary, the vast majority of Chinese are law-abiding citizens who get along well with the local police.
Therefore, the police were very polite when receiving Wei Changfeng, Lin Xiao, and others.
Lin Xiao used French to help Wei Changfeng and the other three recount the case, and occasionally, perhaps worried that he might not be able to express himself clearly in French, he also used a few sentences in English to explain.
Zhao Hui was the best at English among the four of them, and could tell that Lin Xiao's English was quite fluent, with almost no accent.
"This girl is something else; she must be a top student," he thought to himself.
The four of them couldn't understand the French policeman's questions, so they huddled together like lambs, listening attentively to every word Lin Xiao translated for them.
With Lin Xiao's help, they described in detail the theft. The police listened while shaking their heads.
Zhao Hui asked Lin Xiao, "What does the police mean by this? Does it mean the lost item is definitely gone forever?"
Lin Xiao didn't quite understand either, so he asked in French.
The police asked her to relay this to the other four people: How can you leave your bag lying on the ground while traveling in France?
Make sure you carry it on your back; it's safest to hold it close to your chest, especially in Marseille and Paris.
Zhao Hui and Wei Changfeng stared at each other in disbelief: How could French police describe their own country's security situation like that? Wasn't that self-deprecating?
Expressions don't need translation. Seeing the incredulous looks on the faces of the Chinese people in front of him, the policeman shrugged and said: That's right, this is how the security situation is in France now. They've done their best.
The police added: Fortunately, these thefts and robberies are generally not committed by actual French people, but by other ethnic groups.
Oh, and of course, not the Chinese community. Chinese people are all very nice.
The higher-ups have to keep accepting refugees from all over the world, and that's the situation all over Europe now; they can't do anything about it.
After listening to the translation, Wei Changfeng and the others sensed the helplessness of the French police. They had no interest in French policy trends; they only wanted to find their bags as quickly as possible.
The police officer said, "Leave your contact information. We'll let you know if we have any updates. Of course, it would be best to leave the contact information of someone who speaks French."
Lin Xiao left his phone number with the police and asked Zhao Hui for their address and contact information. If the police could find them, they might be able to send the lost items directly to them, which would make everyone happy.
Zhao Hui was naturally delighted to hear this and quickly wrote down the hotel address and his and Xiao Hao's contact information on a sticky note.
Xiao Hao couldn't help but feel anxious as he watched the French police officers acting slowly and seemingly indifferent to the case.
He whispered to Lin Xiao, "If we tell the police that Wei Changfeng is a Chinese superstar who was invited by a French brand to attend an event, would the police take it more seriously? Would the chances of finding the items be greater?"
Lin Xiao told Xiao Hao that he was overthinking it; only our police would pay special attention to the cases of international friends.
Perhaps due to concerns about the negative international repercussions of such cases, situations have arisen where foreigners' stolen bicycles are found and returned to them even in the middle of the night.
In France, even if you're a Chinese celebrity, or even their own superstar Alain Delon, reporting a massive theft of his multi-million dollar mansion, the French police will still maintain the same unhurried attitude.
Zhao Hui and the others were speechless and asked Lin Xiao to inquire: What are the chances of finding it?
The policeman shrugged, indicating he couldn't say for sure either, then pointed to the case files and computer on the table and told Lin Xiao:
This police station received 45 reports of theft this week, 11 of which were direct robberies. Fortunately, only two cases resulted in physical altercations and injuries.
They were almost moved by the French police's optimism; in this situation, they were "fortunate"?
Of course, compared to bloodshed during a robbery or theft, losing only a few items is probably a good thing for both the victim and the police.
Upon seeing the address of the Ritz Paris hotel left by Zhao Hui and his companions, the police officer taking their statements raised an eyebrow. Looking at the disheveled young men before him, now missing both their money and passports, he curled his lip and said to his French colleague:
"Les chinois sont très riches, j'ai travaillé plus de 10 ans, encore habité dans un petit studio."
“Moi aussi,” his colleague replied with a shrug.
When Wei Changfeng saw the police suddenly speaking in French, he was confused and asked Lin Xiao what they were talking about, whether they were discussing the case.
Lin Xiao said, "These two policemen were marveling at how rich Chinese people are, saying that he's been working for ten years and still lives in a small single room."
“I also live in a small single room in Beijing. Could you please translate this for the French police so they can feel a little better?” Xiaomin said.
"Alright, alright, this isn't a competition to see who's the most miserable," Zhao Hui quickly stopped the childish Xiaomin.
"So, does that mean we can't go anywhere during this period? Are we considered undocumented without a passport? Can we buy plane tickets to return to China?" Zhao Hui asked the question that everyone was most concerned about.
After Lin Xiao relayed the information, the French police, still with a mild but indifferent attitude, told them that it was definitely impossible to buy a plane ticket back to China without a passport.
However, if they are just strolling around the streets of Paris, no one usually cares.
"What should we do then?" Xiao Hao was even more anxious than Wei Changfeng.
"The Spring Festival Gala rehearsals are in a few days. What if we can't go back? Wouldn't that offend the production team? Even if it's not CCTV, we can't afford to offend a local station."
Lin Xiao asked the police what they should do if their stolen passports could not be recovered and they urgently needed to return to China. He asked if the police could provide written proof that the passports had been stolen.
The French policeman calmly replied: "I can certainly issue a certificate. For the rest, contact your embassy; they're adept at handling this." Other Chinese tourists have encountered similar situations before.
Zhao Hui slapped his thigh and said to Lin Xiao, "Exactly! When faced with an emergency, we forget about the important things. Contacting the embassy abroad is probably more effective than contacting the local police! Let's go there later!"
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