A Case of Two Cities

Comrade Zhao.”
     
    “Good idea,” Old Hunter agreed. “You know where it is, Little Zhou?”
     
    “I know, though I have never been there.”
     
    On the way to the hotel, Yu said to the old man sitting beside him, “I never expected a white face performance like that, Father.”
     
    “You know my other nickname, right?” Old Hunter went on, not waiting for an answer: “Suzhou Opera Singer. But you may not know that, for the last five months, I have been enjoying Suzhou opera three or four times a week. What an unbelievable luxury! Guess how? Nowadays, the traditional opera is going totally to rack and ruin. People watch TV and movies and DVDs. In the increasingly fast tempo of this new age, few have the time to enjoy the slow narrative of the traditional Suzhou opera. Most of the Suzhou opera theaters have been turned into nightclubs and actors can perform only in teahouses, like the old days. They make little money, sometimes no more than their bus fare and a bowl of noodles. I’m a regular teahouse visitor, so I am a regular audience member too. It’s free.”
     
    “I see.” Yu knew the old man’s alternative nickname hadn’t come from his enjoyment of the opera, but from his way of talking as if a character in an opera.
     
    He started up again, more eloquently than usual. “Now for the last few months, it’s the Romance of Three Kingdoms being performed at the shabby teahouse. I have learned quite a lot from this ancient book of wisdom. As you may not know, those CEOs of large cooperation today all read the Romance of Three Kingdoms for inspiration in their business operations. For instance, when we talked at the teahouse, I too thought of something from the Suzhou opera. Cao Cao suspected Liu Bei was an ambitious rival and kept him under close surveillance. So what could Liu do? He pretended to be a greedy man, asking materialistic favors of Cao. How could such a greedy man have genuine political ambition? As a result, Cao was less on his guard, and Liu was able to get away.”
     
    “Now I am beginning to see, Father.”
     
    “People have to believe you are vulnerable, and then they themselves will be vulnerable. Weici is a man too familiar with those insatiable red rats in the materialistic world. A lot of them must have asked him for favors just like that. So he took me for granted, believing that he could exchange favor with us and he would get off scot-free. If he believed his cooperation made no difference, why should he give up Ming?” Old Hunter paused, taking out a pack of cigarettes—Flying Horse. “You do not really have the imperial sword, do you? No one knows a son better than his father.”
     
    Old Hunter didn’t seem ready to stop talking about the Romance of Three Kingdoms any time soon. Yu thought the old man was entitled to his moment of triumph.
     
    * * * *
     

27
     
     
    T
    HE ALARM CLOCK FRAGMENTED his dream of a black cat jumping around, almost slipping on the tile roofs in the depth of the night, under the stars, long and chill. . .
     
    Chen got up, made a pot of coffee, and took a quick shower. He had to appear in decent shape, he reflected, smelling the first pleasant aroma. He was going to see her soon, to discuss the delegation’s new activities again. He finished the first cup in a few gulps, trying to shake himself out of the fragmented memories of a long night.
     
    He had worked very late the previous night. Reading through the information she gave him, listening to the tape several times, he knew why she had given it to him. With his background knowledge, she hoped that he might be able to get something out of it. There was something going on, he was sure, but he failed to grasp what. Some of the names in Xing’s phone calls meant nothing to Chen, except that of “Little Tiger” in an alarming context. So he approached the hotel manager for the use of a computer. He forwarded Yu the phone transcript, and placed a weather phone call to him, believing his partner would get it.
     
    Afterward he lay awake for a long while, thinking. Whether her information could lead to anything, he didn’t know. But he supposed that she had gone out of her way for him, and possibly at risk to herself. She might have done so without her boss’s permission. On campus, she hadn’t said a single word when giving him the large envelope. Instead, she held his hand in hers for a minute. He understood. He read the genuine concern in her eyes. Her eyes so blue, deep,