A Loyal Character Dancer

“Things may be more complicated. Liu—”
     
    “No.”
     
    Lowering her head, Wen sat still, like a plant withered by frost. She spoke, murmuring with trembling lips, “You can say whatever you want about an ill-fated woman like me. But don’t say anything against Liu.”
     
    “Liu’s a good man. We understand,” Chen said. “Inspector Rohn is just anxious about your safety.”
     
    “I have said I will not go, Chief Inspector Chen,” Wen said resolutely. “I will not say anything more.”
     
    Several minutes of awkward silence followed. Wen merely hung her head, in spite of Chen’s repeated effort to renew the conversation. Only once did she look up at the clock on the wall, her eyes brimming with tears.
     
    The silence was broken by hurried footsteps outside the door, a key turning in the lock, and a sob from Wen.
     
    In came a middle-aged man. He was dark-haired, slim, austere-looking, perhaps in his early forties. He had an air of prosperous distinction and wore an expensive suit. The only thing that did not fit his image was a gigantic live carp dangling from his hand, about two feet long, its mouth pierced with a piece of wire, still twitching, its tail almost touching the carpet.
     
    “What’s happening here?” he said.
     
    Wen stood up, took the carp to carry it to the kitchen sink, and returned to his side. “They want me to go to the United States. The American officer insists that I leave with her.”
     
    “So you are Mr. Liu Qing?” Catherine handed him her card. “I am Catherine Rohn, Inspector, U.S. Marshals Service. This is Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau.”
     
    “Why should she go with you?” Liu demanded.
     
    “Wen’s husband is there,” Chen said. “At his request, Inspector Rohn has come here to escort her to him. Wen will be put in a witness protection program there. She will be safe. You should persuade her to leave with Inspector Rohn.”
     
    “Witness protection program?”
     
    “Yes, she may not know how the program works,” Chen said. “The program has been arranged for her family’s protection.”
     
    Liu did not respond at once. Instead, he turned to Wen, who met his gaze without saying a word. Liu nodded, as if having read the answer in her eyes.
     
    “Comrade Wen Liping is my guest. Whether she wants to leave or stay, is really up to her to decide,” Liu said. “No one can force her to go anywhere. Not anymore.”
     
    “You have to let her go, Mr. Liu,” Catherine said. “Her husband has made the request to the U.S. government. The Chinese government has agreed to cooperate.”
     
    “I am not preventing her from leaving, absolutely not,” Liu retorted. “Go ahead and ask her.”
     
    “No, nobody is keeping me here,” Wen said. “I want to stay.”
     
    “Have you heard her, Inspector Rohn?” Liu said. “If her husband broke your law, he should be punished. No one has any objection to that, but how can the U.S. government determine a Chinese citizen’s fate against her own will?”
     
    Catherine was not prepared for such hostility from Liu. “She can start a new life in the United States. A better life.”
     
    “Don’t think each and every Chinese wants to crawl to the United States,” Liu snapped.
     
    “I have to inform the Chinese authorities of your attitude. You are obstructing justice,” she said.
     
    “Go ahead. You Americans are always talking about human rights. She has the right to stay where she wants. Gone are the days when you could order Chinese people around. Here is my attorney’s number.” Liu stood up, giving her a card, then gesturing toward the door. “Now please leave, both of you.”
     
    “Chief Inspector Chen, your government has promised full cooperation.” Catherine also rose to her feet. “The local police bureau has to act.”
     
    “Calm down, both of you,” Chen said, turning to Liu. “Inspector Rohn has a point, and you have one, too. It’s understandable that people look at things from their own perspectives. Can we have a talk, just you and I?”
     
    “There’s nothing to talk about, Chief Inspector Chen.” Liu thought for a moment. “How did you find her?”
     
    “Through your poem. ‘The Fingertip Touching.’ I, too, belong to the Writers’ Association.”
     
    “So you are Chen Cao.” Liu said. “I thought the name was familiar, but it does not change anything.”
     
    “Have you heard of Wu Xiaoming’s case?” Chen