Don’t Cry, Tai Lake

business decisions. She’s nothing but a little secretary, and you know what that means.”
    “But now as the office manager, she may take on more responsibilities.”
    “That’s true. Interestingly, Fu gave her that job only a couple of days after Liu’s death.”
    “Did Fu offer any explanation for the appointment?”
    “He said that it was a promotion that Liu had decided on long before and that Fu was just carrying it out. Of course, he might need her help. There might be things in the company known only to Liu and her.”
    “Yes, he needs her help.” Chen went on, “By the way, I’ve just heard Fu has a girlfriend in Shanghai.”
    “How could you—” She didn’t finish the sentence, saying instead, “I didn’t know that. He never told anybody about it. What’s the point of keeping it a secret?”
    Fu’s companion could have been one of “those” girls that get picked up in front of a sleazy hotel, Chen thought, but Yu’s description didn’t make her sound like one.
    “Are you sure he kept it a secret, Shanshan?”
    “Fu himself told me that he didn’t have a girlfriend, as he was sort of making a pass at me. It wasn’t too long ago, though it was before I got into trouble.”
    “Well, I’m not surprised that he made a pass at you or that he told you what he did. As The Book of Songs says, ‘ A man cannot but go / after a beautiful girl .’”
    “Come on, Chen, you don’t have to say such things to me. To be fair to Fu, he didn’t push it too far,” she said with a slight frown. “Sorry I’ve digressed. There’s something about Mi I need to discuss with you.”
    “It’s my fault, Shanshan. Please go on.”
    “Let’s say she happened to have worked late that evening, which I doubt. Still, she lied about something else.”
    “What’s that?”
    “You told me that she witnessed Jiang arguing with Liu in the office on March 7, the day before the Women’s Day. That’s what she remembered, right?”
    “That’s right.”
    “But that’s not true,” she said. “I checked both the company calendar and the company Web site. According to them, Liu was in Nanjing that day, and he didn’t come back until late that night.”
    “Hold on—Fu backed up that statement, I think.” He stood to go get the folder provided by Sergeant Huang and started checking through it. “Let’s see. Here, Fu didn’t say anything about the particular date, just that it was early March. He said that he saw Jiang in the office without knowing who he was, and Mi told him it was Jiang later that day.”
    He was aware that Shanshan was paying close attention to the folder marked “confidential.” The sight of the label on the folder could add to her suspicion of his identity. It wasn’t the time, however, for him to worry too much about it. Instead of sitting down, he remained standing with the folder in his hand. After all, the folder might contain something that she shouldn’t read.
    “I don’t know why Mi made that statement about Jiang. But with your connections, you might be able to find out.”
    “Yes, I’ll ask Officer Huang for help,” he said, still standing. “We’ll double-check Liu’s itinerary on March 7. If need be, I can also call the Nanjing police bureau. No stone will be left unturned.”
    Shanshan then stood up, a serious look on her face silhouetted by the soft light through the window.
    “I’ve also come to ask a favor of you, Chen.”
    “Anything I can do for you, Shanshan.”
    “I’ve gathered some information about the industrial pollution here.” She produced a bulging folder from her satchel. “Firsthand, authentic data. None of it has appeared in even the so-called inside newsletters.”
    “Yes?”
    “Internal Security might come to search my room at any time. I want you to keep the folder for me. If you have an opportunity, publish the information. Not for me, but for the people who’ve been suffering as a result of the pollution.”
    “Nothing will happen to you, Shanshan.”
    “It might not be easy, even for someone like you, but I’m still asking you to do it.”
    “I will do whatever is possible to get it published. I give you my word.”
    “You’re the only one I trust,” she said, looking into his eyes.
    “I promise,” he repeated and gripped the folder in her hand.
    And he then grabbed her hand too.
    She leaned toward him unexpectedly, her hand in his, her head touching his shoulder. He became aware of her breath, warm on his