‘Confucius says, “Knowing it’s impossible for you to do the thing, you still have to try as long as it’s the right thing for you to do.” But it may not be too much trouble to write a story or arrange a Buddhist service. You don’t have to exaggerate for me, Detective Yu.’

Lou did not say anything immediately, his head hung low, his face bleached of color.

Inspector Chen waited on the other end of the line, and Yu waited too.

‘I’ll take a look first at the poem you are sending over,’ Lou finally said, his voice hoarse all of a sudden. ‘And then I will say what I want to say to your partner, Detective Yu. Except for her memories, what else should I care about in this world?’

‘Let me say this again, Lou. The case aside, the story about your wife and you is soul-touching, and I too will do whatever possible for her memories.’ Chen continued after a short pause, raising his voice, ‘Send Lou’s statement to me afterward, Detective Yu.’

At seven forty-five, Inspector Chen arrived at Bian’s factory, which was operating with three shifts to cope with the ever-increasing demand for air products. He saw a group of female night-shift workers walking out the factory gate, their faces wan, haggard against the opaqueness of the morning.

But he felt pretty much energized for the moment. Perhaps the park was really a feng shui place for him, though he was not so sure about the result of what had happened there.

Bian was taken aback at his unannounced visit to his office so early in the morning.

‘Oh, it’s you, Chief Inspector Chen. What wind has brought you over to my office today? Yes, you saw Yuan Jing – oh, Shanshan – at the meeting in the club the other day, didn’t you?’

‘Yes. I did. Do you have a few minutes for me, Bian?’

‘Sure,’ Bian said, closing the office door. ‘What did she say to you?’

‘She did not see me.’

‘What do you mean, Chief Inspector Chen?’

‘I was just the one sitting in the audience, making notes but putting in no comments, like an unobtrusive representative of yours, exactly the way I promised you. I don’t think she recognized me.’

‘So …’

But it was not a moment for Chen to explain so many things converging altogether. In fact, he could hardly explain them to himself.

‘The documentary has to be released as soon as possible. Way ahead of the original schedule. Don’t wait any more, Bian. It’s so urgent. For all of you involved in the making of the documentary, and particularly for Shanshan.’

‘But she may not yet be done with it.’

‘It’s a good documentary as it is. A finishing touch could be nice, but it won’t make too much difference. It has to be put online at the earliest date possible. Definitely it has to be earlier—’

‘Earlier than what, Chief Inspector Chen?’

‘I cannot afford to go into details here, Bian. Suffice it to say, if the documentary is not released in time, all the efforts you have put in could go to waste.’