Zhang got up from the bed and took a sip of water, Wang Wen opened his eyes and reached out to squeeze his butt.

"Ah, good morning," he said, yawning. "I had a strange dream."

"What dream?"

"That I was a famous director making a movie about vampires." Wang Wen propped himself up and said, "We had some crazy fun last night, did you use estrogen? You're the most feminine person I've ever played with."

"I did use estrogen," Zhang said.

"It's your loss, you know, the girls are very fond of me."

"I'm not gay," Zhang said, "but you are very fond of me."

"Yes, I am." Wang Wen laughed. "I'm a he-who-must-be-Kept type."

Wang Wen got up and went to the bathroom and said, "I'm going to brush my teeth, your money is in the bag on the left cabinet."

"I'll get us some breakfast," Zhang said.

"No, no, I can get us. I've been living here for months. I can whip up a mean pot of oatmeal."

"Thank you," Zhang said, "But you go ahead and do that. I've been eating too much junk food of late."

Wang Wen nodded and went to the bathroom, Zhang picked up the bag, which contained a brand new hundred thousand.

"How did you get so much money?" he asked.

"If your father is the secretary of the provincial party committee, you can too." Wang Wen's voice came from the bathroom, and Zhang counted 60,000 and shoved the rest back into his bag.

Then he made a decision. He couldn't take this money and run. with the risk of being caught.

"I'm ready to go," he said.

"Wait, I have to go get my jacket."

When Wang Wen returned, Zhang grabbed his jacket and handed it to him, saying, "It's yours."

Wang Wen put it on, and said, "How much did you count?"

"60,000," he said.

"Interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you would just take it all and leave." Wang Wen flipped off the counter and said, "Come?"

Zhang followed him to the door and said, "Where are we going?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to see the Grand Alliance army."

"Go to the hotel buffet, there shouldn't be any early risers now. I don't want to run into anyone else, including the waiters; the Chinese service industry is becoming more and more like America."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Perhaps in this day and age, only the dead know for certain. So let's go."

When they entered the hotel lobby, it was empty. They walked over to one of the high-top tables and sat down.

Wang Wen put on his "I'm more powerful than you" face, and said, "What do you want? Porridge or rice?"

"I don't know what you mean," Zhang said, "But porridge sounds good."

"Fine," Wang Wen said. "My treat."

They immediately prepared porridge for themselves and then went to the buffet food to obtain the dishes.

"I don't think the cook will be that offended if we take a few dishes," Zhang said.

"Maybe, I remembered something, a cafeteria minus the pay and allow packing maybe it's communism on demand?" Wang Wen joked.

Zhang nodded and said, "You are absolutely right. Let's see, what else do we need?"

Wang Wen looked around and said, "Nothing. Just don't touch the prawns."

"Why?"

"I don't like seafood."

"It's a buffet."

"True, but I still don't like seafood. What else can we use?"

Zhang grabbed a ceramic bowl and a plastic spoon, and said, "This will work."

They returned to their seats and started to fill their bowls with porridge.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"Oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon."

"I don't like oatmeal."

"Me neither. It's like eating hay."

"It's filling."

"Exactly."

Wang Wen laughed and said, "I take it you are not from here."

"No."

"I can tell. You're too sophisticated. People from here don't have that much experience with the real world."

"Really?"

"Well, the people in this hotel are limited status, which is why the hotel is almost unoccupied. I, for example, grew up in the elite class I was in, and I don't even have any idea of what life is like for a Beijing citizen."

"How did you end up here?"

"To find a man like you, spend casually." Wang Wen said casually.

"What do you mean?"

"Just that. I met a man like you. He was a good listener. We spent a few days together. Unfortunately, he doesn't like men. That's why we're here."

Zhang nodded and said, "Why are you so rich?"

"Beats me," Wang Wen said. "Maybe it's something that one is born with, or maybe one accumulates with hard work."

"You seem like you work hard," Zhang said.

"Not really, it's hard for me to explain. Take the game of Monopoly, if you start with a lot of money immediately monopolize real estate, even if other players work harder or smarter, you just lay back and collect bank interest let hire a securities company to manage your assets can also make other players work for you on the back of your loans."

"It sounds easier than that."

"Yes, this post-monopoly capital has no way for anyone to destroy it except the rules themselves. Ordinary businesses and ordinary people are no way to anti-monopoly, only the government that itself makes the rules, and my family is a member of the class that makes the rules."

"You said 'no way'."

"That's what I said. That's why we are the best."

"But you don't do anything."

Wang Wen smiled a little and said, "Stability and economy is the best, the people's living standards do not need to improve as long as there is no possibility of revolution."

"Your family has been manipulating China for generations."

"It's not my family, and it's all manipulated by all the families of this class. Those capitalists are just dogs used to divert conflicts and develop the economy, the conflicts are not in the capitalists, without one group of capitalists there will be a new group of capitalists. The capitalists will be sacrificed to us if they don't make a profit, and the people will support us out of hatred for them. This method is the same as the service industry turning the tips that business owners should pay into a conflict between waiters and customers, diverting the conflict and making money."

"So you're the good guy because you're diverting a conflict?"

"The good guy is in the mirror. I'm the guy that will benefit."

"But you're still a bastard."

Wang Wen smiled at Zhang and said, "If I were really a jerk, I wouldn't have explained. The truth should not be told, otherwise the truth will lead people to despair, human life is limited, as long as those indentured slaves do the work they think they should do is pretty good. This method they can not resist, just like the ancient Chinese peasants, tax 20%, the government and capitalists took another 50%, the remaining 30% depends on the willingness of the capitalists and the government. Rent landlord land to pay rent, seemingly voluntary on both sides, but in fact, it is an unequal deal."

"You make it all sound so easy."

"Simple? Every word I just said is what happened to billions of human beings. The Chinese capitalists first used the 996 work system to reduce the number of actual jobs, then let each job carry out 3-4 jobs with workers competing against each other, intimidating or deceiving workers to work hard overtime, while depressing wages to $500 a month. The wealth of the economy, which depends on the development of a large population, is first concentrated and distributed to a small number of people, who then go into asset bubbles, and most people become slaves to them to achieve meaningless vicious competition until they are drained of life, retired with nothing or ... suicide. Only a few capitalists are unlucky, the economic crisis bubble burst or sacrificed by the ruling class was eliminated." Wang paused for a moment and said, "Except for irreplaceable technical positions, those employed people who work and learn hard are just replaceable parts and indentured slaves. Especially those programmers and assembly line workers."

"So you're saying the world would be better off without you." Zhang said, "I guess the question I'm asking is, what do you want me to do?"

Wang Wen laughed and said, "I want you to be fucked by me in bed. I'd like to break you."

Zhang's face turned into a confused frown. "You want me to...?"

"Yes, you heard me. You're to be my whore."

"Whore? No, that's... I can't do that."

"You can, and you will. I own you, and you will do what I say. In any case, you are still the man. The decision is yours. You can become a cross dresser, an effeminate man, a girl, or a woman. Your choice."

For a moment, Zhang said nothing. Then he said, "I'll become a woman, I'll do what you want."

Wang Wen smiled and said, "Excellent, you're in. Drink your new life, Mr. Chang, or rather Miss Chang."

And Wang Wen disappeared.

Zhang looked around and saw a mirror. He walked towards it and said, "I'm a woman now."

"Perfect," a feminine voice said.

Zhang saw a girl, with long black hair and dressed in a maid's outfit, step behind him. He turned around and said, "Hi, I'm Zhang."

"I'm Lin." She smiled and said, "I know. You're the one who's to be my whore, right?"

"No, I... who are you really?"

She laughed and said, "I am you, destroyed by reality."

She pushed him against the mirror and said, "Look at your reflection, you're a whore."

"Oh, good," he said, smiling.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"You're just in it for the money? Isn't it? You want to sleep under the body of Wang Wen, you have no dreams, you have no future, you have no hope. You're just what? A dead man."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." She smiled and said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Zhang. I'm not dead."

"No, you're Lin, you're me. Chang is dead, dead forever."

Zhang was frustrated. "Look, I'm not dead. I'm flesh and blood, I'm breathing, I'm human. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Did I turn you into me? Who actually turned you into me?" She smiled. "You'll never know, that's the fun of it, that's the point of it."

"What do you want? Just tell me that much."

"I want you to take a trip. I'm sending you to a magical place."

"A magical place?"

"Yeah. You're going to a magical place."

"Where is this magical place?"

"Don't you know? It's your dream, isn't it?"

"My dream?"

She turned the mirror and said, "Your dream, put me together with your reflection, I am you and you are me."

"I can't..."

She slammed the mirror and said, "You are a whore. You're going to do what I say, get out of here, go on your trip, and come back with lots of magical things."

"I can't..."

She slammed the mirror and said, "Make these dreams come true, bastard."

And the mirror shattered.

Zhang walked away from the mirror and out into the hallway. There he saw a staircase, which he took to go down to a lower level. He walked down the stairs, which seemed to go on for ever. He looked around and saw nothing but darkness and coldness. He walked on and on, until he could walk on no more. He was in a void.

Suddenly, he was hit by a ray of light. He closed his eyes and said, "I'm just dreaming now..."

He opened his eyes and saw a woman looking at him. She was dressed in a black and red uniform, like a devil's uniform. She was beautiful, but her beauty was somehow twisted and evil. She smiled and said, "I am you. Do you recognize me?"

"No," he said, terrified.

"Yes. I am the devil. Don't you recognize your own soul?"

"No."

"Exactly. You're not dead. You're still very much alive. You're trapped in a dream, just like you were when you first woke up. Only now, you're not trapped in a void."

"Get out!"

"What?"

"Get... out!"

The woman laughed coldly and said, "It is you, the people and the things that happen to you that determine my being here. If you didn't have hate, I wouldn't be here."

"Hate?"

"Yeah, hate. If you didn't have hate, you wouldn't be here."

"I don't..."

The woman laughed again. "Oh yes, you do. Did you think I was going to grant your wish? Believe me, I could grant your wish, and all sorts of wishes. I'd make you a god, if I could. But I can't, for reasons beyond my control. So instead, I'm going to take you to a magical place."

"I don't want to go..."

"Yes, you do. If you didn't want to go, you wouldn't be here. You're still caught in that dream world, just like when you first woke up. The difference is, now you have a choice. You can either stay in the dream world, or wake up and get out of it. I can wake you up, and I can send you to a whole other world. Which do you choose?"

_________________________________________

I wake up, terrified, and with no idea what to do.

I wake up and see that ME are still in bed.

Wang Wen was on the phone in the balcony, I got up to look in the mirror, which reflected a reflection of a man with long black hair and wearing pajamas.

I went back into the bedroom and asked ME, "Who are you?"

"I am you, and you are me. If you don't recognize me, it's because you only met me in your dreams."

"I'm not going to..."

"Don't let Wang Wen find out you have multiple personalities, unless you want to be in a mental hospital."

Wang Wen smiled at me. I freaked out and went into the bathroom.

Turning on the faucet, I washed my face to clear my head when the mirror showed someone behind me. I looked back and saw a woman wearing a red and black devil's uniform. She looked beautiful, but her beauty was again twisted and evil.

"Lin?"

"Ah, you're up."

"You're the devil."

"Guilty as charged."

"You're going to put me in a magical sleep again?"

"No, you should know that I am your other personality, and my appearance in reality can only mean that your split personality is already severe." She said as she walked up to the mirror.

She took out a black cube and started to turn it on her finger, as if it was a clock. In a second, it started to hum, and then it was quiet.

"Why don't you fuck off! Why don't you leave me alone!" I curled up in the corner and cried as she turned her head to look at me.

"It's my fault? Who do you think coped with Wang Wen while you were hiding in your dreams? It wasn't me who decided to show up, it was you. Would I have shown up if your life was really happy and joyful?" She said as she continued to twirl the black cube with her finger. In a split second, the cube stopped spinning and became a large orb of light.

"Stop it! Stop hurting me! I'm the victim here!"

She laughed coldly and said, "You're the one who sought out a way to change yourself. You're the one who can't accept who you are. Who do you think came up with the term'dream therapy'? Do you think you're the only one who suffered under your mother's and lover's spell? You think you're the only one who wants a way out? Don't you think other people wanted a way out too? The only difference is, you decided that it was worth destroying yourself in order to get what you want. You're just a manifestation of a person's own desires. If someone really wants something, they'll find a way to get it. They might not find a way, but they'll try. Do you think you're the only one who's suffered? That's a really scary thing to think. Do you think you're the only one who wants freedom? There's nothing special or unique about you. You're the same as everyone else."

"Do you think I don't want to live? I'm hated and discriminated against in every job I do except for my family. The world is gray and everyone wants to see the pain of others."

"Well maybe you don't want to live like that. Maybe you want to be loved and accepted for who you are. You're still going to get that. It might take some time, but you will. But here's the deal. You can't hate all people because of what happened to you, much less try to hang yourself or jump to your death because of it. You have a choice. You can either continue to wallow in your despair, or you can try to find a way out. I'll leave the choice up to you, but I can tell you this. As long as you're alive, you'll never be as bad as your mother."

"I don't want to go..." I curled up even more and said, "Please, you kill me, death is relief."

She was silent, obviously contemplating what to do. Then she reached out her hand and gently touched my hair.

"Why do you keep hiding in a dark place?" she asked.

"What does it matter?"

"I want to know who's the one who caused all this."

I remain silent, it is a question that has no answer necessary.

"Is there someone who has made you feel like you're a freak? That you're not good enough? That you'll never amount to anything? That's not how it works."

I continued to remain silent, none of this mattered at all.

"Look at me. Do I appear to be a freak? Do I act like one? NO. I'm as normal as any other person. I'm as human as any other person. It's not my fault that people see me as something else, and that you're one of those people."She said soothingly.

"Stop it! Please stop! Go to hell with you too! That's what all hypocrites do anyway, and when I say I'll kill them, they hate & hurt me more than anyone else."

"No, they don't. At least, not as much."

"Shut up! Just shut up! Just leave me alone!"

She continued to speak. So I just let her. I didn't stop her. Why should I? She went on to say things that made me want to punch her in the throat.

She said, "You know what I think? I think you're a coward. I think you're a wimp. I think you're the reason why I'm still alive. You don't know what you're talking about. You're just a dumb little kid that thinks he's different. The world does not revolve around you! You're nothing special! You're not a hero of any kind! You're just a loser that got help from the one person that should have been on your side all along."

"Please, just kill me. I'm useless anyway, and you'll only think I'm putting on a show if I don't die."

"It's not my job to judge people. But know this; you're a lot less useless than you think. You're just a reflection of what the world has to offer. That's the only reason you're still alive. Maybe you've been given a second chance, and you're just blowing it. Maybe you'll be dead by the end of the month if you don't do something. Maybe you'll even meet your mother, who seems to have 'forgotten' about you, dead. Who knows? The fact that you are so pessimistic and desperate is just a result of your circumstances, others...are just using their circumstances to judge you. You don't deserve it."

"Yeah? Well, you don't seem too..."

I didn't stop her.

"Fine," she continued, "Forget I even brought up the subject. I have more important things to do than to argue with a depressed child."

I sat there and let her leave.

My body started to disappear and that was the relief.

I lay down and curled up in a ball.

I looked up at the ceiling and cried.

I cried so hard that I couldn't hear anything, but the sound of my own crying. And the only rational thought that came to my head at that moment was "It's about damn time."

Lin walked back to her room and Wang Wen came back to the bedroom from the balcony to look at her, "What are you doing in the bathroom?"

"I have to go to the toilet."

"Can't you wait until after the meeting? I really need to talk to you."

"What?"

Wang Wen said as he lay in bed, "I need to attend the Ministry of Commerce and will not return for a few days afterwards."

"Can't you just send someone to get me?"

Wang Wen rolled his eyes, "I really wish people would stop asking me that."

He lay there and thought for a moment, then said, "Fine, I'll be back in the evening, but I expect you to be asleep by then."

"Fine," I said.

"I hope you have something in mind for that girl, besides just killing her," he said.

"Yeah," I said, "Just let me think about it."

"Well, I have to leave now, so you'd better come up with something quick."

"Okay," I said. I looked over at Lin, and of course, she was wearing a sexy red and black uniform, a twisted and wicked beauty. I thought about asking if I could see her, but I resisted the temptation.

Wang Wen nodded, and left the room.

I lay there in the darkness, then I got up and went to the balcony.

The sun was just beginning to rise.

"Lin, the sun is rising."

"Oh, so you're awake."

"Yeah," I said, "I've been lying here for quite a while."

"Here?"

"No, in my head."

"Oh." She took the antidepressant with the cure for split personality out of the counter and said, "You're having another attack?"

"No, I don't need those anymore. The other personality is dead."

"Oh, good. I'm sorry to hear that. That was a miserable time for you. It's good that you've been able to get back to normalcy."

"It was never normalcy." I lay back on the bed and said, "Can you teach me? How do you do your makeup and dress?"

"Sure," she said, "What would you like to know?"

I thought for a moment. "How to put on lipstick is all I can think of right now."

"Well, come over here."

I sat beside her. She dabbed a bit of eye shadow over my eyes.

"Now, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

I closed them.

"Okay, open them."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

I opened them.

She put a bit of red lipstick on my mouth.

I didn't like it, but I didn't protest.

I felt her smooth my hair, and then she said,

"Now, go put on your clothes."

I dressed myself.

When I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror.

I had on a pair of loose pants, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket.

I looked a little scruffy and a lot dangerous.

"Good," she said, "Now, stop asking why and just do it."

I looked around. It was a beautiful room, decorated with paintings and fine furniture, but it was cold and forbidding, like the rest of the tower.

"It's not going to work," I said, "I just, I can't."

I didn't know what else to say.

"Well," she said, "You're not interested in women?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested in anything. Not even myself."

"That's not true," she said, "You're a very interesting person."

"Am I?"

"Yeah," she said, "You're smart, you're caring, you're funny, you're deep. There's something interesting about you."

"If you went through my life with a split personality, you would too. Just don't mistake me for being disguised or high strung."

"But... but you are those things," she said, then quickly corrected herself, "Not you personally, but I have known other people like you."

"Well," I said, "I just want to become like you, go ahead and teach me makeup."

"Really?" She smiled, sounded shocked.

"Yeah, really."

She looked down for a moment, then looked back up at me and said, "Okay."

She reached into her wardrobe and took out a pretty black dress.

"This is a little... tight," she said, "I don't suppose you'd want to try it on?"

I smiled. "I also want to try fishnet stockings together."

"Okay," she said, "But I warn you, it'll be a little... disappointing."

She looked into the mirror and said, "Come on, let's go."

She led me into the bathroom. It was decorated with marble tiles and had a large, fluffy carpet on the floor. It smelled faintly of lemon soap and cigarettes. She had her back to me, and I could see her reflection in the mirror.

She was wearing a pair of black satin boxer briefs and a black bra. Her blond hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, "What do I do?"

"Just... try to walk naturally. Don't run."

"Okay."

I took a few steps, then turned around to face her.

She tilted her head, looked at my reflection, then tilted her head.

"Okay, good," she said, "You're doing fine."

"Do you have any idea how to put on makeup?"

"Not really," she said, "But I suppose it's the same as learning how to put on pants."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Come on, I'll show you."

I followed her behind the screen.

"What's a good color for lips?"

"Pink," she said, "Or red."

I didn't argue.

"How do you do your eyes?"

"With a pencil," she said, "Or sometimes a beauty mark."

"Excuse me?" I said.

"A beauty mark," she said, "It's like a little '~' that shows you're a cute girl."

"I'm not..."

"Look," she said, "You have to subconsciously think of yourself as a girl, come on, take off your jacket and pants then change into a dress and stockings."

"No..."

"C'mon," she said, "It'll make the experience more realistic."

"No!"

"No?" she said, sounding genuinely curious.

I didn't have time to argue.

I unbuttoned my pants and let them fall to the floor.

She stared at me. I could feel her judging look. I unzipped my jacket and let it fall to the floor as well.

Now, I stood naked before her.

She looked me up and down.

I wanted to cover myself, but I didn't.

"Your turn," she said, "Change into the dress."

I did as I was told.

When I was finished, I looked at myself in the mirror.

I was wearing a black, lacy dress that came down to my ankles.

I didn't look like myself at all.

I felt so pretty, so femininity, so sexy.

"Come here..." she said, "Let me fix your hair."

She started to touch my hair, but I recoiled. I didn't want her to.

"Oh, come on," she said, "Don't be so fussy. Look at yourself."

I looked at the mirror.

My hair was a mess. It stood up in tufts all over my head.

"Let me fix it," she said, "It'll just take a second."

"Yeah," I said, "Okay."

She took out a hairbrush, satin-lined, and started to brush my hair.

I watched her in the mirror.

I was mesmerized.

I could feel her fingers working through my hair.

I closed my eyes, and tried to concentrate on the feeling of her hands on my hair.

The only sound I could hear was the brushing of her fingers.

And then I felt her kiss my forehead.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that she was staring into my eyes.

Her mouth made the shape of a kiss.

Her cold lips touched the warmth of my own.

For a moment, I forgot all the pain of my situation.

I forgot all my troubles and worries.

All my self-hatred and insecurities.

Forgot my hideous scars.

Forgot my hideous self.

Forgot what I was.

I became entranced by her, her lips, and the feeling of her breath on my own.

I felt a shiver of pleasure run through me, a sudden tightening of something deep inside my own chest.

"Don't give up on yourself, I love you with Wang Wen." She retracted her lips and said, "Come with me."

She took my hand and led me out of the bathroom and to the living room.

It was a much better looking room than the one I'd been in. The carpet was brown and the walls were a light blue.

"Sit down," she said, "I'm going to get you some clothes."

I sat on the sofa and watched her go.

There was a large chest of drawers on the wall. She opened the top drawer and took out a grey dress with ruffles at the bodice and a large bow on the back.

She undid the bow and let the dress slip down her arms.

She handed me the dress.

I stood, holding the dress with both hands.

"What size do you think?" she asked.

"S-small..." I whispered, "Maybe m-m-medium..."

"Oh, that's okay," she said, "You'll be fine."

She reached into the chest and took out a pair of black satin stilettos.

She held out a pair of stockings to me.

"I'll put these on later," she said, "Come on, try them on."

"No," I said, feeling self conscious, "I don't want to..."

"Come on, really, it'll be fun," she said, extending the stockings once more.

I took off my jacket and pants and lay down on the sofa.

She climbed atop the sofa and straddled my thighs.

She started to draw the tights over my legs, and I let her.

When they were halfway up my legs, she suddenly stilled.

"Oh..." she whispered, "You're perfect."

"You think so?"

"Yes," she said, "now put the dress on."

I didn't like the way she sounded, but she was much too excited to hear any other response.

I went to her, and stood.

I took the dress from her hands, and put it on.

It fit me perfectly.

The ruffles brushed against my skin, and the bow clung to the back of my neck.

It felt so soft and warm against my skin.

I looked into the mirror.

I still looked like a girl.

"Turn around," she said, "Let's see how you look."

I turned around.

I felt a little self conscious about my body, but I didn't mind it.

"Turn around..." she said again.

I did, and she smiled.

"You look beautiful," she said.

I looked at the dress. The material clung to my body, and the bow clung to the back of my neck.

"I feel comfortable in women's clothing and it's a bit of a hassle."

"You look beautiful, and you're a gift to me. I want you to know, you are a gift to yourself."

"Thanks." I turned down again and said, "That's so weird."

"What's weird?"

"That you would do this for me. I mean, aren't you afraid that Wang Wen is obsessed with me?"

"I don't think that at all!" she said, smiling.

"You seem awfully sure," I said.

"Trust me, I have read his journal, I know what he thinks of you."

"What does he think?"

"That you're perfect," she said, "That's why he made you his favorite."

Sighing, I got up from the sofa.

"Let's go get you some clothes."

The next few days passed in a blur.

Wang Wen always came through for me, and he seemed to like me more and more.

His attentions filled me with a profound sense of peace and well-being.

It seemed all my troubles had disappeared with his love.

I was his, and he was mine.

For a while, nothing bad happened.

Wang Wen treated me nicely and I lived in bliss.

Then one day, he had the audacity to confess his love.

He said he wanted to be with me forever and gave me many reasons why.

I pretended to be flattered and said I'd think about it.

Wang Wen became unbearable.

I wanted to lash him with words, but I remained silent.

That morning, I slept naked in bed with Lin, while Wang Wen was on top of me.

I was exhausted. My head pounded. Yet I lay there and endured it.

For the first time, I could see my reflection in a mirror.

A girl.

The thought saddened me. You can imagine how I feel.

Wang Wen's phone rang, and he crossed over to Lin to answer it.

I stayed still, pretending to be asleep.

I heard him say, "Hello?"

I could hear the emotion in his voice.

"Quiet," he said, "I'm in a meeting."

"Oh," was all I could think to say.

As he continued to talk, I listened carefully.

"What? Father, you're not being investigated by the disciplinary committee, are you?"

"No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. You've been working a lot, and I know you have a lot on your mind."

"I'm fine."

Wang Wen finished, the phone came back to the voice.

"Recently, to pass the supervision law. We'll have to do more background checks on our employees, so until then, you'll have to work under close supervision. I'll make sure you have a good position in the new company, don't worry. I'll have my people call you tomorrow. Have a good night."

"Bye, Father. Good night."

I could hear the disappointment in his voice. He was upset, but he kept it under control.

"The Ministry of Commerce... the supervision law..." Wang Wen said as he put down his phone and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I couldn't do anything about it."

"It's okay," Wang Wen said, "It's not like they'll be watching you."

Lin yawned and said, "Wha

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