The Princeling of Nanjing (18 page)

The Dragonair flight left Hong Kong fifteen minutes late and was parked on the runway at Lukou International Airport in Nanjing for another fifteen while it waited for another plane to vacate the arrivals gate. Ava phoned Xu from the plane.

“I’ve landed, but it will be past seven o’clock by the time I get out of the terminal.”

“I’m glad you’re here, but we’re cutting it really close. The restaurant is in the Yihe Mansions, and that’s a fifty-kilometre drive from the airport. Even in good traffic it will take close to an hour to get there. I’m still at the InterContinental, which is close to the Mansions, so I’ll go directly to the restaurant and wait for you there.”

“Who’s meeting me here?”

“Suen is already in the arrivals hall. We brought our driver from Shanghai with us, so the car will be at the curb when the two of you leave the terminal. With any luck you’ll make it on time for eight.”

“Did you find out why Tsai Men wants to see us?”

“No.”

“Well, I have a hunch.”

“What?”

“I had a friend from a Canadian bank making bank-to-bank inquiries about several Tsai businesses, and I had our Hong Kong law firm doing the same. It appears that the Chinese banks may have become suspicious about the interest being shown. They may have said something to Tsai Men.”

“The bank and the lawyers were discreet?”

“Completely. All of the communication was of a normal commercial variety.”

“And no names were mentioned?”

“If you mean mine and yours, absolutely not.”

“Then we should have nothing to worry about.”

“I felt the same until Pang Fai called me.”

“What did she want?”

“To tell me that Tsai Men had contacted her to ask about me. He wanted to know if I was a kept woman, and when she said no, he grilled her about my business and where I was from.”

“I think it’s because he’s attracted to you. That’s the impression I got when he spoke to me the day after the dinner.”

“I have trouble believing that.”

“I think you’re being overly modest,” Xu said.

“Maybe, but I had hoped that dinner in Shanghai was the last time I would have to meet the man.”

“We’ll get past it,” he said. “Did the bank and law firm inquiries provide any useful information?”

“Lots, but I don’t want to discuss it over the phone. It’s quite complicated,” Ava said. “I spent the morning with the lawyers and then two hours on the plane making notes. My notebook is filling up, and I can’t remember the last time that happened.”

“Then I’ll wait until we can really talk.”

“That’s best. And now my plane is finally moving towards the terminal,” Ava said. “See you in about an hour.”

Ten minutes after reaching the gate, Ava walked into the arrivals hall and saw Suen. He gave a respectful nod and reached for her bag.

“I’m told I have to hurry,” she said.

“The car is waiting for us outside.”

When Ava walked through the exit, she was immediately assaulted by a wall of thick, odorous steam. She stopped and looked for the Mercedes. It was parked about fifty metres away.

“What’s that smell?” she said to Suen.

“They tell me it’s a bad pollution day. They closed all the city schools, but luckily they let the highways stay open. Last year, they had to shut down almost the entire city for close to a week.”

“And it’s so humid.”

“That’s typical for Nanjing — hot and muggy in the summer, cold and damp in the winter. We’re lucky it isn’t monsoon season.”

“I don’t feel that lucky,” Ava said, putting a hand over her mouth and nose.

“He’s seen us,” Suen said, pointing to the car that was crawling towards them.

Ava climbed into the back seat as Suen put her bag in the trunk. He then sat next to the driver and reached for his phone.

“I have to call the boss,” he said.

“Be my guest.”

He punched in a number. “It’s me. Ava is in the car and we’re headed for Yihe Mansions,” he said, and then paused. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

He put his phone away and sat staring straight ahead. The car pulled onto a highway signed S55 North.

“What does he want you to do?” Ava asked.

Suen turned halfway towards her. “Nothing to do with your dinner,” he said.

Ava thought she saw some tension in his shoulders.

“I’ve never been to Nanjing,” she said, looking out at the hilly terrain.

“It’s the ancient capital.”

“That much I do know.”

“I grew up in a village close by,” Suen said. “When I was a child, we came here every summer to visit Xuanwu Lake, which is in the middle of the city. I always found it strange that a lake was there.”

“How big is it?”

Suen shrugged. “All I remember is that there were five islands in it, all interconnected by bridges, and it used to take us more than half the day to walk from one to another around the water. My mother was religious and stopped at various temples. My father was more interested in the teahouses and restaurants.”

“It sounds lovely. I’d like to see it.”

“The Yihe Mansions are just to the west of it, but it will be dark by the time we get there.”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“Maybe,” Suen said.

Ava closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the seat. She had worn black linen slacks and a plain white button-down shirt to the meeting with the lawyers in Hong Kong and hadn’t had a chance to change. If there were other women at the dinner and it was anything like Shanghai, she was decidedly underdressed.

“I might nap,” she said to Suen. “If I do, wake me at least ten minutes before we reach our destination.”

She did sleep, and woke with a start when Suen’s hand gently pushed her knee.

“Almost there,” he said.

She sat upright. Her lips were dry and her hair was mussed. She reached into her bag for a brush and lipstick. By the time she was finished with them, the car was pulling into what looked like a complex of townhouses.

“Xu said you are to join them in a private dining room in the Yuanxia-Dongyin Restaurant. You can get there through the hotel entrance,” Suen said. “We can’t leave the car here. There’s a lot about fifty metres away. Someone should call me when you’re ready to leave.”

She stepped out of the car and climbed five levels into the lobby. She walked across a thick, richly coloured rug towards a young woman who sat at a large antique desk.

“I’m meeting Mr. Tsai and Mr. Xu for dinner,” she said.

The young woman leapt to her feet. “They’ve been waiting for you. Let me show you the way.”

She led Ava through a long corridor lined with traditional paintings of dragons and waterfalls, and then cut right and left before stopping before a door. She knocked.

“Come in,” the familiar voice of Tsai Men said.

The woman opened the door and stepped to one side.

Ava walked into a room that had a single empty table with sixteen chairs. Only three were occupied. Xu stood and walked over to Ava. He held out his arms and she stepped into them. Then he pulled back and turned towards the table.

“You know Tsai Men,” he said. “And I’m pleased to say that his wife, Lau Ai, has joined us.”

Ava smiled at Tsai, who was dressed in a grey suit, and Lau Ai, who was heavily made up and had a grim look on her face. She was probably in her forties, Ava guessed, and was thin, with delicate features. She was wearing a powder-blue Chanel jacket with pink trim over a white silk blouse, her neck adorned with a string of pearls. One hand rested on the table, showing off a five-carat diamond ring and a diamond-encrusted bracelet.

“You look quite different from the last time I saw you,” Tsai said.

Ava glanced down at her white cotton button-down shirt and black linen slacks. “Is this inappropriate?”

“Not at all. Have a seat.”

She took the chair to the right of Xu. Tsai sat across from him and Lau Ai was to her husband’s left.

“We’ve ordered wine and tea,” Tsai said.

“We won’t be staying for dinner,” Xu said. “I misunderstood the initial invitation. Men and Ai have a function that they have to attend elsewhere.” He said it deliberately, and Ava thought she heard some tension in his voice.

“I’m sure we can find food somewhere in Nanjing,” she said, and smiled.

Tsai shifted in his chair, his eyes drifting upward. Lau continued to glare at her.

“Xu said you weren’t in Shanghai when we asked you to meet us here,” Tsai said. “Where were you?”

“I was in Hong Kong,” Ava said, surprised at his rudeness.

“And what took you to Hong Kong?”

“I have family there. I was visiting my father and brothers.”

“And you came all the way from Hong Kong to Nanjing for what you thought was a dinner?”

“Xu asked me to come as a favour.”

“A favour?”

“He’s a friend.”

“Still . . .”

“He’s a special friend.”

There was a knock at the door and then it swung open. A server stood in the entrance with a large tray held chest high. Tsai motioned for him to come in. The room went quiet as he placed the tray on the table and then set a cup and glass in front of each of them.

“We’ll pour,” Tsai said to the server as he took a bottle of white burgundy from an ice bucket. He offered it to Ava, who shook her head. So did Xu and Lau Ai. Tsai shrugged and filled his glass.

Lau lifted the teapot and reached over the table to pour the pale gold liquid into Xu and Ava’s cups.

Ava tapped the table with her middle finger.

“
Xie xie
,” Xu said.

“To friends, old and new,” Tsai said, lifting his glass.

“To your health,” Xu responded.

As Ava sipped her tea she felt Lau’s eyes on her. She raised her head and offered the older woman a tentative smile.

“What do you do for a living?” Lau asked in a tone so soft it was almost a whisper. “My husband was quite vague about it.”

“I’m an accountant by training, and I’m a partner in an investment business with two other women.”

“That’s not what I expected,” she said.

“How so?”

“All I was told was that you are Xu’s girlfriend and absolutely stunning. I thought you were maybe a model or an aspiring actress.”

“When I met your husband that one time, I was dressed for a reception to launch a new fashion line,” Ava said, ignoring the innuendo. “This is my more normal style. It’s mundane and rather boring, like my life.”

“We have known Xu for many, many years,” Lau said.

“So I understand.”

“You are the first woman of his we’ve ever met, so you’ll understand if we’re a little curious.”

“We didn’t know if he actually liked women,” Tsai said with a grin.

“I can assure you he does,” Ava said.

“And your life can’t be all that boring,” Tsai continued. “Evidently you travel quite a bit.”

“Not particularly.”

“You are a Canadian?” he asked.

“I’m Hong Kong–born, Canadian-raised,” she said without hesitation.

“But where is home?”

“Canada.”

“Which city?”

“Toronto,” she said carefully, remembering Pang Fai’s warning.

“Where did you meet Xu?”

“In Hong Kong.”

“How did that happen?”

“We had a mutual friend who brought us together.”

“Men, that’s enough,” Lau Ai said. “You’re making Ms. Lee uncomfortable with all your questions.”

Tsai sipped his wine, his eyes darting between Ava and Xu. “Let’s you and I go out for a smoke,” he said to Xu. “There are some business issues we need to discuss.”

“Excuse me,” Xu said to the women as he stood.

When the door closed behind the two men, Ava felt her shoulders relax and realized she’d been tensed up. Lau seemed distracted, her attention flitting around the room. Ava started to speak and then opted for silence. Five minutes passed, and then another five, and she felt her tension rise again. Finally, as lightly as she could, she said, “The men left us rather quickly.”

“I apologize for my husband,” Lau said. “He can be abrupt.”

“I understand,” Ava said, glad for the conversation.

“We’re having dinner later with his uncle and his father and some other relatives. That sometimes makes him anxious.”

“I’m told that his uncle, Ying Fa, is the Communist Party secretary in Jiangsu.”

“He is.”

“And his father is governor.”

“He is.”

“They must be the two most powerful and influential men in the province.”

“They are.”

“I heard they are in their seventies. Is either of them thinking of retiring?”

“Why do you ask?” Lau said, her attention keener.

“In Canada it’s common for men of that age to step aside. I was simply wondering.”

Lau shook her head. “Neither of them will retire voluntarily. They love what they’re doing too much.”

“Do you mean that they love the exercise of power?”

“Probably,” she said, reaching for the teapot. “That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“Of course not, and I’m sure they’ve done wonderful things for Jiangsu and its people.”

Lau poured tea for both of them.

“
Xie xie
,” Ava said. “Now tell me a bit about you. Xu said that, like me, you’re involved in your own business, with an English partner.”

“He told you that?”

“Yes, but he didn’t provide me with any details.”

“Because there aren’t many details to share. My name is on the company letterhead and from time to time I have documents to sign. Besides that, I know very little about the business other than that we seem to be providing materials to the construction industry.”

“You must have a very capable manager.”

“We do. He’s with the English.”

“That’s very trusting, to leave your business in the hands of a foreigner.”

“He’s actually Chinese-Anglo. Besides, my husband does keep his eye on the business.”

“How about your father-in-law?” Ava asked, as casually as possible.

Lau shot her a questioning glance.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry,” Ava said. “It’s just that there is so much about China that I don’t understand.”

“My father-in-law is head of the family before he is governor of the province,” Lau said. “Does that answer your question?”