In the restaurant, Bruce and Sarah are drinking soup, and Sarah seems to be worried. She fiddled with her earrings. She rearranged the napkin on her lap. She looked up at the ceiling, over her shoulders, and had never made eye contact with Bruce. She turned her finger to put on the engagement ring and bit her lip. She is very quiet, which is nothing like her. Bruce watched her. She looked tired and cold. She pressed her face to the steaming soup bowl. She never laughed. Not once.
Bruce didn't realize how worried Sarah was for him. He never thought that someone needed to worry about him, worry about him. In his view, these recent obstacles are just some bumps on the road, but things that need to be overcome. They are details. They didn't define him, and until recently, they didn't worry him. If there is any difference, it is that his determination, determination, and certainty grow with each reproach.
"Here are some of my chickens," Sara said. She scooped the chicken slices into Bruce's bowl. He accepted them because he thought it might make her feel better. He would rather she eat them.
He stroked her back. She sat stiffly.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"Not bad," she said.
"You need a warmer coat," he decided.
"No," she refused. "My coat is fine."
"I've been thinking about it," she said, still spinning the engagement ring. She took a deep breath, "We have to talk-I've been thinking about it for a long time -" She slid the ring off her finger and placed it on the table. The soft crashing sound it made on the glass table returned to Bruce's ear like a gunshot. His stomach fell to the ground.
"No, Sarah," he said.
"So, I've been thinking about—"
"No," he said again. what is this? What is she doing? He looked at the diamond ring on the table. His heart throbbed in his chest. He looked up at Sarah. What happened here? Here, he is on the edge of the cliff where he has lost some things. These things are things that he can't imagine in life. These things are things that he can't force his will. These things are things that he can't keep unless he wants to keep them. He couldn't believe that all this happened to him. to him. Give you. In this shabby Thai restaurant.
Tears flickered in Sara's eyes. She was about to say something irretrievable. He can see it. He could see what she was about to say passing under her eyes, "Stop it, Sarah," and he moved the chair back from the table. "Just don't."
When he realized what it meant to take off her ring, it was too late, and Sarah grabbed the ring and put it back on her finger. "No!" She said: "No! I just hope you can sell it to your project. For your work. No! Never!"
Bruce leaned down and covered his face with his hands.
"I'm sorry!" she said. "I'm sorry." She put her hand on his arm. Bruce pushed her hand away and stood up, making sure that his face was not facing her.
"I'm sorry," he said, leaving her to sit at the table alone. He paid at the counter, and when he went outside, he had recovered his composure.
Sarah sat at the table for another ten minutes, and then accepted the fact that Bruce would never come back. She put away her purse and zipped up her coat. Bruce is not outside the restaurant either. he's gone. She walked three blocks alone and returned to Chen's house. Her arm embraced her thin coat.
"Where is Bruce?" Ms. Chen asked when she came back. Chen and a man were talking in the waiting room.
"I don't know," Sarah said. She stuffed her wallet into the small wooden cabinet behind the counter, and Ms. Chen allowed her to use this wooden cabinet to store personal belongings. "he's gone."
"He's gone? But I have a very important friend here waiting to see him."
"I'm sorry," Sarah said.
Mr. Chen shook his head. He turned to the man next to him. Chen's friend only wore a t-shirt, although it was cold outside, it was not warm inside. He has tiger tattoos on his arms.
** A deep bow: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry to let you run for nothing."
"No need to apologize, good friend," the man said. "It's not that far, and it's not a trip in vain. I enjoy our memories of the past together."
**Stayed with his head down for a while, then straightened up and stood at a height of five feet. "Are you coming back tonight?"
"I have more business to do in Seattle. I won't be able to go home until tomorrow at the earliest. Thank you again for your hospitality."
Mrs. Chen bowed deeply again: "Mine is yours."
The man nodded and walked to the door to leave. At this moment, Bruce opened the same door and walked in. Bruce and the man stood face to face.
There was joy on Bruce Chen Guangcheng's face. "You are here!"
He stood hurriedly between the two men and made an introduction. "Bruce Danman, this is Ming Fu. Ming Fu, this is Bruce, the man I told you about."
Bruce held out his hand. The man, Toyuo, followed suit, and they shook hands.
Chen Guangbiao clapped his hands and said happily, "There is still a lot of work to be done." He took the two people back to his office, "Sarah, be careful ahead. Please cancel all my afternoon appointments and reschedule. We don't Will be interrupted for any reason. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Doctor Chen," she said. She stared at the back of Bruce's head and watched Chen drive him and the stranger into the hallway. She wanted Bruce to turn around and look at her, but he didn't.
Several hours passed. Sarah changed the sign from open to closed, and sorted out the counter and bookshelves. Once she did everything she could think of, she sat on the sofa in the reception area and opened the book as if she was studying.
Across the wall, she could occasionally hear those men talking, although she couldn't hear what they were talking about. After a series of vague conversations, there was a long silence.
She tiptoed and fetched water from the small kitchen along the corridor. Maybe she could find a better place, but no matter where she was, she couldn't hear a clearer sound. She wanted very much to put her ear on the door, really, at that moment, she had nothing to do, but she didn't. If Chen finds out, she will definitely be expelled.
At some point, these three people moved from Chen's office to the treatment room. Under the door, Sarah could see lights and shadows, instructing people to move around, but no one spoke. There is only silence. When the three people finally appeared, Bruce was smiling, Toyuo was laughing, and Chen wore a happy expression.
"Are you waiting?" Bruce said.
Sarah raised her head and looked at the book she was just pretending to read, "Of course."
"I have to go back to the lab, I have work to do. See you at home?" He shrugged and put on his coat.
"Okay," Sarah tried to hide her disappointment. She must have performed well, because Bruce didn't seem to notice.
"Great. Bruce turned around, shook hands with Qiu Fu enthusiastically, and asked Chen to hug him tightly before leaving.
Mr. Chen investigated the tidy counter and the latest appointment records. "Twenty-three percent of Chinese people. Admittedly, this is generous, but I am in a good mood," he announced before taking the guests back to the office.
Before picking up her purse and backpack from behind the counter, Sara turned off the lights in the reception room. At this moment, she noticed that the door of Chen's office was slightly open. She could clearly hear the conversation between the two men. She knelt behind the counter.
"So what did you see?" Chen said.
"Yes," Toyuo said, "but it ran away before I could use it."
"Do you think this is inferior?" Chen asked.
""No, definitely not. It knows me and doesn't want to be seen. I chased it, but I didn't catch it. soon. very fast. "
"Do you think it will come back?"
"I hope not. I want to think that I scared it enough that it won't come back, but I'm not sure."
"What are we doing here?"
"We are waiting," Toyuo said. "This Bruce is something special. Something different. His field of thought is unique. If it wants something from him, it will come back. You need to observe the situation, and if the nightmare comes back, call immediately Me. Don't delay this time."
"I understand," Chen said.
"That person may be in very real danger," Toyuo said.
"Yes, I will remain vigilant. Please forgive me for my lack of vigilance before. I don't know how serious his condition is."
"You have done your best, my friend. I don't need forgiveness."
A long time passed, and neither of them said anything, Sarah slowly pulled up her backpack. She lowered her head. She pricked her ears. She raised her head first, then stood up. Chen stood above her. She did not hear him leave the office. Chen put his hands on his hips. His face is as hard as a rock.
"Eavesdropping?" he said.
He waited for an answer and patted the ground lightly with his foot, even though the answer was obvious.
"Yes," she admitted.
"Eavesdropping, do not get caught, 54% of Chinese people. Eavesdropping is caught, 1% of Chinese people. Let's go, before you slide to zero." He pointed the door with his finger.
Sarah put the heavy backpack on her shoulder, pointed his finger, and walked to the door with her head down. Before she left, she turned to Chen. She couldn't control herself. She needs to know if they are talking about Bruce and what it all means. Who wants something from him? What kind of danger is he in? She has a very low percentage of Chinese people. **Already gone-back to his office, behind him is a door that is now closed. The reception was quiet. She turned the doorknob, and the string of bells wrapped around it jingled, and the sound of the bells broke the heavy silence.
Sarah walked to the bus station and waited for about fifteen minutes, her mind kept spinning. The bus she was riding rumbling down the street. (To be continued) (End of this chapter)