The Princeling of Nanjing

by Ian Hamilton

  “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?”

  “Perfectly.”

  Lau looked down at her hands and fiddled with the diamond ring, turning it around her finger. “Since you felt free to ask a personal question, I’d like to ask one in return,” she said.

  “Certainly,” Ava said.

  Lau took a deep breath. “When you had dinner with Xu and my husband in Shanghai, was that woman with him?”

  “What woman?”

  “The actress.”

  “Which actress?” Ava asked, not taking the bait.

  “Pang Fai.”

  “Yes, she was.”

  Lau turned her head away from Ava. “Thank you for being direct.”

  “No thanks are needed.”

  “What was she like?”

  “I don’t think I should answer that question.”

  “Please,” Lau said. “My husband has been involved with her for some time, and all I know about her is what I’ve read in magazines and seen on the screen. I’d like to know more than that.”

  “I didn’t spend much time with her.”

  “But you formed an opinion?”

  “Of course.”

  “Share it with me, please.”

  “Well, he pays her to keep him company,” Ava said carefully. “And I don’t think he’s the only one who does.”

  “My husband thought that you and Xu had the same kind of relationship.”

  “I can’t think of any man who’d pay to spend time with me,” Ava said with a laugh. “And if one made me that offer, I can assure you that I would take it the wrong way.”

  “You are a beautiful young woman.”

  “That’s not true, but I am completely monogamous.”

  “Me too, but not by choice. This may be the modern China, but a married man can still do what he wants while a married woman is bound by age-old convention.”

  “It’s the same in Europe or North America.”

  Lau toyed with her ring again and then sighed. “Tell me what she’s like.”

  “I did.”

  “No, you only told me what was obvious.”

  Lau was trying to appear calm, but Ava heard some desperation in her voice. She thought back to the few minutes she’d spent alone with Pang Fai, and then about her phone call to Ava. Ava had been drawn to Pang’s magnetism and was impressed by her candour and her understanding that Tsai Men’s questions about Ava could mean trouble. She was, in fact, a woman Ava would like to know better. Should she tell Lau what she actually thought of Pang or what she guessed she’d like to hear? “She is rather crude and mercenary. I doubt she has any real feelings for your husband. It’s all business,” Ava finally said.

  “What leads you to think that?”

  “Five minutes of conversation going to and coming from the bathroom.”

  “What did she say?”

  “What does it matter?”

  “It matters. Please tell me.”

  “It wasn’t anything specific,” Ava said hesitantly. “She was simply disparaging about the men who pay for her services, and then she told me something that I’m sure your husband didn’t want shared. I found that particularly disrespectful.”

  Lau was about to say something when the door opened.
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  Two men dressed in black stood in the doorway. Ava glanced at them. She thought they were waiters and turned back to Lau, but when she did, she saw that the other woman’s mouth was agape.

  “What do you want?” Lau said.

  “We were told to get this woman.”

  ( 29 )

  Ava’s head swivelled towards the door. Two men stood poised, staring her down. They were both of medium height, dressed in black running shoes, pants, and cotton turtleneck sweaters that showed off muscular shoulders and arms. One had a pair of handcuffs looped through one side of his belt and a nightstick on the other. His partner had what looked like a Taser in a long holster hanging down his right leg. There was nothing particularly sinister about them. They had none of the scars and tattoos that Ava associated with gangsters. Instead, they displayed a quiet, confident, and determined reserve.

  “What do you want with her?” Lau said.

  “There are people who have questions for her,” the man on the left said.

  “We weren’t informed about this,” Lau said.

  “We’re just following orders,” he said.

  “Why don’t we leave now,” the other man said to Ava, taking several steps forward and extending his hand towards her.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she said.

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “Maybe it’s better if you do go,” Lau said softly.

  Ava stood and moved so she was closer to the wall. Her position didn’t afford the two men much of an angle to come at her.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” the man with the handcuffs said.

  “I appreciate that, but I’m still not going with you.”

  He looked at his partner as if to say, Do you want to take her or should I?

  The partner answered by taking three or four rapid steps towards Ava. The suddenness and speed of his move surprised her and she fell back a step. He reached for her left arm, caught it around the biceps, and squeezed hard enough to make her grunt in pain.

  “Now, come quietly or I will really hurt you,” he said.

  “Okay,” Ava said.

  His grip relaxed, and as it did her right hand shot forward and grasped the elbow of the arm that held her. Her fingers held tight while her thumb searched for the nerve it was looking for. She dug into it until he screamed. She kept digging until she was sure the pain was the only thing he was conscious of. When she let go, his arm fell uselessly to his side and his body lurched in the same direction. He tried to his swing his other arm at her, but it was a listless effort and she sidestepped it easily, driving the knuckle of her middle finger into his ear. He collapsed onto the floor, and she knew it would be a while before he would be able to get to his feet.

  The other man stood almost transfixed, and it wasn’t until his partner hit the ground that he started to reach for the Taser. By the time it had left the holster, Ava was on him. She jumped over the body of the man on the floor and landed with her right foot poised. She propelled herself forward and sunk her foot into his groin, with her heel leading the way. He groaned but didn’t keel. Ava’s fist, clenched in the traditional and lethal phoenix-eye position, carved its way into his belly, striking the cluster of nerves gathered just below the middle of his rib cage. He fell back and then sideways, already beginning to vomit.

  “What’s going on in there?” a voice yelled.

  From where she stood, Ava could see Xu and Tsai approaching the room. They both looked agitated.

  “They wanted to take me somewhere for questioning,” Ava shouted. “Who are they?”

  Xu and Tsai stopped when they reached the doorway.

  “What the fuck?” Xu said, looking at the men on the ground.

  “I had nothing to do with this,” Tsai Men said.

  “I told her that,” his wife said.

  “But you know who did,” Xu said.

  “It’s a mistake,” Tsai said.

  Xu shook his head. “I think we should be leaving,” he said to Ava.

  Ava nodded and turned towards Lau. “It was lovely chatting with you, at least until those men arrived.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “There’s no need.”

  “I didn’t know,” Tsai repeated.

  “You and I will talk later,” Xu said.

  Tsai looked blankly at him.

  Ava stepped out of the room and slipped an arm through Xu’s. Side by side, they left the restaurant, Ava glancing in all directions in case there were more men outside.

  “I called Suen a few minutes ago,” Xu said. “He’ll be waiting.”

  “Are we going to the hotel?”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Why not?” Ava asked.

  “It isn’t safe for us anywhere in Nanjing.”

  ( 30 )

  The Mercedes was sitting in the same spot where Suen had dropped Ava off. He leapt from the car as soon as he saw them and opened the back door.

  “The InterContinental?” he asked.

  “No, we’re going directly back to Shanghai,” Xu said.

  “You have a bag at the hotel.”

  “Send someone to get it later. I’ll give you my room key.”

  Ava saw a question form on Suen’s lips and then disappear.

  “Call Shanghai and let them know we’re coming back tonight. I want extra men posted around the neighbourhood and at both ends of the street. They should be on the lookout for police or military vehicles.”

  “Yes, boss.”

  As the car pulled away from the Yihe Mansions, Xu hit a number on his cellphone.

  “Auntie Grace, it’s me,” he said. “I’m not staying over in Nanjing. I’m driving back to Shanghai tonight with Ava. Could you please prepare the guest room for her, and have some food ready? We haven’t eaten.”

  The housekeeper’s voice was muffled, but Ava thought she heard concern in it.

  “Yes, there is a small problem,” Xu said. “And I don’t want you to answer the house phone again unless you see it’s my number.”

  They were driving through Nanjing now, negotiating heavy traffic, visibility made difficult by air dense with fog.

  “Do you want us to take the main highway or side roads?” Suen asked.

  “The main highway should be okay for now.”

  The car veered left and started to climb an on-ramp. Ava saw a sign for Shanghai.

  “Who were those men?” she asked.

  “Probably military, but what’s strange is that they sent only two men. Normally they would have sent in a fully armed unit. They don’t do things in half measure. They must have thought a couple of their men could take one woman, or they’re trying to keep this low-key.”

  “Whatever the rationale, those two men were professional. Do you think the Governor ordered them to pick me up?”

  “Or his cousin did. Or both of them.”

  “But not Tsai Men?”

  “I honestly don’t think he knew. This meeting was all about confirming what Pang Fai had told him. By the way, it was wise that you didn’t lie to him,” Xu said. “He still could be our only lifeline.”

  “What caused him to call her in the first place?”

  “He’s shrewd. According to Men, the family — including his father and uncle — started getting phone calls yesterday from some of the banks and their business partners, telling them that someone was looking into their affairs. Their initial reaction was that some rival in Beijing was trying to cause mischief. But when Hong Kong and Toronto kept coming up, they thought it had to be an outsider. Men remembered an offhand remark Pang Fai had made about you and phoned her. She confirmed the Toronto connection.”

  “Toronto is a large city.”

  “In their minds, it was you.”

  “That’s a very selective process of elimina
tion.”

  “That’s how they think.”

  “Shit.”

  “They already know the name of the bank in Toronto and of the law firm in Hong Kong. Another firm in Beijing also made contact, but they think it’s connected to the one in Hong Kong. They’re now using intermediaries to confirm who initiated the requests for information.”

  “Men told you this?”

  “Yes.”

  “What else do they know?”

  “Just what I told you.”

  “Xu, I don’t have an account with the bank in Toronto, and my contact there would never reveal me. The law firm was hired by May Ling. She’s the client of record. They’re tight-lipped as well and wouldn’t disclose her name or mine. So the Tsais can try all they want, but they’ll never be able to connect me to the inquiries.”

  “The problem is that it doesn’t matter if they can or not,” Xu said. “They don’t need proof of anything in order to believe that something is true.”

  “What is it that they believe?”

  “They think it was me who instigated the inquiries. They think I hired you. Men told me that point-blank, and then he said they knew I wasn’t happy about the drug proposal and that maybe I was trying to find a way to throw the deal back in their face.”

  “They thought it through to that extent?”

  Xu nodded.

  “That is smart,” Ava said. “I’ve underestimated them.”

  “I always knew they were smart,” Xu said. “What I didn’t really grasp was just how paranoid they are. All it took was the mention of Toronto and you went from being a pleasant dinner companion to the mysterious girlfriend who had appeared out of nowhere to cause trouble. They leapt to a great many conclusions, none of which favour us.”

  “And you denied them?”

  “Forcefully and rather angrily. Men backed down a bit when he saw how furious I was. He then said that whether I had hired you or not, the family thought you were the one digging into their affairs. That’s a problem for them. A problem that he said had to be dealt with.”

  “Dealt with how?”

  Xu reached for Ava’s hand. “He told me to get rid of you. He didn’t specify how, but he made it clear that they were open to a wide range of options. They just want you gone from their lives.”