That evening, Penny returned after another full day of activities and immediately began complaining about how foolish it was to attend them.
Everyone knew it was only for show, but they had no choice but to participate.
As she and Lin Qi were discussing some of the issues involved, the telephone rang.
Lin Qi went to a corner and answered it. The call was from Ms. Tracy.
"My uncle has been arrested." Her opening was blunt, immediately stating the reason for her call and what she wanted.
Lin Qi turned slightly. "What do you want me to do for you?"
In that moment, Ms. Tracy had countless thoughts. For example, she could ask Lin Qi to press the stop button and bring everything to an end.
She could also ask him to step forward and support her entry into Congress. Her momentum had already been built up; she only needed to push a little harder, and entering Congress would be no difficult task.
But new thoughts quickly emerged. She wanted to negotiate with Congress again. She could make some concessions and accept less favorable terms, but they had to release her uncle without charge...
Far too many ideas rose and fell in succession. It was a difficult problem.
Different choices meant different sacrifices, as well as different results.
It was only several seconds later that she finally came back to herself.
"I want to talk to my uncle. Also... do you think there's still any need to continue with this?"
She wanted to hear Lin Qi's advice. She was a little lost herself now.
"For the first matter, once this call ends, you can go to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They'll let you see your uncle."
"As for the second, whether to stop or not doesn't depend on me.