Momo's estate was extremely luxurious. In the Living Room, Adam saw Sally's grandfather.
Her grandfather was not tall and was slightly portly. His hairline had receded, and his silver-gray hair, streaked with black, was combed backward and lay neatly against his scalp.
Without using much hair wax, he had made the hair perfectly obedient, each strand staying exactly where it belonged.
It was clear that the old man took this meeting very seriously. He had put on a brand-new formal suit. The classic black-and-white color scheme lent their meeting a trace—or perhaps an air—of the "wheels of history."
"This is our first time meeting." Adam extended his hand and shook the old man's. "Allow me to introduce myself. Adam."
The old man's hand was soft and warm. He smiled and said, "Adrian. This is indeed our first time meeting, but I believe it will mark the beginning of close cooperation between us."
Adam released his hand and invited the old man to sit down. There were only the two of them in the room.
Adrian was the first to speak. "It was only recently that we learned of your relationship with Sally, if we go by the passage of time in reality."
"I feel that I need to explain this matter."
"Our conglomerate is practically in a state of dissolution now. Adam, I am not sitting here boasting about your father to your face in order to gain something. I am simply speaking from the heart."
"Lin Qi was incredibly formidable. The Virtual World dealt its greatest blow to us—the conglomerates—and affected us the most. We are no longer a tightly united bloc of shared interests. It has begun to fracture and break away."
"All of this was accomplished by the Virtual World. Even if we came out of it