Chinatown

The Ducati sped through several blocks before coming to a steady stop beneath Chinatown's gateway arch.

Qin Wei rubbed his face.

There was only one helmet on the motorcycle, and naturally, as the passenger, he hadn't gotten to wear it. He could only wrap his arms around Selina's waist and press his head against her back.

The oncoming wind whipped Selina's blond wig around, lashing his face like a whip. It wasn't exactly painful, but it certainly wasn't pleasant.

Seeing his uncomfortable expression, Selina smiled with a hint of suggestion:

"Should I get you a helmet for next time?"

"No need, right? I don't ride that often."

Qin Wei pretended not to catch her meaning.

The two walked into Chinatown. Seeing Selina about to head toward a restaurant with a red sign, Qin Wei hurriedly called her back.

"Where are you going?"

"Inside to eat. Their butter noodles are really good."

Butter noodles? What the hell are those? Qin Wei muttered, glancing at the restaurant's sign.

"'All Is Fortune Restaurant'? What Chinese restaurant would give itself a name like that? Places like this are usually run by American-born Chinese or Southeast Asians, catering specifically to your American tastes. They have nothing to do with authentic Chinese food."

"So you know a lot about Chinese food?"

"Are you kidding? I'm an expert!"

Selina planted her hands on her hips and studied Qin Wei with interest. Ever since she had met him, she had felt that this man was always shrouded in a thick fog of mystery.

Was he brave? He was the one who had hidden beneath a blanket in the empty Senate, privately wallowing in sorrow.

Was he cowardly? Yet he was also the one who had lured the Bioman away at a critical moment, buying her time to escape.

Calling him rational didn't fit either. What normal person would come up with a suicidal plan like escaping through a sewer outlet?

But was he insane? Under immense pressure, he had devised an escape strategy and kept himself safe amid the covert struggle between Maroni and Falcone.

She had always felt that this man kept his true self well hidden-except now.

Ever since they had arrived in Chinatown, Qin Wei's expression had grown noticeably livelier. He looked here and there, his eyes seeming to hold an endless fondness for the place.

It was understandable that Selina would think this way. After all, the people Catwoman usually dealt with were wealthy businessmen and political figures, people accustomed to peeling off their own faces and presenting a bloody, smiling mask to the world.

But Qin Wei was different. Bravery was part of him; cowardice was part of him; reason was part of him; madness was part of him too.

There was no need to deliberately hide anything. People were inherently complicated.

Qin Wei chose a little place called Spring Fragrance Chiaotzu House and sat down. The shop was only twenty or thirty square meters, with a yellowed calendar hanging on a wall of peeling paint and a small Buddha statue enshrined on a little wooden table at the back.

The seats were packed with Asian faces. Some wore work clothes, others shirts and ties. As they ate their dumplings, they occasionally gave the pair unfamiliar looks, as though Qin Wei and Selina were the foreigners.

"Is this place really authentic?"

"Look at the people eating here. Americanized Chinese food might fool other people, but it won't fool them."

The owner, a woman in her fifties, approached them, rubbed her hands on her grimy apron, and asked coldly in broken English:

"What can I help you with?"

"Two large plates of boiled dumplings. Pork and scallion."

Hearing Qin Wei answer in Mandarin tinged with a regional accent, the woman's eyes immediately lit up. The other diners looked up in unison, surprise in their eyes.

"Oh my goodness! Where'd you learn that? Your pronunciation's pretty good."

"I lived there for over twenty years. How could it not be?"

Qin Wei smiled, and the people around him laughed along. Selina could clearly feel the faint hostility disappear, replaced by an inexplicable warmth.

While the dumplings were cooking, Selina poked the back of Qin Wei's hand.

"Why are they looking at us differently now? They were so cold a moment ago, and now they're suddenly friendly."

"Because of cultural identification. Learning our... their language shows that you identify with their culture. These people are open and welcoming, but also wary of outsiders. They can't help it. Throughout history, abuse at the hands of foreign peoples has left scar after scar on this nation. If you want to be accepted, you first have to let go of your own prejudices and defenses."

Selina nodded. She seemed to understand, but not entirely.

When the dumplings arrived, Qin Wei poured Selina a little vinegar, then picked up a few garlic cloves from the table, peeled them, and popped them into his mouth.

"Garlic?"

"This is an advanced way of eating them. Want to try?"

Selina shook her head vehemently.

Qin Wei didn't insist. He picked up a dumpling and dipped it in a little vinegar. The instant he put it into his mouth, the fresh fragrance of scallions mingled with the aroma of meat and flooded his nose.

He smacked his lips, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"Ah... that's the taste!"

After a few bites, Selina's eyes lit up too.

She had grown up scraping by in the slums. While she hadn't tried every stall and little shop in the lower district, she hadn't missed many. Yet she couldn't recall anything at the same price that tasted better:

"So these are dumplings? Looks like you weren't boasting. You really do know your stuff."

After offering her sincere praise, Selina looked up to find Qin Wei still holding his original pose, his head raised and eyes narrowed, slowly chewing his dumpling bite by bite. The soft light from the Buddhist shrine behind him fell across his back, outlining him in a faint halo.

Was it... so delicious he'd ascended to heaven right on the spot?

Selina burst out laughing.

Without either of them noticing, the meal brought them closer together.

After dinner, they left the dumpling house looking thoroughly satisfied, with the owner calling warmly after them.

"Come back again, young man!"

"You bet!"

Qin Wei smiled and waved goodbye. When he turned around, he found Selina watching him with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Come over to my place for a bit. Have some coffee or something," Selina invited.

Qin Wei didn't know whether she meant it that way, but to be safe, he decided he shouldn't accept. Falcone was Selina's father. If he wanted to help Oswald rise to power, he would inevitably have to cross swords with the old lion. Although Selina also wanted to bring Falcone down, blood ties might influence her final decision when it came to the old lion's fate.

But a small fry like Qin Wei couldn't afford mistakes. Maneuvering between two bosses like Maroni and Falcone, one wrong move could leave him crushed to pieces.

He took a deep breath.

"Sure!"

Wait... no! Wasn't I going to turn her down?

By the time he came to his senses, he was already sitting on the motorcycle's rear seat. He swore he hadn't said one thing while meaning another, but somehow, it felt as though another consciousness inside him had made the choice for him.

Could this be another unavoidable event, just like the Casino Massacre?

Something seemed to occur to him, and he opened his jacket to check. Sure enough, a comic book sat quietly in his inner pocket. Its cover was curled and creased, with a few coffee stains along the edges of its pages. It looked as though it had been in his suit pocket all along, merely forgotten by Qin Wei.

The previous comic had been soaked to ruin in the sewer, yet now a new one had appeared. Qin Wei could finally be certain that whenever a Node Event occurred, a comic would respawn in his inner pocket.

What twists and turns awaited him this time?

At that thought, a faint unease stirred within him.