Milan, Bulgari Hotel, penthouse suite. Night has fallen, and the spire of the cathedral is faintly visible in the distant lights.
Lin Qi took off his dark wool coat and tossed it onto the sofa. He walked to the bar, poured himself a glass of soda, and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 10 p. m. in Milan, which was 4 p. m. in Boston.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and dialed Beth's number.
"Are Ben and Joe asleep?" Lin Qi asked softly as the call connected through the receiver.
"Just finished tiring them out. Margaret helped put them to sleep." Beth's voice sounded tired, but also carried her usual composure. "Judging from your tone, the meeting in Milan is over?"
Lin Qi hummed in agreement and then proceeded to talk about the decisions made at today's meeting regarding the adoption of Chaolu and Shamalage, as well as his grand plan to use his private fund to establish the " Star Path International Academy," specifically to house gifted orphans discovered in remote areas of Africa, South America, or Asia. He had even come up with a Latin motto: Per aspera ad astra (Through this arduous journey, to the stars).
At first, Beth listened attentively. But when Lin Qi casually mentioned that Ben and Joe's future early education and secondary school education would also be held at the boarding school next to the Auerbach Center, there was a noticeable pause in breathing on the other end of the phone.
"An international school... built next to the Celtics' training facility?" Beth's tone was flat, but every word conveyed caution. "Lin, I'm afraid this isn't part of our plans for our child's future."
"Why isn't this in the plan?" Lin Qi raised an eyebrow.
"Lin, Margaret's two nephews are both studying at Groton. And my uncle Richard, he graduated from St. Paul's's." Beth's voice was very soft, as if patiently explaining common sense. "In Boston, traditional families have a set path for their children's education. When Ben and Joe are old enough, we need to get a few strong letters of recommendation to get them into Groton or St. Paul's's, or at least Phillips Exeter."
Beth didn't use a blunt, vulgar term like "elite," but her point was incredibly precise. "You need to understand, going to these schools isn't about getting straight A's. There, they'll meet family friends whose ancestors have known each other for generations, row boats on the Charles River, and be naturally invited to their classmates' villas on Nantucket Island for weekend getaways. That's the social circle leading to Harvard and Yale; they need to grow up with their peers in that circle."
Lin Qi listened to the phone call, a slightly mocking smile playing on his lips.
He swirled the glass in his hand, the ice cubes clinking crisply. "If I remember correctly, at that fundraising dinner in Cambridge last month, as a prominent representative of New England businesswomen, you delivered a brilliant speech on 'educational equality' and 'breaking down class barriers'."
"How come now that it's your own son's turn," Lin Qi said with a hint of casual mockery, "You're so quick to send them onto that most traditional assembly line for mass-producing WASP elites?"
On the other end of the phone, Beth didn't even flinch. She remained completely unfazed by Lin Qi's teasing.
"Talking about equality at a fundraising dinner is a public responsibility and a political gesture," Beth readily admitted. "But first and foremost, I am a mother. Breaking down class barriers requires my sons to always be at the top. I cannot use their future to conduct any social experiment."
Lin Qi chuckled softly, "So, what's the standard life at the top of the barrier? Naturally, you go on to study law?"
"Law is a time-tested shortcut." Beth's voice remained frighteningly calm. "Get a JD, become a partner at a top law firm, maybe even run for state legislator, go to Capitol Hill. In this country, the rules are always made by those who understand the law."
"That sounds like a perfectly yawn-inducing assembly line." Lin Qi leaned against the French windows, his tone increasingly sarcastic. " Beth, you weren't always this conventional. How come you've suddenly become so boring after becoming a mother, actually talking to me about 'tradition'?"
"This isn't boring, Lin; this is the optimal solution based on reality," Beth corrected.
"Really? Have you considered that maybe Ben and Joe don't even want to memorize those tedious amendments?" Lin Qi took a sip of soda and jokingly followed her words. "If we're going to follow 'traditional' planning, don't forget they're half Asian. According to the rigid traditions of Asia families, should I force them to get a dental license or become actuaries on Wall Street? Isn't that a respectable tradition too?"
Beth laughed in exasperation on the other end of the phone, "Lin, don't try to twist my words."
"I'm not trying to change things up." Lin Qi's tone softened, his playfulness fading, but his words still struck at the heart of the argument. "I just think that even if they do become two professional players who spend all their time in the gym, their minds filled with nothing but basketball tactics, it's not necessarily a bad thing. At least they're earning respect through their own bodies and real competition, not by comparing their grandfathers' names at insincere cocktail parties to gain attention."
These words clearly and precisely pierced the veneer of respectability within Boston's old-money circles.
Beth paused briefly, her tone finally taking on a sharp, unyielding edge. "Winning respect through physical confrontation? Lin, are you referring to spending every day in a sweat-soaked boarding school, comparing vertical jumps and Achilles tendon lengths with the kids you've found in the Daliang Mountains or Africa?"
"You've built a massive sports empire, that's truly remarkable." Beth controlled her emotions, speaking the most weighty words in the softest tone, "But Ben and Joe's lives don't need to be confined forever to that 28-meter-long, 15-meter-wide wooden floor. Life shouldn't be just about basketball."
The room fell completely silent.
The air on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean seemed to freeze at that moment. There was no shouting or arguing between them, only their drastically different class views and life trajectories, engaging in a silent battle of wits and power in the darkness.
Lin Qi looked out the window at the somewhat chilly Milan night. He suddenly realized that, across six time zones, going to argue with an extremely protective mother of twins over two still-breastfeeding babies was a pointless and foolish thing to do.
All those grand plans that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back by him.
"You're absolutely right." Lin Qi let out a soft breath, his voice returning to its deep and gentle tone, and took a step back. "When they grow up, let's see what they want."
On the other end of the phone, Beth paused for a moment, her tough exterior as a Boston businesswoman instantly softening.
"Lin, I'm not criticizing your school..." Beth tried to explain, her tone tinged with annoyance.
"I know." Lin Qi interrupted her, his forehead gently pressed against the cool glass of the floor-to-ceiling window, his tone revealing a hint of weariness and tenderness after letting his guard down, "I just... missed you a little, Beth."
These words were like a sudden, unexpected spell, instantly extinguishing all the unseen tension and confrontation between the two ends of the overseas call.
There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the line, followed by a soft, almost resigned sigh from Beth.