It was not just for the meal ticket; it was so he could walk to that person’s side with his head held high. If he could reach him as this young master of the Wen family, could he finally stand beside him openly and honestly? Using his original face was not really a lie, was it?
Ji Zuo quickly sent over other photos of the young master, along with his biography for the past eleven years. Star printed out a photo, went to the bathroom, removed his makeup, and stuck the photo onto the mirror to compare them. Even the position of the dimples was an exact match.
Ji Zuo called him. “How is your German?”
Star tapped his dimple while looking in the mirror. “My mother tongue.”
“Holy cow, how many more surprises are you hiding?”
Star gave a faint smile. “Not many left.”
“Hmm, then we are just a little bit off.”
“What?”
“Star, you need to gain weight.”
“Why?”
“Half a year ago, when that old German gentleman passed away, that person returned. It is said he had gained weight to 170 pounds. You do not have to get that heavy, but you cannot stay this thin either.”
“All right, I understand.”
Star hung up and checked out of the motel. He found a vacation rental with a kitchen and bought a stack of high-fat, high-calorie ingredients from the supermarket—various cheeses, macaroni, chocolate, and marshmallows. He toasted the marshmallows until they were soft, sandwiched them between chocolates, and ate them while knowing he would need an insulin shot afterward. He paired it with a milkshake blended with syrups and cream. One afternoon tea session was nearly five thousand calories. Star ate with a sense of hopelessness; he chewed mechanically, unable to taste a thing.
I have to be quick. Vincent must be heartbroken. I need to establish myself in the Wen family quickly and then go find him. Vincent, the Wen family—written in Chinese, both shared the character “Wen.” Perhaps it was fate.
“Mr. Wen, that car was found at Harry Reid International Airport,” Uncle Li said, handing Vincent a tablet. “I have a contact at the TSA, and I pulled this up.”
In the video, an Asian man wearing a hat and black-rimmed glasses dragged a suitcase through airport security.
Vincent closed the tablet. “This is not him.”
Uncle Li looked confused. “But this is exactly…”
“His walking posture is different. This is not him,” Vincent said with absolute certainty.
Uncle Li let out a long breath, clicking his tongue. “Mr. Wen, if this really is not him, then it means this is an organized group.”
An organized group? Vincent frowned. “I remember there are several retired criminal investigators in Las Vegas who run a detective agency. Have them come over.”
Uncle Li immediately replied, “Yes, I will arrange it right away.”
“Also, this is Leon’s file from Pennsylvania.”
The tablet showed a Chinese man with black-rimmed glasses. He looked similar to the person Vincent had shared a bed with for days and nights, but Vincent could see the difference instantly. Uncle Li had never seen Vincent suffer such a defeat in his life. “Mr. Wen, should we report this to the police?”
Vincent shook his head. “No, keep looking.”
“And once we find him?”
Vincent looked out the window. “The basement of the Wen manor is missing a set of shackles.”
Star mixed every kind of cheese he could buy and made a pot of macaroni. The cheese was so stretchy it could be pulled up like noodles. After gorging himself and downing a large milkshake, Star fought back the urge to vomit and forced himself to sleep. He curled up with his clothes in his arms, smelling the faint woody scent, and drifted off.
The next morning, when he weighed himself, he had gained 4.5 pounds. Five more days should be enough. Star called Ji Zuo. “Get ready; fly to New York in five days.”
Ji Zuo was surprised. “So soon?”
Star tore open a Snickers bar and took a savage bite. “Chinese New Year is in seven days. Many of the Wen family members are in the United States and will be gathering; it is the perfect opportunity to establish my footing.”
“Fine, I will follow your lead.” Ji Zuo added, “But the custom contact lenses will not be ready in time.”
Star used bespoke iris-pattern contact lenses. Standard ones looked fake, and only custom ones looked real up close. Ji Zuo usually ordered two or three hundred pairs at a time; there clearly was not enough time now. Star stared at the blue eyes in the mirror. It was the first time he did not despise his own eyes.
“No need to order them. I have a way.”
Establishing his footing in the Wen family, finding Vincent, earning enough money to send Star Ning to high school and then university abroad—these were all tasks he had to complete. He did not want to wait, and he could not afford to wait.
Five days later, Star dragged his suitcase out the door, feeling the sun on his face. The car window reflected his silhouette. He gently touched his cheek, feeling a sense of unreality. He was finally out. He was walking in the light with his own face. People passed by, and Star quickly lowered his head. He put on his hat and shook his head with a smile. Once I secure the identity of the young master of the Wen family, I won’t have to hide anymore. It will be alright. Everything will be alright.
The plane landed. Star hailed an Uber and sped toward the recruitment site. After interviewing at four different places, he was finally selected. It was a produce company that delivered organic fruits and vegetables to supermarkets and wealthy households every day. Star was hired as a driver and had to follow a veteran driver to learn the process.
On the road, Star’s phone rang. He answered with a slightly apologetic tone. The phone’s volume was high enough for the driver to hear.
“The immigration office is here! Can I hide at your place for a couple of days?”
Star sounded distressed. “I have not found a place to stay yet.”
After the call ended, the veteran driver stroked his mustache. “What immigration office?”
Star sighed. “A friend. He was supposed to start work with me today, but the immigration office showed up at the company.”
“The company?!”
The driver pulled the car over to the side of the road. “You take the car back. Tell the manager I will not be coming in for the next two days.”
“Alright.”
The plan was proceeding smoothly. Star followed the instructions and drove to the final destination: a location 80 kilometers from downtown New York in the Hudson Valley, where there were many extravagantly large estates. The famous Rockefeller estate was also nearby. Following the GPS, Star drove through the gate of an estate.
A guard came out to confirm, “Why is it not Juan?”
Star gave an awkward smile. “Uh, the immigration office…”
The guard understood immediately. Such things were far too common in America; if one truly investigated every detail, the basic labor sector would collapse.
“Fine, go in. Follow this road to the end, then turn right to the annex building.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The estate was ridiculously large. Star bypassed the main road and drove for another five minutes before the massive main house finally came into view. Following the guard’s directions, he turned right onto a small road leading to the annex building, where people were already waiting. It looked like the servants.
“This is the invoice. Check if it is correct.” Star stepped out of the driver’s seat and handed the clipboard to a servant. As the servant checked the list, two other servants began unloading the crates of fruits and vegetables.
Star was wondering how he could get to see the butler when a middle-aged man in a suit, with a towel draped over his arm, emerged from the annex. It was the butler. He came over to inspect the quality of the produce, lifted his eyes, and looked at Star. “Tomorrow…”
The butler’s words stopped abruptly. He scrutinized Star’s eyebrows and eyes, then shifted his gaze to his dimples.
Star tilted his head. “What about tomorrow?”
His voice was not as cute as his appearance; instead, it was raspy, as if he had a cold or a smoker’s voice. The butler withdrew his gaze, offering a polite smile. “Tomorrow, we need to change some varieties. I need to confirm something. Why don’t you have a glass of water and wait for a moment?”
Star smiled. “All right, thank you.”
The butler led him to the main hall of the annex. The hall was magnificent and grand, filled with antiques, massive crystal chandeliers, and tasteful oil paintings. It looked like a scene from a television show. Star felt a bit constrained, not knowing where to look. The butler personally brought him a glass of water. Star reached out, still wearing his work gloves. Panicked, he tried to take them off but felt awkward making the butler wait, so he just grabbed the glass and gulped down half of it.
After finishing, he felt he looked unsightly and blushed, placing the glass back on the tray with both hands. Feeling it was rude to be served, he reached out to take it back, then hesitated, feeling it was wrong again. He felt like he was digging his toes into the floor from embarrassment.
The butler offered a polite smile. “It is fine. Please wait a moment; I will be right back.”
Star, faced with his impeccable smile, blushed even harder. “Okay.”
The butler took the glass and left. Star’s previous constraint vanished. His emerald-green eyes gazed out the window, and a subtle smile curled his lips.
An hour later, Star was on his way, holding the new invoice. Ji Zuo called. “Star, I intercepted the phone call and went to pick up the samples.”
Star: “And?”
“I did not see anyone! One sample was a glass, and the other was a throat swab. How am I supposed to manage this? Guessing? Do you want me to guess if the owner of this swab is your father?”
Star pulled the car over to the side of the road and lit a cigarette, crushing the mint capsule and taking a deep drag. “It seems they have been doing DNA tests quite often these past years. Check if that swab is cold.”
There was the sound of a plastic bag on the other end. After a moment, Ji Zuo said, “It is.”
“Call back in five hours, say the sample was invalid, and suggest that someone come in person to collect it.”
“Got it. Understood.”
Star drove the car back to the company and went to the motel to wait for news. Time ticked by, and six hours later, the phone finally rang.
Ji Zuo: “Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow!”
Star held the phone further away from his ear. “What is it?”
Ji Zuo: “I do not know who I saw, but that aura, I almost knelt the moment I saw him.”
Star frowned. “Is he that scary?”
Ji Zuo: “Scary is an understatement. When his eyes swept over me, I just felt like trash.”
Star: “Fine, did you get the information?”
Ji Zuo: “Even though I do not know who it was, your father is at least forty-five, and this guy clearly does not look it. Your father’s photos are rare; I only ever found two from when he was young, and there is quite a gap between them. This man is likely your uncle.”
Star laughed lightly. “An uncle. Fine. Then let us go meet this uncle.”