Chapters 18-21 Summary

Chapter eighteen steps away from the investigation and into Chen's personal life through his dinner with Wang. The dinner goes well. The mood is romantic. Chen believes they are headed for an intimate night. Before events can progress that far, however, Wang drops a bombshell. She is going to Japan to join her husband, who defected there some time before. Wang needs Chen's help to obtain a passport. Wang has strong feelings for Chen and knows there is not much between her and her husband, but factoring in the opportunities to advance her own career free from China's censorship and the harm she could cause to Chen's career through her attachment to a defector, she believes the right choice for both of them is for her to go. Wang tells Chen that they can still have a few months together before...