9/6/2016

12:36 Wang Qin: "He's not interested in me."

Wang Qin: "He didn't even look at me."

Zheng Bin: "That's impossible."

Zheng Bin: "Did you wear the outfit?"

Wang Qin: "Yes."

Wang Qin: "And no matter how hard I came on to him, he didn't react at all. He even looked away."

12:37 Wang Qin: "I asked him. He has a girlfriend."

Zheng Bin: "No."

Zheng Bin: "Something went wrong somewhere."

Zheng Bin: "You had a camera guy from work with you, didn't you?"

Wang Qin: "Right."

Wang Qin: "But he stepped out for the second half of the interview."

Zheng Bin: "But the camera was still recording, right?"

Wang Qin: "Right."

Zheng Bin: "There you go."

Zheng Bin: "He only acted like that because the camera was rolling."

12:39 Zheng Bin: "Some guys are like that. Perfect gentlemen on camera, scumbags when nobody's looking."

Wang Qin: "But the interview's over. I don't have any way to get close to him now."

Zheng Bin: "Did you get his contact info?"

Wang Qin: "His WeChat."

Zheng Bin: "Find a way to get him to meet you."

Wang Qin: "How?"

12:45 Zheng Bin: "You need me to teach you that?"

Zheng Bin: "How'd you reel me in, back in the day? Forget already?"

Wang Qin: "How can you say that about me? Back then I honestly thought you were amazing, okay?"

Zheng Bin: "Okay, okay, okay. Just get this done for me."

Zheng Bin: "After that, whatever you ask for, you've got it."

Wang Qin: "Really?"

Zheng Bin: "Really."

Wang Qin: "Then I guess I'll try again."

Zheng Bin: "Go get him."

September 7th was White Dew on the traditional calendar.

In Shanghai, the highs had finally come down from thirty-four or thirty-five degrees to twenty-five. But the nights weren't much cooler than the days, and it was still short-sleeve weather in the daytime.

That evening they were driving back to the dorm after a day at the company. As they passed Finance Plaza, Zhang Xinzhou suddenly pointed up ahead to the left. "What's with the crowd up there?"

Yang Fei took…