“Chen Zumu invites you to join her party,” she said.
“Please lead us to them, JongJu,” ChaoLi said.
JongJu lead them through the gathered crowd to the eastern edge of the roof. There Chen Zufu and Chen Zumu sat on pillows facing the beach. Next to Chen Zufu, to his right, sat his chief aide – and he who would become Chen Zufu, everyone knew – Chen MinChao and his wife, Jessica Chen-Jasic.
There were two more pillows, to Chen Zumu’s left. JongJu led them around to the front of the group, to Chen Zumu.
“JieMin. ChaoLi. Sit with us,” JuPing said. “First, let me introduce Chen Zumu, Paul Chen-Jasic, and Chen MinChao and his wife, Jessica Chen-Jasic.”
There were greetings all around, and bows, before JieMin and ChaoLi sat on the remaining two pillows. JongJu served them tea.
ChaoLi was surprised they were being so honored, but JieMin was oblivious. His whole life was so improbable he had stopped wondering at it.
Paul Chen-Jasic had been interested to meet the young mathematician. JieMin’s work in Chagu had certainly paid dividends, and Paul imagined that would hardly be the last to be heard from him. JuPing was being briefed by Klaus Boortz on JieMin’s activities, and Paul knew he was deep into some independent project.
Paul was himself more a man of action, at least in his youth. He had been on Matt Chen-Jasic’s action teams for his coup against the Kendall regime. Where Paul’s father Ken Bolton had been MingWei’s lieutenant and the leader of the action teams, Paul had been one of the substitute drivers of Kendall’s limousines that night. It had been Paul Chen-Jasic who had triggered the nerve agent apparatus that had killed all the police special teams in the council building that night.
But that was fifty years ago. Paul was now seventy-one years old and had been Chen Zufu for twelve years. He had become much more subtle as he aged, and he treasured the true thinkers among his advisers. Chen JieMin would be joining those ranks.
After the holiday, JieMin was back at it. He had collected the pieces now, and arranged them properly, he thought. He could see the hole he had seen in his mind in the center of the display. Inside that hole was the thing that united all of physics.
Reality itself.
With the pieces assembled – all of modern physics, arranged the way that seemed right to his inner vision – JieMin began working in from the edges. It was much like the picture puzzle analogy he had used to explain to ChaoLi. What kind of piece would connect to this piece? What would be its shape? What would that mean?
Progress was slow, and came in fits and starts. Then, one day, after another integration had settled, he bridged the gap. He had not filled the entire hole, but he had made a link across it. It had taken him almost a year of non-stop work, but he finally had bridged across the hole, knew that he was on the right track, knew that his vision had been correct.
In his mind, JieMin stood on that bridge, and looked down into the abyss.
That night, at dinner, JieMin spoke to ChaoLi about it.
“I made a major connection today, ChaoLi. Across the hole. I know what the picture is.”
“You’ve finished?”
“No. No, I haven’t finished. But I have completed the first aspect of the work. I know now my vision was correct.”
“Is it time now to go to Chen Zumu?”
JieMin thought about it.
“Yes, ChaoLi. It is time.”
“Request a meeting to discuss your progress, JieMin. Do it now.”
“But it is evening.”
“You probably won’t hear anything until morning, JieMin, but make the request now.”
“All right.”
Normally, a request to Chen Zumu would be answered within normal working hours, but JuPing had JieMin’s address flagged in her heads-up display.
JieMin had been in Arcadia City for more than a year. He was now approaching sixteen years old. JuPing knew that almost a year ago JieMin had begun a large project. But she had received no reports from him on this project.
JuPing had not even seen JieMin since the centennial six months ago. She knew from her reports from Klaus Boortz, though, that he was still deep into his project.
JuPing checked her schedule and that of her husband, then sent a reply.
“ChaoLi, I am invited to meet with Chen Zumu tomorrow at ten o’clock.”
ChaoLi looked up from her homework.
“That was fast. She must have your address flagged.”
“Yes. I must consider what I will say.”
JongJu was working the reception desk on weekdays now. When JieMin came down in the elevator, JongJu saw him.
“Come with me, please, Chen JieMin,” she said.
JongJu led JieMin down the hall, through a locked door, then down a hallway. JieMin thought she must be lost, because she walked past the sliding panel JieMin knew to be the door to Chen Zumu’s tea room. Instead, she knocked on a similar sliding panel further along the hallway. She slid the door aside.
“Chen JieMin, Chen Zufu, Chen Zumu.”
“Send him in, JongJu,” Paul said.
JieMin entered the room to find himself in a similar tea room to Chen Zumu’s, also with a large teak-beamed doorway open into the garden. Seated on the other side of a low table were Chen Zufu and Chen Zumu both.
“I thought Chen Zufu should hear of your progress as well, JieMin. I hope you do not mind.”
“Of course not, Chen Zumu.”
“Please, JieMin, be seated.”
JieMin sat on a pillow facing the couple. A young woman – JongJu’s replacement – entered from the garden and poured tea, first for JieMin, then for Chen Zumu. Chen Zufu,
