The next day, nearing noon, I finally caught up on my sleep. It was odd; once the sunlight touched me, the nighttime thoughts seemed unreal. So, I set aside my unease temporarily and prepared for work. Reflecting on last night’s experience, I figured that perhaps people are more prone to wild thoughts at night. Su Ying might just be a girl with a vivid imagination, which is quite normal. Temporarily escaping from that strange girl, I planned to interview a real expert today. I called Ruan Xiuwen, the archaeologist. His voice on the phone was polite; he had arrived in Shanghai early that morning. Being busy in the afternoon, we agreed to meet at his hotel room for the interview in the evening. I was a bit surprised to learn he was staying at the Hilton, a five-star hotel. That afternoon, I stayed home, cramming basic archaeological knowledge, frantically browsing relevant webpages. Before an interview, a journalist needs to do extensive preparation, understand basic facts, and formulate questions; otherwise, one risks embarrassment and losing face for the newspaper. I take my job seriously in this regard, so journalists often have a broad but not necessarily deep knowledge. Incidentally, I also looked up some legends about the sea online. After all, when talking to a beautiful woman, I didn’t want to just listen without contributing, which would make me seem incompetent. A little vanity is forgivable.
On the way to the Hilton, I couldn’t help but speculate. This Ruan Xiuwen seemed extraordinary; how could the national archaeological institution afford to put their experts up in luxury hotels? Even high-ranking officials might not receive such treatment! On the other hand, he must be quite capable and influential, otherwise, why would Beijing send him alone? Could Shanghai be exaggerating the importance of the archaeological find? My mind wandered with these thoughts until the car arrived at Huashan Road. Following the room number he gave me, I knocked on his hotel room door.
