Shapeshifters

Even if he wasn’t easily tanned, his skin should have been the same light wheat color as mine. There was definitely something wrong here. The identity of this man was probably not that of an archaeologist, despite his impeccable speech. The next morning, I called the Chinese Archaeological Association. Identifying myself as a journalist, I inquired, “Do you have a member named Ruan Xiwen who was sent to Shanghai to supervise archaeological work?” My intention was to get a contact method for easier interviewing. Although a national association would have members scattered across the country, each member should have detailed personal records. The person on the other end paused, then said, “Please hold on a moment.” I knew they were checking, so I waited patiently. Soon enough, they informed me, “You might be mistaken; we don’t have a member named Ruan Xiwen.” I then asked, “Do you know of this person, Ruan Xiwen? He might be affiliated with you.” “No, we don’t know him,” came the definite reply. I immediately called the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Association and informed the leader who answered that Ruan Xiwen was not a member of the Chinese Archaeological Association. I thought Ruan Xiwen might be impersonating for some purpose, and it was necessary to inform the relevant parties. Unexpectedly, the response was nonchalant: Ruan Xiwen was introduced by a certain unit, and it wasn’t emphasized that he was a member of the Archaeological Association, so his membership status was irrelevant. This was quite unexpected. I hurriedly asked which unit had introduced him. “I’m not at liberty to tell you that. What unit are you from?” he countered. I mumbled an excuse and hung up. It appeared there was more to this than met the eye. Ruan Xiwen had some organizational backing, and evidently, this organization held some status.