“Is that so? I happened to contact the Archaeological Association yesterday morning, but they claimed they didn’t know your name, hehe.” I continued to probe him. “Oh, they must have got it wrong. Those people are always so careless.” Ruan Xiwen remained calm. “But they also said they haven’t sent anyone to Shanghai. Was that a mistake too?” Ruan Xiwen’s face flushed slightly, showing some irritation. He said sternly, “Mr. Duo, you are very professional, but suspecting my identity seems a bit excessive. You can call and check again tomorrow, but I advise you not to waste your time; I’ve never deceived you.” “No, no,” I quickly explained, “I was just saying it casually, don’t mind it.” I was afraid he might get angry and sour the atmosphere, which would be hard to recover from. Unexpectedly, Ruan Xiwen asked, “You seem to be working particularly hard. I’ve been here, and no other journalists have come to find me, but you’ve already visited me several times in just a few days.” “Hehe… I’m not that diligent,” I tried to lower his guard with a laugh, “but I think freelance archaeologists are quite rare, and I think you’re impressive, so I wanted to chat more and learn from you. I must have taken up a lot of your time, I’m sorry.” Ruan Xiwen’s expression softened a bit. After all, flattery works on everyone, including members of large families. I decided to strike while the iron was hot, pretending to know nothing to make him feel even better, hoping he’d reveal more.
“I have a friend who writes fairy tales, and for some reason, he suddenly got an idea recently,” I fabricated on the spot, “he wants to write a story about this site and some underwater people, insisting I interview to provide him with real material…” Before I could finish, Ruan Xiwen seemed to shiver, his glasses slipping down his nose, his expression changing drastically. I realized I’d hit a nerve with the mention of underwater people and dared not continue.
