This chapter opens with a conversation between a young man and a middle-aged woman. The young man, named Lan Yang, is working on a major project for a client of Mr. Long's. He tells the woman that he has found out that the project has cost the firm a whopping one-billion dollars. The woman, named Wen Ling, is shocked and confused. She asks Lan Yang why he has done such a thing. Lan Yang tells her that he is facing a problem regarding the project. He had been reviewing the project the day before and found out the cost of the project had gone up by one-and-a-half billion dollars. He is worried about Wen Ling's involvement in the scandal, but he does not know what to do. He says that if Wen Ling gets angry, he will have nothing left to worry about. If Wen Ling wants to get a divorce, Lan Yang says, she will have no money left. He also says that Mr. long is not voicing his concern about the scandal out because he is afraid of losing his job. He thinks that if Lan Yang takes the initiative to apologize for his mistakes, he might be forgiven. The conversation ends with the young man exclaiming that something has gone wrong.