The novel opens with a scene in which Ren Ming and her son, Lu Haiyang, are dining at a restaurant. Ren Ming tells her son that his father will soon be released from prison, and she thanks him for saving her father's life. She tells him that she has another play she wants him to attend, and he invites her to come to his house. He tells her that his family will not know about the whole episode, and Ren Ming reminds him that her son is the one who asked her to watch the play, but he is not the one to invite her to the play. She accuses Ren Ming of being a patron of the theater, and asks why she can't come to her house. She reminds Ren Ming that she promised to take back the house when she was seized by the police, and that she will do the same for her son. She also tells Ren Ming to remember that her father is her son and that the family must leave the house.