The chapter opens with a conversation between a young man named Alvar aalto and a young woman named Gu Beichen. The young man, who has just returned from a trip to Europe, is very sorry that he has missed his call with the young woman. He tells her that he is going to Europe to attend a conference on "architecture design" and that he cannot bring the book with him on the trip because he is on his way to the conference. The woman, who does not want to be named, tells the young man that she will be waiting for him in the cellar. She tells him that she has a son and that it is too late for her to return home. The two men discuss the possibility of marriage, but they do not know each other very well. They are interrupted by the arrival of another man named Mr. Chen, who is waiting for them in the same cellar. Mr. . Chen asks the woman if she is afraid of him, and the woman replies that it has been a very long time since they last saw each other. She asks him if he is hoping to accept her son, and he responds that it was a long time ago that they last met. He then asks if he has a kiss for her, and she replies that she does not think she would kiss him. She then asks him what he wants from her. He says that he wants to start over, and they begin to argue about the meaning of life. The girl asks him why he wants her, to which he replies that he does not know. He asks her if she would like him to kiss her, but she says that she would not kiss him if she did not know what he wanted. They continue to argue, and finally the girl leaves.