Tian Yi looked embarrassed, so I relented. ‘All right, then, you can talk in here, if you want. But make it quick.’
‘My colleagues aren’t here,’ the man said. ‘They’re waiting for us at a restaurant.’
‘I’ll go and meet them,’ Tian Yi said. ‘Shao Jian — don’t let your debate overrun.’
I felt obliged to accompany her. We followed the man in the black raincoat across the Square. It was nearing dusk. Groups of students in vests and shorts were playing cards under the street lamps. I whispered to Tian Yi that we shouldn’t follow him into any dark, empty lanes.
But it wasn’t a kidnap. Before long, he brought us to a restaurant on Changan Avenue.
‘We’d like you to have a meal with us,’ he said. ‘Please sit down.’ There were two middle-aged men waiting at the table.
‘There’s not much point in talking to me,’ Tian Yi said. ‘Although I’m in charge of the broadcast station, all the important decisions in the Square are made by Bai Ling.’
It was a nice restaurant, with clean white walls, white tablecloths and a delicious aroma of braised beef. Behind our table stood a metre-high cooling fan.
‘We have a proposal,’ said the man sitting opposite us. He had dyed hair and a southern accent. ‘If the students announce that they will withdraw from the Square tomorrow, we will convene an emergency session of the National People’s Congress tonight and get the Party leaders’ assurance that they will not persecute you after you return to the campuses. We hope very much that you allow us to broadcast this proposal to the Square.’
‘I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible,’ Tian Yi said, her gaze shifting to the dish of stir-fried pork and green peppers the waitress had just brought to the table. ‘The broadcast station is controlled by the Defend Tiananmen Square Headquarters. We can only take orders from them.’
‘We’ve spoken to them, but they refused to help,’ said the third man, who was wearing a checked shirt. He served us some of the pork. ‘Eat up, eat up! It can’t have been easy for you, camping in the Square for so long.’
‘What positions do you hold, exactly?’ I asked, picking up my chopsticks. These three middle-aged men didn’t look like secret agents, but they didn’t look like government leaders, either.
‘We’re not able to disclose that information,’ said the man with dyed hair. ‘But we assure you, we are influential members of the Party’s reformist camp, and have access to information at the highest level. You have only twelve hours left. Maximum. If you don’t withdraw from the Square before the deadline, it will be a disaster, not only for you, but for your supporters in the intellectual and political elite.’
‘Bai Ling, Wang Fei and Lin Lu are too radical,’ said the man who’d brought us to the restaurant. ‘We’ve tried to speak to them, but they wouldn’t listen. Han Dan and Ke Xi are well-known among the students, but have little power. The Square is in turmoil. Only the broadcast station can influence events.’ Tian Yi had shown me our host’s business card. He was not only a National People’s Congress delegate, but a consultant to a state-owned investment company with a branch in Hong Kong.
‘Your decision to stay in the Square until 26 June is absurd,’ said the man with dyed hair. ‘The government will have crushed you long before that. Remember, you only have until tomorrow morning, at the latest.’
‘This is the twelfth day of martial law,’ said the man in the checked shirt. ‘I understand your fervour and determination. But you must step back and look at the broader picture and also think of your personal safety.’
‘I give you my word of honour that we will make sure you won’t be persecuted after you withdraw.’ Now that he’d removed his raincoat, our host looked more like a cadre.
Tian Yi took a small mouthful of food, then said, ‘Personally, I would favour a withdrawal, but I doubt whether any of our leaders could persuade the students to leave.’
‘Which is why the broadcast station is so important. If you broadcast our proposal, it could have a huge impact.’
‘I’m afraid you three gentlemen are out of touch with the mood in the Square,’ I said. ‘The students wouldn’t want to listen to your proposal. You’re Party members, after all. We hold meetings every day to debate whether to stay or withdraw. Nothing you could say would change their minds.’
‘Our proposal will benefit both the government and the students. They’re bound to support it.’ The man’s dyed hair was stirred by the air from the fan.
‘If you’re as persuasive as you claim, why don’t you get the government to make some concessions?’ Tian Yi said, her gaze shifting to the window. She was probably thinking of the work waiting for her back at the broadcast station.
‘We can’t negotiate with them until you leave the Square,’ said the man in the checked shirt. ‘If you don’t withdraw, we reformers will very soon be thrown into jail. Millions of officials who’ve expressed support for you will be purged from the government.’
‘The troops that were pushed back by the citizens have been recalled and replaced by more ruthless regiments. They’re going through their drills now on the city outskirts. They’re armed with live ammunition. The order they will receive will be very simple: crush the rebellion and protect the motherland.’ I could see from his expression that he was telling the truth, but I didn’t want to face up to it.
Tian Yi put down her chopsticks and got up from the table. ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. I must go now. Four prominent intellectuals will shortly arrive in the Square to start a hunger strike.’
I got up too, but before leaving, I turned to the three men and said, ‘If you were really on our side, you would have insisted that your chairman, Wan Li, be allowed to return to Beijing. Without him here, you won’t be able to convene any emergency meeting.’
We walked out. The air was hot and muggy. I told Tian Yi I was still hungry, but she pretended not to hear.
‘I wonder how we’ll get anyone excited about the opening ceremony of the Democracy University,’ I said. ‘Mou Sen and Nuwa’s wedding has stolen the thunder.’
She gazed at the Square looking sad and worried. ‘I wish I understood politics better,’ she said. ‘I don’t know who’s right and who’s wrong any more.’
‘Liu Gang, Han Dan and Shu Tong understood politics, but they never managed to take control. The running of the Square has been monopolised by angry radicals like Ke Xi.’
‘How did we get into this mess? We’re like a flock of wild geese with no leader to guide us.’
‘Everything went wrong when the hunger strike began. That’s when the divisions deepened.’
‘Did you get those films developed for me?’ she said abruptly. She never liked me criticising the hunger strike.
‘The prints won’t be ready until 4 June.’
‘I’m looking forward to seeing how the photos of the Forbidden City turn out. Are Mabel and Kenneth in Shanghai now?’
‘Yes, they’re going to Yunnan tomorrow, and will be back in Beijing on the 10th. You must make sure you have all your documents ready by the time they return. Kenneth will help you choose a university. Once you receive a letter of acceptance, you’ll be able to get a passport very quickly.’
‘What about this new regulation that insists students must work for two years before applying for a passport?’ Over the weeks, Tian Yi’s skin had turned dark brown. I’d been going out with her for nine months, but suddenly she looked like a stranger.
‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘You can pay someone to forge an employment certificate. That’s what I did.’
‘This city makes me claustrophobic. I want to fly away.’