While Little Fang's wedding with Sir William York is taking place at Shanghai 's Grand Hyatt Hotel, Lulu, Beibei, CC, and I are seeing the new Gong Li movie Zhou Yus Train.

In the movie, Gong Li plays the title character, a tempestuous young painter who is torn between her two lovers. One is a poor, sensitive, quiet poet who works as a librarian to support himself and is played by Tony Leung Ka-fai. The other is an aggressive veterinarian filled with machismo.

We come away from the theater in love with the impressionistic cinema. After the movie, we go to a teahouse to play poker and talk about the movie.

As usual, Beibei, the boss in the clique, makes the first comment. "Tony Leung's performance was so brilliant! I fell in love with him ten years ago when I saw him in the French movie The Lover. He is as sexy as ever!"

Lulu says, "I read in the newspaper that in real life Gong Li prefers the poetic type of man to the machismo type. What about you guys? What type of men do you like better?"

I reply first. "I like the poet better. I also find this type of man attractive: gentle, sexy, a bit vulnerable, sensitive, smart, sometimes a bit melancholy. They have a tender side that, when mixed with passion, becomes quite combustible. They make you feel motherly and make your heart tremble and ache, and you feel on fire when they touch you." As I speak, I realize I'm talking about my feelings while I was with Len.

"Sounds like how I feel when I listen to Chopin," CC comments.

I nod. "Yes, exactly. I like Chopin. I've never liked men who never shut up. They're intimidating, and at the same time, they lack romance."

"But successful men are often assertive and talkative," Lulu cuts in.

"That's why I'm not up to finding men of power and money like Little Fang. I'm all for passion, like Zhou Yu, who travels on the rail of love," I say.

"I agree with Niuniu totally," CC jumps in. "I've found most men who have achieved a successful career and money are self-centered and hard to deal with. You have to put up with their bad temperament and their overwhelming characteristics. It's hard to feel like you are a partner in life with men like that. You always feel like they want you to walk behind them and not with them."

Lulu says, "Here in Asia, most of the women are docile and subservient. They don't mind if their men are selfish male chauvinists or much older than they are. As long as they bring wealth and material comfort into their lives, these women seem to be fine with the emotional alienation."

I say, "Gong Li seems to always play strong-willed women who have the courage to reveal their fervent sexual desires. Her characters are not fake. Perhaps that's why she is so well liked internationally. But in real life, I don't see many Chinese women like the Zhou Yu character, whose love is so steadfast, without material aggrandizement. For example, she didn't get any gifts from the poet except poetry. I have seen and interviewed so many girls who always enjoy men buying them Fendi bags or nice expensive jewelry."

"Yes!" CC agrees. "They even envy those young women who marry old ugly men simply because the men are rich."

"That's why strong women like us are left single." CC sighs. "I've found it is so difficult to find a good man in China. It's either that they think I'm too aggressive as a woman or vice versa."

"So that means aggressive women and men don't click? Does a man of power have to find a weak, mild woman? Can a strong woman fall in love with a strong man, like the Clinton couple?" I continue the debate.

Beibei speaks. "This American model doesn't apply here in this culture. That's why poor Zhou Yu has to die at the end of the movie. I think the director chooses such an ending because he knows that Zhou Yu is too noble for this shallow era we live in. In my humble opinion, women in Asia have three choices. First, to be cute and dumb, hoping to find a rich daddy to take care of them. Second, to be single forever or to leave China before it's too late. Third, to be like me, strong, rich, and tough. I'm just like a man who has the power to buy lovers."

"What about love and passion?" I cry out.

" You're still single because you think like that," Beibei says, not just to me, but to everyone. Her words are a proclamation of bloody honesty, but I am a hopeless romantic. I replay the love scene from the movie in my head. I feel like crying. Bravo, Zhou Yu.

The depressed economy is making everyone at Lulu's workplace nervous. A new policy has been introduced, requiring workers to evaluate each other's performance regularly. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the office has changed from friendly to antagonistic.

Everyone pays attention to what time others start work and leave the office and who they talk to or don't talk to.

Office politics don't bother Lulu. She tries to stay above it. She is a high-calibre editor, a quick writer, and a first-class interviewer. After the magazine's editor is forced to retire at fifty-five, the rumor mill says that Lulu may be promoted as the new editor. She also feels confident that she is the best choice. But to her disappointment, it turns out that Jenny, who is junior to Lulu, is named editor-in-chief.

Everyone in the office speaks privately in support of Lulu, saying the owner's decision is unfair. The truth is, nobody likes Jenny.

She is relatively new but arrogant. She talks only to those whom she thinks are useful, and she treats her subordinates coldly.

One of the colleagues, Little Ma, tells Lulu, "Do you know how Jenny got the job? I've heard she is the owner's mistress."

"I can't believe it. I'll go and ask her!" Lulu says in anger.

"Are you out of your mind? She is your boss now. She can hire you or fire you. You can't just march into her office and ask her this type of question. If you dislike her, bide your time-a little sabotage here and there-and give her a hard time, but not so she notices," Little Ma says.

"I can't do things like that. I have to find out why and hear it from her own mouth," Lulu says.

"You got the subsidized apartment and she gets the editor-in-chief job. So why do you have to make her hate you? You should come to terms with life," Little Ma says.

Lulu ignores Little Ma, and rushes off to Jenny's big corner office with glass windows facing Beijing 's Avenue of Eternal Peace.

Jenny looks at Lulu. "You come in without even knocking! What's so urgent?"

Lulu, clearly in a huff, asks directly, "Is it true that you and the owner are lovers?"

Jenny doesn't show any surprise or irritation with such a provocative question. She answers calmly: "We're good friends. I know what you are thinking. You can say I got the editor position because of our friendship, but it doesn't matter. Nowadays, corporate culture demands emphasis on end results. How you get these results is not the priority."

"But you're married. Does your husband know?" Lulu asks Jenny, who replies: "He's broad-minded and understanding."

Jenny's audacity makes Lulu think of the Chinese saying sizhu bupa reshui tang:dead pigs aren't afraid of boiling water.

"I'd rather you cover it up. It seems to me that you don't really care if your coworkers know about this scandal," Lulu says as she throws her arms up in frustration.

Jenny smiles again. "I can't really seal their lips, can I? Gossip is their right. After all, maybe it's not too bad for them to know, so they won't mess with me. If they don't like me or care for my work style, they can take a hike. One thing China doesn't lack is people."

Lulu listens with growing disbelief and anger. "Jenny, I guess with the owner's support, you have a free hand. In that case, I quit."