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sorry about tonight,” Cece said.
    “Stop it.” Jessica switched off a lamp, and the room got dark. “Let’s try to think about today’s good parts.”
    “Good parts?”
    “You know, Will parts?”
    Cece sighed. “What about him?”
    “What about him?! The guy is like the next best thing since Russell Wong.”
    “Who?”
    “Russell Wong. The Joy Luck Club? ”
    It didn’t compute. “The joy what club?”
    “Ohmigod, Cece,” Jessica said. “You can’t go on like this. The Joy Luck Club is only an Asian American movie classic. And Russell’s a really famous Chinese American actor. Maybe I need to get you a book or something.”
    “Wait a second,” Cece said. “I thought you didn’t like Asian men.”
    “ Please. Russell doesn’t count. He’s tall, he’s fine , and he can act. Besides, Russell is only half Chinese, like Will, so I can make an exception.”
    “Will’s half Chinese?” Cece said.
    “Yeah,” Jessica said. “And he told me he can speak Chinese, too. Well, baby Chinese, that is. I’m finding that strangely hot. Anyway, let’s get some beauty rest. We want to look good for our men.”
    The Great Call of China
    “Our men?” Cece said.
    “Yeah, Lisa has her host, Michael—he’s pretty cute. You can have Dreyfuss, who’s not so bad himself. And me, Will. See? It works out perfectly. This is going to be a decent summer yet. ’Night!”
    Decent? Cece thought as the room quieted. How could she expect to have a decent summer in China when she could hardly make it through the first day?
    She lay in silence, trying to ignore the headache that was coming on. She waited until she could hear the sound of Jessica’s deep breaths, then quietly reached inside her purse beside her bed. She took out the picture and let the moonlight from the window illuminate its surface. The image of herself in China had always given her hope that she might reconnect with her past. Now? The idea of visiting an orphanage in a city hours away seemed like mission impossible. Anyone else was more fit to complete her plan—Jessica, Lisa, even half-Chinese Will. But her? Could she do it?
    Maybe Beijing really was the Forbidden City.
    Maybe she should forget about this whole thing.
    Cece put away the photo.
    Maybe some questions just weren’t worth answering.

Chapter Three

    Cece dreaded the idea of going to breakfast the next morning, but Jessica insisted.
    “Do I really have to go down there?” Cece asked as she finished getting ready. “What if they’re serving live crocodiles or something?”
    Jessica laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. If I know my Chinese food, it’ll be rice porridge or saobing youtiao .”
    “ Youtiao? What’s that?”
    “Fried bread dipped in soybean milk.”
    “Sounds great,” Cece said dryly.
    “Oh, come on,” Jess replied. “It’s not that bad. Get in touch with your heritage!”
    Cece was about to respond, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
    “Good morning,” Peter said to Jessica as she opened the door. He was wearing a shirt that read BORN IN THE USA.
    Cece smiled.
    “I came to get Cece. Is that all right?”
    “Me?” Cece went to the door. “What for?”
    “It’s a surprise,” Peter replied, a gleam in his eye.
    Cece looked at Jessica, who shrugged. “He’s your host.”
    “Come on,” Peter said. “I did not spend fifteen minutes begging the front-door person for your room number for nothing. You must say yes.”
    Cece smiled again. “All right.” She joined Peter in the hall. Perhaps whatever he had planned would be a step above soybeans in the dining hall. She turned to Jessica. “I’ll see you at orientation?”
    “Sure,” Jessica said. “Lisa and I will save you a seat.”
    Peter and Cece headed out, leaving the university through the main gate. The city streets bustled with morning activity. Stores were already open, and tons of people were out shopping. Cece walked past a stationery store, a shoe place, and a boutique completely