<h4>Chapter 1110: Ebb and Flow</h4>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After picking up Li Du’s parents, they went to the hotel and asked them to have a rest


    first and then prepare for dinner.


    Li Du took Sophie along to say thank you to the JP Morgan staff for sending his parents


    to Los Angeles.


    For dinner, he nned to book a ce in Urasawa, a top Japanese restaurant in Los


    Angeles with three Michelin stars. Li Du had eaten in Michelin three-star ces before,


    and it was indeed high ss.


    Urasawa’s three-course meal, which started at $400 per person, was so popr that it


    had to be ordered a week in advance.


    However, Li Du had a JP Morgan’s padium card, which was so powerful it could be


    used anywhere in the service industry to book a table.


    Li Du shared his dinner ns with his parents, but when Li Du’s father learned that it


    was a Japanese restaurant, he firmly shook his head. “No, we should not let the


    Japanese earn our money. What would your grandfather and grandmother say?”


    During the Japanese invasion of China, their county had been upied by the


    Japanese. Because their vige was conveniently close to the city, the Japanese would


    make local men repair turrets and trenches.


    Even if the people worked honestly, the Japanese could still kill them on a whim. Half of


    the vigeborers died in the hands of the Japanese.


    Li Du’s grandfather was young at that time, and he escaped by boat along with some of


    his neighbors. They only came back after the Japanese were driven away.


    Even now, so many yearster, the old wounds still hurt. It was a very dark history, and


    the elderly would still shed tears when they talked about this.


    Li Du changed his ns out of respect for his father. Li Du’s father strictly educated him


    about how the Japanese were their enemies. Sooner orter they might have another


    war, and he was strongly opposed to Li Du having any business with the Japanese.


    Mr. Li’s patriotism spirit was high. People from his generation had unlimited loyalty and


    love for the mothend, which was something Li Du’s generation could not understand.


    Eventually, they chose a French restaurant and had French and Mediterranean food.


    From his warehousing auction work, as well as from other projects, Li Du was


    experienced in tasting food from different countries and was quite adventurous in that


    sense.


    The French restaurant, Blue Fields, was not rated by Michelin but also well known in


    Los Angeles. It was located on the central floor of the Ritz-Carlton hotel building,


    overlooking the city’s coastline.


    The total height of the building was 55 stories, and it was 220 meters high. The top floor


    had a better view, but the view was not clear enough. The middle floor was just fine.


    Li Du kept making phone calls. Li Du’s father was puzzled and said, “It’s just a meal. Do


    you need to make so many calls?”


    “It’s hard to get a table at one of these posh restaurants,” Sophie exined. “Li might be


    trying to figure out how to get a seat through a friend.”


    Li Du’s father suddenly gave an understanding look, and quietly said to Li Du’s mother,


    “If it is so difficult to have a meal in the United States, we’re better off at home. We have


    dozens of restaurants just outside the house.”


    “Do you think that type of restaurant would suit Sophie’s parents?” said Li Du’s mother


    in disgust.


    Mr. Li said, “Why would it not? It’s only food, we eat and digest it and then it’s gone, so


    why would they be so picky?”


    After entering the restaurant, he said no more.


    Blue Fields aimed for a natural look, imitating a small French farm in the middle of the


    city.


    It took up almost an entire floor with flowers and grass and trees, all real nts.


    As a whole, the restaurant was like a farm with small wheat fields, vegetable beds and


    small areas for livestock, fish in a pool and chickens and ducks in a poultry house.


    Walking through the restaurant was like walking through French farnd, and looking


    out the window, one could see the vast harbor to the southwest and the city of Los


    Angeles to the northeast.


    It was like a city in the sky, and the feeling of being there was divine.


    Li Du’s father was shocked by what he saw. This kind of restaurant was unheard of in


    his small county, and it was hundreds of meters high up in the air, which was even more


    amazing.


    Li Du gave his contact information to the manager of the restaurant, and the manager


    took them to the best ce on the southwest side. They could see the dock if they


    turned around.


    Li Du’s mother took a seat facing indoors and said, smiling, “I can’t enjoy the view. I’m


    afraid of heights.”


    Li Du and Sophie ordered the food. Serving would take time, but there were also some


    good appetizers, such as a Caesar sd with nuts.


    Li Du’s fathermented in a low voice that the sd was just some shredded nuts


    sprinkled on lettuce.


    Li Duughed. That was true, but it was a famous dish.


    They had foie gras toast, fish mozzare, ham and cheese puffs, ckfish roe with


    shallots and white wine, ms stir-fried and served in an borate nineyer tower,


    tuna belly with oil-soaked red peppers, maroon chutney, Portuguese duck soup, rice,


    and, in short, too many dishes to list them all.


    The sun went down and night fell.


    Los Angeles was a city that never slept. Although there were not many tall buildings in


    the city, the continuous lights made it look more impressive at night than during the day.


    Lights were also up in the harbor below, and some cruise ships twinkled as they set off


    at night to begin a new journey around the shoreline.


    Li Du and Sophie talked about their journey in Australia and Africa, speaking in a


    mixture of English and Chinese. As they led the conversation at the dinner table, the


    four old people kept gasping andughing.


    While Sophie was telling them about African pygmies, Li Du’s cell phone rang. He took


    the call, nodded and said, “Ok, I see. Let’s go.”


    When he answered the phone, Sophie did not speak, but when he hung up, Sophie


    started talking again.


    Li Du smiled at her expression, so quiet and beautiful as she concentrated.


    Suddenly someone eximed, “Hey, look down, what is that in the sea?”


    Guests on the southwest side turned to look, and then screamed, “Fire! Is the sea


    burning?”


    “What is this? How did ite about?”


    “Take a picture!”


    “How did the ocean catch fire?”


    The surprised cries startled Sophie and others, and they looked out of the window too.


    The sea in the harbor was dark, but in the darkness, there was a great fire burning just


    before them.


    Golden mes appeared in a line on the water. They started with a point, then rapidly


    spread to two sides. The two lines of fire burned across the sea in a gentle arc, taking a


    position to converge in the middle.


    The fire-wires were finally glued together and a huge, burning heart appeared!


    Once the heart shape was formed, a line of words made of me instantly red up,


    spelling out, Sophie Martin, in the ebb and flow of the tide, my love will be the same.