Chapter One: The Words He Missed

[“Unobstructed views forever” contradicts the obstruction clause on page thirty-two.] Lin opened the sixty-eight-page project brief. On page thirty-two he found a line of eight-point gray type: a planned elevated walkway to the north might obstruct views below the fourteenth floor. He changed *unobstructed views forever* to *expansive views*. The annotation faded, as if blood were seeping back through the page. “Smart,” he murmured. The next morning, the account director circulated a supplemental contract and pressed every department to approve it online. Zhou Cen leaned over Lin’s desk with a coffee. “Sign it. Finance says the project bonus goes out this afternoon once everyone does.”