the experts. (说起来，这件东西的很难查证吧？我记得他曾带着几分自豪地提过，是他的夫人帮了大忙。说你的研究让他免于在行家面前丑。)”

裴瑛到一阵尖锐的、细微的刺痛，像一针指甲之下：她隐秘的劳动——那些在图书馆里伴着蒙尘古籍度过的夜晚，空气中是旧纸张和腐朽胶的气味，以及在敦和日内瓦的拍卖记录中辛苦行的叉比对。她将那抹微笑固定在脸上，一对肌控制力的绝妙展示。

“I merely helped him organize some documents,” (我只是帮他整理了一些文件) 她说， “I remembered he asked me to verify a detail for him. Just a small thing. It took some time going through old auction catalogues... I had no idea until this moment, of course, that it was intended as a gift for you, Mr. Quan.” (我记得他当时让我为他实一个细节。一件小事而已。了一些时间翻阅旧的拍卖图录……我直到此刻才知，当然了，这原来是预备送给您的礼，权先生。)她试图让一丝温柔的、属于妻的惊讶自己的声音，将自己塑造成一个尽职的、不知情的贤内助。这是一个能提供保护的角，一面由看似的单纯所构筑的盾牌。

“You went to a great deal of trouble.（辛苦你了。）”权屿瓷说。他的语调被完地校准过，是礼貌的激与同情的混合，但是那同情本就是一居临下的姿态。他合上盒盖，锁扣那声轻微的“咔哒”成了一句休止符。“He always had excellent ideas,（他总是有极好的想法，）”他总结，声音微微放低，像一句最终的、宣判般的墓志铭，“Executing those ideas... I&039;m afraid, was another matter entirely.（执行他那些想法，那恐怕就是另一回事了。）”

他没有等她回应，便移向了第二个盒。那幅书法。

“A great deal of negative space,（大片的留白，）”他轻声说，睛盯着那片烈的墨迹。他像在自言自语，然而每一个字都是一颗投向她心构建的记忆垒的石。“He was pretty good at that. It reminds me of a board meeting. There was a brilliant opportunity on the table. A competitor was moving in. We were all pushing him to make a move. He hesitated for two whole months. By the time he was ready, the window had closed. He referred to his indecision then as ‘strategic negative space.’（他很擅长这个。我记得有一次在董事会上，一个极好的项目摆在桌上。一个竞争对手正在介。我们都促他行动。他犹豫了整整两个月。等他准备好的时候，机会已经溜走了。他他当时的不作为，叫‘战略留白’。）”

这个故事是一次随意的残忍，是一把微笑着递的、在肋骨之间的匕首。而且，极毁灭的是，它完全属实。