"W4-b. Is that his name?" Brandon Bartholomew sighed.
"Although it is just a gene set, my father and I began to treat him as a living child. W4-b is just a cold code name. I gave this child a name. An oriental name: Gu Tie. My My mother's surname is Gu. I hope such a strong name can bring her good luck. It's just a little selfish. My father approved the name without hesitation. 'Gu Tie. That's it.' He said to the boy on the screen Said, 'This is your name. You are Chinese. You were not created by Nuwa, but you still have the Chinese descendants of Yanhuang to stop bleeding. Gu Tie... although you may never have the opportunity to be called that in the future.'" Wu Tianlan said.
The old man whispered: "Before he was nine years old, his name was Edward Linslow Bartholomew. After arriving in China, he changed to the name 'Gu Tie'. Unexpectedly, it was decided before he was born. ... Could it be that my move to send him to the Far East for refuge was part of your plan?"
Wu Tianlan shook her head: "The matter is very complicated. Please listen patiently. Brandon, I think we still have a little time." She picked up the wine glass and drank half a glass of Pinot Grigio in one breath. She exhaled and pressed her temples with her fingers. . She was sitting in her office on the top floor of an office building in Royal Albert Dock, London, England. It was raining outside the window. Although there were no snowflakes here, the light rain in the English winter made people feel cold from the bone. Even the air conditioning outlet The hot air blowing out has a damp and cold smell. This six-story building is a property owned by Taihao Company. This mysterious large investment company is an inconspicuous corner of the trillions of dollars of fixed assets spread all over the world. The entire building has basically been destroyed. Abandoned. The exterior walls are peeling off and the glass is broken. The office on the top floor is the only room with water and electricity. With the rapid decline of the British real economy, the Royal Albert Dock business district in east London is the most typical commercial relic of the old empire. The Asian Business Port, supported by the third world countries in the Far East, experienced a brief decade of glory. Then it was abandoned by capital. Now you can look at the Thames River through the glass windows. Countless empty high-rise buildings stand on the banks of the Centipede River in the misty drizzle. Silently telling the story of the rise and fall of the empire on which the sun never sets.
There are only three people in this building. A security guard is guarding downstairs. A female secretary is waiting in the outer room. Wu Tianlan is sitting at the desk, holding the phone receiver and talking to Dr. Bartholomew. His eyes fall on the terminal screen. On the photo frame next to it, there is a grinning little boy wearing a red T-shirt. It is a photo of Gu Tie when he was seven years old and won the mathematics competition at the Intellectual Games of the Second Middle School of Salzburg Municipality, Austria. Even if he is entangled by fate and has to disguise himself as a man with a metal mask, there are still times when he smiles so innocently. The jade bracelet on Wu Tianlan's white wrist trembles slightly. His fingertips slide across the boy's bright smile.
There was a gentle knock on the door. "Ms. Wu, the company's global president's meeting is about to begin. The car is waiting downstairs and ready to go at any time." The secretary reminded politely outside the door.
"I know, Xiao Ding." Wu Tianlan pressed the receiver and responded. "I'll go out soon. I just packed up my things a little. I have enough time. Tell Bob to turn on the heater and seat heating in the car and turn on the car. Get warmer."
The secretary smiled and said: "Damn British weather, right, Miss Wu." The high heels hit the ground and gradually faded away. Wu Tianlan calmed down, picked up the phone and continued: "You must be curious about Gu Tie's experience before he was adopted by you. Thirty years ago, Project Isitabu advanced to the stage of embryonic development. At this time, one hundred gene sets were divided into two groups, a benchmark group and a comparison group. Using artificial bacteria to cultivate embryos is a common method. However, there is a problem in the academic community This theory is that the machine cannot provide complete development hormones and has a negative impact on fetal growth. Seventy embryos in the baseline group were implanted into the artificial vagina, while thirty embryos in the comparison group were surgically implanted into the uterus of the surrogate mother. The project convener prepared thirty surrogate mothers. They were randomly selected from candidates of different races, ages, education levels and cultural backgrounds. After these women signed the contract, they settled in the Lake Chapala base. Here artificial If you conceive and carry the child for ten months until you give birth to a child, you will be paid four hundred thousand dollars."
"Sounds good," said Bartholomew.
"Except for the results, everything else is pretty good. You know the final fate of these mothers. Brandon." At this point, Wu Tianlan's breathing became a little rapid. "Four hundred thousand dollars. What a temptation. Even for a teenager None of the children can refuse.”
The old man was silent for a while. "An embryo was implanted in your body and you became the mother of a child. You were only fifteen years old at the time. Tianlan... Are you crazy? Or is your father crazy?"
Wu Tianlan said: "We are not crazy. It is the world that is crazy. An email from Parkison Genetic Engineering Company in the United States was sent to my father's mailbox. It said that my mother's disease is developing in the worst direction. That is not simple. Type III leukemia. It was a rare mutated type. The cancer cells were eroding her body. The company used two new treatments to try to control the disease. In a few months, eight hundred thousand dollars were spent. That was her father's life savings. Plus the total advance payment for the Isitabu Project. All the money we could pay. We needed money. A lot of money. My father went to beg the project convener and asked for the other half of the remuneration to be advanced in advance. But he was coldly rejected. The world-famous genetic engineer was forced to this point. He knelt down and begged every colleague in the cafeteria and asked for a loan. I didn't dare to step into the cafeteria at that time. I was afraid of seeing my father's humbleness. The back and the face of despair.”
"Is it just money?" Bartholomew said in a hoarse voice.
"That's it." Wu Tianlan said. "I went behind my father's back and asked the project convener to join the ranks of surrogate mothers. I took out the physical examination report (which proved that I was a fully developed mother who could give birth to a healthy baby), and my school results. Shanhe Mensa IQ test results (which proves that my intelligence level will not have a negative impact on the baby). I even forged a consent form signed by the father. Because surrogacy for minors is illegal. I think that consent form can probably provide A meager weight. Unexpectedly, the convener agreed simply. He did not consider the legal and ethical issues at all. On the other end of the phone, he said in a male synthesized voice: "This is very interesting. If you consider as many possibilities as possible, . It's not a bad idea. I can pay half a million dollars. One lump sum. Just because of who you are. The daughter of a researcher. 'My father was not present on the day of the operation. Two clinical experts were responsible for the artificial implant.' said To be honest, the operation was not difficult. The small mechanical probe entered my body. I felt no pain in my lower body. It was just like a normal injection. But I was holding my lower abdomen and felt a kind of heat generated in my body. Then It must be the mother's nature that is awakening. It's as if I can see through the belly a pink, small embryo that has not even grown its fingers, lying in the artificial amniotic fluid, waiting for my body to nourish it."
The old man said: "That's Gu Tie."
Wu Tianlan said: "Yes. This may be the arrangement of the convener. What is pregnant in my body is Gu Tie. My father only found out about it after the operation. The shock and sadness on his face broke my heart. He knelt down The man in front of my bed held my hand and touched my arm with his forehead without speaking for a long time. I looked at the top of his head. There were many white hairs. Five hundred thousand dollars was quickly transferred to the account of Parkison Genetic Engineering Company. A new treatment procedure was started. Mother had hope of life. Although she could not hear her voice on the phone, the feeling was still very good. It was like these five hundred thousand dollars had helped us regain our faith in life. My father was pregnant He worked even harder out of guilt for our mother and daughter. The most critical period is after the embryo is implanted. Hormone levels must be constantly adjusted to ensure the expression of the gene set. He works eighteen hours a day and sleeps lightly next to my bed at night. Go. When there is any movement, he sits up in shock, holds my hand, and asks if I am okay. I know he cares about his unborn child. He feels sorry for me even more..."
"I don't want to listen anymore, Tian Lan." Dr. Bartholomew said tiredly. "Do you want an old man to shed tears for you? Tell me about what happened after he was born."
Wu Tianlan picked up the wine glass and drank the remaining red wine. "Yes. Brandon Gu Tie was born smoothly. He weighed eight pounds when he was born. He was a lively and laughing baby. He was born among a hundred babies. A total of sixty-five people. The remaining children died due to genetic defects, accidents and other reasons. After the last baby left the artificial uterus, the project convener tested the genetic sequences of the children. In this level, there were six more People were eliminated because of insufficient gene expression in some aspects, resulting in minor physical or mental defects. Finally, fifty-nine babies passed the test. The project convener announced that the Ixitabu Project had been successful. All people would be released within a week. I was sent away from the Lake Chapala base and returned to normal life with my other half of the commission. At that time, the atmosphere at the base was like a festival. People held parties day and night to celebrate. I was in the hospital bed because of the wound caused by the caesarean section. Recuperate. But I have been encouraging my father to have some fun. I haven’t received an email from the genetic engineering company for a long time. That proves that my mother’s condition is stable and the account balance is sufficient. We can go to the United States to see her soon."
"This is where the killing and choice begins." the old man said.
"A few days later, people left one after another. At that time, I thought they really returned to their homeland. Until one day, the voice of the project convener rang in my ears. He asked me if I had any faith. I said I was in Beijing. When I was in the High School Affiliated to the National People's Congress, I was an active member of the Party. He said, 'No. True faith. Such as Christ Jesus. Or Scientology.' I said no. He said, 'Very good. Then let's talk about the issue of suicide.'"