Chapter One: The Marriage Scam at the Very Beginning
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August 9, 1997.
Douglaston, Queens, New York.
A famed enclave for New York’s wealthy, where only the truly successful—entrepreneurs, financiers, doctors, lawyers, and other high earners—are deemed worthy to own a home.
Typically, Douglaston is a quiet little town.
But today, Douglaston is unusually lively.
The source of the excitement is the Douglaston Church, where a grand wedding is underway.
Not only has the local elite from various walks of life gathered, but even prominent Chinese from several neighboring states have come to attend.
The reason is simple.
The groom is none other than Jack Chen—Chen Siyuan—New York’s illustrious Chinese American star attorney.
A man who holds sway over the sun and moon, who can turn black to white with a word.
A man respected by both the lawful and the lawless in America.
“Jack Chen, do you take Xiaoli Liu to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?”
At the altar, a kindly old pastor, his hair snowy white, held the Bible as he conducted the ceremony with gentle solemnity.
The pews below were packed—men and women, people of every color.
There were titans of politics and commerce, stars from the world of entertainment. Regardless of age or gender, everyone wore a congratulatory smile.
Of course, not all smiles were so genuine.
There were a few pairs of jealous eyes fixed on the beautiful bride at the altar.
Among them were admirers of Jack Chen—and even those who had once shared a closer bond with him.
How they longed to hear Jack Chen utter a single “no.”
But he disappointed them.
“I do!”
A gentle, magnetic voice leapt from Chen Siyuan’s lips.
Oh, baby!
Why am I not the bride?
The hearts of the most beautiful women in the audience were thrown into turmoil. Even though they each had a companion by their side.
A shaft of sunlight filtered through the church’s stained glass and fell across Chen Siyuan’s back.
To the bride, the sparkling motes in the sun looked like outspread angel wings.
“Could he truly be my guardian angel?”
Her gaze was complicated—shyness tinged with secret delight.
Perhaps this was fate’s arrangement.
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“Xiaoli Liu, do you take Jack Chen to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to respect, for as long as you both shall live?”
The bride glanced down from the altar; in the front row sat a delicate little girl, her features bearing a resemblance to her own.
Her daughter.
The little girl looked even more excited than the bride herself, mouthing “I do” at her with boundless enthusiasm.
“I do!”
The bride turned back to Chen Siyuan and bravely declared her vow.
Applause broke out.
None clapped harder than the little girl.
“Jack Chen, Xiaoli Liu, you may now exchange rings.”
Chen Siyuan and the bride exchanged a subtle smile and slipped diamond rings onto each other’s fingers.
A bond for life.
“Let us bow our heads in prayer...”
“Lord, we ask your blessing upon this couple. May their love burn ever bright, may their days be filled with your grace and kindness.”
“Now, under God’s blessing, I pronounce Mr. Jack Chen and Ms. Xiaoli Liu husband and wife.”
“Groom, you may now kiss your bride.”
Amidst the expectant gazes of the pastor and the congregation, Chen Siyuan embraced the bride and kissed her gently.
The little girl below quickly covered her eyes—but the gap between her fingers was wide.
“My name is Qianqian, I’m ten years old, and today is my mother’s wedding day. The man she once told me to call ‘big brother’ will, from today, become my father.”
With this gleeful, inner monologue, young Liu Yifei marked the wedding day with a comma, not a period.
Indeed, today’s bride was none other than Liu Xiaoli, who had crossed the ocean to come to New York.
For her child’s sake, she was walking down the aisle once again.
Marrying Chen Siyuan, whom she had only recently met.
With the wedding complete, the assembled dignitaries stepped forward to offer their congratulations.
“Jack, congratulations!”
“Principal Smith, thank you for coming to my wedding. By the way, about my daughter Crystal’s school admission...”
“Of course, not a problem. You’re a top attorney, but you know we always follow federal regulations!”
“OK, let’s play golf together sometime soon!”
“Jack...”
“Oh, my dear Captain Mark, perfect timing. About my wife’s position with the dance company...”
“Jack, that’s the good news I came to share. The company has officially decided to hire your wife as a soloist.”
“Not principal dancer?”
“Jack, these things take time. But I imagine it won’t be long...”
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“OK! OK! I’ll handle those city hall vampires for you. Damn, they’re all bloodsuckers!”
“Alright, principal dancer it is!”
...
Chen Siyuan led Liu Xiaoli through the throng of the town’s elite, her hand in his.
Since Liu Xiaoli had arrived in New York with her daughter, every difficulty she’d encountered had melted away after marrying the man by her side.
It seemed almost unbelievably smooth.
So Chen Siyuan hadn’t lied to her after all!
A sham marriage really was the only solution!
Liu Xiaoli couldn’t help but think back to her early days in New York, when every door seemed closed—
“No!”
“Sorry!”
“Go out!”
Lost and helpless, it was then that this man named Chen Siyuan had appeared before her, as if descended from the heavens.
Chen Siyuan—Jack Chen—was a renowned Chinese American attorney in New York, representing many in the Chinese community across New York and neighboring states, including one of Liu Xiaoli’s own relatives.
Her relative had told her much about Chen Siyuan.
It was at their request that Chen Siyuan had sought her out.
In this country that so prides itself on liberty and human rights, life for Chinese immigrants was not as easy as it seemed.
That’s why people far from home needed someone as capable and righteous as Chen Siyuan.
So did Liu Xiaoli.
She laid out her needs to Chen Siyuan—simple ones, really: her daughter’s education, and her own place in the dance company.
“Ms. Liu, given the present circumstances, achieving both goals at once—I won’t lie to you—it’s very difficult…”
As a professional lawyer, Chen Siyuan explained everything from federal statutes to local ordinances.
It truly was difficult!
Disappointment flickered in Liu Xiaoli’s eyes.
“There is a borderline solution, but I’m not sure I should mention it.”
“What is it?”
Liu Xiaoli was suddenly eager. She’d risked divorce, even threatened her life, and brought her daughter all the way to New York—wasn’t it all for a better future for the two of them?
“A sham marriage!”