My dad almost disowned me, literally, when I told him I wanted to be a journalism after college. Forced to flee from Taiwan when the Chinese government took over, he came to America seeking political asylum for his adamant criticism of the authoritarian regime. When I was born, he named me An, meaning peace and safety in Chinese. Though people always pronounce it as Ann, eventually I got tired of correcting them.

This is indeed the golden age of journalism. As technology rapidly advanced in the past several decades, we journalists now have so many more ways and dimensions to present the stories to our readers through different sensations. Recently it even became possible to simulate a hologram of a witness for the readers to interact with. All of this is made possible by the largest tech conglomerates joining forces and expediating the development process for all their products. If you ask me, the Justice Department losing in United States v. AT&T in 1984 was the best thing ever happened to the industry. With the Bell System intact, data transmission infrastructure in the entire country was uniformly managed by one organization with the highest efficiency. Plus, though FCC threw out net neutrality in 2018, AT&T immediately published its code of ethics stating they will work to maximize the users’ interests and create a fair internet. They somehow managed to keep their promise and improve connection speed. Users have nothing to complain about. It turns out corporate American has some conscience after all.

As for me, I’ve always wanted to write about the communist Taiwan. Honestly, I understand my father’s concern. Reporting on China sure is dangerous in China, but this is America! How can I possible not go to Taiwan after the attack of Kevin Hsu? No sane journalist would pass up the opportunity to cover such atrocity committed against one of our own. I interviewed Hsu a couple of times when I was working as an East Asian correspondent for the Post. He was the editor-in-chief of Taipei Daily, a newspaper known for covering sensitive topics including government corruption and human rights issues. Last July he was ambushed by three men outside his office and stabbed to death. The whole world was shocked: we all knew Chinese government has always been harsh with journalists, but actually taking one’s life was beyond our wildest imagination.

As soon as I landed in Taipei, I employed all my local contacts to trace the triad allegedly behind the crime. After two weeks of beer drinking and Betel Nuts chewing, I established a somewhat close relationship with some triad members and pieced together the backstory of the attack. Hsu became a real threat to the government when he tried to publish a sex scandal of a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. The three men weren’t supposed to kill him, they were ordered only to send a message. It was an accident. How unfortunate.

After the three men were all sentenced to 30 years in jail and Chinese government routinely denying any connection to Hsu’s death, I returned to D.C. and published my investigation. Though it’s a plain 20 minute read—I thought any animation or sound effects would be deeply disrespectful—it attracted 1.7 million clicks in 4 weeks. All my colleagues and friends were thrilled, hundreds of emails and messages flooded into my inboxes everyday congratulating me on my success. I was even invited to speak at several events. Other than those occasions, I would not take a single step outside. Before last night, I haven’t left my apartment for 3 months. I have zero reason to! Siri takes care all my groceries, automatically purchases anything I need, and does all my housecleaning. All my social activities are carried out by my glamorous hologram—she wears a perfect smokey eye while I have the makeup skill of a 3-year-old. I work from home, my editor just calls me or email me about anything he needs. I’ve only met the man 5 times in 4 years, 2 job interviews included. But today, as I’m in such a good mood, I decide to visit a brick-and-mortar Wholefoods to pick up those strawberries.