"The mysterious patient samples arrived at the Wuhan Institute of Virology at 7 P.M. on December 30, 2019. Moments later Shi Zhengli’s cell phone rang. It was her boss, the institute’s director."
As @sleeplessbkk points out, conference at gone 7pm? Well it could be a two or three day conference. But it's phrased in a way that suggests she was working, not at the evening drinks do.
“This regime stands on two pillars: lies and power. It covers up the truth about the pandemic with lies so it can carry on its rule … and uses power to intimidate and shut up the ordinary people, and heavy sentences [to punish] people who are not afraid of the intimidation.”
Paraphrasing: "My dream was to become an engineer but somehow I outperfomed myself so I was selected to study biology at ECNU for some reason" "You're kidding!"
"Does any of this prove Mr. Xi’s own religiosity? As Communist Party members, China’s leaders are required to be atheist. And yet Chinese who knew Mr. Xi well believe he at least looked favorably on Buddhism and other traditional religions."
3/
"Mr. Xi, according to the professor, “displayed a fascination with Buddhist martial arts, qigong and other mystical powers said to aid health, as well as with Buddhist sacred sites.”