Xu Ye had meant to take Chen Qingqing somewhere good for lunch, but she asked to eat in the school cafeteria instead. He couldn't talk her out of it and had to give in.

Coming out of the cafeteria, neither of them could think of anywhere else to go, so they drove back to the hotel and spent the afternoon lying on the bed watching two movies. The day went by in a haze.

Sunday, the two of them were up early and drove out to Huangpu District, detouring to the conservatory to pick Zhang Ruowei up on the way. The three of them went on from there to the complex where Zhao Ming lived.

Zhang Ruowei led Xu Ye and Chen Qingqing to Zhao Ming's door like somebody who had done it many times. She knew the code by now, but in case his parents were there she rang the bell twice instead.

Zhao Ming, who had spent two days flat on his back at home, got up off the sofa and opened the door. Seeing Xu Ye, Zhang Ruowei and Chen Qingqing standing there, he waved them in at once.

Xu Ye looked around. "You're on your own?"

Zhao Ming laughed. "My mom just left… sit wherever. I'll get you something to drink."

He had barely started for the kitchen before Zhang Ruowei gave him a look. There was no patience in it at all. "Enough. You sit still. I'll get it."

You could see he had only just come through a bad illness. Neither his body nor his spirits were in good shape, and there was no color in his face at all.

Zhao Ming sat down beside Xu Ye and dropped his voice. "My mother's already given me my orders. Before the end of next year I have to arrange for them to meet Ruowei's parents. That's fine by me, but this time next year she'll only be a junior. Do you think there's any chance she'd take me to meet her family before that?"

"That depends on how you do."

"I've got nothing to go…