Xu Ye sent the two messages and drove home.

The moment he got in and opened his phone — good grief. Chen Hansong had sent seven or eight messages in a row.

Chen Hansong: ???

Chen Hansong: you saw me?

Chen Hansong: does Qingqing know?

Chen Hansong: let me tell you, it isn’t what you think

Chen Hansong: she’s a major client of mine. she was the one who asked me out to dinner. we ate and we both went home

Chen Hansong: hang on. why am I explaining myself to you

Chen Hansong: don’t go talking. don’t let them find out

Chen Hansong: where’d you go?!

It was the first time Xu Ye had seen Chen Hansong this eager to message him. Before, their chats had never run more than a few lines — he would ask how Chen Qingqing was, and that would be the end of it.

Xu Ye went into his room and started replying.

Xu Ye: Qingqing didn’t see. only I did

At that very moment.

Chen Hansong heard his phone go and checked the message straight away. He let out a long breath, then typed, still on edge:

Chen Hansong: don’t let them find out about this

Xu Ye: what if it slips out?

Chen Hansong: are you threatening me?

Xu Ye: no. I said what if

Xu Ye: but fair’s fair — having dinner with another woman on Valentine’s Day isn’t really okay, is it?

Chen Hansong: I phoned your Auntie Jiang. she said she wasn’t home today

Xu Ye: she is though

Chen Hansong: then why did she tell me she wasn’t?

Xu Ye: means she’s still angry with you, doesn’t it

Xu Ye: if you want to know whether she’s home you can just ask Qingqing

Chen Hansong: even if I go over she’ll only throw me out

Xu Ye: isn’t it always just talk? when has she ever actually thrown you out?

Xu Ye: Uncle Chen, do you want to be with Auntie Jiang or not?

When Chen Hansong didn’t reply for a long while, Xu Ye decided to give him a push.

Xu Ye: here’s what we’ll do. go and buy some flowers and go round to the house now, or I’ll tell Auntie Jiang and Qingqing about you having dinner with another lady tonight

Chen Hansong: not a chance

Chen Hansong: your auntie will put any flowers I buy straight in the trash

Xu Ye was lost for words. How is my father-in-law such a blunt instrument too? He typed quickly:

Xu Ye: can’t you say they’re for Qingqing? it’s Valentine’s Day. Auntie Jiang isn’t stupid — even if you say they’re for Qingqing, she’ll know perfectly well the flowers are really for her

Xu Ye: Uncle Chen, Qingqing has never talked to me about you and Auntie, but I know that inside she still wants the two of you to be together

Xu Ye: it’s 7:25 now. I’ll message Qingqing at eight. if you haven’t been round by then, I’m telling them about your dinner tonight. I mean it!

Xu Ye had eaten with the pair of them several times. If there had truly been nothing left between them, Chen Hansong wouldn’t keep hanging around the house for a free meal, and Jiang Meilin would never let him stay and eat. Put plainly, neither of them could get past the thing that was in the way.

His mother-in-law most likely felt his father-in-law had wronged her before the divorce, and had held on to it ever since.

And his father-in-law was thin-skinned and proud, and couldn’t bring himself to set that pride aside.

Given what the two of them had going for them, there would have been no shortage of people interested after the divorce. That both were still single after all this time could only mean one thing — neither of them could let the other go.

Xu Ye’s last message was meant to push Chen Hansong, and to hand him an “excuse” and an “opening” to act on.

Chen Hansong put the phone down and sat on the sofa thinking for a long while. Then he picked it up again, read back over the last few messages several times, and got straight to his feet, took his car keys and set off for Red Leaf Estate.

The two-bedroom flat Chen Hansong lived in now was only fifteen minutes’ drive from Red Leaf Estate. He could have done better. He settled for that one because the compound was close.

He bought a bunch of roses on the way. Setting them down on the passenger seat left him a little dazed, because he could not remember the last time he had bought Jiang Meilin flowers.

He was nervous the whole way over.

He ran through what he was going to say in his head, and after going over the wording countless times he still didn’t feel any of it was quite right.

But before long the car was pulling in through the gates of Red Leaf Estate.

Chen Hansong looked at the lit-up living room, gritted his teeth, got out and walked straight to the door, where he pressed the bell twice.

It wasn’t long before the door opened. Jiang Meilin, halfway through her dinner, found Chen Hansong standing there. Surprise showed in her eyes first, and then she was straight back to her usual ice-cold self. “What are you here for?”

Chen Hansong played dumb on purpose. “Didn’t you say you weren’t home today?”

“I asked what you’re here for.”

“I came to see Qingqing.”

A father coming to see his daughter is only right and proper, and Jiang Meilin had no reason to keep him standing at the door any longer — although she didn’t fetch him a pair of slippers the way she did for Xu Ye.

Chen Hansong had to find a pair himself and change into them, then carried the flowers in.

Only then did Jiang Meilin see that there were flowers in his hand.

Chen Qingqing hadn’t gone upstairs. She was sitting on the sofa, and when she saw the flowers her face plainly lit up.

And at that same moment.

A message came in from Xu Ye.

Xu Ye: has your dad come round?

Chen Qingqing sent back three question marks, and then, right after them:

Chen Qingqing: how do you know?

Xu Ye sent a smiley face and said nothing more.

Chen Hansong glanced at Jiang Meilin, then at Chen Qingqing, walked over to the sofa and set the roses down on the coffee table.

Jiang Meilin acted as though she hadn’t seen them and carried on with her meal.

Chen Hansong felt the awkwardness in the room. He sat down on the sofa and brought up a subject himself. “Qingqing, did that little bast— did Xiao Xu not come and see you today?”

“I only got back a little while ago,” Chen Qingqing said.

Hearing that, Chen Hansong knew Xu Ye hadn’t been lying: the boy really had seen him in that restaurant. At least he hadn’t come straight out with it, or I’d never have washed myself clean of it, not if I’d jumped in the Yellow River…

“New Year’s Eve is nearly here,” Chen Hansong went on. “Is there anything you’d like to eat? Dad will get it ready ahead of time.”

Having said it, he stole a look at Jiang Meilin. On the face of it the question was for Chen Qingqing; in fact he was testing where Jiang Meilin stood.

She had already agreed he could come over on New Year’s Eve, but he was afraid she would change her mind at the last minute.

Chen Qingqing shook her head slightly. “Anything’s fine.”

Chen Hansong worked up his nerve. “Meilin, I’ve noticed other families do hotpot at New Year. How about we do a hotpot this New Year’s Eve?”

It had been a very long time since Jiang Meilin had heard Chen Hansong call her “Meilin.”

From the moment he came through the door she had felt there was something off about him today. She looked up at him, then at Chen Qingqing — who was watching her too — and at the roses on the table. The sharp answer was already on her lips, and she changed it. “You’re the one making it, then.”

Chen Hansong was pleased, and a little excited with it. “No problem at all!”

The corners of Chen Qingqing’s mouth turned up a little as well.

(End of Chapter 191)