It was past nine in the evening by the time they came out of the duck blood and vermicelli soup shop.

Unlike a small city, Jinling still had plenty of people out on the streets at that hour, even this far into the autumn.

Once they were both in the car, Jiang Meilin gave him directions. "Straight ahead. Left at the second intersection and you'll see the hotel."

Chen Hansong put his foot down and went.

The silence in the car seemed to be getting to him, so he ventured a question. "Have you been in touch with Yang Lin lately?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Chen Hansong's nerve failed him. "No reason. Just asking."

Jiang Meilin turned it around on him. "When you were on that video call with Qingqing — was Xiao Xu sitting next to her?"

"Of course he was. That kid's already started a company of his own, so how does he still have time to go see our daughter every single day? Last time I called Qingqing first thing in the morning, the two of them were already together. I've started wondering whether they're living together."

"Do you know how long it takes to drive from Xiao Xu's school to Qingqing's?"

"How would I know."

"Forty-five minutes with no traffic. In traffic, an hour at the very least. Those two have been together a long time now, and Xiao Xu still makes that whole trip to see her every week. If it were you, could you do it?"

Chen Hansong was opening his mouth to answer when Jiang Meilin pressed straight on. "How many times is this that you've been to Jinling?"

That shut him up on the spot.

Thinking it over properly, on that one point he really did fall short of Xu Ye.

Chen Hansong turned right into the hotel parking lot. Jiang Meilin got out and led him to the elevator like a woman who had done it a hundred times, and once they were down in the ground-floor lobby she put her hand out. "ID."

Chen Hansong dug his wallet…