Chapter Five: The Love Backup Plan

Lin Wanzhao made a scale for forgetting. Level zero meant losing irrelevant details. Level one meant forgetting where you first met. Level two meant using the wrong name. Level three meant failing to recognize a photograph. Level four was emotional severance: knowing who someone was while feeling nothing for them. She rated her three lost seconds as level one. Xinghe objected. “You forgot who I was. That's at least level two.” “I remembered quickly. Level one.” “Counselors shouldn't go easy on themselves.” “Family members shouldn't alter a diagnosis.” “Who's family?” Wanzhao looked up. “The man in the elevator last night.” Xinghe withdrew his objection.