Chapter Two: The Blank Book of Vows

Zhou Xubai arrived at the restaurant eleven minutes late. He handed his wet umbrella to the waiter and kissed Lin Wan's forehead. “Repairs at the theater. Angry?” “Eleven minutes isn't worth it.” “Twelve?” “Wedding canceled.” He laughed and filled her water glass. Warm light fell across his brow, and Lin Wan remembered the way Gu Chenzhou had looked at her ring. She watched Xubai as she watched the lovers who visited her studio, waiting for a sentence to rise inside him. Nothing did. “Do you ever feel as if I've forgotten something?” she asked. “Such as?” “A person. Something that happened seven years ago.” His hand paused for half a beat. “You were still working at a publishing house. I didn't know you then.”