Chapter Three: She Came Out of the Photograph

“No. I've spent twelve years trying not to.” The admission was more credible than heroic persistence. Wen sat down and rubbed her brow. “I don't remember who I was at nineteen, but when I saw her, I was jealous.” “Of what?” “When she smiles, she doesn't first locate the camera.” At two in the morning, an unknown number sent Wen a picture of an all-night noodle shop. The short-haired woman sat on a plastic stool eating her third bowl. Beside her was a newly purchased pair of canvas shoes. The message read: You left Xiaoman here. “Who's Xiaoman?” Jianwei asked. Wen went pale. “My younger sister used to have a cat.” “You have a sister?”