Chapter 3
At lunchtime,
Jiang Heng sent me a WeChat message.
I’m going apartment hunting with Xia Qiu after work. I might be home late.
As soon as he sent it, a red exclamation mark appeared.
Jiang Heng stared in disbelief.
He scrolled through the chat to make sure this really was Song Qingyao’s account.
So why was there an exclamation mark?
Had Song Qingyao deleted him?
Impossible!
He sent another message: I won’t go. I’ll come straight home after work!
Another red exclamation mark!
Now Jiang Heng began to lose his composure.
He got up, went over to the floor-to-ceiling window, and called Song Qingyao.
An automated voice came through the receiver. “Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy…”
He tried again.
Still the busy signal.
She had even blocked his number.
Only then did Jiang Heng begin to panic.
Just then, Xia Qiu came in.
She was carrying a delivery bag.
Seeing Jiang Heng’s thunderous expression,
she asked cautiously, “Is something wrong, Mr. Jiang?”
As Jiang Heng met Xia Qiu’s eyes,
half the panic left his face.
He forced a smile and shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
“Yaoyao’s just sulking!”
“Oh? Then… should I explain things to your wife?”
“Last night, I—I really didn’t mean to!”
“I was just so scared…”
“I don’t really have any friends here…”
“You were the only person I could think of calling…”
Xia Qiu looked hurt, her eyes red and ready to spill over again.
“No, this isn’t your fault!”
“She’s been a housewife for too long. It’s only natural she’d feel insecure.”
“Once I’ve helped you move, I’ll go and smooth things over with her.”
Jiang Heng’s gaze fell on the milk-tea delivery bag in Xia Qiu’s hand.
“What’s this?”
Her wounded expression vanished at once. Smiling, she held up the bag.
“A thank-you for yesterday.”
“Here.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
Jiang Heng took the bag. Inside were two cups of milk tea.
Without thinking, he took one out and handed it to Xia Qiu.
They stood by the window, talking about where she wanted to rent.
And the number above Jiang Heng’s head
kept ticking down, bit by bit.
It was almost twelve when we arrived in Wen City.
My best friend’s Tesla, covered in Doraemon decals, was parked outside.
When she saw Xiaoxiao and me, she smiled and waved us over.
Xiaoxiao ran toward her excitedly.
She threw herself into my friend’s arms. “Godmother!”
My friend scooped her up and kissed her cheek.
“Are you happy to see your godmother?”
“Yes!”
“Then how are you going to show me?”
Xiaoxiao took my friend’s cheeks in her little hands and kissed her too.
“That’s my good girl.”
My friend turned to me. “What made you come and see me so suddenly?”
Without a word, I opened the trunk and put my suitcase inside.
At my silence, her smile faded.
“His score changed?”
I gave a bitter smile.
“Fuck!”
“I really thought there might be one man in this world who wouldn’t fall for someone else!”
“I was wrong about him!”
My ability to see loyalty scores
was a secret only my best friend knew.
Back in college, I had predicted both of her boyfriends’ departures before they happened.
I had even known in advance when the other girls in our dorm had boyfriends who were about to cheat.
My friend asked whether I had some kind of special power.
Smiling, I told her I could see a loyalty score above everyone’s head.
She didn’t doubt me. In fact, she looked excited.
“Really? Can you see mine, then?”
I nodded.
“What is it? What is it?”
When I didn’t answer, she grew impatient.
“Come on, what is it?”
“95%.”
She clicked her tongue. “Why isn’t it one hundred percent?”
“For any relationship other than romantic love, anything above 60% is enough,” I told her.
After that day, whenever she dated someone, she would secretly ask me how loyal he was to her.
The moment his score fell below 80%,
she would break up with him first and spare herself any trouble later.
That was why my best friend was now thirty-five and still unmarried.
So far, Jiang Heng was the only person whose loyalty
I had seen hold steady at one hundred percent for ten years.
But now…