Adrian and May are gone when she rises, and she is relieved to have the house to herself. She contemplates getting a bus to Hounslow, but something prevents her. She knows she will have to wait for Wen to contact her, but how long? A day? A week? A year? Now that the initial shock has passed, she must stifle the slow swell of anger that is building within her. If Wen deceived her, he must have had good reason, she tells herself repeatedly. She is due to teach at the language school this afternoon, but she remembers with dismay that it is Jin’s day off. For now she has no choice but to carry on. That evening when she finishes teaching, it is cold and dark as she leaves the school. The first person she sees when she steps out the door is Jin. She is standing on the pavement just outside smoking a cigarette, a scarf wrapped several times around her neck to keep out the chill. Jin steps forward as soon as Lili emerges, and Lili realises with a start that Jin is waiting for her.
