Things settled about a month later. Shen Ning resigned—reportedly for Beijing. Before she left she sent Lu Zhi a message, four words only: *We will meet again.* Lu Zhi glanced at it, did not reply, and deleted it. Cheng Shu was still Cheng Shu. In meetings his face gave nothing away; in conversation he remained all business; in reviews he still interrogated every data source. But Lu Zhi knew something had shifted—he began bringing her coffee when she worked late, sending a brief *Congratulatio...