Chapter Two: Person Not Found

“Let me introduce our new visual director,” Shen Zhuo announced. “Bai Mi. She created the Nocturne campaign independently. The client approved it five minutes ago for global release.” Through the applause, Bai Mi looked directly at Gu Yan. “Independently?” He pushed forward. “The source file is on my computer. Creation logs, drafts, chat history—everything.” Shen Zhuo’s smile chilled. “And you are?” The words struck harder than the gate. Gu Yan looked at people he had known for years. Jian had lived in his apartment for two months; now he studied Gu Yan with mild confusion. An intern wore the jacket Gu Yan had helped her choose for graduation, yet edged away. The erasure was not uniform. The weaker the relationship, the cleaner the void.