Chapter Two: Person Not Found

His phone rang. His mother. Gu Yan answered with “Mom,” and heard a long silence. “I’m sorry,” the old woman said carefully. “Have you called the wrong number?” In the background, his sister Gu Lan asked, “Who is it?” “I don’t know. A stranger.” Bai Mi had reached the family layer. The laptop began playing security footage on its own. In the records room, Bai Mi removed Gu Yan’s personnel file, placed it inside her own drawer, and exchanged the labels. Then she looked directly into the camera and raised an old company photograph. A torn crop line ran along one edge. Bai Mi inserted her fingers into the tear and drew it apart. Behind the photograph was not a wall, but a dark street made of shredded paper and discarded letters.