Chapter Five: The Type Tower

Whenever Gu Yan missed a step, Su Qiao's rejected slogan pulled him back. Words forgotten in reality had become solid in the world of drafts. Zero stopped at the seventh level. “My name is ahead.” “Zero?” “That's what you call me. It isn't my name.” Pages rustled beyond the blindfold. A voice like Gu Yan's throat inside another body whispered, “Take it off. Look at everyone you deleted.” He did not move. Zero released his hand. A pencil snapped. Gu Yan tore away the cloth. Zero knelt before an enormous wall with no names, only dates: the day Gu Yan abandoned the fine-arts entrance exam; the day he first signed work for Shen Zhuo; the day his father became critical and Gu Yan remained at the office.