Chapter Four: Ten Million for the Cutting-Room Floor

The Gu Yan on the film smiled at the camera. The real Gu Yan did not. He cut out the frame and placed it in an offline enlarger. In the silver-grain image, a code had been carved into the wall behind the throne: GY-0917. Zhou Fang's screwdriver struck the floor. “The project number of your graduation film.” Nine years ago, Gu Yan had made an unreleased short called *The Man Without a Name*. A young man accepted everyone else's crimes, lost his face, and ended on the throne of an empty city. The investors demanded a happier ending. Gu Yan personally removed every shot of the character. The actor had been twelve. His name was Xu Zhou.