Chapter One: Beyond Kilometer Twelve

Instinct took the wheel. Lu Xiao swerved, grazed past her, and hit the guardrail. The world tumbled. Steel folded around him. He reached through the violence and caught something red that had torn free from Su Wan's sweater. At last, the director shouted, “Cut!” Clap. The slate closed again. Lu Xiao sat in an undamaged car, sweat chilling his palms. Outside stood Su Wan in her white cap, her expression unfamiliar, her gray coat intact. But when he opened his fist, a red button lay inside it. Two tiny words were carved into its back. Camera Thirteen.