Chapter One: After the Flashbulbs

At 11:52, Jianwei reached her aging apartment. She connected the camera to her computer to send the work photographs to Tang. Seven group pictures waited in the folder. The eighth—the deleted portrait—was there too. Assuming she had restored it by accident, Jianwei deleted it again and emptied the recycle bin. The screen went black for a moment, reflecting the clothes rack behind her. When she reopened the folder, the eighth image remained. File created: 00:00. The wall clock had just reached midnight. Every thumbnail flickered at once. Jianwei leaned closer as her spine tightened. No one in the photographs had changed except Wen.