Chapter Three: She Came Out of the Photograph

“No,” Wen said instantly, then gripped her temple. “There is none in my biography or my memory. But I know her cat was called Xiaoman.” They reached the noodle shop after the woman had left. The owner wiped a table. “The girl who looked like that celebrity? Ate and went. Strange—couldn't pay with a phone, but she knew where my back door led.” The rear door opened onto a narrow lane ending at an abandoned film studio. Posters for Wen's latest movie covered the walls, every pair of eyes painted over in silver. Jianwei found an old studio pass on the ground, its plastic yellow with age. Name: Shen Lan. Access: Stage Zero. On the back was a line in her mother's handwriting: Never trust a person with only one face.