Chapter One: The Encore Ten Thousand People Forgot

The signature at the bottom was Shen Wu's. She knew she had never signed it. The man spoke at last. "Director Shen, we'll sing only one song." His quiet voice sent pain through her left ear. Somewhere in a forgotten night, someone had addressed her in that same tone—not as Director Shen, but by another name. Two syllables almost surfaced before the crowd drowned them. "Zhou Jibai, check their authorization and audio feed," she said into her headset. The technical director was silent for two seconds. "Whose?" Shen Wu turned. The woman had passed her toward the stage. The man remained. "The emergency act in front of me." "There's only a spare microphone in front of you." The man offered his hand. "Gu Linchuan."