Chapter Three: The Breathing Door

“Don't touch me!” For the first time, her voice carried through the glass. “The door didn't imprison me.” She raised her head. Tears slid down her cheeks and vanished into the dark. “I am the one keeping it closed.” The corridor entrance slammed shut behind Yanqiu. The thread around her waist pulled tight, then parted beneath an invisible blade. In the real conservation room, Gu turned with the severed thread in his hand. The barricaded door had somehow opened. Doctor Pei Zhaoting stood beneath the red light, his white coat without a single crease. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled at Gu. “Now,” he said, “we replace the person she trusts most.”