In this chapter, we are introduced to a number of characters who are not real people. They are merely fictionalized versions of real events. For example, we learn that the protagonist is a lawyer named Shuyin Lin, who works for a law firm in Shanghai. He is also romantically involved with a young woman named Miss Qianqian, who was adopted by Shuyin's parents when she was a child. Shuyin tells the protagonist that he can help him win the case for free if the protagonist will help him find the woman. The protagonist agrees to help Shuyin find the young woman.