A Genius Actor
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Summary
Actor Shen Lie woke up to find himself lying on a large hotel bed. The bed was in disarray; the previous night's drinking left his head pounding and his mouth parched. He had drunk all the water by the bedside. He struggled up from the bed and discovered a bloodstained dagger lying beneath it. The blood trail ran all the way to the living room, where there were signs of a struggle. Following the blood trail onward, the blood led all the way to the bathroom.
Pushing open the bathroom door, he found a actress lying naked in the bathtub, the water completely dyed red. There were three wounds on her body. He snapped fully awake: this actress was the person who had been drinking with him that night. After the drinking, his memory had gone completely blank—how had she ended up in his room, and how had she died here? Could he be the killer? The room was covered with his footprints and fingerprints; even if he called the police now, he would not escape suspicion. Just then his phone suddenly rang. A stranger's number sent him a message: You have only five minutes to leave the hotel. The police are on their way.
Turn himself in or flee? All the evidence pointed to Shen Lie, yet he was certain this was an elaborately designed trap.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy identity-disguise, cat-and-mouse suspense stories
- Readers interested in the entertainment-industry setting and an actor's psychology
- Adult suspense fans who prefer fast-paced openings with vivid scenes
- Readers who can accept a high-pressure narrative in which the protagonist is framed and constantly on the run
Not a good fit for
- Readers hoping for cozy entertainment-industry daily life or light celebrity-fandom stories
- Readers sensitive to bloody scenes and murder descriptions
- Literary readers who prefer slow pacing and atmosphere over plot
Reading tips
- Pay attention to the small differences each time Shen Lie changes identity—they are key to understanding his situation.
- The opening is information-dense; consider reading the first few chapters in one sitting before judging the character relationships.
- At the truth reveal, look back at the opening hotel scene and re-check which evidence was staged.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 一 陌生的女尸
- 二 谁是凶手
- 三 逃亡
- 四 千钧一发
- 五 迷影重重
- 六 胖哥死了
- 七 背后真凶
- 八 杀人动机
- 九 小佛爷
- 十 入戏
- 十一 指模
- 十二 露马脚
- 十三 保险箱
- 十四 刹车失灵
- 十五 妻子的秘密
- 十六 摩斯密码
- 十七 背后真相
- 十八 凶手浮现
- 十九 鱼死网破
- 二十 天才演员
- 尾声
FAQ
Why doesn't Shen Lie just turn himself in?
What role does "genius acting" play in the story?
Is the bathroom murder at the opening the whole truth?
Comments
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About the author
Yan Zhiyang is a Chinese author known for social fiction and suspense and mystery writing. Publicly available information about him is limited, and details such as his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly documented. Judging from the five works held in the collection, his writing often revolves around tense incidents and the fates of characters in urban settings. His representative works include City Hunt, City Hunt 2, and a two-volume boxed set of the same series, as well as Dark Night Yayoi and The Genius Actor. These titles and their categories suggest that he tends to embed mystery threads in realistic social contexts, using crime and pursuit plots to reveal the darker sides of city life, with a relatively tight pace and a cool, austere atmosphere. Because author statements and interviews are lacking, his specific writing career cannot yet be described in detail, but readers can learn about his narrative orientation and thematic preferences through the works mentioned above.
