At a book signing for renowned author Shangguan Qiao's latest novel, a twenty-four-year-old woman named Lin Bishan asks him for help, claiming she suffers from a rare condition described in his book: “Sheldon Syndrome.”
People with this condition are unusually sensitive to literary works. When their surroundings resemble those depicted in a story, they mistake themselves for one of its characters. Shangguan Qiao refuses to help her and makes it clear that the condition in his book was entirely fictional.
“My first love took place in a paradise I made up. I lost myself in my imagination, unable to escape. All that love was nothing but my fantasy, while reality was so painful and filthy.
“The tragedy is that I actually enjoy being humiliated by that filth. It's like throwing a gorgeous silk robe into the muck: beautiful, yet reeking. There's a peculiar thrill in that...”
