Shen Xi, 26, an emerging painter who studied overseas.
· On the surface: a dazzling, glamorous beauty, bold and unrestrained, like a walking flame. Her aesthetic is “treating the world like one grand party.”
· Beneath the surface: She seems carefree and uninhibited, but deep down she longs for genuine recognition, free from the identity imposed on her by her family. Her flamboyance shields the almost obsessive purity of her devotion to art.
· Lu Hanzhou, 28, heir to the Lu financial conglomerate.
· On the surface: the aloof, aristocratic heir of the capital's elite circle, restrained and abstinent, the embodiment of rules and order. His motto is “always maintain your composure, always stay in control.”
· Beneath the surface: Beneath his calm exterior lies a silent yearning for freedom and vitality, long suppressed by years of conditioning. Art is the one thing that lets his guard down.
