"The Face Behind Windmill Jasmine" is a modern novel that combines suspense, human nature and reality show elements. The story revolves around a reality show called "Windmill Jasmine Summer". Eight participants with different backgrounds were invited to Xihe Villa on Duolun Island to start a month-long closed life. The program is planned by media tycoon Xia Haiguang and his wife Jiang Yinyue, and aims to show the true face of human nature through the lens. However, as Typhoon Mandala approached, Xia Haiguang died mysteriously after the dinner. The death was strange and he was suspected of poisoning.
Participants include has-been star Song Jingming, entrepreneur Qin Fanghui and her young husband Guo Xiyu, Internet celebrity Li Yidong and his agent Xu Jinan, old coffee shop couple Shao Zhengyou and Fang Tianhe, and housekeeper Gao Shenghan. As the investigation deepens, the secrets behind each person gradually emerge: extramarital affairs, business disputes, online violence, media shady... Xia Haiguang's death seems to be related to an old unsolved case many years ago.
The typhoon cut off the island's connection with the outside world. Police officer Xiao Beizhe temporarily took over the case, but fell into a deeper mystery. The poison bottle that disappeared in the greenhouse, the sudden change in Natsumi's face before his death, and the intricate relationships among the participants all make the truth confusing. In the end, this reality show evolved into a cruel game about human nature, and the face hidden behind Windmill Jasmine may be the key to uncovering everything.
Through multi-perspective narration, the novel explores media ethics, human desires and hidden evils. The suspense is layered and the ending is unexpected.
The idea: to use the "Truman Show"-style setting of a reality show to show the different faces of people in front of the camera and behind the camera. The participants each carry their own secrets and disguises, appearing harmonious on the surface, but actually hiding their calculations, revealing the distortion of human nature under interests, desires and fears. Under the magnifying glass of the camera and public opinion, the mask of human nature will eventually shatter, and the truth is often crueler than fiction.