The Light at Two in the Morning

When Xu Zhiyao ran into her ex-boyfriend in a convenience store at 2 a.m., she felt like her life was on display with an embarrassing, harsh brightness. She had assumed the man who always stood outside the glass doors photographing the night was merely documenting her most pathetic moments. It wasn’t until much later that she realized some people press the shutter not to be a bystander, but out of fear that she might struggle until the lights finally went out without anyone ever remembering how desperately she had once tried to shine.