Zhenbao has two women in his life: his wife, whom he calls his “white rose,” and his mistress, whom he calls his “red rose.” Zhenbao is a typical, successful Chinese man. He has a degree from a Western university and works in management at a textile company. His wife is educated and from a good family, and they have a nine-year-old daughter. He is a hard worker and, by all appearances, lives a typical life. He came from a poor family and worked his way up in the world.

The first woman Zhenbao had sex with was a sex worker in Paris. While studying in Edinburgh, Scotland (which the text incorrectly identifies as in England), he takes a trip to Paris on his own. While walking down the street, he comes across a sex worker in a red slip. He goes with her and feels ashamed about it. While she is getting ready to leave him, he sees her face in the mirror: It looks like “the face of an ancient warrior” (259). When he gets older, he thinks back to how he didn’t know then how to get what he wanted from a sex worker.

While in Edinburgh studying textile manufacturing, Zhenbao begins dating a half-Chinese, half-English girl named Rose.