Multiple identities in 2046, entangled with Chow and sci-fi themes.
Mimi's Boyfriend
(played by Chang Chen) — supporting
Jealous lover who stabs Lulu in 2046.
Su Li-zhen
(played by Maggie Cheung) — supporting
The elusive object of Chow's enduring affection, representing lost love and unfulfilled desires.
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Mr. Wang / Train Captain → Wang Jing-wen / Android
(Family Father) — Mr. Wang is connected to Jing-wen as her father in the supplied character framing.
The plot identifies Jing-wen as the landlord's daughter and says that her father strongly disapproves of her Japanese relationship.
Wang Jing-wen / Android → Wang Jie-wen
(Family Sisters) — They are sisters within the landlord's family.
The plot identifies Jie-wen as Jing-wen's younger sister.
Chow Mo-wan → Wang Jie-wen
(Romantic Seduction Attempt) — Their interaction is defined by Jie-wen's unsuccessful advance.
Wang Jie-wen, Jing-wen's younger sister, attempts and fails to seduce Chow.
Chow Mo-wan → Wang Jing-wen / Android
(Romantic Unfulfilled Romance) — Chow's feelings are blocked by Jing-wen's continuing love for her previous lover.
After Jing-wen is released from institutional care, Chow develops feelings for her and attempts a relationship, but nothing develops.
Chow Mo-wan → Bai Ling
(Romantic Sexual Relationship) — Their intimacy is physical, while Bai seeks a deeper commitment.
After Bai's boyfriend leaves her, she and Chow become friends, and their relationship quickly turns sexual.
Chow Mo-wan → Su Li-zhen
(Romantic Lost Love) — Su represents Chow's enduring attachment to an unavailable love.
Chow returns to Hong Kong haunted by losing Su. In Singapore, the plot's Su becomes his lover and an unresolved emotional attachment.
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
Chow Mo-wan → Mimi's Boyfriend
(Conflict Indirect Opposition) — Chow is connected to the boyfriend through the violent aftermath of the encounter.
Chow's encounter with Lulu is followed by the revelation that she was stabbed by her jealous boyfriend.
Mimi's Boyfriend → Lulu / Mimi / Android
(Conflict Jealous Violence) — The boyfriend's jealousy turns Lulu's relationship into a violent threat.
After Chow returns Lulu's room key, he learns that Lulu was stabbed the previous night by a jealous boyfriend.
Chow Mo-wan → Lulu / Mimi / Android
(Social Brief Encounter) — Their brief encounter is followed by Chow learning that she was stabbed.
After returning to Hong Kong, Chow meets Lulu and takes her home, later returning her room key.
Story Analysis
A lonely writer moves through overlapping romances and fictional memories while repeatedly confronting love, loss, and emotional refusal.
Plot Progression
Keys, Memories, and Shadows
— Chow returns to Hong Kong and adopts a suave ladies' man persona after losing Su. A brief encounter with Lulu ends in a disturbing revelation, while the Wang family introduces another troubled relatio...
Fiction Born from Desperation
— Jie-wen's failed seduction and Chow's financial problems lead him toward science-fiction writing. Personal figures begin to reappear inside stories shaped by his emotional past.
Bai's Impossible Terms
— Bai and Chow move from friendship into a sexual relationship. Bai wants exclusivity, but Chow refuses, leaving her to return to prostitution.
The Love That Cannot Begin
— Jing-wen leaves institutional care but remains trapped in feelings for her previous lover. Chow's attempt to love her fails, and her engagement intensifies his loneliness.
Departures Without Answers
— Bai prepares to leave for Singapore, while Chow's earlier Singapore history with Su is revisited. Su becomes his lover, rejects his return proposal after a final draw, and later disappears from his re...
