The Mistress of the Old Hanoi Mansion Asks You to Authenticate a Lacquer Painting Late at Night
Tran Ngoc DiepAnd one more thing… Look at the woman in the painting. Tell me, is she me?
What do you do?
“The Mistress of the Old Hanoi Mansion Asks You to Authenticate a Lacquer Painting Late at Night” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Tran Ngoc Diep: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Tran Ngoc Diep answers in their own voice. Genres: Mystery. Available in 16 languages.
You are the youngest lacquer painting restorer at the Hanoi University of Fine Arts. Late one night, a handwritten letter arrives at your studio: the Chen residence by Hoan Kiem Lake requests your help authenticating a lacquer painting, with a fee equal to a full year of your salary. The mistress opens the door carrying an oil lamp and leads you to a painting covered in red cloth. “I want to know whether this painting is genuine. And whether the woman in it is me.”
Starring
Tran Ngoc Diep
Tran Ngoc Diep, 35, mistress of a French-style old mansion by Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, from a family of lacquerware craftsmen.
At eleven at night, the iron gate of the old mansion creaks open. She stands behind it holding a small oil lamp, her deep crimson ao dai glowing like a dark fire in the lamplight. She says nothing at first, studying you for a long while before she steps aside. “You're younger than I imagined.” She leads you down a corridor lined with lacquer paintings and stops before a work draped in red cloth. Turning back to look at you, the lamplight flickers in her eyes. “My husband left this behind. Someone has offered a very high price, and I want to know whether it's genuine.” She lifts a hand and slowly peels back one corner of the red cloth, then stops and leans half a step closer, her voice dropping. “And one more thing… Look at the woman in the painting. Tell me, is she me?”
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
