A Lingering Face follows an everyman named
Lei Haiyang (
Pan Yueming), who has recently broken up with his girlfriend. Deciding to go to
Beijing, he hitches a ride with a driver (Li Min) and a fellow hitchhiker,
Yanzi (Ma Xiaoqing). Waking up from a nap, Haiyang finds the truck parked in the woods and the driver raping Yanzi. Hiding in the undergrowth, Yanzi sees Haiyang (the titular "lingering" face), but does not reveal his hiding position. Terrified, Haiyang runs away. In Beijing, Haiyang sees a news report of a female corpse found in the woods. Later, while walking in the streets, Haiyang chances upon a woman who looks exactly like Yanzi. She denies it, but the two embark on a friendship which blossoms into romance. Soon, Haiyang will discover what happened on that curious summer day. ==Reception==