Characters If You Could See the Sun Ann Liang

Rainie Lam Character Analysis in If You Could See the Sun

Overview

Rainie Lam is a wealthy, popular student at Airington International Boarding School and the daughter of Hong Kong pop star Krystal Lam. With over 500,000 Instagram followers and a carefully curated public image, Rainie appears to have everything—but beneath the glossy surface lies a young woman terrified of scandal. She becomes the first client of Alice Sun’s Beijing Ghost app, hiring the anonymous service to delete nude photos from classmate Jake Nguyen’s phone before they can be leaked. Although Rainie never learns Alice’s secret, her grateful message calling Beijing Ghost “my hero” cements Alice’s moral turning point. This character analysis draws on the novel’s outline and the book’s main page to explore Rainie’s function in the story.

Plot Role and Major Events

Rainie serves as the catalyst for Alice’s descent into ethically questionable work as Beijing Ghost. Her role unfolds through three key scenes:

  • Chapter 2: Alice, invisible, overhears Rainie sobbing in a bathroom about a “big fucking deal” that will cause a “witch hunt” if leaked. Rainie quickly masks her distress, claiming she was practicing lines for an audition.
  • Chapter 6: Rainie pays 50,000 RMB via the Beijing Ghost app to have the photos deleted. Alice accepts the job.
  • Chapter 7: Alice and Henry execute a heist to delete the photos from Jake’s phone. Rainie later messages Beijing Ghost: “i don’t know how u did it but…thank u. you’re my hero.”
  • Chapter 15: During the class trip to Suzhou, a drunken Rainie interrupts Alice and Henry in a hotel room. She gossips about Beijing Ghost, calling its creator a hero, unaware that Alice is the operator.

These scenes establish Rainie as a figure of vulnerability who ironically empowers Alice’s double life.

Motivations and Personality Traits

Rainie’s primary motivation is self‑preservation. She fears the reputational damage that leaked photos would cause, especially given her mother’s celebrity status and her own influencer career. She tells a friend on the phone that “it doesn’t matter if it’s technically illegal, they’re all going to blame me anyway”—a line that exposes her awareness of victim‑blaming culture.

Despite her resources, Rainie cannot solve this problem through conventional means. She is charismatic and skilled at creating a warm, intimate impression (Alice notes that Rainie makes others “feel like you’re someone who matters”). Yet this charm is a performance; her sobs in the bathroom reveal genuine terror, and her quick dismissal of the incident as “acting practice” shows a practiced ability to hide shame. She is also strategic—her gradual hair‑dyeing to avoid teacher notice demonstrates long‑term planning.

Chronological Character Arc

Rainie’s arc is brief but significant:

  • Introduction (Chapter 1): She performs at the Top Achiever Awards, receiving thunderous applause. Alice envies her effortless confidence and social status.
  • Crisis (Chapter 2): Alice discovers Rainie’s hidden vulnerability while invisible in the bathroom. Rainie pretends nothing is wrong.
  • Resolution (Chapter 6–7): Rainie hires Beijing Ghost, and the photos are deleted. She expresses gratitude, but remains ignorant of Alice’s identity.
  • Final appearance (Chapter 15): Rainie travels with the group to Suzhou, where she unwittingly praises the Beijing Ghost creator while drinking with friends.

Post‑Suzhou, Rainie does not appear in the kidnapping or school board scenes. Her arc ends with her problem solved and her faith in a mysterious hero intact—a contrast to Alice’s escalating moral complexity.

Relationships

  • Alice Sun: Their interactions are superficial. Rainie once asks Alice for acting advice (dismissed) and later chides Alice for being “so quiet.” Rainie’s gratitude toward Beijing Ghost creates an ironic emotional bond: she loves a hero she has never met, while the real Alice remains invisible in every sense.
  • Jake Nguyen: The antagonist whose possession of the nude photos threatens Rainie. Their relationship is never shown positively; Jake is portrayed as an entitled asshole.
  • Peers: Rainie is beloved by most students. She is called “perfect” by Bobby Yu, and her presence draws cheers. She uses her social capital to trivialize her own crisis, laughing off the bathroom incident with Alice.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Rainie makes two notable decisions:

  1. She hires Beijing Ghost instead of reporting Jake. This choice underscores the novel’s theme that wealthy yet vulnerable individuals still rely on illicit means when institutions fail. The consequence is that Alice’s blackmail operation expands.
  2. She maintains her public persona throughout. By never admitting her vulnerability to friends or authorities, Rainie protects her image but also isolates herself. She never becomes a confidante to Alice, limiting her growth to a one‑time transaction.

Thematic and Symbolic Connections

  • Invisibility as Marginalization: Rainie’s wealth does not shield her from sexual exploitation. She is invisible in the sense that her suffering is hidden beneath a perfect social mask, and she fears being blamed rather than supported.
  • Class Privilege and Inequality: Rainie can afford 50,000 RMB for a fix, but money alone cannot erase the threat. Her dependence on a classmate (Alice) highlights how even the privileged need unofficial networks.
  • Moral Compromise and Ethics: Rainie unwittingly launches Alice into a series of increasingly dubious jobs. Her gratitude reinforces Alice’s rationalization that the ends justify the means.
  • Identity and Self‑Discovery: Rainie performs a curated identity on Instagram; her real self is only glimpsed in the bathroom. The gap between the two mirrors Alice’s own dual existence.
  • Family Sacrifice and Pressure: Rainie’s mother’s celebrity status adds pressure to maintain perfection. While Alice’s family sacrifices for her education, Rainie’s family legacy amplifies the stakes of a scandal.

Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Rainie hire Beijing Ghost?
    She hires the anonymous app to delete nude photos that Jake Nguyen took of her, fearing they will be leaked and ruin her reputation. (See ending explained for how this fits the plot’s moral arc.)

  2. How does Rainie react after the photos are deleted?
    She sends Beijing Ghost a message saying, “i don’t know how u did it but…thank u. you’re my hero.” She never learns the operator is Alice.

  3. What does Rainie’s Instagram handle reveal?
    Her handle is INTHERAINIE, which she uses to promote sponsored products. It reflects her identity as an influencer and her constant performance for an audience.

  4. How does Rainie dismiss her crying in the bathroom?
    She tells Alice she was practicing lines for an audition—a lie Alice suspects but cannot prove, given Rainie’s convincing acting skills.

  5. What is Rainie’s role in the Suzhou hotel scene?
    Drunk and rowdy, she interrupts Alice and Henry’s private moment, then gossips about Beijing Ghost, calling its creator a hero. This scene deepens Alice’s guilt and foreshadows the later school investigation.

For further discussion of Rainie’s place in the story, see the questions and answers page.