When the boss disappeared, leaving behind just 85 yuan and 30 cents, and the company teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, Hu Che discovered that he had “inherited” a band of absolutely incredible coworkers against his will:
Zhao Fendou, the “Chief Fantasy Architect” who loved making grand promises; Ma Guihua, the stingy accountant who treated chili sauce as a strategic resource; Wang Jianguo, a retired physics teacher and all-purpose repairman; and Huo Ge, who had failed to collect a debt from downstairs and could only settle for becoming a shareholder.
To survive, they created the most absurd currency system in history: one steamed-bun crisp equaled five yuan. With it, they opened a “Fantasy Fulfillment Agency” in a small city on the Gobi Desert: helping clients plant plastic roses in the desert, offering “stress-relief scolding services,” using eye exercises as team-building activities, and even turning plastic camels into internet-famous sensations...
The black brand on Hu Che’s arm, left over from the “Paradise” VR incident, always whispered faintly when he was on the verge of despair, as if reminding him that all this absurdity might be connected to a much larger mystery about the world.
From writing apology letters for clients to running desert hot-spring meditation camps, from 85 yuan to chili-sauce financing, this isn’t a feel-good tale of a loser making a comeback. It’s the story of a bunch of good-for-nothings finding the most irreverent way to survive on the Gobi Desert, while taking survival more seriously than anyone.
This is a story about how failures plant plastic flowers in the desert, build trust with steamed-bun crisps, and rediscover little moments of happiness in an anxious age. Funny enough to make you cry, and so down-to-earth it becomes cool.
