Life's Ups and Downs, Like a Dream

He was born in the countryside, but he had never been content with an ordinary life. He carried a dream in his heart, determined to leave the mountains and make something of himself.

At last, he got the chance to leave the muddy countryside and head for the city. Though he could only find work as a lowly temp, his gift for talking won over the people around him and helped him find his footing. By chance, he revealed a sharpness unlike that of the other temps. A perceptive supervisor recognized his talent and took him under his wing, changing the course of his otherwise ordinary life.

When the winds of reform and opening swept across the country, he, like countless other young people with dreams, resolutely quit his job and started a business. With grit and daring, he built a thriving enterprise and became the kind of success others envied.

But a smooth road wore away his sense of caution. He gradually grew arrogant, insisting on entering an industry beyond the reach of his knowledge and experience. One wrong step cost him everything, sending him from the summit to rock bottom.

The prosperity of the past faded away, and he experienced every change in the warmth and coldness of human relationships. Unwilling to sink into despair, he tried again and again to make a comeback, but luck was never on his side, and he met with failure at every turn.

His ambitions unfulfilled and his obsessions unresolved, endless frustration and torment crushed him. In the end, he fell ill with depression and left this world in sorrow, carrying his unfinished dreams, deep regrets, and lingering resentment. Half a lifetime of ups and downs had ultimately been nothing but a dream.

This story lays bare the rise, fall, and tragedy of a grassroots entrepreneur of his generation.