Zhong Jianguo, known as "Little Zhong", was once the foreman envied by everyone in the village. At his peak, he had more than 20 people under his command, driving Audis in and out of high-end restaurants. Now 37 years old, he is hiding in a container at the construction site counting his last three cigarettes - outside, there are workers asking for wages; on his mobile phone, there is an ultimatum from the bank; on WeChat, there is a support reminder notice from his ex-wife.
These days, the work is easy but the money is hard to come by. Government projects are in arrears, developers are running away, and material dealers are blocking their doors every day. In order to maintain his reputation, he maxed out ten credit cards, and now even pays for workers' lunch boxes on credit. When the court seal was affixed to his second-hand Audi, this once high-spirited man was finally stripped of his last fig leaf by reality.
But just as he was about to jump off the unfinished 23rd floor, an unexpected discovery made him see a turning point. Those contractors who were owed money like him formed a secret "debt collection alliance" - they did not rely on violence, but took advantage of industry dirty data and legal loopholes: some specifically tracked the developer's mistress, some bribed bank employees to check the flow of funds, and some forged court documents to create pressure. Xiao Zhong quickly became the alliance's "technical consultant" by virtue of his understanding of the inside story of the project. His failed experiences suddenly became the most valuable capital.
When his dignity was crushed into gravel in the concrete, this desperate man smelled life in the cracks of the gray area. But when he helped Lao Zhou recover his first debt, a sudden visit from the police made him realize that this road to survival was more dangerous than he imagined.
