After Being Laid Off, I Started My Life Over

At forty-two, Han Lei had spent half his life in pharmaceutical procurement and thought his steady job was secure. Then the layoff notice arrived, along with his severance package, and just like that, he was unemployed.

Apply for jobs? No takers. Start a business? No capital. His elderly parents needed support, his kids depended on him, the mortgage came due every month, and his wife's expression grew more strained by the day. Clutching his severance pay, Han Lei gritted his teeth and plunged into the vast sea of side hustles: flipping goods on Xianyu, running a street stall, making deliveries. He tried anything that might bring in money. His dignity as a middle-aged man lay in tatters. One day, crouched by the roadside eating a scallion pancake, he realized one thing: pride is worthless; staying alive is what matters.

From going it alone to building a small team, Han Lei stumbled along but managed to carve out a path. By the time people were calling him “Boss Han” again, he was no longer putting on airs in an office tower. He was crouched in a warehouse shipping orders, drenched in sweat and smiling more genuinely than anyone.

A portrait of a middle-aged man's struggle to survive, bringing both laughter and tears, showing that even the timid can be tough.