The 1980s: A Handsome Mountain Village Boy Conquers the Capital

[1980s / Dumb, Scheming Bottom / Everyone's Favorite / Rise to the Top / Love Rival Showdown]

Zhou Fan, a rural kid who grew up being fed by neighbors.

Lazy, vain, and petty, he calls himself "the boss" whenever he opens his mouth, and closes his eyes imagining he's a dragon.

But somehow, heaven blessed him with a face that made anyone who saw it take a second look.

Zhou Fan knew it, too.

So he wouldn't farm, wouldn't work in a factory, and certainly had no intention of spending his life with Boss Wang, the pig farmer at the east end of the village.

"Someone like me belongs in an apartment building, wearing polyester and eating state-rationed grain."

That autumn, clutching three thousand yuan he'd stolen, he plunged into the crowds at Beijing Railway Station.

Without a letter of introduction, he couldn't rent a room. Without a job, he couldn't earn his keep.

But Zhou Fan wasn't worried in the least. He figured he had money in his pocket and a face worth plenty.

From the hoodlums at the entrance to the alley, to a section chief at the factory, and then to that man in the government compound...

Zhou Fan climbed step by step. He didn't talk about love or take anyone seriously. Whoever offered him the most benefits was the one he'd cozy up to.

People said he had no shame.

He laughed. "They were all willing to do it themselves."