The 17-minute high-speed train is the physical distance from Nanjing to Ma'anshan, but it is a realistic gap that is difficult to bridge for long-distance relationships within the system.
The male protagonist Lu Chen is a transmission and inspection technician at Ma'anshan Power Supply Company. His world is composed of iron towers, silver wires and the iron law of ensuring power supply; the female protagonist Shen Nian is a business editor at the Qinhuai District Cultural Service Center in Nanjing. Her battlefield is official documents, assessments and the worldly sophistication within the system.
Purpose: To redefine "belonging" in the besieged city of "stability".