"Coming Together" is a realistic group portrait novel that profoundly displays the bonds of original family, youth redemption and eternal friendship.
The story revolves around four county teenagers from lower class backgrounds: Zhao Zijie, Chen Meng, Ding Shuhe, and Wu Xingxing. Each of them has character flaws and family trauma: Zhao Zijie is deeply troubled by his parents' domestic violence and his father's infidelity; Chen Meng lost his mother at an early age and was dependent on others during his childhood; Ding Shuhe grew up within the framework of rules and was forced to give up his dream of painting due to poverty; Wu Xingxing is an introverted and withdrawn rural child who bears the high expectations of his family. Destiny made them miraculously meet in high school, and under the warm-hearted guidance of their mentor Liu Zai, they experienced the "16-year-old funeral night" together that sealed their lifelong bond, growing as strong as weeds.
During their college years, the four of them lived in different places and experienced the ups and downs of emotions and reality, but each other's WeChat groups and late-night conversations were always a safe haven in times of vulnerability. On the eve of graduation, faced with Zhao Zijie's crisis of dropping out of school due to his father's severance of marriage, the three friends and their mentors helped him to support his dream of studying abroad. The book reaches a climax in the struggle after entering society. The protagonists finally reach a spiritual reconciliation of "understanding but not forgiving" with their original families. Friendship is like a fire in winter, allowing them to finally get together warmly under the bright starry sky.
Intent: Everyone is struggling in their own world, and ultimately moves towards their own purification.