Spanning the late 1990s to the present day, the story weaves together the innocence of school days and the ups and downs of working life.
In a small-town school in the late 1990s, youth is clear and pure, passionate and carefree. The top student Meng Chaozhou and the well-behaved Nie Lanshan meet by chance. As they spend day after day together, an innocent affection quietly takes root and grows.
On the eve of the college entrance exams, the collapse of his family’s business drives Meng Chaozhou to leave without a word and travel overseas, like a small boat sinking into the deep sea without a trace.
Nie Lanshan gets into a prestigious university, keeps the flutter of young love and the ache of loss in his heart, and moves forward one step at a time, building a respectable life. It is as if he is waiting for someone, and yet as if he never planned to wait for anyone. He enters the working world, leaving his youthful innocence behind, and thinks he has sailed beyond a thousand mountains, never realizing that Meng Chaozhou has made a comeback and arranged a seemingly chance reunion.
After ten years abroad, Meng Chaozhou turns his fortunes around and returns to China to pursue a long-buried resolve. As China’s economy shifts gears, his building-materials technology company finds itself on the crest of the industry’s transformation.
Amid business turmoil and the shifting tides of time, the two ultimately find their way back to each other and join hands to overcome their difficulties.
Beyond a thousand mountains, the little boat has not gone far, and the old friend is still here.
Theme: The story captures both the tender thrill and regret of first love, and the responsibility and commitment adults bring to their careers and relationships. In the end, it rests on the idea that though the little boat has crossed a thousand mountains, the old friend has returned, still young at heart. The regrets of youth are not the end. After the trials of time and the rise and fall of fortune, they remain true to their original feelings, healing and uplifting each other. They bring closure to the regrets of their youth while growing as individuals, in a story that is both warm and powerful.
