In 2000, sixteen-year-old Shu Yao dropped out of school and joined the masses heading south to Guangdong, where she became a factory worker.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, alone, she stood outside the gates of Zhujiang University, gazing up at the four gilded characters on the sign.
At that very moment, fireworks bloomed across the sky and the city blazed with lights, all reflected in her eyes.
Sixteen-year-old Shu Yao made two wishes in her heart: one an ambition, the other a dream.
First, to study and get into university.
Second, to repay Li Shisong for helping her.
Ten years later, Shu Yao had become a professor at Zhujiang University, and Li Shisong had become the man she would spend her life with.
.
At a 2010 interview, a reporter spoke with Li Shisong, who was now China's youngest entrepreneur.
"We know that your family suffered a sudden upheaval when you were young, and you fell into hardship overnight. Yet you've managed to rise again. Could you tell us what kept you going?"
The man adjusted the microphone. As if recalling something, a hint of tenderness appeared in his light-colored eyes.
"My wife."
The crowd was surprised. The female reporter smiled kindly. "Was it because of love?"
The man smiled. "Love was part of it, but not all of it."
"My wife is a woman full of hope for life, gentle yet exceptionally resilient. When I was at my lowest, she gave me more than just companionship. She showed me the way forward. I was lucky to meet her."
#In an era when society is changing like surging waves, I admit there are many things more important than love. No matter what happens, we have to keep moving forward. Life is as plain as water; but without you, I don't think I could have tasted its faint sweetness.#
Reader's note:
1. Set between 2000 and 2015. A slow-paced story, primarily focused on the female lead's career.
2. A love story between the parents' generation, with a three-year age gap.
Theme: Striving and working hard
