This novel tells the story of young people today: their uncertainty about the future, their loss of self, and their confusion about love. It explores what people give and gain in love, reveals what love is, and seeks to explain its true meaning. When Lu Hequan goes through the tangled emotions of loving and being loved, he thinks he has grasped the truth of love, only for everything to become confusing all over again. The love he believed in proves so fragile in the face of material things and money. Growing up is a slow process. At some point, life begins to grow more and more complicated. The world is never perfect. Only after Lu Hequan runs aground again and again does he realize what this age demands of him. He starts searching for the mask that belongs to him, changing it time and time again. Then one day, when he suddenly looks back, he finds himself a stranger, feels surprised by who he has become, and faces his gradual downfall with helplessness and calm.
Theme: Looking back, finding life strange and surprising, and facing one's gradual downfall with helplessness and calm
