Life Revisited

The fog in Chengdu never wipes away.

Chen Guanfu has lived in the city for fifteen years and still hasn’t gotten used to its dampness. But he has no plans to leave, either.

At forty-one, he is a partner at Chenxi Capital, having invested in some of the most cutting-edge sectors of the age: artificial intelligence, commercial aerospace, and autonomous driving. His resume is as polished as a carefully designed PowerPoint. People in the industry call him a “hunter,” someone who can see where the wind is headed before the trend takes off. He neither denies nor confirms it. Only sometimes, late at night in his study, does he use cold tea to write on his desk, then wipe the words away without a trace.

Is a person’s cultural nature their destiny?

If the answer is yes, then all the business logic, strategic analysis, and insight into human nature he has taught over the years is just water poured into a dry well. If the answer is no, where is the lever that can move it?

Capital is technique, philosophy is the Way, tea is a mirror, and wine is a spear. He grew up amid the winds and sand of the Helan Mountains, honed himself to perfection at conference tables in Shanghai, and learned to live with exhaustion amid the everyday bustle of Chengdu.

Yet at this age, he still has to ask:

Can one person really be changed by another?

If not, what is the point of meeting?

If so, what is the price?

The story begins on a foggy morning in Chengdu. Chen Guanfu has yet to realize that what awaits him is not the conclusion of an investment, but a long reassessment of his entire system of values.