Half a Lifetime

In 2008, the financial crisis swept across the world. The advertising company opened by Yang Yi'an and Wei Chang, who had just graduated from Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, struggled for a year and then collapsed. The spark of his dream was extinguished by reality. He taught himself photography and went south to Xiamen to look for opportunities. In Xiamen, he fell in love at first sight with Lin Meizhu, who had dreams of being a fashion designer. The two spent a poor but passionate time in a rental house, which was the most unforgettable love in his life. However, this relationship ended because Lin Meizhu was suffering from cancer and did not want to drag him down. The frustrated Yang Yi'an returned to his hometown and met the gentle and virtuous Sun Zhenzhen through a blind date. The two got to know each other, fell in love, and eventually got married. At the same time, the friends around him were ups and downs in the waves of fate. After Wei Chang experienced marital betrayal and lost a divorce lawsuit, he lived alone with his daughter. Eventually, due to financial pressure, he embarked on the path of financial crime and was imprisoned. One brother, Wen Yue, was defrauded of his savings by Wei Chang and turned against him; the other brother, Zhang Xiaobing, was the lawyer who lost the divorce case for Wei Chang and felt guilty. Yang Yian is like a big tree, connecting these broken friendships in his own way. He became the "godfather" of Wei Chang's daughter and took care of her silently; he reconciled Wen Yue's resentment and understood Zhang Xiaobing's difficulties. In bidding farewell to an era and ushering in a new life, he used his own way to interpret what "the years are quiet and peaceful, and the present world is stable". At the end of the story, at his daughter's wedding, the middle-aged Yang Yian looked back at his half-life. Although he had regrets, he was more grateful for his fate.