We Are All in Other People's Lives

Chen Chuan was born in a small county town in Chengdu, Sichuan. His parents ran an ordinary restaurant. After graduating from college, he returned to Chengdu and worked in marketing planning. He owned a house, a car, and a stable income. In the eyes of his peers, his life was considered good. But after he truly entered society, he discovered that life is never about having something to live with peace of mind. His first love disappeared in different cities due to the distance after graduation; his girlfriend Xu Wei, who had been in love for many years, was originally willing to accompany him to eat at a roadside stall, but gradually changed after comparisons. Her sister married into a family with superior conditions, and her friends lived in bigger houses and drove better cars. These seemingly unintentional comparisons made Xu Wei begin to believe that love is possible, but life must be better than others. When a house, a car, a bride price, and marriage were placed in front of him, Chen Chuan realized that the life he thought he had prepared for was still far from enough in the eyes of others. After breaking up, losing his job, and failing to start a business, at the age of 28, he fell into the trough of his life for the first time. It was also during that time that he met Shen Ning, who worked in finance. She did not promise to accompany him to a successful career, but she accompanied him to recalculate his life when he was in the most miserable state. Years later, his first love reappears and his ex-girlfriend comes back into his life. Some people around me are getting married, some are getting divorced, some are staying in the city, and some are returning to their hometowns; those once enviable lives are gradually revealing their unknown side. Chen Chuan finally understood: We always envy other people's lives, but rarely realize that maybe we are living a life that others envy at this moment.