A Name Upon the Waves at the Forked Shore

As ordinary as they come, I had no talent for studying and never stood out in a crowd. Back in school, I made pocket money by flipping QQ accounts with upgraded badges and selling shoes. The first time I held a wad of money I'd earned myself, I even felt a little more confident about secretly liking someone. I opened a Taobao shop selling carved walnut pieces and caught the boom, earning my first fortune. I got so carried away that I thought making money was easy for everyone, and that I could always hold on to the person I loved. I wanted to join the military and find a new path, but failed the medical exam twice. That's when I learned that some doors don't open just because you want to walk through them. I spent four years studying for an exam, clinging to the hope that passing would change my life. I scraped through the objective section, only to fall a few points short on the written portion. It felt like fate was toying with me, letting me hope again and again, only to dash those hopes each time. I traded stocks and mined crypto. I watched the numbers in my account soar, and I watched them plunge to rock bottom overnight. I went all in and started a company, driven by the ambition to make something of myself. In the end, I was left battered and bruised, buried in debt, with a disbanded team and the person who'd been by my side for years gone from my life. I'd had my moments of triumph and let success go to my head. I'd also stared blankly at the ceiling of a rented room late at night, thinking that maybe this was all life had in store for me. But I couldn't accept that. Life is long, and the end hasn't come yet. How could I just call it quits? There was no miracle from above, and I took no shortcuts. I fell and got back up, only to fall again. After stumbling along for half my life, I finally carved out a path of my own.