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Chen Qiming sat in the Grain Bureau office, idly twirling the pen in his hand.

The documents on the table were piled up to half a foot high, all of them were just stamps, signatures, and procedural formalities, none of them of any practical significance.

He was on duty alone that day, so he immediately picked up the phone and dialed Liu Yuan's mobile number.

"Hey, Liu Yuan, it's me." Chen Qiming lowered his voice, his eyes fixed on the office door.

"Qiming! Why are you calling at this hour? Are you at work?" Liu Yuan's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone. In the background, you could vaguely hear music and voices, probably greeting customers at Paradise KTV.

"Go to work? What kind of work is this!" Chen Qiming was furious. "I just waste my days in this lousy office, stamping, stamping, and more stamping! What can I do with that three hundred yuan a month?"

Liu Yuan laughed, "What, are you envious of me? Let me tell you, my 'Paradise' KTV is doing incredibly well right now, all the private rooms are full every night! If you had come to Shenzhen with me back then, you would be rich by now!"

"Don't even mention it!" Chen Qiming was even more aggrieved. "That kid Xiao Ran has made it big now. I heard he opened a cosmetics company called Yu Xue Qing, and he's already advertising it! And you? A KTV owner. And me? I'm still a damn lowly clerk!"

"It's not too late to come to Shenzhen!" Liu Yuan said. "I need someone to manage things here. If you come, I'll pay you double the salary!"

"I..." Chen Qiming started to say, but then swallowed the words back.

It's not that he didn't want to go, it's that he didn't have the guts.

How many connections and how much money did his family pull to get him into the grain bureau?

If he were to say he wanted to quit, his dad would break his legs.

Just then, the office door suddenly opened.

When Chen Qiming looked up, he was so frightened he almost jumped out of his skin...

The section chief stood at the door, looking at him with a dark expression.

"Section Chief..." Chen Qiming hurriedly hung up the phone, and his pen fell to the ground with a "clatter".

"Making personal calls during work hours?" The section chief, a man in his fifties, walked in with his hands behind his back. "Having a lively chat, huh? Who's made it big? Who's gotten rich? Chen Qiming, do you think the Grain Bureau is too small to accommodate someone as important as you?"

"No, section chief, I..."

"No, no!" the section chief interrupted him. "I think you're just restless and impatient! Young man, you need to be down-to-earth! Stop dreaming about getting rich all the time! Is Shenzhen so easy to get by in? Nine out of ten people who go there fail!"

Chen Qiming lowered his head, not daring to say a word.

The section chief stood in front of his desk for a full minute before letting out a cold snort and turning away.

Chen Qiming breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down in a chair, his palms sweaty.

……

The next morning, a general meeting was held across the entire organization.

After the director finished speaking, the section chief went up on stage.

He took the manuscript, coughed twice, and began to speak.

"Recently, some of the younger colleagues in the bureau have developed some ideological problems." The section chief's gaze swept across the audience, finally landing on Chen Qiming. "They're not focused on their work, spending all their time thinking about getting rich, envying this and that. They even make personal phone calls during work hours, disrupting the office order! They also casually gossip about their superiors in private! It's utterly despicable."

Chen Qiming sat below, his face alternating between red and white.

Everyone knew who the section chief was talking about, and many colleagues secretly glanced at him.

"This kind of thinking is dangerous!" The section chief raised his voice. "The Grain Bureau is a secure job, a state-owned institution! Countless people want to get in but can't! Yet some people don't know how to cherish it and are always distracted! Let me tell you, if you don't work hard and don't have the right attitude, you'll suffer sooner or later!"

Chen Qiming clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

After the meeting, a few colleagues who were on good terms with him came over, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered, "Qiming, just bear with it! That's just how the old guy is! He's a typical example of someone who occupies a position without doing anything."

Chen Qiming forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace.

From that day on, the section chief intensified his targeting of him.

Today they say the reports aren't done properly, tomorrow they say the documents were delivered late, and the day after tomorrow they say the office wasn't cleaned properly.

Even though there was nothing wrong with the work that Chen Qiming was in charge of, the section chief could still find fault with it.

The most infuriating thing is the toilet.

There's only one men's restroom on this floor of the grain bureau, with three stalls.

The section chief has a habit: he goes in at 10 a.m. every day and squats there for half an hour.

He held a newspaper in his hand and read it slowly.

Then, leisurely smoking a cigarette, it couldn't be more comfortable.

The people queuing outside were getting impatient, but he was humming a little tune inside.

……

That morning, Chen Qiming felt unwell and urgently needed to use the restroom.

Twenty minutes passed, and the section chief still hadn't come out.

I couldn't hold it in any longer, so I knocked on the door. "Section Chief, are you done?"

The section chief's slow, deliberate voice came from inside, "What's the rush? Wait!"

Ten minutes later, the section chief came out pulling up his pants, glanced at Chen Qiming, and said, "Young man, you need to have some patience."

Chen Qiming rushed into the bathroom, closed the door, and trembled with anger.

He was truly fed up with this kind of life.

When I got to work in the afternoon, the section chief came to find fault with me again.

"Chen Qiming, how did you handle this document?" The section chief slammed a stack of papers on his desk. "Did you realize the date was wrong? How can you be so careless and not do your job properly?"

Chen Qiming picked it up and looked at it; the date was definitely correct.

"Section Chief, this date..."

"You dare talk back?" The section chief glared. "I said I was wrong, and that's final! Redo it!"

The office was completely silent; everyone had their heads down, pretending to be busy.

Chen Qiming looked at the section chief's lewd face, at his colleagues' angry but speechless expressions, and at the lifeless office.

He laughed suddenly.

"Section Chief," Chen Qiming stood up, his voice surprisingly calm, "the date on this document is correct; you've misread it."

The section chief was taken aback, not expecting him to dare to speak like that.

"And another thing," Chen Qiming continued, "you occupy the toilet for half an hour every morning, making everyone in the office hold it in. Isn't that inappropriate?"

"What...what did you say?" The section chief's face turned green.

“I’m telling you, you’re just occupying the toilet without doing anything,” Chen Qiming said, enunciating each word clearly. “Not only are you taking up the toilet, but you’re also occupying the position of section chief without doing any work. We who do the actual work are busy to death every day, while you just drink tea and read newspapers all day, and even point fingers at us. Do you deserve to be this section chief?”

A collective gasp filled the office.

The section chief pointed at Chen Qiming, his hand trembling, "You've gone too far! You've gone too far! Chen Qiming, you don't need to come to work tomorrow!"

“You don’t need to tell me,” Chen Qiming said, taking out a pre-written resignation letter from his drawer and slamming it on the table. “I’ve wanted to quit for a long time!”

Then he turned around and started packing his things...

Teacup, notebook, a few pens.

There wasn't much to tidy up, but he tidied up very slowly and carefully.

The section chief stood there, too angry to speak.

After tidying up, Chen Qiming carried the cardboard box to the office door and glanced back.

"Everyone, I'm leaving now. It's better to leave this place."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

As Chen Qiming went downstairs, he could hear a commotion erupting in the office.

But he didn't care anymore.

As Chen Qiming stepped out of the grain bureau, he took a deep breath.

The sky was very blue, and the sunlight was dazzling.

Then he found a public phone and called Liu Yuan.

"Liu Yuan, I've resigned."

"What?!" Liu Yuan exclaimed on the other end of the line, "You really resigned? That's great, Qiming! When are you coming to Shenzhen?"

"I'll go tomorrow," Chen Qiming said. "Do you really need people on your end?"

"Really?!" Liu Yuan said. "You come and help me watch the place, I trust you! The salary is negotiable!"

"Okay." Chen Qiming hung up the phone.

On his way home, he was both excited and apprehensive.

I was excited to finally escape that cage, but also anxious about how to explain it to my family.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the house, his father sensed something was wrong.

"Why are you back so early today?"

"Dad, I've resigned," Chen Qiming said directly.

"What?!" The teacup in the father's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter." "Say that again?"

"I resigned. I don't want to work at the grain bureau anymore. I'm going to Shenzhen."

The mother rushed out of the kitchen, "Qiming, are you crazy? The Grain Bureau is a secure job! So many people want to get in but can't! Your father begged so many people and gave so many gifts to get you in! And you just quit like that?"

“There’s no future there,” Chen Qiming said. “Three hundred yuan a month, that’s all you can earn until retirement. Xiao Ran and Liu Yuan have both made it big in Shenzhen, I want to go and try my luck there too.”

"Try to get ahead? What makes you think you can?" The father's face turned ashen with anger. "Is Shenzhen so easy to get by? Do you think you're Xiao Ran or Liu Yuan? They have the skills, but what do you have? All you do is coast along in the office! How do you know Xiao Ran and Liu Yuan haven't experienced hardship?"

"That's why I'm going to learn!" Chen Qiming raised his voice. "What can I learn at the Grain Bureau? How to stamp documents? How to flatter? Dad, I'm only twenty-five, I don't want my life to be wasted like this!"

"You...you unfilial son!" The father raised his hand to hit him.

The mother quickly stopped him, "Old Chen, don't do it! Qiming, think it over again..."

"I've made up my mind," Chen Qiming said. "I'm going to Shenzhen tomorrow. I've already found a job; Liu Yuan's KTV is short-staffed, and I'll go help out."

"Going to a KTV?" The father was even angrier. "What kind of respectable job is that? It's a job where you serve others! And you'd do that?"

“What’s wrong with earning a living with your own hands?” Chen Qiming said. “It’s better than just loafing around in the grain bureau.”

Then, without saying anything more, he turned around and went into his room to start packing his luggage.

Outside the door, the parents were still arguing.

His father scolded him for being arrogant and ignorant, while his mother cried and said that she had raised him for nothing.

Chen Qiming felt distressed as he listened, but his hands didn't stop moving.

I packed a few clothes and some daily necessities, and then took out my bankbook...

There was two thousand yuan inside, which he had saved up over the past two years of work.

That's enough. It covers the travel expenses to Shenzhen and the initial living expenses.

That evening, his father didn't speak to him, and his mother cooked his favorite dishes, but neither of them had an appetite.

Before going to bed, his mother sneaked in and slipped him an envelope. "Qiming, there's three thousand yuan in here. Take it. Don't mistreat yourself out there. If things don't work out... come back."

Chen Qiming's nose tingled, "Mom..."

"Go ahead!" The mother wiped away her tears. "I'll talk to your father slowly. You're all grown up now, you have your own ideas. I won't stop you, just... just be careful."

"Yes." Chen Qiming nodded emphatically.

The next morning, before dawn, Chen Qiming left home with his luggage.

He didn't let his parents see him off, fearing the scene would be too sad.

As I boarded the bus to the train station and watched the familiar streets recede from the window, a mix of emotions welled up inside me.

There is uncertainty about the future, and fear of the unknown, but more than anything, there is a sense of exhilaration at breaking free from constraints.

Shenzhen, here I come.

No matter what lies ahead, it's better than rotting away in that shabby office.

As the bus headed towards the train station, Chen Qiming gripped his luggage bag tightly.

A new life is about to begin.

……

The train arrived at the station at 3 p.m.

As Chen Qiming walked out of Shenzhen Station with his luggage, he was immediately stunned by the scene before him...

Skyscrapers stood densely packed, the streets were bustling with traffic, and pedestrians hurried along, their faces etched with the word "busy." Following the address given by Liu Yuan, after changing buses three times, I finally found "Paradise KTV."

The store is located on a bustling commercial street in Luohu District. The storefront is decorated in a glittering gold and silver style. Even though it is daytime, there are already several cars parked in front of it.

As Chen Qiming pushed open the door, a mixture of perfume, cigarette smoke, and alcohol wafted towards him.

The lobby was dimly lit, and several waiters were cleaning.

“I’m looking for Liu Yuan,” Chen Qiming said.

A young man who looked like a foreman sized him up a few times. “General Manager Liu is in his office upstairs. Please wait a moment.”

A short while later, Liu Yuan came down the stairs.

Wearing a floral shirt, a gold chain around her neck, and her hair slicked back, she was nothing like the dowdy old classmate Chen Qiming remembered.

"Qiming! You really came!" Liu Yuan walked over laughing and gave Chen Qiming a hug. "You're something else, you just left like that!"

"I can't hold it in any longer," Chen Qiming laughed. "If I stay in the grain bureau any longer, I'll go crazy."

Liu Yuan patted him on the shoulder, "Come on, let's go upstairs and talk."

The office is on the fifth floor. It's not big, but it's decorated in a very grand style.

Genuine leather sofa, mahogany desk, and a calligraphy scroll with the words "May wealth flow in from all directions" hanging on the wall.

"Sit down." Liu Yuan poured him a cup of tea. "Are you tired from the journey?"

"Not bad." Chen Qiming took a sip of tea. "This place is nice! Quite impressive."

"So-so." Liu Yuan leaned back in his boss's chair. "The monthly turnover is several hundred thousand, but after deducting rent, labor, utilities, and gifts, we can only save about one hundred thousand."

Chen Qiming's heart skipped a beat when he heard that—over 100,000!
He couldn't earn this much even if he worked at the grain bureau his whole life!
"And you," Liu Yuan looked at him, "what are your plans? Do you want to get familiar with Shenzhen first, or go straight to finding a job?"

Chen Qiming put down his teacup: "I want to do something on my own."

"doing what?"

"I haven't decided yet," Chen Qiming said. "But I think there are many opportunities in Shenzhen, and doing anything there is better than working for someone else."

Liu Yuan smiled and said, "Qiming, there are many opportunities in Shenzhen, but it's not as easy as you think. When I first came here, I slept under bridges, ate steamed buns and pickled vegetables, worked as a bouncer, and did all sorts of dirty and hard work. This KTV didn't just fall from the sky; I worked hard to get the investment."

"Su Ning? You and Xiao Ran reconciled with him?"

"Yes! At first, we were doing sales at Shengang Electronics. Later, Suning invested in Xiao Ran to open Yuxueqing and invested in me to take over this Paradise KTV. So starting a business is not as easy as you imagine."

“I know it won’t be easy,” Chen Qiming said, “but I have to try. Liu Yuan, I’m grateful that you let me work in your shop, but I don’t want to spend my whole life minding someone else’s shop.”

Liu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "So what do you think you're capable of?"

“I…” Chen Qiming thought for a moment, “I can do trade. Isn’t Shenzhen close to Hong Kong? I can make money by trading some goods and reselling them. Or I can open a small shop to sell clothes or electronics, either way is fine.”

"Reselling? Opening a shop?" Liu Yuan laughed. "Qiming, do you know how much it costs to rent a shop in Shenzhen? Do you know how much capital is needed to purchase goods? Do you know how fierce the competition is in any business these days?"

Chen Qiming was stumped by the question, but he refused to back down, saying, "Take it slow, we'll find an opportunity eventually."

Looking at his naive expression, as if "Shenzhen is full of gold," Liu Yuan knew that it would be useless to persuade him.

"Alright, since you have ideas, I won't force you to stay. Here's what we'll do: you can stay here for now and slowly look for opportunities. We'll talk about it when we find a suitable one."

"No need. I found a place to stay before I came. I rented a single room in Futian for 300 yuan a month."

Liu Yuan was somewhat surprised, "You're pretty quick! Do you have enough money? If not, I can lend you some."

"That's enough." Chen Qiming patted his pocket. "I brought a few thousand yuan with me, enough to last for a few months."

The two chatted for a while longer before Chen Qiming got up to say goodbye.

Liu Yuan saw him to the door. "Qiming, we're old classmates. To be honest, Shenzhen isn't an easy place to make it. If you run into trouble, come back anytime. I'll always save a spot for you here."

"Thanks." Chen Qiming was touched, but he still said it politely, "I'll treat you to a meal when I make a name for myself."

"Okay, I'll wait."

Watching Chen Qiming's back as he carried his luggage and disappeared into the crowd, Liu Yuan shook his head.

He knew Chen Qiming too well; his ambitions were sky-high, but his fate was as fragile as paper.

Having spent so much time in that greenhouse-like environment of the grain bureau, they have no idea how cruel the outside world can be.

But some things, you won't turn back until you hit a wall.

Good, let this kid hit a wall and suffer a bit, then he'll know what reality is.

……

Chen Qiming found the rented house according to the address. It was an old residential building with clutter in the stairwell and small advertisements pasted on the walls.

The single room is only ten square meters, and it's full once you put in a bed, a table, and a wardrobe.

The window faces another building, so almost no sunlight gets in.

But Chen Qiming didn't care. He put down his luggage, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.

This was his first home in Shenzhen. Although it was small and dilapidated, it offered him freedom.

Chen Qiming went out early the next morning.

He bought a map of Shenzhen and a copy of the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, and sat by the roadside to study it carefully.

The newspapers were full of job postings—factories were hiring workers, restaurants were hiring waiters, and companies were hiring clerks.

Salaries range from five hundred to one thousand.

Chen Qiming didn't think much of it.

He earns 300 yuan a month at the grain bureau, and he came to Shenzhen just to earn an extra 200 yuan?
Therefore, he is going to do something big.

Over the next few days, Chen Qiming traveled all over Huaqiangbei, Dongmen, and Luohu Commercial City.

Watching the shops bustling with people and seeing the small business owners raking in money, I became even more certain: only by doing business can one make a fortune.

What kind of business can I start?

Clothing? He doesn't understand styles, fabrics, or how to bargain.

Electronic products? Huaqiangbei is too murky, with genuine and counterfeit goods mixed together. As a layman, he wouldn't dare touch it.

Catering? He can't even cook.

After wandering around for a week, Chen Qiming hadn't earned a single penny; in fact, he had spent several hundred...

Eating, taking transportation, buying water—the cost of living in Shenzhen is much higher than in my hometown.

That noon, he was eating a boxed lunch at a roadside stall when he overheard two people chatting at the next table.

"Old Wang, how's your shipment coming along?"

"Don't even mention it! It was supposed to come from Hong Kong, but it got stuck at customs. If this batch doesn't get through, I'll go bankrupt!"

"Doing trade is risky, but the profits are also high. I made this much money by reselling that batch of electronic watches."

The man made an "eight" gesture.

Eight thousand? Eighty thousand? Chen Qiming listened intently, his heart itching with anticipation.

Yes, trade! Buying and selling! No need for a storefront, no need to stock up on goods, just find the source of goods and the buyer, and you can make money by simply changing hands!

He didn't even bother to eat; he paid the money and rushed to the Luohu Port.

The area around the port is full of trading companies with signs that read "International Freight Forwarding", "Import and Export Agency", and "Hong Kong Purchasing Agent".

Chen Qiming visited each household, asking questions at each one.

"I'd like to get involved in some trading. Do you know any connections?"

Most people looked at him like he was a fool: "What kind of trade are you doing? Do you have a source of goods? Do you have customers? Do you have capital?"

Chen Qiming was speechless when asked the question.

Finally, a company owner, seeing his youth, kindly advised him, "Young man, the trade business isn't easy. You need connections, relationships, and capital. Someone like you should find a regular job and work steadily first."

Chen Qiming walked out dejectedly.

Standing in the port square, watching the crowds coming and going, watching those carrying large and small bags and hurrying along, he suddenly felt a little lost.

Shenzhen is indeed prosperous and bustling, but this prosperity and bustling atmosphere seem to have nothing to do with him.

I checked my pockets and found that I didn't have much money left.

Back in his rented room that evening, Chen Qiming lay on his bed and did the math: the rent was 300, and he paid 600 in advance with a deposit of one month's rent.

I've spent almost 500 yuan on food and transportation these past few days, and I still have a little over 2,000 yuan left.

At this rate, it won't last more than two months.

I suddenly remembered Liu Yuan's words: "Shenzhen is not an easy place to make a living."

Then I remembered my father's words, "Do you think you are Xiao Ran or Liu Yuan? Do you know what hardships Xiao Ran and Liu Yuan have endured?"

Am I really not good enough?

Chen Qiming sat up abruptly. No, he didn't believe it.

If others can do it, so can Chen Qiming!

The next day, I changed my approach...

Stop trying to get rich quick and start small.

So Chen Qiming spent half a day wandering around the Dongmen wholesale market and finally bought fifty T-shirts for five hundred yuan.

The stall owner said this was the latest model and it would definitely sell well.

Chen Qiming carried a large bag and set up a stall on the Huaqiangbei overpass.

Just as they spread out the cloth and laid out the T-shirts, they heard someone shout, "The urban management officers are here!"

The surrounding vendors scattered like birds and beasts in an instant.

Chen Qiming hurriedly tidied up, and just as he picked up the clothes, the urban management officers were already in front of him.

"Who gave you permission to set up a stall here? Fifty yuan fine!"

Chen Qiming pleaded, "Brother, this is my first time, I don't know the rules..."

"First time? A fine of one hundred!"

After much pleading and persuasion, they fined him eighty yuan and confiscated his clothes.

Chen Qiming squatted under the overpass, looking at the little over a thousand yuan he had left in his pocket, feeling like crying but having no tears.

A week later, Chen Qiming tried it again...

This time he was smarter and found an underground passage that didn't charge a stall fee.

Business was dismal; they only sold three items that day and earned thirty yuan.

After deducting costs, the net loss is 170.

As he was packing up his stall at night, an older vendor noticed his dejected look and asked, "Young man, are you new to Shenzhen?"

Chen Qiming nodded.

"This place looks glamorous, but it's actually quite cruel." The old stall owner smoked his cigarette. "I've been setting up a stall here for eight years and have seen too many young people like you—coming with dreams and leaving dejected. Those who stay are the ones who can endure hardship, persevere, and humble themselves."

"Lower your head?"

"That's right!" The old stall owner exhaled a smoke ring. "You have to bow your head when you need to. Do you think those big bosses were always bosses? They all started as underlings, doing the dirtiest and hardest work. You, on the other hand, have too high aspirations."

Chen Qiming silently packed his things.

Back in my rented room, I was so exhausted that I collapsed onto the bed.

He's gotten tanned, lost weight, and has bloodshot eyes these days.

Looking at the ceiling, he seriously considered for the first time: Was he really all talk and no action?
Liu Yuan offered him a job, but he thought it had no future.

But the paths he chose were increasingly difficult.

Do we really have to go back to find Liu Yuan?

Chen Qiming turned over, struggling internally.

To go or not to go?

Going would be a loss of face and would betray the lofty ambitions I had for coming to Shenzhen.

If I don't go, I might really starve to death in Shenzhen.

...(End of this chapter)