Hell to the left. Beijing to the right.

Author: Chen Yi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: A series of survival wisdom. Techniques for public speaking, norms of public relations etiquette, wonderful ways to comfort the soul, fostering romantic relationships, methods of dealing with others, and unlocking potential for success. The city is like a charming jungle on the surface but actually full of dangers, and Beijing stands among them, more magnificent, more magnificent! Countless young people from distant places yearn for this place. Finally, one day, they get close to it and rush into it recklessly. What will their fate be? The four young people described in the book are Hu Sicheng, Sun Chuchu, Gu Ming, and Zhang Lan. Among these four, three are outsiders, while Sun Chuchu is an exception—she is a native of Beijing. The story begins with her. The novel depicts the struggles of young people who have come to Beijing, their difficulties in finding jobs and starting businesses, and the emotional entanglements of modern urban men and women under the pressure of life. They suffer inner turmoil and feel lost about their future. They support each other, and rather than struggling hard, they are helplessly struggling, hoping for a glimpse of a rainbow in the distance! Chapter 1: A Heartbreaking Graduation Escape (1) June is scorching, with the sun like a bulb in an oven making it impossible to stand still. People hurriedly seek shade. In this dense shade lies the library of the famous A University in Beijing. The library is embraced by surrounding trees—tall white poplars with drooping, soft leaves that drape over the red brick and black tile roofs, nearly a century old. Under the side wall, ivy leaves hang densely on the foundation, with green stems reaching up to cling in the brick cracks. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blows, and the stems and leaves sway lazily, as if tired. At this moment, Sun Chuchu is sitting in the library, with an old-fashioned ceiling fan hanging above her head. The shaft of the fan is covered in a thick layer of dust, its original green color indistinguishable, but it is still rotating, emitting a creaking sound. Beside her, she has spread out a book titled Automatic Control Theory, with a stack of white paper next to it, blank and starkly reflecting Sun Chuchu’s thin, pale face. Sun Chuchu has come to the library to research for her graduation thesis. Although her eyes are fixed on the book, she cannot focus on a single word. A shadow constantly grips her nerves, making her mind a mess and unable to do anything. Her parents had just divorced. Yesterday, her father took his own books and some clothes and left the already broken home, moving into his office. When her father left, he wanted to say something to Chuchu, but only saw his throat rolling as he couldn’t find the words! Chuchu grabbed her father’s clothes, tears streaming down her face, crying uncontrollably as if she wanted to pour out her heart and lungs. But he still left. Chuchu knelt on the ground, sobbing as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had cracked. It took a long time before her mother came out of the bedroom, her eyes swollen, clearly having cried too. She helped Chuchu up while speaking harshly, “He’s heartless! When he was sent to the Northeast for the Cultural Revolution, how did I take care of him! Every day, even if there was only a small piece of bread, I saved it for him. If it weren’t for me, he would have been dead in the waterlogged fields of Northeast China!” She wiped her nose and continued, “Now he’s a professor, looking down on his yellow-faced wife, just leaving us two alone! Woe is me!” Chuchu’s mother burst into tears again as she spoke. These words had been said countless times, wearing on her ears until they were raw. Chuchu grew tired of hearing them and shut herself in the room.