Lin Xi · Dark Box

Author: Lin Xi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The great French writer Balzac once said that behind every large fortune, there is a crime. This book undoubtedly provides the best footnote to this conclusion. The protagonist, Quan Lei, fails in his official career and decides to go into business. After failing to secure a loan from the bank, he chooses to seek financing through an IPO. But this is a one-way street filled with danger and traps. By the time Quan Lei realizes it, he is already trapped and cannot turn back. After two failures, he finally succeeds in the IPO, but he is now worn out, having lost his family, best friend, and lover, paying a heavy price. Quan Lei's experience can be said to be a microcosm of the first generation of entrepreneurs after China's reform and opening up. They have dreams and passion, unwilling to accept the status quo, so they dive into the boiling business world and fight against fate. The novel's language has a strong prose quality, flowing like clouds and water, pure and clean yet with a flexible texture. However, in terms of narrative style, it is not influenced by prose, with a concise and tight story, interlocking plots, and characters whose fates change unpredictably, with a twist at the end. It leaves readers deeply moved. Quan Lei, Yao Mingyuan, and Zhang Qi, three former classmates, join forces once again to help Pioneer Company go public, forming an iron triangle. They navigate the business and political worlds with ease and skill. To achieve their goal of going public, they resort to all means, including bribery and falsifying accounts. Just as the IPO is about to succeed, it fails due to a whistleblower, who happens to be the chairman, Yao Mingyuan. Pioneer finally succeeds in going public, but at the cost of Zhang Qi's suicide and Yao Mingyuan's imprisonment. The novel not only showcases the cruelty of the business world, the danger of the political arena, and the unpredictability of human nature but also reveals the principle of doing business with integrity, leaving readers with endless reflection. Interwoven with Quan Lei and Zuo Lan's love story is also the sweet fragrance of romance, providing enjoyment.