I can't write anything.
Are you out of inspiration today?
You can't be a full-time writer by relying on inspiration.
I've long lost
my inspiration for this story.
Then how can you write it?
I must still write it.
But how?
By relying on my perseverance,
persistence,
and my burning passion for life.
It sounds passionate.
It's painful too.
There's a movie that says
that hardship
is the soil of creation.
I agree.
Then can you try hydroponics?
Sorry.
I made a joke since you're in such a bad mood.
It's a bit funny.
Right?
So you should talk to us more and more often.
Even if we can't help you with writing,
you'll feel better after letting it out.
I'm considering
becoming a teacher.
Do you want to switch careers?
I've been writing professionally since my senior year in college.
After graduation, I became a full-time writer.
I was young at that time.
In the beginning,
I was energetic
and I wasn't particular.
Writing 10,000 to 20,000 words each day was nothing.
My income was also good.
After writing for several years,
I slowly gained some know-how.
My writing style improved too.
So did my story-telling skills.
However, I can't write that fast anymore.
My favorite themes are quite uncommon.
That's why
they're not popular.
No matter what plots I wrote,
I'm always criticized.
I feel so stressed and frustrated.
I don't know what to do either.
That's why I'm considering
listening to my dad and finding a normal job
after I finish writing the novel.
But you love writing novels.
But my parents are also worried about me.
For an unpopular writer like me,
I don't feel confident
that I can do well
if I want to write about an unpopular theme.
I don't know if I can do better in the future or not.
Will my time come and things will go well?
Actually, I…
I'm a tacky person.
I also want to earn a lot of money.
I also want to be liked
and become successful.
Who doesn't?
Everyone is the same.
Right.
You're the first writer I've met.
I used to think that you didn't need to go to work.
You earn a lot and your time is flexible.
Moreover, you're loved by so many readers.
You guys should be happy.
Those are the very rare successful writers.
Many people mention online
how much money writers earn yearly
and how much they sold the copyrights for,
but they are only
the top one-millionth percent.
We belong to the bottom of the subsistence line.
If you really can't write,
you can tell readers
about suspending updates for a few days.
That shouldn't be a problem, right?
That won't do.
Writers like me attract readers
through serial stories.
Forget about suspending updates for a while.
Even if it's just for three days,
my readers' comments will lessen drastically.
I'll be out of ranking and my income will be halved.
My readers will soon be gone.
If I suspend updates,
others will make double updates.
Then my story will be wasted.
I thought as long as your story was good,
the readers would surely wait.
As long as my story is good,
the readers will wait.
That premise is like
if I have 30 million yuan in the bank,
I can get one million yuan annually.
As long as I write well…
This premise is a huge gap
and insurmountable barrier with 99% of writers.
So whenever someone asks me
what my job is and what I'm writing,
I couldn't
say anything.
I don't know what to tell them.
I didn't know that's how things are.
I have my own thoughts.
I don't know if expressing them will be of any help to you.
I quite admire people like you
who has a job they like
and are willing to pour their heart into it.
Even if you say you love money and success,
I still believe
that if you can be really satisfied with what you've written
and you feel such a sense of accomplishment,
I'm sure
you'll write it even if you don't earn anything.
Right?
Because ardor has weight.
It's absolutely not something unimportant to you.
Then again,
people like the strong.
They love those
who can be true to themselves and won't back out
no matter what difficulties
and bad luck they confront.
Many people have heroic dreams,
but how many of them could be heroes?
We're all ordinary people.
We'll consider many practical factors
when facing life choices.
They're very heavy to bear.
Damai.
Don't be too harsh on yourself.
No matter what decision you make,
I'll always cheer for you.
Me too.
She's going to cry again.
Eat up. It's getting cold.
It's so delicious.
It's delicious.
Nana.
Leave it.
I'll clean up tomorrow.
What's going on, Nana?
I'm fine.
Damai is fine now. Why are you crying?
I…
I just feel
apologetic to Damai.
Nana.
Hello.
Well, did you wash the bedsheet for me?
I saw you put it in the laundry basket,
so I washed it.
Thank you.
I was going to wash it earlier
and I saw someone using it,
so I decided to wash it later.
That was why I put it there.
Sorry for troubling you.
It's fine.
The washing machine washed it.
It's not troublesome.
Let me hang it.
Thank you.
-Hold that side. -Okay.
Come on.
By the way, Damai,
what's your job?
I'm a freelancer.
A freelancer?
A designer?
I saw you always staying in your room.
Or are you an online live steamer?
No.
I write novels.
You're a web writer?
Keep it a secret.
Don't be so modest.
You're so awesome.
Writing a composition
has been my biggest headache since I was young.
I always pieced up an 800-character article
using punctuation marks
and prepositions.
I'm the opposite.
I must control myself not to write too long.
Which websites are your novels on?
I want to read your works.
What kind do you like?
I can recommend some for you.
You don't have to read what I've written.
Most of my writer friends write sweet love stories.
It doesn't matter to me,
but I prefer martial arts
and thriller genres.
However, I mainly want to read your works.
After all, it's rare to live with a writer.
Do you think I'm a bit unambitious?
No.
Of course you can read it.
So which websites are your novels on?
I have no account.
I need to register one first.
You don't need to register.
I'll send you a file and you can read it on your phone.
How can I?
I must pay for reading.
It's fine.
I'll just let you read it.
Just don't send it to others.
But I can't read for free.
You won't.
You've washed my bed sheet.
The washing machine did it.
It doesn't count.
Of course it counts.
Let's go.
What do you want for lunch?
Let's eat together.
Anything is fine.
Are you off today?
I'm off one day a week.
So what do you want to eat?
I'm fine with anything. It depends on you.
I…
What if I cook for you?
Can you cook?
Earth God. Where's my Golden Cudgel?
Monkey King.
Your Golden Cudgel is excellent for it fits your hairstyle well.
Sister.
Warm yourself by the fire.
Call her Damai.
-Call her Damai. -Okay.
Maimai.
Come and warm yourself.
Damai, are you hungry?
We have baked sweet potatoes and corn.
Have a seat. Let me introduce the neighbors to you.
Come on.
This is Mr. Ma Qiushan.
Hello.
The one eating corn is Mr. Hu Youyu.
He's a singer.
I'm a musician.
Fine. Musician.
Well, Maimai,
what's your job?
You're a singer.
She writes online novels.
She's a writer.
A web writer.
That's lucrative.
I saw online
that web writers earn 100 million yuan a year.
I knew it.
That's why you always stay in your room
and your light is still on late at night.
So you're into writing.
I get it.
A homebody night owl.
It matches.
You write novels
while I write songs.
Essentially, we're peers.
We have something in common.
Let's chat more often when you're free.
Why aren't you speaking?
Why does she seem so quiet?
Because you're too talkative.
I understand.
It's popular, right?
Social anxiety disorder.
It's actually because of staying indoors.
Well, Damai,
what's your pen name?
I want to read your work carefully.
Sorry.
I don't want to reveal my sock puppet.
Enjoy yourselves.
Do you want to eat something else?
No. Corn is enough.
I want to make myself some noodles.
Well…
What's going on?
Revealing her sock puppet…
Why is she so secretive?
Privacy.
You're a stranger.
Don't ask.
What's so private about that?
Isn't it good to help promote her works?
Nana.
Do you know her pen name?
I don't.
Do you know what revealing a sock puppet is?
No.
So Damai just wanted to tell me alone.
She must have trusted me so much at that time to tell me about it.
I didn't know it was so hard for her.
I just thought
it was fine as long as I kept her pen name a secret.
She doesn't blame you.
That's why I feel so sorry.
You can't always know
what your friend is thinking
no matter how close you are.
Just treat her better from now on.
Good morning, Damai.
What's the matter?
Are you still sleepy?
Don't worry.
It's fine for them to know you're a writer.
They don't know your pen name.
Right?
Thank you.
"Thank you"?
Why are you thanking me?
Listen.
I cried when I reached over Chapter 30.
Why?
The heroine
thought she would die there,
so she swallowed the evidence
and hoped it could be found during the autopsy.
Even though I know she wouldn't die,
that part was really moving.
Actually, that part got a lot of criticism.
Why?
Some readers think she's so dramatic
while others think the hero is so useless.
I think the romantic parts
aren't that many in the story,
but the plots in solving the case are so interesting.
Tell me.
Why must the female lead wait for the male lead's rescue?
It's great for her to save herself, okay?
Also, as her co-worker,
he already did everything he could.
I think everyone has his own preferences.
If someone likes it,
someone won't.
Anyway, I quite like it.
I'm serious.
I'm not kidding.
Thank you for your appreciation and acknowledgment.
You're thanking me again.
I should thank you.
After all, you didn't let me pay.
Damai.
I've observed that you really love cats,
so I thought
about giving this kitten to you.
Then it can accompany you while you're writing at night.
It's so cute.
Do you like it?
Yes. Thank you.
Stop thanking me.
How many chapters have you finished now?
More than 80.
Keep it up.
Listen. I'm almost finished reading.
Eat up. It's getting cold.
THE PERSON I LIKE (IT'S UP TO FATE) THE LIFE THAT I WANT?
Xiaoliu.
Help me ask your friends with the clothing stall.
When will they give orders to a small clothing factory?
Yes. Those with less than five people.
Okay. I'll wait for your call.
Bye.
Xu Hongdou.
Do you want to ride a horse?
No, thank you.
I'm here to see the pony.
Learn it.
When the pony grows up, you can ride it.
I've probably already left then.
So…
you've still decided to go back to Beijing?
Maybe I'll go to Shanghai too.
Right.
Your sister is in Shanghai.
You can help each other.
Don't you think
time passes by so quickly?
Yes.
Have you gathered the strength to start over?
Let me think.
Not yet,
but soon.
So you've already let go
of your worries too?
I wanted to let it go before,
but now, I don't want to.
I can't let it go either.
Everything that we cherish has weight.
We need to get used to
living with this weight.
It's unavoidable
to encounter hardships and sufferings in our lives.
That's how we grow.
However,
luckily, these pains
will disperse soon.
Time will take everything away
and heal us.
Time is most ruthless,
but it's also the gentlest.
True.
It has been almost a year.
Modern life is so fast-paced.
One year is actually quite long.
It's like it happened yesterday.
Do you love him so deeply?
What did you say?
I…
I never told you about it.
I'm perceptive, okay?
You just got dumped, right?
Tell me.
You're such a beauty
and you're also competent at work.
Why can't you move on in love?
You even resigned?
Was he your colleague?
Why didn't he resign?
Why are you looking at me?
Am I wrong?
No. You're so right.
She's the love of my life.
If you say that, I really need to talk to you.
I won't listen.
I'll get going.
Wait. Where are you going?
Back to the café.
Don't evade the problem.
You've gained the strength to start over, right?
Xu Hongdou.
Have dinner at my home this evening.
Braised chicken.
Braised chicken?
I'll braise you.
I told you to cut into strips, not chunks.
I like onion chunks.
Why not just eat it as a whole?
My eyes.
Don't.
Mr. Xie.
Hongdou, you're here too.
You're here.
Mr. Ma, you're just in time.
Let's eat braised chicken together.
No, thank you.
I have a teleconference later.
Mr. Xie.
How is it?
Any good news?
I got you some business.
Really?
I called my former colleague, Shen Liang.
You've met him before.
I told him about your startup project.
He's willing to offer you seed capital.
Prepare the plan.
-Okay. -I'll set up a group chat
and you can contact each other on your own.
Okay.
Well,
Zhiyao…
Listen.
From now on,
we're real brothers.
There's no need.
It's not much money.
Let's just be cousins.
No, we must be close.
You…
You're still the one who saves the day.
Fine, I won't keep you.
I'll prepare for the meeting.
One more hug.
-My dear brother. -Okay.
-Okay. Enjoy your chicken. -Okay.
What's the matter?
Mr. Ma is starting a business?
He's so worldly?
Not only that.
He's wild.
Wild?
We have known each other for years because of work.
We're old friends.
Over 20 group-buying websites came online this month.
It's quite a fierce competition.
Why?
Because it's a promising market.
I'm not afraid of competition.
We're all vying for supremacy.
We don't know who'll win in the end.
Buddy.
I want to give them a dimensional reduction strike.
If they need 20 people to be a group,
then I'll go for ten.
If they need ten, I'll go for five.
If they dare to go for five,
I'll go for a one-man group.
Then how can you negotiate the price with firms?
There's no need.
We don't need to negotiate.
We'll pay the price difference ourselves.
That's why the bigger
the investment amount, the better.
Pay the price difference ourselves?
Yes.
Buddy.
Those who achieve great things
must have foresight.
Don't just focus on the pennies in front of us.
Be open-minded.
We will
think it over.
Think…
Fine.
We'll get the great cause.
Group purchase?
That was so many years ago.
I've long cashed out.
Buddy.
Do you know
what's the biggest opportunity now?
Paying for knowledge.
How can we improve consumption?
Through knowledge.
The upgrade of spiritual wealth.
Of course.
I'm not like
those fear-mongers.
Fundamentally, I want to develop
people's thirst for knowledge
and demand to be better.
I know what you're going to ask.
Who will pay?
Traffic is everything.
Advertisers will pay.
I'll energize knowledge.
Advertisers will pay for knowledge.
What a noble thing.
I really admire myself.
Do you want one?
I don't smoke.
Excuse me, sir.
You can't have a cigarette here.
Miss.
Let me popularize some knowledge for free.
This is called a cigar.
Cigars aren't allowed either.
All right.
I can smell it, right?
Sharing economy
is definitely a great innovation.
Marvelous.
Most of the so-called
Red Ocean economy you see
are just superficial.
You need to see the root of the problem.
What is the rarest in the world?
Resources.
So everything can be shared
and we need to share them fully.
Think about it.
In terms of basic life necessities,
you can make at least a dozen segments.
It has great prospects.
Furthermore, sharing economy
not only benefits the economy,
but also our nation, people, and even the world.
What majestic kindness.
As we're good friends,
I want to share this kindness with you.
You'll do it
for the first round of angel investment.
It's because you won't be able
to get the same price
in the subsequent rounds.
When we go public,
no matter how close we are,
you can only buy from the secondary market.
All right.
I'll go back and have a discussion about it.
Okay.
You have to be quick.
Opportunities can't be missed.
It won't come again.
Am I right, Sharing?
When the time comes,
I'll bring you to ring the bell together.
He was lucky the first few times.
He cashed out before the opportunity died down.
He earned some money and became more arrogant.
The last time was the sharing economy.
He thought
he finally found
a lifelong career he'd work hard for,
so he invested all his money.
It failed in the end.
When you suffer a blow in your career,
your temperament will totally change.
From pursuing success to pursuing immortality.
Immortality?
No. He just had a breakdown.
Is anyone here?
Xiaoqin's dad.
Hey.
You're here, Zhiyao.
My grocery store
has been open for a dozen years.
At that time, there were only a few shops here.
Look at this place now.
Supermarkets
and the 24-hour convenience store
are under construction.
Besides,
adults and kids also shop online.
It's getting harder to run a grocery store.
Yes.
You've considered everything.
I'm a man with foresight.
Embroidery is a good skill
and it's promising.
That's right.
Intangible cultural heritage
needs to be protected and passed on.
That's why she must learn it.
She must learn it well.
She listens to you more.
Talk to her.
Second Brother.
You can't force her.
I think Xiaoqin might really not be interested in it.
No.
Tell her this.
"After you learn it,
I'll propose to you."
Let's coax her to learn it first.
Right, Zhiyao?
Grandma Xie.
Zhiyao.
Here's your braised chicken.
Honghong, you're here.
Hey, you're here too.
Well, Zhiyao, since you have a visitor now,
we'll talk to you when we get the plate.
It's fine. You're just in time.
We just finished chatting.
My good friends are waiting for me to play mahjong.
Then…
Grandma Xie, I'll get going first.
Take care.
I won't see you off.
Okay.
-Bye. -Bye.
Here, have a seat.
Honghong.
You told me you want to set up a small clothing factory.
Based on your data,
I found some materials and made calculations.
The cost that you're expecting
is still a little low.
You can't just calculate how much you'll earn for each piece of clothing.
You must include the rental, utilities,
machines, materials,
and reworking costs.
Here, take a look.
After that, I asked around.
The orders for small factories
might not be regular.
At times, there are rush orders.
Sometimes, there are no orders.
You need to be prepared and think it over.
Zhiyao is so busy every day.
Everyone comes to him with their problems.
They think he's cultured and knowledgeable.
We live in the same village,
so he tries his best to help.
You two work so hard.
You can surely do it well.
I'M THE SAME
IF MY NEIGHBORS' RELATIVES ARE VISITING BEIJING,
THEY'D LET ME MAKE RESERVATIONS AND ADVISE WHERE TO GO
XIAOQIN'S DAD EVEN ENCOURAGED ME TO STRING HER ALONG. LIFE IS SO HARD…
YOU'RE THE VILLAGE STUD
THE MORE HANDSOME, THE BIGGER THE RESPONSIBILITY
DO YOU WANT TO HAVE RICE NOODLES TOMORROW MORNING?
WHAT TIME SHOULD I WAKE UP?
HALF PAST FIVE
GET LOST
They said
Zhiyao's ex-girlfriend
came to find him from Beijing.
She lives in the yard now.
Have you seen her?
Ex-girlfriend?
You don't know?
She lives there and refuses to go.
She insists on reconciling with him.
I even saw them at the riverside.
The riverside?
What were they doing?
What else can they do when they're so close?
You know.
They kissed?
I was embarrassed to watch it clearly.
Hey, tell me more details.
Listen.
Everyone in our village knows it.
Yes.
At the riverside, they saw them…
No.
They should do that behind closed doors.
Why do it outside?
They should mind their behaviors.
I remember now.
On Hongdou's first day here,
I went to give Zhiyao some beef that night.
She was dining at his home.
I thought it was strange.
Why did a guest of the yard dine at his home?
Right.
She must have come here for him.
I've long known.
When she and Zhiyao ate barbecue at Guanjun's stall,
they were making eyes at each other.
She has long known.
Why didn't you tell us?
I asked Guanjun if they were together.
Guanjun said no,
so I dared not tell you.
Everything matches.
Think about it.
Volunteers in the past only did odd jobs,
but Hongdou is different.
She created a staff manual and managed his shop.
She worked so hard for free.
It's so obvious.
-Right. -What's obvious?
Gosh, you…
She's the lady boss.
The lady boss is the boss's wife.
So Hongdou is Uncle Zhiyao's wife?
They're not married,
so she's not his wife.
She's just his unmarried wife.
When they get married,
we can have pork stew.
I heard
they were together in Beijing
for several years.
Later on, Zhiyao decided to work here,
so he broke up with her.
He was introduced to several girls here,
but he didn't like any of them.
It's because he couldn't forget her.
She couldn't forget him either.
That's why she came to find him.
I wonder if they'll get married
when my pig matures.
They'll get married soon.
I saw them.
They went to find Ms. Huailan to make their wedding attire.
Your pig can make it just in time.
-Just in time. -Great.
Grandma Xie.
Congratulations.
I'll wait for Zhiyao's wedding reception.
I'll get going.
Anyway, the rumor is becoming more and more real.
Now, you're already Mr. Xie's devoted fiancée.
If you don't get married,
it's quite hard to end this.
Hongdou.
This is for you.
For me?
Nice work.
Why are you giving it to me?
I'm poor and this is my only skill.
This is Child-Giving Guanyin.
As she holds two kids,
you can have twins if you put it at home.
Can you stop causing more trouble?
What trouble?
Is it really for me?
Don't regret it.
I won't.
It's not good.
Just don't complain.
I won't.
I like it.
I'll get going then.
Bye.
Why did you accept it?
Didn't you hear Xiaxia say that it's a token from him?
Besides,
it can bring twins.
So how will you end this?
How will I end this?
I don't need to.
It has nothing to do with me.
EARTHEN HOUSE
What are you looking at?
The bride.
The bride?
Right.
Where's the bride?
There. She's Mr. Zhiyao's future bride.
Yes.
She's unique indeed.
Right.
Who asked that?
I don't know.
Subtitle translation by: Zhou Qing ide.