“Life means nothing, but to earn my chance to experience, to lose, and to fail in this world of human.”

This is a new collection of eight novellas by Chinese author Sun Wei. Each encounter and parting is a human drama with feelings that touch the dark corner of one’s heart, where there is always “beauty from ashes and hope from despair”.

Sun Wei has won several literary awards, and is one of the best-known urban fiction authors in China. Her experience of standing on the edge of life and death also gives her a unique and thorough understanding of life.

“Having a decent exit is the criteria to a good world,” Sun Wei wrote in the foreword of the book. “It’s like when the lights go out in a cinema, seeing the green EXIT signs on both sides gives me an extra peace of mind. If the movie is not good, at least I can choose to leave. This is the same with life, only death is the EXIT.

Story No.1     Until the Day We Return to the Same Dust

“I am willing to give up my looks, my youth, my health, all the happiness for the rest of my life, and if that's not enough, take away my life as long as he lives.”

In the arc of light, she kneels down and bends over, her forehead against the cold ground and her lips warm with dust.

Story No.2     Good Luck

“Look at her. She’s been winning all the time.”

The huge Black Jack advertisement board stands right behind her.

Seeing the tokens pushed to her face, she didn’t even crack a bit more smile.

Story No.3     Ignite

She felt something choking in her throat, and could not speak.

He did not notice that their conversation had suspended. Perhaps he even forgot that she was sitting right opposite him.

Story No.4     The Stalker

In the brief moments, the exotic scenery of a few hours away from each city's airport gives her an introduction of a wonderful world, which like a magician opens a corner of his cloak.

Story No.5     The Madhouse

As the sun rises, I feel the room shaking in my sleep.

There comes the creaking sound, and I realize it is the snow melting on the roof.

Story No.6     Masters of Fraud

“Liars probably have the most scientific way of living in this world. If you stop being a liar, you have to become a fool commuting to a job and doing whatever your boss commands you. Or you could choose to be a madman, totally cut off from the world. And you end up starving to death."

Story No.7     Farewell

We are caught in the rain. Our ears are filled with the silence of the night.

After a long while, father gave a little cough, as if to test whether his voice could still be heard.

Grinding his teeth, he hisses at mother, “Have you had enough!”

Story No.8     My Funeral

The mist has us enveloped like a thousand curtains, and the stars twinkle over the water.

My arms and his shoulders are glistening in the moonlight.

Our black hair shines like silver.

Between Heaven and Earth, there is the snow that only shines crystal white in the dream of ours.

Postscript:     The Immortal World

Life has become such a precious thing because of death.

It allows me to come across layers of the minds across the world, to get lost, to make mistakes, to be obsessed or indiscreet, to love or disappoint.

It shouts at me, in more and more loudly a voice, that I am useless to none, and that I know so little about the world.

But at least, to live means I yet have a chance to pick myself up, dust myself off, and experience another fall as I go.