The summer of 2023 arrived quietly.
June settled over the university campus like a restless tide, carrying with it the noise of graduation season. Laughter echoed through the dormitories, farewell dinners filled the nights, and groups of students posed for countless photographs beneath the blazing sun. Everyone seemed busy stepping toward the future.
Everyone except Lin Mo.
She sat alone at her desk in the nearly empty dormitory, staring at the endless stream of emails flooding her inbox.
“Thank you for your application.”
“We appreciate your interest.”
“We will contact you as soon as possible.”
One message after another. Different companies, different logos, the same meaningless words.
Lin Mo already knew what “as soon as possible” really meant.
Nothing.
Her fingers paused over the mouse as her gaze drifted toward the graduation project spread across her desk.
It was a visual design series inspired by Northern Chinese folk culture, a project she had poured her heart and soul into for nearly a year. The work had won the Gold Award at the university’s graduation exhibition, and even her notoriously strict professor had praised it highly.
“This project has real commercial potential,” he had said.
At the time, she had believed him.
Reality, however, had proven far less kind.
She had applied to more than twenty design companies.
Some rejected her outright because she lacked work experience.
Others smiled politely during interviews before steering the conversation away from her portfolio and toward questions that had nothing to do with design.
“What industry connections does your family have?”
“Do you know anyone in the company?”
“What resources can your parents provide?”
The message was always clear.
Talent mattered.
Connections mattered more.
Lin Mo had attended a respectable university and consistently ranked among the top students in her class. When she entered her final year, she had been full of confidence. She believed hard work would naturally lead to opportunities.
Now, she knew better.
The job market was brutal.
A bachelor’s degree was no longer enough to stand out.
Every rejection chipped away at the confidence she had spent years building.
She had even considered pursuing a master’s degree.
But then what?
Three years later, would things really be any different?
No one could answer that question.
The economy was struggling. When the tide pulled back, very few boats escaped being stranded.
Outside the window, summer was in full bloom.
Fresh green leaves swayed in the warm breeze.
Golden sunlight spilled across the campus.
Everything looked vibrant and full of life.
Yet somehow, Lin Mo felt as though she couldn’t breathe.
Just then, her phone rang.
The caller ID displayed a familiar name.
Mom.
Lin Mo sighed softly before answering.
“Mo Mo, why don’t you come home and prepare for the teacher certification exam?”
Her mother’s voice came through immediately, carrying its usual mixture of concern and persuasion.
“A stable job is better. Your father and I are both teachers. We don’t make a fortune, but our lives are steady. A girl doesn’t need to put so much pressure on herself.”
Lin Mo looked out the window at the slowly darkening sky.
A flicker of frustration crossed her face.
“Mom, just give me a little more time. I really love design. I don’t want to give up yet.”
“Love won’t put food on the table!”
Her mother’s voice rose instantly.
“Do you remember Li Lan from elementary school? She passed the bank recruitment exam. Such a wonderful job. And Zhang Qi from our neighborhood just got hired by a public institution. She’s starting next month.”
A heavy sigh followed.
“You’ve always been such an excellent student. Why is finding a job so difficult for you?”
Lin Mo opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
What could she possibly say?
The truth was that she didn’t fully understand it herself.
After offering a few vague reassurances, she ended the call.
The room fell silent once more.
Exhaustion washed over her.
She knew her mother meant well.
But there was a loneliness that came from trying your absolute hardest and still watching every door remain closed.
Only those who experienced it could understand.
Her parents were ordinary elementary school teachers.
They had spent their lives working diligently, educating children, and living simple, honest lives.
They had no powerful connections.
No influential relatives.
No hidden resources.
Sometimes Lin Mo felt as though she and her parents lived in completely different worlds.
A world where effort alone was no longer enough.
One by one, all of her roommates had moved out.
Some had found jobs.
Others had returned home.
Now, only she remained.
The evening sunlight stretched across the empty room, casting long shadows over the floor.
The silence made her loneliness impossible to ignore.
The dormitory manager had already issued a final notice.
Everyone had to leave by the end of next month.
Lin Mo ran both hands through her hair.
The future before her felt like a blank sheet of paper.
No direction.
No certainty.
Nothing.
Her gaze landed on a framed photograph sitting quietly on the corner of her desk.
She picked it up.
Inside the frame was a picture of her and Qin Fengzhou.
Her first love.
They had dated for a little over six months.
There had been no dramatic confession.
No passionate romance.
No heartbreaking breakup.
Even their most intimate moments had amounted to little more than holding hands and sharing a few gentle hugs.
As graduation approached, they simply wished each other well and drifted apart.
Strangely enough, she hadn’t been devastated.
Qin Fengzhou was a genuinely good person.
Kind.
Thoughtful.
Reliable.
Yet whenever she thought about their relationship, only one comparison came to mind.
A cup of warm water.
Comfortable.
Dependable.
But utterly flavorless.
Sometimes she wondered if the problem was her.
Perhaps she was simply too slow when it came to emotions.
Perhaps she had never truly invested herself completely in anything.
Maybe that was why her career seemed equally stagnant.
Shaking her head, she set the photo aside.
With nothing else to do, she opened a social media app and began scrolling aimlessly through videos.
Then she froze.
A breathtaking landscape appeared on the screen.
Towering snow-capped mountains pierced the heavens.
Endless grasslands stretched toward the horizon like emerald oceans.
Wildflowers painted the earth with countless colors.
Beneath the mountains, two Tibetan herdsmen rode across a sea of blossoms, their horses racing freely through the wind.
The camera slowly pulled back.
Crystal-blue alpine lakes reflected the sky like giant mirrors.
Prayer flags fluttered endlessly in the mountain breeze.
Ancient temples stood silently among the peaks.
Pilgrims moved forward along sacred roads, bowing with every step, their faith unwavering.
The scenery felt ancient.
Mysterious.
Sacred.
And impossibly beautiful.
At the end of the video, a single sentence appeared.
“The Hidden Realm of Genie, a poem woven from faith and freedom.”
The video barely had any likes.
Yet Lin Mo couldn’t look away.
Her breathing slowed.
Her heartbeat quickened.
The overwhelming beauty struck her like a bolt of lightning.
Growing up in northern China, she had never seen anything like it.
Nature.
Culture.
Religion.
Faith.
Everything blended together into a masterpiece beyond imagination.
To an artist, it was paradise.
Then, suddenly, she remembered something her Visual Design professor had once told the class.
“The greatest designs are born from the purest forms of life and nature.”
For six months, she had been trapped in an endless cycle of job applications and rejection.
Her inspiration had dried up.
Her creativity had withered.
The passion that once drove her had nearly disappeared.
Maybe what she needed wasn’t another application.
Maybe she needed to escape.
To leave behind the noise.
The pressure.
The disappointment.
To travel somewhere vast and untouched.
To breathe.
To see.
To create.
Most importantly, to find herself again.
Without hesitation, she opened her banking app.
Balance: 40,000 yuan.
Every cent had been earned through scholarships, internships, and part-time jobs.
Not enough to change her life.
But enough for a plane ticket.
Enough for a journey.
Enough for freedom.
After only a few minutes of consideration, she opened a booking app.
Her fingers hovered briefly above the screen.
Then she tapped.
One-way ticket to Chengdu.
Departure: next week.
Purchase successful.
The moment the confirmation appeared, an unfamiliar excitement surged through her chest.
For the first time in months, she felt alive.
Many years later, whenever Lin Mo thought back to that impulsive decision, she would smile.
Because she knew that journey had changed everything.
In that distant land, beneath endless skies and sacred mountains, she would encounter a love powerful enough to leave a mark on her heart forever.
The following days passed quickly.
She packed her belongings and mailed most of them back to her hometown.
The items she chose to keep were simple.
Her sketchbooks.
Her drawing supplies.
Her DSLR camera.
Her laptop.
Everything an artist needed.
She didn’t know what awaited her.
Maybe this would be nothing more than a temporary escape.
Maybe she would discover an entirely new path.
Either way, she no longer cared.
All she wanted was to leave the city that made her feel trapped and chase the snow-covered paradise she had seen on her screen.
On the day of her departure, she called her parents.
Since childhood, Lin Mo had always been independent.
During university, she often traveled alone once or twice each year.
Her parents were already accustomed to it.
They didn’t stop her.
Instead, they repeated the same reminders over and over.
“Stay safe.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Don’t force yourself to endure hardship.”
“If finding a job doesn’t work out right now, that’s okay.”
“A change of scenery might be good for you.”
“And if you ever get tired…”
Her mother’s voice softened.
“…come home.”
“Home will always be waiting.”
Lin Mo felt her eyes sting.
She nodded vigorously despite knowing they couldn’t see her.
“Mom, Dad, I’ll take care of myself.”
The call ended.
Less than two minutes later, her phone vibrated.
A transfer notification appeared.
Sender: Dad.
The amount contained four zeros.
The moment she saw it, her vision blurred.
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
Lin Mo was an only child.
She had grown up surrounded by love.
Her family wasn’t wealthy, but they had never let her lack anything important.
Her parents firmly believed that daughters should be raised with confidence and care.
Within their means, they had always supported her interests.
Painting.
Dance.
Chinese chess.
Calligraphy.
Singing.
Over the years, she had accumulated more hobbies than most children ever had the chance to explore.
While many of her classmates spent their childhoods watching television or wandering the streets, hers had been filled with endless opportunities to learn and grow.
Some hobbies shaped her graceful posture.
Others strengthened her patience and determination.
Little by little, they became part of her identity.
Combined with her naturally beautiful appearance, they gave her a unique elegance that stood out wherever she went.
And now, carrying her parents’ hopes, her dreams, and a heart filled with uncertainty, Lin Mo stepped onto the path that would change her destiny forever.