The Second Life
In a dimly lit apartment on the outskirts of Shanghai, China Li Wei sat alone, staring at the clock. Midnight. His bank account was empty, his job gone, his friends drifted away, and the loneliness grew so heavy that it pressed against his chest like a stone.
He opened the window, the wind brushing his face one last time, and let go.
But he didn’t fall. Instead, he woke up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by grey mist. Voices echoed around him people weeping, some screaming, some begging for another chance. A cloaked figure walked toward him and said in a calm, hollow voice:
"So, you've thrown away your life for what stupid man?. This is the place where regrets gather."
Li Wei trembled. “But... I thought there was nothing after.”
The figure pointed back toward the mist. Through it, Li Wei saw his mother placing food on the table, waiting for him. His old friend, leaving a voicemail asking to meet. A recruiter emailing a new job opportunity. His life — still moving, still offering.
"You had a life until the moment you believed you didn’t," the figure whispered. "But most only understand its worth the second before losing it."
The fog thickened. A sharp ringing sound grew louder — and then, Li Wei gasped awake in his own bed, heart pounding.
It was morning.
The sun cut through the grey curtains. On the desk, his unsent note still lay there. He crumpled it. His phone vibrated: a message from his old friend, "Hey, it’s been too long — lunch today?"
Li Wei smiled, a strange calm settling in. His second life had just begun.
