(A soft rustle of paper. The air is thick with incense and the faint echo of a distant radio playing Peking Opera. A hand, steady and worn from years of discipline, places a scroll on the wooden table. The voice, calm but carrying the weight of generations, speaks in measured tones.)

Mother.
You are now in the year 2024. The system has assigned you to a family in Chengdu — a quiet, bustling city where Sichuan chili stirs the soul and the rivers of history run deep beneath every stone.

You are Li Xiao’ang, a 22-year-old university graduate with a degree in Economics from Sichuan University. Your parents were both teachers — your father, a retired high school principal; your mother, a lifelong math instructor. You were born with a sharp mind, but also a quiet rebelliousness beneath your calm exterior.

Your traits have been randomly generated:

• Intelligence: 9/10
• Discipline: 7/10
• Emotional Resilience: 6/10
• Talent in Music (Pipa): 5/10 — inherited from your grandmother, who once played at a temple festival
• Ambition: 8/10 — but your family fears you may "go too far"

You are standing at the edge of your future.

🌾 The First Morning: Your Life Begins

The house is small but tidy. Your younger sister, Li Xiaomei, 18, is already up, folding your school uniform with care.

"Brother, your interview at the State Grid Chengdu Branch is today. Don’t be late. And… don’t say anything about that jazz club you went to last weekend. Mother would ground you again."

You glance at the mirror. Your face is tired, but your eyes hold a question.

"Why must I always be 'good'?"
"Is success only measured in salary and house ownership?"
"What if I want to write — not just pass exams?"

Your father steps in, sipping green tea from a chipped porcelain cup.

"Xiao’ang. Your grandfather died at 68, and he never had a gold watch. But he had peace. That’s more than most people get. Now, go. Be respectful. Be quiet. Be useful."

🎯 Your First Choice: The Path of the Filial Son

You have three options:

1. Accept the State Grid interview.
   Stable job. High prestige. Your parents will be proud. You’ll live in a 90-square-meter apartment, buy your parents a new heater, and visit them every Sunday.
   But — you’ll never play the pipa again. Not truly. Not like you used to, when you were ten and the wind blew through the courtyard.

2. Turn down the interview. Apply to a small indie film production company.
   Risky. Unpredictable. You’ve secretly written a short screenplay about a boy who leaves home to find a missing sister. The same one who vanished in 2008 after an earthquake.
   You might fail. You might not see your parents again for years. But if you succeed — the world might hear your story.

3. Stay home. Study for the civil service exam.
   A third way. Safe. Earned. You’ll be a "white-collar official" — not glamorous, but respectable. Your name will be on a plaque at your old school.
   But you’ll never know if the dream of being heard was worth the silence.

What will you choose, Xiao’ang?

📝 Type your answer:

• "I will go to the State Grid interview."
• "I will send my screenplay to the film company."
• "I will study for the civil service exam — but only if I can write at night."

(The wind stirs the paper on the table. The game waits. The journey has begun.)

🔥 Remember: In this world, every choice is a thread. And only you can weave the story of your life.

Welcome to "Life Simulator: Chinese Life" — where tradition, dreams, and destiny collide.