Stories at the City's Edge

Chapter One: First Meeting

On a summer evening, the hustle and bustle of the city gradually subsided. Li Ming stood on the rooftop, watching the distant sunset slowly sink between the gaps of high-rise buildings.

This city was too big, big enough to make people lose their way. Three months ago, he came here from a small town with aspirations for the future, only to find that reality was far from what he had imagined.

"Lost in thought again?" A familiar voice came from behind.

Li Ming turned around to see his roommate Zhang Wei walking over with two beers.

"Just want some peace and quiet," Li Ming took the beer and took a small sip.

"Work not going well?" Zhang Wei leaned against the rooftop railing.

"It's okay, just feel that..." Li Ming paused, "feel that this isn't the life I want."

Zhang Wei smiled, "Whose life starts out the way they want it to?"

Chapter Two: A Turn of Events

The next morning, Li Ming squeezed onto the crowded subway as usual. Just as the doors were about to close, a girl hurriedly squeezed in, nearly bumping into him.

"Sorry!" the girl said breathlessly.

"It's okay," Li Ming replied instinctively.

In that instant, he saw the girl holding a copy of "City's Edge" filled with annotations. This was his favorite novel, telling the story of young people like him searching for their place in the city.

"You also like this book?" Li Ming couldn't help but ask.

The girl looked up, a glimmer of surprise in her eyes: "You've read it too? That's great, very few people know about this book. My name is Lin Chen."

"Li Ming." He extended his hand.

And so, a new story began.

Chapter Three: Dreams

In the following days, Li Ming and Lin Chen often met at weekend cafes, chatting about books, dreams, and this city.

Lin Chen was an independent photographer, specializing in capturing those forgotten corners of the city. She said that every corner has its own story, just as everyone has their own dreams.

"What's your dream?" Lin Chen asked one day.

Li Ming was silent for a moment: "You might laugh if I tell you. I want to write novels, to tell the stories of ordinary people."

"Why would I laugh?" Lin Chen looked at him seriously, "That's wonderful."

"But..." Li Ming hesitated a bit, "I'm just an ordinary office worker, busy with work every day. Where would I find time to write?"

"Time is something you make," Lin Chen said, "If this is truly your dream, you should work hard for it."

In that moment, Li Ming suddenly understood something.

Epilogue

Six months later, Li Ming's first short story was published on a literary website. Although the readership wasn't high, every comment made him feel fulfilled.

He was still that ordinary office worker, still commuting by subway every day, but life seemed to have taken on a different color.

Because he knew that at the edge of this city, he had found his place.

And this was just the beginning.