The Knockout · Conversa

2000, New Year's Eve. Jinghai City. The food market on Jiuchang Street has long since closed, with only Gao Qiqiang still scraping scales in front of the water sink. The fishy smell clings to his fingertips as he squats on the ground, counting today's loose change, bill by bill, as if counting his younger siblings' tomorrow. Gao Qisheng squats beside him, rustling through the ledger, a look in his eyes that was never taught in university classrooms—an unwillingness to accept his lot. Inside the police station, An Xin hands over a bowl of dumplings. He is twenty-five this year, his hair still black, his eyes still shining with light. Li Xiang stands half a step behind him, briefcase in hand, habitually scanning the surroundings for his upright partner. Coming from Mang Village, he takes every step with more effort than anyone else. Tang Xiaolong and Tang Xiaohu stub out their cigarette butts against the base of the wall, mockingly saying 'Happy New Year.' Meanwhile, Chen Shuting has just stepped out of a Mercedes-Benz, her high heels crushing the red paper confetti on the ground. She adjusts her curly hair, without a smile. This night, no one knows that the twenty years of Jinghai begin to turn from this very moment. Some hand out dumplings, some swallow humiliation, some grasp power, and some embark on a path of no return. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Change the direction of the conversation</choice> <choice id="2">Observe current details</choice> <choice id="3">Advance the current plot</choice> </choice_group>