Chapter 1: The Last Day of Unemployment
December 2025, Berlin.
Li Wei stood before the glass curtain wall of the office building, looking at the gloomy sky outside. Rain slid down the glass, blurring the city's outline into a gray blur. His phone screen still displayed the email from HR: "Thank you for your contributions to the company. We regret to inform you…"
He was unemployed for the third time.
The European economic data for the year looked good—GDP growth of 1.4%, inflation controlled at 2.1%, and the unemployment rate falling to 6.2%. But Li Wei knew these numbers had nothing to do with ordinary people like him. Germany's manufacturing PMI had been below the 50-point mark for ten consecutive months; orders in the three pillar industries of automobiles, machinery, and chemicals were declining; and the number of bankruptcies among small and medium-sized enterprises was increasing. His mid-sized logistics company was one of the victims of this "mild recession."
"Li, pack your things," the department manager patted him on the shoulder, his eyes filled with a hint of embarrassment but mostly relief—at least he wasn't the one left behind.
Li Wei nodded, mechanically packing the items on the table into a cardboard box. A five-year-old mug, several professional books, and a family photo pasted on the edge of the monitor. In the photo, his wife Anna was holding their three-year-old daughter Lily, all three smiling. It was taken in 2022, before inflation soared to double digits, mortgage rates were at historic lows, and life still held hope.
And now?
Li Wei hugged the box tightly and headed towards the elevator. Several colleagues hurried past in the corridor, heads down, none daring to meet his gaze. He understood—in the wave of layoffs, everyone had a sword hanging over their head. Today it was him, tomorrow it could be them.
The elevator doors opened, and a young colleague stepped out. It was Hans, only six months into the company, full of energy and ideals. Seeing the box in Li Wei's arms, Hans paused, a complex expression flashing across his face—sympathy, relief, and a sense of "it's your turn, not mine."
"Brother Li, you…" Hans hesitated.
"It's nothing," Li Wei said calmly. "Keep working hard. This company... might last a few more years."
The elevator slowly descended, and Li Wei watched the numbers change on the display screen. 18th floor, 15th floor, 12th floor, 8th floor, 3rd floor, 1st floor. With each floor he descended, he moved closer to the abyss of reality.
Stepping out of the building, a cold wind mixed with drizzle hit him in the face. Li Wei hunched his shoulders, pulling his three-year-old down jacket tighter around his neck. He took out his phone and opened his bank app—his mortgage balance was €185,000, the interest rate had risen from 1.5% to 4.2%, and his monthly payment had increased from €600 to €1200. His unemployment benefits were only €800.
Anna called.
"Li, how did the interview go?" Her voice was filled with nervousness and anticipation.
Li Wei was silent for three seconds, then said, "I didn't pass."
Silence fell on the other end of the line. Even through the phone, he could almost feel Anna's disappointment, anxiety, and bottomless despair.
"It's okay," Anna's voice trembled, "I...I found a part-time job washing dishes at a restaurant at night, I can earn 500 euros. We...we'll hang in there."
Levi's eyes stung, but he forced himself to hold them back. He couldn't cry, he couldn't break down; he was the pillar of this family. If he collapsed, this family would be completely finished.
"Okay, I'll look for something too," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "It will all pass."
After hanging up, Levi stood in the rain, looking at the city he had lived in for over a decade. Berlin winters were always long, gray, cold, and seemingly endless. This winter of 2025 seemed longer than ever before.
He opened a food delivery app and started taking orders. On the third day after losing his job, he was already delivering food. It wasn't a respectable job, but at least he could earn money. Working twelve hours a day, he could earn 100 euros. After deducting fuel costs and vehicle wear and tear, less than 80 euros remained.
The first order was a pizza, delivered to an upscale apartment complex. The elevator was broken, so Li Wei climbed eight flights of stairs to deliver the pizza to the customer. The customer, a middle-aged man in a bathrobe, frowned as he took the pizza: "Why so slow? It's cold!"
"Sorry, the elevator was broken, I..."
"I don't care about the elevator!" the customer interrupted him, "I paid the delivery fee, so it has to be delivered on time! Bad review!"
"I'm sorry, I..."
"Get out!" The customer slammed the door shut in front of him.
Li Wei stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door. The rain was still falling; his hair and clothes were soaked, and the delivery box in his hand was dripping. His phone vibrated—a bad review notification, delivery fee deducted, account credit score lowered.
He took a deep breath and continued taking orders.
The second order was Chinese food, delivered to a construction site. The construction site was in the suburbs; after exiting the highway, he had to walk along a muddy path. Li Wei's car was a secondhand minivan, bouncing violently on the road. Finally arriving at the construction site, several workers surrounded him, grabbing his takeout and starting to eat.
"Where's the money?" Li Wei asked.
"What money?" The foreman, a bald man with a fierce look, said, "Our boss hasn't paid us for three months. You want money from us?"
"Platform rules state I can only..."
"Stop talking nonsense!" The bald man waved his hand, "Get lost!"
Li Wei looked at the group of workers wolfing down their food, then glanced at the takeout box in his car. There were five undelivered orders inside, worth 150 euros. If he left now, he'd have to pay all that money. If he didn't leave…
"I…I'm calling the police." Li Wei pulled out his phone.
The bald man sneered: "Go ahead and call! The police will only mediate. We have no money. What can they do to us?"
The surrounding workers burst into laughter.
Li Wei gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles white. He knew the bald man was telling the truth. In this year of economic downturn, unpaid wages and delayed payments were happening every day. He could call the police, and at most they'd mediate, but he still wouldn't get his money. His food delivery account would be reported, fined, or even banned.
"Fine." Li Wei took a deep breath and turned to leave.
Back in his car, he sat in the driver's seat, motionless for a long time. Rain pattered against the windows. It was cold in the car; his hands and feet were numb with cold. But even colder was his heart—the world seemed to have left him no chance.
His phone rang again. This time it was his landlady.
"Li, when's this month's rent?" Her voice was impatient. "You know how much inflation is going on, how high prices are. I can't let you keep delaying."
"I…I'm trying to figure something out," Li Wei said.
"As soon as possible, or I'll have to call the police." The landlady hung up.
Li Wei tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and buried his face in his hands. Rent, mortgage, living expenses, Lily's kindergarten fees… all the bills weighed on him like mountains, making it hard to breathe. And he had no income left.
No, there was still one.
He opened a part-time job app and found a temporary job ad—a construction site needed porters, paid daily, 100 euros a day, dinner included. Job duties: moving cement, sand, bricks, and cleaning up construction debris.
He dialed the number.
"Hello, are you hiring?" he asked.
"Yes, come now." A gruff voice came from the other end of the line. "Can you handle hardship? If not, don't come."
"I can handle hardship."
"Okay, I'll send you the address."
Li Wei drove to the construction site and parked next to a pile of building materials. The site foreman, a man with a full beard, sized him up: "You? Can you handle this?"
"I can," Li Wei replied, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his somewhat thin arms.
The foreman shrugged and pointed to the cement bags beside him: "Move them. One euro each, to the third floor."
Li Wei hoisted a bag of cement, about 50 kilograms. He gritted his teeth and climbed the stairs step by step. The stairs were narrow and steep, each step feeling like an exhaustion. Reaching the third floor, he put down the cement, his breathing rapid, sweat dripping from his forehead into the dust.
He continued carrying.
One bag, two bags, three bags…
By the tenth bag, Li Wei felt like his arms no longer belonged to him. The skin on his shoulders was chafed raw by the cement bags, blood seeping out, mingling with sweat and cement dust, burning painfully.
"Take a break," said an older worker nearby. "You're young, but you're not made of iron."
Li Wei shook his head and continued carrying a bag of cement. He dared not rest, because every minute was precious. The more he carried today, the more he would earn. And this 100 euros might be his last hope for the month.
By the time he had carried twenty bags, it was already dark. The site's searchlights came on, illuminating the entire site in a stark white light. Li Wei sat in a corner, panting heavily. His clothes were soaked through, indistinguishable between sweat and rain. His arms ached so much he could barely lift them, and a coin-sized cut on his shoulder was still bleeding.
The foreman approached and counted the bags: "Twenty bags, twenty euros. Anything else?"
"Yes," Li Wei said. "What else?"
The foreman raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "Clearing construction debris, by the hour, ten euros an hour."
"Okay."
Li Wei stood up, picked up a shovel, and began clearing away the broken bricks, cement slag, and scrap wood. The sound of the shovel striking the ground echoed monotonously and dullly across the empty construction site. He mechanically repeated the same actions—shovel, carry, dump, then shovel again, carry again, dump again.
Time ticked by.
At ten o'clock that evening, the foreman approached: "Alright, that's enough for today. Ten hours, one hundred euros. Adding the twenty euros from before, that's one hundred and twenty euros in total."
Li Wei took the crumpled banknotes, his fingers trembling. One hundred and twenty euros—that was all he earned for twelve hours that day. After deducting fuel and phone bills, he had less than one hundred euros left. And this hundred euros was supposed to cover tomorrow's...
"Wait," the manager suddenly said, "Um... the boss isn't here today, I'll cover the money for you. Come back to me when he gets here."
Li Wei froze, the manager snatching the banknote from his hand.
"Come back tomorrow morning, and I'll definitely give you the money." The manager patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.
Li Wei stood there, watching the manager's retreating figure. The night wind blew, biting cold. He knew this was likely another bad debt.
He returned to his car, sat in the driver's seat, and remained motionless for a long time. The rain outside the window continued to fall, the entire city seemingly submerged. His phone screen lit up, showing the time—23:14. Anna had sent a message: "Lily has a fever, 38.5 degrees Celsius. I took her to the hospital."
Li Wei's tears finally flowed.
He gripped the steering wheel, started the car, and drove into the rain.