This is the grown-up you've always dreamed of
At fifteen or sixteen, when others asked me how old I was, I would tell them I was eighteen. Back then, I truly felt wonderful being grown up – I could do whatever I wanted, I could leave my parents' protective wings, and I could proudly tell others I was a grown-up. All I thought about was growing up, never considering what I might lose in the process.
When I first entered high school, I had short hair and shaved my temples. Our school principal pulled me aside and told my dad, 'Your daughter's hairstyle is unacceptable; either cut it or wear a wig.' I turned and told my dad, 'Cut it, please. I want a super cool buzz cut.' Sitting in the barber shop, I only thought about how others would perceive this girl – would they think she was cool? Then I got a brand new buzz cut. The sun was shining brightly that day, and my dad was scolded mercilessly by my mom. High school graduation days, I and my friend didn't go home for two days, we dyed our hair three times, and we dyed our hair pink. The sun was still shining brightly, and my mom still scolded me. Every time I washed my hair, the color would change, and I could once again be the coolest girl on the street. After graduating from university, I sat in the barber shop, hesitated for a long time, and finally let the barber trim the yellowish ends of my hair and straightened my hair. At that time, my only thought was that dyeing and perming hair would cause hair loss and would make others think I was not mature during interviews. My mom was very happy when she said, 'My precious little girl has finally grown up.'
When I was first working, I was responsible for writing a WeChat advertising copy for a client. I spent a week collecting materials, researching, and creating the illustrations myself. I worked overtime at internet cafes on weekends, using comics to express the client's requirements, and reached a consensus with the client. The day before the article was published, my draft was replaced with 'A lone woman at midnight…'. The second time I cooperated with the same client, I followed a more moderate approach, spent half a day writing a promotional tweet. My editor told me, 'This is very good; your writing has become more mature.'
Before I started writing, I researched a lot of materials on how to leverage trends, use hashtags, and write explosive titles to increase readership and recommendations. But when I started typing, I didn't think about any of these things. If my writing was not based on my inner thoughts, but simply writing to write, what would be the point?
Although I might really be a passionate, fearless person who's willing to take risks, that's exactly what I am!
