"Good soup, huh?"
Mr. Li sat weakly in the chair, trembling as he lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. After a pause, he turned to look at the young man next to him, his expression complex: "Do you know why I was successful before Doomsday?"
"Because you worked hard."
"No, because the times were getting better."
Mr. Li shook his head: "When the times are improving, your effort feels like running on a speeding train. You think you're working very hard, but really, what's pushing you forward fast is the speeding train. Many people attribute the benefits of the times to their own effort."
"Actually..."
"Effort is only a very small factor in determining success. The bigger factor depends on whether the train beneath you is speeding or retreating."
"Before Doomsday, it was like this, and after Doomsday, it's still like this."
