Three Years of Wind and Snow, My Heart Unchanged

If you're at a low point now, I hope hearing my story can help you pick yourself up.

As a child, I lived in a prefecture-level city in central China. Due to my parents' work, around sixth grade I was taken to the provincial capital, leaving my hometown of over ten years for the first time.

Arriving in the bustling big city without any friends, my last year of elementary school was rough. When transitioning to middle school, I was assigned to a somewhat lower-ranking junior high in the district. There were only four classes per grade, and I luckily made it into the accelerated class after the placement exam. In my first finals, I ranked 23rd in the grade.

Later, in the second semester of seventh grade, I met my first great mentor in life—my math teacher. Under her guidance, math went from being my weakness to my strongest subject. By eighth grade, I was consistently among the top five in my grade.

But in ninth grade, because my mentor went abroad to study, I couldn't stay true to my original aspirations in that final year. My grades plummeted, and I faced my first major defeat in life at the high school entrance exam.

Some say that from then on, my destiny was altered. I, who could have made it into a provincial key high school, ended up only in a city-level key school.

After entering high school, my grades in the first year were lukewarm. In the second semester of that year, the pandemic erupted fully, and we were forced into online classes. During that time, I developed moderate depression, and my grades tanked again. Those three high school years are the ones I least want to recall.

If I had to pick a happy memory, it would be the time I first got into computers. In my senior year, I pushed myself hard and eventually got into an ordinary second-tier university. Perhaps everything works out for the best.

In August, my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I missed the chance to see him one last time—a regret I will carry for life.

I remember when I was little back home, even though we were poor, Grandpa would do his best to get me anything I wanted. Though my parents were away all year, with my grandparents around, I never felt I lacked anything compared to others.

To Grandpa, seeing me get into college may have fulfilled a wish of his. That night, kneeling before his remains, I swore: I will do everything I can to fight for a future.

After entering university, I began planning my four-year path. Most seniors at my school went into backend development; even the few who chose frontend didn't follow a path I admired. Perhaps because I had dabbled in frontend in high school, I chose this career direction without hesitation.

In my freshman year's second semester, through my own efforts, I landed an internship at a small company. My technical skills were still quite raw, but my passion burned brightest.

During the winter break of my sophomore year, I didn't go back to my hometown for the New Year but stayed home to focus on coding projects. I remember the snow was especially heavy that year, and it was that winter I completed my first open-source project—which has now gained over 500 stars. I had planned to refactor it this year but never found the time.

During the winter break of my sophomore year, I didn't go back to my hometown for the New Year; instead, I stayed home to work on projects. I still remember that year the snow fell exceptionally heavy, and it was that winter I finished my very first open-source project. It has now reached 500 stars. I'd been meaning to refactor it this year, but I just couldn't find the time.

In my sophomore year, by chance I participated in the H3C Cup and single-handedly led a team into the national finals. Visiting Hangzhou for the first time, I couldn't help but wonder: could I, in the future, join a big company like H3C? Though I didn't win any prize, the experience was eye-opening.

Soon after the national competition, I started sending out resumes, preparing for a summer internship in the latter half of my sophomore year. Since my university wasn't prestigious, from early May to mid-May, only NIO gave me an interview. It was my first interview with a major company, and I didn't perform well.

Perhaps it was fate: on Niuke.com I saw a post recruiting interns, which happened to be posted by the leader I later interned under at Trip.com. He didn't dismiss my educational background, and after carefully reviewing my resume, he arranged an interview for me. That night, tossing and turning in bed, I couldn't help but think this might be the last opportunity of my life.

Fortunately, fortune favored me this time, and I managed to get the internship offer from Trip.com.

When I first arrived in Shanghai, it was my first real taste of the prosperity of a first-tier city. For someone who rarely traveled, that shock is still unforgettable.

During those four months at Trip.com, I learned a lot and became even more determined to stay in the internet industry. Maybe we can never foresee the outcomes ahead, but persistent effort is the only thing we can do.

After returning to school in September, I started preparing for my second internship. With the Trip.com experience on my resume, interview opportunities gradually increased by November. Unfortunately, in my first ByteDance interview, my algorithm preparation was still lacking, and I got stuck at the second round. In retrospect, that was probably the closest I ever got to ByteDance. After that, I breezed through Bilibili's interview in three days. I thought I wouldn't be returning to Shanghai anytime soon, but to my surprise, in December I set foot on that familiar ground again.

Compared to the Trip.com internship, what left the deepest impression on me from the second stint wasn't the work itself, but the people I met. Yes, it was during that time that I met the girl I still can't forget. I wonder if her job is going well now; it has been a long time since we last saw each other.

After the internship ended in March, I returned to school again. At that time, I faced a major decision: should I continue preparing for a summer return offer or bet it all on the graduate entrance exam? It was certainly a tough choice, and that same month my grandmother passed away. For a moment, I was overwhelmed by helplessness, just like when Grandpa left and I could do nothing. But I knew I had to pull myself together.

In the end, I chose to push forward on both fronts. In April, I had a big breakthrough, securing five offers from major companies in a row, and finally chose Tencent. For me, who had always wanted to go to Shenzhen, it was like a dream come true.

It was also at Tencent that I met the second most influential mentor in my career—Brother Miro. I can honestly say he was the best mentor during my internships. Regrettably, due to a sharp drop in front-end hiring this year, I didn't get a return offer, but Brother Miro continued to follow my autumn recruitment and gave me a lot of help.

August and September were undoubtedly my most painful period. This year, front-end positions saw a sudden surge in competition as too many students from top-tier universities flooded in. Fortunately, this time fate recognized the hardships I had endured, and I was among the first to emerge from Kuaishou's large candidate pool. The moment I received the intent letter, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, and I could finally give an account of these three years.

Looking back on this journey, there have been strokes of luck as well as traces of hard work. If I hadn't seized the opportunity at Trip.com back then, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Three years of wind and snow, my heart stands firm as a green mountain, unshaken.

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If you're at a low point now, I hope hearing my story can help you pick yourself up. As a child, I lived in a prefecture-level city in central China. Due to my parents' work, around sixth grade I was taken to the provincial capital, leaving my hometown of over ten years for the first time. Arriving in the bustling big city without any friends, my last year of elementary school was rough. When transitioning to middle school, I was assigned to a somewhat lower-ranking junior high in the district. There were only four classes per grade, and I luckily made it into the accelerated class after the placement exam. In my first finals, I ranked 23rd in the grade. Later, in the second semester of seventh grade, I met my first great mentor in life—my math teacher. Under her guidance, math went from being my weakness to my strongest subject. By eighth grade, I was consistently among the top five in my grade. But in ninth grade, because my mentor went abroad to study, I couldn't stay true to my original aspirations in that final year. My grades plummeted, and I faced my first major defeat in life at the high school entrance exam. Some say that from then on, my destiny was altered. I, who could have made it into a provincial key high school, ended up only in a city-level key school. After entering high school, my grades in the first year were lukewarm. In the second semester of that year, the pandemic erupted fully, and we were forced into online classes. During that time, I developed moderate depression, and my grades tanked again. Those three high school years are the ones I least want to recall. If I had to pick a happy memory, it would be the time I first got into computers. In my senior year, I pushed myself hard and eventually got into an ordinary second-tier university. Perhaps everything works out for the best. In August, my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I missed the chance to see him one last time—a regret I will carry for life. I remember when I was little back home, even though we were poor, Grandpa would do his best to get me anything I wanted. Though my parents were away all year, with my grandparents around, I never felt I lacked anything compared to others. To Grandpa, seeing me get into college may have fulfilled a wish of his. That night, kneeling before his remains, I swore: I will do everything I can to fight for a future. After entering university, I began planning my four-year path. Most seniors at my school went into backend development; even the few who chose frontend didn't follow a path I admired. Perhaps because I had dabbled in frontend in high school, I chose this career direction without hesitation. In my freshman year's second semester, through my own efforts, I landed an internship at a small company. My technical skills were still quite raw, but my passion burned brightest. During the winter break of my sophomore year, I didn't go back to my hometown for the New Year but stayed home to focus on coding projects. I remember the snow was especially heavy that year, and it was that winter I completed my first open-source project—which has now gained over 500 stars. I had planned to refactor it this year but never found the time. During the winter break of my sophomore year, I didn't go back to my hometown for the New Year; instead, I stayed home to work on projects. I still remember that year the snow fell exceptionally heavy, and it was that winter I finished my very first open-source project. It has now reached 500 stars. I'd been meaning to refactor it this year, but I just couldn't find the time. In my sophomore year, by chance I participated in the H3C Cup and single-handedly led a team into the national finals. Visiting Hangzhou for the first time, I couldn't help but wonder: could I, in the future, join a big company like H3C? Though I didn't win any prize, the experience was eye-opening. Soon after the national competition, I started sending out resumes, preparing for a summer internship in the latter half of my sophomore year. Since my university wasn't prestigious, from early May to mid-May, only NIO gave me an interview. It was my first interview with a major company, and I didn't perform well. Perhaps it was fate: on Niuke.com I saw a post recruiting interns, which happened to be posted by the leader I later interned under at Trip.com. He didn't dismiss my educational background, and after carefully reviewing my resume, he arranged an interview for me. That night, tossing and turning in bed, I couldn't help but think this might be the last opportunity of my life. Fortunately, fortune favored me this time, and I managed to get the internship offer from Trip.com. When I first arrived in Shanghai, it was my first real taste of the prosperity of a first-tier city. For someone who rarely traveled, that shock is still unforgettable. During those four months at Trip.com, I learned a lot and became even more determined to stay in the internet industry. Maybe we can never foresee the outcomes ahead, but persistent effort is the only thing we can do. After returning to school in September, I started preparing for my second internship. With the Trip.com experience on my resume, interview opportunities gradually increased by November. Unfortunately, in my first ByteDance interview, my algorithm preparation was still lacking, and I got stuck at the second round. In retrospect, that was probably the closest I ever got to ByteDance. After that, I breezed through Bilibili's interview in three days. I thought I wouldn't be returning to Shanghai anytime soon, but to my surprise, in December I set foot on that familiar ground again. Compared to the Trip.com internship, what left the deepest impression on me from the second stint wasn't the work itself, but the people I met. Yes, it was during that time that I met the girl I still can't forget. I wonder if her job is going well now; it has been a long time since we last saw each other. After the internship ended in March, I returned to school again. At that time, I faced a major decision: should I continue preparing for a summer return offer or bet it all on the graduate entrance exam? It was certainly a tough choice, and that same month my grandmother passed away. For a moment, I was overwhelmed by helplessness, just like when Grandpa left and I could do nothing. But I knew I had to pull myself together. In the end, I chose to push forward on both fronts. In April, I had a big breakthrough, securing five offers from major companies in a row, and finally chose Tencent. For me, who had always wanted to go to Shenzhen, it was like a dream come true. It was also at Tencent that I met the second most influential mentor in my career—Brother Miro. I can honestly say he was the best mentor during my internships. Regrettably, due to a sharp drop in front-end hiring this year, I didn't get a return offer, but Brother Miro continued to follow my autumn recruitment and gave me a lot of help. August and September were undoubtedly my most painful period. This year, front-end positions saw a sudden surge in competition as too many students from top-tier universities flooded in. Fortunately, this time fate recognized the hardships I had endured, and I was among the first to emerge from Kuaishou's large candidate pool. The moment I received the intent letter, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, and I could finally give an account of these three years. Looking back on this journey, there have been strokes of luck as well as traces of hard work. If I hadn't seized the opportunity at Trip.com back then, perhaps none of this would have happened. Three years of wind and snow, my heart stands firm as a green mountain, unshaken.