I've known Lao Chen for fourteen years and watched helplessly as he squandered a winning hand. His steamed bun shop was once so prosperous that others envied it, but a single plate of pickled vegetables broke the hearts of his loyal customers. He refused to admit his mistakes, making the buns smaller, lowering the quality of the ingredients, and eventually passing off sour frozen meat to unsuspecting customers. Only after workers fell ill from eating his food and the shop was shut down, his wife left in tears, and the rolling shutter was pulled firmly closed did he finally come to his senses. A fourteen-year-old shop wasn't destroyed by its competitors; it was ruined by his own calculations and schemes to manipulate people's feelings. The most frightening thing is to lose sight of your roots as you go through life.