Don't Want to Go Home

This film (drama)Also known as不想回家，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2005Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin，Current Douban rating7.7(For reference only)。

At forty, one should be free of doubts, yet fate plays tricks on people. He Jiafu, a dull, honest, and straightforward middle-aged man, moves with anxiety under the wheels of fate. An unexpected fortune plunges him into an awkward situation beyond his control, leading him to constantly experience great joy and deep sorrow, gradually losing his direction amid various emotional entanglements. Home becomes a heavy and fragile symbol... In the end, despite lingering in what seemed like a happy and comfortable life, He Jiafu chooses to confront reality and choose to return... He Jiafu, an accountant at a state-run food factory, finds himself at forty. He has an ordinary, unremarkable family, with his son, Xiaolong, attending a soccer school. He is kind-hearted and principled, but somewhat timid and cowardly. Although He Jiafu excels in his work, his lack of social skills keeps him stuck in the position of cost group leader for twenty years, often being squeezed by the deputy section chief, Ma Jianguo, who knows nothing about the business. In front of his colleagues and friends, He Jiafu seems like an inconsequential grass, while his wife, Qin Guiyun, has always regarded him as a shining treasure, longing for her husband, a university graduate, to one day achieve great success and improve their current living conditions. Qin Guiyun has always wanted to buy a car, knowing her husband's fondness for them, and thus she closely follows the car market, frequently dragging her husband along for visits. Although He Jiafu, like his wife, desperately desires a private car, he tries hard to thwart her plans. The reason is simple: he lent the family's savings of forty thousand yuan to his sister for infertility treatment, and as a result, the money was spent, and her condition wasn't cured. Due to this, he cannot explain to his wife and resorts to lying, saying the money is lost in the stock market. Faced with Qin Guiyun's fervor for buying a car, He Jiafu becomes anxious. He Jiafu's sister, He Jiahuan, lives a hard life, and her infertility puts a strain on her marriage. Seeing his sister's pain, He Jiafu cannot ask her for money (their father has long passed away, and as the eldest son, he has always taken care of his younger siblings). Burdened with worry, He Jiafu goes to work and smokes in an abandoned factory building. By chance, he discovers that the original equipment has vanished, so he goes to check the financial records but is spotted by the finance department chief, Gong Mingfang. Gong becomes tense at once. The next day, He Jiafu experiences a sudden stroke of good luck. Gong Mingfang approaches him and hands him sixty thousand yuan in cash, claiming it is a special reward from the factory, and says that he will soon be promoted to deputy section chief of the finance department! Overjoyed, He Jiafu is momentarily stunned. When he regains his composure, his first reaction is to take the money to his wife, Qin Guiyun, to validate his previous lie. Qin Guiyun is overjoyed, and her first thought is to buy a car for her husband. He Jiafu's classmate, Ji Yu, returns to China for a reunion. Tian Lei, who has waited for Ji Yu for years, is excited and happy, hoping for an early wedding. However, Ji Yu appears somewhat evasive. During the gathering, they chatter about corruption and bribery, and He Jiafu becomes alert, starting to investigate the accounts of the old equipment the next day. The truth emerges: the equipment had been sold off without being logged! He feels extremely uneasy and resolves to return the money. Late at night, calming down, He confesses to his wife about the true origin of the money and discusses repaying it. Unexpectedly, Gong Mingfang adamantly refuses to take the money back, turning the sixty thousand yuan into a hot potato held in He Jiafu's trembling hands. At that moment, their son, Xiaolong, reveals the news of his father's bonus to He Jiafu's mother. Meanwhile, their mother is troubled over the wedding house for their younger brother, He Jiale. Upon hearing about the money, she becomes overjoyed and organizes a family gathering, hoping He Jiafu will use the money to buy a house for his brother. However, during the gathering, He Jiafu's sister inadvertently spills the truth about the original savings, leading Qin Guiyun to realize she has been kept in the dark like a fool, prompting an argument with He. Angered, Qin Guiyun thinks that since the money cannot be held onto anyway, she might as well use it to buy a car! Ji Yu and Tian Lei discuss marriage. Ji Yu dodges, claiming his career hasn't achieved results, displeasing Tian Lei, and they fall into silence. At this moment, Qin calls Tian Lei, excitedly sharing about the car purchase, and inquires about their marriage. Tian Lei feels disheartened but politely calls He to congratulate him. It is then that He learns Qin used the sixty thousand yuan to buy a car, which makes him very anxious and angry, leading him to insist on returning the car, while Qin remains adamant against it. Eventually, Qin’s words soften He. Especially seeing his wife's excitement over the new car, He becomes conflicted about whether to return the car or not. But when He faces Gong, he cannot handle it, and the urge to return the car and pay back the money becomes strong again. News of the car purchase quickly reaches Ji Yu and Li Jun, who think He is quite capable of enjoying life and organizing it well, which makes He more embarrassed. To show that her husband is capable, Qin Guiyun soon informs colleague Xu Gang and his girlfriend Liu Xiaoting about the car purchase. Faced with the joy of his wife, son, and friends, He caresses the beautiful new car, caught in a dilemma. A small car has become tied to He’s destiny. He Jiafu is troubled by the car situation and discusses returning the car and repaying the money with Qin Guiyun again. Qin becomes irate and ultimately helpless: "Do as you please!" To pressure Ji Yu into discussing marriage, Tian Lei invites He Jiafu and his wife, along with Li Jun, out to celebrate the car purchase. Qin Guiyun angrily refuses to participate. During the gathering, Tian Lei purposefully displays her closeness with Ji Yu. He and Li ask about their marriage, and Tian Lei eagerly awaits Ji Yu's response, but Ji Yu dodges and shifts the topic back to He buying a car. He feels increasingly gloomy and awkwardly smiles. But he has firmly decided to return the car and repay the money the next day. In his gloom, He gets drunk. While driving home, he unexpectedly collides with a BMW. He, inebriated, leaves the car and takes a taxi home. The next day, He wakes up but cannot remember where he parked the car last night. He anxiously searches everywhere but cannot find it. As he hasn't had time to register it, the police have no leads. In despair, he seeks help from the radio station. Upon learning that her husband lost the new car overnight, Qin becomes both furious and anxious. Their marriage deteriorates rapidly. The radio's call for help not only fails to assist He in finding the car, but leads him to receive a series of bizarre calls, meet some inexplicable people, and catches the attention of the BMW owner, Bai Yun. In a dire situation, the company relations change; an investigation is scheduled, and Gong suddenly reverses his attitude, urging He Jiafu to repay the money. He is stunned—money and car gone, how to fill this sixty thousand yuan gap? Qin realizes the seriousness of the situation: her husband could face prison time because of this sixty thousand yuan. At this moment, she stands by her husband again and discusses how they can avoid this disaster. They attempt desperately to raise the money. Qin borrows money from Xu Gang and his girlfriend Liu Xiaoting, while He borrows from Tian Lei. Just when they finally manage to raise the money, another major change occurs: Gong suffers a stroke. He Jiafu is at a loss about where to repay the sixty thousand yuan. He is once again bewildered. Ji Yu finally agrees to marry Tian Lei. They go to register their marriage with Qin but receive a call from a Japanese woman, causing them to flee from the marriage registration office. Tian Lei is heartbroken. Just as He Jiafu is gripped by fear, Gong's stroke liberates him from his predicament: the missing equipment is blamed entirely on Gong, and He instead benefits from misfortune, being promoted to deputy chief of the finance department. Just when He Jiafu is about to breathe a sigh of relief, another incident occurs: Bai Yun finds He Jiafu, demanding compensation for the collision, totaling eighty thousand yuan! He is taken aback. Bai Yun, a young and beautiful girl, wanders alone in the city to escape a materially rich yet spiritually empty life. A car accident links her to He Jiafu. He’s first reaction is to refuse to repay the money. He begins to avoid Bai Yun. They engage in a game of cat and mouse. In one instance, as He is about to escape, Bai Yun cleverly pretends to faint. His kind nature compels him to return and take Bai Yun to the hospital. Bai Yun becomes curious about He; she sees in him a unique charm of an earnest and loyal little person, and proposes a "talking fee" arrangement to recover her monetary losses. He Jiafu reluctantly agrees to be available whenever she calls. From then on, He Jiafu's life trajectory is pulled by everyone as he runs between family, work, friends, and Bai Yun, utterly exhausted. Newly appointed Ma Jianguo gets arrested for soliciting in another city, and in just a few months, He Jiafu unexpectedly becomes the head of the finance department. Before he can celebrate, a series of events unfolds: classmate Li Jun wants He Jiafu to help find Bai Yun to facilitate the approval of the Daxinan Entertainment City project, but Bai Yun refuses to get involved, reprimanding He; to help Ji Yu's supermarket open, He privately lends Ji Yu two hundred thousand from the factory, but the supermarket eventually goes bankrupt, even though Ji Yu issued him a check before his arrest, the money is already frozen. Worse, the factory is about to be merged; if the money isn't repaid, He Jiafu will face imprisonment. Due to the "talking fee" arrangement with Bai Yun, he cannot rush to the hospital when his son breaks his leg. Qin Guiyun suspects he has a mistress, and their relationship plummets to freezing point. Eventually, one day, He is lured out to the suburbs by Bai Yun; when their car breaks down halfway, he ends up missing the night at home. Qin, unable to tolerate her husband any longer, begins a complete cold war with He. He Jiafu lingers outside his cold home, afraid to enter. He Jiafu suffers in silence, overwhelmed, running tirelessly every day, unsure of his true direction. The once timid and gentle He finally loses his temper with Bai Yun. Reaching forty, one should be free of doubts, yet He Jiafu finds himself confused and lost. Just as he feels infinite sorrow and despair, Li Jun finds him, announcing that with Bai Yun's help, the Daxinan Entertainment City project has been approved! They are set to make a fortune! He Jiafu feels as if he is dreaming and for a moment is left speechless. Bai Yun sees hope for life in He Jiafu and ultimately stops wandering, returning to her parents abroad to seek her own happiness. A year later, younger brother He Jiale gets married. After attending his brother’s wedding, He Jiafu, now the financial director of Daxinan Entertainment City, discovers that his newly bought Hongqi car has vanished. The police fail to find the Hongqi but strangely locate the Chery that went missing a year ago. The peculiar twists of fate leave He Jiafu shaking his head in bittersweet laughter. Ji Yu is released from prison, and the three old classmates reunite again. He Jiafu tells Ji Yu that Tian Lei has married and is now very happy. Just as life seems to be back on track, the prosecutor's office contacts He Jiafu, stating that the former director of Hongmin Food Factory, Manager Wu, has been detained for selling equipment back in the day, and they need to investigate He Jiafu for some details. After heavy contemplation, He Jiafu decides to turn himself in. He knows that only in this way can he truly confront himself and everyone. Previously, he was dragged by fate and others, and now he chooses his own fate for the first time. In the end, He Jiafu drives the recovered car calmly towards the prosecutor's office.