Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, Bill Gates — we love to believe in self-made myths. But look closer, and most “overnight successes” had hidden safety nets: family wealth, connections, access. I grew up in a Hong Kong village with none of that, carrying only books, curiosity, and a guitar. For years, I believed talent and hard work alone would be enough. And maybe they weren’t — but hope was. This is a story about inheritance, grit, guilt, and what it really means to make yourself.
