Terrence and his family moved from Shanghai to the United States when he was 14 years old. He soon started high school in a new country and found himself overwhelmed by the academic pressure and cultural differences. Language barriers made it difficult for Terrence to make friends or even keep up with his peers in the same classes. He felt isolated and alone. He stayed in bed all day and felt numb to the world; things he had once been passionate about were no longer interesting. This also led to countless arguments with his father Jiahao.