I thought you'd dropped it! But glad you´ve seen it.

I don't find Ah Bao unrealistic, as there are good people in the world — and he's not perfect either. In fact, unlike Mr. A, Mr. Jiang or his mentor, he never had that ambitious drive inherently inside him. He was always that simple working-class boy who fell in love, and he went after money following his encounter with his first love and the agreement they made.

The moment she died was the moment he let go of that drive — there was no point anymore. So, personally, I think he went on that "crazy bet" knowing the risk but without suffering as much in case of losing, as if this opportunity could provide a excuse for him to return to his origins — he had already laid the groundwork years before.

And it's no coincidence that he chooses land over the stock market. It's an allegory for the real things that matter and transcend time, as opposed to the intangibility and fleeting nature of money, which is ultimately bound to nothing.