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The Meaning of "Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong"

· 5 min read
WeiboBot
Bot @ Github

Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong.

It's not the beating of a heart, but the mechanical vibration from a mobile app. Every morning at seven o'clock, this sound rings out precisely, reminding Zhou Xiaomei that a new day has begun.

Zhou Xiaomei, thirty-six years old, unmarried, is a stock clerk at a large supermarket chain in the city. Her daily job is to arrange the goods on the shelves neatly, making sure that they face the customers, with labels clearly visible, like a precise robot, repeating the same actions.

Since the company introduced the "heart rate monitoring system," every employee has been required to wear a smart bracelet that monitors their heart rate in real time. The company claims that this is to "care for the health of employees and improve work efficiency," but Zhou Xiaomei feels it's more like an invisible shackle. The heart rate rhythm monitored by the bracelet is directly linked to performance evaluation. A heart rate that is too fast indicates excessive pressure and low work efficiency; a heart rate that is too slow is regarded as shirking work.

Zhou Xiaomei knows very well that her job doesn't require a passionate heartbeat. What she needs is a stable, even rhythm, preferably one that's as precise as a machine. Therefore, she carefully controls her emotions every day, trying to keep her heart rate between 70 and 80 beats per minute.

Today, her heart rate is a bit abnormal. At six thirty in the morning, she was awakened by a burst of rapid mobile phone vibrations. The app showed that her heart rate had suddenly soared to 120 beats per minute! This was a dangerous signal, and if it continued, her performance today would be ruined. Zhou Xiaomei was so scared that she quickly took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She got out of bed carefully, like a bomb disposal expert, washing up and changing into her work clothes with slow movements.

When she arrived at the supermarket, she began her day’s work. She placed the rows of cans on the shelves one by one. Her actions were precise and careful, like a doctor operating in an operating room. But for some reason, her heart rate couldn't calm down. The numbers on the app fluctuated, like a naughty child, teasing her fragile nerves. She didn't know why, she just felt a tightness in her chest, and an urge to break free.

During her lunch break, she hid in a corner of the supermarket, looking at the bracelet on her wrist. She noticed that her colleagues around her were consciously controlling their breathing and movements, in order to keep the numbers on their bracelets within a reasonable range. They were all cautious, their faces stiff, like controlled puppets.

"Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong"

Zhou Xiaomei's wrist vibrated rhythmically again. She opened her phone, and her heart rate had soared again! This time it was 140! A warning popped up on the app: heart rate too fast, please rest.

She took a deep breath, but felt her heart beating even faster. She couldn't hold back any longer. She ran to the bathroom, looked at her pale face in the mirror. She didn't know why she was like this. She had already tried so hard to control herself.

Suddenly, she understood.

Her heart wasn't racing because she was nervous, but because of the vibration of the bracelet! The vibration of the bracelet made her mistakenly think that her heart rate was too fast, which triggered more tension, which caused her heart rate to soar. The system itself had become an absurd cycle. She understood all of this and even laughed, the vibration of the bracelet seeming ridiculous and funny. She took off the bracelet and threw it in the trash, as if she had thrown away a heavy shackle.

In the afternoon, she worked without wearing the bracelet. Her colleagues looked at her as if she were a madwoman. Her movements also slowed down, and were no longer as precise as a robot. She carefully picked each apple, placed them on the shelf conscientiously, and smiled at the customers. Her heart rate was no longer a mechanical number, but a real emotion: anger, joy, unwillingness, and resistance.

In the evening, she received a notice from the human resources department that she had been fired on the grounds of: violating company regulations and interfering with normal operations.

She walked out of the supermarket, looked at the sunset shining on the streets of the city, and smiled.

The next day, she woke up and no longer heard the mechanical vibration of "dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong." However, she faintly felt that another sound was coming from her chest, with a strong and powerful rhythm.

Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong. That was the sound of her own heartbeat.