The Twenty-Seventh Step of Resignation Approval

Old Wang looked at the four bright red characters "Approved" on the computer screen and breathed a long sigh of relief. He had been working on these two words, “resignation,” for three whole weeks, filling out twenty-six forms and stamping thirty-seven seals. The hardships he'd endured could easily fill a book titled "The Bloody Tears of Resignation."

He got up and stretched his stiff neck. The office was still filled with the familiar din. The clatter of keyboards, the ringing of telephones, and the occasional complaints from his colleagues all seemed so distant, as if they came from another world. He was about to leave this cage, he thought.

Old Wang walked to his desk and began to pack his things. He carefully picked up the potted green plant that had been with him for five years, and dumped the documents that had once given him headaches into a cardboard box. He found a notebook at the bottom, which meticulously recorded every piece of work, every performance, and even every overtime hour he had worked in this company over the past five years. He turned to the last page, where "Resignation Application" was written, followed by the date he signed it and the last seal. He smiled contentedly.

He carried the box and the green plant and walked out of the office. The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside, finding it completely empty. The elevator slowly descended, and he felt his heart gradually calm down. When the elevator doors opened again, he saw the reception desk of the human resources department. The receptionist, Xiao Li, was smiling at him, holding a new form in her hand.

"Mr. Wang, congratulations on passing your resignation approval. However, there is one last procedure," Xiao Li's voice was still sweet. "Please fill out the 'Resigning Employee Feedback Form (Second Edition).'"

Old Wang was stunned. He took the form, which prominently stated: "Resignation Reason Review," "In-Depth Motivation for Resignation," "Feasibility Analysis of Future Career Plans," "Psychological Assessment of Resigning Employees," "Suggestions and Expectations for the Company," and so on. Underneath the form was a line in small print: "This form must be signed and sealed by all department heads in order to process the resignation."

Old Wang looked at the form, feeling a tingling sensation in his scalp. Wasn't it twenty-six approvals? Why was there another one? He looked up at Xiao Li, who was still smiling brightly as if this was the most ordinary thing.

"This...what's going on?" Old Wang's voice trembled slightly.

"Oh, this is a new regulation. To better understand the situation of resigning employees, the company has introduced this new policy. It’s the last approval," Xiao Li explained.

"But no one told me about this before?" Old Wang tried to argue.

"See, there's a clause here. All employees who resign must fill out this form," Xiao Li pointed to a line of tiny print at the bottom of the form. Only then did Old Wang notice the line, with the small, dense print that he would never normally pay attention to.

Old Wang took a deep breath. He felt as if he had fallen into a huge whirlpool from which he could never escape. Helplessly, he took the form and walked back into the office area. Once again, he had to go through the familiar process: find the leaders to sign, find the departments to stamp. But this time, he wasn't doing it to resign, but to prove that he had already resigned.

This time, everyone's attitude towards him was obviously more "enthusiastic." Some would smile and ask him about his reasons for leaving, some would "care" about his future plans, and some would even pat him on the shoulder and say, "Old Wang, you should think carefully. The outside world is not as good as the company." Listening to these words, Old Wang's heart was filled with mixed feelings. He didn't know whether to feel ridiculous or sad.

He spent a whole day finally filling out the form and collecting all the signatures and stamps. When he handed the form back to Xiao Li, he was exhausted.

"Is it done? Is it finally done?" Old Wang asked.

Xiao Li took the form and looked at it carefully, then looked up and smiled, "Mr. Wang, please wait a moment while I enter your information into the system and print your proof of resignation."

Old Wang felt that he could finally be completely free. He sat in the waiting area of the human resources department, looking at the eight characters "Unity and Sincerity, Create Brilliance Together" on the wall, feeling that they were so ironic.

Ten minutes later, Xiao Li walked over with a piece of paper. Old Wang took it and saw that it was a form — the "Resigning Employee Information Verification Form."

"Mr. Wang, this is the last, last step. Please verify your personal information," Xiao Li pointed to the form, "If there is no error in your information, then you can officially go through the resignation procedures."

Old Wang was stunned, his hands trembling slightly. He looked at the twenty-plus items of personal information on the form, each with a line of small print underneath: "If there is an error, please fill out the 'Resigning Employee Information Modification Application Form (V2.0)' again."

Old Wang looked at Xiao Li, then at the form in his hand, and suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness. He realized that this was not a resignation at all, but an endless game of absurdity. He slowly sat down, placed the potted green plant at his feet, and sighed softly, as if telling a story, or perhaps saying nothing at all.

Perhaps, he had gotten used to it.