Midnight Elevator

The elevator doors opened with a "ding," revealing an empty car with only the dim yellow light at the top flickering weakly. Zhou Ming rubbed his bloodshot eyes and stepped inside. Today was the deadline for the launch of the new project, and he had been working overtime for three consecutive days.

He mechanically pressed the button for the "1st" floor, then pressed it again, and again, but there was no response. The buttons for the other floors were also lifeless, silent.

"Is it broken?" Zhou Ming muttered.

He took out his phone, and the familiar words "No Signal" appeared on the screen. Since the company moved to this high-tech building, signal had become the rarest resource here. Perhaps this was the ultimate embodiment of the bosses' pursuit of "focused work," Zhou Ming thought wryly.

He began to press the emergency call button in the elevator, also with no response. He tried to open the elevator doors but found them unmoving, as if they were welded shut. He leaned despairingly against the elevator wall, feeling like he was trapped in a metal coffin.

Time passed second by second, and the elevator was eerily quiet. Suddenly, Zhou Ming noticed that the numbers on the elevator display began to flicker, changing from "23" to "24", and then to "25". The display seemed to jump upwards uncontrollably, as if the elevator was running automatically, but without stopping at any floor.

He began to feel anxious, banging on the elevator doors, which echoed with a dull sound. Suddenly, the elevator stopped, and the number froze at the "36th" floor, a floor that didn't even exist in their company.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and outside was not the familiar office corridor, but a white room. In the center of the room was a chair, and sitting on the chair was a person in a white coat, with his back to him.

"Hello?" Zhou Ming called out cautiously.

The person in the white coat slowly turned around, revealing a familiar yet strange face. It was their company's HR manager, a woman who always smiled but whose smile concealed endless rules.

The HR manager still smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, hello. This is the performance assessment center. We have seen your performance, and it is very outstanding. However, we believe that you need some 'special' adjustments."

Zhou Ming was stunned. He thought he was hallucinating from staying up all night.

"You just need to sit down and answer a few questions. It won't take up too much of your time," the HR manager said, pointing to the chair in front of him, her tone gentle yet chilling.

Zhou Ming hesitated for a moment, then sat down. He felt unusually tired, perhaps it would be good to rest for a while.

"The first question, how do you think the company should improve employee motivation?" The HR manager opened the folder in her hand, which was filled with Zhou Ming's work data.

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and said, "I think we should give employees more rest time and encourage them to participate in team-building activities..."

"Next question, what areas of the company's management system do you think can be improved?"

Zhou Ming took a deep breath and mustered the courage to say, "I think we should reduce unnecessary meetings, simplify processes, and improve efficiency..."

The HR manager's smile gradually disappeared, replaced by a cold expression. She closed the folder, and her tone became stern, "Mr. Zhou, it seems that your understanding of the company is not profound enough. What we need are employees who can work without complaint and obey absolutely, not a questioner full of grievances."

She stood up and pointed towards the elevator, "You can go back now, start over from the next floor."

Zhou Ming looked at the elevator in horror, the numbers on the display had already changed to "0". The elevator doors opened, and waiting for him seemed to be another endless cycle. He realized that this was not a performance assessment center, but an infinite loop full of rules and absurdity, and he was just one of the trapped gears.

The elevator slowly descended, Zhou Ming looked at his haggard face in the mirror and smiled bitterly. The smile was filled with fatigue, helplessness, and a hint of relief. Perhaps in this infinite loop, the only thing he could do was to remain optimistic.

The elevator stopped again on the first floor, the doors opened, revealing the brightly lit office lobby. He still had to press one unresponsive button after another, continuing his endless overtime night, until the elevator once again took him to that white room.