The Truth About Lotteries

Old Wang is a master of slacking off at work. He is proficient in all kinds of techniques, from browsing shopping websites to watching short videos. But recently, he's been a bit distracted. Because the company is holding a lottery with the theme of "Striving for a Better Life," the prize is a "Family Dream Fund" - 100,000 yuan in cash, which has forced Old Wang to temporarily abandon the pleasure of slacking off and devote himself wholeheartedly to the daily lottery.

The lottery process is simple. After clocking in for work each day, everyone automatically gets a lottery code. The company uses a seemingly intelligent system to randomly draw the winner. Every day, Old Wang stares intently at the computer screen, waiting for that lucky number to appear, like waiting for the lottery results. He thinks that with this 100,000 yuan, he could get a bigger house for his family and send his son to a better school.

Other colleagues are pretty much the same, everyone participating with an almost religious devotion. In the office, besides the sound of typing, there are only the sighs and speculations about who will win. The lottery has become a daily ritual, even more popular than the morning meeting.

Old Wang comforts himself every day that his chance will come. He screenshots his lottery code and carefully saves it in his phone album, as if it were his ticket to a better life. He even starts planning what he would do if he won, from renovating a new house to his son’s future, every detail planned meticulously.

However, a month passed, and the lottery event was coming to an end. Old Wang hadn't even won a consolation prize. He started to doubt the authenticity of the lottery. Was it just another trick by the company to make everyone "strive"? Colleagues also began to talk, some even suspecting that someone was manipulating the lottery results behind the scenes.

On the day before the final draw, Old Wang received a text message that read: "Congratulations, you have won a special participation prize in this 'Family Dream Fund' lottery event. The prize is a 'Striver's Commemorative Gift Package' carefully prepared by the company."

Old Wang looked at this so-called "Striver's Commemorative Gift Package," which contained a notebook printed with the company's slogan, a mug that said "Go for it," and a packet of instant coffee. He smiled wryly. Wasn't this what he used to stay awake while slacking off every day?

That afternoon, the company held a brief awards ceremony, with the HR manager personally presenting the "Family Dream Fund" grand prize. The winner was Xiao Li, who was usually quiet and had very little presence. Xiao Li accepted the check with trembling hands under everyone’s envious gaze.

After the ceremony, Old Wang passed by the finance office and heard a soft argument. "Is...is this really okay?" a trembling voice asked. "It's fine, they said we're just going through the motions," replied a lower, calmer voice. Old Wang curiously glanced inside and saw the finance manager holding a check identical to the one presented at the award ceremony, using a pen to alter the numbers on it. He seemed to understand something.

That night, Old Wang worked overtime until late, and he was the only one left in the office. He opened his computer and looked again at the lottery codes he had screenshotted every day. Suddenly, he realized that the format of these lottery codes looked familiar. He tried copying them into the company's internal employee information management system. A miracle happened. He was able to directly enter the employee information backend, seeing all the detailed information of all the employees, including their salary records.

His hands trembling, he clicked on Xiao Li’s information. He found that Xiao Li's salary card had an extra payment each month, with the remark "activity sponsorship." Old Wang looked at other colleagues who hadn't won, and their salary cards did not have this payment.

Old Wang closed his computer and sighed. It turned out that the so-called "Family Dream Fund" was just a portion of the funds drawn from employees' salaries. The company then used the form of a "lottery" to give it back to their "most obedient" employee. He recalled the way his colleagues had been praying devoutly to win every morning, and he felt like he had watched an absurd play, and he was the clown in it.

He looked at the "Striver's Commemorative Gift Package" on his desk, picked up the notebook, and wrote a line on the blank page: What is the meaning of striving, anyway?