The Price of “Fairness“

Old Wang squeezed into the crowd, like a crumpled sugarcane husk. He was wearing his faded costume, embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns that looked particularly comical under the sunlight. Today was the opening ceremony for "The Gods 3," and he was still playing "Extra A." Old Wang was no stranger to this role; he had been "Extra A" for ten years, a "living fossil of Hengdian," as he put it.

Today's opening ceremony was particularly lively, with the lead actor Yu Shi in attendance. Old Wang remembered this young man vividly; he had been present at the "fairness" incident that had caused such a stir a few days ago. Yu Shi's fans had made a huge fuss online, protesting the unfair treatment by the production crew. Old Wang had thought at the time that these young people were truly outspoken, unlike the older folks who had had their edges worn smooth and were too lazy to even complain.

At the ceremony, Yu Shi spoke passionately, saying that he and all the actors yearned for fair treatment, hoping that the production team could pay more attention to everyone's efforts. Old Wang listened, feeling a mix of bitterness and envy. After all, who wouldn't want to be valued? He had been playing the "Extra A," without lines or close-ups, for ten years, just to make ends meet.

After the ceremony, Old Wang returned to his small room and ate another cold boxed lunch. He opened his phone and saw a news push with the headline "Yu Shi Incident Successfully Resolved, Production Crew Promises Fair Treatment." Old Wang smiled. He felt like a discarded old toy in a corner, while Yu Shi was a shining new star.

The next day, a notice came from the production crew, stating that, in order to demonstrate fairness, all actors would take a "fairness test." Old Wang was confused. What was a "fairness test"? When he arrived at the location, he understood: it was not a test at all, but a farce.

All the actors were taken to a small room in batches. Inside, there was a strange machine that looked like a giant helmet. A staff member explained that the machine could measure an actor's "fairness value." The higher the value, the more valuable the actor was, and the better treatment they would receive.

When it was Old Wang's turn, he felt a little nervous. He put on the helmet, and darkness enveloped him. A buzzing sound filled his ears. A few minutes later, the machine beeped, and the staff member looked at the screen with a strange expression.

"0.01?" the staff member asked, with a hint of surprise and mockery in their voice. "Old comrade, your 'fairness value' is the lowest."

Old Wang was stunned. He didn't know what this "fairness value" represented, but he knew that he had once again been abandoned by "fairness."

In the following days, Old Wang realized that the production crew's treatment had indeed changed. Actors with high "fairness values" moved into better rooms, ate more lavish meals, and even had their roles increased. Actors with low "fairness values," like Old Wang, even had their boxed lunches reduced.

Old Wang couldn't take it anymore and went to the director's team to reason with them. The directors chuckled and said it was the result of "fairness," the conclusion of "big data." Old Wang wanted to retort but found himself speechless.

Just when Old Wang was about to despair, a staff member quietly told him that the so-called "fairness test" was not based on any scientific evidence at all. It was just a way for the production crew to control costs, using a pseudo-scientific "fairness value" to classify actors. Those with high "fairness values" were all famous or had connections, while those without fame or connections, like Old Wang, were destined to be eliminated.

Old Wang felt like he had been struck by lightning. He felt like a clown who had been fooled by a carefully crafted scam, while those who kept chanting "fairness" were doing the most unfair things behind the scenes.

One night, Old Wang returned to his small room and found an exquisite gift box on his bedside. He opened it and found a brand new costume, much more luxurious than his old, worn one. There was also a small note inside that read: "Congratulations, your 'fairness value' has been forcibly increased to 100. You will be the special guest star in this production."

Old Wang held the costume and looked at his old and tired face in the mirror. He suddenly laughed. He knew that this was not true "fairness," but a more sophisticated kind of irony. He threw the costume aside and picked up the helmet that measured the "fairness value," carefully putting it on. He wanted to see what the outcome would be for someone who had been recognized by "fairness."

The helmet buzzed again, and darkness descended once more. A few seconds later, Old Wang felt a powerful force injecting him from the top of his head, making his whole body stiff. He wanted to speak, but couldn't make a sound. He wanted to take off the helmet, but found that his hands were out of control.

He felt his body slowly floating up, gradually moving away from the ground. He saw his room, saw Hengdian in the distance, saw the whole world. He slowly floated toward the sky, like a speck of dust caught in the wind.

Eventually, Old Wang disappeared into the night sky, leaving behind only a brand new costume, lying alone in the empty room, as if telling a dark joke about "fairness."