The Mystery of the Auspicious Lions

"Good luck at work! Auspicious Lions bring joy!"

The 8 AM alarm clock was like a death warrant, and Zhang Qiang struggled out of bed. The Spring Festival holiday was over, and today was the first day of the Year of the Snake. He forced a positive smile in the mirror. After all, the new year should always start with good omens.

When he arrived at the company, surprisingly, the atmosphere was more lively than in previous years. The receptionist was all smiles, and everyone received a special "Auspicious Lion for Work" – a red paper box containing two lifelike mini-stone lions, said to symbolize "Double Lions Bring Joy, Everything Goes Smoothly."

Zhang Qiang thought the things took up too much space, but his colleagues around him cheerfully placed them on their desks, as if these two little stones could really bring good luck. He had no choice but to follow the crowd and put the Auspicious Lions next to his computer screen.

At 10 AM, the administrative department suddenly sent out a notice: "To create a festive atmosphere, please take a photo with the Auspicious Lions at your workstation and post it in the group chat. The top three with the most likes will receive a surprise!"

Zhang Qiang immediately felt a headache coming on. He hated this kind of formalism the most, but in the workplace, he couldn't help himself. He fiddled with the two little stone lions, but every photo he took felt silly. Finally, he had a flash of inspiration, placed the Auspicious Lions on the keyboard, pretending they were working overtime, and captioned it: "Even the Auspicious Lions are working so hard, what reason do I have not to strive?"

The photo was posted in the group chat, and the response was lukewarm. Zhang Qiang thought, sure enough, no one likes this kind of boring trick.

At lunchtime, Zhang Qiang noticed that Li from the neighboring department looked gloomy. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't even mention it," Li sighed. "My Auspicious Lions are gone! They were still there when I took the photo this morning, but I can't find them now!"

Zhang Qiang was stunned, thinking this thing wasn't made of gold, who would steal it? But he comforted him, "Maybe it accidentally fell on the ground, look around again."

In the afternoon, the atmosphere in the office began to turn eerie. First, someone discovered that their Auspicious Lions had been swapped, and the original brand-new stone lions had become defective products with missing arms and legs. Then, there was a rumor that two colleagues were seen arguing in the pantry over the Auspicious Lions, almost coming to blows.

Zhang Qiang began to feel that things were not so simple. These small Auspicious Lions seemed to have triggered an undercurrent in the office.

Near the end of work, the administrative department announced the list of the top three with the most likes. The first place was Wang from the marketing department, whose photos were extremely creative, photoshopping the Auspicious Lions into the company's mascot, which attracted a lot of praise. The second place was Liu from the sales department, who posted his "work photos" with the Auspicious Lions, with sentimental captions, saying that the Auspicious Lions witnessed his hard work. As for the third place, it was unexpectedly Lao Zhao from the usually quiet technical department, who simply took a photo of the Auspicious Lions, but for some reason, the number of likes was abnormally high.

That night, Zhang Qiang worked overtime very late. He stretched and suddenly found that his Auspicious Lions were also gone! He was shocked and quickly searched everywhere.

Just then, he heard whispers from the office next door. He quietly walked over, and through the crack in the door, saw Wang, Liu, and Lao Zhao sitting together, with three identical "Auspicious Lions for Work" on the table.

"Wang, your Photoshop skills are really amazing, no wonder you can get first place!" Liu said flatteringly.

"No, no, it's all thanks to Lao Zhao for helping me swipe so many likes," Wang replied with a smile.

"No problem, no problem," Lao Zhao pushed up his glasses. "We're all just trying to complete the task."

Zhang Qiang realized that the so-called "like-collecting activity" was actually a blatant exchange of interests behind the scenes. They used their positions to manipulate the process in the dark, just to get that so-called "surprise."

He silently returned to his seat, looked at the empty desk, and suddenly felt disgusted. He picked up his phone, took a picture of the empty desk, and captioned it: "My Auspicious Lions are gone, just like my ideals."

The next day, Zhang Qiang resigned. Before leaving, he sent a text message to the administrative department: "The Auspicious Lions may be small, but they show people's hearts."

Years later, Zhang Qiang still found this experience absurd and ridiculous. He understood that the workplace is like a play, and it all depends on acting skills. And the two small Auspicious Lions were just props in this farce.

But, he still couldn't figure out why Lao Zhao helped them swipe likes? Perhaps, in this absurd world, everyone has their own unavoidable difficulties. Or perhaps, this is the real "Auspicious Lion for Work" – revealing the truth of human nature.