8 posts tagged with "alienation"

Lin Mu finally managed to buy the ticket. Four hundred and eighty yuan. He checked the ticket information over and over, as if the seat number printed on it wasn't a number but a complex legal provision requiring careful study to grasp its full meaning, especially the tiny, almost illegible additional clauses. The ticketing website was like a spinning maze, leading him down "Sold Out" cul-de-sacs countless times before finally, in an unexpected corner, spitting out this strangely numbered ticket. He wasn't even sure if he really wanted to go, but the process of obtaining the ticket itself, like completing an arduous and meaningless task, brought a kind of weary satisfaction.

K. acquired the jacket on an ordinary rainy day. Neither bought nor gifted, it simply appeared in the hallway of his cramped apartment, hanging on the sole coat hook, as if it had always been there. The jacket was dark gray, a kind of lifeless gray that absorbed light. The label bore some indistinct symbols and a line of small text: "Highly waterproof, isolates everything." K. didn't think much of it at the time; the city was rainy, and a functional jacket was always useful. He even felt a secret delight, as if it were some anonymous favor.

The room was dark and damp, only the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock, like a dull judgment, knocking on Old Man Li's heart one sound at a time. He sat on a hard wooden stool, hunched over, his cloudy eyes staring at a stain on the floor. The shape of the stain resembled a distorted human face.

Li Ming has been a little anxious lately.

The lights inside the gold display case are a warm yellow, like aged rice wine, making one's eyes dizzy. Old Liu skillfully wipes the glass, his fingertips caressing each piece of gold jewelry: rings, necklaces, bracelets. They shimmer in the glow, like gilded cages. He has worked here for fifteen years, his daily routine consists of wiping, arranging, introducing, and then watching them being bought, worn, and flaunted.

There are not many customers today, giving Old Liu a rare moment of leisure. He glances at the surveillance monitor, and after confirming no customers are nearby, he secretly pulls a small magnifying glass from his pocket. He bought it from an old customer, who claimed that it could reveal every flaw in the gold jewelry. He carefully raises the magnifying glass, points it at a gold ring, and gently moves it with his fingertip.

The stage lights dimmed, and the music abruptly stopped. The entire audience erupted in thunderous applause, surging like a tide. Spotlights illuminated again, focusing on the group of perfectly synchronized robots in the center of the stage. They had just completed an astonishing dance, with fluid movements and precise timing, as if they possessed human emotions.

Zhang Qiang stood backstage, a tired smile on his face. He was responsible for the maintenance and control of these robots. This was his third consecutive year participating in the Spring Festival Gala production, witnessing the progress of technology and the indifference of human emotions each year. This year, his team had spent countless days and nights just for this few minutes of perfect presentation. He knew it was not just about the company's reputation, but also his belief in technology.

Old Wang was a senior programmer in the "Fortune to Every Family" project team at a tech company. Simply put, this project was about digitizing and smartening traditional Spring Festival red envelopes. This year's task was particularly heavy, as the company aimed to completely abandon paper red envelopes and achieve the grand goal of "end-to-end digital red envelopes."

In the office, the sound of keyboards was like the low moans of the winter wind, and everyone's face was etched with the weariness of overnight work. Old Wang pushed up his thick glasses, and the dense code on the computer screen looked like ferocious monsters. The slogan "Fortune to Every Family" was shouted loudly, but he only felt like a cog in the machine, being endlessly cranked.

“Hey folks, today we're bringing you our latest smart robotic vacuum cleaner. This robot can not only automatically avoid obstacles, but also…” Li Ming said to his phone screen, forcing a professional smile. Behind him was a blue backdrop with the company logo.