60 posts tagged with "Workplace"

10:37 AM, Wednesday. Sunlight attempted to penetrate the thick glass curtain wall of the office building, ultimately dissolving into a uniform, characterless light that spread across the grey carpet of the 'Quantum Leap Solutions Inc.' open-plan office. The air was filled with the smell of caffeine, printer toner, and an indescribable metallic tang called 'efficiency'. I, codenamed K, like a silent screw embedded in a corner of this vast machine, my fingers moving across the keyboard as if performing some ancient, unquestionable ritual.

Then, Tanaka collapsed.

Lin Chenxi stared at his badge, his brow furrowed.

The blue badge, once a symbol of glory and status, was now becoming transparent at a visible rate. A week ago, it was only slightly blurred around the edges, as if lightly erased by an eraser. Now, the company logo in the center was so faint that it was almost invisible, leaving only the name and employee number barely legible.

The spring of 2024 arrived with more clamor than usual. During the Two Sessions, Zhang Kaili's mention of the "35-year-old employment threshold" was like a pebble tossed into a calm lake, creating ripples that eventually converged into a surging wave of public opinion. This is no longer simple entertainment gossip, but a collective eruption of the anxiety of the times.

Li Ming felt like a locomotive abandoned by the times. He had once roared through the tunnel of youth, but now he was stuck on the rusty sidetrack of 35.

Lao Li is a model sanitation worker.

Li Ming has been a little anxious lately.

Chen Ke sat in the soft leather chair of the hair salon, eyes closed, letting Tony the hairstylist work on his hair. Tony's touch was gentle, with a hypnotic rhythm that made Chen Ke drowsy.

Lao Li stood before the wreckage of the giant wind turbine, his heart utterly calm.

Li Tiezhut, an "AI face reader" with a stall on a pedestrian street in a third-tier city. In essence, he uses an old tablet computer with an AI face reading app, scans people's faces, and then the AI spits out an analysis: something like "a developed career line but a winding love line," "a full nose indicating wealth, but the children's palace is slightly sunken," and so on.

Business is hit or miss. Those who believe it find it accurate, while those who don't scoff. Li Tiezhut is quite content, as the costs are low: a tablet, a power bank, and a bit of data traffic.

Lao Liu, or more precisely, Liu Dehua, but he preferred to be called "Lao Liu" by others, feeling it was more friendly. Lao Liu had been working at the company for nearly twenty years, transforming from a youthful lad to a greasy middle-aged man, witnessing the company's rise and fall, and also witnessing the rise and fall of countless "red envelopes".

On the first day back to work, the office was filled with a mixed smell of caffeine and anticipation. Lao Liu rubbed his hands, his heart itching too. Not for the little money, but for the feeling of "being valued". After all, who doesn't like to be favored by the God of Wealth?