Work Prophet

"If the company dissolves, what are you planning to do?" Li Yu asked.

"I don't know, maybe find a job as a security guard in a community, or a delivery guy," Zhang Hai said. "The delivery guy's schedule should be more flexible."

"Is the company really going to dissolve?" Hao Xiaoxiao widened her eyes.

"No, the company won't dissolve," Li Yu replied. "You're the ones talking about the company dissolving; I'm just going along with it and asking casually."

"That's a relief." Hao Xiaoxiao breathed out. "Actually, working overtime is secondary. These days, it's really hard to find a place where you can walk tall and proud to work."

Zhang Hai surprisingly nodded in agreement, "Yeah, the last company I worked at sold camel milk powder, and the boss even asked me to sell these ridiculously expensive products to the elderly in the nearby community. I just went up and punched him, breaking his nose."

"Right, right, isn't there a popular phrase going around in society now?" Wang Guowei said while eating. "Something about being a person first, then doing things. Our team leader keeps saying it, and he's great at brown-nosing the big boss."

At that moment, Zhang Yanlin said, "Hey, do you have to talk about this stuff? There are kids here."

"Ah, sorry." Wang Guowei scratched his head. "Actually, there are still more good people in the world, it's just hard for good people to become bosses. Isn't there also a saying that kindness doesn't lead armies?"

"It's okay, I realized long ago that the world is rotten to the core. You don't have to sugarcoat it," An Yixin said.

"You're still young and have the chance to change your destiny," Hao Xiaoxiao said. "Just don't follow the wrong path like I did."

"Then what is the right path?" An Yixin looked up.

"Study hard, find a stable job, keep pace with most people, make the same sounds as them, accept the societal rules, whether they're fair or not, those are things ordinary people can't change.

Wang Guowei also added, "For ordinary people, only one thing is most important: live your own life well. Everything else is just trivial matters. In the adult world, right and wrong aren't actually that important."

"But wouldn't living like that be boring?"

"True, but for most people, just living is already not easy; it takes all their energy, so where's the mood to consider if it's fun."

Li Yu placed a piece of yellow croaker in An Yixin's bowl. "Eat, don't listen to their nonsense."

Wang Guowei chugged a bottle of beer. "Exactly, this is just the lament of a corporate slave who works overtime until they're half-mad. No need to take it to heart. As an apology, I'll get you a bottle of juice."

With that, he got up and staggered towards the fridge.

Hao Xiaoxiao took the draft beer Zhang Hai handed over. "Speaking of overtime, I remember there was a company that came to our university for a recruitment fair when I was in college. I was just a sophomore then, curious, went to listen.

"The female HR had a part in her PPT about outstanding employees, seemed like it was an alumnus from our school.

"That alumnus supposedly lived in the office, kept their phone on 24 hours a day, and would complete any task assigned by the superiors immediately.

"They apparently set the company's longest overtime record, didn't go home for two consecutive years during the new year, and became the general manager in just four years.

"The HR probably wanted to show us how smoothly you could advance in the company, but I just kept thinking, are these things even worth talking about, isn't that illegal?

"That was probably the first time I heard the lament of corporate slaves." Hao Xiaoxiao took a sip of beer. "It left a deep impression on me as a student."

"I was harassed by a superior," Zhang Yanlin said. "One day I was working overtime late, most people had left the office, then my manager asked me to deliver a document to his office.

"Then he asked if I wanted a promotion, a pay raise, and told me everything has a price, that if I wanted to climb up, I had to be open-minded. Then he started to grab me, making unwanted moves, luckily Li Yu was also there that night.

"Later, Li Yu helped me report it to the company, but that guy was a key player; the big boss valued him, and I didn't have evidence, so I ended up leaving with Li Yu."

"I didn't work for a year after that, even went for a period of psychological counseling."

"What's that guy's name, I'm going to teach him a lesson!" Zhang Hai got angrier the more he listened, slamming the table.

"No need, it's already in the past," Zhang Yanlin hurriedly said. "You'd hit him, then end up in jail, it's not worth it at all."

An Yixin, seeing that Li Yu hadn't spoken, asked, "Uncle, what about you? Did you ever encounter anything infuriating at work, besides that time with Sister Yan Lin?"

"That's just how work is, you get used to it," Li Yu said.

"Thank you for the powerless consolation."

"Have you finished your homework?" Li Yu asked.

"Not yet, but I'm almost done, why, is there something else planned after dinner?"

"Whatever the plan is, it has nothing to do with you, you have to go back and do your homework."

"Ha," An Yixin rolled her eyes. "You just described a future to me that sounds so exciting and full of energy, do you think I can still focus to do homework afterwards?"

Wang Guowei also said, "It's still early now, what are we going to do after eating? Go sing karaoke or play some cards?"

"Let's go for a drive," Li Yu said, "and say hi to some old friends."

"Old friends? What old friends," Hao Xiaoxiao asked curiously. "I don't have any friends left in this city."

"Your former supervisors," Li Yu said, "let's go pay them a visit."

The room was silent for a few seconds before Wang Guowei said, "Are you drunk...?"

"No, I'm driving later, so I didn't drink any alcohol," Li Yu pointed at the beer in front of him, the pull tab was indeed still intact.

"Then we're the ones who drank too much and started to hear things?" Hao Xiaoxiao said. "You just said you're taking us to see our former bosses?"

Li Yu nodded, "You can tell them to their faces that they're bastards."

Wang Guowei was genuinely drunk, he slapped the table and said, "That's good, let's start with my boss. But I don't know where that bastard lives, he never tells us his address, probably knows he's done too many lousy things, afraid of getting bricks thrown at him."

"No worries, I'll have someone find him for you. Once we find him, how do you want to handle it?" Li Yu said.

Wang Guowei's eyes were glazed over, "I want to force... force him to write code, day and night, and then curse at him in front of everyone, telling him it's garbage. Oh, and I want to play basketball with him. Last time he won the championship, but that was because everyone let him win.

"I want him to experience the cruelty of competitive sports."

"No problem," Li Yu said.

An Yixin's eyes lit up, "Okay, I admit there are charming aspects to the adult world. Take me with you."

"Hey, hey, hey, are you guys serious?" Zhang Yanlin's eyes widened.

"I'm serious," Li Yu said. "Let's talk about it as a team-building activity after dinner."