Ever since Jack Ma and the Eighteen Arhats founded Factory A, one of the three giants, in their lakeside home, Lin'an has always been a major Internet town in China, with large factories gathering there.
Lin Yi is just an inconspicuous screw from a large manufacturer.
It's a Friday afternoon.
Although it's not yet time to get off work, everyone is tapping the keyboard anxiously, making a crackling sound.
It seems that he is staring at the screen with all his attention, but in fact he has not written a few lines of code. His eyes glance at the time in the lower right corner from time to time, much like a student waiting for the bell to end get out of class.
This is the only day of the week that the company tacitly allows coders to get off work at a certain time, and the leaders always turn a blind eye and sit in the office without coming out.
Of course, after get off work returns to get off work, work returns to work, and the deadline will not be shaken just because of get off work.
Deadline, translated means deadline, but Lin Yi feels that it is not as accurate as the literal translation:
Dead line.
The atmosphere today is unusual. Just now, the HRBP of our department entered the office of the department boss with a stack of documents and stayed there for a while.
The so-called HRBP, scientifically known as human resources business partner, is a new thing that major companies have come up with in recent years. It is euphemistically called management innovation.
I don’t know who copied whom.
The name is quite deceiving. It is said to be for the purpose of getting deep into the front line of business, and its role is probably equivalent to the "military chaplain" in the company.
It's of no use.
While everyone was secretly speculating, the door opened.
The boss stuck his head out and looked around, then waved to the nearest subordinate:
"Come in for a moment."
The unfortunate guy stood up nervously, walked into the office with difficulty and closed the door, cutting off all sounds.
Soon, the door opened again, and the unfortunate guy came out with a slumped face. Facing everyone's gaze, he nodded resignedly and said:
"It's layoffs."
That's right, HRBP only has a strong presence in one situation, and that's the current one:
The priest was transferred to supervise the battle team, and his sword was directed inwards to chop his own people.
And it's a killing spree, one step beyond the reach of the gods.
The unfortunate man turned to a colleague next to him and patted the baffle of his work station: "You go in, the boss yelled."
The originally quiet office suddenly exploded, and there was a lot of discussion.
"It's too sudden. You didn't even say hello in advance!" Someone was caught off guard.
"Sooner or later, some time ago, a large factory in Pengcheng sent two HRs over overnight and laid off hundreds of people in the Lin'an office in one day." Someone shared the gossip.
"Damn! I just paid the down payment a few days ago, what should I do with the mortgage?" Some people were panicked.
Lin Yi belongs to the relatively calm group.
He is considered an old man in the department. He sits alone in a "view seat" by the window, enjoying a 180-degree golden view.
As the overtime night light in the department, I usually have to finish my dinner in the cafeteria even on Fridays, and wait until after nine o'clock when the taxi can be reimbursed before I leave.
After hearing the news, he took back his hands from typing on the keyboard.
Because he rarely sees the light, Lin Yi's skin shows an unhealthy whiteness, but he still retains a bit of a youthful look.
He did not discuss it with the others, turned to face the window, and silently thought about his own plan.
The street downstairs was not affected by the little noise in the office. People were still coming and going, and there was still a lot of traffic.
After almost ten minutes, I finally greeted him.
He walked into the office without saying a word and sat across from the boss and the man.
Suddenly the posture felt a bit like an interview.
The boss is not my mother-in-law, so I have become familiar with the same words after saying them several times:
"You should have a rough idea of the situation. The company is going to cut off this business line, leaving only two people in the department including me."
"You don't need to make any handovers. Just go out and pack up the things at your work station. You won't be here next Monday."
"The compensation is N+3 times the monthly salary, which is already two months more than the normal amount. If you have any other requirements, you can make them now."
Lin Yi had already prepared a draft outside: "Boss, I originally had a defense next week..."
Promotion requires a defense, which is also the rule of large factories.
When Lin Yi heard about it for the first time, he felt a little confused, as if he had graduated from graduate school.
In fact, it is just a formalism of walking through the process.
The boss stretched out his hand to interrupt him:
"The defense application has been passed. You can find a new job according to the rank after promotion. The company can cooperate with the resignation procedures and background investigation."
He turned around and confirmed with the man next to him: "Is it okay?"
Human resources lady...
It's really against my will to be called young lady at this age - the human resources auntie nodded, scrawled a few strokes on the paper, probably to make a record, and then said simply:
"We will handle it for you according to the new rank. You can go out now."
Things went smoother than expected. We were all workers, and as direct leaders, we had done our best. Lin Yi didn't say anything more.
When he stood up from his seat, the boss suddenly stretched out his hand and said to him: "With your strength, you should be able to find better opportunities. See you in the world."
Lin Yi was a little surprised and moved a little.
He reached out and shook hands with the boss. Looking at the indifferent face of the human resources aunt next to him, he turned and left the office.
Lin Yi felt a little ridiculous when he was packing things at his workstation.
After I graduated, I worked for this big factory for five or six years. When I was finally kicked out, it took less than two minutes. Only my immediate boss showed a trace of humanity.
What is a big factory?
There is no sense of accomplishment, no passion, and no dreams.
Fuck the big factories.
When Lin Yi walked out of the office building, it was still very bright outside, and the June sunshine was so dazzling that he couldn't open his eyes, so he used his hand to cover it.
I'm really not used to it. The last time I left the office at this point was...
Can't remember.
There was a party tonight, and he originally planned to go there directly after get off work.
It was still early and it was inconvenient to hold the cardboard box, so I took a taxi and threw my things home first.
…
At eight o'clock in the evening, Lin Yi opened the door of the KTV box on time. This should be the largest luxury box in the store. It seemed very spacious with more than a dozen people in it.
The light was too dim, and before Lin Yi could recognize who was inside, a familiar voice shouted:
"Lin Yi! It's coming, come here quickly!"
As soon as he heard it, he knew it was his deskmate Lao Xiong, and following the sound, it turned out to be true.
Today was the 10th anniversary gathering of Lin'an Middle School's Class 14 of 2012. He silently counted around and found that there were quite a few people there, a few more than in previous years.
The old bear’s nickname was Xiong Yucheng, but no one called him for so long that everyone almost forgot about it.
As the saying goes, there is only the wrong name, not the wrong nickname.
So he is a sturdy man with a strong back and a strong back. He is 1.9 meters tall and weighs 220. He has a big blue dragon tattooed on his arm and can play the role of Young and Dangerous.
What can I say about this sales picture?
In high school, junior high school students would call him uncle when they met him, and Lin Yi still makes fun of him about this.
But he knew that Old Xiong was a good-looking guy who looked like a street fighter, but in reality he was a good boy who had never fought before. His father was also a teacher in Linzhong.
Lin Yi walked over and sat on the sofa on the outside beside Lao Xiong.
He doesn't like the noisy environment of KTV, and singing is his Achilles' heel.
He picked up the open beer in front of Lao Xiong and took a sip without being noticed. He asked casually, "Who are they? I couldn't see clearly at a glance. What the hell did the squad leader mysteriously say about the whole big job?"
Lao Xiong couldn't stop him from taking his own wine bottle, so he had to pick up the bottle and open another bottle. He said angrily: "It's the same people, most of them are still cheating and deceiving people for any big job."
Lin nodded, as expected.
I chatted with Lao Xiong for a while, but he didn't mention that he was laid off today, so there was no need to mention it on this occasion.
After a while, there should be about seven or eight people there.
I saw a petite girl struggling to jump onto the high stool in front of the big screen, grabbing Li Mai next to her, and her tone was deliberately imitating the police who come to fight against pornography in TV dramas:
"Turn on the lights, turn on the music, stop the music, stop, let me say a few words."
Old Xiong has always been the first to make noises. As soon as the music stopped, he started shouting: "Squad leader, if you have any work, please show it to everyone. You are not an outsider."
The squad leader was very satisfied with this free compliment. She stroked the non-existent beard on her face and said mysteriously:
"Today's job was amazing. Guess what? It's a huge transformation!"
After she finished speaking, she deliberately paused here to show off her words.
Lin Yi had a vague feeling about it.
Immediately, some male students started shouting in cooperation: "Who can you conjure up, monitor? Is it possible that you can also conjure up Gu Caiwei?"
"Damn! It can't really be Gu Caiwei!"
After his reminder, everyone became a little excited.
Although he is now a big star that can only be seen on TV, he has actually been a classmate for three years, is he really here today?
The squad leader was very pleased with this reaction and waved his little hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "This little brother is very courageous, so is his guess right?"
Her tone suddenly became artificial: "Friends, please open your eyes now, hold your breath, and let us solemnly invite you out——
The eternal school beauty of Linzhong!
Three-time Zhiyin Award Queen!
The savior of the Chinese music scene!
The dream lover of 80 million fans!
Vivian, Miss Gu Caiwei!"
Then he spread his hands and pointed at the box door.
The name is very exaggerated, a typical entertainment news headline-grabbing style, but it can reflect the popularity and status of the person involved.
As soon as he finished speaking, a slim figure pushed the door open at the right moment and entered.
Under the bright lights at this moment, it can be clearly identified that it is Gu Caiwei, an old classmate who has not been seen for many years and is also a popular singer nowadays.
Vivian is her stage name after her debut.
She looked around with a smile and said hello to everyone: "Hello, classmates, long time no see."
The box suddenly became noisy, and almost everyone gathered around, saying "Vivian, I am your fan..."
Maybe some people don't feel too cold, so they go over and say polite greetings, "Caiwei, long time no see, she's getting more and more beautiful..."
In such an occasion, there is no tit-for-tat, and no one will jump out to embarrass anyone.
Everyone tacitly abides by the three elements of adult social interaction:
Decent, decent, still decent.
Only Lin Yi was still sitting in his seat. He saw that Gu Caiwei didn't have the complicated and exquisite style and makeup she usually showed on TV today.
She was just wearing the simplest white T-shirt, jeans and white sneakers, with a touch of makeup, and her long silky hair hung casually on her shoulders.
Gu Caiwei has a standard melon-seed beauty face, a full forehead, charming big eyes that seem to be talking, and a high nose bridge that greatly enhances the sophistication of her face. She is the most popular template for Internet celebrity customers of plastic surgery hospitals.
Black fans attacked her as an "artificial beauty" based on this.
But Lin Yi and all the high school classmates present can prove that this "school beauty among school beauties" of Lin'an Middle School is a true natural beauty.
This was a joke made by male classmates in school, meaning that even among previous school beauties, she could still outshine the rest.
Time seemed to have left no trace on her face. This look was both familiar and strange to Lin Yi.
It seemed that he felt a little out of place sitting alone. He looked around and found that there was an open-air balcony outside the box.
So he picked up a bottle of beer and walked out, closing the door behind him.
The old bear turned his head and pretended not to see anything.
The view from the balcony is very good, with the night view of both sides of the Zhijiang River outside.
The cool breeze blows at night, and the city's neon lights are reflected in the silent river. In the distance are the thousands of lights of Lin'an, twinkling like the beating pulse of this ancient and young city.
…
The noise in the box lasted for about a few songs, and then slowly fell silent.
Lin Yi stared outside blankly, not knowing what he was thinking, until he heard a knock on the door.
He turned around and saw Gu Caiwei opening the door and stepping out, standing on his left side. A faint faint fragrance spread into his nose.
"Are you drinking alone?"
Lin turned around and continued to face the river view outside, answering the question: "Long time no see."
Gu Caiwei followed his gaze and looked at the night sky, and said with reminiscence:
"ten years."
"The last time we met was at the class reunion after the college entrance examination. In the end, almost the same people were left. After singing that day, we went to Zhijiang Bridge to watch the sunrise."
Lin Yi couldn't answer this sentence: "Why are you here today? Don't you have a job?"
Gu Caiwei had obviously just answered it inside: "It's the tenth anniversary of graduation. So many people came, why can't I come?"
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who doesn't recognize his old classmates when he becomes a big star?"
After saying that, she turned to look at him.
As soon as Lin was swept by her hair, his face felt a little itchy, so he turned to his right side, as if there was something attracting him there.
He replied casually: "Not all of them are here. Several girls who have been against you are not here. It should be because the monitor didn't call them on purpose."
Gu Caiwei seemed to remember something unhappy, and said angrily: "They still dare to come! Do you still want to scold me in person for the stupid beauty who lowered the school's admission rate? It's a shame?"
As the top student in this city's high school, Linzhong's college entrance examination passing rate in the past years is close to 100%. It is not wrong to say that she lowered the passing rate, but what follows is a personal attack.
Lin Yi was a little funny: "You still know these few whispers by heart, are you too vindictive? And you are indeed not online."
"So what? Why don't you hang my photo on the alumni wall now?" Her tone was a little proud.
"It's still very high."
Lin Yi sighed, then turned back and continued to stare at the night sky outside the balcony.
He suddenly realized that the sentence just now revealed something, and added unnaturally: "Old Xiong told me, you remember that his father is a teacher at the school, right?"
The atmosphere became a little awkward, and he subconsciously changed the beer bottle from his right hand to his left hand. Gu Caiwei's eyes glanced across the empty fingers.
She turned around and looked at the night scene outside, reached out and brushed the hair around her ears, and then asked casually: "How are you and that senior sister from the university doing?"
As he spoke, he turned back and pointed to the inside of the box and said, "Oh, I just heard it inside."
Lin Yi didn't want to expose it. In fact, after he got together with his senior sister, Lao Xiong told him, "Gu Caiwei asked me and I told the truth."
At that time, Gu Caiwei had just debuted and was still a member of a new girl idol group.
"broke up."
"I wanted to go back to Lin'an when I graduated, and she was planning to go abroad, so we separated."
This sentence cannot be considered a lie.
Gu Caiwei's tone was a bit dangerous: "Actually, I have a question I've been wanting to ask you."
Lin Yi didn't dare to turn around, but he could feel that Gu Caiwei was staring at him with piercing eyes. He experienced this almost suffocating feeling again in ten years.
He forced a smile and pretended to be relaxed and said: "Don't ask, asking means you have loved her."
The joke was a bit old, and Gu Caiwei didn't smile.
She grabbed the railing with both hands, stretched her upper body almost out of the balcony, and then turned her head to look into Lin Yi's eyes. Now he could not avoid looking at Gu Caiwei.
Lin Yi turned his head and looked at Gu Caiwei's face that had hardly changed at all.
Time seems to go back to that morning on the Zhijiang Bridge ten years ago. The morning sun was rising and the river was covered with a golden color.
She pinched the corner of her school uniform sleeve tightly with her thumb and index finger, raised her face and said three words to him:
"Don't leave!"
His tone sounded like he was commanding and coquettish.
There was still something different, Lin Yi remembered that ten years ago she still had childish air bangs, and her ears were red as if they were bleeding when she spoke.
When Lin Yi started to get confused about reality and memory, Gu Caiwei finally spoke:
"I just want to ask, why didn't you see me when I came to the capital after the Yucheng earthquake in 2013?"
Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled bitterly in his heart.
But he still said stubbornly: "I told you that I had to prepare for the final exam at that time."
Gu Caiwei obviously didn't believe it, but she didn't continue to be embarrassed. She retracted her leaning body and stood firmly on the balcony again, saying in a solemn tone:
"Thank you that time. Thank you for calling my phone number first and for telling my mother that she was safe."
During the Yucheng earthquake in 2013, Gu Caiwei was a trainee while attending school at the Rongcheng Conservatory of Music.
When Lin Yi saw on the news that there were casualties in Chengdu, he frantically dialed the number over and over again that he might never have dialed in his life.
When the call was actually connected, the voice on the other side was delighted and a little unbelievable:
"Lin Yi? Is that you?"
The familiar voice brought Lin Yi's reason back to him, and he asked as calmly as possible:
"Are you OK?"
"I'm fine. I evacuated to the playground with my classmates. Nothing happened! It's just that everyone is on the phone, the base station is overloaded, and the call can't be dialed. You are the first one to call!"
"As long as it's okay, then I'll hang up and I'll ask Old Bear again."
Lao Xiong was studying at Shuzhong University at that time, and of course he was unscathed.
"Wait a minute! Can you help me call my mother to make sure she's safe? I just tried for a long time and couldn't get through."
"..."
"Give me your number."
Lin Yi pretended to recall the situation at that time, but how could he forget it? He remembered every word and every sentence.
"We're all classmates, so it's normal to be concerned."
He seemed to have convinced himself and nodded with confidence, "Lao Xiong later said that I was the first one to get in. I might be a hidden VIP of Mobile."
Thank you China Mobile for letting me make that call.
Gu Caiwei's tone was still very serious: "That phone call is very important to my mother, and it is also very important to me."
He was silent for a moment, realizing that his emotions were on the verge of losing control.
"Then I would be honored."
Lin Yi seemed to have regained some courage through these few words. He turned around and faced Gu Caiwei, pretending to be annoyed:
"Oops! I haven't fed the fish tank at home yet, so I have to leave today."
I have a bullshit fish tank at home. What a stupid reason!
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he began to reflect, not knowing whose acting skills were worse compared to himself or Gu Caiwei.
Vivian's acting skills rank among the "Four Unsolved Mysteries in the Entertainment Industry".
As the "biological daughter" of the Zhiyin Award, the highest honor in the Chinese pop music industry, Vivian's popularity has always been distorted by the jealousy of other singers.
However, so far, all the film and television dramas in which she has guest-starred have all been silent, without exception.
Even the fans were amazed.
So much so that for such a popular person, no crew has dared to invite her to play a formal role.
The entertainment industry is actually quite superstitious, and you have to burn incense and worship Buddha when you turn on your phone.
Due to this metaphysical physique of "turning on the street when she shows up", rumors say that Vivian has been banned by the film and television industry.
Friends in the industry even hinted that she was strictly prohibited from visiting the studio.
Lin Yiqiang pretended to be calm and opened the balcony door and walked into the box again. In the dim light, he located the old bear through its size, said hello and fled in a hurry.
Gu Caiwei did not call him, but just watched his figure disappear out the door.
…
Lin Yi finally felt relaxed when he came downstairs.
He stood there for a few seconds to calm down his surging emotions, then walked forward aimlessly, and began to torture himself again:
After ten years, why can’t I still face Gu Caiwei?
He raised his head and saw that the electronic screen in the shopping mall opposite was playing a huge advertising portrait of the famous star Vivian. Her retouched face was even more flawless. It was her endorsement for an overseas beauty brand.
"It's you, Caiwei."
"You are so dazzling."
"No matter how hard I try, I can never catch up." He murmured to himself.
For your next job, find a small start-up factory that looks reliable. It doesn't matter how much money you pay, and you can mix in some original stocks.
The dividend period of the IT industry has actually passed, and no one has been boasting about "changing the world" for a long time.
Work for a few years, accept a giant as your father, kowtow and accept yourself, this is the best ending.
Shameful?
How many people want to kneel down but don't have the means to do so?
"Although the chance is slim, if you don't try once, you will never give up for the rest of your life." He made up his mind.
"Didi!"
A piercing whistle brought Lin back to his senses, and he realized that he was standing in the middle of the zebra crossing, with the sidewalk lights on the opposite side as red as blood.
As soon as he turned around, the dazzling headlights made it difficult for him to open his eyes.
A large truck that couldn't stop in time hit his body inexorably, and he could even see the horrified and twisted expression of the driver's brother in the car window.
The second before he lost consciousness, he only had time to think of one thought:
"If I had it to do over again, what would I choose?"