At 7:45 the next morning, Lin Xiaoxi stood downstairs of Hongyao Building, craning her neck to look up at the glass tower glowing coldly in the morning light. The LED screen on the west side of the building cycled through the "Hongyao Struggler Album"—prominently featured was a half-body photo of Senior Sister Zhang Yue, the "conference-call-outside-the-delivery-room" example they'd met the night before, with the caption: "Forge the backbone with struggle, march toward the mountains and seas with dedication." The soybean milk in her hand was still warm, but her heart was weighed down by a lingering worry—she couldn't help wondering if the email she'd sent the night before had sunk into the "read but unanswered" abyss of the company's OA system, or if it had already triggered a chain reaction in some invisible workplace network.
Stepping into the lobby, the air conditioning was still sharp enough to give her goosebumps. The front desk robot "Xiaohong" recognized her employee ID instantly, its electronic voice a touch more mechanically attentive than the day before: "Colleague Lin Xiaoxi, good morning! Today's training room is B2-03. Your mentor Wang Jianguo arrived 30 minutes early—struggle points +10, credited to your new employee growth score." Growth score? Lin Xiaoxi paused, recalling the implicit assessment items mentioned in the "New Employee Handbook"—overtime hours, group activity, and even early check-ins were converted into points, directly tied to the "cultural fit" score in the probationary assessment.
New employees streamed toward the B2 floor one after another. Many clutched handwritten copies of the "Struggler Covenant" (Teacher Wang had "suggested" everyone copy it the night before to "deepen understanding"), dark circles under their eyes but exuding a strange excitement. Someone had shared the "Hongyao Internal Project Management Bible" in the group at 2 AM, and Wu Kai had gone even further—posting a photo of himself at the company at 5:30 AM, with the pantry coffee machine in the background, captioned: "Morning light and caffeine are the wings of a struggler." He'd @ed Teacher Wang, who'd immediately pinned it as an "excellent example."
Lin Xiaoxi quietly took her seat and set down her bag. Zhang Ya scurried over, clutching a notebook covered in annotations, and whispered: "Did you see the group? Wu Kai's already topped the 'struggle points' ranking! I followed his lead last night and posted a training reflection at 1 AM, but Teacher Wang didn't reply—instead, someone from Admin privately asked if I was 'experiencing work anxiety.' Is this workplace not magical enough?"
"Sleep is more important," Lin Xiaoxi took a sip of soybean milk, glancing at the underlined phrase "Voluntary overtime = struggle attitude" in Zhang Ya's notebook. "Chronic sleep deprivation makes it hard to think clearly. You might even miss filling in milestones in the 'Hongyao Smart Management' system when writing project weekly reports—and that'll deduct points instead."
Zhang Ya opened her mouth as if to say something, but sighed and sat back down. On the title page of her notebook, a "Mentor Evaluation Form" had a question mark next to "Proactivity" from Teacher Wang. Just then, Teacher Wang strode in, energized as ever, a printed copy of the "Struggle Points Ranking" peeking out of his suit pocket. His smile was even more polished than the day before: "Good morning, future elites! I see many of you have made 'growth points' your top priority—excellent! This is the awareness a Hongyao person should have—points equal voice, and struggle is your pass!"
His gaze swept casually across the room, lingering for half a second on Lin Xiaoxi's empty desk (she hadn't placed the handwritten covenant) before moving on. Lin Xiaoxi bowed her head and opened the "Hongyao Smart Management" app, staring at her initial score of 0. A string in her heart tightened—was it her imagination, or had that email already been logged as a "hidden negative record"?
The morning session was "Project Management Basics," taught by Lao Zhou, a senior manager seconded from the business department. He spoke at a breakneck pace, spitting out company-specific jargon: "All Hongyao projects follow the HY-IPD process. All new employees must complete 3 virtual project drills in the 'Smart Management' system—otherwise, your ROI assessment during probation will be directly downgraded. Cross-departmental collaboration must go through the 'Feishu Hongyao Channel,' and the cc list must include leaders at level 3 or above; otherwise, it will be deemed 'ineffective communication'..."
The PPT was filled with dense screenshots of system operations. Lao Zhou emphasized specially: "Remember, at Hongyao, a struggler who can't use the tools is an ineffective struggler—just last week, a new employee forgot to check the 'struggle-related items' box in their weekly report and got a C-level performance rating directly."
Lin Xiaoxi quickly buried her head in taking notes, fearing she'd miss key points. She noticed that Teacher Wang had stepped out to take several calls during the training. Each time he returned, he replied quickly to the "Hongyao HR Assistant" app on his phone, his expression darkening with each call. She'd researched the app the night before—it was an internal HR collaboration tool that allowed real-time viewing of employee feedback, performance alerts, and even a "risk employee tagging" function.
During the break, the atmosphere felt off. Several of the more active new employees huddled together, pointing at their phones—on the anonymous "Hongyao Tree Hole" platform—and glancing in Lin Xiaoxi's direction from time to time. Li Wei stopped by her side while getting water and said quickly: "Xiaoxi, check the Tree Hole! Someone anonymously posted 'New employee challenges corporate culture, uses Labor Law to refute president's initiative'—everyone's guessing it's you! Admin people are sharing it everywhere, and they're saying 'HR has marked you as a key observation target'!"
Lin Xiaoxi opened the gray-iconed "Hongyao Tree Hole." Sure enough, the pinned post was about her, with comments ranging from: "Does she want to get laid off?" "Newbies don't know the rules—Hongyao's struggle points don't care about the Labor Law" to "I heard the Innovation Business Department is short-staffed—this troublemaker is perfect to be sent there"...
"I just made some suggestions," Lin Xiaoxi brushed it off lightly, but couldn't help opening her "HR Assistant" app. Sure enough, a gray "Pending Observation" tag had appeared under the "Risk Tag" section in her privacy settings.
"Suggestions?" Li Wei's eyes widened. "Right now, everyone's calling you a 'workplace rookie' and 'someone who doesn't understand unspoken rules'! Didn't you see Teacher Wang flipping through the 'New Employee Performance Alert Form' while he was on the phone? You have to be careful—they say this form is synced directly to the department director. If you're labeled 'culturally incompatible,' your probation is hanging by a thread!"
"Got it, thanks," Lin Xiaoxi nodded. Any lingering luck she'd felt vanished completely—at Hongyao, all "non-conformist" behaviors were quantified into invisible negative labels, quietly recorded in an unseen workplace ledger.
The afternoon's scheduled "Workplace Etiquette and Professional Image Building" was suddenly changed. Teacher Wang stood on stage, holding a tablet with the "Hongyao Collaboration" app, and announced: "Everyone, the scheduled course will be postponed. Now we have an important team task—to draft a promotion plan for the newly completed employee innovation and leisure area. Note: The results of this task will be synced to the 'Smart Management' system, credited to your 'practical points,' and copied to the heads of the Innovation Business Department and Admin Department—this is your chance to show your value!"
He paused, opening the task details on the tablet: "You have two hours. Each group must sync progress in real time using the 'Hongyao Collaboration' app—I and the mentor team will monitor online. The final proposal must use the company's unified 'HY-PPT template' and include three mandatory modules: 'Integration of struggle spirit,' 'Cross-departmental resource coordination plan,' and 'Employee points incentive mechanism.' Missing any one will result in direct point deductions."
The sudden task, directly tied to "practical points" and cross-departmental impressions, sent the new employees into a panic. The groups were the same as the day before. Wu Kai immediately snatched the tablet, activated the group leader permissions on "Hongyao Collaboration," designated himself as "Progress Supervisor," and quickly created three subtasks: "Idea Brainstorming," "Copywriting," and "PPT Production," assigning himself as the lead for "Idea Brainstorming."
"We're short on time and heavy on tasks—we need to be efficient!" Wu Kai marked the subtasks as "Urgent" in the app, saying: "I propose centering it around 'Struggler's Charging Station' with three directions: thematic salons, exchanging points for rest time, and an employee struggle story wall! All three tie into the 'struggle' label—leaders will definitely love it!"
The group members chattered excitedly: "Point exchange is great! It aligns with the company's points system perfectly!" "The struggle story wall can link to the 'Hongyao Album'—we could even invite Senior Sister Zhang Yue to endorse it!" "The thematic salon could be called 'Late-Night Struggler Chat Session'—focused on relaxation after overtime!"
Lin Xiaoxi listened quietly, flipping through the task details in the "Hongyao Collaboration" app. Suddenly, she noticed an attached "Leisure Area Operation White Paper" that Teacher Wang hadn't mentioned. She opened it and saw clearly: "The leisure area is positioned as a 'low-stimulation relaxation space,' primarily serving high-intensity mental work departments such as R&D and Design. No noisy activities are allowed; the budget only supports offline material production, and does not include system-linked functions such as employee point exchange."
Once the group's excitement died down a little, Lin Xiaoxi spoke up: "Let's check the attached 'White Paper' first. It says the leisure area is for quiet relaxation for mental work departments—no noisy activities, and no budget for point exchange. If we go with the current ideas, all three directions will violate the requirements, and we'll definitely lose all our practical points."
Wu Kai froze for a moment, quickly opening the attachment. His face changed instantly—he'd been so busy seizing permissions and setting directions that he hadn't even looked at the attachments. But he quickly regained his composure, marking the "White Paper" as "Secondary Reference" in the app and saying to the group: "Colleague Lin Xiaoxi, you're thinking carefully, but the 'White Paper' is just a draft. What leaders want is 'creativity' and 'alignment with struggle'—not a rigid execution plan! If we only follow the White Paper, the proposal will have no highlights—how can we get high scores?"
"But the task requirements in 'Hongyao Collaboration' state that it 'must be based on operational reality.' If we deviate from reality, the mentor team will reject it directly during monitoring, wasting even more time," Lin Xiaoxi opened the task requirements in the app, pointing to the "Practical Feasibility" section. "Moreover, in the cross-departmental coordination plan, if we include point exchange, we'll need to link with HR's points system—but Admin has no authority to approve that. It will fall through in the end."
Her words were well-founded, and she'd cited the app's task requirements. The other group members hesitated, opening the "White Paper" to compare with the task requirements. Seeing this, Wu Kai quickly sent an "Urgent Notice" in the app: "Attention all group members—prioritize creative highlights first; practical feasibility will be optimized later! Proceed with the original directions as planned. Anyone submitting late will be recorded as 'poor collaboration,' which will affect practical points!"
His words carried weight—at Hongyao, a "poor collaboration" tag was synced directly to the "Smart Management" system, affecting future project assignments. The group members didn't dare to object further, forced to follow Wu Kai's lead. Lin Xiaoxi didn't insist, but noted her opinions under the "Idea Brainstorming" module in the app, then took the initiative to draft the "Cross-departmental Coordination Plan"—she figured she could at least solidify the feasible parts to keep the proposal from being a complete waste.
During this time, Teacher Wang sent a group message in "Hongyao Collaboration": "Attention all groups—monitored progress. Wu Kai's group is advancing rapidly; their struggle attitude is worthy of praise!" Followed by a "Points +5" emoji. Lin Xiaoxi watched as her annotated opinions sank without a trace, feeling a twinge of helplessness—at Hongyao, sometimes "correctness" was less important than "speed," and "feasibility" less valuable than "pleasing the leadership."
In the presentation session, Wu Kai represented the group on stage. Opening the HY-PPT template, the first page featured bold text: "Struggler's Energy Supply Station—Hongyao Innovation Leisure Area Promotion Plan." He gushed about the "late-night chat sessions" and "point exchange," even mentioning that "preliminary communication with the HR department on the point exchange mechanism has been conducted" (a complete lie). Most other groups followed suit, their PPTs filled with trendy buzzwords like "empowerment," "activation," and "struggle ecosystem"—no one mentioned practical feasibility.
Teacher Wang and the other mentors nodded repeatedly, scoring each group in the "Hongyao Collaboration" app. Wu Kai's group received 85 points, with the comment: "Outstanding creativity, excellent integration of struggle spirit, and strong cross-departmental thinking awareness." Lin Xiaoxi looked at the cross-departmental plan she'd drafted, marked with "temporarily unfeasible," which Wu Kai had revised to "preliminary cooperation intention reached." A sense of absurdity washed over her.
After all groups finished presenting, Teacher Wang delivered a summary, holding a "Performance Scoring Form": "While affirming everyone's enthusiasm, I want to remind you—at work, struggle that 'aligns upward' is effective struggle. Some students focused on practical details but ignored the company's core orientation. No matter how feasible such proposals are, they will struggle to gain leadership approval."
As he spoke, his eyes stared directly at Lin Xiaoxi: "Take Colleague Lin Xiaoxi, for example—she marked many 'unfeasible' notes in the proposal. This kind of 'risk prediction' is a strength, but in the workplace, we need more courage to 'find ways to make it feasible.' Remember, Hongyao doesn't need sappers who only say 'no'—we need pioneers who can blaze trails!"
His words were clearly a public rebuke. Lin Xiaoxi could feel dozens of eyes on her—sympathetic, triumphant, and some already secretly opening the "Hongyao Tree Hole" to post new updates.
After the training, Teacher Wang sent Lin Xiaoxi a private message in "Hongyao Collaboration": "Come to my office. I need to speak with you individually about your practical points and training performance."
It was finally happening. Zhang Ya sent her a "cheer up" emoji in the app, while Li Wei secretly messaged: "Teacher Wang has a 'staff interview recorder' in his office—rumor has it all conversations are archived. Be careful what you say!"
Lin Xiaoxi read the message and took a deep breath—at Hongyao, even conversations were quantified and archived. This was the so-called "struggle-oriented workplace."
Teacher Wang's office was small but impeccably organized: bookshelves lined with "Hongyao's Struggle History" and "36 Strategies for Upward Management," a crystal trophy labeled "Annual Outstanding Trainer" on the corner of the desk, and a recorder emblazoned with the company logo next to it (just as Li Wei had said). He sat behind the desk and gestured to the chair opposite: "Sit."
Lin Xiaoxi sat down, back straight, her gaze inadvertently glancing at his computer screen—open on her "New Employee File." The "Risk Tag" had changed from "Pending Observation" to "Cultural Fit to Be Improved," with a note below: "Email incident + practical proposal performance—needs key communication."
"Colleague Lin Xiaoxi," Teacher Wang picked up his thermos and took a slow sip of water, his voice lower than in the training room. "Yesterday, the President's Office sent a company-wide initiative email. You replied with an 'annotated version' via the 'Hongyao Email System,' correct?"
"Yes," Lin Xiaoxi replied.
"Do you know?" Teacher Wang opened the email system and pulled up the message. "At Hongyao, all emails to the President's Office first go through the 'Public Opinion Screening System.' Your email contained keywords like 'Labor Law' and 'mandatory regulations,' which directly flagged it as 'highly sensitive' and synced to the HR Director and me."
He paused, opening the "Processing Record" at the bottom of the email: "The HR Director's comment was 'lack of sense of belonging—needs enhanced guidance'; mine was 'ideological fluctuations during training—suggest interview to correct.' Instead of 'clarifying boundaries,' your email added a 'highly sensitive' tag to your file—this tag will remain for a year, affecting your promotion and project assignments."
Lin Xiaoxi's heart skipped a beat—she'd never imagined a single email would trigger such a complex workplace process, let alone a permanent negative tag.
"I believe some expressions in the initiative may easily lead to misunderstandings about legal regulations," Lin Xiaoxi stuck to her point. "As a new employee, I hope to clarify my rights and obligations while understanding the company culture—it's responsible for both parties."
"Responsible?" Teacher Wang shook his head, opening the "Hongyao Employee Code of Conduct" on his computer. "Look at Article 3.7: 'Employees shall actively identify with the company culture and shall not oppose the company's orientation with personal interpretations. If they have objections, they must provide feedback through their direct supervisor level by level. Submitting sensitive opinions bypassing superiors is prohibited.' By skipping me and sending an email directly to the President's Office, you've violated this article. Using the Labor Law to annotate the company's initiative is a direct challenge to the 'struggle culture.'"
He picked up the recorder and pressed the record button: "I'm officially notifying you now: First, your practical points have been deducted by 20 for 'poor collaboration and insufficient cultural fit.' Second, you must attend a two-week 'cultural enhancement training'—taking an additional 4 hours after work each week. Only after passing the training assessment can the 'highly sensitive' tag be downgraded. Third, you are prohibited from publishing any remarks contradicting the company culture through any channels—otherwise, we will proceed in accordance with Article 5.2 of the Employee Handbook: termination of labor contract."
These words fell like cold hammers in the quiet office. Lin Xiaoxi's hands, resting on her knees, curled slightly—she'd never expected the consequences to be so severe.
"I have no intention of opposing the company's orientation," Lin Xiaoxi said softly. "I just hope Hongyao's 'struggle' can be conducted within the framework of the law."
"Lin Xiaoxi, you're too young," Teacher Wang sighed, his tone carrying the helplessness of someone "who's been there." "The workplace isn't a courtroom. The law is the bottom line, but company culture is the ceiling. At Hongyao, 'struggle' is a belief—not a negotiable transaction. Deconstructing it with cold legal clauses is seen by leaders as a lack of identification, or even provocation."
He turned off the recorder: "I called you here today as both a warning and an opportunity. I'll personally teach the cultural enhancement training in two weeks. I hope you can truly understand the connotation of 'Hongyao-style struggle.' Alright, you can leave now. Remember to attend the training on time tomorrow—being late once will double the duration of the cultural training."
Lin Xiaoxi stood up, nodded, and turned toward the door. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Teacher Wang's voice came from behind: "By the way, I forgot to tell you—Zhou Mo, the President's Assistant, also saw your email. He didn't comment, but rumor has it he added your name to the 'Talent Observation List'—whether this list is an opportunity or a trap depends on your subsequent performance."
Lin Xiaoxi froze. Zhou Mo, the President's Assistant? The legendary figure who only appeared in executive meetings and held real power over personnel transfers? She didn't turn back, only letting out a soft "hmm" as she pulled open the door and walked out.
The corridor was empty, lit only by pale ceiling lights. The "Hongyao Struggle Quotes" hanging on the walls were particularly glaring: "If you refuse to bow your head today, how can you hold it high tomorrow?" "Struggle until you can't go on, strive until you move yourself."
She leaned against the cold wall, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Her palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat. She opened the "Hongyao Smart Management" app, staring at her precarious practical points and the stinging "highly sensitive" tag. Her heart went cold.
However, just as she was about to leave, her phone suddenly received a text from an "unknown number": "Under the podium in Training Room B2, there's a copy of the 'Innovation Business Department Personnel Adjustment Plan'—it might be useful to you. From a 'Tree Hole insider.'"
Lin Xiaoxi's heart skipped a beat. After hesitating for a moment, she turned around and hurried back to the training room. Most of the new employees had left, only a cleaning lady tidying up. Seizing the opportunity when she wasn't looking, Lin Xiaoxi bent down to check under the podium—sure enough, there was a gray folder with "Preliminary Recommendations on Personnel Adjustments for the Innovation Business Department (Confidential)" written in black marker on the cover.
She quickly picked up the folder, hid in the fire escape, and flipped it open—inside was a detailed Excel spreadsheet titled "Marginal Department Staff Filling Plan." The Innovation Business Department was coded "B07," with a note: "Undertakes the company's eliminated projects; staff mainly consists of employees marked 'to be optimized' or 'low cultural fit.'"
In the lower middle of the spreadsheet, she clearly saw the words "Marketing Department (New Employees)" followed by a name circled in red—Lin Xiaoxi.
In the corresponding cell under "Proposed Adjustment," it read: "Transfer to Department B07, Position: Project Coordination Specialist (Support Role), Effective Date: 1 month after probation."
Next to it was a leader's comment, signed by the HR Director, which read: "Agree to transfer. Observe for 3 months. If no improvement, initiate optimization process."
Time seemed to stand still at that moment. Blood rushed to her head, then cooled instantly. So, the email and her performance in the practical proposal had already landed her on the "to be exiled" list. The so-called "cultural enhancement training" was nothing more than a final formality.
She quickly closed the folder, put it back under the podium, and hurried out of the fire escape. In the corridor, the cleaning lady was wiping the frame of the "Struggle Quotes," humming the company song "Struggle, Hongyao People" under her breath.
A deep sense of absurdity washed over her—in this company that flaunted "struggle," those who upheld their principles were the ones marked for elimination.
Lin Xiaoxi picked up her bag, turned around, and walked steadily out of the training room into the still-bright but surprisingly empty corridor. Her footsteps echoed softly on the polished floor tiles, mingling with the distant notification sound from the "Hongyao Smart Management" system: "Kind reminder: 1 hour left until the end of work today. Please hurry to complete your daily struggle goals."
The elevator descended, numbers ticking down. Outside the glass doors, the city's lights flickered to life one by one. The LED screen on Hongyao Building had switched to the slogan: "No sleep tonight, struggle for dreams." Countless windows remained lit—how many people inside were struggling for "points," and how many for "not being optimized"?
She walked onto the square outside the building. The warm summer night breeze wrapped around her, carrying the smell of car exhaust and food from afar. She looked up again at the towering Hongyao Building, glowing like a giant beehive in the night. She thought of the recorder in Teacher Wang's office, the anonymous complaints on the "Hongyao Tree Hole," and the "exile list" hidden under the podium—this was the workplace, a place full of rules, labels, and subtext. Everyone struggled according to a predetermined script, and any deviation was quickly "corrected."
Her phone vibrated—it was a message from Li Wei: "How did it go? Did 'Tiger Wang' give you a hard time? I just saw in the 'Collaboration' app that your practical points really were deducted by 20!"
Lin Xiaoxi bowed her head, typing a reply: "It's okay. Also, we might not need to call him Teacher Wang for much longer—I'm being transferred to Department B07."
She hit send.
Putting away her phone, she merged into the crowd of commuters leaving work. Her figure was soon swallowed by the city's neon lights and the night.
Meanwhile, in a spacious office high up in the building, Zhou Mo, the President's Assistant, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a freshly printed copy of the "Department B07 Personnel Adjustment List." His gaze lingered on the name "Lin Xiaoxi," his finger tapping lightly on it.
A notification popped up on the "Hongyao Smart Management" system on his desk: "Manager Zhao Lei of Department B07 reports that the current team consists of 'laid-back' employees and is in urgent need of an 'edgy' employee to activate the team."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Zhou Mo's mouth. He picked up the internal phone and dialed a number: "Manager Zhao? I'm sending you a 'gift'—a new employee who dared to refute the company's initiative with the Labor Law. Her file has a 'highly sensitive' tag, but she's logical and dares to stand her ground. She might be able to help you with that compliance optimization project that's been stuck for half a year."
A surprised response came from the other end of the line.
Zhou Mo hung up the phone, turning back to gaze at the bright city night view outside the window. His eyes, behind his glasses, were deep and thoughtful: "Hongyao needs strugglers, but more importantly, people who dare to speak the truth—though they must find the right place to say it."
The night deepened, and the lights of Hongyao Building continued to shine tirelessly.
A transfer that seemed like "exile" was actually a secret assessment. When a "edgy" new employee meets a "laid-back" department, and when compliance bottom lines collide with workplace unspoken rules—will that stuck compliance project in Department B07 become Lin Xiaoxi's "workplace breakthrough"? And can she find her own "Hongyao survival rules" while upholding her principles?
Suspense quietly lingers in the brightly lit workplace jungle.