Talk about a fulfilling and beautiful day for a professional manager in a large corporation.
At 7:05 AM, your alarm clock goes off, but actually, you've already woken up; you're just waiting for the alarm to tell you to get up. The alarm's sound is music plus a weather report from Lin Zhiling. It's another sunny day. You open Alipay, steal a round of energy, then get out of bed, take a shower, and come out to see Aunt Zhang, the nanny, has already started preparing breakfast. Your wife in the adjacent bedroom is also getting ready; she’s responsible for waking the two kids up every day. To you, the couple not sleeping separately doesn’t seem compatible with being middle class. You look at her expressionless face, full of flesh, and ask, “Chief steward, where are we flying today?” She ignores you and walks straight to the children’s room. Aunt Zhang smiles at you; you know this is a result of her asking you to discuss matters in her room last night. You had a few too many drinks during the socializing, and the inevitable result was that nothing got discussed clearly. Then you glance at the island counter where Aunt Zhang has prepared the Western-style nutritious breakfast your wife specified, but you have no interest. You choose a Zegna outfit from the closet and head out.
At 7:40 AM, outside the community, your driver, Da Lu, is parked in a designated spot, washing the car. The black Audi A6L shines in the morning light. Da Lu sees you coming and quickly greets you, calling you 'Leader.' You nod in response, and then Da Lu opens the passenger door for you. After you sit down, Da Lu starts the car and heads toward the office. You take out your phone from the central armrest, glance at Da Lu, and then turn it on. This phone contains some of your little secrets, and of course, you feel secure knowing they're with Da Lu.
This Audi A6L, though a company car, is actually rented. The owner is Da Lu's wife's brother, and it's registered with a car rental company, costing 12,800 yuan per month. It’s a business that breaks even in three years. Da Lu drives his own car to work every day, with the company's insurance fully covered and maintenance done monthly. Such good fortune is rare, so Da Lu is particularly loyal to you. In the company, he is one of the people you trust most. Your hiring principle is that only those who completely rely on you for their livelihood are worthy of trust. To you, loyalty simply means that if they leave you, all the benefits in front of them will disappear.
At 8:05, the car arrives at the office parking lot, and the company's internal security quickly comes over to move the designated parking sign. Once the car is parked, you ask Da Lu to buy you some down-to-earth breakfast and head straight to your office. Knowing you like to arrive early, some eager and ambitious core staff members are already in the office before 8 AM. The men lean back in their chairs, scrolling through their phones, while the women are in front of the makeup mirror, enhancing their beauty. Upon seeing you, they all rise to greet you, the men smile foolishly, and the women beam like flowers. After you enter your office, both men and women pull out their breakfasts, and suddenly, the office is filled with various smells.
At 8:40, you're eating the spicy soup dumplings that Da Lu bought while scrolling through short videos. This short video account has become something you've mastered; it's either about cars or young women twisting around. You can’t understand why this content seems to know exactly what you think and like, just like your core subordinates do. Sometimes, you really want to recruit employees from this short video company because you feel their corporate culture has a strong sense of upward management and subjective service awareness.
At 9:00 AM, you wipe your mouth with the facial tissues on your desk, only to find the fragrance a bit overpowering. These were replaced by your new core staff member, who is an art student, stylish, and particularly proactive toward you. More importantly, she looks decent. So you pick up the phone and dial her number, asking her to come over. A minute later, you hear the sound of rapid high heels knocking on the door. You say, "Come in." She enters with a handbag and says, "This tissue is too fragrant, it irritates my nose, I sneezed. Change it to the original flavor." She quickly apologizes, saying she didn’t consider it and will change it right away. At that moment, she gently places the handbag on your desk, saying, "Leader, I saw this while shopping yesterday, and I thought it would suit you perfectly," followed by a charming smile. You glance into the handbag and assume it's a tie, then give a helpless smile and wave your hand. After a while, the tissues in your office are switched back to the original flavor. The two ties are casually placed in the corner of your office desk, and Da Lu will periodically come to take them back home.
At 9:20 AM, you light a cigarette and start going through approvals. You review them very carefully until you suddenly notice that one sentence in the approval has been copied twice. Then you call the office director, asking her to check that approval to see if there are any issues, and you hang up abruptly. Not long after, the office director rushes in with a notebook and knocks at your door. You ask her what her responsibilities are in the approval chain. She answers a few sentences, and you interrupt her, saying, "You were asked to approve this to keep an eye on it for me. If you can miss something like this, how can I trust you?" You feel the office director is about to cry, so you just wave your hand and let her leave. The office director was promoted by the previous leader, and you wanted to replace her as soon as you arrived. However, the previous leader was promoted and is now part of the upper management, so you can’t make it absolute. You can only say, "Let her change some core staff, give her a bit of pressure, cause her some sleepless nights, and wait for her to come to you and realize it herself—to gracefully withdraw."
At 9:50 AM, the secretary knocks on the door and says there's a video meeting in ten minutes. You check your reflection in the mirror, holding your phone. The secretary stands behind you with your teacup and notebook. You enter the meeting room, where everyone is dressed in formal attire, looking like a sea of black, chatting and bustling. However, the moment you appear at the door, the room suddenly goes silent. You call this the silent effect of power.
At 10:00 AM, the meeting begins. You watch the video from the superior unit's meeting room, carefully observing the expressions and demeanor of each person you are concerned about. You notice that the distance between person 2 and person 3 is greater than between others. It seems the rumors about the two not getting along are true. You understand that once there is a gap between two people, they instinctively pull away when standing together. This is not human nature but instinct. You often pay attention to distance in group photos, as it can reveal whether someone is integrated into the collective. During the meeting, you constantly take notes. You're primarily focused on person 1 and person 2 speaking. Person 1 uses official language, which seems empty, but every word has a meaning that everyone understands. Person 2 also speaks in official terms but loves to use plain language, idioms, and metaphors. He seems rough around the edges but is someone who never suffers losses.
At 11:30 AM, the meeting ends, and you instruct your deputy responsible for the meeting's topics to hold a follow-up meeting to implement the requirements discussed, break down the tasks, and assign responsibilities. You emphasize to your deputy that this work should be prioritized in the next quarter and that they should take charge of it. The deputy nods repeatedly.
At noon, you're chatting on WeChat in the office. A close female friend sends you a flurry of messages in the morning, asking if you’re free tonight because a friend of hers wants to discuss cooperation with you, and she mentions that the friend is beautiful. You reply, 'Are you more beautiful than her?' She says, 'You'll know when you see her.' A former subordinate from your last unit messages you, saying she’s been cleared out since you left and is very distressed, sending three crying emojis. You think for a moment and realize she wants to come over, but this environment is too new for her. Additionally, she has a reputation for offending people and acting like a tyrant, plus she’s in her forties, which doesn’t align with the trend of youthfulness. So you reply, 'Let’s wait and see.' At 12:30, you head downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch. The core staff from the office is already waiting for you at the entrance, leading you to a private table with three cold dishes and a soup. The staff asks, 'Leader, are you having noodles today? Big bowl or small bowl?' You say, 'Small bowl,' then watch her as she goes to serve the noodles, thinking to yourself, 'A graceful lady.' At 1:00 PM, you unplug the phone line, take a nap on the sofa for 20 minutes, and then start scrolling through short videos.
At 2:30 PM, people outside start to line up, some with signatures to collect, some reporting issues, and others involved in lawsuits. Just like your previous unit, here too, people are complaining and lawsuits are endless. At this time, a tall and good-looking female middle manager comes in to report an issue. After listening, you make a call to bring in the defendant. Feeling unsatisfied, you also call in the defendant's supervisor. You ask the plaintiff to state her case while continually interrupting with questions, guiding her to point out the defendant’s faults. After the plaintiff finishes, you suddenly ask the defendant two questions, all about their faults. Then you stand up, hands on your hips, and ask the defendant, 'Do you know what your problem is?' Although the defendant was originally in the right, upon hearing this, they realize they have nothing to say. You then conclude the lawsuit by telling the plaintiff that despite her mistakes, the defendant's error was something that someone of their level should not have made. You then state your demands, asking the defendant to rectify their mistakes while suggesting to the plaintiff, 'Just enhance your learning.'
Then you ask the defendant's supervisor, who is quite seasoned, and you can tell that the judge is also acting as the plaintiff's lawyer, to which he responds, 'Agreed.' At 3:50 PM, the secretary calls you to attend the marketing meeting. You say you have something to do and ask them to wait. Then you call your contacts at the group headquarters to inquire about the gossip surrounding the conflict between person 2 and person 3, and you also call your brothers from other provinces to discuss and listen to various updates. After hanging up, you realize it’s already 5 PM.
At 5:10 PM, you walk to the meeting room, and the silent effect takes place again. Everyone is waiting for your stormy entrance, although they've already waited an hour. You ask each marketing team to report in turn. For your own people, you respond with a nod or ask them to resolve a specific issue they need assistance with. However, for teams that are not your own, you usually start with five questions and continue until they’re stumped. If they can’t answer, it means their abilities are lacking, and you ask them how they plan to improve their skills.
At 7:30 PM, the meeting is still ongoing when your phone rings. A friend reminds you that you promised him you’d join an occasion tonight. So, you emphasize a few points and tell your deputy to handle the situation while you step out. At 7:40 PM, you walk back to your office, and the lights are bright all around. Everyone is there. You glance around, grab a jacket, and step out. Ten minutes later, after confirming you've left, the office area begins to tidy up and shut down their computers, with everyone crowding towards the elevator.
At 8:20 PM, you arrive late. You apologize, and a junior at the table says that the waiter can start serving the dishes. You take a quick glance; there are eight people, three familiar faces—four men and four women. The women are all in their thirties, made up and dressed nicely. The host has arranged a seat for you that you can’t refuse. The host introduces the unfamiliar faces one by one, and then you propose a toast, saying, 'Let’s raise our glasses to invite the bright moon!' During this time, you are enveloped in perfume, sneezing repeatedly, yet you still enjoy it because the scent has warmth. During this, you share your values passionately, akin to a lecture, and everyone directs their attention to you. Every word you speak meets agreement, amazement, and even cold humor prompts laughter. Naturally, you're not spared from various toasts, which you accept graciously, especially from the beautiful women, always wanting to chat a little more and add each other on WeChat. But suddenly you realize you forgot your phone, so you message Da Lu to bring it over. Once it arrives, you finally add the beautiful woman next to you on WeChat.
At 11 PM, the waiter comes to ask if you want any main courses. Everyone understands; they want to get off work. The host asks you about your plans for later, and you say you're going home. The host leans in and whispers that a colleague named Zhang has invested in a club, suggesting you check it out as it seems interesting. You don’t deny it, then bid farewell to the beautiful woman and a few newly acquainted friends. You and the three old friends each take a car to the club.
You ask Da Lu to grab the brown glasses from the passenger seat, put them on, and then head to the club with the host and three others. The host calls Zhang, and then they take the elevator to the largest private room. Not long after entering, Zhang walks over in a white shirt, hugs you, and calls you 'brother.' Then everyone toasts and celebrates, with a tall beauty pouring drinks for each of you. During the drinking session, Zhang sings a song for you all. The host leans in and says that Zhang has many businesses, indicating that just the shares here are worth a lot, and as he gestures with his hand, you feel a mix of emotions, realizing the events of the day feel like child’s play. Zhang truly understands life.
The host then leans in and says, 'Brother, while we’re young, let’s also achieve something big,' and clinks glasses with you. You raise your glass in response, pat his shoulder with your other hand, and down the drink in one go. At 1:30 AM, you say goodbye to the host and Zhang, turn off your phone, and place it in the armrest compartment. Then you pick up another phone. Your wife messaged you at 10:30 PM asking when you would be back. At 9 PM, an administrative core staff member sent you a reminder about the weather change, advising you to keep warm. At 7:09 PM, the plaintiff from the afternoon lawsuit sent you a long message expressing gratitude. At 8:50 PM, your deputy sent a message saying the marketing meeting finished, and everyone promised to work hard to improve performance. All these messages you missed because you switched phones, and you feel uncertain about whether they will sleep well not having received your replies.