Screenshots Turn Red

"Team Leader Li, the weekly report?"

I looked up and saw the intern, Xiao Zhang, standing timidly in front of my desk. His eyes were fixed on the ominous red patch on my screen, as if staring at a piece of bleeding meat.

"Uh, just put it there." I tried my best to appear calm. Ever since my phone screenshots started turning a strange red two months ago, a sense of anxiety has permeated the entire office, no, the entire company. Initially, everyone thought it was a bug in the phone system, so they restarted, uninstalled, reinstalled, and even spent a fortune on new phones. But what was the result? Futile. Everyone's screenshots, as if soaked in some invisible dye, were glaringly red.

At first, people jokingly said it was Apple’s latest “Aunt Flo” theme. Later, it turned out that it wasn't just a “privilege” of Apple phones. Android, HarmonyOS, even the old clunkers weren’t spared.

I tried to search for answers online, but all I found were scattered complaints and unreliable speculations. Some said it was a signal from aliens, some said it was electromagnetic pollution, and others said it was some kind of social experiment. But none of these could explain why this red color was so uniform, so persistent.

And my job, as a copywriter at an advertising company, became particularly difficult because of this sudden "red tide." Every time clients reviewed proposals, the first thing they said was: "Team Leader Li, why are these screenshots so red? It's kind of creepy."

I could only awkwardly explain that it was the "latest visual trend," a "cutting-edge technological feel." But I knew these were all pale lies.

"Team Leader Li, this, that…take a look at mine." Xiao Zhang's voice trembled slightly as he cautiously handed me his phone.

I took the phone. On the screen was a PPT that Xiao Zhang had worked overtime until late last night to complete. Every page of the PPT was dark red, like bloodied wounds.

"What...what's going on?" he asked, on the verge of tears.

I didn't answer. I stared at the red text on the screen, suddenly feeling a strange chill. They were no longer just simple red, but like vivid warnings, screaming silently.

I remember that the first person to discover that the screenshots had turned red was Old Wang from the marketing department. Old Wang had been showing off in the group, saying he had “gotten his Aunt Flo red.” But a few days later, he was transferred to logistics, reportedly for "damaging the company's image."

After that, anyone whose screenshots turned an “abnormal red” was gradually moved away from core positions. People privately gossiped, saying that “red screenshots meant being marginalized,” and that “the company was using this method to purge dissidents.”

I began to notice that the colleagues in the office whose screenshots were still normal had an unspeakable sense of superiority on their faces. Their phone screens seemed to be passes, proving their loyalty and value.

"Xiao Zhang, you can go back now." I handed the phone back to him, my voice very calm. "I'll take care of the PPT."

Xiao Zhang nodded, turning and leaving my office. His back was somewhat hunched, like a convicted prisoner.

I closed my office door and went to the window. Outside was a bustling city, with towering buildings lined up side by side. My phone screen was still a sea of red, shockingly red.

Suddenly, I realized a problem that everyone had overlooked. The red screenshots were not meaningless; instead, they were like some kind of filter, sifting out those who do not fit the rules in this society. This was not just an internal cleansing of the company; it seemed to be something happening across the entire society.

I opened my phone and checked the WeChat group. It was still filled with daily work reports and meaningless emoticons. My finger hovered on the screen for a few seconds, but I eventually gave up on taking a screenshot.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I received a new message from the company's HR director.

"Team Leader Li, please come to the HR department tomorrow."

At the end of the message, there was a special emoji: a pure white heart.