The Truth About "Keep Going"

Old Wang walks into the company gate at 7:30 am sharp every day, like a robot with a set program. He likes this routine because it gives him a sense of control, at least within the company. The company is a large internet enterprise, known for its "wolf culture." Old Wang has worked at this company for five years, rising from a naive intern to a department head, but he still feels like he's running an endless marathon every day.

The morning meeting is the moment that gives Old Wang the biggest headache. The department manager, a middle-aged man always dressed in a suit and with a beaming smile, would always shout at everyone with his magnetic voice: "Keep going! Everyone, keep going!" This voice echoes in the meeting room, like an invisible spell, making everyone feel like something is burning in their chest, but no one knows exactly what it is.

Old Wang realized early on that "keep going" here is not really about keeping going, but a ritual, a performance. It's like a mirror, reflecting everyone's tired faces, yet they have to pretend to be excited. Everyone knows that behind this "keep going" are endless KPIs, non-stop overtime, and the time that swallows personal life like a black hole.

Old Wang doesn't leave the company until 10 pm every night. When he gets home, his wife is already asleep. After washing up, he lies in bed and stares at the ceiling, often thinking about his dreams from college, those fantasies about poetry and faraway places, which have now become unattainable jokes. Sometimes his wife will murmur in his ear: "Honey, you work hard, keep going!" Old Wang feels like he's been pricked by a needle, and then he quietly says, "Mmm."

On Friday afternoon, the department manager once again shouted at the meeting: "Everyone, you've worked hard this week, let's keep going next week!" Everyone mechanically shouted back: "Keep going! Keep going!" Old Wang was among them, he felt like a puppet being controlled, shouting "Keep going" while silently counting down the time to get off work.

Finally, it was time to leave work. Old Wang packed up his things as usual and prepared to go home. Just as he walked out of the office, he saw a colleague at the end of the hallway, holding a cardboard box, struggling to walk out. It was Xiao Li from the technology department, a young man who was usually silent. Old Wang went over to help carry the box. The box was very heavy, filled with various office supplies and several small green plants.

Old Wang asked curiously, "Xiao Li, what are you doing? Moving out?"

Xiao Li smiled, a smile tinged with helplessness and relief: "I'm resigning, I don't have to 'keep going' next week."

Old Wang was stunned, and almost dropped the box in his hands. He looked at Xiao Li and suddenly felt that the box Xiao Li was holding was like a huge irony, filled with the truth behind "keep going".

After Xiao Li left, Old Wang walked home alone. The sky was gloomy, like a piece of paper soaked in ink. He suddenly felt very tired, not just physically, but also a deep sense of powerlessness. He thought that perhaps everyone was like Xiao Li, waiting for a chance to "leave," a chance where they no longer have to "keep going."

He returned home, and his wife was not yet asleep. She was sitting on the sofa knitting a sweater. When she saw Old Wang come back, his wife looked up, smiled and said: "Honey, you're back? You worked hard, and keep going today, too!"

Old Wang looked at his wife, her smile, and the manager's smile, and the expressions of his colleagues when they shouted "Keep going" at the meeting, suddenly overlapped, turning into a huge black vortex.

Old Wang walked to his wife, gently hugged her, and then, with an incredibly calm tone, said: "Wife, I 'kept going' today too."

His wife paused for a moment, then gently patted Old Wang's back, and said: "Okay, keep going, honey."

At that moment, Old Wang suddenly felt that he had finally seen the truth of "keep going," it was the gentlest lie, but also the cruellest reality. It's just that everyone is moving forward willingly in this lie. And he will continue to "keep going," for this family, and for that poetry and faraway places that will never be realized.