The Truth About Tangerine Orange Flavor

Old Wang stared at himself carefully in the mirror. The face in the mirror was yellow, as if it had just been pulled out of a dye vat, but not a pure yellow, rather a strange color mixed with specks of orange, like the flesh of a low-quality tangerine. He reached out and touched his cheek, feeling that his skin seemed rougher than before, with a sandy texture, like sandpaper.

Today was the third day of Old Wang's "color change."

The whole thing started a week ago with a notice issued by the company called the "Notice Regarding 'Color Health Indicators'." It stated seriously: "In order to better serve the physical and mental health of our employees, our company has decided to introduce the latest technology 'Color Health Detector.' All employees whose 'Color Health Value' is below the average will be entitled to extra benefits."

Old Wang scoffed at this idea of "color health." What health or not, isn't this just another way to cause trouble? But when he saw the words "extra benefits" at the end of the notice, his heart still twitched slightly. After all, everything was getting more expensive these days, and who wouldn't want to get a little extra?

So, on the day of the test, Old Wang secretly ate several pounds of tangerines.

He thought he had done it flawlessly. Who would have thought this thing could detect it? The detector beeped, and the screen displayed "Color Health Value: Below Average," and a prompt popped up: "You have received a 'Yellow Warning.' Please pay attention to changes in your body."

The company cafeteria immediately opened a special window for employees whose "Color Health Value" did not meet the standard. Old Wang, feeling a bit smug, picked up a serving of "special" yellow nutritional meal: carrot and egg stir-fry, corn porridge, pumpkin pancakes, plus two vitamin pills.

"This taste is really hard to describe!" Old Wang muttered while chewing on the tasteless pumpkin pancake, looking at his colleagues who looked equally miserable.

A large poster was also posted at the entrance of the cafeteria, reading "Embrace Health, Start with 'Color'!" Next to it was a colorful "Health Color Spectrum," ranging from "Vital Red" to "Calm Blue." Only Old Wang and others' "tangerine orange yellow" was placed in the corner, marked with a sloppy exclamation mark.

At first, Old Wang didn't think much of the "yellow." It was just a weird color, and the food tasted terrible. But when he went to the bathroom and saw that his face in the mirror was getting more and more yellow, and even his fingernails were starting to turn yellow, he started to panic.

What made him more uneasy was that the colleagues with high "Color Health Values" in the company began to keep their distance from him intentionally, as if he were some kind of virus-carrying patient. Even Sister Li, who used to be on good terms with him, began to whisper in the tea room, saying he "didn't pay attention to his diet" and was "unhealthy."

Old Wang tried to report the situation to the leaders, but the leaders just patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Wang, eat well and get your 'color' back as soon as possible."

Later, Old Wang learned that his company had long stopped looking at physical examination reports. As long as the color value was normal, anyone, regardless of high blood pressure or fatty liver, was considered healthy. In order to meet the "standard," they used various pigments to formulate the "healthiest meal" with the highest color value. Those who actually didn't meet the standard because of physical reasons were isolated and became "outliers."

Old Wang began to miss the old days, even the busy overtime was better than being treated as a "yellow race" now. He even started to miss the braised pork and spicy hot pot that made his appetite explode. He secretly searched "what happens if you eat too many tangerines" on his mobile phone, but the search results were all health articles and "color health" propaganda.

At night, Old Wang had a dream. In his dream, he turned into a real tangerine, squeezed into a cold plastic box, illuminated by cold lights. The label on the box read in large letters: "Unqualified product, please do not consume!"

When he woke up, Old Wang looked in the mirror, and he was still the same "tangerine orange yellow." He suddenly felt that instead of complaining here, he should take the initiative to do something.

The next day, Old Wang found the aunt in the company cafeteria and asked her, "Auntie, did you add too much pigment to this 'Color Health Meal'?"

The aunt put down her ladle, looking flustered, and whispered, "Young man, don't talk nonsense. This is all strictly according to the 'standard'."

Old Wang smiled and didn't say anything more. He just took out a small bag of tangerines from his pocket and placed it in front of the aunt, "Auntie, these things are quite sweet, you can try them."

The aunt was stunned for a moment, picked one up with suspicion, peeled it, and put it in her mouth.

"Is it sweet?" Old Wang asked.

The aunt nodded, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

Old Wang didn't say anything more and turned to leave. What he had to do was not to change himself, but to change this absurd world. Starting with a tangerine.

As for what color he will eventually turn into, maybe only time will tell. Of course, it's also possible that he will always be "tangerine orange yellow," and enjoy it.