Dual-Track Life

Li Ming wakes up at seven o'clock every morning, not by the alarm clock, but by the slogan "Good morning, strivers!" broadcasted punctually over the community loudspeaker. He lives in a place called "Dual-Track Community," where everything operates on two tracks.

For instance, there are two sets of garbage sorting systems in the community. One is for "strivers," and the other is for "pausers." The strivers' bins shimmer with golden light, while the pausers' bins are dull gray. Li Ming is a striver, and he feels proud of this, though he doesn't quite understand what he's striving for.

The company where he works is the same way. There are two production lines, one producing products exclusively for "strivers," and the other for "pausers." Striver phones have larger screens and faster running speeds, while pauser phones are slightly slower. Li Ming's department is responsible for designing striver products, and his workstation is also more spacious and brighter than the adjacent pauser department.

The subway is also dual-track. One car is packed with hurried strivers, while the other is relaxed and leisurely, filled with pausers, some even reading newspapers. Li Ming squeezes into the striver car every day, engulfed in the smell of sweat and anxiety. He feels this is the real life.

One day, Li Ming discovers that in the company cafeteria, strivers' plates are golden, while pausers' plates are silver. Golden plates always have more meat and greener vegetables, while silver plates are much simpler. Li Ming thinks to himself, this is the meaning of striving. He must work harder to be worthy of the golden plate.

He starts working overtime, staying late every night. He learns to use the word "striving" to mask all his reluctance, and "responsibility" to package all his pain. He feels he is running, moving towards a better future. He believes he deserves the best, so he buys the latest striver phone and signs up for an exclusive striver fitness course.

However, one day, while jogging in the community, Li Ming accidentally sees a pauser leisurely strolling, with a calmness and smile he has never seen before. The pauser is also feeding a stray cat by the roadside, with tenderness in his eyes. For the first time, Li Ming feels confused. Is he really running? Or is he just being pushed along by the track?

That night, Li Ming works overtime late again. He feels his body is about to fall apart. Exhausted, he returns home, opens the refrigerator, and finds it empty. He forgot to buy groceries because all his attention was focused on work. He looks at his phone, which pops up a message: "Your striving points have reached the limit, please redeem them in time."

Li Ming opens the redemption interface and discovers that the so-called redemption is just some virtual badges and discount coupons that he doesn't need at all. He looks at the shimmering badges on the screen, and suddenly feels that it is all meaningless.

The next morning, Li Ming doesn't rush into the striver subway car as usual, but slowly walks into the pauser car. In the car, people are either reading, chatting, or just sitting quietly. Li Ming also sits down, closes his eyes, and suddenly feels like he has found a piece of tranquility for the first time in the noisy city.

When he arrives at the company, he doesn't go to the striver department, but walks into the pauser department. He sees people leisurely drinking tea and chatting, and the work progress is not much behind. What shocks him even more is that he discovers that the software used by pausers has the same functions and efficiency as the strivers, and is even more user-friendly in some aspects.

At this moment, he suddenly understands that the so-called dual-track is not for distinguishing between strivers and pausers, but to create an illusion of competition, making people forget the essence of life while blindly running.

Li Ming resigns, quits the striver community, and moves to an ordinary neighborhood. He no longer pursues golden plates. He starts cooking for himself, and starts paying attention to the people and things around him. He slowly discovers that there are many possibilities in life, not just one track.

Years later, Li Ming becomes a freelance photographer. His works are simple and full of life, widely acclaimed. At a photography exhibition, Li Ming meets his former striver colleagues again. He finds that they are still repeating the same things every day, their eyes full of exhaustion and numbness. Li Ming gently shakes his head, knowing that they will never understand the true freedom he now possesses.

As evening approaches, when the afterglow of the sunset shines on Li Ming's face, he picks up his phone and sees a notification: "Welcome to Dual-Track 2.0, your life, defined by yourself." Li Ming smiles and gently turns off his phone.