The All-Sugar Cola Project

Old Wang is the CEO of the "All-Sugar Cola Project," a middle-aged man with a bald head and a beer belly. Every morning, he would say to his reflection in the mirror, "Today, is another day to strive for the sweet cause of humanity."

What is the "All-Sugar Cola Project"? Simply put, it is to make every human being fall in love with all-sugar cola through an implantable device called the "Sweet Chip." Old Wang firmly believes this is the ultimate solution to social anxiety and the way to improve the happiness index. He preached this logic to his subordinates with a loud voice, like a missionary, while they nodded mechanically, their eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Think about it, what will the world be like when everyone loves all-sugar cola?" Old Wang waved his arms passionately during a meeting, spitting flying everywhere, "All negative emotions will be dissolved by the sweetness, all conflicts will be resolved in sweetness! We will create a harmonious and beautiful future!"

Actually, no one truly cared about the future of all-sugar cola. What they were more concerned about were the year-end bonuses and whether there were any new flavors at that always-crowded internet-famous coffee shop downstairs from the All-Sugar Cola building.

The project progressed exceptionally smoothly, from the initial experimental phase to small-scale promotion, and now to global popularity. Old Wang and his team encountered almost no obstacles. People's acceptance of all-sugar cola was surprisingly high, or rather, their acceptance of the implanted chip was surprisingly high.

Everyone felt they were becoming happier. They’d have a glass of all-sugar cola upon waking up in the morning, another one on their way to work, one with their lunch, and even before bed. They always wore sweet smiles on their faces, as if immersed in a pink bubble, carefree and without worry.

Old Wang received thank-you letters from all over the world every day, praising his great contribution to humanity. He framed these letters and plastered them all over his office walls, and then he would say to the mirror, "Old Wang, you are a genius."

But Old Wang started to suffer from insomnia.

He began to have strange dreams, dreaming that he was standing next to a giant all-sugar cola fountain, surrounded by countless people with stiff smiles, who were drinking cola non-stop, and then turning into syrup people, slowly melting into the fountain.

In one of his dreams, he woke up to find his pillow soaking wet, not with sweat, but with thick, sticky all-sugar cola. He felt a fear he had never experienced before. He wanted to turn off his "Sweet Chip," but he discovered that his brain was completely dominated by the taste of cola, and he had lost control of his body.

"No, this is not right..." Old Wang muttered to his reflection, but the person in the mirror just mechanically repeated, "Today, is another day to strive for the sweet cause of humanity."

He struggled to pick up the phone, wanting to call his wife and tell her about all the absurdity, but on the other end of the line, he heard a sweet, cloying female voice, "Honey, have you had your all-sugar cola today? Remember to drink more!"

Old Wang completely broke down. He smashed all the picture frames with thank-you letters in his office, then rushed out of the office, stumbling towards the top of the building.

Standing on the rooftop, he saw the entire city enveloped in a sweet, pink haze. The people on the streets walked like puppets, with identical smiles on their faces, holding the same all-sugar cola.

He felt endless loneliness, as if he was in a huge syrup jar, everything around him was sweet, except for himself.

With all his might, he shouted towards the sky, "I don't like all-sugar cola! I hate all-sugar cola! I want to go back to the way things were! I want to..."

Then, he smiled.

He smiled and opened the bottle of all-sugar cola in his hand and drank it all in one go.

He felt a happiness he had never felt before.

The next day, Old Wang's office walls were once again covered with new thank-you letters. He said to the mirror, "Today, is another day to strive for the sweet cause of humanity."

Only, this time, his voice seemed to have lost a little of its confidence.