The Secret of the Thyroid

Li Ming had recently been feeling a little off in his neck, as if a small lump had grown there. It didn't hurt or itch, but it always felt a bit unsettling. He went to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said it was a thyroid nodule, benign, but recommended regular check-ups. Li Ming didn't pay too much attention to it; after all, who doesn't have minor health issues these days? Besides, he was busy trying to meet his quarterly KPIs.

Li Ming was an ordinary employee at an internet company. His daily routine involved staring at a computer screen, typing code, revising plans, and attending meetings. The company had a strict KPI assessment system, with monthly targets. Failure to meet them resulted in deductions from performance bonuses, and consistently ranking at the bottom for several months could lead to being laid off. Li Ming had always been conscientious, working hard to avoid falling behind.

However, in recent months, Li Ming had been feeling increasingly overwhelmed. He was working longer hours, and his hair was thinning. Strangely, he noticed that his colleagues who were high achievers all seemed to have slightly swollen necks. But everyone seemed to have gotten used to it, and no one discussed it.

One day, during a company meeting, the boss was on stage, giving an impassioned speech about the new round of growth targets. Li Ming inadvertently glanced at the boss's neck and was surprised to see that it looked thicker than before. It suddenly dawned on him that his colleagues' "swollen necks" might not be a coincidence. He secretly took a few photos with his phone and started searching online with keywords like "thyroid," "internet company," and "performance" to find some clues.

The search results shocked him. A paper in a medical journal mentioned that long-term high-pressure situations can cause the body to secrete a special hormone that stimulates thyroid growth, leading to thyroid nodules or swelling. Furthermore, some studies suggested that the secretion of this hormone was directly related to a person's level of desire for goals. The stronger the desire, the more hormones were secreted, and the more noticeable the thyroid swelling became.

Li Ming then looked up some internal company documents. He discovered that the company's recently launched performance appraisal system could monitor real-time data of employees, including working hours, code volume, and even the level of desire for work. The system scored each employee based on this data, and the score directly affected performance. And the so-called "level of desire" was actually achieved through a brainwave analysis technology.

Li Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly realized that the small lump on his neck was not just a simple medical issue, but rather evidence of the system's long-term pressure. Like his other colleagues, to avoid being eliminated, he had worked desperately, craving higher performance. This desire had been transformed by the system into hormones, which ultimately manifested in their necks.

He began to reflect on why he was working so hard. Was it just for that meager salary and the illusory promotion opportunities? He looked at himself in the mirror; the small lump on his neck was even more prominent, like a silent mockery.

That night, Li Ming decided not to work overtime. He went home, made himself a cup of tea, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at the night view outside the window, feeling unprecedentedly relaxed. He opened his phone and found that the company's performance rankings had been updated. His score had indeed dropped sharply, while the "swollen-neck" colleagues were all at the top of the list.

The next day, Li Ming went to work as usual. Instead of rushing to turn on his computer, he went to the pantry and poured himself a cup of coffee. He saw that his colleagues were all busy working, their eyes filled with anxiety and desire, the swelling in their necks even more noticeable.

Suddenly, the company's doors were pushed open, and several people in uniform walked in. They went straight to the boss's office and then took the boss away. Li Ming heard his colleagues whispering, someone saying that the boss was suspected of illegally using brainwave analysis technology, violating employee privacy.

Li Ming was stunned. He didn't expect things to have escalated to this point. He touched his neck and felt that the small lump seemed to have shrunk a little. He suddenly felt a sense of sadness; he had worked so hard for so long, only to find that it was all an absurd farce.

At this moment, the company's new HR director walked over. She smiled and said to everyone: "Dear colleagues, please rest assured that a new appraisal system will be launched soon. We will fully consider the health and privacy of our employees. We believe that only healthy employees can create more value!"

After she finished, she bowed deeply and then turned to leave. Li Ming noticed that her neck was also slightly swollen.