Golden Fetters

Old Wang sat in his twenty-seventh-floor office at Jinsheng Group, staring blankly at the K-line chart on his computer screen. The price of gold had risen again, like a mad, runaway horse, galloping far ahead. He tapped on the keyboard, trying to turn these frantic numbers into a decent report, but the lines, in his eyes, were like golden fetters around his neck, tightening more and more.

Old Wang was not an analyst, not even someone in a finance-related job. He was a veteran of the administration department, responsible for printing documents, ordering afternoon tea, and occasionally running errands for his boss to buy coffee. But ever since the company started "gold-standard performance evaluations," everything had changed.

The so-called "gold-standard performance evaluation" meant that employees' performance was directly linked to the daily rise and fall of gold prices. When gold prices rose, performance bonuses soared; when gold prices fell, everyone was just waiting to starve. The entire company, from the cleaner to the CEO, had become slaves to the price of gold.

At first, everyone found it novel. Every morning, employees would gather to discuss the overnight trends of international gold prices, more excited than stock investors. The office was filled with a strange mixture of speculation, anxiety, and blind excitement. But soon, this novelty was replaced by increasing pressure.

Old Wang's life was particularly difficult. He didn't understand finance, didn't understand K-line charts, and couldn't even remember the price of gold. He could only watch as his performance bonuses, like green leeks in the stock market, were harvested again and again by the price of gold.

He had tried to communicate with his leaders, hoping to return to the traditional performance evaluation methods. After listening, the leader just smiled meaningfully and said, "Old Wang, times have changed. Look, who isn't staring at gold now? Even the crepe vendor downstairs has started wrapping crepes in gold foil. Isn't this the trend?"

Old Wang was unable to refute. He understood that in this "nationwide gold speculation" era, he was like an ant swept up by the torrent of the times, small and helpless.

In order not to be eliminated, Old Wang began to study gold price trend charts every day. He read books, watched videos, consulted colleagues, and even signed up for a "crash course in gold investment." He became dizzy from studying, but still understood little. He discovered that the so-called "gold-standard performance evaluation" was just a numbers game played by the higher-ups, and he was merely a pawn in this game.

One day, Old Wang finally found a "way to make money." He noticed that whenever company executives held meetings to discuss gold price trends, the atmosphere in the office was particularly tense. Everyone would hold their breath, afraid of missing any "inside information." Old Wang had a flash of inspiration and decided to use this tense atmosphere to "earn" some performance for himself.

He began to spread all kinds of "inside information" about gold prices throughout the company. Today he would say, "I heard from an insider that a certain international institution is selling large amounts of gold," tomorrow he would say, "It is said that a certain central bank is hoarding gold." He spoke vividly, and coupled with his honest and simple image, he quickly convinced his colleagues.

As a result, scenes of "panic buying" or "panic selling" triggered by "inside information" were staged in the office every day. And Old Wang, in this chaos, quietly "earned" his performance. Although his income didn't increase dramatically, he strangely felt a sense of satisfaction looking at his performance inching up each day.

Several months later, the company's gold-standard performance evaluation system was extended to the entire group. The company leaders even invited Old Wang to the stage to share his "successful experience." Old Wang stood on the stage, looking at the anxious faces and gleaming eyes of his colleagues below, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

He began to wonder, what was the purpose of this crazy "gold-standard performance evaluation"? Was it to improve efficiency? Or was it to control employees? Was it to make everyone richer? Or was it to make everyone more anxious?

As he stepped off the stage, a colleague quietly approached him and whispered, "Brother Wang, will the price of gold go up or down tomorrow?"

Old Wang looked at him, a trace of helpless smile flashing in his eyes, and he slowly said, "Tomorrow, maybe...it will rain."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the office window, looking at the gloomy sky outside. He knew that tomorrow, the price of gold would still rise and fall, and he and his colleagues would still be like donkeys tied to a windmill, constantly turning and turning...