Spring Festival Gala Special

Old Wu, a young man drifting in the city, has recently become obsessed with "Spring Festival Gala-themed tourism." It's not because he particularly loves watching the Spring Festival Gala, but because of a "year-end check-in" task assigned by his company—he must visit four cities "brought to fame" by the Gala, take photos in front of designated landmarks, and post them on WeChat Moments, collecting four "likes" to receive his full year-end bonus.

There's no way to argue with these rules. Old Wu shouldered his bag, like a clockwork puppet wound tight, and began his "performance."

The first city was a southern town known for its slow pace of life. The Gala production team chose the stage at the end of a century-old street in the ancient town. Old Wu squeezed through the throng of people and found that it had become a check-in hotspot. Everyone was holding up their phones, looking for the best angle. He took out his phone and "snapped" a photo of the stage, uploading it to WeChat Moments. A few seconds later, the number of likes jumped to 3. He thought to himself, "This year-end bonus is in the bag."

The second city was a metropolis famous for its skyscrapers. The Gala selected the giant sculpture in the central city square. When Old Wu arrived, the square was already packed with people, all taking pictures of the sculpture from various angles. He barely managed to squeeze to the front, took a picture of the sculpture, posted it on WeChat Moments, and the number of likes quickly surpassed 10. He started to feel like something was off; this wasn't just about checking in, it was more like some kind of large-scale performance art.

The third city was famous for its food. The Gala chose a century-old teahouse in the suburbs. When Old Wu arrived at the teahouse, he found a long queue stretching out the door. He waited for an hour before finally squeezing into the teahouse, taking a picture of the old wooden tables and tea sets. The number of likes was as strong as always. But looking at these people who, like him, were mechanically taking photos and uploading them, Old Wu felt a strange sense of sorrow.

The fourth city was known for its historical culture. The Gala selected the square in front of the city museum. When Old Wu arrived, it was almost sunset. The square was still crowded with "check-in" people holding phones. He stood in the crowd, looking around, and suddenly realized something: everyone had a numb expression on their faces, as if the phones in their hands were their remote controls.

He suddenly didn't want to check in anymore. He put his phone in his pocket and turned to walk out of the square.

The next day, Old Wu didn't go to work. He returned to his cramped rented apartment and turned on his computer. He wrote an article titled "Spring Festival Gala Special: A City Spectacle," detailing his experiences over the past few days. He posted the article online, hoping to get some people's attention.

Soon, the article went viral and became a hot topic of discussion. In the comments section, some people called him pretentious, while others praised him for being clear-headed.

At this time, his company's leader called him, his tone unusually gentle: "Old Wu, about your year-end bonus, I've made the decision, you'll get the full amount."

Old Wu asked in confusion, "I didn't check in at four cities, I..."

The leader interrupted him: "We saw the article you wrote, and so did the Spring Festival Gala production team. They think your perspective is very unique and valuable, so they've decided to use your article as a special easter egg during this year's Gala, rolling it on the screen. You've not only got your year-end bonus, but you've also become this year's 'Annual Check-in' spokesperson."

Old Wu hung up the phone, watching the comments constantly refreshing on his computer screen, and suddenly laughed. The laughter had a hint of helplessness, a hint of absurdity, and a hint of something that even he couldn't explain. He felt as if he had successfully checked in, and yet as if he hadn't checked in at all. And all of this was just a carefully designed Spring Festival Gala special.