Besides a few people who got into state-owned enterprises arranged by their parents and a few top students who moved into selected positions for stability, most others have gradually started to lose their jobs. Over the past two years, countless small and micro businesses have gone bankrupt. Those that haven't closed down are beginning to cut costs and improve efficiency—one person doing the work of three. As a result, many who were doing well in their companies are now unwilling to be exploited and are gradually becoming outsourcing contractors.

People inside the system have started studying—seriously, it's no joke. Before, only I was reading, and when I checked my friends' activity, only a few had reading time recorded. A few days ago, I casually opened a friend's profile, and a long list of reading records appeared. I looked through and saw that many were reading books related to politics and economics. Many were reading Animal Farm and 1984. When it comes to work, they just drag things out for two days if they can. If they get tired of it, they just stop doing some tasks altogether. If they really don't want to do it, they wait until the last minute, then cobble together a report with a few pieces of information for the big AI model to generate a submission. As for promotions, they’re completely disinterested—only promoting when they have to, and if they can't, they just act domineering.

People outside the system are in a phase of temporary work. Because it's too easy to lose their jobs, many have been working for a while, then taking breaks, and when they run out of money, they go home to rest. When they find a new job, they go back to work. For those whose parents can't support them, many have gone abroad—most to Malaysia and Japan, and some are studying in Western countries, preparing to get permanent residency.

My impression is that everyone is just living their own lives, but deep down, there's an unspoken anger. Workplaces are tacitly tense, and when they gather in their free time, they start to mock and criticize each other. Those who are more outspoken—I, as a liberal—think I am too conservative. But unfortunately, most of them just stay at the level of ideas. Many are cynical and resentful of the world, but if you ask them to report an unscrupulous business, they’re afraid of being implicated.