Traffic finally begins to creep forward slowly. I stare at the countdown timer on the traffic light ahead, but my mind flashes back to what it was like seven years ago when I first joined the company. Back then, Wang Zong wasn’t yet Wang Zong—he was Technical Director Old Wang. He stayed up all night with us few new hires, debugging code, and at 3:00 a.m. we all squatted at the curb and ate stir-fried noodles. He said, “Xiao Lin, let’s do a great job. If we make this system, then from now on you’ll be one of the company elders.”

Later, the system was completed, the company went public, Old Wang became Wang Zong, the office moved to the top floor, and the glass curtain wall can overlook half the city.

Later still, when he patted my shoulder and said, “This year’s year-end bonus will definitely surprise you,” the light in his eyes from squatting at the curb back then was already gone—what remained was a kind of shrewd calculation, assessing the value of the goods.

— About the workplace: Working is just working—never let your boss paint a big pie for you!