Parasite (1): Small talk about social animals

At 10:10 pm in City A

A tall, thin, ghost-like figure left their designated workstation and pressed the clock-in button on the time clock. A beep sounded, indicating a successful clock-in. 

After a hard day’s work, the corporate employee dragged their heavy steps out of the office building, chatting with colleagues as they went.

After walking about 500 meters, the figure reached the subway entrance and boarded the last train just before 10:35 pm. 

Holding a commuting bag, they dozed off on the subway for about 20 minutes. The alarm clock in their pants pocket rang, waking them up. They floated out of the subway like a ghost, walked 500 meters from the exit, swiped their access card, and returned to their small, private room.

The man, who loved cleanliness, skillfully tossed his commuting bag at the entrance, floated to the bathroom for a shower, and finally lay on the bed like a lifeless fish. He scrolled through Weibo and Red Note, commenting on the latest news. Before falling asleep, he browsed pictures of cute cats and dogs, then placed his phone on the bedside table. 

It was already 12:30, and if he didn’t sleep soon, he would be up until 1:00 am.

He grabbed two blueberry-flavored melatonin gummies, shuffled to the bathroom in his slippers, rinsed his mouth with grape-flavored mouthwash, and turned off the LED ceiling lights, leaving only a warm yellow night light shaped like an orange. 

“Fortune Cat, play Audio Software 1,” he said.

The smart speaker, Fortune Cat, responded, “Received, opening Donggua short video for you.”

The cheerful crosstalk echoed in the quiet apartment, the voices of the two men helping him drift into sleep.

This was the third year of Tan Xiao working in City A. The once vibrant and energetic young man had turned into a qualified corporate slave in just three years.

Not only had his physical condition significantly deteriorated, but he had also developed a strange ailment where he felt uncomfortable all over if he didn’t use his phone before bed. He also experienced mild insomnia, unable to sleep even after using his phone. 

The ability to fall asleep instantly, which he had during high school, seemed to have vanished, along with his energy and youthful vigor.

As an employee of a major corporation, Tan Xiao worked every day in a high-end office building at the International Trade Financial Center, engaged in software engineering related to artificial intelligence. 

The job had many advantages: it sounded glamorous, was respectable, and offered a high salary. There were plenty of coffee and snack shops downstairs, and the subway station was less than 500 meters away. 

The company’s benefits were also excellent. The cafeteria food was prepared by specialized chefs, prices were low with meal subsidies, free snacks were available in the break room, and employees could enjoy free late-night meals if they worked overtime. They could also use the company’s gym for free.

However, the job had one fatal flaw: the company demanded an incredible amount of overtime. That day, Tan Xiao had been called to the office at 7:00 am and didn’t finish until 10:00 pm. 

Under such high-intensity work, going to the gym would only accelerate sudden death. He jokingly pinched his abs; if he hadn’t insisted on going to the community swimming pool on weekends and occasionally working out at the company gym, his six-pack abs would have turned into a soft lump.

Every ordinary employee in a large corporation was like a busy worker ant, an inconspicuous cog in the machine. There was little warmth between people; it was just work, work, and more work every day, with no end in sight. 

A month earlier, Tan Xiao had been accidentally hit on the head by a falling employee badge and had to stay in the hospital for seven days. Even then, the company urged him to return to work. During his time in the hospital, he had to hold a laptop to attend the company’s video meetings.

Originally, Tan Xiao hadn’t wanted to work so hard. His family background was decent, and they had bought him a supposedly school district apartment as a reward after he started working. They covered half of the down payment for a 98-square-meter, fully furnished three-bedroom apartment, and the remaining 20-year mortgage was to be paid off with his salary alone. 

At such a young age, he was not only a corporate slave but also a mortgage slave, forced to carry a 5-million-yuan loan right after graduation. With the interest, it almost made him dizzy.

After successfully becoming a permanent employee at the company, Tan Xiao’s salary increased from 30,000 yuan per month during his internship to 50,000 yuan per month. This was quite a decent income within the same industry. However, after deducting daily expenses, he still had to work hard in his position for at least another 15 years, considering his monthly mortgage payment was over 30,000 yuan.

It was only during his time in the hospital that Tan Xiao seemed to suddenly awaken. From graduation until then, it felt like he had been mindlessly wearing away his spirit in his work. The high-intensity job had turned the lively, hopeful young man into a standard corporate slave with dull eyes. His eyes had lost their sparkle, and it seemed he had also lost his dreams. Of course, he had no partner either. With so much mortgage debt, how could he even think about dating?

The idea of change was beautiful, but dreams and reality ultimately had certain conflicts. Even if he wanted to tell his boss that he wanted to resign, he still had to wait until he saved some more money. 

The company was working on a highly popular AI project, and once it was completed, there should be a substantial bonus. Perhaps he could switch to a new job that was more relaxed and offered greater freedom.

The next morning at 8:00 am, the exhausted Tan Xiao was woken up by the alarm clock. Without overtime, his work start time should have been 9:00 am. 

The young man, yawning, brushed his teeth and washed his face with his eyes closed, then quickly shaved. 

He didn’t know if it was because of the high levels of male hormones in his body or the long period without any romantic life since adulthood, but his beard grew very quickly. He almost had to shave every morning; otherwise, a ring of stubble would appear. If he let it grow for seven or eight days, he could easily pass for a homeless person on the street.

Work had already made him quite haggard, so he still needed to tidy up his appearance a bit. It wasn’t really to see his colleagues at the company; mainly, it was because he had a part-time job in the evening. 

The previous day, he had made plans with a friend to go to the friend’s restaurant to play the piano.

When he left, he bowed as usual to the lucky cat ornament at the entrance of his home: “I hope for a windfall that is reasonable and legal, and doesn’t harm my health, like suddenly receiving a huge bonus or the company optimizing its operations!”

He had worked for three years, and his salary was quite high. If he were to be laid off and receive n+1 compensation, he could completely take a six-month break, consider changing careers, or find a more relaxed new job. 

After all, he had some hobbies. He could not only be a software engineer but also work as a freelance illustrator and even teach piano at tutoring institutions.

Jokingly, he mentioned that one of his cousins in the family group had started her own piano tutoring class. Initially, she couldn’t play as well as he could, but now her hourly rate had reached a thousand yuan, and she easily earned a million a year. Moreover, her schedule was far more flexible compared to his miserable corporate life.

When he entered the company, many former colleagues’ eyes lit up. It seemed they had never noticed how handsome Tan Xiao was before. He used to always look disheveled, but after being hospitalized a month earlier, there were some subtle changes. Although Tan Xiao’s eyes often lacked light, they suddenly became very spirited.

The boss teased him, “R2, do you have a date with a beauty tonight?”

Yes, even when joking, people didn’t call him by his name; everyone called him by his nickname. This was because the company’s project research direction was AI and artificial intelligence, and all the project team members were named after robots from film and television works. Tan Xiao was R2, a supposedly very famous space robot, but he was not the first R2 in the company; he had inherited the nickname from a former colleague who left.

The hateful company had even forced him to give up his own name.

He shook his head and said, “No, it’s just that a friend had something to do and asked me for a favor.”

Many people thought Tan Xiao was just a typical scumbag, but in reality, in another five years, Tan Xiao would become an outstanding magician. There were actually many outstanding individuals of the opposite sex in the company, but no matter how beautiful or cute the girls were, Tan Xiao felt nothing. He had also doubted his own sexual orientation; he had no interest in watching so-called gay films. Perhaps he was an asexual person, or maybe he was a narcissist. After all, his physiological response in the morning was normal, and he didn’t have a stomachache.

However, if this job continued like this, sooner or later he would become indifferent. Anyone who worked an average of over 14 hours a day, sometimes even 20 hours, would accelerate hair loss, kidney deficiency, stomach issues, and indifference.

He was only 25 years old, still young. He didn’t want to be a numb corporate slave; he wanted to make a change!

The boss with the HK robot avatar sent a message: “R2, have you submitted the user survey analysis report assigned to you?”

R2 replied, “Wait a moment, I’ll hand it over right away.”

Thinking so much was useless. Now that he was at his workstation, he just worked hard like a diligent worker bee.

After working all morning, he went to the break room to get a cup of coffee. He added a lot of ice to it and drank a high-purity iced Americano, without sugar or milk. It was cold and bitter but refreshing. In high school, he had liked cold and refreshing fruit tea, but after becoming a worker, he started holding iced Americanos year-round.

While goofing off in the break room, he overheard the HR department discussing, “Have you heard? Our company might be getting a new boss.”

His ears perked up.

“Is it true? Is the company going to undergo major changes?”

“I don’t know, I heard that the Crown Prince has come down to Earth, not sure if he’s going to play the ‘new official takes office with three fires’ game.”

While chatting, the image of the cute and silly face of the lucky cat appeared in his mind. Could it be that the wish he made in the morning had taken effect? He hoped this fire would burn him and optimize him away.

At that time, he was unaware that the new boss about to take office would indeed bring him wealth, but not in the way he imagined.

After finishing a day’s work, Tan Xiao was in a much better state than the previous day. He used having an appointment as an excuse to refuse his boss’s overtime request. Although he was single, he shouldn’t spend all his time on work. Starting that day, he decided to cherish life and stay away from overtime. Unless the project specifically required it, he wouldn’t work overtime if he could avoid it, and he would decline any company social events he didn’t like.

At work, he dressed very simply, but after work, he changed into an outfit that looked very expensive. This outfit had been in his suitcase since his first year of high school. It was a very classic casual style, and wearing it made him feel several years younger. Looking at his radiant face in the mirror, the once lifeless body suddenly felt warm.

He left work on time and went to help out at a friend’s restaurant. To avoid being squeezed on the subway, Tan Xiao even switched from taking the subway to driving. Of course, the car was rented. Although he had successfully bought a house because of his job settlement, this big city actually required a lottery to buy a car. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been lucky; he had been in the lottery for three years and hadn’t won a single number.

He arrived at the restaurant opened by his friend on time before 19:00. The decor of the place was very elegant, and they usually hired someone to play the piano and violin for accompaniment. However, the store had just terminated the contract with the previous pianist, and the next pianist had a little accident and couldn’t come. That day was an important anniversary event for the restaurant, and they couldn’t do without a pianist. Tan Xiao had come over to fill in at the last minute.

“Alright, you little rascal, still as charming and handsome as before!” the friend said cheerfully, immediately high-fiving him upon meeting.

Tan Xiao smiled politely. After three years of being a corporate slave, he had actually become less familiar with these friends, unable to be as sincere and enthusiastic as he was in high school. He had come over to help out that day, partly out of friendship, but mainly for the 10,000-yuan “help out” red envelope his friend had promised. Playing for five hours to earn ten thousand yuan was a deal that didn’t come by every day.

“Alright, go tune it and see if it works,” the friend said jokingly. “Don’t worry, if it really doesn’t work out, I’ll still treat you to a meal.”

Although he hadn’t touched a piano in seven years, his skills didn’t seem to have deteriorated much compared to when he was studying. He slightly adjusted the pitch, tried out a lighter tone, and quickly regained his feel for the music.

The friend immediately showed a joyful expression: “Bro, you’re great! Your piano skills haven’t declined at all since high school. You’re the one! I’m counting on you today! I promise, once it’s over, I’ll give you a big red envelope!”

After all, it was rare to see a pianist like Tan Xiao, and with a face like his, the guests would probably be much more forgiving. Even if his performance that day wasn’t that great, he would still be kept.

A black luxury car stopped in front of the restaurant, and a middle-aged bald man got out of the car and then opened the door for the back seat. Coming out from the back seat was a very young-looking man, broad-shouldered and long-legged, with a pair of silver glasses perched on his nose. He looked like one of those characters from period dramas who manipulated affairs in the business world, with a face and demeanor that exuded a somewhat debonair yet roguish charm.

The middle-aged man in a suit skillfully tossed the keys to the approaching doorman, saying, “Park my car in P3.”

The middle-aged man, who was clearly older, was very respectful and flattering towards the younger man: “President Wen, this restaurant’s vegetarian dishes are quite good. I reserved a private room in advance, and the restaurant also offers music services. I hope it suits your taste.”

CS Group, the parent company of Tan Xiao’s workplace, had a massive influence in City A, with numerous subsidiaries under its name, covering industries such as entertainment, gaming, telecommunications, automotive, artificial intelligence, and new energy, among others. Not only did it have many industries, but it also had a lot of investments. The “President Wen” that the middle-aged man referred to was Wen Yi, the only son of the CS chairman.

The other party was the product of the marriage between the Wen and Jiang families and was the future heir of the CS Group. Wen Yi held 10% of CS’s shares, so calling him “Little Director Wen” was not a problem. However, he didn’t like being called “Little Director Wen” or “Director Wen,” as it helped distinguish them from their father, Chairman Wen.

Just like the HR in the break room had said, Wen Yi, who had come in and joked around at work, had become the president of KK Smart Company. This was like a prince coming down to earth.

Surrounded by a crowd, President Wen entered the VIP exclusive luxury box. Meanwhile, Tan Xiao went on stage to play the piano.

Hearing the music, Wen Yi said, “This piano playing is mediocre, better not to play at all.”

Actually, the middle-aged man thought the piano playing was quite good, the sound was beautiful and melodious, hundreds of times better than his own child’s playing, and even seemed better than the child’s teacher. But Wen Yi usually listened to piano performances by artists in the Golden Hall, and when he heard Tan Xiao’s piano, he felt it was indeed quite ordinary: all technique, with not much emotion.

Just kidding, if Tan Xiao had that kind of skill, he would be touring the Golden Hall. The appearance fee for a renowned pianist wasn’t something you could get for just ten thousand a night.

The middle-aged man wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and said, “Then I’ll go tell the restaurant staff to stop.”

When Wen Yi opened the door, he suddenly saw the person playing the piano in the hall, and he changed his mind: “Never mind.”

Tan Xiao, playing the piano with focus, was clearly unaware that his piano skills were being criticized by a picky guest. The spotlight was on him, and countless guests’ eyes were also focused on him. Tan Xiao did not find it difficult to adapt to the feeling of being in the spotlight after years of being a corporate slave; he still put on a great performance. Not for feelings, purely for money.

Seeing Wen Yi’s gaze lingering on Tan Xiao for a long time, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and wink: “How about I go find out who the pianist is?”

Although the middle-aged man liked women, he had seen enough in this circle to know that some men liked men. Not to mention, the newcomer playing the piano that day looked just like the Little Prince from the story—handsome and with an outstanding demeanor, truly captivating.

Wen Yi glanced at the middle-aged man and said, “No need, Mr. Zhu, with your looks, I’m afraid you’ll scare him.”

The Mr. Zhu in front of him was the kind of middle-aged successful person who fit everyone’s stereotype: wearing a polo shirt under his suit jacket, with a round face and a beer belly that looked like he had been pregnant for ten months from all the socializing. If Director Zhu looked like that and went to inquire about someone’s news, it would look like harassment.

The middle-aged man’s smile froze: Wen Yi’s temper was really bad, and his words were truly venomous.

The dishes were served quickly in the private room, but looking at Mr. Zhu in front of him, Wen Yi clearly had no appetite. He had no interest in the exquisite food in front of him; if only the person sitting across from him wasn’t Mr. Zhu, but that beautiful pianist instead. Those long fingers seemed to be playing not on the black and white keys, but on the heart that was joyfully beating in his chest.

The pianist’s performance was clearly not from a robot; there were breaks in between. When the piano piece switched to a cello piece, Tan Xiao took the opportunity to eat the small cake his friend had prepared for him. After work, he had driven over, then continued playing the piano, hardly eating anything.

While he was hiding to eat a small cake, a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of him. Tan Xiao looked up to see a young yet unfamiliar face. The person was wearing a well-tailored silver suit, and their light gray eyes, framed by silver-rimmed glasses, looked particularly enchanting. These gray eyes reminded Tan Xiao of the gray feathers of the pigeons in the square, clean and pure. They were also like a fog that could cover the sky and block the sun, filled with secrets that made one unable to resist exploring, drawing him in effortlessly.

For Tan Xiao, who had come to save the day, everyone in the restaurant except for his own friends were strangers. But when he finally saw the man’s face clearly, he suddenly felt very awkward: Had he gotten some cream on the corner of his mouth? Was his eating just now not elegant enough, not polite enough?

Tan Xiao felt his calm and steady heart suddenly start to beat violently. For the first time in 25 years, he knew what it meant to have his heart race, to fall in love for the first time, his heart pounding like a drum, and the little deer in his heart running wild like a mad rabbit.

Trying to maintain his composure, Tan Xiao straightened his back and wiped his mouth with a napkin: “May I ask what you need me for?”

Wen Yi smiled and said, “I am a guest here. I just listened to your piano playing and found it very beautiful, so I wanted to come and see what kind of person could play such a wonderful piece.”

Director Zhu, who had invited Wen Yi over for a meal, stood not far away, expressionless, and silently complained to himself: Heh, a man’s words are like a ghost’s lies. Just a moment ago in the private room, he said the performance was mediocre, better off not playing…

He thought “How come President Wen has been gone for so long just to go to the bathroom?” Turned out he came to look for someone.

Mr. Zhu was very tactful, quietly walked away to settle the bill, sent a message to Wen Yi, and then left. After all, he wasn’t a fool and wouldn’t intrude on someone else’s good fortune without knowing better.

Being complimented, or more accurately, being complimented by someone he had fallen for at first sight, Tan Xiao seemed very pleased and said with a smile, “Really? Actually, I’m not a professional at this; I’m just doing it part-time tonight.”

After all, he had his own job, and since that day happened to be Friday, he had only come to help after much persuasion..

President Wen, who had returned from abroad, actually had a blank slate when it came to romantic experiences. He had never been in a relationship, but he had seen how others in this circle won over the people they liked. His brain was actually a complete mess; the shrewdness he had in his career was completely useless when it came to relationships.

Wen Yi, who was always supported by others in finding topics to talk about, made an effort for the first time to come up with a topic. He asked Tan Xiao, “You want to take a part-time job, are you really short on money?”

The poor corporate slave nodded and said, “Yeah, if it weren’t for the boss paying so much, I wouldn’t have come in today.”

Tan Xiao felt very relaxed in front of Wen Yi and said whatever came to mind. There was no need to be too hypocritical; after all, he was already working very hard, and he really didn’t want to pretend to be someone he wasn’t. He had come over that day, partly to help out, and partly to make money, save up, quit, and change careers.

Wen Yi opened his mouth, then took out a shimmering, iridescent black bank card from his pocket, which sparkled with a kaleidoscope of colors, and solemnly handed it to Tan Xiao: “I’m very rich, here you go.”