At 1 a.m., the office of Starway Technology was still ablaze with lights.
Lin Juan stared at the event plan on his computer screen labeled "Version 8, Final Final Version," his temples throbbing violently and his vision growing dark.
It had been six months since he graduated. He worked as an operator at this internet company, starting at 9 a.m. every day and finishing at 1 a.m. as a routine. Weekends were always spent working overtime. The "9-to-5, weekends off" written in his labor contract had become a joke.
Half an hour earlier, his department manager Wang Qiang had sent back the plan he had revised seven times, saying casually, "No highlights. Must finish tonight. I want it by tomorrow morning," before leaving work directly. He left Lin Juan and the entire department pulling an all-nighter.
His colleague Zhang Chao beside him was typing frantically at his computer, glancing up at Lin Juan now and then with a sarcastic tone.
"Lin Juan, why aren't you working? Manager Wang gave the order. If you don't finish tonight, you'll be in trouble tomorrow. Look at us — we're all grinding. Don't hold the team back."
Lin Juan forced a smile, too exhausted to speak.
His chest tightened painfully, breathing grew difficult, and his stomach churned — all problems caused by six straight months of 996. Staring at the dense text on the screen, only one thought crossed his mind: What was all this pointless competition even for?
He earned only 6,000 yuan a month. After rent and food, he could barely survive. No overtime pay, no time off in lieu, only endless empty promises from his boss and meaningless overtime from his colleagues.
At this rate, he'd lose his life before making any real money.
As soon as the thought struck, Lin Juan's vision went completely black. He collapsed forward uncontrollably, his forehead slamming hard against the keyboard, and lost consciousness entirely.
[Dying host detected. Strong anti-involution will matched successfully. Anti-Involution & Lying-Flat System officially bound!]
A cold mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind.
Lin Juan jolted awake. The suffocating pain in his chest vanished instantly, and his dizziness faded completely, as if the near-death experience had just been a dream.
He froze for a few seconds, staring at the glowing plan on the screen and the clear voice in his head, then asked tentatively in his mind: "System?"
[Hello, host. I am the Anti-Involution & Lying-Flat System, dedicated to helping you say goodbye to 996, reject meaningless competition, start a lying-flat life, and reach the peak of success.]
As the mechanical voice faded, a pale blue virtual panel appeared before Lin Juan's eyes:
Host: Lin Juan
System Level: Salted Fish (0/1000 Lying-Flat Points)
Current Status: Sub-health (caused by long-term overtime and staying up late)
Skills Owned: None
Abilities Owned: None
Novice Task: Leave Work On Time
Task Requirements: Clock out and leave the company promptly at 18:00 today. Reject all overtime requests and do not accept any additional work arrangements.
Task Rewards: 100,000 yuan in cash, God-Level Office Skills (Mastered), 100 Lying-Flat Points
Failure Punishment: 10-minute simulated cardiac arrest
Lin Juan's eyes widened sharply as he read the panel.
100,000 yuan in cash? God-level office skills? All for just leaving work on time?
And the failure punishment was a simulated cardiac arrest — something he had nearly experienced for real just moments ago.
He looked up at his colleagues in the office, pale-faced but still forcing themselves to grind, then at Manager Wang's closed office door. His clenched fists slowly relaxed, and a relieved smile curved his lips.
Screw 996. Screw involution.
I'm done grinding.
From today on, no one is making me work one extra minute of overtime.