Three Hundred Million Hits Me in the Face: Life’s Wild Reversal
The “Thrills” of My Miserable Everyday Life
I’m Su Xiaonuan, a cockroach stubbornly scraping by in a big city. Every day, I live out a real-life version of Les Miserables. Take my job, for instance: I’m a copywriter at a tiny advertising agency. They call me a “creative professional,” but in reality, I’m creative grunt labor, crushed from both sides by clients and my boss.
First thing this morning, I was jolted awake by a relentless barrage of calls from a client. On the other end, the client’s booming voice blared like a loudspeaker. “Su Xiaonuan, what was that proposal you sent yesterday? What even is it? There’s no creativity at all, and it doesn’t fit our brand image! Get it revised, I need a new one this afternoon!” I mumbled a reply, still half asleep, but inside I was screaming, “Come on, I was revising it until three last night. Do you think I’m made of steel?”
When I got to the office, I’d barely warmed my seat before my boss floated over to my desk like a ghost. “Xiaonuan, you’ve got to work harder on your performance this month. If you keep dragging the team down, the company can’t afford to keep dead weight around.” I could only force a smile that looked more like a grimace. “Don’t worry, boss. I’ll do my best!” Meanwhile, I silently grumbled, “You pay me peanuts but expect me to work like a horse without feeding me.”
At last, lunchtime rolled around. I was just about to eat some instant noodles to comfort my poor stomach when my coworker Xiao Li came over. “Nuan-jie, could you make a spreadsheet for me? I’m swamped.” Looking at his utterly “sincere” expression, I wanted to say, “What’s your workload got to do with me?” But since we had to see each other every day, I gritted my teeth and agreed.
