Seeking Likes in Silence

Introduction to The Silence of Likes

This is an urban light science fiction dystopian novel. It depicts a society ruled by a "Universal Likes" System, where everyone has a "Like Score" that directly determines their access to public services. Only good deeds captured and shared on camera earn points; quiet acts of kindness go unrecognized.

Qian Dayong, a 42-year-old stock clerk at Wanjiafu Supermarket, is honest and reserved, meticulous in his work, and accustomed to arranging the goods on the shelves in perfect order. He is no good at performing for the camera, and his Like Score has long remained at 48. To let his daughter, Qian Duoduo, enter an art competition, her guardian must meet the strict requirement of a Like Score of 60. He has no choice but to step into the world of online traffic.

A few plain, brief posts he casually shares, without any deliberate performance, unexpectedly win the affection of netizens and catch the attention of platform staff. Traffic soon pours in and supermarket footfall surges, but under the spotlight, Qian Dayong gradually loses himself. In front of the camera, his once-natural work becomes stiff, and he can no longer tell whether he is working or performing. The platform invites him to join a traffic-growth campaign, hoping to package him into a viral persona.

A drawing by his daughter Duoduo brings Qian Dayong's Like Score up to the required level. But then online doubts arise, with people accusing him of being a fake persona manufactured by the platform. To generate buzz, the platform plans a livestream of a "chance encounter with a stray cat." The stunt backfires when the rented cat and staged scene are exposed. Qian Dayong is attacked online, and his Like Score plummets.

Once the commotion dies down, the traffic fades away, and Qian Dayong returns to his ordinary life as a stock clerk. He no longer fixates on his score, and stays true to his simple principle of doing his work diligently.