A Heavenly Job

The morning sun shone through the gap in the curtains again, waking Tang Wulin from his deep sleep. When he opened his eyes, his first reaction was not to sigh over the boring work awaiting him as usual, but to excitedly spring upright, nearly bumping into Gu Yue, who was still asleep.

"Wife! Wake up! It's my first day at work!" He could barely contain his excitement. As he frantically searched for clothes, he kept muttering, "Seven thousand two! Seven thousand two a month! I've never seen that much money in my life!"

Gu Yue woke up from his noise. She frowned groggily and raised a hand to block the glaring morning light. "...What time is it?"

"Only seven! There's plenty of time!" Tang Wulin had already pulled on his clothes.

Gu Yue propped herself up and watched him whirl around the room like a top, searching for his work jacket and checking whether his shoes were clean. She rubbed her temples, her voice hoarse with the lingering fatigue of the night. "Slow down. Don't fall. Remember what I told you—work steadily and don't give anyone anything to talk about."

"Don't worry, wife!" Tang Wulin leaned over and planted a loud kiss on her forehead, leaving behind a wet mark. "I'll definitely make you proud! Maybe by the end of the year, I'll even be named Outstanding Employee. The bonus might be enough to buy you that crystal paperweight you kept looking at!"

Gu Yue laughed despite herself and shook her head. "Enough sweet talk. Go eat breakfast. I fried eggs, and they're keeping warm in the pan."

Tang Wulin wolfed down breakfast, then solemnly checked himself in the mirror by the entrance. Only then did he leave with an empty backpack on his back—Gu Yue had said he could not go to work empty-handed on his first day, even if it was useless, just for peace of mind. At the door, he turned back and called out, "Wife, I'm off! I'll bring you something tasty tonight!"

Watching his figure disappear into the hallway, Gu Yue's smile slowly faded. She let out a soft sigh and looked down at the commission email on her computer screen that had been rejected again, then at the balance notification from her bank card. Her gaze became determined and weary once more. She had to pick up the pace. Tang Wulin had a job now, but the household expenses and their plans for the future still needed her, the one holding down the rear, to keep things steady.

Peaceful Lane Community, Community Service Center.

When Tang Wulin found the place, he was genuinely a little stunned by the scale of the building. Though it was only a community-level center, its glass curtain wall gleamed in the sunlight, while the interior was simple and bright, the floors polished enough to reflect people's shadows. Following the signs, he found the surveillance control room on the second floor. As he pushed open the door, he felt slightly nervous.

Yet the serious, tense atmosphere he had expected was nowhere to be found.

The surveillance room was huge, several dozen square meters at least. An entire wall was covered in massive screens, each displaying a real-time feed from a different part of the community: the main gate, the underground parking entrance, the children's playground, the central garden... The footage was clear and smooth. The room's air conditioning was pleasantly cool.

There was only one person inside.

An older man wearing the same security uniform as Tang Wulin, though his was clearly much older and even shiny with grease around the cuffs, sat with one leg crossed over the other in an office chair that looked ancient. He held a large-screen smartphone, his fingers flying as though he were playing some popular mobile game. Every so often, he muttered, "Ah, so close!" or, "What a play!"

Hearing the door open, the old man did not even lift his eyelids. He merely made a vague sound in his throat. "Hm?"

Tang Wulin hurried forward and greeted him respectfully. "Hello, I'm the new surveillance operator starting today, Tang Wulin."

Only then did the old man slowly look away from his phone screen and inspect him from head to toe. His gaze paused briefly on Tang Wulin's obviously well-prepared outfit before he pointed at another empty office chair nearby. "Oh, the new guy. Sit. Director Li sent you?"

"Yes. Director Li handled my onboarding yesterday."

"Fine." The old man locked his phone and slipped it into his pocket, leaning back until his chair let out an overloaded creak. He casually pulled a form and a pen from the desk and pushed them toward Tang Wulin. "Here, fill this out. Name, age, contact details, that kind of thing. Just the basics."

Tang Wulin sat down as instructed and began filling out the form. As he wrote, he secretly looked around. Other than himself and the old man, there really was not a third person in the spacious, brightly lit surveillance room. The equipment hummed softly, accompanied only by the low drone of the air conditioner.

After he finished, the old man took the form, glanced over it, and nodded. "Your handwriting's pretty neat." Then he pointed at the row of buttons and several screens before them. "This is our console. The main job is to watch these screens and see if anything unusual happens. Like some brat kicking a ball into a camera blind spot, a car parking illegally and blocking the road, or some old ladies arguing downstairs..."

As he spoke, the old man picked up his phone again and unlocked it, his tone as casual as though he were introducing his own garden. "When there's nothing going on, just sit. Don't stare at the screens all the time—it's bad for your eyes. Every two hours, go clock in at the machine at the end of the hall. Just prove you're here. Once at noon and once in the afternoon. Oh, right," he added as if he had just remembered, "don't forget to clock in when you arrive and leave. It uses fingerprints."

Tang Wulin stared at him in disbelief, nearly dropping his pen onto the desk. That was... it?

"Then... how exactly do I operate things? What if I find something unusual?" he asked carefully.

The old man waved a hand, wearing the expression of someone thinking, Kid, you're way too tense. "Something unusual? Usually, nothing happens. If there's a fire alarm or a security emergency, the system will alert automatically. The bell's so loud you couldn't miss it if you tried. Then you press this red button and notify the patrol guards to go take a look. Most of the time, we just sit here."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, adopting the mysterious air of someone passing down a secret technique. "Kid, you look like an honest fellow. Since you're here, I'll tell you the truth. This job is heavenly! Look at me." He pointed at himself. "I've been here three years. Apart from seriously learning how to operate the machines during my first month, I've basically been coasting toward retirement ever since. This community's security system is fantastic—less trouble than keeping a dog."

Tang Wulin was completely dumbfounded. He had imagined the surveillance room would be like those he had seen while carrying out missions in the Far North: grim atmosphere, highly focused staff, everyone vigilant against the slightest disturbance. Instead... reality slapped him hard across the face. This was not work at all. It was practically a paid vacation!

"Sir... may I ask your surname? This salary... the benefits are really good," Tang Wulin probed.

"My surname's Wang. Just call me Old Wang." Old Wang chuckled and pulled out his phone again. "The benefits are pretty good, right? Last month was my grandson's birthday, and I gave him a big red envelope. Oh, and don't foolishly bring your own water if you're thirsty. There's a vending machine next to the lobby downstairs. You get a discount with your employee badge. Or you can order through the Chagee mini-program and have it delivered upstairs—put it on the company tab! Same with food. Order whatever delivery you want, as long as it's not too outrageous."

Tang Wulin felt like he was having trouble breathing. Seven thousand two hundred Federation Credits, and his daily work was sitting here in air conditioning, playing on his phone, watching surveillance feeds—though really, mostly watching for food deliveries—and getting free milk tea and takeout? Was this really Shrek City? Or had he accidentally crossed into some other world with absurdly generous benefits?

"Come on, don't just sit there." Old Wang warmly beckoned him over. "I'll teach you a few tricks for slacking off. First, keep your phone charged and make sure you have internet. Second, this chair may be old, but it's still comfortable once you adjust the angle. Finally, and most importantly..." He mysteriously pointed at a small refrigerator in the corner. "That's communal. There are chilled drinks inside. Help yourself. Don't be shy."

Tang Wulin nodded woodenly. Following Old Wang's instructions, he entered his fingerprint into the clock-in machine, then symbolically pressed a few buttons on the console and recorded the words "Normal." The entire process took less than ten minutes.

After that, time became both incredibly long and incredibly fast.

It was long because there was nothing to do, and fast because it passed while they played mobile games. Old Wang was a good "master." Not only did he impart all his slacking techniques without holding anything back, he also teamed up with Tang Wulin for several matches. While playing, he commented, "Hey, your positioning's no good. You need practice! Look at my hero—turning the tables with a sliver of health. Cool, right?"

At noon, Old Wang ordered two takeout meals: one fragrant braised pork ribs with rice, and one pickled cabbage fish set. The delivery rider brought them straight to the surveillance room door. The two of them sat before the wall of surveillance screens, eating with great enjoyment as the community's real-time feeds filled the display.

"Little Tang," Old Wang said around a mouthful of ribs, "just work here without worry. This place is way better than being a guard at one of those private companies. At least it doesn't wear you out mentally. Once you get used to things, you can bring a tea cup like me, steep some goji berries and chrysanthemums, and take care of your health!"

Tang Wulin mechanically shoveled rice into his mouth, his head buzzing. He thought of Gu Yue. He thought of how she would revise the same article over and over until late at night, agonizing over a difference of a few Federation Credits; how she would frown at job websites; how she would rather walk two extra bus stops to save on transportation...

If he told Gu Yue now that this job which had made her so relieved, which had made her feel that they had finally gotten through the hard times, really only required him to play on his phone, clock in, and drink Chagee while earning seven thousand two hundred a month... what would her reaction be?

Tang Wulin could almost picture it: Gu Yue's eyes, always carrying gentleness or exhaustion, would widen instantly, then light up, and then she might lose her mind. Then... then she might come work here too, and they would probably have fish fillets to eat for a long time.

"What's wrong? Doesn't the food suit your taste?" Old Wang asked with concern.

"No! It's delicious! It smells amazing!" Tang Wulin immediately put on an expression of overwhelming gratitude. "Thank you, Uncle Wang! This job... is really too good!"

Old Wang nodded in satisfaction and lowered his head to deal with his pickled cabbage fish again.

The afternoon felt even longer. Tang Wulin forced himself to watch the surveillance screens, trying to find some "abnormality" to pass the time. But aside from a few stray cats fighting beside a trash bin and a brat attempting to throw stones into the fountain pool before being stopped by a passing nanny, Peaceful Lane Community was as quiet as stagnant water.

A little after three, Old Wang received a call. It seemed his family was asking what they were having for dinner. He shouted a few words into the phone before hanging up. Then he mysteriously told Tang Wulin, "Little Tang, I'm gonna slip out for half an hour. I need to go check on my grandson and pick something up. You got anything going on? If not, can you cover for me?"

"Huh? Oh! No problem, Uncle Wang!" Although Tang Wulin's heart skipped a beat, he still agreed through gritted teeth. It was his first day as a "new employee." He could not reveal that he was unreliable so quickly.

Old Wang thanked him profusely and left. The enormous surveillance room was left with Tang Wulin alone.