Chapter Two - The Work Week

CHAPTER TWO

The Work Week

THE RHYTHM IS called 996.

Nine a.m. to nine p.m., six days a week. Unofficially. Technically, labor laws say something different — 44 hours per week, overtime compensation required — but in practice, 996 is the rule for many white-collar workers, especially in tech, finance, or manufacturing.

You don't complain about it. You thank the company for the opportunity. You nod. You stay late.

At companies like Huawei, Alibaba, and Tencent, employees sometimes sleep in the office. Not metaphorically. They have roll-out mats and spare toothbrushes in their desks. The lights may dim after hours, but they never go out.

Loyalty is performative. You don’t leave until your boss leaves. You don’t question the deadline. You don’t suggest a different way. Collaboration means alignment — not disagreement. At some firms, workers begin each day with a group chant, repeating company slogans in unison.

“Unity is strength.”
“Struggle creates value.”
“Follow the leader. Be the leader.”

There’s no HR memo explaining what happens if you don’t join in. You just notice who participates. And who doesn’t move up.

Surveillance isn’t a hidden system. It’s built in.

Every office has security cameras. That’s normal. But there are also chat logs monitored by internal admins. Computers with keystroke trackers. Phones with location sharing turned on by default. Company apps that double as attendance checkers and loyalty assessments. Algorithms that track who you talk to, how long your breaks are, and what kind of emojis you use.

No one calls it surveillance. It’s called optimization.

At factories, the pressure is different but just as heavy. Shifts can run 12 hours, sometimes more. Workers might be assembling phones, welding parts, or stitching clothes — each one a cog in the largest industrial engine on Earth. There are quotas. There are dormitories. There are suicide nets outside some buildings. That’s not metaphor either.

On weekends — if you get one — you rest, but not too loudly. The pressure to look productive never stops. Young workers spend Sundays on their phones, scrolling job apps and self-help articles about “grit” and “discipline.” Even leisure has been optimized. You must deserve your rest.

For many, the dream is simple: save enough, maybe open a shop, maybe move to a quieter city, maybe retire early and live in peace.

But for now, there’s work.

And work doesn’t ask how you feel.