Recently, Shen Yan, an employee at a company in Hankou, Wuhan, has been feeling a bit annoyed. A few days ago, she saw a notice on the company bulletin board about increased orders and preparations for overtime. She casually complained to a colleague, "Business is booming, but they're not giving us raises." Unfortunately, her boss overheard her. The boss thought she was a bit of a loose cannon, but Shen Yan felt wronged: "I'm just straightforward, not trying to stir up trouble. How am I a loose cannon?"
Mild Level: Talkative and Slightly Annoying
When Zhenzhen first joined a machinery manufacturing company in Optics Valley, her humorous way of speaking instantly made her the office's "cheerful soul." Gradually, however, her unfiltered manner of speaking began to grate on her colleagues. "Wow, Sister Zhang, that dress is gorgeous!I saw it at the mall yesterday—cost over a thousand yuan! You're really rolling in it." Early one morning, upon seeing colleague Sister Zhang enter wearing a new outfit, Zhenzhen—who'd spotted it during weekend shopping—exaggerated her praise. Sister Zhang merely smiled without comment. Zhenzhen sat down, slightly embarrassed. "Engineer Fang, pay slips are out! Your bonus last month hit three thousand yuan. Congrats!"" Zhenzhen, fresh from the finance office, loudly congratulated Engineer Fang upon seeing him. Hearing this, Engineer Fang gave a perfunctory response before leaving.
As similar scenes repeated, gossip began to spread. "Zhenzhen sure is outgoing, but she just blurts everything out." "Exactly, she's still too young and doesn't know better."" Soon, Zhenzhen noticed her coworkers growing distant: when she told jokes, the room no longer buzzed with laughter like before, and fewer people chimed in.
Zhenzhen's colleagues believed moderate relaxation in the office was fine, and friendly banter among coworkers added warmth. But talking too much and sharing inappropriate details was definitely not good. Besides, for designers, maintaining a quieter atmosphere was more conducive to work.
Moderate Level: Unintentionally Annoying
Last month, He Miao, an employee at a software company in Wuchang, was passing by Design Room 2 when her colleague Min Juan suddenly called her over. Min Juan pulled her aside mysteriously and said, "Hey, did you know? That Xiao Yin in your office only has a college diploma."Her tone dripped with disdain. He Miao paused, then replied politely, "I don't see the issue. Xiao Yin has always been excellent at her job. After all these years, what does her degree really matter?" With that, she walked away.
He Miao's company offered competitive benefits, attracting many employees with master's degrees. In such a talent-rich environment, lower educational qualifications were typically kept private, and HR never disclosed them externally.Min Juan had only discovered it by chance while filling out paperwork in HR—that technically gifted Xiao Yin was just a college graduate. Surprised, she started telling everyone about it. When she saw He Miao, she casually mentioned it to her too.After all, once you're working, it's all about ability. Heroes don't ask about origins—so what if he only has a college diploma? He Miao wondered: If Min Juan ever found out she herself had earned her bachelor's degree through self-study exams, would she also go around "announcing" that fact?
When He Miao mentioned this to a close colleague, the colleague wasn't surprised at all: "If Min Juan doesn't say these things, who else would?"It turned out Min Juan couldn't find anyone to talk to in the entire office. All day long, she either gossiped about "who's not getting along with whom" or "who's about to get divorced," or she talked about "who comes from a wealthy family" or "who bought an expensive handbag." Whenever she discussed these topics, her colleagues would make excuses to leave, never joining in to avoid the annoyance.
Min Juan remained completely oblivious: "I don't mean any harm—I'm just discussing things. Why won't anyone talk to me?"
Deep Level: Gossip Makes You Hated
Ruyi, an employee at a tech company in Hankou, recently had a falling out with her colleague Xiaofang. She swore never to get involved with such a malicious gossip again.
At 29, Ruyi was exceptionally popular at work. From the CEO down to her peers, everyone adored this good-natured, perpetually smiling girl. Each month, her bonuses exceeded everyone else's by several hundred yuan, leading colleagues to jokingly call her the boss's "favorite."
But being so well-liked inevitably invites jealousy. Once, when Ruyi went out for lunch with several close colleagues, they ran into Xiaofang at the restaurant and sat together. During the meal, one girl complained about the CEO's unreasonable policies: "What a pig! Who knows how these policies even got made? Pig brain!" Her fury was so palpable that the others felt compelled to comfort her. Quick-witted Ruyi immediately chimed in: "The boss is a bit overweight, but you can't just say someone looks like something!" Her remark had everyone laughing.
But that afternoon, the general manager—who had always admired Ruyi—suddenly messaged her on QQ: "Am I really as fat as a pig?" Hearing this, Ruyi wished she could sink into a hole. She quickly realized Xiaofang must have spread the gossip. She recalled hearing before that Xiaofang had deliberately reported a colleague's complaints to HR, costing that person a month's bonus.It seemed this person was a habitual offender with a deeply twisted mind.
Although the general manager eventually forgave Ruyi, she couldn't shake the unease. Seeing Xiaofang sitting at her desk in front of her filled her with utter disgust. "I'll never forgive her. That person is just too ugly inside," Ruyi declared.