Disappearing negative reviews
On Friday afternoon, the atmosphere in the project department's small conference room was solemn and delicate. Representatives from the client, the supervisor, and the construction company gathered around a table for the first staff review. The meeting was chaired by a newly appointed human resources specialist from the client, intended to ensure the fairness of the process.
The review was conducted using an anonymous electronic questionnaire, which participants filled out on their phones or computers and submitted directly to the system. Lan Tongtong carefully reviewed Liu Feng's performance during this period and objectively assessed his work ability as average, his communication and coordination as poor, and his professional ethics as flawed. She also briefly cited specific instances of his previous deliberate obstruction, delaying the acceptance inspection, and attempting to influence the review last night. She believed that actions spoke louder than words.
Zhang Biao was even more blunt, giving Liu Feng the lowest score in every category and writing in the comments column, "Extortionate, bad attitude." Several other construction workers who had been bullied by Liu Feng also wrote negative reviews.
After the questionnaires were submitted, the system began to tally the results. Everyone waited quietly for the results to come in. The only sound in the conference room was the faint hum of the air conditioner. Liu Feng sat in the supervisor's seat, seemingly calm, but his frequent glances at the host betrayed his inner nervousness.
A few minutes later, the computer screen in front of the host lit up, and the statistical results were compiled. He cleared his throat and began to announce: "Alright, everyone, the evaluations are in. Director Mo Zhichi received an overall excellent rating; Special Supervisor Chen Dong received an overall good rating... Supervisor Liu Feng received an overall good rating."
Good? Lan Tongtong's heart skipped a beat. How could this be possible?
The host began reading out Liu Feng's specific scores and main comments: "In terms of work ability, the average score was 85, and the main comments were 'familiar with the business and relatively serious'; in terms of communication and coordination, the average score was 80, and the comments were 'recent improvement and able to actively cooperate'; in terms of professional ethics... the average score was 82, and the comments were 'adherence to principles, but needs improvement'..."
Lan Tongtong barely listened to the rest of the conversation. She couldn't believe her ears! What about those specific negative reviews? What about the negative reviews she wrote, Zhang Biao wrote, and others? How did they all add up to these bland, almost complimentary comments? And the average score was above 80?
She glanced at Liu Feng, only to see that the initial nervousness on his face had vanished, replaced by a look of relief, even a hint of smugness. He happened to be looking at Lan Tongtong, and when their eyes met, a barely perceptible sneer played at the corner of his mouth, as if to say, "See, I told you, your evaluation won't make any waves."
Lan Tongtong's heart sank, a chill rising from her feet. She understood. Anonymous, systematic statistics—in the face of absolute power, they were all rubber stamps susceptible to manipulation. It had to be Liu Tianyuan! Before the results came out, he'd used technology or connections to filter, modify, or even directly delete unfavorable comments, leaving only insignificant or embellished "opinions."
After reading the results, the host said in a routine manner: "I hope Comrade Liu Feng will continue to work hard, carry forward his strengths, and improve his shortcomings. I also hope that everyone will continue to supervise. Okay, next, we will evaluate Comrade Lan Tongtong, a technician from the construction unit..."
The meeting continued, but Lan Tongtong no longer felt any meaning. She felt like a fool, having taken this so-called "fair review" so seriously, only to find it was a farce with a predetermined outcome. The first practice of the system, under the interference of the powerful, had become a perfect "whitewash."
After the meeting, Liu Feng was the first to leave the conference room, his face livid. Zhang Biao, furious, walked over to Lan Tongtong and cursed in a low voice, "F**k! This is blatant cheating!"
Lan Tongtong said nothing, silently packing her things. She felt a deep sense of powerlessness, not for herself, but for the environment. The "sunshine management" that Brother Mo, Mr. Zhang, and even Mr. Tang had worked so hard to promote was so vulnerable in the face of a force like Liu Tianyuan.
She pulled out her phone, wanting to text Mo Zhichi about this absurd outcome, but hesitated and put it aside. Could Brother Mo not be aware of this possibility? Perhaps he had anticipated it long ago. This game wasn't something that could be decided in a single discussion.
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