【徐瑾】本文以兩部相隔十五年的中國職場劇——2010年的《杜拉拉升職記》與近期的《夜色正濃》——為切入點，剖析中國經濟從高速增長期邁入下行週期後職場規則的根本性轉變。《杜拉拉升職記》中的杜拉拉是一名普通大學英語系畢業生，在外企行政人事崗位上從基層一路升至人事行政經理，實現職場三連跳與愛情事業雙豐收，體現了績優主義與自由主義成功學的樂觀敘事。而《夜色正濃》中由闞清子飾演的喬海倫（Qiao Helen），作為外資諮詢公司的初級分析師，雖出身精英院校、能力遠超杜拉拉（可撰寫不同行業前沿報告，985甚至C9高校畢業生亦需過關斬將方可入職，堪稱百裡挑一），卻在裁員焦慮、連續加班與職場邊緣化的多重擠壓下，最終搭上了生命。

文章指出，兩位角色命運分野的核心在於宏觀經濟週期的差異。杜拉拉所處的時代，中國經濟高速增長，外企攻城略地，市場為增量競爭，能力為王，人才被視為可培養的資產。而喬海倫面對的則是存量市場，企業從擴張轉向降本增效，人才淪為耗材，員工淪為「牛馬」，職場內卷式競爭加劇——比拼的不再是創造多少價值，而是能承受多少壓榨。以上海為例，2010年外企平均工資對官方社會平均工資的溢價超過40%，十五年後該溢價已縮水四分之一。杜拉拉當年月薪約兩萬元人民幣（約為社平工資的五倍多），買房尚屬可及之夢；而2025年喬海倫月薪約三萬元，看似數字上漲不少，但僅為社平工資的兩倍多，面對飆升的市區房價，高薪不過淪為維持體面的生活費。

文章進一步揭示，外企在華光環已大幅褪色：這十五年間外企基本停滯甚至萎縮，漲薪幅度持續下滑，薪酬水平已被不少民企大廠超越。早期外企帶來的雙休制度、培訓晉升體系與高薪優勢，如今在增長基礎消失後亦隨之動搖。女性主義、ESG、合規等進步話語在實踐中反而可能淪為辦公室權力鬥爭的新工具。然而，作者也指出經濟下行時代並非全然黑暗——當潮水退去，泡沫破滅，人們反而有機會認清自身價值與真實處境。劇中角色董越在贏得總監職位後選擇辭職追求音樂，正是「換個活法」的寫照。作者將經濟下行時代比喻為中國經濟的「中年時代」，意義存在於選擇，而選擇定義了我們是誰。

This article uses two Chinese workplace dramas separated by fifteen years—Go Lala Go! (2010) and The Night Is Deep (recent)—to dissect the fundamental transformation of workplace rules as China's economy shifted from high-speed growth to a downturn cycle. In Go Lala Go!, Du Lala, an ordinary English-major graduate, rose from entry-level administrative assistant to HR manager in a foreign enterprise, achieving a triple promotion and success in both career and romance—embodying the optimistic narrative of meritocracy and liberal success philosophy. In contrast, Qiao Helen in The Night Is Deep, played by Kan Qingzi, serves as a junior analyst at a foreign consulting firm. Despite her elite educational background and capabilities far exceeding Du Lala's—she could write cutting-edge reports across industries, and even graduates from 985 or C9 universities must compete fiercely for such positions, making her truly one in a hundred—she ultimately lost her life under the compounding pressures of layoff anxiety, continuous overtime, and workplace marginalization.

The article argues that the core divergence in these two characters' fates lies in macroeconomic cycles. Du Lala's era featured rapid GDP growth, aggressive foreign-enterprise expansion, and an incremental market where competence was king and talent was treated as a cultivable asset. Qiao Helen, however, faces a zero-sum market where companies pivot from expansion to cost-cutting and efficiency-squeezing, talent is reduced to consumable material, employees become expendable workhorses, and involutionary competition intensifies—the measure is no longer how much value one creates but how much exploitation one can endure. In Shanghai, for example, the foreign-enterprise average wage premium over the official social average exceeded 40% in 2010; fifteen years later, that premium has shrunk by one-quarter. Du Lala's monthly salary of roughly 20,000 RMB (over five times the social average wage) made homeownership an attainable dream; by 2025, Qiao Helen's approximately 30,000 RMB monthly salary, while nominally higher, amounts to barely two times the social average, and against soaring urban housing prices, her high pay merely covers the cost of maintaining a decent life.

The article further reveals that the halo of foreign enterprises in China has significantly faded: over these fifteen years, foreign firms have largely stagnated or contracted, wage growth has continuously declined, and compensation levels have been surpassed by many domestic tech giants. The early advantages foreign enterprises introduced—the five-day workweek, training and promotion systems, and salary premiums—have eroded as the growth foundation disappeared. Progressive discourses such as feminism, ESG, and compliance have in practice sometimes devolved into new instruments of office power struggles. Nevertheless, the author notes that the economic downturn era is not entirely bleak—when the tide recedes and bubbles burst, people may finally see their true value and circumstances clearly. The character Dong Yue, after winning the long-coveted director position, chose to resign and pursue music, exemplifying the idea of choosing a different way to live. The author likens this economic downturn era to China's economic middle age, arguing that meaning resides in choices, and choices define who we are.