Salary determines coworker relationships:

1. Salary 3500: You are a "wallflower," used to fill team-building numbers
2. Salary 5000: You are a "buddy," sharing bubble tea and lunch together
3. Salary 6500: You are a "reliable colleague," people ask you for help with small matters
4. Salary 8000: You are a "potential star," invited to group dinners
5. Salary 9500: You are a "comparison target," secretly being watched by others
6. Salary 10000: You are a "future manager candidate," people are quietly taking sides with you
7. Salary 15000: You are a "trusted confidant of the leader," coworkers are polite but distant
8. Salary 20000: You are a "department benchmark," no one compares salaries with you anymore, only curious about your background. The more you earn, the more courteous your colleagues become, but the fewer friends you have.

This is why companies insist on salary confidentiality. To be blunt, it’s because "salary equals distance"—once revealed, comparisons start: resentment, suspicion, competition, internal conflicts... Keeping it secret seals off information and unnecessary trouble, and more importantly, it protects people's hearts.