You Call This a Rookie You're a Freak of Talent

Tang Yimian was dressed in a loose beige pajama set, her hair tied up in a messy bun with a scrunchie.

The neckline of her pajamas, originally quite roomy,

now appeared slightly snug against her enviable figure.

Hearing Lin Yu’s question, she held a small handbag in one hand while rubbing her head with the other, explaining:

"Ah, I just took a hot shower and was about to blow-dry my hair. But after sending you that message and knowing you were free now, I rushed over. I was afraid if I took too long, you might get busy with something else..."

Lin Yu: "..."

One question in, and Tang Yimian had already launched into her signature "humans are born from humans, demons are born from demons" rambling mode.

What could be explained in a single sentence somehow turned into a detailed, exhaustive, front-to-back narration.

Truly, she had the makings of a great novelist…

She sure knew how to pad content!

Once Tang Yimian finished her explanation and stepped closer,

Lin Yu moved aside and said:

"Oh, I see. That makes sense."

"Senior, I have a hairdryer here. You should dry your hair properly."

"Leaving it tied up like that could give you a headache."

"No rush—I’ll take this time to organize the key points in your novel. We can go over them one by one later."

[Ding!]

[Masterstroke move! The Saint’s genuine care for his sect comrade moves the heart of the Elder of the Teaching Hall!]

[Reward: 20 spirit stones.]

Tang Yimian touched her damp hair, visibly touched.

"If Junior Lin Yu still needs to work for a while, then I—"

Lin Yu swiftly cut her off:

"I’ll go get the hairdryer!"

If he let her keep talking, they’d never even get to discussing literature before reaching the "Master, spare me the lecture…" stage.

Soon after.

"Fwoosh… fwoosh… fwoosh…"

The sound of the hairdryer filled the room, carrying with it the fresh scent of shampoo.

Honestly,

Lin Yu had fully intended to review her novel.

But alas,

the sight of his senior bending over, diligently drying her hair, was far too captivating.

Admiring the way she tilted her head, the strands cascading down,

Lin Yu couldn’t help but recall an old saying:

"So white! Unbelievably white! Like a ball of dough!"

At the same time,

it brought back the delightful memory from earlier that day—Lin Yu’s hands-on experience.

Once the hairdryer clicked off, Tang Yimian unplugged it.

She gave it a few shakes in the air,

tested the temperature with her palm, then neatly coiled the cord before setting it on the table.

"Thank you, Junior Lin Yu. I feel much better now."

She didn’t bother tying her hair back again, letting the soft, fluffy locks fall freely.

Instead, she reached for her handbag and pulled out a transparent plastic box

filled with cartoon-wrapped nougat candies.

At the same time,

she also produced a notebook and a ballpoint pen—prepared in advance.

Seems like

she really came here to learn!

She even planned to take notes!

"Junior Lin Yu, try these. I made them myself when I had some free time."

"If you like them, I’ve got plenty more in my room."

"Or if you have a favorite flavor, just let me know—I can make it!"

After all, she was asking him for guidance on her writing.

She couldn’t just show up empty-handed and take up his time.

That would’ve felt downright rude.

"Senior, you really don’t have to be so formal—"

"Wow, these are sweet! Really good!"

Lin Yu popped one into his mouth, giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Nougat—one of the most popular DIY snacks among young women.

Lin Yu knew this all too well.

Years later, during a period when he was stuck at home,

his neighbor—a single girl renting next door—would spend her days learning new recipes online.

One after another, she proudly presented Lin Yu with:

nougat, cookies, crispy rice crackers, cold skin noodles, zongzi… and other homemade treats.

A solid reminder that

when people have too much free time, no task is too tedious.

Now that he’d looked his fill and eaten his fill,

it was time for the real teaching to begin!

Lin Yu motioned for Tang Yimian to take a seat at the computer desk.

Given their current level of closeness, inviting her straight to sit on the bed would’ve been a bit too… transparent in intent.

Tang Yimian, being an elementary school teacher by profession,

now played the role of student with equal seriousness.

Notebook open to the first page, pen in hand, tip poised at the top line,

she stared at Lin Yu with bright, focused eyes—

not a trace of distraction, only pure thirst for knowledge.

Lin Yu suddenly felt an odd pressure.

If he didn’t teach her something substantial, he’d almost be letting down such a diligent student.

Alright, here goes!

"Tang Yimian, before we dive into your novel, I’d like to share some of my own shallow experience and a relatively systematic understanding of web novels."

(Scratch scratch scratch…)

"These might not matter much to a casual reader, but if you want to become a real web novelist, they could be helpful."

(Scratch scratch scratch…)

"First, you—wait, what are you writing down?"

Tang Yimian paused her pen:

"Ah, I— Instructor Lin, I didn’t want to miss any key points."

"So I thought I’d jot everything down."

Lin Yu: "..."

Was this a meeting minutes transcript?!

What was the point of recording his rambling nonsense?

Tang Yimian: "..."

The sudden switch to her full name

made her inexplicably nervous, as if she were back in a high school classroom or a corporate meeting.

If she didn’t write something, she’d feel completely lost.

Lin Yu skipped the fluff and cut straight to the point:

"Ahem, okay, the next part might actually be worth noting. You might already know some of this."

"Fiction for female readers falls into just two broad categories..."

"First: Romance."

"Second: The ‘I Don’t Get It But I Respect It’ genre."

"Yours is undeniably the first—romance."

"To be precise, modern romance."

"Give me five keywords to label your novel."

"We’ll analyze them later. If you’re unsure, feel free to list more..."

Tang Yimian nodded earnestly and immediately rattled off:

"Domineering CEO..."

Lin Yu smirked. At least she knew the "Domineering CEO" trope. Not bad.

At least she wasn’t one of those clueless newbies who’d never read much but swore they’d hit it big with their debut.

Tang Yimian continued:

"...Uniform fetish, slow-burn romance, marriage before love, chasing-your-wife-into-the-crematorium, beautiful-tragic-misery..."

Lin Yu’s pupils trembled. He hastily raised a hand: "Hold up!!"

Tang Yimian looked flustered: "Did I… summarize it wrong?"

Lin Yu swallowed hard: "Have you actually written fiction before?"

Tang Yimian shook her head: "Nope. Total newbie. This is my first time."

Lin Yu: "???"

You call THIS a newbie?!

Natural-born prodigy much?!

How was Teacher Lin supposed to keep up now?!

Half those niche romance tags she listed—he’d never even heard of them!

...

(First update today. Extra chapters coming tonight as usual!)