The "learn by analogy" in the workplace isn’t about using one principle to deduce similar ones in the literal sense.
Rather…
It’s about praising once and refuting three times!
If a subordinate does everything perfectly, what’s the point of having a leader?
Might as well let them be the leader!
Three revisions only to revert to the original:
What’s being revised is the authority’s intimidation; what’s being used is the art of human relations.
Lin Yu leaned back in his chair, smiling as he spoke again:
"We’ve talked a lot about technical skills just now. Let’s switch gears and discuss storytelling."
"Yimian, web novels encompass everything—every genre has its audience, even the cliché ‘CEO chasing his wife’ trope."
"What kind of readers do you think yours would attract?"
This topic struck a chord with Tang Yimian.
She twirled her fingers and launched into another enthusiastic explanation:
"I think it’d mostly be housewives, probably over 60%. Teenage girls might make up another 30%. Career women, though, have less free time, so I doubt many would…"
Lin Yu: "…"
Is this the realm of genius?
He’d planned to find a flaw and refute her properly.
But this…
Her analysis was way too damn professional!
Still.
When someone’s determined to argue,
even if you cite "Newton’s Second Law," they’ll say, "Hold on, physics doesn’t exist anymore."
Tang Yimian: "…So I think the key is polishing the story and giving readers what they want…"
Lin Yu instantly seized the keyword and said sternly:
"Wrong!!"
The sudden exclamation made Tang Yimian jump.
Tang Yimian tensed up: "!!!"
"Did… did I say something wrong?"
She’d rambled at length and had no idea which part he was criticizing.
Lin Yu countered with a profound question:
"Yimian, have you ever considered the possibility…"
"That readers don’t actually know what they want?"
With those words,
Lin Yu finally felt the sweet taste of control.
This was it, this was it!
Accuracy didn’t matter.
What mattered was that he’d pinpointed a blind spot in Tang Yimian’s "domain of expertise."
Only in areas she wasn’t versed in could Lin Yu maneuver.
Sure enough.
Tang Yimian: "???"
She was utterly baffled!
This wasn’t just a blind spot—
It was a whole new concept she’d never heard before.
Readers?
Readers don’t know what they want?
How… how does that even make sense?
"Professor Lin, I’m a bit slow. Could you explain in detail? What do you mean by that?"
Tang Yimian gripped her pen tightly, ready to absorb this higher-dimensional wisdom.
Back in his comfort zone, Lin Yu could now better hoodwink—no, guide his senior!
"A book gets published on a platform. Through recommendations, all sorts of readers click on it."
"Before they do, all they see is the title and synopsis."
"They have no idea what kind of world or story lies inside."
Tang Yimian’s eyes lit up:
"Oh~~ That makes sense!"
"So it’s this kind of ‘not knowing.’ Yeah, that’s true."
Lin Yu’s tone abruptly shifted:
"Still wrong!!"
Tang Yimian shuddered: "???"
Wrong again?
But she hadn’t even said anything!
She’d just echoed his point!
Timidly, she asked, "Professor Lin, wh-where did I go wrong this time?"
The more she interacted with Junior Lin, the more he reminded her of the dean.
Two consecutive "wrongs" had her thoroughly rattled.
"You missed the ‘knowing’ hidden within my ‘not knowing.’"
Tang Yimian muttered his words under her breath.
She repeated them three times.
Yet her brain still couldn’t grasp what "knowing" lay within Lin Yu’s "not knowing."
Lin Yu was inwardly smug.
Confused?
Good.
Anyone would be.
He continued pontificating:
"Yimian, remember this: While readers don’t know the story you’ve written,"
"the moment they click on your book, their minds automatically construct a complete narrative framework based on your title and synopsis."
"This!"
"Is the ‘knowing’ within their ‘not knowing.’"
"This!"
"Is the hidden truth of web novel creation."
Tang Yimian: "!!!"
In an instant,
she felt like she’d grasped something profound.
After a long pause, she struggled to articulate it:
"Professor Lin, I think I get it. So…"
"If I can empathize with ‘the story framework in their minds’ and write that, my book will be a hit!"
Lin Yu rubbed his forehead and chuckled.
Perfect.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Maintaining a grave expression, he delivered his third blow:
"Wrong again!!"
This time,
Lin Yu even stood up, looking down at Tang Yimian.
Tang Yimian: "???"
Wrong yet again?
She was just following his logic!
How could she keep messing up?
"Which readers do you even plan to empathize with…"
"Lonely housewives stuck at home?"
"Happy moms busy raising kids?"
"Dreamy teenage girls?"
"Heartbroken young women?"
"…"
"There are so many. Can you really empathize with all of them? Can you be sure what each one truly wants?"
Tang Yimian: "!!!"
He was right!
Trying to capture readers’ desires and write the perfect story for everyone is like…
a bear picking corn—
you end up with nothing!
Watching Tang Yimian’s shifting expressions,
Lin Yu knew the timing was ripe and pressed on:
"Focus on one, neglect another."
"Some love wish-fulfillment, craving instant wealth and romantic entanglements; others prefer slice-of-life, savoring daily joys and sunrises."
"What some see as frustrating setbacks, others view as logical progression."
"What some find cathartic, others dismiss as mindless power-ups…"
"Every tiny detail in a book will alienate readers who were never its audience to begin with."
By now, Tang Yimian’s gaze was filled with pure admiration.
This was the hard-earned wisdom of a successful author!
And he was sharing it with her so sincerely!
Seeing the atmosphere was sufficiently charged, Lin Yu began steering the conversation:
"So then?"
"Do the remaining readers know what they want?"
Tang Yimian answered firmly:
"No!!"
Lin Yu: "…"
Well, they kinda could at this point.
Before he could respond, Tang Yimian continued:
"I thought about my own experience as a reader…"
"At first, I’d have expectations—like imagining a story that grows from point A to E."
"But from the author's perspective, since you can only capture such a small portion of readers, you should try delving into even finer details—from A to E, or perhaps... challenge yourself to go from A to Z!"
Lin Yu's eyelid twitched: "..."
For a brief moment.
He genuinely wished his senior were one of his employees.
How did she manage to have such a sudden epiphany mid-conversation?
This answer... was even better than the conclusion he’d anticipated!
Regardless.
Lin Yu stepped forward and patted Tang Yimian’s shoulder:
"Excellent. Just from reading your work, I can tell you’ve got real talent."
[Ding!]
[Masterstroke move! Your selfless, insightful explanation has greatly enlightened the elder of the Teaching Hall!]
[Reward: 20 Spirit Stones.]
"Any other questions, Yimian?"
Lin Yu smugly settled back into his seat.
Tang Yimian nibbled on the end of her pen, hesitating for a moment before speaking:
"Professor Lin, could you... analyze the romantic scenes I’ve written in more detail?"
"I feel like, without any real dating experience, my writing comes off awkward and lacks vividness."
Lin Yu: "!!!"
Well, well.
Isn’t this just walking right into the line of fire?
...
(Extra chapter delivered! More updates coming tomorrow!)
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
