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!)
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
