Chapter 322: Do your best to avoid fate
Kaiyuan has been a little distressed recently.

His colleagues could see that he was under a lot of pressure.

He resolutely signed "Nangong Youth" and resolutely gave the recommendation which was a symbol of the editor's vision. As a result, he created a masterpiece that will go down in the history of online literature. This is a very impressive achievement.

Therefore, he currently has a strong presence in the Origin Company. He has the false reputation of prestige and also gets the candy of promotion.

As the saying goes, when you are famous you are prone to gossip and when a tree is big it attracts the wind.

There are always some rumors in many companies, and the most questioned issue is naturally "luck".

To be fair, Kaiyuan's business capabilities are naturally not bad. No matter how many preconditions there were in selecting Li Yan's work, he at least saw the potential of Li Yan's work and made the bold move of giving up the recommendation that was made once every six months.

But he can't be said to be top-notch.

At least after Li Yan's book, the best result of the books he led in the past year was just a minor masterpiece.

As my level went up, the amount of book signings increased dramatically, but the ratio was not very good.

With ups and downs, it is inevitable that some colleagues with similar abilities will complain privately.

"Isn't the only difference between him and me a copy of 'Nangong'?"

And now "Nangong Boy" is about to end, no matter how you look at it, it will be at the end of this month or the beginning of next month.

Everyone believes that Kaiyuan’s pressure comes from “losing its trump card” and when Li Yan finishes this book, Kaiyuan will enter the stage of “a hero does not brag about his past achievements”.

By then, with the author resources in Kaiyuan’s hands and the book signing performance in the past year, it is hard to say whether it can still maintain the position of "gold medal editor".

But Kaiyuan is not worried about this.

An editor’s job, in addition to signing books, is to give feedback.

Control the plot, provide ideas, and even modify some content when necessary.

A great editor can even make a book's sales explode just by changing its title.

But in the book "Nangong Youth", Kaiyuan has no presence at all.

He really wanted to participate, but his way of participating was not like an editor but rather like a reader.

It was a joy to read and discuss the plot with readers...

its not right!
But I can't keep up at all!
Every time he finished reading Li Yan's latest chapter, he would summarize some possible "thunder points" and unreasonable plots. As a result, the update on the second day shattered his unspoken worries.

In the final analysis, the difficulty of writing in Li Yan's book has reached a level where Kaiyuan is unable to provide guidance.

At that time, Li Yan refused to hand over the work of following up on this book to the senior editor-in-chief. This was both a great affirmation of Kaiyuan and a huge pressure.

Just as the editors joked: "It seems that Kaiyuan is very good at giving instructions."

There is no set, no tricks.

Although in the online literature circle, it is common for works to start strong but end badly or have a bad ending, super long works are bound to cause aesthetic fatigue, unfilled plot holes, and a collapse in effectiveness.

For readers, it is good enough for an online novel of several million words to land smoothly. As long as it has an amazing start and has impressive and exciting plots in the middle, it can bring a very pleasant book-reading experience.

This can be considered a good book or even a masterpiece.

In the later stages, most readers just read out of habit.

Put yourself in the shoes of the protagonist, or make friends with the protagonist, spend some time watching it every day, and chase after an ending.

It can also be regarded as an explanation for my journey.

Even if the ending is slightly bad, everyone can accept it.

As the finale of Li Yan's "Nangong Boy" draws near, the number of words in the final stage increases, and everyone gradually realizes a terrible thing.

This book is still responding to the foreshadowing that was laid out at the beginning of the book.

This matter itself is not a big deal. Some authors will reverse the Tiangang, seemingly echoing the previous text, but in fact they only go back to the previous plot after writing to the ending. It is not a foreshadowing at all, but a patch-up.

It has become a cultural phenomenon for readers to discuss the plot of this book, so naturally they can tell whether Li Yan is just patching it or really thinks so.

So everyone gradually had an expectation:
Can a book of more than two million words have no unfilled holes, no collapse of combat power, a strong start and a strong end, and even a great sublimation at the end?

This expectation has already been brought up by someone and then judged as "overpraising".

Because those who truly love this book cannot imagine this outcome.

It's so difficult. With so many readers guessing the story, it's so difficult to write an exciting ending that is both reasonable and unexpected.

This is what really worries and annoys Kaiyuan.

He could not intervene in the final chapter of Li Yan's story, and like the readers, he was looking forward to her final step of officially becoming a god.

But he was afraid to face his own expectations.

What if...it collapses?

Looking at the direction of Li Yan's plot, everyone can probably guess the fateful showdown between Nangong Li and Yu Bang Emperor Yu Tiandan, and can probably guess the possible development of each branch line.

However, the lost two hundred years of history, the world outside the thick fog, and the ending of Nangong Li, the most important mysteries have not yet been solved.

If this wasn't explained well, or if there was a big mess at the end...

Kaiyuan went from heaven to the bottom of the valley.

This kind of work that maintains exaggerated discussion heat until the late stages is often very dangerous. The possibilities have almost been guessed by the readers, and the author will forcibly change the direction in order to prevent people from guessing, and then there will be no more.

Kaiyuan actually thought about whether he should ask Li Yan for an ending first, but then he felt that there were still about 200,000 words left, so it was too early to say it now.

He was entangled in many things:
This old author who loves acting is hard to understand. Would he be unhappy because I seemed distrustful of him when I asked him for the ending?
Since I am an editor, I must love reading online novels. It is rare to find a novel that is so enjoyable to read, and I really don’t want to be spoiled.

If the ending is really not satisfactory, do I have the ability to help change it?

After thinking for a long time, I sent a test message to Li Yan:

"How's the writing going?"

"It's finished."

Kaiyuan shouldn't have taken that sip of coffee, it choked his nose and filled it with the smell of coffee.

"It shouldn't be over just now, right? You won't dig a hole and not fill it, right?"

Li Yan: Smile.

Kaiyuan suddenly became nervous: Brother, my dear brother, my dear eldest brother, please don’t do that kind of “to know what happens next, please listen to the second part” operation!
Li Yan: You are scolding me, not you.

Kaiyuan was struck by lightning and broke out in a sweat.

After hesitating for a long time, he typed out a line of words: Then you must sign the second part for me.

Li Yan: There is no second part.

Kaiyuan finally reacted: How many words?
Li Yan: I promised you, 270 million words, no more, no less.

Kaiyuan: Damn... you have this manuscript? Let me review it first.

Li Yan: From the perspective of an editor or a reader?

Kaiyuan was stunned again. No matter how he looked at this sentence... there must be a trap, right?
When he says he is an editor, does it feel like he doesn’t trust the ending?

Speaking of readers, would they feel that the editors have not played a role up to this stage and feel disgusted?
When you are faced with a situation where you can't do either of these, just follow your heart.

"edit."

Li Yan gave it to him readily.

Kaiyuan: You won’t give it to the readers?
Li Yan: Yes, I’m just asking.

Damn! People who are always worried about gains and losses are the easiest to be manipulated!

Kaiyuan did nothing else that day but watched the ending carefully.

When he saw the truth revealed, even though he had expected it, he was still shocked.

At one point I even had to stop and walk outside the office before looking back.

By the time he finished reading it, all the doubts in his mind had disappeared.

But the expected excitement came a little slowly - the excitement about the book becoming a masterpiece, the excitement about consolidating my position through it, the excitement about getting the bonus, and so on.

Instead, there is a sense of disappointment.

After watching a heart-stirring work, he would feel a sense of melancholy, so much so that he would pour a glass of wine when he got home.

Unfortunately, I can’t drink much and can only drink a little red wine.

Then I couldn't help but look for Li Yan: I used to think that you were a famous author, but now I don't think so anymore. Your work is not inferior to any other masterpieces. I began to believe that I have found a genius.

Li Yan: It takes some skills to pan for gold.

Kaiyuan: You can arrange to finish this update before the annual meeting. I will ask for a recommendation before the completion and a recommendation after the completion, one after the other. I will give you a full treatment.

Li Yan: We are planning to finish it before the annual meeting.

Kaiyuan: Oh my god, I’m afraid you will be the one sitting in the C seat by then!

Li Yan smiled and said: Are you so confident about the result?
Kaiyuan: Of course not, it’s a masterpiece, a masterpiece! But I’m a little worried. You wrote it a little too deeply in the latter part. I feel that many readers can’t understand it, mainly because it interacts too much with the various clues in the front - there are even details with the "historical materials" you compiled yourself, which most people probably can’t see and won’t study.

Li Yan: If one out of ten thousand readers does this, I will be so happy. For most people, it is just a revenge story.

Kaiyuan: Isn’t this a waste?
Li Yan: [Laughing] Yuan Da, what do you want me to do? Write it in a simpler way? Add a self-review at the end of the article?
Kaiyuan: No, I just always feel it’s a pity…

Li Yan: Is it because everyone likes "Dream of Red Mansions" that it has become the pearl of Ming and Qing novels?

Kaiyuan didn't know how to respond. Is this guy so ambitious?
Li Yan: Even in Dream of the Red Chamber, there are people who specifically choose to read the erotic content. So what? Sometimes, it is nothing more than waiting for that thrill. Whether it is a thrill when you feel good or when you find something out through textual research, it is also a thrill.

Kaiyuan could only smile and nod on the other side of the screen, but he still had a question to ask:

I just don't understand, how can you have so many manuscripts saved? Weren't you updating them frequently before?
Li Yan: There is no contradiction, the manuscript was also saved recently.

Kaiyuan: Are you inspired?

Li Yan: I am more focused.

Kaiyuan: ...Why are you concentrating now?

Li Yan: Because I want to do other things.

Kaiyuan laughed loudly and kept tapping his computer desk at home: Are you here again? Tell me, what competition is this for?
Li Yan: To change the world.

……Um?

There was really no way to respond to this, Kaiyuan yawned violently.

After reading it, the editor said there was nothing wrong with it, so Li Yan decided not to continue making revisions.

The finale has already been polished several times according to the standards of serious literature, so there is not much point in polishing it further.

If we really want to change something, we might as well change some of the content that was updated more casually before, but Li Yan thinks that there is no point in doing so.

For him, updating at that time was also a way to save time. If he wanted to make changes, he would wait until the physical book was published.

The novel is completely finished, and what the outcome will be is not something Li Yan can change now.

But when he wrote it like this, the influence of luck was minimal.

As the saying goes, do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Li Yan said that only by doing one's best can one defy fate.

He wants to turn some things that are influenced by luck into formulas.

“As long as I am awesome enough and can do XX, I will definitely be able to XX.”

The next step is to look for the busy Boss Huang.

Boss Huang certainly didn't expect Li Yan to call him. He did give her his business card, but he also thought that was enough to satisfy Li Yan's needs.

He didn't ask for any money and just gave a few kids the conditions to research mobile phone systems. No other boss could have done the same.

He thought Li Yan came to thank him.

The result was a date?

He is not easy to make an appointment with.

Huang Zhan, CEO of Chuangzu Technology Co., Ltd., was 34 years old at the time.

A thin man with thick eyebrows.

Obsessed with electronic products, he is a technical expert with his own ideas.

In the eyes of many people, Huang Zhan has a special personal charm.

In his early days, he worked as the general manager of someone else's MP3 company. Although he had developed unprecedented powerful functions, he left the company because his management philosophy was inconsistent with that of the shareholders.

He believes that products need to rely on excellent technology and superior functions to win word of mouth, rather than relying on bombardment of advertising.

So he returned to China and founded the Chuangzu brand, and made MP3 famous.

He is keen on interacting with consumers in forums. As a CEO, he is always the first to discover and propose solutions to problems raised by users in the forums.

Li Yan is a hundred times cooler than him on "Knowledge Planet".

What's even more ruthless is that this guy saw the decline of the MP06 player industry in 3, and simply gave up his leading position and entered the smartphone market.

His view is the same as Li Yan's. MP3 is nothing more than a small function of future smartphones and there is no need to make it independent.

Li Yan learned about Huang Zhan's affairs through Fang Shu and some fragmentary interviews.

As for what he is like, I only had a brief encounter with him last time.

Fang Shu said that Boss Huang has never accepted an interview and everything we know so far is just a rumor. He is very enthusiastic and has a strong control desire at work, but no one knows very much about his life.

However, judging from the above stories and decisions, Huang Zhan is a paranoid person with a strong desire for control and a very high ego.

A technical perfectionist.

If you want to have a heart-to-heart talk with this kind of person, you must have something to show for it.

It's best if he's also in a trough.

Exactly at this moment.

The popularity of Chuangzu W8 spread overseas, but just when its momentum was at its strongest, it was hit hard by a handwritten letter from Joe, the CEO of Pineapple Company.

It is difficult to evaluate the issue of infringement of appearance, but Pineapple's current influence is much greater than that of Chuangzu, and the two phones are indeed very similar in appearance - perhaps smartphones do not have as many appearance changes as feature phones, and perhaps in a few years everyone will find that the appearance of all smartphones is converging, and it is impossible to play with the same style as Nokia did in the past - and the Pineapple phone was released earlier, so even if the shit pot is taken off, the company will still be in trouble.

What is important is not how the law is decided, but what consumers think.

Especially foreign consumers.

It doesn’t matter whether Boss Huang took reference to it or not.

After Qiao made this move, the founding clan was already in check.

Whether he will be killed or not depends on what tricks Huang Zhan can use.

But judging from the feedback from the founding tribe, he should be in a state of panic.

This is already the most cutting-edge mobile phone. The production line has taken so long to produce it. How easy is it to directly "create" a more futuristic appearance and put it into production?

Huang Zhan has been in the company recently and sleeps in the office - in fact, he doesn’t sleep very long every day.

Some forces in the company that are dissatisfied with him are also ready to make moves.

His obsession with technology and product thinking will inevitably clash with some marketing ideas.

Huang Zhan is right, as he is the CEO, then everyone else can only shut up.

But now that something has gone wrong, he has to take the blame.

Faced with the accusation that "the company was in such a passive position today due to its neglect of marketing efforts", he really found it difficult to refute.

Long sigh.

He declined Li Yan's invitation for an interview on the grounds of being busy with business, but in the past few days, he didn't actually do anything practical - because after making marketing concessions, he didn't see any chance of a comeback in public opinion.

When he thought of being bored, he suddenly remembered what Li Yan said on the phone a few days ago:
“I want to talk to you about the future of smartphones.”

This Li Yan... seems to be a really magical boy.

"Li Yan, right? If you have time, come to Chuangzu Building, negotiation room 88 on the third floor, and let's talk."

(End of this chapter)