I am not a literary giant

After listening to Ye Lan's suggestion, Zuo Ziliang gave up with a soft laugh and lay down on the boss's chair.

He could understand why Ye Lan would make such a seemingly outrageous suggestion.

From Ye Lan's perspective, if Zuo Ziliang couldn't control the scriptwriters, it wouldn't be a good thing for her. However, if he could have absolute control over the scriptwriters, it would be even worse for her.

They were related, but not closely; their business partnership came about by chance. Ye Lan was responsible for community maintenance within the team, which was her core resource. Zuo Ziliang never interfered with her responsibilities, precisely to maintain a certain level of security for both of them.

Now that a crucial scriptwriter has suddenly appeared, and Zuo Ziliang has no intention of sharing his connections with Ye Lan, Ye Lan must be resentful.

That's why she wanted to fire the scriptwriter directly. It's indeed the simplest and quickest way to handle the current situation.

"Our scriptwriter has only been gone for two days, and our app's reputation is already plummeting across the board. The facts have proven that, Zuo Ziliang, what you've brought in isn't a life-saving remedy for our company, but rather a case of drinking poison to quench thirst."

Zuo Ziliang asked, "Then may I ask, what is your life-saving medicine?"

Ye Lan sat down as well and said, "It's very simple. We learn from our competitors' successful experiences, train with fixed scripts, and strengthen the training of speech therapists. A systematic approach is always much more reliable than going it alone."

Zuo Ziliang said, "But our opponents who use so-called systematic tactics are almost outmatched by our one-on-one battles."

Ye Lan was momentarily speechless, then said, "That means we have a stronger foundation. If we go onto his track now, we'll definitely be able to overtake him on the curves."

Zuo Ziliang shook his head and said, "I don't understand why you would give up such a successful scriptwriter and choose a strategy that has already proven to fail."

Ye Lan put her hand on the table and said, "Because you can't control him, Zuo Ziliang! You saw it yourself, he took three days off and our app is like this. What if he takes a month off in the future? What if he quits completely?"

"It's only been a little over a month, and our original ecosystem has been affected so deeply. If this continues, I don't even want to think about whether our team will completely lose its competitiveness. As I just said, a team cannot have irreplaceable people. You should know that."

Zuo Ziliang stretched out his hand, waved it in the air, and asked, "I'll ask you a question. If you can answer it, I'll kick the scriptwriter out immediately, without saying a word."

Ye Lan said, "Ask away."

Zuo Ziliang asked, "Do you think you're more irreplaceable for this company, or is the Little Prince more irreplaceable?"

Ye Lan froze, speechless for a long time.

Zuo Ziliang said, "Our company also relies heavily on community management. What will our company do if you quit one day?"

Ye Lan shook her head and said, "You know it won't happen."

"Really? But that doesn't change the conclusion, does it?" Zuo Ziliang sat up. "If a company can't have irreplaceable people, why don't you replace yourself first?"

Ye Lan remained silent for a long time before finally managing to force an awkward smile.

Zuo Ziliang said, "Don't bring up the matter of firing the scriptwriter again. He's only been gone for two days, and our data has already dropped so drastically. If we cut him completely, do you know how badly the data will drop?"

"Are the methods you mentioned guaranteed to boost the data? And if you kick him out, aren't you worried he'll go to the rival company? If such a skilled scriptwriter were to enter the market, what consequences would that cause? Can you be sure?"

After saying that, Zuo Ziliang stared at Ye Lan's face and continued, "If you really want to change the current situation, find another scriptwriter of equal skill, instead of talking nonsense about kicking people out."

Ye Lan asked coldly, "Why don't you look for them?"

Zuo Ziliang said, "I've already looked. The Little Prince is the only one I've found who can do it. And I can't find a replacement for him, not one."

Ye Lan stared at him for a long time, and the air became tense. Finally, she suddenly stood up and walked quickly towards the door, her high heels clicking on the ground with short, sharp sounds.

"I will find one. I will find a scriptwriter who surpasses The Little Prince," Ye Lan said before leaving.

……

The day's inspection finally came to an end, and Wang Zixu was exhausted, as if he had been overtaken.

Just as he was about to leave work, his boss appeared in his office and whispered to him:

"We'll have dinner later, you should come too."

Wang Zixu was taken aback and said, "Boss, I can't drink alcohol."

The leader frowned and said, "Just come when we tell you to. Whether you drink or not is another matter. Every time we call you, you hide. This is precisely when the organization needs you. Can you stop being so irresponsible?"

Wang Zixu pursed his lips. He had originally planned to go home and write a script that evening, but now it seemed his plan was ruined.

"Boss, can I go back and change my clothes? I slept in the office yesterday, and my clothes are all sticky."

The leader, feeling a little sorry for Wang Zixu, sighed and said, "Alright, go and come back quickly. The location is in our cafeteria."

As Wang Zixu was leaving, he ran into Lin Feng. The leader quickly went to greet him and advised him:

"Mr. Lin, would you like to stay for a meal?"

Lin Feng's expression turned serious: "That won't do, we have regulations."

The leader said with a forced smile, "Oh, you've misunderstood. It's just a simple meal in our company cafeteria, a work lunch. Isn't that in accordance with regulations?"

Lin Feng said, "This complies with the regulations. But don't go overboard. Follow the meal allowance, 30 per person, and don't exceed it."

The leader said, "Of course, our unit's cafeteria is all in accordance with the regulations, so you can rest assured about that."

After listening to their conversation, Wang Zixu quickly went downstairs and went home from his workplace.

The distance from their home to their workplace was no more than 800 meters. They arrived home quickly, where their wife was sitting on the sofa watching TV. When Wang Zixu returned, she only glanced at him without saying hello.

After Wang Zixu changed his clothes and came out of the bedroom, she sensed something was wrong and asked, "Where are you going?"

Wang Zixu recounted how his boss had specifically asked him to accompany him to dinner, and his wife's eyes lit up. She said:

"That's great! You can take this opportunity to show off. It's embarrassing to dress like this for a special occasion. Change it right away."

Wang Zixu wasn't trying to show off; it was just a casual meal, so there was no need to dress up. He changed into a plaid shirt and work pants, looking like a programmer.

His wife found a suit that Wang Zixu had owned for many years in the bedroom and insisted that he put it on, even making him wear a tie. Wang Zixu was the type who was too lazy to take his clothes off once he put them on, and she found it extremely annoying.

"I've always been just an extra, why would I dress so conspicuously? Besides, I'm just a government employee, what's the point of making a good impression in that kind of setting? And what good would it do?"

His wife was furious: "Wang Zixu, why are you always so lazy? So what if you have a government job? Does having a government job mean you don't need to work hard? Use your brain a little, try to impress your superiors, and create a better environment for our family! Why are you so inflexible?"

Prince Xu suddenly felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and didn't even have the strength to make an expression.

"This isn't a matter of being old-fashioned. As a civil servant, if I want to get promoted, is it something that can be solved by drinking with the boss and making him happy? Besides, the main character this time is Raymond Lam, who is involved in literature. If you dress up nicely and try to flatter him, he can see right through you."

"Raymond Lam?"

Upon hearing the name, his wife's attitude changed completely. She said, "Oh, what a coincidence! You ran into Lin Feng while drinking? Why don't you ask him about things in the literary world? Maybe you can catch a ride on his coattails too?"

Prince Xu knew that if he couldn't get past his wife, he wouldn't have any peace, so he could only give a perfunctory reply:

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely ask him then, alright?"

His wife was finally satisfied. She then took out a new set of clothes for the prince to try on, and he was only satisfied after trying them on twice.

This caused Wang Zixu to waste too much time. When he arrived at the cafeteria, everyone was already there, sitting at the table, waiting for him.