Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Chapter 151: The Catcher

Lin Xiaohe placed the paper on the table and leaned forward: "Look, every year during Qingming Festival, the old bachelors in the village go to the west end of the village to burn paper money." This combination of time, place, and repetitive behavior creates a classic setup for suspense. Who? Why? For whom is it burned? Three questions are thrown directly at you. "When someone asks him who he's burning it for, he doesn't answer," this information blockade increases the mystery. "Silence is more terrifying than lying, because silence is irrefutable proof that there are unspeakable secrets."

Lin Xiaohe looked up at Han Fei, as if to make sure he was listening attentively.

Han Fei nodded: "Continue."

"Later he died, and the villagers found a photo under his pillow with 'Wait for me' written on the back. This is the core twist and emotional blow. Who wrote 'Wait for me' in the photo? Was it written by the person in the photo, or by the old bachelor? Waiting for whom? Was it waiting for someone to come and marry him, or waiting for a reunion with the dead? This 'Wait for me' directly upgrades all the previous mysteries from eeriness to tragedy. Although this submission is short, it has everything: introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. It sets up a mystery at the beginning, builds emotional tension in the middle, and explodes with a bang at the end. Moreover, the 'wait for me' approach is more sophisticated than a thousand-word explanation; doesn't it resemble Agatha Christie's final line, 'Then she laughed'? Readers will fill in the blanks themselves, and the more they do, the more painful it becomes. If I were the first reviewer, I would mark it as high-potential source material for root-seeking."

"What happens after marking it?"

"After that, I suggested that the editor contact the contributor and find out who is in the photo, who wrote the article, and whether the old bachelor mentioned anyone before his death. If these three questions are dug out, it will be a good story that can make people's hearts ache."

"Hmm, what about the third one?" Han Fei said, silently writing down the two words "sharp" and "capture" in his mind for Lin Xiaohe.

"This one, Old Zhou, a tower crane operator at the construction site, fell from a height of forty meters last summer, but he didn't die." It's no wonder this one was rejected; it only had a beginning and no development. But if I were in charge of the initial review, I would have categorized it as a manuscript to be explored, rather than throwing it directly into the trash.

"Oh? What aspects do you think are worth exploring?"

"Look, this half-sentence contains three crucial questions. First, how did he survive? Forty meters is equivalent to a thirteen or fourteen-story building. A crane operator falling from a height and surviving is legendary on construction sites. How he survived is a mystery in itself. What happened after the fall? Was he crippled? Can he still operate a crane? What happens on the construction site? This raises a whole host of real-world issues regarding workers' rights at the grassroots level. And where is Lao Zhou now? Is he still working on the construction site or has he gone back to his hometown? Is someone who falls from forty meters and survives a hero or a jinx in the village? Do people think he's incredibly lucky or that he deserves to die but can't, and that his existence is just a burden? This opening isn't exactly a story, but it's a lead for an interview. If the editor makes a phone call and asks how Lao Zhou is doing, he might just spill a whole bunch of questions. Boss, do you think what I'm saying makes sense?"

Lin Xiaohe looked at Han Fei with expectant eyes.

Han Fei smiled slightly: "That makes perfect sense. One last question: if you were doing the initial review, how would you handle all the different submissions?"

"I will divide them into three categories. The first category is those that are valuable but incomplete. I will give the contributor a template and ask a few specific questions, such as how old you were at the time and what happened to that person later, to guide them to fill in the details. The second category is those that are complete but have obvious signs of imitation. I will mark them and forward them to the editor to determine whether to buy out the material. The third category is those that tell a complete story in a single sentence, which will be directly added to the database."

"When can you start work?"

"Anytime is fine," Lin Xiaohe said, a happy look on her face.

"Come over on Monday. Lu Hai, the person who recruited you, will handle the specific procedures with you. The salary will be as Lu Hai previously discussed with you, and there will be a one-month probation period."

"Thank you, President Han." Lin Xiaohe grinned. Han Fei thought this girl should see a dentist.

After Lin Xiaohe left, Han Fei's phone rang.

He answered the call.

"How's it going, Lu Hai?"

"President, the contract went smoothly, I'll be back tomorrow morning. I ran into that woman again."

Han Fei heard the loud sound of a television in the background. "That one at the hotel restaurant last time?"

"Yes, it was her! In the supermarket, in the frozen food section, she took two bags of cod fillets."

Han Fei sighed: "Lu Hai, when will you learn to get to the point when you speak?"

"Uh... what I actually wanted to say was that we bumped into each other at the supermarket today, and she even offered me her business card. President, you'd never guess who she is."

"explain."

"She's from the strategic development department of NetEase, her name is Wang Yu."

"Oh? What did she tell you?"

"An apology?" Wen Jie said in surprise. "They're not enemies? I don't believe Wang Yu is so kind. In all the years I've been with NetEase, I've never seen her sincerely apologize to anyone. Fei Ge, do you know? When I was with NetEase, Wang Yu once told me that my system idea was very good."

Han Fei and Zhang Ruiyi gazed at Wen Jie, waiting quietly.

"Then my project was canceled," Wen Jie added.

"Don't jump to conclusions yet," Han Fei said, stretching out his arms and clasping his hands behind his head. "If I remember correctly, Wang Yu was the first one to set her sights on our project."

"Uh..." Wen Jie said, "Brother Fei, what happened that time was my fault. If I hadn't been on the bus..."

'

Han Fei interrupted Wen Jie: "I didn't mean to blame you. I was just saying, she was the deputy product director in the R&D team less than two months ago, how come she was suddenly transferred to the strategic development department?"

"Strategic Development Department..." Wen Jie clapped his hands on his knees. "Oh, isn't that the department that reports directly to the CEO and the President's Office? I heard that although the job titles there may not be higher than those in the business departments, they have a lot of influence and can report directly to Ding Lei."

"Yes," Zhang Ruiyi said, "so from an organizational perspective, she could be said to have directly entered the core decision-making circle. But the normal promotion path for a product line should be from deputy director to director, and then to general manager of the business unit. She bypassed this path and went to a department that is further away from the business."

Wen Jie grumbled reluctantly, "Was it because she was the first to target us that she was transferred directly?"

"Well, that possibility can't be ruled out," Han Fei said. "Her judgment was recognized by the higher-ups, and her promotion to formulate strategy sounds very reasonable."

"So she went to Guangdong Mobile to handle some routine business reconciliation, even struck up a conversation with Lu Hai, and wanted to invite Fei Ge to some kind of salon. Does that mean Wangyi is trying to figure out our strength and is preparing to officially start a fight with us?"