Guide to Becoming a Tyrant in Online Novels

"Dear author Yiji Yaoguang, thank you for choosing Qidian.com! Your submission was hard work! I have carefully reviewed the manuscript, and I'm sorry, it does not meet the standards for a contract. Suggestions..."

"Initial review result: This manuscript does not meet the signing standards. Reason: The story is ordinary, lacks appeal, and the overall quality is mediocre..."

Late at night, in the security booth of a factory in Guangdong, Yao Guang, who was on night shift, turned off the war drama and saw two rejection messages as soon as he opened the author's backend.

He went outside and squatted under the "No Smoking" sign to smoke. His colleague Da Tang, who was coming to relieve him, saw his dejected appearance and came over to tease him: "Boss Yang! Still writing that awful book of yours? Has it been released yet?"

Yao Guang scratched his head vigorously: "No, I've been rejected twenty times. It's really strange. The pacing, character design, and quality are all fine. I've even copied formulas from other people's new books, but it still doesn't work. Da Tang, do you think I'm cursed?"

The "King of Knowledge" from the Tang Dynasty is online: "I told you! Writing about ghosts is just self-indulgence! You need to write about showing off, face-slapping, system cheat codes, and borderline melodrama. I've already thought of everything for you: Chapter 1, I'm being exploited by my supervisor at the security booth; Chapter 2, the beautiful CEO collapses at your doorstep with amnesia; Chapter 3, the female CEO calls you 'Dad.' It'll definitely work! I bet you a pack of cigarettes!"

Yao Guang remained silent.

Although writing books is something he enjoys, who wouldn't want to earn money at the same time? Wouldn't it be great to have two jobs and earn two salaries? But he still doesn't want to write template books; his hobby is writing all sorts of fantastical and bizarre stories.

After finishing two cigarettes, he stomped his foot, opened the writer's assistant app, and started pointing straight out!

He refused to believe it! Nobody would actually appreciate a book that's slow to start but has a lasting impact!

A few days later, in the suspense group's meeting room at Qidian.com, the editor-in-chief said, "Folklore is all the rage right now. See if we can find a few books to publish, but we need to strictly adhere to the review guidelines. New colleagues shouldn't just skim through the manuscripts using templates and send them back. Each of you needs to sign three books this week."

After the meeting, Lin Ke, the intern editor, sat in an empty seat, yawning. She opened the backend system, and a long string of submission emails popped up instantly.

"Too slow-paced, the first chapter ends with a waterscape, a cluttered setup... huh? And plagiarism too! Plus, they didn't even bother with basic formatting, just a huge mess that strains my eyes! Unacceptable!"

"Submissions from Yiyan Studio have been blacklisted!"

"AI-skinned harem, inconsistent character design, random perspective switching, chaotic pacing, no good."

"Too bloody and violent, but the atmosphere and plot are good. I'll send a private message to ask for the outline so the author can revise the red lines."

……

After a morning of work, Lin Ke leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. His colleague Cai Cai leaned over and asked, "How's it going? Did you find anything good?"

"No way! I can't find it through internal submissions, and the pool is full of all sorts of weirdos and freaks, I'm speechless!" Lin Ke complained to the ceiling. "Gods of Qidian! Please grant me a brilliant, not terrible, manuscript! If I don't meet my KPIs soon, I'll have no hope of getting a permanent position!"

Cai Cai sighed, "I'm about the same. Sigh! Time to get off work. Let's go eat."

Lin Ke was about to get up when the mouse was accidentally pressed, and the cursor stopped on a manuscript called "Breaking Taboo".

She casually clicked on one: "The last one, just glance at it, if it's not good, just send it back."

[Synopsis: Folklore mystery, first-person perspective, mutual redemption, magic and technology...]

"First-person perspective? That's quite bold. Can a newcomer write well? But this is a suspense genre, so first-person perspective is actually a plus. Let's wait and see..."

[Original text: If a child's fate is lacking, they need to worship objects to ward off misfortune; in Guangxi, this is called "taboo." Taboos are divided into formal taboos and written taboos, and the elders pass down three things that are not taboo...]

Lin Keshen let out a sigh of relief, his heart sinking: "Another case of focusing on the initial setup. Can't these authors just jump straight into the plot? Seriously... But the Guangxi folk customs are a bit fresh, not the clichéd corpse-driving ritual. Okay! I'll keep watching."

"Clan feuds...supernatural events...character conflicts...it's too slow. The first chapter is just setting up daily life, and it only starts to pick up speed in the middle of the second chapter. The main plot is progressing slowly, which doesn't conform to the three-chapter rule. Colleagues would have rejected it long ago if they saw this. However, the writing is excellent, the immersion is good, the folk customs are very realistic, and the character development is quite good. Let's see how the third chapter goes."

The mouse scrolled, then suddenly stopped.

She moved closer to the screen and quietly watched the climax at the end of the third chapter, instantly forgetting that she was currently reviewing a manuscript.

[Original text: "You must live!"...The heat suddenly transformed into a fierce roar, surging skyward! A gale howled past! Thunder roared! The earth shook violently as if struck by a heavy blow. The flash of lightning illuminated not only the dark forest, but also the terrified, pale faces of everyone present!]

A few seconds later, she perked up: "A suspense novel actually uses this kind of cinematic scene composition! It seems like the whole thing before was building up to this scene, and the effect is quite strong; even I got drawn in..."

She quickly checked the data in the backend of her work. It was 30,000 words long, with mediocre data, a few readers, but a strangely high retention rate of 64%, and long comments in the comment section.

She broke with her routine and continued reviewing the later chapters, discovering even more outrageous things.

This book has the skin of a folklore suspense novel, but it also contains the bones of fantasy romance and even science fiction; it's clearly a hybrid...

Unable to make a decision, she consulted her senior editor, Lao Liu. After reading it, Lao Liu was somewhat surprised: "I submitted this manuscript to you before, and I rejected it after scanning the first chapter. I didn't expect there to be this hidden in the third chapter... Let's try submitting it to the editor-in-chief for final review."

Just then, the editor-in-chief came in looking for someone, and she hurriedly called him over to take a look.

The editor-in-chief leaned closer to examine the outline and the opening, adjusting his glasses: "The outline is clear, doesn't cross any red lines, is a hybrid genre, and the quality is acceptable. However, 200 million words and the first-person narrative are a significant challenge for a newcomer. The opening pacing fits the folklore genre, but it will test the reader's patience. And wanting everything can easily lead to getting nothing... Let's sign it first and see how it goes after some time."

Lin Ke nodded and marked the review feedback.

"Bo Bo Chicken, Bo Bo Chicken..."

The alarm clock rang, and Yao Guang, reluctant to open his eyes, fumbled for a moment to pick up his phone. Just as he was about to turn off the alarm and get out of bed, he suddenly saw a message on the screen. He squinted and leaned closer to look, then his eyes snapped open!

Upon clicking, the author's backend displayed a message: "Congratulations! Your manuscript has passed the signing criteria. Please contact the editor via QQ..."

Bare-chested, Da Tang stretched and yawned, head drooping as he muttered, "Work, work, damn work! Tomorrow I'm going to buy a lottery ticket and win tens of millions! Those evil capitalists, even this damned office dog won't go!"

Yao Guang suddenly jumped up, startling him. He took a step back, nervously covering his fat body: "What are you doing? Let me tell you, I'm straight!"

Yao Guang grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently: "Great Tang! I signed! I finally signed! Two years! Do you know what I've been through these past two years! Do you know?!"

Da Tang was shaken so badly that he felt dizzy and disoriented, with only one thought in his mind.

That's it, another fool driven mad by capitalists has been added to the world.

Lin Ke, who was about to leave work, took out her phone and saw a friend request. Without any reaction, she accepted it.

Little did she know that these ordinary, everyday moments would introduce a monster into the online literature world.