Guide to Becoming a Tyrant in Online Novels

Upon hearing this, Lin Ke hurriedly raised her head, about to speak, but the editor-in-chief secretly tugged at her, signaling with his eyes to calm down.

The legal department presented a written contract: "We've reviewed it; it's a standard revenue-sharing agreement. The confusion stems from the work's exceptionally high performance; the client (Party B) has not intentionally damaged or breached the contract. If we terminate the contract, we will be required to pay compensation..."

The CEO nodded and looked at the editor-in-chief: "Who is the editor in charge of breaking taboos?"

Lin Ke quickly stood up: "It's me."

The CEO asked, "How did you discover this book? What's the author's current stance?"

Lin Ke recounted the entire signing process, saying, "I just contacted the author, and he said he was going to sleep because he was on shift at the factory today, so I didn't tell him. He probably doesn't know about it yet."

The audience was silent.

The editor-in-chief was shocked, hardly believing what he was hearing: "He's a factory worker? The person who caught us completely off guard is just a coworker?"

Lin Ke's voice lowered slightly: "That's what he said..."

The CEO asked, "Have you looked up the author's information?"

The editor-in-chief said, "We don't have the authority to check the author's real information, but there are no historical contract records for this ID number, so it's unlikely that the author is using an alternate account. Moreover, judging from the reaction of the rival platform, they shouldn't be an undercover agent sent to cause trouble. Yiji Yaoguang is a very talented newcomer."

The CEO silently processed this information, thinking to himself that it would be a miracle if this attack only resulted in one of his workers being eliminated.

Lin Ke suddenly spoke up: "Boss, can I say something?"

The CEO nodded: "Go on."

Lin Ke said, "Po Ji was rejected by Qidian at least twice, but Yao Guang still persisted in writing. He never made a fuss when I ignored him before; he just updated quietly and was an honest online novel enthusiast. Po Ji made a huge mess, but I don't think it can be blamed on the author or the work. We can't target someone just because they write well; that's unfair!"

Lin Ke recalled the days and nights she spent with Po Ji, and she could see that Po Ji was a work that wanted to forge its own path and prove the author's dream. How pitiful it would be if Po Ji were blamed for the platform's own problems and simply thrown away.

She felt that as the editor in charge, she had an obligation and responsibility to speak out.

It's not for KPIs.

The meeting fell silent once again.

The CEO laughed: "We don't recall mentioning terminating our contract with Poji, did we?"

These words instantly dispelled Lin Ke's anger, leaving her with a profound and awkward sense of unease.

The CEO gestured for her to sit down and said to everyone, "The situation is now very clear. This book possesses very rare qualities, which is why it slipped through our fingers several times. The operations team calls it 'Squidward,' which I think is quite apt, because it has already proven itself capable of crossing boundaries. From a commercial perspective, it is a huge traffic pump, generating enormous revenue. Most importantly, it has the potential to create a highly integrated genre, which is far more valuable than its intrinsic worth. We must keep it; we can't let it slip away."

The CEO then asked, "That's true, but...Squidward? It's disrupting the ecological balance, and it's continuing to drain resources and traffic from various sectors...Isn't it worth sacrificing our ecosystem for a single book?"

The CEO said, "This chaos arose because our common sense was attacked, manipulated by public opinion, and then spiraled out of control. The work itself is normal. Pufferfish is delicious, but it depends on whether you know how to eat it and how you eat it, not just throwing it away. What we need to do now is adapt to and manage Octopus, maximizing its value without harming ourselves. Also, the editorial department will contact the author immediately, and the legal department will adjust the contract. We not only need to keep Octopus, but also its owner!"

After leaving the meeting room, Lin Ke was very happy because Po Ji was not only not targeted, but was also listed as a key target. This not only acknowledged Yao Guang and Po Ji, but also affirmed her unique perspective.

She quickly told Yaoguang about the mess she had made and the contents of the meeting. There was no reply, but that didn't matter; all that mattered was that the other party needed to know.

After Lin Ke left, the editor-in-chief complained, "After working in this industry for so long, I never expected to get slapped by Squidward. Sigh!"

The editor-in-chief lowered his voice and asked, "Don't you find it strange? Our suspense and the other four charts had unusual data before, but Squidward suddenly appeared as soon as it was released."

The editor-in-chief raised an eyebrow: "You mean someone hid it? That doesn't make sense. Squidward is a suspense book of yours. Even if you figured something out, you shouldn't have asked about it."

The editor-in-chief chuckled twice: "It is indeed one of our suspense books, but it's not exclusively a suspense book. However, it has absorbed most of the traffic from the suspense genre, and the authors below are reacting very strongly..."

"Oh, so you used to think Squidward was a treasure that could attract traffic and generate revenue, but now that it's been designated as a group production, it won't bring traffic to suspense films; instead, it will drain resources from them. Suspense films won't benefit much, and it will even damage their core audience and put pressure on other groups, so you think it's become a hot potato, right?" The editor-in-chief smiled meaningfully. "Actually, you were just hoping the boss would take it off the shelves, weren't you?"

The editor-in-chief quickly waved his hand: "That's not what I meant..."

The editor-in-chief didn't respond, only saying, "I just got scolded by the boss and I didn't even feel anything, yet you're worrying about nothing. If you don't want to become a target, keep the operations management issue to yourself. Now, Squidward isn't just an editorial book anymore; it's the boss's book. We only have one choice: to follow the boss's instructions and raise it well."

After going downstairs, the editorial department immediately convened a meeting. All the editors-in-chief were present. After the editor-in-chief conveyed the boss's instructions, it was decided to establish a secret "Octopus Brother" team. Lin Ke was put in charge of the team, the suspense editor was responsible for data allocation, and the editor-in-chief was in charge of coordination. All teams were required to cooperate and not engage in any underhanded tactics.

"Pfft! Squidward, that's just like the boss's expression right now, hahaha!"

The editor-in-chief suddenly burst out laughing, and everyone turned to look at her. The chief editor scolded her, "Quiet! Don't laugh and joke during the meeting!"

The editor-in-chief, unaffected by the situation, watched the drama unfold from the sidelines. The fantasy editor-in-chief looked indifferent: "Since the editor-in-chief has said so, I have no objection. Our fantasy genre can absorb as much traffic as it wants, but its core nature dictates that it can't absorb much anyway."

The editor-in-chief of Science Fiction and Reality said, "We don't have any objections. We're a niche field. Squidward coming over for a meal can bring in traffic. It's not like a suspense film that takes away the whole pot."

The suspense editor-in-chief snapped, "Can you guys not be so direct? I'm still here!"

The romance novel editor, caught off guard, said coldly, "I disagree! That monster, Po Ji, has stolen so many of our resources, and now we have to support it? I can't explain this to the editors and authors!"

"Disagreeing won't change anything," the editor-in-chief said. "As I just said, this is an order personally given by the boss. If you can't explain it, then find a way to explain it. That's settled then. Meeting adjourned."

As everyone left, the romance editor gave the suspense editor an angry look.

The suspense editor, possessed by a vengeful spirit, exclaimed: "I knew it..."

In the factory dormitory, the alarm clock once again shattered her sweet dreams; it was time for Datang to launch into his daily rant against the leadership. Yaoguang reluctantly turned off the alarm, but her gaze was immediately drawn to the information on the screen.

He turned on his screen, and the missing person had sent him a series of messages. The words were like thorns, piercing his eyes.

Five lists appearing simultaneously, algorithm crash, Qidian executives holding a meeting, work being upgraded, contract adjustments...

Da Tang walked over and complained, "Aren't you getting up yet? You'll be late again."

"Holy crap!"

The whole dormitory shook...

In the conference room of Qidian's senior management, the CEO and president did not leave, while several other senior executives came in one after another and took their seats to discuss how to manage Squidward.

The CEO did not participate in the discussion; he simply leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and stared at the ceiling.

The president tentatively asked him what he was thinking.

The CEO blinked: "I'm wondering how many situations Squidward's destructive power can be applied to, and where else can it be used?"

The CEO was silent for two seconds, then a glint of light suddenly flashed in his eyes: "You mean..."

The CEO smiled and said, "I think while we're building the cage, we should also let Squidward... no, break the taboo! Go out for a stroll."