The writing style of these sentences was actually quite good.
But, damn it, this wasn't an essay—it was web fiction, a novel.
Li Bin finished the first chapter but didn't even see the protagonist appear.
The entire piece was completely incomprehensible.
It wasn't until the middle of the second chapter that Li Bin finally saw the protagonist, Yu Xiaoyan, appear.
As Li Bin expected, the female lead was a typical artistic young woman—average-looking, from a poor family, born in the countryside, with mediocre academic performance.
In short, a talentless, penniless, uneducated female artsy type, full of arrogance and self-pity.
Next came the description of the male lead: a handsome, dashing, extraordinary man with immense wealth, a Harvard graduate, and a young, ultra-rich heartthrob.
Even more badass, this rich guy was a self-made billionaire! He built his empire from scratch, becoming the richest man in Hangzhou!
"Holy crap, she really dared to write this!" Li Bin cursed again. No need to guess—next would come the meeting, where this near-perfect, super-rich CEO falls head over heels for the talentless, penniless, uneducated artsy girl Yu Xiaoyan.
Then, the talentless artsy girl would reject the domineering CEO out of insecurity, plunging them into a torturous love story.
The emotional drama in between would surely be painfully melodramatic.
Li Bin forced himself through a dozen chapters but couldn't stand it anymore.
Sure, web fiction didn't need much logic or realism, but this was just too damn exaggerated.
The opening of this novel was practically littered with red flags and cringe-worthy moments.
Li Bin absolutely couldn't keep reading.
He even felt an urge to punch someone.
However, since Yu Yinyan was writing for the female audience, maybe some women reading web novels online actually liked this stuff.
It was like how in male-targeted web novels, a talentless male lead ends up bedding a near-perfect female CEO.
Li Bin didn't think that was a big issue.
The biggest problem was still the excessive, irrelevant descriptions at the start, failing to get to the point.
Web fiction needed immersion, a quick dive into the main theme, fast pacing, straightforwardness, and accessibility.
Li Bin: Yinyan, I carefully read your writing. Your style is really good, but your biggest issue is that it's too good. The opening needs to get straight to the point. The first chapter must introduce the protagonist, set up conflict, and create anticipation. All those long, irrelevant descriptions are unnecessary—consider cutting them.
Yu Yinyan: What?! The opening took me five or six days to write! I love it so much, I can't cut it…
Yu Yinyan: Bro, any other issues you noticed?
"Fuck!" Seeing Yu Yinyan's reply, Li Bin couldn't help but want to curse.
Sure enough, web fiction newbies were all the same—stubborn as hell, refusing to listen until they crashed and burned. No amount of advice worked; they were talentless yet full of themselves.
These types needed a harsh dose of reality. A newbie writer had to go through a beating to grow into a seasoned one. Teaching them was useless because these newbies, who thought their writing was better than top-tier web authors, wouldn't listen to advice from experienced writers.
Li Bin: Alright then… no other issues. Your writing is amazing—I think it's even better than some of the big names on Jinjiang. Keep it up.
Li Bin had mentored newbie web writers before and knew their common flaws. Honestly, he wasn't really interested in teaching Yu Yinyan to write. His goal was her body, so he decided to indulge her. He'd go along with her, let her confidence soar, then find a chance to ask her out and make his move.
For an artsy girl like Yu Yinyan, a more artistic approach was the way to go.
Luckily, with his recently acquired literary expertise, Li Bin's literary foundation was top-notch. He could easily play the artsy intellectual with her.
At the very least, he wouldn't be outdone by an ordinary college grad like Yu Yinyan.
Yu Yinyan: Really?! Bro! That's awesome—you saying that gives me so much confidence! I'm thinking of quitting my internship to focus on writing full-time at home, aiming to surpass you, hermano Bin!
Li Bin: You've got this, Yinyan. I'm really rooting for you! Surpassing me will be easy—your foundation is way better than mine. Soon, I'll probably be the one asking you for advice.
Yu Yinyan: Haha… you're too humble, hermano Bin, but I'll work hard.
Yu Yinyan: Oh, by the way, hermano Bin, where do you think I should publish this? I feel like Qidian's new contract terms are too exploitative with copyrights. My work might get adapted into a TV series, and without copyrights, I'd be screwed. I heard Jinjiang's waters are deep, and they suppress new authors. Smaller sites don't have enough traffic…
"Heh… you should first worry about whether you can even get signed. Already dreaming of selling the rights for millions?" Li Bin muttered, rolling his eyes, finding it somewhat amusing.
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