Wu Bin remained silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, “Mr. Pei, I have a question.”

“You said this booklet’s explanation has some ‘merit.’ Specifically, where is that merit?”

Pei Qian fell silent.

This was a good question, a sharp one that immediately cut to the core of the issue.

I’d really like to tell you where its merit lies, but I can’t say it directly!

After thinking for a moment, Pei Qian countered, “So where do you think this booklet lacks merit?”

Wu Bin answered, “I think it’s mainly in its grasp of the Tenda Spirit’s core values!”

“If we look at these relatively superficial, rather shallow details, such as these specific choices, they seem quite correct.”

“But the interpretation of the Tenda Spirit’s core values deviates far too much.”

“In my understanding, the Tenda Spirit should be a kind of uplifting, forward-striving spirit, not a pleasure-seeking slacker spirit.”

“If there’s a problem at the most fundamental level of understanding, it will naturally lead to completely incorrect conclusions, and the final results will, of course, be vastly different and far apart.”

Pei Qian inwardly scoffed.

This is exactly the result I want!

Your uplifting interpretation is the one that’s gone astray, okay?

Pei Qian had long wanted to point out that there might be some problem with how his subordinates interpreted the Tenda Spirit. Now it was confirmed beyond doubt—there was indeed a problem, and a big one at that!

This was a good opportunity to make a slight correction.

Without this booklet, even if Pei Qian wanted to make corrections, he didn’t have a suitable opening.

Because there were some things he couldn’t say too plainly, suddenly doing something like this would seem rather abrupt and arouse suspicion.

Moreover, Pei Qian had never caught concrete evidence proving that everyone’s understanding of the Tenda Spirit had gone astray, so naturally, he had no way to address it.

But this was a very good opportunity.

Although he still couldn’t be too explicit, he could at least use this chance to hint and nudge people’s understanding of the Tenda Spirit in a relatively correct direction.

Pei Qian countered, “Is the slacker spirit necessarily wrong? Why do you have such prejudice against the slacker spirit?”

“I actually think there’s nothing wrong with the slacker spirit. Not only should it not be opposed, but it should also be vigorously promoted.”

“Taking pride in work and feeling shame in pleasure—this seems absolutely correct on the surface, but if you think carefully, is it really absolutely correct?”

“How has pleasure become something shameful, something difficult to speak about?”

Wu Bin: “Huh?”

The slacker spirit should be vigorously promoted?

This didn’t seem right. The original meaning of “slacker” came from “if you lose your dreams, what’s the difference between a person and a salted fish?” The point was that people should have dreams, goals, and strive hard.

Promoting the slacker spirit—wouldn’t that mean encouraging people to abandon dreams and goals, to stop striving and just muddle through life?

How could such an idea come from Mr. Pei’s mouth?

Pei Qian continued, “Have you considered why this booklet’s starting point seems wrong to you, yet it reaches the correct conclusions?”

“Shouldn’t you really reflect on yourself?”

Pei Qian felt he couldn’t be any clearer.

The meaning was: this booklet’s interpretation also led to the correct answers, so why don’t you reflect on whether your interpretation is the distorted one? Perhaps the booklet’s answers are the standard ones?

Reflect carefully—have you overcomplicated things?

Wu Bin was dumbfounded.

He seemed to understand somewhat, but upon careful consideration, he didn’t understand at all.

Mr. Pei’s words seemed very philosophical and profound, making him feel his previous thinking was far too one-sided.

Pei Qian asked, “Do you understand now?”

Wu Bin felt somewhat ashamed: “Mr. Pei, I… seem to understand a bit. I’ll go back and contemplate further.”

Pei Qian was speechless.

Well, that was a waste of effort.

If he didn’t understand on the spot, then what he figured out afterward would only be even more ridiculously wrong.

Actually, I’m just encouraging everyone to slack off, encouraging everyone not to work hard—is that so difficult to understand?

“Don’t overthink it. Many principles are very simple. Don’t always let your thoughts soar so high; stay more grounded. Understand?”

Wu Bin still seemed half-understanding, but he had a good memory. He had recorded everything Mr. Pei said and could ponder it slowly.

So he nodded: “Yes, Mr. Pei. I’ve remembered it all.”

Pei Qian silently sighed inwardly.

Ah, where did I find all these amusing employees? Every one of them has major comprehension issues.

Hopefully, this divine assist from the training institution could help salvage the situation a bit.

…

Leaving Mr. Pei’s office, Wu Bin felt genuinely confused.

His brain waves seemed once again out of sync with Mr. Pei’s.

What was going on?

It must be that his understanding of the Tenda Spirit was still lacking.

Wu Bin immediately returned to the Human Resources Department, secretly pulled out the handbook hidden at the bottom of his drawer, looked at the Tenda Spirit content, compared it with the training institution’s booklet, and carefully reflected on what Mr. Pei had said today.

It had to be said that these two booklets’ surface interpretations of the Tenda Spirit were quite close, but their interpretations of the deeper connotations were vastly different.

The Tenda Spirit that Wu Bin had summarized ultimately still encouraged everyone to work diligently and strive hard. As for entertainment, it was merely an adjustment to work—rest and recalibration meant to help everyone work better.

But the training institution’s booklet directly interpreted it as slacking off and enjoying oneself.

In attitude, the two had an essential difference.

But what surprised Wu Bin was that Mr. Pei hadn’t denied this booklet at all; instead, he had denied Wu Bin’s own views.

“What does Mr. Pei really mean? Could it be as this booklet says, that Mr. Pei actually encourages slacking off and goofing around?”

“How is that possible? If Mr. Pei were really that kind of person, how could Tenda have developed to its current scale?”

“I must be missing something.”

Wu Bin had written down everything Mr. Pei had said and was pondering it repeatedly.

“Mr. Pei asked, is the slacker spirit necessarily wrong? Why have prejudice against the slacker spirit?”

“Taking pride in work and feeling shame in pleasure isn’t necessarily correct. Pleasure shouldn’t be something people are ashamed to mention.”

“He also asked me why the booklet’s starting point seems wrong to me yet reaches the correct conclusions, telling me to reflect on myself…”

“Hmm…”

“I believe Mr. Pei’s interpretation of the Tenda Spirit should be very broad and tolerant. This booklet can’t be completely correct, but it happened to notice blind spots that I hadn’t noticed before. And these blind spots were emphasized by Mr. Pei, which are my shortcomings.”

“In other words, Mr. Pei affirmed this booklet’s relatively novel interpretation, telling me not to rush to deny it but to earnestly extract nutrition from it.”

Wu Bin furrowed his brows, entering a state of deep thought.

When it came to understanding the Tenda Spirit, Wu Bin believed that apart from Mr. Pei, no one in Tenda Group understood it more profoundly than he did.

But clearly, even his understanding of the Tenda Spirit was still not comprehensive.

“Mr. Pei said taking pride in work and feeling shame in pleasure isn’t necessarily correct. Where exactly is the error in this statement?”

“Looking at each part separately, both statements are certainly fine.”

“Could it be… they should be considered together? Is Mr. Pei actually hinting that they shouldn’t be set in clear opposition to each other in the first place?”

Wu Bin felt that given Mr. Pei’s workaholic constitution, Mr. Pei definitely wasn’t someone who indulged in pleasure. He must be deeply immersed in his work state, diligently developing Tenda and transforming one industry after another.

Therefore, Mr. Pei certainly couldn’t be someone who disliked work and indulged in pleasure.

Since both statements seemed correct when considered separately, it could only mean they weren’t correct when combined.

And the only explanation was that these two shouldn’t be distinguished so clearly!

Wu Bin suddenly thought of a concept: “the alienation of labor.”

Originally, labor should be something that brings happiness to people.

Because labor is the process by which people use their intelligence and wisdom to create value for the entire world.

Like a sculptor carving a work, a painter creating a picture, or a craftsman making tools—in this process, they transform raw materials into valuable artifacts, crystallizing their intelligence and wisdom. Upon completion, they should feel a sense of achievement.

But for a long period, labor became a kind of suffering, a kind of exploitation. What people felt in labor was not the joy of creation but rather physical torture and spiritual devastation.

It was precisely because of this that people began to frequently emphasize: work itself is painful, but adults should strive to overcome this pain and actively bear it.

Consumerism then transformed this pain into a drive for consumption.

Your work is already so hard, why not buy some luxury goods to reward yourself?

Thus, a perfect “working person” cycle was formed.

The pain brought by labor was due to the alienation of labor, and this alienation was in turn utilized. Work and entertainment were strictly separated, when they could have been one.

Wu Bin had seen this viewpoint before and believed it had some validity, but inertial thinking was certainly difficult to change.

Now, after careful consideration, he found that Mr. Pei’s statement actually resonated with this idea!

This made him re-emphasize this viewpoint and incorporate it into Mr. Pei’s theory.

“So, Mr. Pei’s appreciation of this booklet is mainly because it points out the inherent reasonableness of entertainment itself?”

“Previously, I had divided work and entertainment into two distinctly separate things, viewing entertainment entirely as an adjustment and aid to work.”

“Ultimately, I still didn’t correctly recognize the value of entertainment.”

“But Mr. Pei told me that entertainment isn’t just about pleasing the body and mind or adjusting the working state. Sometimes, entertainment is labor itself!”

“Why did the booklet start from a wrong point yet reach the correct conclusion? Because it accidentally interpreted Mr. Pei’s emphasis on entertainment, elevating it to a higher position.”

“While my direction was correct, precisely because it seemed too correct, I naturally overlooked some equally important content.”

“In that case… there’s no need to clarify the content of this booklet!”

“After new employees join, as long as they combine the content of the booklet with the Tenda Spirit handbook, won’t they understand a more comprehensive Tenda Spirit?”

“This booklet is wrong, but it’s wrong in a very typical way, very enlightening, and very educational!”

Wu Bin suddenly understood Mr. Pei’s intention.

He had initially thought Mr. Pei was emphasizing the promoting effect of entertainment on work, but now it appeared not to be so.

Mr. Pei was thinking more deeply. He was considering that entertainment and work might inherently be one, trying to change the state of labor alienation and return it to its most original form!

To transform Tenda’s work from purely painful, consuming work into labor’s original state of “creation.”

Undoubtedly, this intent had been elevated another level.

It seemed the Tenda Spirit handbook would need to be completely overhauled and updated again!