The Thirty-Six Stratagems of Office Politics

In the cutthroat world of the workplace, Lin Yu, a brilliant young man well versed in The Art of War and The Thirty-Six Stratagems, resolutely joined the marketing department of Shenghua Group.

At his interview, he used “Deceive the Heavens to Cross the Sea” to conceal his mastery of strategy. His unique insights, combining business acumen with military wisdom, helped him stand out and land the job. From his first days at the company, Lin Yu was plunged into fierce infighting. When a project ran into trouble, a competitor deliberately smeared him, while Zhang Qiming, an insider, tried to shirk responsibility. Lin Yu stayed composed and deftly resolved the crisis with “Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao,” then used “Borrow a Knife to Kill” to neutralize the threat from within.

After that, he flexibly applied stratagems such as “Wait at Ease for the Weary,” “Loot a Burning House,” and “Hide a Knife Behind a Smile,” seizing the initiative in fierce business battles and achieving impressive results. Meanwhile, love quietly came his way. Su Yao appeared like a warm spring breeze, giving him steadfast support when he hit setbacks at work, and the two pressed forward together.

Lin Yu advanced by leaps and bounds, but made many enemies along the way and faced one thorny problem after another. Still, he repeatedly turned danger into safety with stratagems such as “Watch the Fire from Across the River,” “Steal a Goat in Passing,” and “Startle the Snake by Beating the Grass,” while also seizing opportunities to innovate and break new ground. Faced with a major project bid, business negotiations, difficulties developing a new product, and the threat of a hostile takeover, he successfully broke through each obstacle using such ingenious stratagems as “Lure the Tiger from the Mountain,” “Capture the Ringleader,” “Replace the Beams with Rotten Timbers,” and “Borrow a Road to Conquer Guo.”

In this workplace war without gunfire, Lin Yu relied on his extraordinary intelligence and bold strategic thinking to weather countless thrilling contests. He grew from a newcomer just starting out into a workplace elite, and ultimately led Shenghua Group to the pinnacle of its industry...