In an era when everyone is caught in a rat race and projects reign supreme, a documentary-style novel with a healthy dose of snark, titled How to Become an Idiot, chronicles the laughable everyday life of an entrepreneurial duo.
The protagonist is the widely acclaimed “beacon of the industry” and “project destroyer,” Big Brother Zheng Da Guang Ming. With an exceptional eye for talent and formidable execution skills, he’s a legend who can turn any idea into a real, profitable venture. His partner, meanwhile, lives up to her name in the novel: Xiangxiang, a universally acknowledged “big idiot.”
The story follows Big Brother as he leads Xiangxiang through projects and money-making schemes. He handles the strategy and builds a ladder to the sky, while Xiangxiang uses her astonishing “execution skills” to make every rung on that ladder a source of surprise. Her “idiocy” shows up in every stage of a project: she can misunderstand requirements so badly they end up in outer space, her tasks are forever stuck at “almost done,” and what drives Big Brother Zheng Da Guang Ming, and every partner they work with, absolutely crazy is that she often doesn’t reply to messages. In a cutthroat business world where every second counts, her chat window seems connected to another dimension. Leaving messages on read is normal; vanishing off the face of the earth is business as usual.
This novel is both a tearful tale of a “champion carrying a bronze-ranked player” and an in-depth report on “idiot behavior patterns.” It asks a sharp question: In this fast-paced age, how does an “idiot,” under the “indulgent” guidance of a top-tier partner, not only avoid being eliminated, but gradually “become one”? Is it a lack of talent, or an enigma of attitude? And what lies behind Big Brother Zheng Da Guang Ming’s seemingly endless patience
