...
After listening to Xuan Hao's practical instruction, Ning Rongrong looked strange and somewhat guilty, she defended herself:
"I... I was just thinking that if things got too intense, I might lose control and force Tang San to completely turn against us."
"scale?"
Xuan Hao scoffed, "In this level of negotiation, things like boundaries are all trivial matters.
So what if you really said something excessive or went too far?"
"You need to figure out where the ultimate core conflict in tonight's situation lies—it's Yu Xiaogang!"
Xuan Hao picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"Even if you really push Tang San to the edge, you can just think of a way to guide him a little afterward and completely shift the focus of his anger, resentment, and conflict to the point that Yu Xiaogang's incompetent theory delayed Tang San's cultivation."
As long as he feels that he trusted the wrong person, leading to his current setbacks, even if you hurl the harshest insults, subconsciously he will only hate Yu Xiaogang, not you.
Xuan Hao put down his teacup and looked at Ning Rongrong, who was still stunned by the scolding.
"To put it bluntly, your theoretical skills are still too naive."
Ning Rongrong pouted after being scolded, and muttered under her breath, somewhat unconvinced:
"That's easy for you to say. Isn't it because you, the backbone of the organization, went out to have a late-night snack with Aunt Yuehua and didn't get involved yourself?
If you had been there, things would have been much simpler, and there wouldn't have been so many loopholes."
"What kind of talk is that?"
Xuan Hao rolled his eyes, toying with his teacup.
"I can't possibly teach you everything step by step and personally fight for you in every situation, can I?"
It's a rare opportunity for you to practice and hone your ability to control situations.
If you rely on me for everything, how will you gain experience?
"Once we return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, do you expect me to follow you around every day, offering advice and strategies?"
Seeing Ning Rongrong's slightly dejected look, Xuan Hao's tone softened a bit:
"Actually, what I said just now was just to help you fill in the gaps, a kind of post-event review and tactical optimization.
If we're being strict with evaluation, your operation tonight was, overall, barely passable."
"After all, you did achieve your initial goal tonight.
Yu Xiaogang's fig leaf has been torn off, and Tang San's defenses have also cracked."
Although it wasn't perfect from the start, it's already quite good.
As for those details that weren't done well or were overlooked, you can make up for them later through other means.
Upon hearing "follow-up compensation," Ning Rongrong's face showed a strange and hesitant expression:
"But... tonight was the peak of our emotions. Everyone was angry, and we didn't say those hurtful things out loud."
If I went to Tang San specifically to say these things afterward, wouldn't it seem too deliberate and have ulterior motives?
Xuan Hao put down his teacup, sighed helplessly, and glanced at the girls present:
"It seems that you still haven't fully figured out Tang San."
"You need to understand the most crucial point:
Tang San, although he always appears to be a gentle and kind person who values loyalty and righteousness, is just a facade he uses to protect himself."
At his core, he is an extreme utilitarian!
Xuan Hao pointed to his temple:
"Moreover, you must not underestimate Tang San's brain."
That guy is very meticulous.
Once he calms down and carefully reviews everything afterward, do you think he won't see that the real purpose behind your seemingly impulsive farce tonight was to drive a wedge between him and Yu Xiaogang?
"He'll definitely figure it out! But even if he does, what then?"
"Because the underlying logic you use to attack Yu Xiaogang is absolutely correct and flawless!"
Yu Xiaogang is a fraud and a good-for-nothing; that's an objective fact.
No matter how Tang San tries to refute your arguments with emotion, he cannot logically refute them.
"So even if he knows you're deliberately setting a trap, as long as he's absolutely rational and comes to the pragmatic conclusion that 'Yu Xiaogang is indeed unfit to be a teacher' and 'leaving Yu Xiaogang would be better for my future development,' he'll still agree with your point of view!"
"Remember, what guides Tang San's thoughts and actions is always absolute pragmatism and values, not those rampant emotions."
Xuan Hao summarized, word by word, "So, even if you deliberately go to find him afterward, as long as your logic can make Tang San truly believe that everything you said and did was for his own good and would have a huge and substantial benefit to his future cultivation."
So, he won't get angry; instead, he'll pretend not to understand and patiently listen to all your "unpleasant but truthful" advice.
"Don't treat Tang San like a sensitive, spoiled little girl who needs to be coaxed to listen.
As long as the price and benefits are enough, he doesn't care about these trivial details of communication or so-called deliberate actions."
Ning Rongrong listened thoughtfully and nodded knowingly:
"I understand. As long as the core logic holds, it doesn't matter if the methods are a bit crude.
So... in that case, let's strike while the iron is hot and go find him again tomorrow?"
"Go to hell!"
Xuan Hao was so exasperated by her unconventional thinking that he almost spat out his tea. He glared at her speechlessly.
"I just praised you a couple of times, and you're already getting all high and mighty, aren't you?
Did you just eat all the stuff I taught you with braised pork?"
"You guys just gave his teacher a thorough dressing down tonight, and Tang San is currently feeling a surge of anger and a complex struggle."
Are you going to rush over tomorrow and rub salt into his wounds, continuing to brainwash him?
This isn't intentional; this is coercion!
Xuan Hao slammed his fist on the table in annoyance:
"If you really do that, no matter how pragmatic Tang San is, his suspicious nature will inevitably make him think that you are targeting him with ulterior motives, and he might even suspect that you have some kind of ulterior motive."
Don't be so hasty in your actions. Let things take their course, understand?
Ning Rongrong rubbed her head in grievance, thought carefully for a moment, and then turned her eyes to Xiao Wu:
"Since the few of us just offended him and it's not appropriate for us to show up now, then... how about letting Xiao Wu go?"
"Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu are beyond question, and he has always valued her opinions.
Even if Xiao Wu goes to chat with him tomorrow and casually adds to what we didn't say tonight,
Tang San probably won't think too much about it, let alone be wary of her, right?"
"Sigh..." Xuan Hao looked at Ning Rongrong's whimsical ideas and was completely helpless.
He glanced at Xiao Wu, who was still struggling with a carrot, and asked in return:
"Take a close look at Xiao Wu's usual silly demeanor. Guess what Tang San's first reaction would be if Xiao Wu suddenly ran up to Tang San tomorrow and logically and reasonedly analyzed things like 'theory is useless' and 'hierarchy suppression'?"
"Tang San would never believe that Xiao Wu could have come up with these words on her own!
He would be absolutely certain that it was you, Ning Rongrong, or me, who instigated or even brainwashed Xiao Wu to act as a mouthpiece!"
Tang San knew better than anyone how straightforward Xiao Wu was.
If such thoughtful, calculating, and comparative words came out of Xiao Wu's mouth, they would be full of flaws and inconsistent with her character!
"Xiao Wu's role is definitely not to lead the attack."
Xuan Hao looked at Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Wu's role is to be able to use her special position in Tang San's heart to occasionally say a few seemingly naive but actually key words that hit the nail on the head when you or others are having a conflict of interests and logic with Tang San.
"Her task is to guide, to act as an emotional anchor, to stabilize Tang San's thoughts when he is in a state of extreme confusion, and to ensure that he is not led astray by his obsessive emotions."
But she absolutely cannot lead the entire persuasion process by herself.
Otherwise, Tang San wouldn't listen; instead, he'd think Xiao Wu had been completely fooled and was just a puppet in our hands.
"This one-sided use of Xiao Wu to give orders and relay messages will not only be ineffective, but will also touch Tang San's sore spot, making him feel extremely disgusted, suspicious and hostile towards you and even towards me."
Xuan Hao looked at Ning Rongrong, who seemed somewhat frustrated, and said, "Rongrong, you are very smart, but there is still a lot you need to learn."
"When you use human nature to make calculations and plans, you must also take into account the complexity and emotion of the human heart.
Absolute reason and absolute emotion are never isolated."
"Even an extreme pragmatist like Tang San will inevitably have a sentimental, even crazy, side for the people he cares about.
Finding the perfect balance between these two extremes is the big picture that you really need to figure out in the future."
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