Yu Zhou was genuinely surprised, as he had never expected Tang Yan to be interested in product development.
In his eyes, this was a field requiring significant expertise.
Furthermore, it demanded a market insight that most people lacked.
It was important to note that what Tang Yan referred to as "product development" was not mere research and development, but rather akin to the role of a product manager.
In the entire Long Xia, renowned product managers were exceptionally rare, even in later generations, and highly sought after.
Therefore, becoming a qualified product manager was no easy feat.
It was only because Tang Yan was with Yu Zhou that she possessed such great potential; otherwise, if anyone else had said this, Yu Zhou wouldn't have even believed them.
"It's essentially about how to develop methods for creating food that caters to the public's taste, or at least the taste of the vast majority."
"Some things, I don't deny, might taste better than the products our company produces."
"They might even be so astounding that a single bite leaves you amazed. But, how should I put it? Such tastes might not necessarily suit the general public."
"Even if a food product is truly excellent, due to cost or other considerations, it might not be truly suitable for mass production."
"If you have the idea of developing new products and establishing a flavor research and development department, then I can learn."
"And I will definitely put in my utmost effort to learn."
As she spoke, Tang Yan's expression became serious.
It was evident that in her eyes, this was a field of study she was interested in. Even if she felt she might not be qualified, she still wanted to earnestly pursue it.
After all, who wouldn't want to do what they love and achieve success?
No matter who it was, they likely wouldn't refuse such an opportunity.
Tang Yan indeed had aspirations for success, but that didn't mean she didn't want to do things she liked and enjoyed doing.
Now, she had presented her idea, and whether it would be approved by Yu Zhou, Tang Yan herself was uncertain.
However, this did not diminish her desire to try.
"I truly didn't expect you to impress me so much today," Yu Zhou said slowly, sipping his tea.
To be honest, he was indeed taken aback by Tang Yan at this moment.
Were good product managers useful? At least to Yu Zhou, they were immensely valuable, especially in a food factory of this era. Continuously innovating could truly establish a robust food brand.
Previously, for [Three Horses], who was acting as the product manager?
It was actually Yu Zhou himself. However, he was relying not on the inherent talent or keen market sense of a product manager, but on replicating products from later generations.
This might not have been a difficult task, but if he truly had a qualified product manager, it would be an immense windfall for himself and his company.
In such a situation, Yu Zhou would even wake up laughing in his dreams.
And did the Tang Yan before him possess such capability?
In Yu Zhou's view, she did, and not just a little.
Whether it was her insight or other aspects, Tang Yan possessed considerable potential.
Especially her positioning of products, which directly struck a chord with Yu Zhou.
It was not too difficult to create products that catered to the public's taste.
However, many aspects within this process required thorough preparation.
For instance, what if you developed a delicious product that initially couldn't be accepted by everyone?
Would you genuinely believe in forcing it onto the market? Yu Zhou would not do that, and Tang Yan's thinking was similar to his.
Not creating products based on personal preference was a must for a qualified, even excellent, product manager.
In this era, even in later generations, how many people could truly achieve this?
Don't assume this is simple or easy. In reality, once you gain a certain level of authority, without such a mindset and without making all preparations from the outset, it becomes truly difficult to achieve.
Yu Zhou knew this clearly, and therefore, he considered Tang Yan to be a player with self-awareness, or rather, potential.
Since this was the case, why wouldn't he support her for the future?
"Why don't you think of a new product right now, one that at least caters to the public's taste?"
"I want to see if you truly have the potential and can really do what you say."
"If you can, then I will specifically send you for training. After you've learned, we can then discuss the matter of the entire product department?"
Yu Zhou knew that Tang Yan was very eager to learn.
Moreover, he also intended to cultivate her. Since things had reached this point, he had to test her potential, no matter what.
He had his own plans but didn't want Tang Yan to get the opportunity too easily, which was why he said this.
Regardless of the final outcome, he had already considered her as one of his own.
Whether it was future cultivation or sending her for training, as long as Tang Yan was willing to help him, doing anything and how to do it would be simple.
To Yu Zhou, it was merely like keeping a useful person. In the future, if she could truly play a role, it would be a tremendous gain.
Furthermore, in Yu Zhou's eyes, even if he didn't fully understand Tang Yan yet, and didn't know if she would remember this favor later,
At least in the beginning, when she was needed, she wouldn't hold back.
This was enough, at least for Yu Zhou at this moment, it was sufficient.
"Talk about it now? Are you sure you're not trying to put me on the spot?"
Tang Yan rolled her eyes, evidently having understood Yu Zhou's intentions.
However, upon hearing this, Yu Zhou was somewhat speechless. This woman seemed difficult to fool.
"Just tell me if you have any ideas. If you do, state them. If not, I won't hold you back on this matter."
Having said this much, Yu Zhou had no further inclination to tease and spoke with seriousness.