"Brother Jue, this part will be cut out during the official broadcast, right?" Xiao Tan asked.
"Why would it be cut out? It's not like I have to rewrite it, "Feng Bujue replied.
"There is nothing to criticize about this part," Officer Bao said. "There is indeed no need for harmony."
"During the post-match interview, I was asked why I wrote something like that," Feng Bujue said. "I asked them in return, why couldn't I write something like that?"
"Oh? There will be post-match interviews? "Xiao Tan asked.
"Yes, after the competition, each writer will have to record an interview individually. During the interview, the staff will play some footage from the show and ask questions from the side." Feng Bujue answered. "This interview will be edited into many segments and interspersed with the broadcast. It is similar to the voice-overs that often appear in reality TV shows."
"Oh? So, the commentary that appears in the middle of a reality TV show is recorded this way? "Xiao Tan asked.
"That is common knowledge," Officer Bao said.
Feng Bujue added, "Then, what do you think those scenes are?"
"Er …" Xiao Tan was speechless.
"But this is the first edited version, and it doesn't have these scenes," Feng Bujue said. "It will only appear in the official broadcast."
At this point in the conversation, Oscar used some nonsense to divert everyone's attention. Then he said, "Then, the tense moment has arrived, it is time to vote!"
The camera panned to show the whole contestant area.
Oscar continued, "Dear seven hundred audience members, at this moment, you can cast your votes on the small screen before you. Every audience member will have a first ballot and a second ballot. Please give your first ballot to the contestant that you think performed the best in this round and give your second ballot to the contestant that you think performed the second best. " He explained, "The index of the first ballot is 1 and the second ballot is 0.5. When the index is the same, the number of first ballot will decide the winner. Other than that, the voting time is two minutes, and you cannot vote for the same contestant. Now … the voting begins! "
Following that, intense background music started playing and the camera zoomed in on each of the seven writers in order.
Oscar was not idle either. He had to find something to say. "The first round is usually the most unpredictable round. Other than Bujue, who is here for the first time, the other six writers have won first place in this round." He paused for a moment. "So far, only Ba Shan Pin has won the first round as a newcomer, but … that was our first episode, and all seven contestants were newcomers.
After that, there hasn't been a new contestant who won the first round. I wonder if Contestant Bujue will break that rule today … "
Two minutes passed quickly, and Oscar shouted, "Time's up!" He sighed. "Alright, as usual, we will announce the first, second, and last place of this round." He looked at the big screen. "Let me first announce … the second place contestant …"
The camera changed again. When Oscar spoke, he purposely dragged it out to keep the audience in suspense. "He is …" As the music stopped, a writer's pen name appeared on the screen. "I'm Going On Stage!"
The camera replayed the change in expression of I'm Going On Stage three times. However, the man was wearing sunglasses and had a mop hairstyle, so even if his expression was slightly different, it was hard to tell.
Then, the director maliciously replayed the expressions of the other contestants one by one when the second place was announced. Of course, everyone appeared to be relatively calm. Most of them hesitated for a second before putting on a relaxed smile and applauding with the audience.
Only Feng Bujue continued to observe the development of the situation with a face that looked like he was about to die. He looked like an office worker who had just finished punching in the morning and was looking forward to getting off work. If it weren't for the salary, he would have left immediately.
"Congratulations, Brother Field." Oscar turned around to say, "How is it? Are you satisfied with this result?" he asked.
"Actually, I thought I would only be in the fourth or fifth place," I'm Going On Stage replied with a smile.
"Then, who do you think will be in the top three?" Oscar tossed out another question that might offend someone.
I'm Going On Stage answered honestly, "Hmm … I think Brother Ping, Xuan Tian, and … Bujue, I think their performances are better than mine."
"Oh?" Oscar's reaction was fast. He turned to Vegetable and Fruit. "Vegetable, what do you think?"
"In my heart … Hmm, the top three should be Brother Ping, Xuan Tian, and Brother Field," Vegetable and Fruit answered. "I might be at the bottom."
"How can you say that to Uncle Soda?" Mo Buxiang asked Vegetable and Fruit.
Her tone and expression showed that she was joking. Oscar laughed. "Soda, looks like Mo Buxiang means that you will be at the bottom this round."
Soda also laughed. "You're going to announce the last place, right?"
"Hmm … That's right," Oscar said. He pointed at the big screen. "Let's see … the last place of the first round … is …"
Soda was undeniably at the bottom. Even though Feng Bujue's work was not easy to comment on, at least he had finished it, and he had written quite a lot. However, the few sentences in the soda could only be considered a half-finished product.
Without the director's reminder, the cameraman repeated what he had done earlier.
"Okay, I believe … Soda should have predicted this result," Oscar said.
Soda only nodded with a smile.
"Then … the most important moment has arrived." Oscar turned back to the big screen. "Today, who will be the winner of the first round? Will it be Ba Shan Pin and Xuan Tian Zong, who are favored by our writers, or will it be Bujue, who is new to this stage? Vegetable and Mo Mo, as popular contestants, do they really not stand a chance? " Following his lines, the camera panned to the contestants according to their order. "The result … will be revealed after the commercial …"
There was another edit, and in the next shot, Oscar read out the names on the big screen. "The winner of the first round is … Ba Shan Pin!"
The audience cheered and clapped.
"I believe everyone is as impressed as I am by Brother Pin's description of the characters," Oscar said, and the big screen reappeared with the poem that Ba Shan Pin had written earlier.
Then, there was a sudden change. Oscar's position changed, and he announced loudly, "I believe everyone has been waiting for this for a long time. Now, let us enter the second round — The Stroke of Genius!"
"Look, the part just now was the part where they planned to cut into the interview. At that point, they should have cut into the comments of the contestants on the result of the first round," Feng Bujue told Xiao Tan and Master Bao.
Xiao Tan asked, "So, what was your ranking in the first round?"
"I have no idea," Feng Bujue said. "I didn't ask."
"Shush, look at the rules." Master Bao signaled for them to be quiet.
The screen showed the detailed rules for the second round, and then Oscar said, "The first round is over. From the current situation, Ba Shan Pin is one step ahead, and I Want to Go on the Stage is right behind him. Soda is temporarily last. After the second round, I wonder what kind of change will happen to the ranking? "
Oscar said as he strode to Feng Bujue. "Bujue, if I tell you now that the format of the second round might be very advantageous to you, would you believe me?"
"Now, you look like you just walked out from a MLM convention … So, my initial prediction is … the format of the second round is indeed very advantageous to me," Feng Bujue replied with narrowed eyes.
The audience laughed from the bottom of their hearts. Oscar laughed awkwardly. "No wonder Contestant Bujue is a detective novel writer, and he is quite humorous." He quickly took two steps away from Brother Bujue, and once again, he regretted his action of chatting with Feng Bujue.
"In the second round …" Oscar steered the topic back on track. "Our seven writers will see …" He waved his arm, "This paragraph."
On the screen, a paragraph that was not that long appeared. "Ding Yi, a normal office worker, came from a normal family. A relative of his was seriously ill and needed a large sum of money to pay for the medical fees. One day, Ding Yi picked up a treasure, and Ding Yi saved that relative."
Oscar looked at the paragraph and said, "I need all the writers to come up with a synopsis based on this paragraph to make it a relatively complete story." His eyes moved to the contestants' area. "The time limit is ten minutes. Now … start!"
Even though the announcement was made, none of the seven contestants moved. They were all deep in thought.
"If writing is cosmetics, then creativity is the content of a novel. Both can attract readers," Oscar said to the camera. "The judging criteria for this round is the degree of attraction of the plot. In the end, the contestants will dictate the content that they have come up with. In other words, this round has nothing to do with writing but creativity. "He paused before continuing." Personally, I think … as a mystery novelist, Bujue will be able to surprise us when he comes up with this kind of short story. "
The camera panned to Feng Bujue. The man's eyes were blank, and he was as still as a statue. It was unclear whether he was thinking or spacing out.
"Mo Buxiang and Soda often have excellent performances in this round," Oscar said. "I wonder what the result will be today?" He said, "According to the results of the online voting, the Stroke of Genius is the segment that the audience of this program is looking forward to the most. Every issue, our seven writers will bring seven wonderful stories to the audience. Some are exquisite, some are terrifying, some are profound, and some are suspenseful. Although the highlights are different, every story is extremely attractive without exception … "
He rambled on for a while before it was time for commercials. Since there were no commercials for this version, Xiao Tan and Master Bao welcomed the announcement that they had been waiting for.
The announcement process for this round was not in the order of one to seven. Instead, it was randomly selected. Therefore, the contestants in the sixth or seventh place could not take their time to think about it. They had to finish their thoughts within ten minutes to prevent themselves from being the first to be selected.
"Then, the first contestant to be announced is …" Oscar pointed at the big screen. The numbers from one to seven kept flashing before stopping at four.
"Mo Mo, please begin," Oscar said directly without beating around the bush.
The control panel in front of the contestants was in free-input mode. Not only could the contestants write words, they could also draw sketches, such as character relationships, maps, or objects. When the contestants dictated, they could look at the sketches and organize their words. Of course, they could also write a short story on the screen like they were writing an essay. They could just read it once when the time came. There was no fixed format for things like an outline, and it could be written in any way.
In Mo Buxiang's story, Ding Yi was a twenty-nine-year-old woman. She had a dream of being a musician since she was young, but in the end, she stepped into a normal life. That was until Ding Yi's fiance fell seriously ill and changed her life. Later, she found a magical flute that could make anyone who heard it cry. In the end, not only did she save her fiance, she also regained her dream.
Her story was very short; it only took three minutes to finish. Along with the emotional background music, a few of the audience members used it as a pretext to make a fuss. The cameraman naturally did not miss this opportunity and gave them a close-up of a few seconds.
"Yes, Mo Mo has brought us another exciting story. It looks calm but has a heart-warming power. She has once again proven that for a story to be captivating, it does not need exaggerated characters or intense conflicts. As long as there is true love, the story will have its soul." Oscar recited a string of comments like he was reciting poetry. Then, he began to announce the next contestant.
In this round, the contestants basically brought the story into their field of expertise. The questions given in the Divine Pen segment were always very open. Ding Yi's gender, age, family's identity, illness, the use of treasures, and so on … There were countless ways to unfold the story. There was a high degree of freedom, so it was very easy for the contestants to write. If they had the heart, they would prepare a few good outlines before the recording, and when the time came, all they had to do was throw them in.
Soon, all the contestants finished speaking. The one with the best performance was probably Soda. The horror master was indeed amazing. In just ten minutes, he came up with a plot that was full of twists and turns and had some suspense. Furthermore, he was able to bring the topic to the end without any problems.
Finally, it was Feng Bujue's turn.
For some reason, even though Brother Jue was randomly announced, he was also the last to appear.
Normally, the last contestant to announce their outline in the second round would have the advantage. Even though the contestants would have thought of the content within ten minutes, and the others could not touch the screen after the announcement, they could use the extra time to edit and perfect the plot in their minds.
At that moment, the audience was also waiting expectantly for Feng Bujue's performance. There were three reasons for that. First, Oscar had said those irresponsible things about mystery writers. Second, Brother Jue was the last to appear. Third, the man's performance in the first round was still fresh in everyone's mind.
"Hmm …" Feng Bujue crossed his arms before his chest, and his face was filled with worry.
Oscar walked to his side and glanced at his panel. He was shocked and thought, It's completely blank! The other contestants have written at least half the screen, haven't they? What is going on with you? No one has ever handed in a blank script in this segment before! The person who wrote the biography of General Jin before he was thirty-three in the first round can't even squeeze out a single word! What is the meaning of this!
"Er … Contestant Bujue, it's your turn." When Oscar said that, he was already prepared for the man to give up.
But to his surprise, Feng Bujue took a deep breath and leaned close to the microphone. Without looking at the screen, he started to speak very quickly. "Ding Yi, thirty years old, single, a normal office worker, working at the lowest level. Like most office workers, he lives the life of a zombie. Until one day, his aunt's son's classmate's uncle was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had to be sent to Earth for treatment. "
Wait a minute … What's with being sent to Earth? Is this still a human story? Aliens who have the ability to travel through space lost to Earthlings in terms of medical treatment? What does the uncle of his aunt's son's classmate have to do with Ding Yi? Why don't you just let him die? Oscar couldn't help but grumble in his heart, and the expression on his face changed.
Feng Bujue continued. "But going to Earth required a large amount of money. It was not something that he, his aunt's family, or his aunt's son's classmate's family could afford. At that moment, Ding Yi picked up a pair of magical dancing shoes. This treasure awakened his memory that had been sealed for many years. The sense of justice and mission that he had lost for a long time had all returned to his mind. So, twenty years ago, Ding Yi's identity was … a superhero from the Cosmic Youth League — the Thunderbolt Dancer. "
"What Thunderbolt … What Thunderbolt … What Thunderbolt Dancer! Someone, please chase him off the stage! "Oscar was going crazy.
"Ding Yi first contacted their alien planet's colony on Earth, India," Feng Bujue continued.
"So, Indian isn't from Earth? So, that's the setting? "
"His childhood friend, the Stomper Stranger, lived on Earth."
"A young superhero with such a name … How did he fight against the evil of the universe when he was young?"
"Then, they successfully used their superpowers to help Ding Yi's aunt's son's classmate's uncle smuggle into Earth."
"Superhero your ass! Justice your ass! If you don't have money, then smuggle into Earth! What's the point of this whole series of settings? "
"In the end, Ding Yi's aunt's son's uncle received proper treatment from a local military doctor and recovered." Feng Bujue finally said, "And Ding Yi's story had just begun … After his awakening, he joined the Cosmic Youth League. The name Thunderbolt Dancer once again appeared in people's eyes. And the evil forces that had been sleeping in the Milky Way for a long time started to stir again …"
At this point, he stopped abruptly. For some reason, everyone who listened to his story had an inexplicable and painful expectation in their hearts. They hoped that he would continue to tell the story …
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