Chapter 1 "Cut!"

“Cut!”

The head director's call for a stop brought Oscar a sense of relief, because he really didn't know how to continue smoothly; if he hadn't stopped, he probably would have started to complain.

The scene transitioned directly to the voting phase.

Xiao Tan asked, "Hey? What happened in between?"

Feng Bujue replied, "Oh... that part. They'll insert several post-match interviews with the contestants, that is, the other writers and myself, commenting on this outline. Then Oscar will record a separate speech to follow, so the live effect when the show airs will be a bit better."

"Is it because there are too many flaws in your statement, so the subsequent narration needs to be carefully considered?" Bao Zheng interjected.

"Probably," Feng Bujue shrugged. "Oh, right, at that time, the director also told me something quite troublesome..."

***

"Everyone take a break, cameramen adjust the equipment, we'll start again in ten minutes." The head director calmly gave a few instructions into his headset microphone, then he raised his arm and gestured, "Bujue, come over here for a moment."

Feng Bujue came down from the contestant seats and walked to Fei Ran, the head director. "Director Fei, are you planning to directly announce that I'm being eliminated for my bad attitude?" The way he asked this question was actually filled with glee.

"The way I see it, if this continues... you're definitely staying today," Fei Ran replied calmly.

"That's not what we agreed on!" Feng Bujue quickly retorted.

"Who told you to be so eye-catching? Did you think you could get eliminated just by messing around?" Fei Ran said, "The right way to be eliminated is to be as mediocre as possible."

"What do I do now?" Feng Bujue asked.

"Hmm... you really don't want to come for even one more episode?" Fei Ran asked.

"That's right," Feng Bujue answered decisively and sincerely.

"Then how about this... when calculating the total index in the last round, I can help you rig it a little," Fei Ran said, "But... this matter..."

"I understand..."

"What do you understand?"

"First, don't talk about rigging. Second, don't talk about rigging." Feng Bujue said with a serious face, even emphasizing his tone, "Third... don't talk about rigging!"

Fei Ran pushed up the glasses on his nose, "Do I look like the kind of person who really likes Fight Club references?"

"Of course, you look very much like it," Feng Bujue replied.

Fei Ran nodded, "Well, alright, since we get along so well, I believe you'll keep it a secret for me."

"Definitely," Feng Bujue replied.

"Oh, also, there's one more thing, I need to tell you in advance," Fei Ran said.

"Go ahead."

"I have a feeling that this episode's ratings will definitely be good, and your unique behavior will definitely generate a certain number of fans," Fei Ran said, "So, at the end of June, before this season's competition ends, you'll probably have to attend the revival match."

"Huh?" Feng Bujue said, "That's so troublesome?"

"The list for the revival match takes the top seven from online voting. All the contestants who have been on the show and eliminated will be included in the voting list. This voting is open and transparent. If you get selected by then, there's nothing I can do," Fei Ran replied.

"Just issue a statement, like... due to contestant Feng Bujue's health issues, he can't participate in the revival match, so we've temporarily invited so-and-so, who ranked eighth in the votes, to fill in," Feng Bujue said.

"Do you think this is elementary school where you can skip class?" Fei Ran said, "Health issues..."

"Not convincing enough... then let's be more specific, how about syphilis?"

"I think you've misunderstood the main point of my words..."

"Don't worry, it's a completely reasonable reason. Schubert contracted it at twenty-five, and I also..."

"Mr. Feng, please have some self-respect..."

***

"Eh? So... two months later, you'll still have to go to the revival match?" Xiao Tan asked.

"How it specifically turns out will depend on the reaction after this episode airs," Feng Bujue replied, "If I don't make it into the top seven in the online voting in early June, hehehe..."

"This is the first time I've seen someone grinning maliciously while looking forward to their own defeat..." Bao Zheng added.

"If it really doesn't work... Bao Zheng, you can help me contact some online trolls to spread some negative comments about me during the voting period to..."

"Wait a moment," Bao Zheng interrupted him, "Why would I help you contact them... and where would I even find hired guns for you?"

"Working in a government agency, why are you pretending to be innocent?"

"I don't know what kind of government you imagine... anyway, I'm..."

"Alright, you don't need to explain," Feng Bujue also interrupted Bao Zheng, "Let's watch the recording first, we'll talk about the future later."

At this time, in the video, the voting results for the second round of Divine Inspiration were already revealed.

Feng Bujue's groundbreaking story was a hit, putting him in second place in this round. The first place was Soda. And the last place was unexpectedly Mo Buxiang. The first contestant to appear was indeed at a disadvantage. Although her story was not bad, it lacked impact and highlights. After the other six writers announced their outlines one after another, the audience's impression of her story was diluted a lot, so she received very few first-choice votes.

Oscar had stabilized his emotions a little during the break, and he was now back in shape, saying the set phrases as if nothing had happened: "After two rounds of intense competition, we are finally about to usher in the ultimate showdown of the third round." He paused for a second, then said, "The seven contestants' indexes from the first two rounds will each account for 30% of their total index, while the third round's index will account for 40%. Therefore, each of our contestants has a chance to make a comeback at the last moment and win this episode's first place. Of course, this also means that each contestant is at risk of being eliminated."

"However, before the third round of the duel begins, let's relax a little." Oscar's tone also changed with the content of the lines, "Let's enter the card question time." As he spoke, he took out a few pre-prepared cards from his suit pocket. "Here, I have three question cards, the questions on them were selected by the show's three editors from the 'I Am a Writer' online message board." His gaze swept over the contestant seats, and the camera also swept over the seven writers. "These questions all come from the audience friends of this show." He held up the cards, placing them at eye level. "This segment has no scoring mechanism, so everyone can answer with a relatively relaxed attitude."

Oscar turned to the camera and said, "So... for the same question, what kind of answers will the different writers give? Find out after the break."

The next second, Oscar in the video began to read the question, "Today's first question is..." He read according to the card, "Dear masters, this little brother is a newbie writer, currently serializing a novel online. There is a very chuunibyou (delusional, grandiose) character in the book. I think he's stealing too much of the spotlight, and his existence is a bit of a white elephant. I want to write him to death, but I can't think of a reasonable plot. I wonder if you masters can help me come up with some ideas. ps: I'm writing an ordinary urban novel, with no supernatural settings."

After Oscar finished reading, he said, "Oh~ the audience member who asked the question is also a writer. He's encountered some obstacles in his writing and wants our seven great gods on the scene to help."

Oscar rambled for a few sentences, wasting a minute or two, then continued, "So... can we still start with Xuan Tianzong?"

Xuan Tianzong replied, "Um... sure." He spoke into the microphone, thoughtfully, "I think... when the subway enters the station, he accidentally falls onto the tracks..."

"How cruel!" Oscar said directly, and the laughter from the audience followed. Xuan Tianzong himself also laughed.

"Compared to this, wouldn't being hit by a car while crossing the road be about the same?" Oscar added, "Does being chuunibyou mean they die more tragically?"

Xuan Tian laughed, "No, no, we can assume it's like this... this character is playing a hero fighting monsters game on the subway platform, playing both the hero and the monster by himself, jumping around, and then..."

"How pitiful!" Oscar interrupted again, and the audience burst into laughter again. "When you say it like that, don't you think this guy is even more miserable?"

"Let's just see what Brother Ping's answer is." Oscar came to Ba Shanping's console. "Brother Ping, what's your answer?"

"Um... pretending to be a sea monster in the swimming pool and accidentally drowning..." Ba Shanping replied.

Oscar didn't comment, just turned to the camera with a funny expression. The live director incited the audience to laugh again.

"Why do I feel that these two ways of dying don't reflect the character's chuunibyou attributes, but rather make people feel that this character is only in the second year of middle school?" Oscar continued to joke, finally able to complain at will in this segment.

"Alright, let's hear how Cai Gua answers this question." Oscar came to Vegetables and Fruits.

The other party had obviously already thought of the answer, and said into the microphone, "Wearing a self-made superhero costume, jumping off a tall building."

"Like the opening of Kick-Ass?" Oscar said.

Vegetables and Fruits also replied with a smile, "Yeah, something like that."

Oscar nodded, seemingly feeling that there was nothing to say about this answer, and went directly to Mo Buxiang's console, "Momo, what's your answer?"

"A heart attack at an anime convention?" Mo Buxiang replied in an uncertain tone.

"Are you equating chuunibyou with otaku?" Oscar asked.

"Is there a difference?" Mo Buxiang asked back with a puzzled expression.

Oscar licked his lips, looking speechless, and the audience burst into laughter again.

"Okay, what's Brother Chang's answer?" Oscar continued to ask.

"He learned a dish from a manga and poisoned himself to death at home after eating it," Wo Yao Shangchang replied.

"Hey... that has nothing to do with the cooking, right? It's because he bought poisonous ingredients from the start, right?" Oscar complained again and again.

Then came Soda's answer, "Um... no supernatural settings, right... then... choking to death while eating?"

"Are you asking me?" Since Soda used a purely questioning tone, Oscar took the opportunity to pass the buck, "It wasn't me who killed him."

He had been complaining all the way, feeling quite happy, but when he came to Feng Bujue, his heart sank again...

Oscar forced a smile, "Bujue, your answer is..."

"On a downhill road, driving a car at a speed of over one hundred kilometers per hour, cutting into a u-turn, and at the moment of turning, driving the tires into the drainage ditch next to the road..." Feng Bujue calmly narrated this passage.

Oscar was stunned for two seconds before realizing what this passage meant, "Then he died?"

"If he didn't die, did he use the Cyclone Magnum Tornado?"

There was a burst of laughter in the audience, and Oscar just chuckled twice, responding, "Okay, let's look at the second question..."

He took out the second card and read, "If you encounter a day when you're particularly uninspired and have to stop updating, how should you explain it to your readers?"

"Oh, this is a very sharp question," Oscar said, "And it's out of nowhere, could it be that the editor secretly added his own question?"

He just said it casually, but at that moment, the head director said in his earpiece, "Don't say unnecessary things."

Oscar's mouth twitched slightly, and he forced a smile, "Haha, just kidding, just kidding." He quickly returned to Xuan Tianzong, "Sharp questions need quick answers to tell the truth, Xuan Tian, what's your answer?"

Xuan Tianzong replied very seriously, "I will tell the truth."

The writers' answers to this question were all relatively smooth, but they all looked sincere.

Ba Shanping's answer was, "I'll post a single chapter saying I have some personal matters and need to take a day off."

Vegetables and Fruits answered confidently, "I've never stopped updating."

"I only write physical books, I always submit my manuscripts on time, and I don't have the so-called 'stopping update' experience," Mo Buxiang's answer was also flawless.

"I only write short stories online. Usually, when I start posting, the whole book is almost finished. I'm also an editor myself, so there won't be any problems with the manuscript," Wo Yao Shangchang said.

After Oscar finished asking these people, he came to Soda and asked, "Soda, what's your answer?"

"Um... I also have no experience of stopping updates. When I publish a book, I have enough saved chapters to publish for three or four months. Basically, when the first batch of saved chapters is used up, the later chapters have already been written to the ending," But Soda did not avoid the question, he still answered, "But if one day I have to stop updating because I'm uninspired... I think I'll also tell the truth."

Oscar came to the last contestant with a suppressed mood, and even the voice he spoke with was a little trembling, "Bujue... if it were you."

Feng Bujue answered him very calmly with four words, "Out for research."

"Huh?" This was the common reaction of the other six writers. The next second, their expressions all changed, and they all thought the same thing: Is it really okay for you to do this?

Oscar said, "Um... how should I say it, it's indeed a reasonable explanation." His smile became extremely awkward again, and he complained in his heart: Research my ass! You're a detective novelist! Are you going to the crime scene to do research? Or are you planning to create some cases? You're probably already on some kind of non-public blacklist of the Public Security Bureau!

"Heh... hehe... well then, let's look at today's finale question." Oscar felt that it would be better to end this segment as soon as possible. Under the backdrop of the live lighting and sound effects, he held up the third question card and read, facing the camera, "Please tell me... what is the sentence you say most often to your editor?"

At this time, it was time for another commercial break. After receiving a prompt from the director, Oscar immediately recited a set of lines to come back after the commercial.

After switching between the two shots, the contestants began to answer one by one.

Xuan Tianzong's answer was, "Hello." His explanation was, "I say it every time I contact him." This was considered a pretty slippery answer.

Ba Shanping was even more sophisticated than him, so he also answered, "Thank you."

Oscar complained, "Cai Gua, you're not going to answer me with 'goodbye', are you?"

Vegetables and Fruits smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

"Okay, it seems that the communication between pure online writers and editors is not something people of our dimension can pry into," Oscar laughed, "The next few all have pure physical book works, I wonder what kind of answers they'll give?"

"Um... the words I say most often to my editor..." Mo Buxiang tilted her head, thoughtfully answering, "Please don't hesitate to criticize."

Oscar finally found an answer that he could dig into and immediately continued, "The reason is?"

"Because every time I submit a manuscript, the editor says it's very good, and they're always very careful when criticizing," Mo Buxiang explained.

"Oh..." Oscar said, "Brother Chang, what do you think? You're also an editor, are you a little reluctant to be harsh on a beauty like Momo?"

Wo Yao Shangchang laughed, "I'm an editor for a sports magazine, the people who submit manuscripts to me are all burly men and tough women."

The audience burst into laughter, and Oscar also laughed, "Okay... then Brother Chang, as a writer, what's the sentence you say most often to your editor?"

"It should be... telling him not to be so polite, right?" Wo Yao Shangchang said, "The online editor in charge of me is younger than me, but he always calls me teacher, asking me to give him more guidance."

"Brother Chang is indeed a sports major, his aura is different." Oscar took the opportunity to praise the other party, and then said to Soda, "Soda, what's your answer?"

"Thank you for your hard work," Soda replied, he directly added, "Because there are many obscure words in my novel, I myself have checked a lot of information before writing them in, so the proofreading work is very troublesome."

"Um, okay, it seems that the answers to this question are really a collection of everyday phrases." Oscar said, he reluctantly came to Feng Bujue again, "Bujue, I think your answer will definitely open our eyes again." He had already said the complaining words outright.

Feng Bujue sneered, with an expression as if a dead pig wasn't afraid of boiling water, "Don't be impulsive, put the knife down first, let's talk things out, give me a few more days, really, just a few days."