April 19th, Saturday, Feng Bujue's home.

Xiao Tan, Bao Daren, and Jue-Ge, three good buddies, were sitting side by side on the sofa in the living room, watching the TV screen in front of them. The coffee table in front of them was covered with takeout food, all of which was obviously bought with Jue-Ge's manuscript fees and TV show appearance fees.

Feng Bujue had remotely synchronized a video file from his computer hard drive to the TV, which could be opened and watched directly. The content of this file was the episode of "I Am a Writer" that he had recorded a week ago.

"This episode will be broadcast next Friday. This is a preliminary edited version lasting one hour. When it is officially broadcast, the content should be shortened to forty-five minutes." Feng Bujue raised the remote control and said before pressing the button, "Are you sure you want to watch this..."

"Stop talking nonsense," Bao Daren said, "Hurry up, my wife is waiting for me to go home for dinner."

Xiao Tan was already eager to try, "Hurry up, I'm seeing an acquaintance on TV participating in a variety show for the first time!"

"Hey... okay." Feng Bujue pressed the play button.

Various bizarre and blurry images began to appear on the TV screen, like something out of *The Ring*.

However, this phenomenon only lasted for a second or two before stopping. It was probably a problem with the file. After all, this was not the official tape that the TV station was going to broadcast, so it was normal for there to be some flaws in the editing.

The picture came on, the camera pulled down and zoomed in from a high angle, from a full view of the stage to the center of the stage.

These days, the lighting engineers of large variety shows are all insane. They wouldn't be embarrassed to go out and greet their colleagues if they didn't blind the audience. This show was no exception. Numerous lights moved and flickered at high speed on the stage, and the camera began to sway with the rhythm.

The contestants' area, however, was pitch black. Seven contestants sat side by side, each separated by more than a meter, with an operating table in front of them. The light shone on them at a strange angle, allowing the audience to clearly see the outlines of these seven people, but not their faces.

As the music started, a host walked onto the stage. Compared to the fat guy who came on stage with the horse-riding dance in *Death Quiz*, this host had much more style. He wore a casual suit, headphones, and walked calmly to the center of the stage. After standing still, he opened his arms, the lights stopped flickering at the right time, and focused on him. The host bowed slightly and said, "Welcome to *I Am a Writer*. I am the host, Oscar."

Two seconds later, the lights illuminated the entire stage and the audience, but the contestants' seats were still in the dark, like they were filming a horror movie.

Oscar was obviously a stage name. Anyway, in this day and age, audiences can accept any strange name, as long as you don't find someone named Jin Fugui (lit. Gold and Rich) to host the show.

"Okay, everyone, I'm sure you can't wait..." Oscar turned and raised his arm toward the contestants' seats, "Six of today's seven contestants have already been seen in the previous episode. I believe many viewers can recognize who they are just from their shadows..."

"Eh? Why does this guy say 'I'm sure you can't wait' as the second thing he says?" Xiao Tan asked in confusion in front of the TV.

"Because in the officially broadcast version, Oscar has to read a long list of sponsors' names before saying that," Feng Bujue said. "In today's recorded variety shows, these things are usually recorded separately because they have to be read clearly and the time has to be controlled. It may take several NGs." He paused and continued, "After each commercial break, a sponsor-specified advertisement must be inserted, the length of which is comparable to a *xiangsheng* tongue-twister. These are not present during the live recording; they are recorded separately."

"I see... it's really not easy being a host," Xiao Tan said with emotion.

"Hey." Bao Daren reminded from the side, "He's going to introduce the contestants, be quiet."

In the picture, the lights came on in the area where the first contestant was, a young man with glasses, around thirty years old, on the heavy side, and dressed quite casually.

Oscar took out the cue card from his suit pocket and began to introduce the contestant. Of course, he only announced the pen name, "Contestant number one, Xuan Tian Zong. A well-known online writer, this thirty-two-year-old has already written ten online novels with over two million words each. His works are extremely popular and have been adapted into games, movies, TV series, etc... He is one of the few writers whose annual income exceeds ten million. Editor's comment: Fluent writing, full characters, exciting plot, the number one online fantasy novelist today."

The host paused for a few seconds after speaking. Without the director gesturing, the audience was already applauding.

Then the area of the second contestant was illuminated. He was also a young man, of medium build, looking a few years older than Xuan Tian Zong, and his glasses and clothing were more mature.

"Contestant number two, Ba Shan Ping. A well-known online writer, thirty-three years old, has written five historical novels. Editor's comment: Solid knowledge reserve, grand and magnificent writing style, profound work. One can say... he has ten thousand volumes of classics in his chest, and writes ancient and modern wonders with his pen."

Ba Shan Ping won applause and cheers that were just as enthusiastic.

Oscar then continued, "Contestant number three, Shu Cai Gua Guo (lit. Vegetables, Fruits). A well-known online writer, a holder of multiple records. He started writing at the age of eighteen, and his works are mostly urban fantasy. In ten years, he has published more than twenty-seven million words, and has never stopped updating for a single day. He has consistently topped the sales charts of major handheld reading websites. Editor's comment: Plain and fluent writing, good at grasping the rhythm and tension of the plot, the king of wireless! A diligent genius."

Shu Cai Gua Guo was twenty-eight years old and quite handsome. He had the most fans, and the cheers from the audience started as soon as he appeared.

"Contestant number four, also our only female contestant, Mo Bu Xiang (lit. Ink Not Fragrant). The age of the female... is confidential." Oscar read here, smiled at the camera, and the audience laughed.

Mo Bu Xiang had a ponytail, a quiet appearance, and a thin body. Although she couldn't be called a great beauty, she looked quite photogenic with makeup.

"She started writing five years ago and has written six novels, covering six genres: supernatural, xianxia, urban, romance, games, and history. All of them have been published in physical book form, and she was the highest-earning female writer last year." Oscar continued, "Editor's comment: Elegant writing, varied style, she deserves the title of talented woman."

The audience applauded again. Although Mo Bu Xiang's hardcore fans couldn't compare to the previous few, many shameless male audience members regarded her as their second favorite writer.

Another contestant's seat was lit up. Number five was also a man, around thirty years old, with a classic black mop hairstyle, wearing sunglasses indoors, and looking quite strong.

"Contestant number five, Wo Yao Shang Chang (lit. I Want to Play). An online writer, a well-known sports magazine editor, has written thirteen short stories in the sports genre. His works are mainly realistic in style. His settings are rigorous, his professional knowledge is abundant, and he is highly favored by sports fans." Oscar said, "Editor's comment: An author with depth, a work with thought. Outstanding and undeniable in the same type of story."

After the applause, contestant number six showed his true face. He was quite similar to Xuan Tian Zong, from his image and temperament to his taste in clothing, but he was a few years older.

"Contestant number six, Qi Shui (lit. Soda). A well-known online writer, specializing in ghost and supernatural stories, has written seven novels, all of which are classics and have been praised by the industry. He is known as a contemporary master of horror." Oscar said, "Editor's comment: Every story written by Qi Shui can awaken the deepest fears in the reader's heart. The plot is meticulously crafted and ingenious. The title of horror master is by no means an exaggeration."

"Oh oh! Is it coming!" Xiao Tan was excited when he saw this, because Jue-Ge was about to appear.

Suddenly, the camera zoomed in and gave Oscar a close-up: "Everyone, contestant number seven is a newcomer who joined this episode. This stage is cruel. In each episode, someone will be eliminated, and the elimination rate for newcomers is as high as 50% this season..." He rendered a tense atmosphere, making people even more expectant of the newcomer's identity, "Will he be able to successfully stay on this stage? Or will he be like a shooting star across the sky, fleeting? Let us wait and see..."

A burst of drums sounded, and the spotlight swayed around. Finally, the whole place went dark, the drums stopped abruptly, and the light stopped on Feng Bujue at this moment.

Although Feng Bujue was just looking at the camera with lifeless eyes, the audience still cheered and applauded.

"Actually, when we recorded the show, the audience and us contestants entered the studio at the same time, so my appearance was seen a long time ago," Feng Bujue explained rather disappointedly in front of the TV. "This reaction of theirs, as if they were seeing a monster appear, was all arranged by the on-site director. In fact, even if no one knew me, it wouldn't affect the stage effect."

Bao Daren said, "Hurry up and listen to how they introduce you."

In the picture, Oscar waited for the audience's reaction to end before saying, "Wow, contestant number seven looks very young." Although he had chatted with Feng Bujue a few times before the recording, he still had to pretend to have just seen him, "I think some viewers have already recognized him, and some may have read his novels, but have never seen him in person. So... who is he?"

The suspense had been stretched long enough, and it was time to answer. Oscar took out the cue card and read, "Contestant number seven, Bujue. A well-known detective novelist, has published twelve detective novels, and has serialized works in networks, magazines, and newspapers. His writing style is witty and humorous, unique. Regardless of length, the plot is ingenious and unpredictable." Oscar put down the cue card and said, "Contestant Bujue, you were jointly recommended by the three behind-the-scenes editors of our program team, and they are all your fans."

"Is that so..." Feng Bujue responded perfunctorily.

Oscar continued, "Editor's comment: If you are good enough, but can't stand out, at least make sure there is no second me."

"Hehe..." The corner of Feng Bujue's mouth twitched.

Oscar immediately said again, "According to the custom of our program, each episode, we will let the newcomer set a title for this episode." He walked to Feng Bujue's operating table, "Contestant Bujue, you have three minutes to consider, let us go to a commercial break first."

"What did you decide?" Xiao Tan asked in front of the TV.

Feng Bujue didn't answer, he just pointed at the screen. Because this version of the tape didn't have any commercials at all, and Oscar's next words were also recorded separately, so after a simple screen transition, it was time for the reveal.

Oscar stood next to Feng Bujue and looked at the words he wrote on the operating table. Then his expression changed slightly, and he squinted at Feng Bujue imperceptibly, with a strange look in his eyes.

"Okay, let's see what title Bujue gave to this episode of *I Am a Writer*..." Oscar was a professional host after all. No matter how outrageous the things Feng Bujue wrote, Oscar had to remain calm on the surface.

As the host raised his hand, the five words written by Feng Bujue appeared on the big screen on the spot -- Please feel free to criticize.