Lu Chen: The Mad Genius Of Creativity

Chapter 25: Lu Chen’s Draft? This is Rock Solid!

Inside the room, Lu Chen flicked the ash off his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray. Then, he grabbed a biscuit, tore off a piece, and popped it into his mouth to recharge a little. He walked back to the whiteboard and continued deducing the relationships between Li Weimin, Li Fei, and Zhao Jialiang.

First, he finalized the name for [The Informant]—Zhao Jialiang.

As for Li Fei, he decided to leave it for later.

“Right now,” Lu Chen muttered, “I’ll first establish that Li Weimin and A Certain Person (A) share a deep bond, almost like father and son. Their age difference naturally supports this.

With such a setup, A would have no doubts about Li Weimin. A’s life-or-death sacrifices will further enhance the emotional depth of the story.

As for Li Weimin and Zhao Jialiang, they are both informant and friend. How can I deepen the bond between the two to ensure this storyline doesn’t get derailed by any external factors? That’s what I need to figure out now.

Why would Zhao Jialiang become Li Weimin’s informant? First of all, it’s definitely not for money. The reason must be to uncover the truth behind his family’s murder, which naturally leads to his collaboration with Li Weimin, sharing information and helping each other.

On the surface, it seems like Li Weimin is using Zhao Jialiang as an informant. But in reality, Zhao Jialiang is also relying on Li Weimin to gather intelligence.

The two should be helping each other.

So… why would Zhao Jialiang agree to cooperate with Li Weimin?

Could there be a backstory that naturally establishes this relationship?”

At this point, Lu Chen paused deliberately, pacing the room.

Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up, and he thought, Got it!

He quickly strode back to the whiteboard.

[What if I design Zhao Jialiang’s wife as an anti-narcotics officer who used to be under Li Weimin’s command? This way, it makes perfect sense that Zhao Jialiang and Li Weimin already know each other and have a decent relationship.

After Zhao Jialiang’s wife is killed by drug dealers, he becomes determined to find the culprit! The foundation for his cooperation with Li Weimin forms naturally!

Li Weimin would be willing to help Zhao Jialiang. And Zhao Jialiang would willingly become Li Weimin’s informant!].

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[Viewer Comments]. [Damn, brilliant! That connection totally works!]. [The logic here is amazing!]. [This setup solidifies the informant storyline!].

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“Okay, Li Weimin and Zhao Jialiang’s relationship is settled.

Next, I need to think about whether Zhao Jialiang and A can form a connection. First, let’s clarify one point.

The ultimate goal of this story is to bring down Tazhai and arrest Lin Yaodong. All the forces on the side of justice need to unite into one force to defeat the big boss.

But right now, with Li Weimin as the central figure, A and Zhao Jialiang are two parallel forces.

If they have a bond between them, these two forces can merge seamlessly. Zhao Jialiang is about the same age as Li Weimin.

So… could I set them up as father and son?”

Lu Chen muttered to himself.

He started reasoning.

“What if A is Zhao Jialiang’s son? After Zhao Jialiang’s wife is killed, Zhao Jialiang becomes consumed with avenging her and entrusts A to Li Weimin.

Li Weimin raises A, and they develop a father-son bond.

A naturally inherits his mother’s hatred for injustice. This relationship adds another layer of depth between the three characters!”

“Whoa, he figured it out?!”

“This plot is unexpectedly logical!”

“Let’s go with this setup—it’s perfect!”

Inside the Room, Lu Chen nodded slightly.

“This way, the two storylines have a premise for convergence. Not bad! Let’s settle on this setup! It perfectly integrates with the earlier version of the anti-drug story I envisioned!”

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[Viewer Comments]. [Huh? So Lu Chen already had an anti-drug story draft?]. [I think he mentioned before that he wanted to write about anti-drug themes.]. [Makes sense. He’s a professional screenwriter, writing scripts and stories is part of his daily work.]. [Honestly, even I, as a novelist, have hundreds of openings and outlines saved on my computer. Imagine how much material a professional screenwriter like him must have!]. [You write novels? Drop a title—I’ll check it out!]. [No thanks, I’m not revealing my pen name.].

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In The Judges’ Room, the judging panel also overheard Lu Chen’s murmur and exchanged glances.

“So, this kid already has a draft?”

Yan Geling expressed mild surprise.

Having drafts wasn’t unusual in the screenwriting world. Screenwriters live off stories and often jot down ideas based on random inspiration. Even if these stories aren’t published or adapted, they can become first drafts for future works, undergoing secondary refinement.

This practice was commonplace in the industry.

“Not to brag, but when I was working on Let the Bullets Fly, I adapted it from one of my earlier drafts,” Shu Ping said with a smile.

“I did the same for the Jade Goddess of Mercy,” Yan Geling admitted with no hesitation. “After all, it’s our own work. What’s wrong with reworking it?”

“Liu, your drafts must all be ready-to-go, right?”

“The Disguiser had parts that came from an early draft too,” Liu Heping said openly.

“Whoa, this is insider gossip!” Shu Ping laughed.

“Chen, did your Beijing Love Story and Detective Chinatown series have drafts?”

Chen Sicheng shook his head.

“All mine are fresh manuscripts.”

Yan Geling almost rolled her eyes.

Fresh manuscripts? Yeah, sure. If Beijing Love Story was a fresh script, why did another screenwriter sue you back then? Of course, Yan kept this thought to herself.

“If he has a draft, this story might genuinely be worth looking forward to!” Shu Ping remarked.

“I’m not so sure. The story is so complex. Do you really think his writing skills can handle tying all these threads together? Shu Ping, does he have your level of expertise?” Chen Sicheng countered, both criticizing and praising at the same time, leaving Shu Ping momentarily speechless.

“We’ll see with the opening,” Shu Ping finally said.

“Exactly. A good opening can give us a glimpse of the whole.” Yan Geling nodded in agreement.

Chen Sicheng smirked.

No way he can pull this off!

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On Screen, after organizing the relationships between the characters, Lu Chen prepared to tackle one final issue—Li Fei’s name.

“Since A is Zhao Jialiang’s son, he should have the Zhao surname.”

“No, wait! He shouldn’t have Zhao’s surname.”

Lu Chen shook his head.@@novelbin@@

“If Zhao Jialiang is going all out to track down the real murderer, he must be living under an alias. There’s no way he’d use his real name for such a risky investigation. After all, he has a son to protect!

He wouldn’t want anyone to trace back to A through his real name. That means Zhao Jialiang is just an alias, not his real name.

His real name could be… Li Jianzhong. Let’s give him the same surname as Li Weimin.

That way, A also shares the surname Li. Outsiders who don’t know their true relationship might assume they’re father and son, which fits the ‘father-son bond’ dynamic. So, A will have the surname Li!

Let’s call him… Li Fei.”

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[Viewer Comments]. [Bruh, that name feels so random!]. [Big drug lord Lin Yaodong has a commanding name. Investigative team leader Li Weimin has a strong name. Even Zhao Jialiang and Lin Zonghui have decent names. But when it comes to the protagonist, it’s just… Li Fei?]. [This sudden casualness has me shook!]. [Li Fei isn’t bad—simple, down-to-earth, and easy to remember.]. [So down-to-earth it’s practically six feet under!].

The chat was filled with reactions, both amused and bewildered.

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At this moment, having fully worked out the relationships between the three main characters, Lu Chen turned back to the camera.

“Dear viewers, I’ll need some time to think about the formal opening scene. This might take a while, so please bear with me!”

With that, he plopped down into his chair, preparing to enter his ‘Great Sage’ mode.

He planned to think for about twenty minutes. With this preparation, the unfolding of The Breaking Ice Operation would feel more logical and grounded…

Sigh!

Lu Chen lit a cigarette silently.

Man, being both a writer and a performer is exhausting. If I don’t become an actor someday, it’d be a waste of my potential as a director.