Lu Chen: The Mad Genius Of Creativity

Chapter 29: Are You Serious? Writing Episode Summaries Instead of a Full Story?!

[Why is this guy still lying down?! It’s been five minutes already!]. [He’s thinking! Give him a break, creativity takes time!].

Another five minutes passed.

[Still not up? How long has it been now?!]. [Maybe he’s really stuck and can’t think of anything.]. [I told you he’s overreaching. Look at him now—completely stuck!].

Another five minutes went by, and Lu Chen still showed no signs of getting up.

Yang Mi frowned as she glanced at her watch. “It’s been almost twenty minutes. Why hasn’t he started yet?”

“Yeah, half the competition time has already passed!”

“Do you think the viewers are right? Maybe he’s run out of ideas?”

Some of the executives started to worry, fearing that their high expectations might lead to an even harder fall.

Yang Mi furrowed her brows but tried to calm everyone down.

“Let’s wait a bit longer. Don’t jump to conclusions yet.”

_____

In the Judges’ Room, even Shu Ping and the other judges were starting to feel restless.

“He’s been lying there for almost twenty minutes. Should I ask a staff member to remind him?” Xiao Sa suggested.

While it was normal to take a break to think, this was a competition, and there were over two million viewers watching live. Taking a twenty-minute break all at once seemed excessive.

“No need,” Liu Heping finally spoke, his calm voice carrying weight. “He said earlier that he needed a longer time to think. Let him be.”

Hearing this, Xiao Sa nodded.

“Alright, we’ll go with your call, Teacher Liu.”

“How about we check out some other livestreams in the meantime?” Yan Gelin suggested, clearly bored.

“No need! Look, he’s up now,” Shu Ping suddenly pointed at the screen with excitement.

Everyone immediately turned their attention back to the livestream.

On the screen, Lu Chen finally rose from the chair like a giant awakening.

“Sorry to keep everyone waiting,” Lu Chen said as he stretched and casually greeted the livestream audience.

He figured his long break might have caused some viewers to leave, maybe dropping the count by tens of thousands. But what could he do?

Without those twenty minutes of preparation, there would be no explosive content in the next hour!

______

[Finally, he’s up! I thought I’d grow old waiting!]. [Dude, I seriously thought you were doing a sleep stream!]. [You’re up now, great! Start writing! There’s only an hour and a half left!]. [Bro, this script has five companies bidding on it! You’ve got to deliver big! Go, go, go!]. [Don’t waste your breath, he can’t hear you.].

______

Oblivious to the uproar outside, Lu Chen stretched his body and fingers before approaching his laptop.

He adjusted the desk and chair height, preparing to work while standing.

After opening a Word document, he took a deep breath and confidently typed in the title of the series—[Breaking Ice Operation.].

______

In the Livestream Chat.

[Breaking Ice Operation? That’s the title of the story?]. [Ice refers to methamphetamine, so Breaking Ice means cracking down on drugs. The title fits perfectly!]. [It has a straightforward anti-drug drama vibe!].

_____

In the Judges’ Room.

“This title doesn’t seem to align with the rural theme of the competition, does it?” Chen Sicheng said skeptically.

“The story involves Tazhai Village. Breaking the ‘ice’ is about taking down Tazhai, which ties into the theme,” Shu Ping countered.

“Exactly. The competition requires a rural theme, but the title doesn’t have to include the word ‘rural,’” Yan Gelin added, shutting down Chen Sicheng’s doubts.

Chen Sicheng’s temple throbbed visibly in frustration.

Was it necessary to gang up on me just because I made a casual comment?

_____

[Episode 1!].

Lu Chen’s fingers danced over the keyboard as he wrote.

[Members of the Dongshan City Police Department’s Anti-Drug Task Force, Li Fei and Song Yang (the protagonist’s friend and colleague), stake out for days and gather evidence of drug trafficking by Lin Shengwen.

That night, they raid Tazhai Village, capturing Lin Shengwen. However, they are surrounded by hundreds of Tazhai villagers, forcing them into the Lin Family Ancestral Hall, where they face overwhelming odds.

At the critical moment, village chief Lin Yaodong braves the rain to stop the villagers and allows Li Fei to take Lin Shengwen away. Unexpectedly, while Li Fei and his team let down their guard, the villagers destroy crucial evidence, causing the operation to fail.

During the subsequent interrogation, Lin Shengwen arrogantly reveals a critical clue—there’s a mole among their leadership. This revelation leaves Li Fei in shock…].

……

Seeing Lu Chen’s unexpected and daring move, the livestream audience was instantly blown away!

[Damn! You were asked to write a story, and you handwrite an entire script?!]. [Are you crazy? Writing episodic scripts by hand? Bro, you’ve been a rusty faucet for ten years, haven’t you?!]. [I’m utterly stunned again!]. [No way! After almost a 20-minute break, you come back with this bombshell!]. [This move, I didn’t see coming, but I’m absolutely floored!!].

_____

At the Noon Sunlight Headquarters Office, when Hou Hongliang and his team saw this move, they were equally dumbfounded.

Handwriting episodic scripts… no, episodic plotlines!

This maneuver…

Was way too bold, brother!

Four consecutive Writing Competitions, yet no one had ever pulled off something this flamboyant!

Lu Chen was undoubtedly the first!

Hou Hongliang couldn’t help but laugh, crossing his arms in amusement. Meanwhile, Kong Sheng was fully focused, carefully reading the content of the first episode. He picked out a few key points.

“Night raid on Tazhai!”

“Hundreds of villagers blockading the police!”

“Lin Yaodong destroys evidence right in front of the police!”

“Even uncovers an insider as the protector!”

“This!!!”

Kong Sheng abruptly stood up.

As one of the top domestic TV directors with multiple acclaimed dramas under his belt, just these few phrases were enough to conjure a vivid mental picture!

______

A rainy night, a drug bust!

Surrounded by hundreds of villagers!

This scene not only carried intense visual imagery but also immense emotional and dramatic impact!

Moreover, just from this brief outline, the portrayal of Tazhai Village and Lin Yaodong was already vivid and aligned perfectly with the characterizations Lu Chen had previously described!

“Master! The opening scene of this first episode is spot-on and intense! It sets up both the tension and suspense perfectly!”

Li Xue, filled with excitement, stood up as well.

Kong Sheng nodded, “This story’s opening is very intriguing!”

“Since you both are so impressed, should I keep bidding?”

Hou Hongliang, responsible for the company’s operations, relied heavily on Kong Sheng and his apprentice for creative decisions.

Seeing the pair so animated, even a blind man could tell they were thrilled with the opening.

“No rush, Old Hou, let’s wait! Let’s see two more episodes first! Now that we’ve secured a spot, we already have the upper hand! No need to panic—whatever the bid is, we’ll match it!”

Kong Sheng, who had been indifferent earlier, was now fully engaged, staring at the screen without blinking.

Those familiar with him knew this was his work mode.

_____

Meanwhile, in the livestream, Lu Chen had finished writing the first episode.

[To seize a shipment of one ton of drugs, Li Weimin meticulously planned the operation…

Episode Two: After discovering that Song Yang had ventured into danger alone, Li Fei went to the Beishan Chicken Farm to find him. However, he found only an empty car, with no sign of Song Yang. The handcuffs on the back seat hadn’t been used. Sensing that something was amiss, Li Fei infiltrated the farm, leading to a fierce battle with the kidnappers holding Song Yang.

After being injured and passing out, Li Fei’s gun was used by the traffickers to kill Song Yang, framing him for the crime!

Meanwhile, the Guangdong Anti-Drug Bureau closely monitored a transaction between Hong Kong businessman Zhao Jialiang and the traffickers.

Upon learning of the gunfight at the chicken farm, Zhao Jialiang decided to immediately cancel the deal…].

______

[Oh my god, Song Yang dies in just one episode?!]. [He’s killed in the second episode, and Li Fei gets framed?!]. [It’s Dongshu (Uncle Dong), for sure! He’s the one pulling the strings!]. [This “borrowing the knife” move is ruthless! No wonder Lu Chen said earlier that Dongshu was cruel—he already had the plot in mind!]. [Dongshu is absolutely lawless!!]. [This is insane! Asked to write a story, and he literally produces episodic plots!]. [God! Take my knees!]. [Take mine too!].

As viewers bowed down to Lu Chen’s audacious and groundbreaking move, the livestream saw yet another twist!

A Cloud Pattern Token appeared once again!

—Xinli Media!

They skyrocketed to the top spot, bumping Huan Yu Media to second place and ruthlessly kicking Noon Sunlight out of the livestream room!

Viewers were puzzled—wasn’t it five spots?

How could another company join?

On closer inspection, the answer became clear—-Xinli Media’s bid: [200,000]!