Lu Chen: The Mad Genius Of Creativity

Chapter 49

A weak plot can still be engaging if the characters are compelling enough. Audiences invest a lot of attention in characters. For example, in the previous round, if Breaking the Ice had lacked Lin Yaodong’s character, the story would’ve lost at least half its brilliance.

Without Lin Yaodong, it might’ve even been mediocre. But because of how well his character was designed, the entire story was elevated!”

Shu Ping’s words made Yan Geling and Liu Heping nod in agreement. It was a precise, insightful analysis. This round was all about character-building!

Yan Geling smiled.

“If I were writing, I’d probably do a fish vendor version of The Flowers of War.”

The judges laughed.

“What about you, Liu Heping?”

Liu Heping pondered briefly before replying, “A profession shapes a person’s character. A person’s character shapes their destiny. And destiny is what forms the story.”

The room fell silent.

After a moment of contemplation, the judges all nodded in agreement.

“Damn, Liu Heping is truly on another level,” Yan Geling gave a thumbs-up.

Even Chen Sicheng had to admit—this man, the unrivaled legend of the Chinese screenwriting industry had an understanding of storytelling that was simply unparalleled!

As the four judges finished their commentary, despite all the chatter and jokes in the live stream, one thing was clear—this round’s prompt was incredibly difficult!

Far more challenging than the last!

With such a steep difficulty curve, would the contestants crumble under pressure?

For a moment, everyone’s attention returned to the live streams. A few minutes had passed since the competition started. Yet, Lu Chen remained in his lounge chair, motionless.

And his cigarette? Already lit again…

In other contestants’ streams, most had started drafting outlines, structuring plots, and developing characters. But Lu Chen’s longtime fans weren’t surprised.

After all, he did the exact same thing in the last round. While others were writing, he was sitting in his room, smoking in the corner.

“Looks like this round’s prompt has stumped Lu Chen too.”

Xiao Sa chuckled.

“Judges, why don’t we check on the other contestants?”

“Good idea!”

The panel switched to ‘inspection mode’.

…

Meanwhile, inside his room,

Lu Chen remained seated, deep in thought.

Finding sitting too tiring, he simply lay down.

【Damn, bro, why are you lying down?】

【Relax, standard procedure.】

【Could he be brewing up an insane story?】

【Yeah right, he’s probably stuck.】

…

Lu Chen pondered for a long time. He realized he was still trapped by his previous method—how he structured Lin Yaodong’s story.

If he used the same approach for Gao Qiqiang, the repetition would be too strong. Even if the audience bought into the story. It wouldn’t bring him maximum benefit!

So, how could he break through this dilemma?

How could he tell the same kind of story in a completely new way?

It was tough. His brain kicked into overdrive. He needed to analyze the differences between Breaking the Ice and The Knockout. Maybe, he could find a new approach within those differences.

Let’s start with Breaking the Ice.

At its core, it was a boss battle story. Bringing Lin Yaodong to justice was the central theme. When Lu Chen structured it, he mapped out Lin Yaodong’s entire growth path.

That method was actually better suited for Gao Qiqiang.

Why?

Because in Breaking the Ice, Lin Yaodong’s rise to power was revealed through fragmented dialogue—never explicitly shown. But Gao Qiqiang’s was different. The original drama fully displayed his transformation.

Audiences had already seen it. In fact, more than half of the show focused on Gao Qiqiang’s rise. It wasn’t until the last ten or so episodes that the anti-crime action really kicked in.

The best parts of the story—the parts that gripped the audience—were in the first half. Which meant…

He had already used the best method for Gao Qiqiang on Lin Yaodong instead.

A waste!

But Lu Chen didn’t panic. He knew he would find a way. He just needed to keep thinking…

Compared to Breaking the Ice, The Knockout had far richer characters. It was a multi-protagonist ensemble drama. In Breaking the Ice, only a few characters stood out—Lin Yaodong, Lin Zonghui… maybe Li Weimin. Zhao Jialiang? Meh.

Li Fei? Not even worth mentioning.

Cai Yongqiang and Ma Yunbo had their moments. That was about it.

But The Knockout?

It was overflowing with standout characters!

Forget just the Gao siblings—

Chen Shuting? Memorable.

Tang Xiaohu and Tang Xiaolong? Not bad.

Even the fish vendor Old Mo became a viral sensation!

Then there was the king of arrogance—Li Hongwei, who almost died over a frozen fish. His father, the reckless driver Li Youtian.

Xu Jiang.

And Xu Jiang’s hilarious underlings—Mad Donkey and Scarface. Everywhere they looked, there were iconic characters. So in short, The Knockout’s strength was in its characters!

Which meant Breaking the Ice used plot to drive characters. The Knockout was the opposite!

It used characters to drive the plot!

Wait.

Characters driving the plot? Lu Chen repeated this phrase a few times. Since The Knockout relied on its characters to tell the story…

Then the characters were the key breakthrough point!

What if Instead of structuring the story traditionally, I let the characters tell it themselves?

That thought hit him like lightning.

BOOM.

Something clicked in Lu Chen’s mind. As if a single flash of light pierced through the darkness of his thoughts. In the next instant, he shot up from the lounge chair!

The sudden movement startled the live stream viewers.

What the hell just happened?

…

But what they saw next was the look of pure enlightenment on Lu Chen’s face.

That’s it! I don’t have to use the same broad overview technique I used for Lin Yaodong!

Instead, I can use a far more immersive method!

A method that puts the audience right in the characters’ shoes!

And that method… is direct interaction!

I will step into their world, walk through their stories!

Then, I’ll weave those stories together!

Lu Chen couldn’t sit still anymore. He started pacing around the room, thoughts racing.

But how do I interact with them?

Simple. I’ll have conversations with them!

I’ll pull them from my mind—turn them into independent individuals.

Then, I’ll talk to them face-to-face.

I’ll ask them questions, listen to their perspectives.

Maybe it’ll look crazy to outsiders, but that’s what screenwriting is!

Every writer, when crafting characters, detaches from themselves.

They step into their characters’ shoes.

They think like them, act like them.

Just like Liu Heping once said about writing The Ming Dynasty 1566.

When he wrote Hai Rui, he became Hai Rui.

When he wrote Jiajing, he became Jiajing.

When he wrote Yan Song, he became Yan Song.

And he made them talk to each other.

I can do the same!

I will talk to Gao Qiqiang.

I will talk to An Xin.

I will talk to Chen Shuting.

I will talk to Gao Qisheng, Gao Qilan.

I will talk to all of them.

Tonight, I am not the creator—I am the audience, the listener, the recorder.

At that moment, Lu Chen’s mind completely cleared.

A new creative model—Finally, he had found it!