"Jue-ge, this part will be cut when it's officially broadcast, right?" Xiao Tan asked.

"If it's cut, what will they broadcast? It's not like they'll let me rewrite it," Feng Bujue replied.

"This segment doesn't have any praise or criticism," Civil Servant Bao Daren said. "There's really no need to censor it."

"During the post-match interview, they also asked me why I wrote this segment," Feng Bujue continued. "I asked them in return, why couldn't I write it?"

"Oh? There was a post-match interview?" Xiao Tan asked.

"Yeah, after the competition, each writer has to record a separate interview. During the interview, the staff will directly play some footage from the show, and then ask questions from the side," Feng Bujue replied. "This interview will eventually be edited into many segments and interspersed throughout the broadcast, just like the voice-overs that often pop up in those reality shows."

"Oh? So the comments that pop up in the middle of those reality shows are all recorded like this?" Xiao Tan asked.

"That's common sense, right?" Bao Daren said from the side.

Feng Bujue also added, "What did you think those scenes were..."

"Uh..." Xiao Tan was speechless.

"But, this preliminary edited version doesn't have those shots," Feng Bujue said. "Only the official broadcast version will have them."

As the three of them spoke, Oscar in the footage had already diverted everyone's attention with a rambling, irrelevant speech. Then, he said, "So, the moment of truth has arrived, the voting time!"

The camera cut to a full view of the contestant seats.

Oscar continued, "The seven hundred audience members here tonight, you can now vote on the small screens in front of you. Each audience member has one first-choice vote and one second-choice vote. Please cast your first-choice vote for the contestant you think performed the best in this round, and your second-choice vote for the contestant you think was second best." He explained, "The index for the first-choice vote is 1, and the index for the second-choice vote is 0.5. When the indices are the same, the number of first-choice votes determines the outcome. Also, the voting time is two minutes. You cannot cast both votes for the same person. Now... voting begins!"

Immediately afterwards, tense and intense background music sounded, and the camera gave each of the seven writers a close-up in sequence.

Oscar didn't idle either; he had to find something to say. "The first round is usually the most unpredictable round. Apart from Bujue, who is on this stage for the first time, the other six writers have all taken first place in this round." He paused. "So far, only Ba Shanping has won the first round as a newcomer, but... that was our first episode. All seven contestants in that episode were newcomers.

"Since then, no new contestant has ever won the first round. I wonder if this pattern will be broken by contestant Bujue today..."

Two minutes passed quickly, and Oscar called out at the appropriate time, "Time's up!" He sighed. "Okay, as usual, we will announce the first place, second place, and last place in this round." He looked at the big screen. "I'll announce... the second-place contestant first..."

The camera switched rapidly again, and Oscar spoke with deliberate intonation, intentionally dragging it out to keep the audience in suspense. "He is..." As the music suddenly stopped, a writer's pen name popped up on the big screen, "I Want to Take the Stage!"

The footage then looped I Want to Take the Stage's facial expressions at that moment three times in a row, like a glitch. However, this guy was wearing sunglasses and had a mop-like hairstyle, so even if his expressions were slightly different, it was difficult to tell.

Afterwards, the director maliciously showed each of the other contestants' expressions when the second place was announced, one by one. Of course, everyone looked relatively calm, basically hesitated for a second, and then put on a relaxed smile and started clapping along with the audience.

Only Feng Bujue continued to watch the situation develop with a look of death on his face, as if he were in a daze. He looked like an office worker who had just clocked in in the morning and was looking forward to getting off work, wishing he could leave immediately if it weren't for the salary.

"Congratulations, Chang-ge," Oscar said, turning his head. "How is it? Are you satisfied with this ranking?" he asked.

"Actually, I originally thought I'd only be in fourth or fifth place," I Want to Take the Stage said with a smile.

"Then who do you think should be in the top three?" Oscar threw out another potentially offensive question.

I Want to Take the Stage answered bluntly, "Um... I think Ping-ge, Xuan Tian, and... Bujue, I think those segments were all better than mine."

"Oh?" Oscar's reaction was indeed quick. He immediately turned to Vegetables and Fruits. "Caigua, what do you think?"

"In my mind... um, the top three should be Ping-ge, Xuan Tian, and Chang-ge," Vegetables and Fruits replied. "I might be at the bottom."

"What do you want Uncle Soda to think by saying that?" Mo Buxiang said to Vegetables and Fruits at this time.

Her tone and expression were obviously joking, and Oscar laughed. "Soda, it seems that Mo Mo's implication is that you're definitely going to be at the bottom this round."

Soda also said with a smile, "Are you going to announce the last place next, right?"

Oscar said, "Um... that's right." He pointed to the big screen. "Let's see, the last place in the first round... is..."

As expected, Soda was undoubtedly at the bottom. Although Feng Bujue's segment was difficult to evaluate, at least he finished it, and he wrote quite a bit. But Soda's nonsensical sentences could only be considered half-finished products.

Without the director's reminder, the cameraman did what he had done before...

"Okay, I think... Soda should have expected this result as well," Oscar said.

Soda just nodded and smiled.

"So... the moment of truth has arrived," Oscar immediately turned to the big screen. "Who is the winner of the first round today? Is it Ba Shanping and Xuan Tianzong, who are widely favored by our writers, or is it Bujue, who is on this stage for the first time? As popular contestants, do Caigua and Momo really have no chance?" Matching his lines, the camera also gave these contestants a shot in order. "The results... will be revealed after the commercial..."

This was edited again. In the next shot, Oscar directly read out the name on the big screen: "The winner of the first round is... Ba Shanping!"

The audience cheered and applauded.

"I think everyone, like me, was deeply impressed by Ping-ge's description of the characters," Oscar said, and the big screen showed the poem that Ba Shanping had just written again.

Afterwards, there was an abrupt transition. Oscar's position changed slightly, and he said loudly, "I believe everyone has been waiting for a long time. Let's move on to the second round – A Stroke of Genius!"

"See, that segment just now is where they're going to cut in a large chunk of interview content. At that time, they should cut in each contestant's comments on the results of the first round," Feng Bujue said to Xiao Tan and Bao Daren.

Xiao Tan replied, "What was your ranking in the first round?"

"I don't know," Feng Bujue said. "I didn't ask later."

"Don't argue, look at the rules," Bao Daren gestured for them to be quiet.

The TV screen showed the detailed rules of the second round. Then, Oscar said, "The first round is over. From the current situation, Ba Shanping is one step ahead, I Want to Take the Stage is close behind, and Soda is temporarily in last place. After the second round, what kind of dramatic changes will happen to the rankings?"

As Oscar spoke, he strode to Feng Bujue and stood in front of him. "Bujue, if I told you now that the format of the second round might be very beneficial to you, would you believe me?"

"The expression on your face right now is like you just walked out of a pyramid scheme convention... so my initial deduction is... the content of the second round is indeed very beneficial to me," Feng Bujue replied, squinting.

The audience burst out laughing from the bottom of their hearts, and Oscar smiled awkwardly. "Contestant Bujue is indeed a detective novelist, and he's also quite humorous." He quickly took two steps away from Jue-ge and deeply regretted his actions of talking to Feng Bujue again.

"In the second round..." Oscar shifted the topic back to the right track. "Our seven writers will see..." He waved his arm. "This passage of text."

On the big screen, a passage of text that wasn't very long appeared: [Ding Yi, an ordinary company employee, has a normal family background. A close relative is seriously ill and urgently needs a large sum of medical expenses. One day, Ding Yi picks up a treasure. Ding Yi eventually saves that relative.]

Oscar looked at the passage of text and said, "Please, writers, design an outline-style text based on this passage, making it a relatively complete story." He cast his gaze towards the contestant seats. "The time limit is ten minutes. Now... begin!"

Although he called out to start, none of the seven contestants moved. They were all thinking.

"If writing style is cosmetics, then creativity is the connotation of a novel. Both can attract readers," Oscar continued to recite to the camera. "The judging criteria for this round is the extent to which the plot is attractive. The contestants will eventually tell the content they have conceived in an oral manner. That is to say, the duel in this round has nothing to do with writing style, only creativity." He paused and said, "Personally, I think... Bujue, as a mystery novelist, will definitely bring us surprises when dealing with this kind of short story."

The screen showed Feng Bujue at this time. This guy's eyes were dull and as still as a stone Buddha. It was unknown whether he was contemplating or just spacing out.

"Mo Buxiang and Soda also often have very outstanding performances in this round," Oscar added. "I wonder what the results will be today?" He said, "According to the results of online voting, A Stroke of Genius is the most anticipated segment of the show for our viewers. In each episode, our seven writers will bring the audience seven wonderful stories, some ingenious, some terrifying, some meaningful, and some suspenseful. Although the shining points are different, each story is exceptionally attractive without exception..."

He rambled on for a while, and finally it was time for the commercial break. Since this version didn't have commercials, Xiao Tan and Bao Daren directly welcomed the long-awaited moment of announcement.

The announcement process in this round was not in order from one to seven, but randomly drawn. So the contestants ranked sixth and seventh couldn't confidently think slowly. They also had to finish conceiving within ten minutes in case they were drawn first.

"So, the first contestant to announce is..." Oscar pointed to the big screen again. The huge Arabic numerals from one to seven flashed continuously, and finally stopped at "4".

"Mo Mo, please begin," Oscar said directly without rambling.

The contestant's console was in free input mode in this round. Not only could the contestants write text on it, but they could also draw sketches, such as character relationships, or even maps or objects. When the contestants spoke, they could look at the drafts while organizing their language. Of course, they could also write a short story directly on the operating screen like writing a composition, and then read it out. Originally, an outline didn't have a fixed form, so anything was fine.

In Mo Buxiang's story, Ding Yi was a twenty-nine-year-old woman who had a musical dream since she was a child, but in the end, she entered an ordinary life. It wasn't until Ding Yi's fiancé became seriously ill that her life changed. Later, she picked up a magical flute that could move everyone who listened to her play to tears. In the end, she not only saved her fiancé but also regained her dream.

Her story was very short and only took three minutes to tell. With the emotional background music on the scene, several audience members took the opportunity to burst into tears. The cameraman naturally wouldn't miss these shots and gave them a few seconds of close-ups each.

"Um, Mo Mo has brought us another wonderful story. It seems uneventful, but it has a heartwarming power. She has also proven once again that a story doesn't necessarily need exaggerated characters or intense conflicts to be attractive. As long as there is true emotion, the story will have its soul." Oscar recited a series of comments like a poetry recitation, and then began to reveal the next contestant.

In this round, several writers basically brought the stories to their own areas of expertise. The topic given in the A Stroke of Genius segment is always very open. Ding Yi's gender and age; the identity and illness of the relatives; the use and origin of the treasure, etc... It can be said that there are countless ways to develop it, and the degree of freedom is extremely high, so it is very convenient for writers to create. If you have the heart, you can prepare a few good outline stories before recording and just apply them.

Soon, several contestants had finished speaking. The best performance was probably Soda. The master of horror was indeed powerful. He came up with a tortuous and somewhat suspenseful plot in ten minutes, and it didn't feel out of place after bringing in the proposition.

Finally, it was Feng Bujue's turn.

For some reason... Jue-ge was also the last to appear, even with random announcement.

Generally speaking, the writer who announces the outline last in the second round is definitely more advantageous. Although the contestants should have thought of the content within ten minutes, and they can't touch the operating screen after others start announcing, they can completely revise and improve the plot in their minds in the extra time.

At this time, the audience was also looking forward to Feng Bujue's performance. There were three reasons: first, Oscar had said those irresponsible remarks about mystery novelists in advance; second, Jue-ge was the last to appear; and third, this guy's bizarre performance in the first round was still fresh in their minds...

"Um..." Feng Bujue crossed his arms and looked worried.

Oscar came to his side and glanced at his console. He was immediately shocked, thinking: It's actually completely blank! The other contestants at least wrote half a screen, didn't they? What is this? No one has ever submitted a blank paper in this segment! The guy who instantly wrote a biographical sketch of General Jin before the age of thirty-three can't squeeze out a single word now! What does this mean!

"Uh... Contestant Bujue, it's your turn," Oscar said, already mentally prepared for the other party to announce his abandonment.

Unexpectedly, Feng Bujue took a deep breath, leaned in front of the microphone, and started speaking at a fairly fast pace without looking at the screen of the console. "Ding Yi, thirty years old, single, an ordinary company employee, working at the grassroots level, living a zombie-like life like most office workers. Until one day, his cousin's son's classmate's uncle was suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness and needed to be sent to Earth for treatment to have a chance of survival."

"Wait... what's with sending him to Earth... is this still a human story? Aliens who have the ability to travel interstellar distances are losing to Earthlings in medical ability? By the way, what does the cousin's son's classmate's uncle have to do with Ding Yi? Just let him die, okay?" Oscar couldn't help but complain in his heart, and the expression on his face changed a bit.

Feng Bujue's narration continued: "But going to Earth requires a lot of money, which he, his cousin's family, or his cousin's son's classmate's family can't afford. At this moment, Ding Yi picked up a pair of magical dancing shoes. This treasure awakened his long-sealed memories. The lost sense of justice and mission all returned to his mind. It turned out that twenty years ago, Ding Yi's identity was... the superhero in the Cosmic Boy Superhero League –霹雳舞侠 (Pili Wu Xia –霹靂舞俠– Breakdance Hero)."

"Pili what aircraft... Pili what cave... Wu what hero! Please, someone kick him off the stage!" Oscar was going crazy.

"Ding Yi first contacted their colony on Earth, India," Feng Bujue added.

"So the Indians aren't Earthlings? Is that the setting?"

"His old friend – 踢踏怪客 (Tita Guai Ke – Tap Dancing Weirdo), lives on Earth."

"How did teenage superheroes with names like that fight against cosmic evil forces when they were kids?"

"Then, they successfully used their superpowers to help Ding Yi's cousin's son's classmate's uncle smuggle."

"Superhero my ass! Justice my ass! You're doing interstellar smuggling because you don't have money! What's the point of this series of settings?"

"In the end, Ding Yi's cousin's son's classmate's uncle received proper treatment from a local old military doctor and was able to recover," Feng Bujue said finally. "And Ding Yi's story has just begun... The awakened him joined the Cosmic Adult Superhero League, and the name 霹雳舞侠 (Pili Wu Xia – Breakdance Hero) appeared in people's sight once again. And a force of evil that has been sleeping for a long time in the galaxy is stirring again..."

He stopped abruptly at this point. For some reason, everyone in the audience who heard him tell this story had a strange, painful expectation in their hearts, hoping that he would continue...