Chapter 52

Chapter 52

I’ll give a simple explanation so the audience doesn’t get scared by Lu Chen’s current state,

Shu Ping thought for a moment and decided it was best to say a few words.

As industry professionals, they naturally understood Lu Chen’s approach. But not all viewers might. Even though Lu Chen had given a heads-up in advance, his current state was indeed a bit unsettling.

“Swish!”

In an instant, countless eyes in the live broadcast room focused on Shu Ping.

Shu Ping paused briefly and said, “Lu Chen’s current state can be simply explained as him imagining a character standing right in front of him and trying to have a conversation with that character to extract more details about the story!”

Xiao Sa looked horrified.

“Ah… imagining a character standing in front of oneself…”

Shu Ping smiled.

“Does that sound scary? Actually, there’s nothing frightening about it. Anyone who has ever written a story should have experienced this—interacting with their characters, even putting themselves in their shoes.

For a screenwriter, this is extremely important!

Only when you truly step into a character’s skin can you understand them. In our industry, we call this process ‘possession!’”

Xiao Sa nodded.

“I see, that sounds really interesting. No wonder writers can create such bizarre and diverse characters! But, Teacher Shu Ping, you said Lu Chen is imagining a character in front of him—doesn’t that mean this isn’t possession?”

“Right, this is a second method. It can be called character simulation or character extraction—removing the character from the mind and the plot, forming an independent enclosed space, and then having a conversation with that character.”

“This is incredible! It sounds even more advanced than possession. At least possession seems doable, but this seems really difficult.”

“Indeed, achieving this state requires either talent or extensive practice. Only by reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles can one attain it.

Don’t be fooled by Lu Chen sitting alone in this creative space. In reality, his mind has entered a special dimension. During this time, I want to remind everyone: whatever actions Lu Chen takes next, don’t find them strange!

He has most likely fully immersed himself in his story. And that’s not a bad thing!

On the contrary, for a screenwriter, this is a great thing!”

With Shu Ping’s explanation, the audience finally understood.

So that’s how it is!

Yan Geling chuckled.

“This brat, I actually thought he had dozed off. Turns out he was brainstorming a story, and he’s thought of quite a lot!”

“Teacher Yan, what do you mean by that last sentence? I don’t quite get it.”

“If you want to enter this state, you must have a rough story and character plot in mind. Only then can you have meaningful conversations with the character. Otherwise, do you really think you can just casually think about it and enter this state? Even if you do, after just a few lines, you’d probably snap out of it.

Because you wouldn’t know what this character has been through, so there would be nothing to discuss. Only the author, who knows what has happened, can guide the conversation.

Because sometimes, characters won’t willingly reveal things—they don’t want to talk about certain matters. It’s up to the author to prompt them!”

Xiao Sa found it increasingly surreal.

“Wow, I never imagined writing had so much depth! I’m starting to lose track of what you’re saying!”

Yan Geling laughed.

“It’s fine if you don’t understand. This state is rare even for screenwriters, let alone ordinary people.

I remember the last time I entered this state was when I was writing The Flowers of War. I called out Yumo and Shujuan to have a chat, one by one.”

“For me, it was during Let the Bullets Fly—I had a conversation with Zhang Muzhi, Master, Huang Silang, as well as Lao San and Lao Si.”

Shu Ping laughed as well.

“How about you, Teacher Liu?”

Xiao Sa followed up.

“When I write scripts and novels, I must enter this state. Otherwise, I can’t even start writing.”

Xiao Sa: “…”

Yan Geling and Shu Ping: “…”

A true master.

Others struggle to enter this state, but for Liu Heping, he can enter and exit at will.

No wonder he wrote 1566.

“Teacher Chen, what about you?”

Chen Sicheng: “I… I guess I’m somewhat the same.”

Xiao Sa: “…”

Why does that sound so unconvincing?

At that moment, Yan Geling furrowed his brow slightly.

“Teacher Liu, Teacher Shu Ping, this state is usually used for writing ensemble stories. Could it be that Lu Chen is working on an ensemble cast story this time?”

Liu Heping: “Most likely.”

Shu Ping: “Let’s keep watching! We should pay close attention to his conversations—they’re full of information!”

Chen Sicheng: “There’s already information—this Gao Qiqiang is the protagonist. Seems like he’s also the antagonist! He’s killed someone!”

This time, Chen Sicheng didn’t jump up like last time to accuse Lu Chen of breaking the rules. After all, he had already embarrassed himself once before.

He wouldn’t be foolish enough to fall for it again.

“Could it be another Breaking the Ice type of storyline?”

Chen Sicheng added.

“Let’s watch and find out. Regardless of whether it follows a pattern, as long as the story is engaging, that’s all that matters!”

Chen Sicheng nodded.

Let’s see how Lu Chen writes this one.

If it’s still in the Breaking the Ice style, well, that just gives him another reason to give it a low score. That would be a good thing.

…

Meanwhile, inside the room, Lu Chen’s conversation with Gao Qiqiang, transcending reality, continued.

[Lu Chen: “You seem dissatisfied with what I said, Mr. Gao.”

Gao Qiqiang smiled.

“Kid, if I were younger, you wouldn’t be able to talk to me like this.”

Lu Chen: “I know you have many subordinates. There’s a pair named Tang Xiaolong and Tang Xiaohu, right?”

Gao Qiqiang: “You really do know quite a bit. What else? Tell me everything you know. Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll keep chatting with you.”

Lu Chen: “I know you have two younger siblings. You’re the eldest, with a younger brother and a younger sister. Your parents passed away early, so you took on the roles of both father and mother, working tirelessly at the fish stall to support your siblings through school.”

Gao Qiqiang: “You know all this—who told you?”

Lu Chen: “No one. These backstories and relationships are all my creations.”

Gao Qiqiang: “Then go on, tell me everything you know.”

Lu Chen: “So, you’re willing to talk to me?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Let’s see how much you really know. So far, you’ve piqued my interest.”

Lu Chen: “Alright. I know that you started as a fish vendor. As times changed, you transitioned into the mobile phone business. Then, somehow, you entered a famous construction company in Jinghai City. From there, you rose to power, eventually taking over the company and renaming it Qiangsheng Group, becoming a figure known by everyone in Jinghai, from the elderly to young children. Am I right?”

Gao Qiqiang nodded.

“Not bad. You got it all right. But since you already know so much, what more do you want to know?”

Lu Chen: “The middle part of the story! What happened in between?”]

…