Chapter 119 The Brush of God

“Please look… at the big screen.” Oscar picked up where he left off, turning smoothly as he spoke.

In that same second, the big screen beside the stage, and the small screens in front of each writer, all displayed the following: [Zhang San, Li Si, Dusk, Prairie, Victory or Defeat]

“As you all can see, the rules have been changed today. In the past, the requirement for this round was… to design an outline-style text based on a narrative passage, and through oral narration, turn it into a relatively complete story.” Oscar explained, “But today, what we’re giving you is… characters, time, place, and event.”

As he said this, the cameraman scanned the expressions of each contestant again. Apart from Brother Jue… everyone’s expression changed slightly.

“However, the other rules of this round are still the same as usual…” Oscar then said, “At this moment, the consoles in front of our seven writers have all been switched to free input mode. Whether it’s text, sketches, tables, doodles… you can plan as you wish.” He paused for a moment. “And the time for this round is still ten minutes.”

Having said that, he looked at the contestant seats and quickly added, “So now… Round Two, begin!”

Tick-tock, tick-tock…

Before Oscar's voice faded, the sound of a clock echoed through the venue. This was also the director's arrangement… to create a sense of tension. Many similar techniques had been used in this revival match to create atmosphere.

“The Brush of God, as the most popular segment of this program, is deeply loved by our audience.” Before the commercial break, Oscar had to keep rambling, “The performance in this round is crucial… Many contestants were eliminated because of their poor performance in this round…” He moved slowly on the stage, making eye contact with the audience, which made his speech look more natural, “And today… on this revival night stage, only one contestant can advance to the finals. That is to say… we will eliminate not one, but six people.” He repeated this well-known nonsense in an extremely serious tone, but it didn't feel out of place, “But if… you can take the lead in this round, then it goes without saying… it's like having one foot already stepping into the threshold of the finals.”

While he was speaking, the timer on the big screen had been running for nearly two minutes. Among the seven writers present, six had already picked up their electronic pens and were busy at their consoles. Only Feng Bujue… was holding his chin with both hands, looking up at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, and it was unclear whether he was spacing out or trying to be cute.

“What is this kid up to again…” Oscar glanced at this scene out of the corner of his eye, and instantly had a bad feeling, “Could it be… he's given up on himself…” he thought to himself, “Or… is he just trying to be sensational?”

“No… he's not that kind of person.” Oscar thought for a few seconds, quickly rejecting these two guesses: “Well… according to his personality, the truth is probably… he thinks the finals are too troublesome, so he's deliberately getting himself eliminated.”

Once he figured this out, Oscar's slight surprise and doubt disappeared. At this moment, he couldn't help but smile, because he suddenly realized… what was happening in front of him was very ironic… what some people would do anything to get was a burden that others couldn't get rid of.

…………

Ten minutes passed quickly. During this time, Oscar went offstage for a few minutes, drank some water, and touched up his makeup.

The three minutes he had rambled on earlier had filled the gap outside of the commercial time, and the rest could be recorded later.

In addition, the floor director (unlike when Brother Jue participated last time, Fei Ran was personally in charge of the on-site command this time) also had a brief exchange with the audience, talking about what issues to pay attention to during the upcoming recording.

Oscar didn't return to the stage until the countdown on the big screen had thirty seconds left.

“All units, attention, prepare.” Fei Ran greeted in his earpiece.

“Welcome back to… I am Writer – Revival Night! I am Oscar.” After resting for a few minutes, Oscar regained his energetic state, “Thank you for your patience during the commercial break… Let’s see, how much time is left in this round…”

The main camera cut over at this time, giving a close-up of the big screen.

“…Twenty-one seconds.” Oscar continued, “Are you all as nervous as I am?” As he spoke, he stepped closer to the contestant seats, “But the most nervous… are undoubtedly our seven writers, I wonder how their creative progress is going…”

Next was a rather abrupt silence.

These ten seconds would be handed over to the post-production staff. When the clip was made, the screen would be divided into several parts, displaying the countdown while constantly switching close-ups of the contestants, accompanied by a pressing background music… creating a feeling that the television screen would explode when the time ran out.

For some reason, similar techniques… were repeatedly successful and enduring in various variety shows.

“Time’s up!” Oscar said after the countdown ended, then directly addressed the big screen, “Without further ado… please see… the random number.”

Seven Arabic numerals flashed rapidly on the screen, and after a few seconds, abruptly stopped on the number “6.”

“Heh… This is also secretly manipulated, right…” Feng Bujue thought to himself, “In this round, it’s obviously more advantageous to announce your outline later, as they have more time to think… And the first person to appear is the most unlucky, as when it comes time for scoring, the later narratives will have diluted the audience’s impression of the first story.” His eyes intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Fei Ran, “As expected of Director Fei… very cleverly done. Presumably the last person to announce will be… Night Fire. Well… If it were me, I would also separate Soda’s narrative order from Night Fire by at least two people. If Soda were to appear second to last, contrasting with Night Fire, then the latter would be in trouble…”

Brother Jue's mind raced, and all these thoughts flashed through his mind in just three seconds.

Oscar, at this moment, just happened to walk in front of him: "Bujue, remember the last time you came to our show, you won second place in this round. Although you were ultimately eliminated, your extremely parodic story still left a deep impression on everyone." Under the prompting of the staff (through his earpiece), he briefly reviewed Brother Jue's past performance, "I wonder what kind of surprise you will bring us today."

"Surprise is guaranteed…" Feng Bujue replied expressionlessly, "As for delight… Hehe…"

"Then, please be…gin…" When Oscar said this, there was a clear and unexpected pause between "be" and "gin," because in that very second, he saw Brother Jue's console… The screen was blank, not a single stroke.

"Once upon a time, there were two people." Feng Bujue interlocked his fingers, rested his hands under his nose, struck the signature pose of Commander Ikari, and said coldly, "One was called Zhang San, and the other was called Li Si."

The venue suddenly became very quiet…

Everyone in attendance today, including the fans of other writers, was eagerly anticipating Feng Bujue's performance in The Brush of God, because no one knew what this guy would come up with…

Feng Bujue's narration gradually unfolded, "One dusk, Zhang San invited Li Si out to race…"

"Huh?" Oscar was stunned, thinking, "A race?"

"The location of the competition was on a prairie…" Feng Bujue continued, "Li Si was a cripple, nicknamed Iron Crutch Li, and usually needed crutches to help him walk. And Zhang San was an athlete, two meters and sixteen centimeters tall, with long legs, nicknamed Zhang Chamberlain."

"Is that really just a nickname…" Oscar really wanted to interject, but he could only hold back.

"The two stood side by side, and the arrogant Zhang San asked Li Si to call out the starting command." Feng Bujue said, "So, Li Si recited, 'On your marks… Walk!'"

"Walk? What the hell is walk!" Oscar exclaimed in his heart.

"Before Li Si finished speaking, he rushed out." Feng Bujue said, "Zhang San didn't care about the other party's despicable cheating behavior. He smiled calmly and followed."

"A guy who races a cripple isn't a gentleman either!"

"In just a few seconds, Zhang San surpassed Li Si and opened up a distance of hundreds of meters. He ran with his head down at this speed for a while… When he looked back, the limping Li Si had become a tiny black dot on the prairie." Brother Jue said, "Zhang San thought: The finish line is only five meters away, I'm sure to win, I might as well lie down and take a nap."

"What a psychopath! Just run the five meters!"

"Zhang San lay on the prairie, enjoying the warm evening breeze, and before long… he really closed his eyes and fell asleep." Feng Bujue continued, "And Li Si chased and chased, limped and limped… When he walked beside Zhang San, he was already exhausted."

"Heh… If it were me… At this time, when I saw Zhang San stand up, I would use my crutch to beat him into a cripple too…" Oscar's inner complaints were nonstop.

"And Zhang San was still sleeping… Although Li Si also wanted to rest for a while, he knew that Zhang San ran faster than him, and only by persevering could he win." Brother Jue said with a solemn expression, "After a fierce ideological struggle, Li Si still gritted his teeth and insisted on moving forward."

"It's only five meters! What's there to struggle about! You could just move a few steps in the process of struggling!"

"Finally, Li Si crossed the finish line." Feng Bujue's story was nearing its end, "Zhang San woke up and looked back… Eh? Where did Li Si go?" He said in a tone of teaching a kindergarten child, vividly, "Oh no, that's terrible! Li Si has already crossed the finish line. Zhang San panicked at the sight, but it was too late to chase after him now, Li Si had already won." He shook his head and sighed, "Ah… It's really thought-provoking…"

"Director… let's call security…" Oscar turned his head and switched the microphone to the backstage communication mode.

"Wouldn't that be unnecessary…" Fei Ran said, "He's already finished speaking, it's too late to drive him out now…"

"No… I mean, have the security guards stand by." Oscar whispered, "In case the audience throws debris on the stage, or rushes towards him directly, the security guards can hold them off for a while…"

"It's okay… you cover for him." Fei Ran said, "Try to cover it up…"

"Cover what!" Oscar actually swore at the general director in the communication, "Even kindergarten children can tell that this is the Tortoise and the Hare!"

"Calm down… be calm…" Fei Ran said in a firm tone, "Say something nice, if all else fails, tell a few jokes, change the subject…"

The part where Oscar whispered into his earpiece would naturally be cut out in post-production, so he simply spoke for more than three minutes.

Three minutes later, Oscar adjusted his emotions and expressions, and switched the microphone back to the hosting channel, "Ha…" He smiled, and the smile was as fake as it could be, "Bujue… Your story… overall… is still quite educational…"

"Boo—" The audience instantly booed. This time, the entire audience was booing Brother Jue, and some of his supporters had already left in anger, while the remaining ones had basically turned from fans to haters, throwing away their banners and joining the booing.

"Hehe… Of course, this is a modified version of the Tortoise and the Hare." Feng Bujue replied shamelessly, smiling calmly.

"Don't go too far!" Suddenly, Night Fire, sitting in the adjacent contestant seat number seven, said loudly.

This situation was unprecedented… In the history of the recording of "I Am Writer," there had never been a scene where two contestants had a conflict on the spot. Oscar's ability to control the scene was very strong, and generally speaking… who, when, and what to say… were all guided by him, the host.

But right now, an unexpected situation had occurred.

"All units, pay attention, don't stop, keep recording!" Fei Ran's excited voice sounded in the staff's earphones, and it seemed… the director was delighted to see this situation.

"No matter what your purpose is, please don't use this attitude to tarnish this sacred stage." Night Fire glared at Brother Jue righteously.

"Oh?" Feng Bujue turned his head, looked at Night Fire with a sarcastic smile, and said, "Is this stage sacred?"

Before he finished speaking, Brother Jue actually stood up suddenly.

Near the stage, the several security guards outside the camera range were sweating, and they all thought to themselves: No way… are we really going to have to go on stage…

Feng Bujue took two steps, stopped in front of Night Fire's number seven contestant seat, put his hands on the console, brought his face close to the other party's, and stared at him…

Faced with Brother Jue's actions, Night Fire was immediately at a loss… He originally wanted to gain some popularity through his previous remarks, and incidentally give a blow to the guy next to him who was ranked second in the online vote. It was a plan of "kicking someone when they're down and elevating oneself" – killing two birds with one stone.

Unexpectedly… Feng Bujue actually left his seat and directly pressed forward. Judging by his posture… was he going to get physical?

Night Fire was around thirty years old, dressed smartly, and even wore a fitted suit, but it still couldn't hide his somewhat bloated physique.

And Feng Bujue… although he looked thin, his body had been trained to be very strong and well-defined due to his recent regular exercise; coupled with his height advantage, he clearly wouldn't be at a disadvantage in a fight…

"Hey hey… What's going on… If you really beat up Night Fire, it's not just a matter of being dragged out by security, he might sue you…" Oscar thought to himself.

"If this stage is sacred…" Feng Bujue looked directly into the other party's eyes and said in a deep voice, "...then why are you here?"

"What do you mean by that!" Night Fire was furious on the spot, as if his fur had been ruffled.

Because, he heard another layer of meaning in Brother Jue's words…

Night Fire himself knew best that he, the "number one in the revival match's popularity vote," had achieved it through behind-the-scenes manipulations… To put it more bluntly – he had paid for it. Just like some online writers who spend money to inflate their scores on websites, Night Fire had done something similar to make himself rank first in the online selection. In addition, he also used some connections to put pressure on the television station's upper management through sponsoring companies, paving the way for him to enter the finals.

When Feng Bujue ironically used his so-called "sacred" remarks to mock him, Night Fire naturally became enraged out of shame.

"It's nothing, I'm just saying whatever, if you don't like to hear it, I'll say something else." Feng Bujue suddenly revealed a smile, turned around leisurely, and returned to his seat.

The audience on the sidelines was dumbfounded, not knowing how to react…

When Oscar saw that the situation had eased, he quickly said, "Ah… haha… Bujue is still so fond of joking…" He tried to use laughter to dilute this terrifying atmosphere. And the next step was to change the subject, "Speaking of… Bujue, your creation this time actually has some highlights, at least there are a lot of points to criticize."

"Where?" Feng Bujue was actually tearing down his own stage, "I said that this story is just a modified version of the Tortoise and the Hare, even if there are highlights, I'm just engaged in 'advanced plagiarism,' right?"

"Uh…" Oscar really couldn't continue the conversation, he sighed, and regardless of the on-site effect (it really didn't matter at this point, let the post-production handle the mess) and atmosphere, he directly said, "Bujue… to be honest, I'm quite shocked. What exactly do you mean by your performance today?"

"Heh… you'll understand when the show is over…" Feng Bujue put his hands behind his head again and replied in a relaxed tone, "For now… just consider it a bad performance."

"Hmph… as if you're any more impressive when you perform normally…" Night Fire snorted coldly from the side.

Feng Bujue didn't care about this at all, he didn't even look at Night Fire, just smiled and recited, "Say I look down on everything, I don't ask for anyone to understand, a body of pride."