The program officially kicked off. The host was an experienced veteran with a decade of hosting under her belt and excellent writing skills. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been qualified to host a show featuring so many renowned writers.
Everyone watched as she read a line with great passion. Then, she abruptly changed the topic and said, "Based on this line, I'm curious to see what kind of stories each of you teachers can come up with. But don't worry, there will be a hint session."
[This familiar format! Isn't it just like the college entrance exam composition?]
[Who would have thought there'd be a test of our writing skills on the spot? I'm dying to know how that writer who took half a year to barely write an opening feels right now. *wink*]
[Let's not name names. Give Xing Qing some face.]
[Ahahaha, that's ruthless.]
...
Gu Mingchi, who was subtly named, rubbed his forehead, feeling as if he'd been shot in the heart.
His readers had the memories of elephants!
It was true that he once promised his readers a novel, but then he got caught up in a six - month closed - set filming project. So... When would this old joke finally fade away?
Yuan Meng couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips, relishing in his misfortune.
However, as the saying goes, don't count your chickens before they hatch.
The hint session arrived, and it was in the form of card - drawing.
"The card you draw represents one of the elements of the content you need to write. Good luck, teachers."
As soon as the host finished speaking, those who had already drawn their cards showed a variety of expressions.
There were looks of surprise, relief, and confusion. And of course, there was Yuan Meng's look of utter disbelief.
She held up the card with the words "affair" written on it and slowly showed it to everyone.
[For Teacher Yuan, this is probably going to be another suspenseful tale full of love, hatred, and revenge!]
[Look, she drew "affair"! Is this some kind of hint?]
[Either the program crew did this on purpose or God is trying to tell us what kind of person she is!]
[Are you living in the Middle Ages? If we're burning superstitious people, I'll send you to the crematorium myself.]
[Damn it! As soon as I saw those two words, I knew these idiots would start causing trouble.]
[If there's nothing to hide, why are you so defensive? It's like saying "There's no silver here!" *rolls eyes*]
[There might not be any silver here, but I don't mind digging a hole and burying a keyboard warrior like you to clean up the environment!]
As expected, two groups of people started arguing in the live - chat.
In a suspense story, there must be a victim. As soon as the story began, Yuan Meng picked up her pen and wrote Chai Yanyu's name on the blank paper, then crossed it out with a huge X. She then listed a series of ways for him to die. The sharp - eyed cameraman immediately zoomed in on the paper for a close - up.
Instantly, everyone except the person involved and those who knew the inside story burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, Yuan Meng, you're really good at this!" Yan Ke'er casually glanced at the live - chat and saw that the comments were all about the viewers' curiosity about the character's development, which had instantly ramped up the suspense.
Yuan Meng hadn't expected such an effect. She'd just wanted to take a dig at someone, but this gave her an idea.
Without hesitation, she immersed herself in writing. She had no idea that Chai Yanyu was watching the live - stream, wearing a furious expression as if he wanted to devour someone.
Watching her focused look, the atmosphere at the scene was unexpectedly uplifted. It felt more like a literary symposium than a variety show.
The trolls in the live - chat who wanted to post negative comments couldn't find an opportunity and could only fume outside the screen.
Driven by the desire to get back at someone, Yuan Meng naturally didn't spare any mercy for the characters in her story, especially Chai Yanyu, the victim. How could one way of dying be enough to showcase the protagonist's detective skills?
Of course, a collection of all the crazy death scenes from some anime would be worthy of that jerk! As Yuan Meng wrote, a faint, cold smile played on her lips.
Chai Yanyu felt a chill run down his spine. He had a nagging feeling that Yuan Meng would appear in front of him any second and kill him in one of those ways.
"Okay! Time's up!" the director announced. All five writers stopped writing at the same time, and the stage assistants collected their manuscripts one by one.
Yuan Meng looked at her manuscript with a hint of regret.
She hadn't written enough. Maybe she should name all the victims in her future books Chai Yanyu!
Whenever that jerk annoyed her, she could just pick a death scene and send him to his grave!
"The works of each teacher will be displayed on the screen one by one. The audience will vote for the best one!"
The first three works were rather mediocre. However, Shang Xingcheng's work had some bright spots. He'd skillfully depicted the victim's relationships, and the plot twist at the end highlighted the victim's helplessness and the murderer's remorse.
The audience, who'd been half - asleep after watching the first three works, were instantly jolted awake and virtually erupted into thunderous applause.
[There's no doubt that our Xingcheng will come first!]
[Ah ah ah! Brother, you're so talented. It's a waste that you're not a screenwriter! *sob*]
[Brother is so amazing. The next writer must be under a lot of pressure. I think the next one is Yuan Meng... What bad luck!]
...
All five writers could see the live - chat. Yuan Meng didn't really care and was still thinking about how to kill Chai Yanyu in a more creative way. The others were all staring at the live - chat.
Regarding the fans' contemptuous remarks about Yuan Meng, Shang Xingcheng just nodded slightly at her as a symbolic apology but didn't try to stop them.
Yuan Meng didn't even notice, but Gu Mingchi raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling that this guy had ill intentions.
When Yuan Meng's work was displayed, the chaotic live - chat messages suddenly dwindled, and it became dead silent.
Ten minutes later, someone timidly popped up.
[Can I say that I was so scared that I turned on all the lights and curled up in my blanket, too afraid to move?]
The silence was instantly broken, and the audience started pouring in with their comments.
[Same here! When the murderer appeared, my mom came into my room. I let out a scream, and she scolded me for five whole minutes. After I strongly recommended it to her, she read it too, and now we're both huddled under the blanket, too scared to move...]
[If there's anyone who's really unlucky, it's Chai Yanyu. The way he died... Brrr, just thinking about it gives me the creeps...]
[I strongly suspect that there's such a person in real life who offended Goddess Yuan. So, trolls, watch your mouths. *runs away with a pot on head GIF*]
...
The so - called "victim" with the last name Chai who'd just finished watching, "... "
He felt extremely uncomfortable but couldn't help but imagine those scenarios. The more he thought about it, the more scared and disgusted he felt.
He was convinced that Yuan Meng would kill him in the same way!
If he died, he wondered if his cousin could burn a few pretty girls for him. Ten or eight wouldn't be too many. The more, the merrier!
Next came the voting session. Although the other writers' works had their own merits, they couldn't quite measure up to Yuan Meng's. As expected, Yuan Meng won first place!
"See! That's what real talent looks like!" Gu Mingchi, who came in fourth, looked proud. His fans teased him, but some people thought it was a sign that the two had a special relationship.