Li Yang and the others came this time to consult Shi Yuhuai.
"So, Brother Huai," Li Yang spoke first, looking earnest, "we’ve written you into the story..."
"Stop."
Shi Yuhuai had had enough of this nonsense, emphasizing word by word: "I don’t want to play any role, I just want to sit here and enjoy my retirement. Also, there’s no need for you to bring your story to me, I want to have a quiet little black room."
Li Yang was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, then said: "I’ll remove you, but the story still has to be told. So, a thousand years ago..."
Shi Yuhuai painfully closed his eyes.
[Brother Huai wants to die, hahahaha]
[Look how good everyone is to you, Brother Huai, even if you can’t move, they still haven’t given up on you / laughter like a chicken.jpg]
[Brother Huai’s most feared sentence from now on is: Brother Huai, I’ve written a story for you to hear]
[Brother Huai: (heart-wrenchingly) Go! All of you go!]
[Hahahahahahaha, I’m going to laugh myself lame]
[Yangyang, you should leave too, I’m afraid Brother Huai is going to go berserk any second now]
[Shu Ran is laughing so happily]
[Mu Qiu is too mean hahaha, look how angry Guan Yu is]
[Why, is Li Yang’s group all copy-paste? How are they all so silly]
[Brother Cheng, you should watch the impact too, the camera is pointed at you, just holding hands]
[I am actually a bit interested in the story Li Yang and the others wrote, it’s difficult to write]
[...]
Li Yang was still seriously telling Shi Yuhuai that story:
"A thousand years ago, the Greedy Wolf Star Lord descended to the mortal world to undergo a trial, accidentally losing all memory, and fell in love with a woman. The two were just about to get married when the Star Lord’s trial went awry, struck by lightning and sent back midway, landing in the modern world and becoming a programmer, losing memory again."
"Later, when the Greedy Wolf Star Lord returned to his position, he remembered everything and was ready to find the woman from before, only to find that the woman had turned love into hate and only wanted to kill him. The woman’s brother, which is me, played a significant role in their mutual abusive deep love. How’s that, isn’t the story exciting?"
Shi Yuhuai sneered: "Three groups of people came, and your story is the most boring."
Li Yang: "... Actually, it was supposed to be more exciting, but since you don’t want to play any role, I removed the role of a guy dressing up as a girl with a crush on Sister Shu Ran."
"... What role?"
"Crush, the role of having a crush on Sister Shu Ran."
Shi Yuhuai: "You’ve lost your mind."
Li Yang gulped, cautiously glanced at Shu Ran’s expression, and decided to shut up.
An Zhou, dressed in programmer attire, stood next to them, unsure whether to laugh or hold back. These people clearly have nothing comedic in their personalities or expressions, yet somehow manage to be extremely funny.
Especially Shi Yuhuai.
Shi Yuhuai was forced to listen to three stories that are hard to digest, his face became wooden, almost spitting saliva to drive Li Yang and the others away.
Once everyone left, he turned and asked the remaining cameraman: "Could you please help me close this door?"
The cameraman held back laughter, shaking his head: "I’m afraid that’s not possible."
"Isn’t this supposed to be a small black room? Why are so many people coming and going to disturb me?"
A director accompanying them, tinkering with a computer behind the Guanyin statue, poked his head out, whispering: "The fixed NPC is meant to limit your actions, nothing says others can’t come tour you."
Even using the word ’tour.’
Shi Yuhuai was too angry to speak.
...
Elsewhere, Mu Qiu and Cheng Zhirang walked together, side by side, following the direction of the water channel.
Along the way, they passed many small shops selling antiques and quaint items, and deeper into the street, a few renovated mansions with signs newly hung up reading Scholar Mansion, Duke Lu Mansion, General Mansion.
"This General Mansion must be useful."
Cheng Zhirang tilted his head and asked: "Why?"
"In period movies, TV dramas, and novels, the protagonist usually resides in the Imperial Palace or the General Mansion, military power gives rise to many derivative stories. Even if not the protagonist, there has to be a supporting character like that. Have you thought about what our story should be like?"
Speaking, she had already stepped into the General Mansion.
Cheng Zhirang followed her inside. With his upright posture and clad in ancient costume, he didn’t need crafting to appear as a native to this place.
Just based on looks, even in a novel, he would surely be an important character.
"According to the films I’ve acted in before," Cheng Zhirang said gently while walking, "our attire indeed matches the characters you mentioned before, just the story and relationships aren’t so..."
He thought of a more tactful description: "so prominent and clear-cut."
Simply put, not so melodramatic.
Mu Qiu reached the courtyard of the General Mansion, picked a Red Tassel Spear from a nearby wooden rack.
The program team was indeed meticulous about the details.
She held the Red Tassel Spear and made a thrusting motion, asking: "Do you think this suits me?"
Cheng Zhirang shook his head: "Your attire is more befitting an aristocratic lady, not suitable for wielding a spear."
"Then what if I were a character capable of wielding weapons but broken-winged and trapped in an aristocratic mansion?"
He frowned, thinking seriously: "It’s possible, and adds more drama."
"Then if we decide on this character, will it be easy to be out of character? I don’t actually wield weapons."
She fired off three questions, Cheng Zhirang paused, not answering the last one, but said: "So we need to decide roles based on everyone’s attire, personality, and temperament, then link them with the story."
"Correct, that might be easier. But for now, there’s still time, brainstorming is also welcome."
She sat on a stone stool, asked staff for pen and paper, and discussed while jotting down with Cheng Zhirang.
"Firstly, Brother Huai’s role can be based on his current appearance, set as a character dressed as a woman, tortured while trapped in a ruined temple, quick-tempered and sharp-tongued, verbally fierce yet actually weak, whether good or bad can be both."
Cheng Zhirang: "It could be a good character, just not very likable."
"With such a setup, there usually is a revelation plot at the end, like him stepping up bravely for justice when others shy away, leaving a shocking impression."
Cheng Zhirang followed her train of thought: "For justice, he could be dressing as a woman for revenge against unfair treatment in the past, caught by aristocrats but remained resolute? Or even ready to die, using his death to uncover many old stories?"
Mu Qiu patted his shoulder, her gaze appreciative: "Very good, let’s go with this, Brother Huai will thank you."