"Set... setting? You mean your Other is a setting?"
Zhuge Qing was completely stunned in his chair, mechanically asking back.
"Otherwise?" Lin Xu spread his hands as a matter of course, his expression strange as he retorted, "You have to believe in science, Lao Qing. You don't really believe there are Others in the world, do you?"
"You're the last person I want to hear that from. Weren't you the one who was always seeking supernatural powers in the past?"
Zhuge Qing felt like he was going to laugh from anger. He saw Lin Xu's expression was so serious that he thought he really knew about the existence of Others and almost laid all his cards on the table.
But who would have thought that after all that talk, he was just talking about the setting for a new work!
Lin Xu observed Zhuge Qing's expression, and a wave of amusement washed over him as he watched his face change.
Little guy, got a fright, didn't you? Let's see you put on an act with me here.
Lin Xu waved his hand, his expression unchanged. "I was looking for inspiration. Deep down, I still believe in science."
"Today, I suddenly had a burst of inspiration. I thought, what kind of story would unfold if there existed a group of people different from ordinary humans, hidden within human society?"
"I abbreviated the phrase 'different from ordinary humans' into two characters: 'Other'! How about it, Lao Qing? Even you were startled by this setting of mine. Don't you think this setting has potential!"
Zhuge Qing gave a stiff laugh.
If you just look at the setting, to be honest, it's incredibly bad, too conventional!
A group of superpowered individuals hidden in human society and such—this kind of setting is a dime a dozen in web novels.
But his reaction just now was clearly not normal. Anyway, it's not him who will lose money when it's filmed.
"It's... very good. The boss's ideas are truly extraordinary."
"Good eye!"
Looking at the smug Lin Xu next to him, Zhuge Qing suddenly realized something.
Isn't he the lead actor in this drama! If Lin Xu makes a terrible movie, he's the one who will be cursed at!
Lin Xu had filmed a great many movies in the past two years; his prolific output was truly frightening.
Relying on the System's Bring your own invincible Late Stage processing capabilities, things like a drama every seven days were common.
Many times, he even filmed one in three days!
People said Lin Xu made films for charity. Although he had one or two hit dramas every year,
He just made so many dramas!
No one knew how he managed to sustain himself with dozens of dramas a year, only a few of which made money, yet his films' special effects were always so magnificent.
Special effects aren't free!
And naturally, among these many dramas, there appeared many with clichéd and childish plots, extremely low ratings, becoming frequent targets for Make complaints bloggers.
The setting of 'Other' sounds very cliché. Don't let him make another terrible movie, he's the one who will be cursed at!
"Boss, is the new movie called 'Other'?"
Lin Xu shook his head directly, "That's not it. The name 'Other' is too cliché. We definitely can't use that."
Zhuge Qing watched Lin Xu fall into contemplation.
You also know that 'Other' is cliché, right? And you still film it!
Before Zhuge Qing could ask further, Lin Xu himself revealed the name of his new work.
"under one person. That's the name of my new work."
"Under Other?" Zhuge Qing repeated softly, asking in confusion, "Is there any meaning to this? Why 'under Other'?"
"You misunderstood the character. It's not the 'Other' from 'abnormal'." Lin Xu waved his hands repeatedly, pointing out the correct character: "It's the 'One' from 'one, two, three, four' — 'under one person'."
Zhuge Qing said "Oh" and asked with an expectant expression, "Then is there any story behind the name 'under one person'?"
Lin Xu shook his head expressionlessly, "There's no particular meaning. I just simply felt that 'Other' as a title was too common, so I changed the name."
Zhuge Qing took a deep breath.
He had a bad feeling; the sense of a bad movie was very strong!
Zhuge Qing used his last bit of strength to ask, "So what's the general plot of this drama?"
Hearing this, Lin Xu suddenly became animated.
"This plot is something I've pondered over for years."
"Years? Didn't you just say the inspiration came today?"
"Don't mind those details. Just listen carefully to what I have to say. You're the boss, I'm the boss. This is definitely an earth-shattering story."
Lin Xu used his boss's privilege to interrupt Zhuge Qing's speech and continued.
"This drama of mine is also related to you, Lao Qing. The inspiration comes from you. Didn't you say you are a descendant of Zhuge Liang? The protagonist of this drama is just like you, also a descendant of Zhuge Liang!"
"In my setting, there exists a group of people called Others in the world, and the descendants of Zhuge Liang are also a Family of Others that has been passed down for a thousand years."
"The protagonist's grandfather accidentally obtained a peerless Cultivation Technique! It's the kind commonly seen in Wuxia novels, where obtaining it makes one invincible under heaven."
"For this divine Cultivation Technique, a large number of Others were dispatched to find and hunt down the protagonist's grandfather. To evade the pursuit, the protagonist began to live a life of hiding, and in this process, he married, had children, and had his own son and grandson."
"And seeing the protagonist growing older, the protagonist's grandfather was unwilling for the protagonist to continue living a life of hiding. To end all of this, on a dark and stormy night, he deliberately exposed his whereabouts to the world, lured a large group of Others who had designs on them, and perished with them!"
"After the protagonist's grandfather died, his father also disappeared. The protagonist, having lost all his relatives overnight, could only enter an orphanage and grow up alone as an orphan. During the protagonist's brief escape in childhood, his grandfather always told him to hide his abilities."
"So, although the protagonist Cultivated Cultivation Techniques with his grandfather from a young age, after his grandfather's death, he hid his identity as an Other and lived as an ordinary person for many years. Until many years later, a mysterious girl suddenly entered his life and told him about his identity as an Other. The protagonist's peaceful life began to be completely shattered."
"To find the truth behind his grandfather's death, and also to find his missing father, the protagonist and the girl embarked on their journey as Others."
"I've already thought of the protagonist's name; he's called Chulan, and the character you play is Zhuge Chulan!"
Having said a lot in one breath, Lin Xu's mouth was almost dry.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and looked at Zhuge Qing with eager eyes.
"How about it, Lao Qing? Doesn't my story have a strong sense of déjà vu! The imagery is explosive, isn't it! How about it! Isn't it earth-shattering! Isn't it shocking!"
Zhuge Qing did not answer him, but instead took a deep breath silently.
He had thought Lin Xu's new story might be a bit clichéd, but wasn't this a little too clichéd?
"Boss, your story is a bit... retro. I don't know if it's shocking, but it's certainly very common."
After much deliberation, Zhuge Qing finally gave his evaluation.
And regarding Zhuge Qing's evaluation, Lin Xu said this:
"You're right, but 'under one person' is a brand new fantasy adventure story independently set by me, Lin Xu. The story takes place in a fantasy world with a group called 'Others'. Here, exceptionally talented people will bear the title of 'Other' and become superpowered individuals who master supernatural forces.
And you will play a mysterious character named 'Zhuge Chulan', encountering companions with various personalities and unique abilities in the perilous world of Others. Together with them, you will defeat powerful enemies, find lost relatives—and at the same time, gradually uncover the truth behind 'Grandfather's death'."