Chapter 55

Chapter 55

[Lu Chen: “Nothing happened in between? An Xin interrogated you?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Yeah.”

Lu Chen: “What was your first impression of him?”

Gao Qiqiang smacked his lips.

“At first glance, just a regular cop. But he was young and had a kind face—very approachable. Not like how he turned out later, all old and grumpy.”

Lu Chen: “But from what I know, your first meeting with An Xin wasn’t that simple, was it?”

Gao Qiqiang smirked.

“You already know, don’t you? Then why ask?”

Lu Chen: “I only know the gist. Besides, the audience doesn’t.”

Gao Qiqiang shook his head, chuckling, and tapped his fingers on the table.

“You really like digging for details, huh?”]

At this moment, inside the live broadcast room, Shu Ping took a deep breath and sighed sincerely, “Lu Chen… this kid has completely entered it. Fully immersed!”

Yan Geling chuckled.

“I knew it! He was holding back in the last round. And sure enough! His state right now—I’m envious. Even when I was writing The Flowers of War, I wasn’t this deep in!”

Chen Sicheng, sitting nearby, was in complete shock.

Damn—

A script can be written like this!

Why didn’t I know about this?

Xiao Sa, as an outsider, found it increasingly incomprehensible. He even started stuttering. “Teacher Shu Ping, Teacher Yan, this… this kind of creative state is just too astonishing!

Can someone really have a conversation with an entirely fictional character? Why does this feel like…?”

“Like schizophrenia, right?”

Shu Ping laughed.

“That’s just how screenwriters are—no madness, no genius.”

“Alright, today’s been a real eye-opener.”

Xiao Sa kept sighing in amazement.

“Teacher Shu Ping, what do you think about this character, Gao Qiqiang?” Yan Geling suddenly asked.

“So far, I’m almost certain—Gao Qiqiang is designed like Lin Yaodong, the villain of this story.”

Yan Geling nodded.

“But unlike the last round—Last time, Lu Chen used a deductive approach to develop Lin Yaodong’s character.

This time, Lu Chen is using dialogue to help us understand Gao Qiqiang more deeply. His character is fuller and richer. Now, the question is whether Lu Chen can firmly establish the core conflict and key character arcs.

If he can succeed in both areas, then this character will truly come alive. Personally, I feel that Gao Qiqiang’s character might end up being just as compelling as Lin Yaodong.

But as of right now, Gao Qiqiang’s dramatic intensity is still much weaker than Lin Yaodong.”

“Exactly!”

Yan Geling agreed.

“Lin Yaodong had the added theme of clan culture, which gave him extra narrative weight. Gao Qiqiang doesn’t have that!

This means that, from the very start, he lacks the same immediate appeal as Lin Yaodong.

Even though we already know that Gao Qiqiang will eventually become a major, powerful figure in the local underworld,

As an audience, we’ve already developed expectations for his character. And with Lin Yaodong as the previous benchmark, if Lu Chen tries to create another villain of the same type…

The difficulty level naturally increases!

I think this is also one of the aftereffects of Lu Chen’s overly stunning performance in the last round. So let’s keep watching—Let’s see how Lu Chen writes this. How he makes the middle part of the story compelling. How he brings this character to life!

That’s the key. Let’s see if he can overtake from behind!”

Shu Ping nodded in agreement.

Xiao Sa, seeing that the two judges had just delivered a long and complex discussion, took the opportunity to simplify things for the audience.

“So, if I understand correctly—Lu Chen’s creative approach this round is visually stunning. But so far, the character Gao Qiqiang is less impressive than you both expected?

Because Lu Chen has already written a similar story before, Breaking the Ice, where he created a classic villain in Lin Yaodong. So compared to Lin Yaodong, Gao Qiqiang seems a bit ordinary?

Is that what you mean?”

“More or less.”

Both judges nodded.

“Then does that mean this story is inherently less exciting than the last one?”

“Not necessarily, Xiao Sa!”

Shu Ping shook his head.

“Our comparison so far has focused only on the protagonists, Gao Qiqiang and Lin Yaodong.

But don’t forget—Lu Chen’s current creative approach is typically used for ensemble casts!

Which means, It’s not just Gao Qiqiang who will stand out. Other characters in this story should also shine!

If he truly achieves that—Then I can’t say for sure whether this story will surpass Breaking the Ice.

But one thing is certain, the potential of this story is higher than Breaking the Ice!

There’s no doubt about it.”

“Why?”

“Because Breaking the Ice is not an ensemble story.  It’s a plot-driven story. That means its potential ceiling is limited!

Like I said before—If Lin Yaodong didn’t exist, would Breaking the Ice have been as brilliant as it was?

Probably not!

That’s the power of a great character!

A truly well-written character can elevate an entire work.

Think about it—For any great work, what do we always remember?

The characters!

For example, in The Flowers of War, we remember Yumo and the doctor. In The Ming Dynasty 1566, we remember Hai Rui, Emperor Jiajing, and Yan Song. That’s the power of characters!”

Yan Geling laughed.

“And in Let the Bullets Fly, we remember Zhang Muzhi, the Master, Huang Silang, And even Old Six—the man who cut open his own stomach for a bowl of noodles.”

Shu Ping chuckled too. Meanwhile, Chen Sicheng sat on the side with a dark expression.

Seriously, Are these guys just setting up soapboxes for themselves at this point?

“You see when a story features multiple deeply memorable characters, Its potential becomes almost limitless!

That’s why, for this round, we need to focus on how Lu Chen designs his characters!

Especially in terms of the ensemble cast!

From my perspective—since he’s chosen this approach, I won’t judge his story based on the standards of a plot-driven narrative. I will evaluate it as an ensemble story.

If the ensemble design succeeds—Lu Chen wins!

If it fails—he fails!

There is no third outcome!”

As Shu Ping dropped this heavyweight commentary, the atmosphere in the judges’ room was instantly ignited!

Xiao Sa was the first to clap. Yan Geling and Liu Heping followed, applauding in agreement. Even in the corner, Chen Sicheng was clapping…

But his head was spinning.

Damn it.

Why am I, a judge, struggling to keep up with this conversation?

Come on, I’m supposed to be evaluating this, not getting a lecture!