Chapter 56

Chapter 56

At this moment, in the live broadcast room, hearing Shu Ping’s powerful and definitive statement, the viewers were stunned.

【Holy sh*t, Shu Ping actually revealed his judging criteria for this round?! Damn, this is insane!】

【Yeah, I never expected this either! This is way too crazy!】

【I’m speechless. Isn’t it a rule that judges can’t reveal their scoring standards during the competition?! What the hell is happening?】

【Curious question—why can’t judges reveal their scoring criteria in advance? Didn’t Chen Sicheng also do it earlier?】

【It’s different. Chen Sicheng’s standard sounded detailed, but in reality, it was vague—things like “logic” and “structure”—those are broad guidelines, mostly just filler. But Shu Ping’s criteria? He straight-up laid out the core scoring system!】

【Exactly! The reason judges don’t reveal their criteria in advance is because the production team needs to maintain balance! This is a nationally-backed competition, after all. Just look at the official affiliations! Do you think CCTV would have hyped this show up in advance otherwise?】

【Shu Ping revealing his criteria doesn’t just affect the production team—it could also force the other judges into a difficult position! The show never explicitly forbade it, but it’s an unspoken rule in the industry.】

【Hahaha, Shu Ping got too emotional again! His expectations for Lu Chen are just too high—he couldn’t help but apply the absolute highest standard!】

【Yeah, that’s exactly why he did it!】

【But isn’t this bad for Lu Chen? It’s basically digging a giant hole for him! If he can’t deliver, won’t this round be extremely dangerous for him?】

【Trust in Lu Chen! Only true champions embrace the highest challenges!】

【The gates have been set—the question is, will Lu Chen soar like a dragon, or fall like a worm?】【Damn, now I’m nervous!】

【Me too!】

As Shu Ping preemptively revealed his judging criteria, the once-relaxed live chat suddenly tensed up!

There was no doubt—While Shu Ping’s speech was inspiring and filled with passion. It had inadvertently raised Lu Chen’s challenge to its absolute maximum difficulty!

Ensemble storytelling.

Good god.

Even if you haven’t written one, surely you’ve seen one!

Everyone in the chat knew how incredibly difficult these stories are.

As one viewer commented.

“99.9% of ensemble stories are garbage. The remaining 0.1%? Those are masterpieces.”

And was Shu Ping going to accept a 99.9% standard?

Of course not.

That meant Shu Ping’s expectations—and the difficulty of Lu Chen’s challenge—were insanely high!

Was this really the difficulty level of a Top 16 elimination round?

Was Lu Chen competing against the other 31 contestants…

Or was he in a league of his own, fighting against himself?!For a moment, the entire audience was in a daze. It was like the same competition had been split into two separate dimensions. One for Lu Chen. One for everyone else.

This dual-standard approach made Lu Chen’s long-time fans feel a strange sense of satisfaction—But once they calmed down…

They couldn’t help but worry about his chances of advancing.

“Isn’t this unfair to Lu Chen?”

In front of their screens, two sisters anxiously clutched their hands together. And they weren’t the only ones. All over the country, similar concerns were arising.

______

At Jiaxing Media Headquarters, Yang Mi furrowed her brows.

“Aren’t these expectations a bit too high? If he succeeds, great. But if he fails—does that mean instant elimination?”

Beside her, Head of Drama Productions Qin Jie adjusted her glasses and analyzed them calmly.

“Not necessarily. Success or failure here is Shu Ping’s personal evaluation of the work. With Lu Chen’s skill, his advancement should be guaranteed.”

“But didn’t the judges say that the beginning of this story isn’t as impressive as Breaking the Ice? And that Gao Qiqiang isn’t as compelling as Lin Yaodong?”

Dilraba Dilmurat rested her chin in her hands, blinking her large eyes.

Qin Jie smiled.

“Dilraba, let me ask you—this story has only been going for five minutes so far.

And in these five minutes, Lu Chen has already established the protagonist’s identity and motivations.

Mapped out the character’s growth trajectory.

Defined the timeline and setting.

Introduced the first conflict—centered around a technological product of the era.

Laid the foundation for the future clash between the protagonist and the opposing force.

All within five minutes, a story this tightly paced, with clearly defined characters and natural tension, isn’t that worth getting excited about?”

Dilraba was momentarily stunned.

She hadn’t even realized how much had been accomplished in just a few minutes!

“Wow… I hadn’t thought of it that way!”

“Exactly. I may not be able to write a screenplay, but I know how to analyze one. Trust me—Lu Chen’s skills won’t disappoint us.

Even if Shu Ping’s standards are absurdly high,

We don’t need to worry too much.

Because this game isn’t over yet.”

“Well said, Qin Jie!”

Yang Mi clapped her hands in approval.

She had always trusted Qin Jie’s instincts when it came to scripts. If Qin Jie said no problem, then there was no problem.

______

At Guangdong Province Film Studio, Hou Hongliang and Kong Sheng were watching the competition during their break from filming.

“Old Kong, what do you think of Shu Ping’s statement?”

Kong Sheng grinned.

“You can tell from my smile, can’t you?”

“Come on, be serious.”

“Relax, no need to worry. Haven’t we seen enough of Lu Chen’s scripts?”

Are you still doubting his skills?

Hou Hongliang thought for a moment—then chuckled.

“True. Let’s just hope he sells this one to us too.”

“Fingers crossed! Honestly, I feel like this story might even be better than Breaking the Ice!”

“Oh? Why?”

“Just a gut feeling. Hard to explain.”

“Hah, alright then…”

______

At Huayi Brothers Entertainment, Wang Zhonglei lit a cigar.

“Bro, if we judge this round by Shu Ping’s standard, then this competition just got way more interesting.

Maybe we don’t even have to take action—The judging panel might take Lu Chen out for us.”

Wang Zhongjun, having just finished some paperwork, glanced over and chuckled.

“Young people are impulsive. They tend to set themselves up for failure.”

“Exactly! You nailed it! Lu Chen brought this on himself—trying to show off with all this mystical summoning-spirit nonsense.

Now he’s screwed. He’s raised the judges’ expectations way too high!”

Wang Zhonglei laughed gleefully.

______

At the Production Team’s Headquarters, hearing Shu Ping’s speech, Hong Tao was stunned. Then he saw the other judges applauding. He was even more stunned.

Shu Ping, normally so composed, had just accidentally caused a massive situation. This was a big trouble.

Completely unaware of the chaos outside, Lu Chen continued his conversation with Gao Qiqiang.

[Lu Chen: “I heard that after you were released, An Xin was the one who took you home?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Yeah. He happened to be handling a case nearby, so I hitched a ride in his squad car.

And funnily enough, he ended up helping me with a big problem.”

Lu Chen: “Tang Xiaolong and Tang Xiaohu caused more trouble?”

Gao Qiqiang: “You’re smart—smarter than I expected.”

Lu Chen: “Thanks!”].