Lu Chen: The Mad Genius Of Creativity

Chapter 37: Chen Sicheng’s Shocking Score Sparks Nationwide Outrage!

“6 points!!”

The moment Chen Sicheng announced his score, the atmosphere froze.

Shock!

At this moment, not only were the contestants on-site dumbfounded, but even the viewers in the livestream, executives at film companies watching on their screens, the three judges sitting behind Chen Sicheng, the host Xiao Sa, and every member of the directing team—all of them were utterly stunned by this unexpected score.

“Mr. Chen, is this score…”

Xiao Sa, thinking he had misheard, started to question him.

But Chen Sicheng raised a hand, cutting him off.

“Please, Xiao Sa, let me finish first. I understand that my score will come as a huge surprise and might be difficult for everyone to comprehend. So, allow me to explain my reasoning—please hear me out.

First and foremost, as I’ve stated before, I evaluate a work solely based on my own understanding and standards.

I am not swayed by external factors, no matter how outstanding they might be. I know many of you are curious as to why I gave such a low score—just six points—to a work that has been highly sought after by film companies.

My reasons are as follows.

Reason 1: Lack of Completeness

To put it bluntly, I find this story lacking in completeness.

Compared to other works, Lu Chen’s story feels like a half-finished product. While it does include a villain arc and a protagonist arc, with a detailed outline for fifteen episodes, the overall progression and development of intense conflicts are sparse.

Within the fifteen episodes, I didn’t see much in terms of further escalation or resolution. In terms of story completeness, I believe Lu Chen’s work falls short.

Of course, part of this can be attributed to the constraints of the competition’s time limit. But that said, a competition is a competition, and rules are rules.

If everyone competes under the same rules, then it’s only fair to judge by the same standards. That’s the first reason.

Reason 2: Thematic Deviation

I believe Lu Chen’s story deviates significantly from the given theme.

Summarized briefly, his story revolves around anti-drug operations in the countryside.

Anti-drug and countryside—two entirely different concepts—are forcibly combined into a single narrative.

What’s more, the emphasis on anti-drug operations far outweighs the rural aspects, making the story feel unbalanced and top-heavy.

In contrast, other contestants did a great job aligning their stories with the rural theme. For example, they explored rural life, rural romance, or rural history—natural extensions of the given theme.

But Lu Chen’s story, by comparison, stands out as bizarre and unconventional. The more you watch, the stranger it feels. The more you analyze, the more it strays from the theme.

That’s the second reason.

Reason 3: Risky Creative Choices

Those watching the livestream might already know this.

Throughout the competition, I repeatedly highlighted how Lu Chen’s story touched on many creative pitfalls. According to the competition’s guidelines, Lu Chen’s approach carries significant risks.

Although we judges deliberated carefully, allowing him to continue was already an exception. Frankly, this is unfair to other contestants.

This explains why Livestream #48 consistently maintained high popularity. Think about it—what other contestant would write about a rural youth gradually becoming a smuggler and eventually a drug lord?

This premise alone would draw attention. And because of this premise, Lu Chen’s stream attracted a massive audience.

It even created a false impression for film companies, making them believe that this story, once adapted into a drama, would undoubtedly be a hit.

But as a director with some experience, I personally think Breaking the Ice doesn’t have as much commercial value as it seems.

Key Commercial Concerns.

Niche Appeal—The story is rooted in the Guangdong province, focusing heavily on clan culture and ancestral halls—traditional concepts that might not resonate with the younger audience who dominate the viewership market.

Character Demographics—The main characters are all older individuals. To be blunt, if this were adapted into a drama, it would become a midlife ensemble series.

Do you think such a drama would appeal to younger audiences? Because of these reasons, the popularity of the livestream is somewhat misleading.

When judged by market standards, I believe this story might not perform as well as everyone expects. There are too many similar cases to list, so I won’t elaborate further.

Final Verdict.

In conclusion, based on these points, I gave it a score of six.”

_______

With these words, Chen Sicheng turned his gaze towards Lu Chen onstage, smiling.

“Lu Chen, my critique is purely directed at your work and not at you as a person. On the contrary, I think you’re incredibly talented.

However, under the framework of this competition and its theme, your work simply failed to meet my expectations in several aspects.

But don’t be discouraged. I’m confident you’ll create even better stories in the next round!”

_____

At this point, the camera panned to Lu Chen in the audience. What shocked everyone was that, despite Chen Sicheng’s harsh criticism, Lu Chen’s reaction…

Lu Chen’s expression remained calm and unruffled, showing no trace of displeasure. Not only was there no hint of irritation on his face, but the corners of his mouth also carried a gentle, spring-like smile. This made Chen Sicheng’s smile freeze. He hadn’t expected Lu Chen to be so composed.

“Thank you for your feedback, Mr. Chen. I will work harder,” Lu Chen responded simply.

As for Chen Sicheng’s comments, Lu Chen didn’t take them to heart at all.

Would he not know whether Breaking Ice would be a success?

Even if Chen Sicheng criticized it to the heavens and raised all sorts of doubts, an excellent script couldn’t truly be denied.

That said, Chen Sicheng’s ramblings and twisted reasoning clearly carried personal bias—Lu Chen was absolutely convinced of that.

He just didn’t know how he had offended him. But after all, Chen Sicheng was a judge.

What he wanted to say was his business, Lu Chen couldn’t control it.

Getting into a confrontation? That was even less necessary.

A move that would harm both parties wasn’t worth it for Lu Chen. In the end, the outcome was already decided. Let him say what he wanted.

A score of six? Fine.

Winning first place had never been part of Lu Chen’s plan. If he got it, great—it would be the icing on the cake. If not, it didn’t matter.

What really mattered was advancing to the next stage. Therefore, Lu Chen remained so composed—everything was within his expectations.

However, at this moment, seeing Lu Chen targeted so obviously yet still maintaining his calm, humility, and composure, the audience in the live stream exploded in anger!

For a time, the comment section was filled with scathing attacks on Chen Sicheng!

[Damn, I knew Chen, the scumbag, would make a fuss about the scores! He’s so predictable!] [I’m absolutely fuming! His reasoning is complete nonsense! What does he mean by ‘lack of completeness’? Does a story have to spell out every detail for him to consider it high-quality?] [The bias is so obvious it’s laughable! Who was the one saying they’d write a rural wartime story if it were them? And now, when contestants combine genres, he calls it off-topic? Double standards at their finest!] [Agreed! How does he even have the nerve to say such things in front of us? And the part about deliberating with the other judges—what a joke! When has he ever done anything but jump out to drag others down?] [Lu Chen is too kind! He gets criticized and even has the rug pulled out from under him, yet he stays calm. If it were me, I’d have started cursing ages ago!] [Whoever picked this guy as a judge must have been blind!] [I’m so mad my blood pressure’s through the roof! Just because he’s had some box office success, he thinks he’s the entire industry. Publicly undermining a contestant’s work on a national stage—is this guy even qualified to be a judge? Starting today, I’m boycotting him for life!] [The most disgusting thing is his backhanded compliments. If you’re going to criticize, do it outright instead of playing these dirty games!]

The audience was furious!

…

At the show’s venue, Chen Sicheng felt quite pleased with himself after voicing his opinion. Though he could guess that the audience would be livid, he didn’t care at all. Let them rant—it wasn’t like their words could harm him!

On the contrary, the angrier they got, the happier he felt. After all, he was the judge.  The scores were his to decide. He enjoyed seeing their frustration and powerlessness.

As he reveled in his own satisfaction and prepared to hand over the microphone and return to his seat, a sudden, angry voice rang out from behind him.

“I can’t stand it anymore!”

Startled, Chen Sicheng turned to see Yan Gelin step forward and snatch the microphone.

Before Chen Sicheng could react, Yan Gelin pointed at him and said, “Mr. Chen, scoring is your prerogative, but let me make this clear—I completely disagree with your points!”

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone present. Even Chen Sicheng hadn’t expected Yan Gelin to step forward and openly challenge him at this moment.

“Mr. Yan, you…”

“Don’t interrupt me! Let me finish!”

Yan Gelin cut him off mid-sentence.