Chapter 134: That’s Right, I Gave It a Zero!

Many people gripped their clothes tightly, their palms slowly slick with sweat.

This particular sequence of lines lacked any dramatic sobbing, shouting, or sudden shifts in emotion. Yet, under Lin Ze’s delivery, the audience’s hearts felt as if they were being slowly tightened by an invisible hand.

Shen Lei, sitting at the judges' table, suddenly shook off the intense focus she had been trapped in just moments before. Only then did she realize she was still in the middle of recording the show. Seeing that everyone else was deathly silent, she frowned. She glanced at Song Mingchun beside her, cleared her throat deliberately, and then opened her mouth wide to let out a loud, exaggerated yawn.

Song Mingchun frowned and looked over at her. "Ms. Shen, please be quiet."

"Does Teacher Song also think that reading lines in such a flat, calm way counts as acting?" Shen Lei asked pointedly.

Song Mingchun, growing impatient, let out a huff through her nose to express her dissatisfaction.

"There’s no emotional range. This kind of performance is terrible. If this were my class, I would definitely fail him," Shen Lei continued.

Their off-mic conversation went largely unheard by the others, but Lin Ze paused right at that moment in his lines. Shen Lei looked over, feeling a bit strange, only to find herself staring directly into Lin Ze’s eyes.

"I just figured, if I make it look like I’m already dead, then when the truth comes out later, they’ll never suspect me..." He paused, then added, "Don't you think?"

A chill ran down Shen Lei’s spine. She couldn't help but shiver, feeling a surge of heat rising from the soles of her feet.

Lin Ze’s performance ended with that line, but the audience remained stunned, unable to react until the director’s voice reached the host’s earpiece. The host began to clap, and the audience followed suit, their applause erupting like thunder.

"That gave me goosebumps all over. Damn, for a second there, I completely forgot this was Lin Ze."
"I thought I’d accidentally switched over to the true crime channel."
"I used to think only Zhang Yang could pull off that vibe..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Zhang Yang isn't a murderer. Though, Lin Ze, on the other hand..."

Soon, the tables and chairs on stage were cleared away, and Lin Ze stood up. "Thank you, everyone!"

The other actors walked back onto the stage. Tang Chuan looked at Lin Ze with a hint of surprise. "I underestimated you before..."

"Not at all," Lin Ze replied modestly, offering his thanks. "Just luck, pure luck." The others exchanged a few polite pleasantries.

"Lin Ze, you are a contestant who has truly shocked me," Wang Wensheng said, offering his praise without hesitation. "I know how many actors have silently rehearsed this segment in their own minds—myself included—but I admit I could not replicate this performance."

"Honestly, for a second there, I even wanted to report you to the police," Song Mingchun joked.

The critique now fell to Shen Lei. She avoided meeting Lin Ze’s eyes; that final expression and look he gave still made her heart flutter with unease. However, she decided to put on a show of dissatisfaction.

"What kind of performance is this? It’s simply terrible."

"And I feel the same way about those who are calling this segment a masterpiece," Shen Lei added, unsure why she was suddenly saying such things.

The audience members sitting nearby looked at her with bewildered expressions. *Is this person... crazy?*

Shen Lei realized she had spoken out of turn, but since the words were already out, she had to grit her teeth and finish her point. There are millions of netizens online; surely, some would agree with her.

"You are convicted murderers facing the death penalty. I ask you, how many people face death without feeling even a shred of fear? I don’t think you conveyed that terror at all." Shen Lei shook her head, feeling as though she had returned to a university lecture hall. Her confidence was slowly returning.

"If any of you have questions, I suggest you look up my doctoral thesis: 'On the Application of Crying in Theatrical Performance.'"

At least for now, no one around her said a word; even the contestants on stage were staring at her in stunned silence. *Isn't she a professor?* Word was that she held a doctorate from a prestigious art university...

"So, Dr. Shen, can your thesis be found on the academic research database?" a member of the audience suddenly asked. His voice was loud enough to be picked up by the stage microphones.

"What academic database?" Shen Lei glanced at him with disdain.

"..."

"Score! Start the scoring phase!" The director felt things were taking a turn for the worse and hurriedly signaled the host to move to the next segment.

"Now, we move to the scoring phase. Will the judges and the audience please begin casting your votes? The contestant’s final score will be the average of all inputs."

Behind each of the four groups, their scores began to scroll.

First up: Tang Chuan and Zhang Ya. Despite a mistake during their performance, Zhang Ya had managed to recover.

"Group one, voting closed!"

The scrolling numbers climbed from seventy, slowing down as they approached the final tally. Finally, they stopped.

"80.5!"

It was a decent score; it seemed Zhang Ya had managed to save herself. Tang Chuan let out a sigh of relief—his reputation was intact.

The other two groups’ scores fluctuated, one landing at seventy-six and the other at a pitiful seventy-two.

The final group: Lin Ze!

Finally, it was Lin Ze’s turn. The audience picked up their voting devices and entered the numbers they had already decided upon. The numbers for Lin Ze scrolled rapidly before slowly coming to a halt.

"82.5 points!"

The highest score of the night!

A look of pleasant surprise flashed in the director’s eyes. Listen—the audience is cheering...

"Boo..."
"Rigged! It’s rigged! Rigged!"

*Huh?* The director was stunned. *He got the highest score, didn't he? Why are people yelling "rigged"? Could it be that in your eyes, this performance wasn't worthy of first place?*

On stage, Wang Wensheng exchanged a few confused words with Song Mingchun, then cleared his throat.

"Dear audience, what score did you give this performance?"

Hearing the question, the audience members loudly shouted out the scores they had given. Ranging from a perfect hundred down to ninety-five. No one had scored it lower than a ninety-five.

"I see..." Wang Wensheng nodded. "Then, might I add, Teacher Song Mingchun and I also gave it a perfect one hundred."

With that, everyone turned their gaze toward Shen Lei.

Shen Lei felt the weight of their stares, which made her skin crawl, but she spoke up anyway.

"That's right, I gave it a zero! So what?"

Song Mingchun looked at Shen Lei. "This performance was absolutely flawless, both in emotion and delivery. So, Teacher Shen Lei, even if you don't personally like it, I must ask: is this score of yours reasonable?"