Chapter 262 Sharing (Another 10,000-word update!)

"The Golden Era" is a highly anticipated TV series.

The new work by a renowned director, starring popular A-list actors Jiang Yuqian and Huang Kairen, is generating a lot of buzz. One of the actors, who initially gained attention for his college entrance exam scores, has now become Lu Yanhe, a top-tier actor with both high popularity and media attention, thanks to months of trending topics.

When they collectively released stills, the level of popularity was predictable.

Individual stills of Jiang Yuqian and Huang Kairen were both pushed to the top of the trending searches by fans of both families.

This drama also occupies one of those categories.

At first, only Lu Yanhe's fans paid attention to the stills. Later, several film and television bloggers reposted them and expressed their surprise at the quality of the stills. Lu Yanhe's "clear and bright" eyes became the focus of everyone's attention.

Chen Shu, a special film critic invited by Tomorrow Daily, said: "I always thought Lu Yanhe was just an idol, but judging from this still, his eyes can hold something, which is an important standard for an actor to be able to act. This makes me look forward to his performance in The Golden Era."

An editor from Orange Entertainment, Bell Riddler, wrote: "When they cast Lu Yanhe in the drama 'The Golden Era,' I was annoyed. Since it's a serious drama, why cast an idol like Lu Yanhe? His ability to get into Zhenhua High School doesn't mean he can act well. But the feeling presented in this still really shocked me. There were no tears, no explosive scenes, just the moment he pushed open the door and walked in. Lu Yanhe's 'clear and bright' eyes (many people online describe it this way, and I think it's accurate) gave me a shock. It was like going back to school, and suddenly a boy like him pushed open the classroom door and walked in, and all eyes in the classroom fell on him."

...

The media's high praise for Lu Yanhe's still photo surprised both Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan.

Lu Yanhe thought it was Chen Ziyan who had pulled some strings, but Chen Ziyan said no, she had just found some marketing studios she had a good relationship with to help him release some press releases and generate some buzz, that was all.

However, at this time, some untimely voices also emerged.

An editor from "White Bird Entertainment" expressed sarcasm on his personal social media regarding those praising Lu Yanhe: "An idol artist with no works to his name is now being marketed as an acting genius just by a single still from a drama. It's really speechless. No matter how popular he is, it's only temporary. Instead of doing so much marketing, he should focus on acting properly. Otherwise, he'll be slapped in the face when the drama airs."

...

The online discussion surrounding Lu Yanhe's still image exceeded everyone's expectations. Even Jiang Yuqian privately asked He Heng if the company had bought marketing for Lu Yanhe.

He Heng had already discussed this matter with Chen Ziyan. She smiled and shook her head, saying, "No, it's almost all natural hype. The media's attention to Lu Yanhe is very high, and it's all spontaneous."

Jiang Yuqian was surprised and said, "If just one still can cause such a high level of discussion, then when the show officially airs, it will be incredible."

He Heng said, "I reckon Huang Kairen's side is already somewhat dissatisfied."

Huang Kairen is the male lead in this drama. With Lu Yanhe's current popularity and influence, Huang Kairen's team is definitely feeling threatened.

Jiang Yuqian said, "Huang Kairen and Lu Yanhe had a pretty good relationship while filming, so he shouldn't be bothered by such a small matter. He's already in this position, so even if Lu Yanhe becomes famous through this drama, it won't affect his status."

“He doesn’t care, but his team might not,” He Heng said. “For example, if a supporting actress becomes more popular than you in a drama you star in, I will definitely try to prevent her from becoming popular. She can become popular in other dramas, but not in yours. Otherwise, she will be stepping on you to get ahead. Even if it’s unrelated, in other people’s eyes, it’s like the second female lead is becoming very popular, while you, the leading actress, are being trampled on. This will give the industry a bad impression.”

Jiang Yuqian put herself in that situation and thought about it, then nodded in agreement.

If I were in Huang Kai-ren's position, no matter how good our relationship was, I would still feel somewhat uncomfortable.

That's just how the entertainment industry is. Unless you reach a point where you don't need anything external to prove or solidify your position, the competition will never disappear.

-

If He Heng could think of this problem, Chen Ziyan certainly could too.

Chen Ziyan immediately contacted Huang Kairen's agent, Lian Xun, and invited him to dinner.

"Xiao Lu and I are definitely not the kind of people who would climb the ladder by putting others down, please rest assured." Chen Ziyan said frankly to Lian Xun while they were exchanging drinks. "This is Xiao Lu's first film. Acting is what matters in the play, but how you conduct yourself is what matters outside the play. He has a long road ahead of him. Putting aside everything else, I would never do anything that would be greedy for short-term gains."

Lian Xun had more or less guessed Chen Ziyan's intentions in inviting him to dinner today before he even arrived. However, he hadn't expected Chen Ziyan to be so sincere in her words.

Lian Xun nodded and said, "With an artist as outstanding as Xiao Lu, it's only a matter of time before he becomes famous. Kai Ren also said that his performance in 'The Golden Era' was excellent, so it's normal for everyone to like him. Zi Yan, it makes me feel very comfortable that you took the initiative to talk to me about this today. In recent years, the competition among artists has become increasingly fierce, especially for us agents. You can definitely understand that the things we have to deal with every day can be described as a complete mess. But we still have to keep this mess running smoothly every day. Many times, we can't stand still. We have to take the initiative or fight back. But I didn't expect you to take the initiative to communicate with me about this so kindly today. But it has also given me a lot of inspiration. I really mean it."

Chen Ziyan smiled, the curve of her lips exuding a perfectly gentle charm.

“People say I’m a bit old-fashioned, but I’ve always felt that in the same industry, there’s no need to treat everyone as an enemy. The market is huge, and the pie is big, so it’s normal to have some competition for a while. But as the saying goes, your competitors are often potential friends who appreciate you. Huang Kairen’s current position is not something Xiao Lu can shake in two or three years. In fact, even if Xiao Lu reaches Huang Kairen’s level one day, it doesn’t mean that the two of them will have to be enemies,” Chen Ziyan said. “So, I’m the kind of person who wants to nip any misunderstandings in the bud as soon as possible.”

Lian Xun nodded.

Chen Ziyan asked, "Kai Ren has been working on serious dramas for the past two years. Is he preparing to change his career path?"

Lian Xun shook his head, "It's not really about a transformation. I definitely can't just switch to being a serious drama actor. In this internet age, if you become a serious drama actor, you basically lose the power to choose scripts. But if I want to go further from my current position, I can't achieve it without acting in serious dramas. I can't be more famous now. When things reach their peak, they must decline. I need to hone my acting skills and hopefully win one or two awards so that I can go further."

Chen Ziyan nodded, "Kai Ren has indeed reached a certain position now. In terms of fame and popularity, there are several people who are comparable to him, but there are almost none who can confidently say that they are more popular than him."

Popularity or acting skills are always an actor's greatest source of confidence, but when it comes to status, what allows an actor to stand tall is still awards, because these are objective things.

Chen Ziyan had also considered when Lu Yanhe could win an award, but it was really difficult. He was only nineteen years old this year, at least ten years away from the golden age for male actors to win awards. Right now, he could only become famous first and solidify his popularity so that he would have more opportunities in the future.

Just like Huang Kairen and Jiang Yuqian now.

Lian Xun suddenly remembered something and said, "However, Ziyan, since you came to see me today, I suddenly remembered a script."

"Huh?" Chen Ziyan looked at him in confusion. "What script?"

“You have to keep this script a secret. You can help Lu Yanhe try to get it, but you absolutely cannot let the news leak out,” Lian Xun said. “Actually, if I didn’t think that having you involved would give us a better chance of getting it, I wouldn’t have told you.”

Chen Ziyan: "What script?"

“Director Zhang Haizhou has been preparing a script for six or seven years. You must have heard of it, but he has already started casting secretly. Did you know that?” Lian asked.

Chen Ziyan was taken aback. "Huh?"

She had indeed heard the news. If Luo Yuzhong was one of the top directors in the television drama industry, then Zhang Haizhou was one of the top directors in the Chinese-language film industry.

How to describe Zhang Haizhou? Many directors are very famous and have a high status, but they are bound by genres such as commercial films or art films. Most actors would definitely want to be in their films, but top actors have room for consideration and selection. For them, big commercial film directors will not have depth or room for performance, while big art film directors will not have box office success or audience.

Zhang Haizhou, on the other hand, is a true master director. His films don't fit the mold of being labeled as either commercial or art-house. They transcend these limitations, achieving a balance of commercial and artistic merit in the film market.

Zhang Haizhou is a slow filmmaker; his last film was released six years ago.

Everyone knows that Zhang Haizhou has a film that has been in preparation for many years, and many people are eyeing this lucrative opportunity, wanting to take a bite out of it. But as time goes by, people forget about it. After seven or eight years, almost no one remembers this lucrative opportunity.

Chen Ziyan was somewhat surprised to hear Lian Xun say this, and asked, "Director Zhang's film has already started casting actors?"

“Yes, Kai Ren also met with Director Zhang once a month ago,” Lian Xun said. “After that, there was no news. I thought Kai Ren had been eliminated, but later I learned that the reason why Director Zhang did not make any decision was because he required the cast to be decided together. He required that the actors have chemistry and be able to match each other.”

Chen Ziyan asked in confusion, "So what do you mean?"

“Director Zhang’s film tells the story of two brothers who turn against each other,” Lian Xun said. “Director Zhang has not been able to find a suitable actor to play the younger brother. He requires that the actor be under the age of 23. It is very difficult to find a male actor with good acting skills who meets his requirements within such a range. Although Lu Yanhe does not have much acting experience, in Director Zhang’s eyes, this may not be a weakness. I think you can try to contact him.”

Chen Ziyan nodded and said, "Okay, this news is very valuable, thank you."

-

When the third episode of "The Days of Youth" aired, Zhou Ping'an helped Yan Liang get a role, and Li Zhibai and Yan Liang spent most of their time on set.

In the show, the chemistry between the young people gradually won over the audience, especially the games that Lu Yanhe proposed at the end, which caught many people's attention.

These games were first promoted in schools.

In particular, "I have what you don't" became the most popular game at new member gatherings.

This game has received a lot of positive reviews because it allows people to quickly get to know and become familiar with the game.

Even Lu Yanhe's comment section was flooded with people asking him how he came up with these games.

Lu Yanhe thought to himself: I am but a nobody, I just have the golden finger of a transmigrator?

He updated his status, saying: I heard that the two mini-games I came up with are very popular now. Should I register the copyright and collect royalties later?

It was just a joke, but someone replied: "Are you crazy for money?"

Lu Yanhe had to reply: It was just a joke, but who isn't desperate to make money?

Five hours later, the phrase "Who isn't obsessed with making money" became a trending topic.

Many netizens, who call themselves "corporate slaves," wholeheartedly agreed with Lu Yanhe's statement and gave it a thumbs up.

Some people even said: "Why can't we register the copyright and make money from games that we come up with ourselves? Are we so desperate to make money that we've offended you?"

Some people say: those who have never been poor don't understand our crazy desire to make money. Lu Yanhe is only nineteen years old, but he understands me. I have finally found a star who understands me in this awesome entertainment industry.

All of them are highly praised comments.

Chen Shiqiu asked him with a smile, "How did you manage to hit the nail on the head with just one sentence?"

Lu Yanhe came to ask Chen Shiqiu for leave. When he arrived at Chen Shiqiu's office, Chen Shiqiu asked him this question with a smile.

At this moment, Lu Yanhe was still trending on social media, being "protected" by many working-class people. It's quite amazing that Lu Yanhe's frank statement, "Who isn't desperate to make money?", actually garnered public support in the current climate of "hatred towards celebrities making too much money."

Lu Yanhe waved his hand and said, "I was just speaking my mind."

Chen Shiqiu asked with a smile, "What brings you here?"

"I need to get a leave slip from you," Lu Yanhe said. "I just received a notice that all students in the college have to attend a college psychology class this Saturday, and I've already made plans for Saturday."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shiqiu nodded, took out a leave slip from the drawer, and wrote one for him.

What work do you have on Saturday? Have you finished recording your show already?

"Yes, it's already finished recording. We're going to record 'City Travelogue' this Saturday."

"Oh, that city documentary, I've seen it." Chen Shiqiu nodded. "Your sharing session at the Youth Association tonight starts at seven, right?"

"right."

“I’ll go take a look too,” Chen Shiqiu said with a smile.

"Well, at least one person will participate, which makes me feel more at ease," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "I was worried that no one would come."

Chen Shiqiu: "How could that be? You are very popular at school, and many classmates regard you as their idol."

"No way?"

"Although you are the best students selected from various places, even if you put aside your grades and your status as an artist, whether it is making the book 'Jump Up' or recording a documentary on humanistic themes like 'City Travelogue,' these are things that many people dare not do. It is not hard to understand why people admire you. Don't be too modest."

Chen Shiqiu is a counselor, and for him to say such things shows that there are indeed some students in the school who admire Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

Chen Shiqiu: "You are the most famous in your class. Don't think that just because you are an artist, your fame is not enough to be considered a good one at this school. You were able to get in based on your own abilities despite your fame, and that is your achievement."

A gentle smile appeared on Chen Shiqiu's face, his eyes full of encouragement. At this moment, Lu Yanhe suddenly felt that he could see through his mind.

-

After Chen Ziyan and Tu Song finished recording an OST for a movie, Chen Ziyan asked, "Where are you going back to?"

Tu Song said, "I'll go back to my dorm."

Chen Ziyan nodded and said, "Then I'm not going that way from you, so you can call a car to go back yourself."

Tu Song nodded and asked, "Sister Ziyan, where are you going? Would you like to have dinner together?"

“I have dinner plans tonight, maybe next time.” After saying that, Chen Ziyan added, “Although you’re not an actress and don’t rely on your looks for a living, I’ve noticed you’ve gained a bit of weight recently. You should try to control yourself. Image is very important for an artist. You’re so young, I don’t want you to start down the path of a talented singer right now.”

The lint turned her face bright red instantly.

"Let me take control."

Tu Song has been unable to control his eating habits lately. He knows it himself, and he always feels guilty but can't help eating late-night snacks.

Chen Ziyan drove to a restaurant near Zhenhua, parked her car, and walked over. As soon as she entered, Chen Shiqiu waved to her.

"Sorry for the traffic, I've kept you waiting."

Chen Shiqiu: "It's nothing, I just arrived too. Sister Ziyan, did you come here suddenly today because of Lu Yanhe's event tonight?"

“Yes, we came to take a look.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “He’s been getting a lot of attention lately, and he’s generating a lot of buzz. We’re worried that something might go wrong on set.”

Chen Shiqiu said, "It shouldn't be. They are all teachers and students from Zhenhua University. No outsiders are allowed in. Participation in the activities requires registration and reservation. If you want to enter, you need a faculty member like me to help you make a reservation."

Chen Ziyan: "It's better to be safe than sorry. It's best if nothing goes wrong."

Chen Shiqiu handed the menu to Chen Ziyan.

When Chen Ziyan was ordering food, a girl suddenly came over and called out, "Teacher Chen."

"Miao Yue, are you eating alone?" Chen Shiqiu asked, noticing that Miao Yue was alone. "Would you like to join us?"

"Oh, no, I made an appointment with someone," Miao Yue quickly explained. "He hasn't arrived yet."

A short while later, Chen Shiqiu saw a rather handsome man sit down at Miao Yue's table.

Chen Shiqiu's eyes narrowed instantly.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Chen Shiqiu said, "My student, the person who ate with her, didn't look like a student."

Chen Ziyan followed Chen Shiqiu's gaze.

"Hmm, he should be a working professional now, he doesn't have that student-like air about him anymore. But, do you have to care who your students eat with?"

"There's no way around it, that's just how it is being a counselor, you're always worried about your students," Chen Shiqiu said.

Chen Ziyan said, "Maybe they're just dating."

“Then we need to pay even more attention,” Chen Shiqiu said. “Dating is the easiest thing to go wrong. You might get cheated, or you might get into an argument and have an emotional breakdown.”

Chen Ziyan couldn't help but show a look of bewilderment, as if she were both laughing and crying.

“You’re not that old, so why are you suddenly acting like a mother hen, caring for your students?” Chen Ziyan said. “This is so unlike your image.”

Chen Shiqiu raised his hands in surrender and said, "Okay, I won't say anything more."

Chen Ziyan smiled and shook her head, saying, "However, it's reassuring that you care so much about your students."

"You were worried about Lu Yanhe before? To be honest, in this society, boys face far fewer dangers than girls do."

“I’m not talking about the real danger, but the pressure, the mental pressure.” Chen Ziyan sighed softly. “What I’m most worried about for him is not anything else, but his mental pressure. You’re a counselor, you know best how fragile children this age are. They may look normal and have no problems, but they may have already broken down inside. Not to mention that he receives so much attention and has to face all kinds of opinions every day. Even if a hundred people are praising him, he will still be most bothered by that one critical voice. That’s how people are.”

Chen Shiqiu understood what Chen Ziyan meant.

Lu Yanhe seems to be doing well now, whether it's his career, studies, or life, he's doing much better than his peers, but outward perfection doesn't mean that his inner self is also well-ordered.

Chen Shiqiu could understand Chen Ziyan's concern about Lu Yanhe's mental state.

“But based on my observations of him, he is actually quite good at self-regulation,” Chen Shiqiu said. “He is not quite the kind of celebrity I thought he was. I originally thought it would be quite difficult for him to integrate among his classmates, but his performance completely exceeded my expectations. It’s not just that he doesn’t see himself as a celebrity. Well, to put it another way, it has little to do with his own thoughts. The key is how others perceive him. But it’s amazing that everyone knows he is a celebrity, but they quickly accepted his presence in their school life. I think this is what makes Lu Yanhe so remarkable. I don’t know how he did it. It may not be easy for a person to change their own thoughts, but it is definitely more difficult to change the thoughts of those around them.”

Chen Ziyan: "This child, from the moment I met him, gave me a very magical sense of contradiction. On the one hand, he is rational and mature, not like an eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy. On the other hand, he is still innocent, simple and idealistic. Perhaps it is because of this that he can do things that we all thought would be difficult to do."

"His classmates liked him and believed in him."

“I’ve already experienced that firsthand,” Chen Ziyan nodded. “When you arranged for him to be in the mixed dormitory, it was a huge favor to us by some twist of fate.”

Chen Shiqiu was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Chen Ziyan shook her head. "I can't go into the specific reasons, but anyway, thank you."

-

Before the sharing session officially began, Lu Yanhe was invited to have dinner with Wang Xiao, the vice president of the Youth Association.

Lu Yanhe ate a bowl of beef noodles.

Wang Xiao looked helpless and said, "I was planning to treat you to something nice, but all you ate was a bowl of beef noodles."

"I need to control my weight for filming later on," Lu Yanhe said. "I don't exercise much, just go for a run every morning. If I eat too much, I'll gain weight."

Wang Xiao said, "I thought you had a private coach."

“It’s too expensive,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’m very poor.”

Wang Xiao glanced at him sideways and said, "Come on, I don't know about other things, but with 'Jump Up' selling so well right now, it's even made the news. You must have made at least a million, right?"

"How could that be!" Lu Yanhe immediately shook his head in denial. "Although the sales volume is very high, the money earned is not just for me."

"Anyway, stop pretending to be poor. I know you're definitely not short of money right now."

"Have you ever seen an artist who isn't short of money and still doesn't have an assistant?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Wang Xiao said, "That's probably just because you don't need an assistant right now. After all, you spend most of your time at school. I see you're basically always at school."

“I have classes every day. If I’m not at school, where else can I go?”

"You're really exaggerating, okay? Last week, the library released a list of the top 20 students who entered and exited the library the most, and you were ranked 19th."

“It’s just the number of times I go in and out, not the amount of time I spend there,” Lu Yanhe said. “I basically have to go to the library once for every class I teach to borrow the books that I haven’t read yet that were mentioned in class, so of course I go in and out a lot.”

Wang Xiao looked shocked and said, "If you're going to say this, it will shock me even more. You borrow so many books, can you even finish reading them?"

“I can’t read the whole book from beginning to end, but at least I can know what each book is about and read the important parts that the teacher mentioned,” Lu Yanhe said. “Otherwise, what would I do? I wouldn’t understand what the teacher was saying at all.”

“I don’t believe everyone has read all these books.” Wang Xiao shook his head and sighed, “You’re just setting too high a standard for yourself. With you doing this, I even thought you were going to pursue an academic career.”

Lu Yanhe: "Although I will not pursue an academic career, I do not want to be a student who only pretends to understand. If I pretend to understand when I don't, how boring is the class?"

"Your teachers must like students like you the most, right?"

"No, they all know I'm definitely not going to do academia, so they don't really like me that much," Lu Yanhe said honestly.

Wang Xiao: "Teachers don't only like students who will do academic research in the future."

“But they would definitely be most willing to teach students like this,” Lu Yanhe asked. “Senior, what about you? Do you want to pursue academia?”

“I’m not thinking about that right now.” Wang Xiao shook his head. “I’m only a sophomore. As long as my grades are just okay, that’s fine. I’m one of the candidates for postgraduate recommendation. Whether I want to pursue an academic career or not, I’ll think about it after I finish my postgraduate studies.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Does running the youth association take up a lot of your time?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Wang Xiao nodded, "It does take up a lot of time, but since it's something I enjoy doing, it doesn't matter. You only feel that something takes up your time when you're doing something you don't like."

"Yes, that's true."

Wang Xiao's phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up, glanced at it, and exclaimed "Hmm!"

"What's wrong?"

"The staff at the scene sent a message in the group saying that all the seats except for the few reserved ones are full, and they are trying to find folding chairs from the side." Wang Xiao smiled brightly at Lu Yanhe and said, "You're very popular."

Lu Yanhe wore an expression of disbelief.

Wang Xiao: "Seriously, what's your decision about joining the Youth Association? Today is a good time to announce it."

Lu Yanhe sighed and said, "Senior, are you really sure that it won't matter if I don't participate in the association's activities after I join it?"

“It doesn’t matter, you definitely won’t want any of the association’s honors or positions anyway,” Wang Xiao said. “You’re just an honorary member, so don’t hesitate any longer, just agree. Do you want me to keep bothering you until you graduate from university?”

Having been pestered by Wang Xiao for two months, Lu Yanhe had no doubt about the truth of Wang Xiao's words.

"Oh well."

"Great!" Wang Xiao nodded happily. "You finally agreed. You can't go back on your word. I don't accept any changes of mind here."

Lu Yanhe was both amused and exasperated.

-

Wang Xiao even prepared a rest room for Lu Yanhe in a very serious manner.

“All the guests who come here for events have a lounge. How can we not prepare one just because you are a student of our school?” Wang Xiao said confidently. “There are still fifteen minutes until the event starts. You can rest for a while. Someone will come to invite you to the stage later. I won’t be here. I’m the host and I have to connect the segments for you.”

Lu Yanhe nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm so nervous."

"You've seen so much of the world, why are you nervous?" Wang Xiao patted Lu Yanhe on the shoulder. "You can do it."

After saying that, Wang Xiao left first.

Lu Yanhe took another deep breath.

-

Chen Ziyan and Chen Shiqiu entered the venue together.

Chen Ziyan was stunned by what she saw.

"So many people?"

"This venue can seat 300 people, and it looks like it's full."

"But weren't these reservations made? Why are there still so many people without seats?" Chen Ziyan asked Chen Shiqiu.

At the back of the venue, many people were standing.

Chen Shiqiu said, "I guess they let in some faculty and staff who had made prior arrangements, so the number of people exceeded the reservation limit."

Both Chen Ziyan and Chen Shiqiu had reserved seats in the first row.

As Lu Yanhe's agent and mentor, they still receive this treatment.

Chen Shiqiu saw that the college leaders had already sat down, so he went over and greeted them first.

Chen Ziyan also greeted them.

As Chen Shiqiu was about to sit down, his gaze fell on the left side of the third row, where Miao Yue was still sitting with the man she had eaten with at the restaurant earlier.

"Hmm?" Chen Ziyan also saw it following Chen Shiqiu's gaze.

“They must be dating,” Chen Ziyan said. “Or they’re getting to know each other. They don’t seem particularly close, and I don’t know if it’s because they haven’t gone public yet. But wait, if they’ve brought someone here, they’re bound to be seen by many teachers and classmates. Isn’t this the prelude to going public?”

Chen Shiqiu frowned and said, "I have to ask her."

Chen Shiqiu took out his phone.

-

Miao Yue looked embarrassed when she saw the message from Chen Shiqiu.

She immediately replied: "Teacher Chen, he is not my boyfriend. He is a producer who wants to buy the film rights to one of my previously published novels. Since he also knows Lu Yanhe, he asked me to help him make a reservation after hearing about tonight's event."

After replying, Miao Yue put down her phone and said to Liu Bige, "My counselor just misunderstood and asked if you are my boyfriend."

Liu Bige smiled in surprise and asked, "A girl as pretty as you, don't you have a boyfriend?"

Miao Yue looked embarrassed and said, "I'm single."

"Hmm?" Liu Bige looked at Miao Yue with some surprise. "Oh, okay, I thought you must have a boyfriend."

Miao Yue: "I just started college."

"What's wrong with that?" Liu Bige said. "Don't many of you start dating in junior high school these days?"

“No,” Miao Yue said. “My mom doesn’t allow me to date before I go to college.”

“Oh, okay, then you can start talking now?” Liu Bige said.

Miao Yue looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Why are you so concerned about my dating life?"

Liu Bige opened his mouth, but seemed unable to find a suitable answer, so he said again, "I'll shut up."

Miao Yue: "..."

She glanced at Liu Bige.

To be honest, although Liu Bige said he was thirty-two years old, he looked only twenty-five or twenty-six, like a young man who had just started working. He didn't have a particularly mature air about him; instead, he was somewhat cynical and unruly.

He wasn't the kind of guy who would immediately strike her as handsome, but to be fair, he was refreshing and clean-cut. Although he talked a lot, she didn't dislike him. Moreover, when he spoke eloquently, he had a kind of dashing and carefree air about him.

Miao Yue sighed inwardly.

If he were only twenty-five or twenty-six, the age gap wouldn't be so big.

-

When Lu Yanhe took the stage, the applause from the audience was quite loud.

He bowed to everyone and sat down on a single sofa facing the audience.

Wang Xiao sat on another sofa.

There was a small tea table between them with water on it.

The content that Lu Yanhe prepared to share was actually about how he and Chen Siqi hit it off in the summer and decided to make a magazine, and how they made this book.

He emphasized several times that he was actually very lucky because he received help from many people.

There were no cameras recording the scene, nor was there a live broadcast—although several platforms, including media outlets within the university, approached Wang Xiao about the matter, he declined them all.

Lu Yanhe can also make such sharing relatively relaxed, without worrying about saying one or two wrong words and having them maliciously amplified.

After the presentation, Wang Xiao asked a few questions.

“These are some of the questions we collected on campus beforehand, and they are some of the questions that were mentioned most often,” Wang Xiao said. “Don’t worry, I won’t press you. Just answer the questions you want to answer. We’re not paparazzi, we won’t keep bothering you.”

Before Lu Yanhe could even laugh, the audience below the stage had already started laughing.

Lu Yanhe said thank you.

Wang Xiao: "My first question is, as an artist, did you decide to write a book like 'Jump Up' entirely because you wanted to realize your past dreams?"

After reading the question, Wang Xiao immediately added, "Actually, I'm also a little curious. After all, to be honest, everyone has too many dreams when they are young. It's impossible to realize them all, right? You must also have many dreams that you want to realize. Why did you choose this one?"

Lu Yanhe pondered for a moment and said, "Also, it's rare to have a dream that I can pursue with my friends. If I wanted to do it alone, I might give up after a good night's sleep. But having friends with me is wonderful. The feeling of being able to realize my dream and work hard together with my friends is wonderful to me."

Wang Xiao coughed lightly. "So the friend you're talking about is Chen Siqi, who's your co-editor-in-chief? Your high school classmate?"

A chorus of "Whoa~" erupted from the audience.

Lu Yanhe said helplessly, "You just said you wouldn't ask any more questions."

Wang Xiao: "Uh, okay, I've proven myself wrong."

“It’s okay, I can answer that. Chen Siqi is one of them. Actually, this book wasn’t just done by the two of us. Li Pengfei is also involved. You can find his name in the book. He’s my best friend from high school.” Lu Yanhe paused for a moment. “Starting from the second issue, several of my high school classmates also joined the editing team for this book: Lin Yu, Xu Zijun, and Bai Yu. I feel very lucky that we can stay connected after graduating from high school because of this project.”

Wang Xiao nodded and said, "I'm envious. Why don't I have a high school classmate like that?"

“You can become that kind of classmate,” Lu Yanhe said immediately.

Wang Xiao: "Okay, then I'll ask the second question. This question is about why you chose Zhenhua University instead of Yuming University. Hahaha, there shouldn't be any Yuming University students here, right?"

"Yes!" Several people in the audience raised their hands.

Wang Xiao feigned shock, "What? A spy has infiltrated? Lu Yanhe, you'd better answer properly, or you'll offend these classmates."

Lu Yanhe lowered his head and smiled slightly, explaining, "Actually, there's a very personal reason. As everyone knows, I have a live streaming room. When I first started doing live streaming, I only had a dozen or so viewers, but there was one named 'Beautiful Girl Lanlan' who had been following me and gave me a lot of guidance, such as how to study history, how to memorize politics and geography, and a lot of exam techniques. Later, I found out that she was a student at Zhenhua University, and she's my senior now. Maybe it was from that time that I started to lean towards Zhenhua. This is a very personal reason. If she were my senior at Yuming University, I might have gone to Yuming."

Wang Xiao stared in shock.

"No way? It's because of that?" Wang Xiao shook his head and sighed. "Thank you to this senior, otherwise we would have missed out on such an excellent classmate as you."

“I’m not as good as you guys. I’ve felt a bit inferior since I enrolled. Everyone is so amazing, especially in class. Everyone understands what the teacher is saying, but I often just don’t get it.” Lu Yanhe sighed. “I still have to work harder.”

Wang Xiao: "Now that I've finished asking my questions, please feel free to ask your questions. If you have any questions, please raise your hand. However, we are not allowed to ask pointless questions like paparazzi. Lu Yanhe is our classmate from the same school, so we can't badmouth him."

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

(End of this chapter)