Chapter 285 The Fisherman Reaps the Benefit

Chen Ziyan: We're not exactly friends, just business partners. What's wrong? Why did you suddenly ask that?

Lu Yanhe: I understand now. It's okay. Someone sent me a project introduction. It's a TV series, and they want me to act in it. I'll talk to you after I finish filming "The Seventeenth Floor".

Chen Ziyan didn't ask Lu Yanhe why he waited until after filming "The Seventeen Floors" to tell her, and simply replied: Okay.

Lu Yanhe promised Hu Siwei that he wouldn't tell Chen Ziyan about the weekly drama for now; he wanted to keep his promise.

But Lu Yanhe didn't want to hide it from Chen Ziyan, so he gave her this explanation first.

Fortunately, under these circumstances, Chen Ziyan trusted Lu Yanhe enough to not press the matter further.

Lu Yanhe often feels grateful for his good fortune to have an agent like Chen Ziyan.

If an artist encounters a bad manager, it doesn't necessarily mean they won't become famous, but many things will go wrong, leading to huge conflicts, arguments, and even the collapse of the business.

Yan Liang didn't have the confidence to rebel against Zhou Ping'an, so he always followed Zhou Ping'an's arrangements, doing commercial performances, acting, and recording programs. The pay wasn't high, so he relied on quantity to make a living. Most of the time, he didn't have time to go back and see his parents, but fortunately, he finally gained some popularity and fame and made some money.

He would occasionally buy tickets for his parents so they could come and visit him, keep him company, and maybe even take a trip.

After all, he often travels all over the country for work.

Li Zhibai is different. He argues with Zhou Pingan every few days, sometimes even smashing pots and pans. But no matter how fierce the argument, they are like a couple who have been bickering for many years and can't be separated by fighting. Of course, you must never say this to Li Zhibai. If he hears you describe his relationship with Zhou Pingan like this, he will feel extremely insulted and want to duel with you.

The truly unstable relationship is one in which the primary contradiction eventually surpasses the common interest.

Just like Wei Zhuoran and Ma Zhiyuan now.

Wei Zhuoran, a former teammate in the same group, became Lin Suyang's favored artist after Lin Suyang stopped being Ma Zhiyuan's manager.

Thus, from that moment on, the rivalry between Wei Zhuoran and Ma Zhiyuan began.

Wei Zhuoran was once no match for Ma Zhiyuan.

However, the gap between two people can be bridged in many ways. For example, through publicity and hype, by deliberately trying to piggyback on someone else's success, by blatantly lying, or by using unethical methods.

-

Lu Yanhe never imagined that one day he would actually get a windfall.

Zhou Ping'an was once a commercial spokesperson for Ma Zhiyuan, representing the British luxury brand Math. As Ma Zhiyuan's endorsement contract was about to expire, Zhou Ping'an naturally wanted to do everything he could to renew it.

Therefore, Zhou Ping'an began communicating with Math six months in advance.

Zhou Ping'an originally thought that the matter would be settled smoothly, after all, Ma Zhiyuan's status has not been affected in any way. Not only has his status not been affected, but his popularity has also remained at a high level.

Zhou Ping'an would never allow Ma Zhiyuan to be absent from public for more than a week, and once he did appear, he would definitely trend on social media and attract attention across various platforms.

When it comes to creating buzz and generating hype, Zhou Ping'an has always been a master. Not to mention, under Zhou Ping'an's arrangement, Ma Zhiyuan has almost always appeared on a hit show every month—and he will always arrange a stage performance under various pretexts.

Zhou Ping'an firmly established Ma Zhiyuan's persona as a trendsetter and idol.

While other agents were still building popularity and generating buzz for their idols, Zhou Ping'an was already cultivating a "leader" image for Ma Zhiyuan.

This has extraordinary significance for Ma Zhiyuan's positioning.

It was because of this assessment that Ma Zhiyuan began to recognize Zhou Ping'an's abilities.

He felt that this was the kind of agent who was worthy of him.

And that's where the problem lies.

Lin Suyang was once his agent and was well aware of Ma Zhiyuan's various problems.

The Math endorsement deal was signed by him, and now Lin Suyang has no intention of seeing Math continue to work with Ma Zhiyuan.

So, Lin Suyang found the middleman who had made the initial connection and had dinner with Wei Zhuoran.

“What’s the biggest incompatibility between Ma Zhiyuan and Math?” Lin Suyang said. “Math follows an old-school, classic style, but Ma Zhiyuan is a challenger, a disruptor. When he was under my tutelage, I could downplay these traits, but now Zhou Ping’an is highlighting them. He no longer matches Math’s brand image. Zhuoran was on the same level as Ma Zhiyuan before, but he’s more low-key than Ma Zhiyuan. But it’s precisely this personality trait that makes him closer to Math’s image.”

This is, of course, just the surface explanation, a pretext to give red envelopes and gifts a proper explanation.

Afterwards, Lin Suyang arranged several trending topics for Wei Zhuoran in the direction of "young nobleman" to create such a persona.

Upon seeing such trending topics, Ma Zhiyuan, as a former teammate, naturally scoffed, unaware that it was a marketing ploy targeting him.

It wasn't until the scandal of Ma Zhiyuan frequently "hunting for women" in bars came out, and there were even many photos taken, showing him with his arms around the waist of no fewer than ten different women.

Lin Suyang's strategy wasn't aimed at bringing down Ma Zhiyuan; he knew that such content wouldn't be able to bring Ma Zhiyuan down. He only used four words: "Lustful and obsessed."

The middleman then began to use Ma Zhiyuan's scandals and Wei Zhuoran's good news to conduct public relations work with relevant personnel of the Math Group.

Ma Zhiyuan and Zhou Ping'an were not to be underestimated either, and they quickly discovered who was behind the scandal.

The two sides then began to engage in a battle of wits.

Unfortunately, there was a woman named Lu Qingzhen in the business department of Xingyu Company.

So, through her "unintentional" introduction, Math added Lu Yanhe to their list of candidates for consideration.

-

"Math wants me to be their spokesperson? They've made me a spokesperson right from the start, instead of something like a brand ambassador?"

On the set of "The Seventeenth Floor," Lu Yanhe was taken aback when he received a call from Chen Ziyan.

Chen Ziyan: "Yes, it was a completely unexpected surprise."

"Isn't this an incredibly prestigious brand?" Even someone like Lu Yanhe, who doesn't usually pay much attention to luxury brands, had heard of it.

Chen Ziyan: "It was a combination of favorable timing, location, and people. Of course, privately speaking, I have to thank you, Sister Qingzhen. Without her help, you wouldn't have been able to become the beneficiary of this conflict between the snipe and the clam."

Lu Yanhe was very happy to pick up the juicy pieces that had fallen from Ma Zhiyuan and Wei Zhuoran's hands.

He just happened to pick up a big brand endorsement deal that could bring him millions in endorsement fees a year for no reason.

Moreover, in the entertainment industry, being a spokesperson for a top brand often provides significant benefits to an actor's career. This might seem like a question at first glance, but the past two decades have proven its validity.

Chen Ziyan said, "It's also thanks to you winning the Golden Tripod Award. This Golden Tripod Award played a crucial role. Your sister Qingzhen's introduction to you was just one sentence: 'The youngest person in China to win the highest award for film and television in the past decade.'"

Awards do not bring direct wealth; they are honors, but honors are never something that can be left unused.

Lu Yanhe once again experienced what the world of fame and fortune truly meant.

-

Within the circle, such news spreads incredibly fast.

When Ma Zhiyuan and Wei Zhuoran finally learned that Lu Yanhe had taken the credit, they were both incredulous.

Ma Zhiyuan roared at Zhou Ping'an, "Why did he end up becoming the spokesperson?"

At this moment, Ma Zhiyuan even felt that even if Wei Zhuoran took it from him, it would be better than Lu Yanhe getting it.

Zhou Ping'an refused to admit that it was because he and Lin Suyang fought too fiercely that Ma Zhiyuan and Wei Zhuoran were eliminated, which gave Lu Yanhe the opportunity. So he attributed the whole thing to the Golden Tripod Award.

“The main reason is that Lu Yanhe has just won a Golden Tripod Award,” Zhou Ping’an said. “He’s popular and has won an award, so it’s not surprising that you’re looking for him. I’ve said it before, he will be your strongest competitor in the future.”

Ma Zhiyuan looked puzzled.

"Didn't you say before that as long as I hold onto my current position, even if he wins the Best Actor award, he won't be a match for me?"

“He is still no match for you now, but if he continues on this momentum and becomes the top young actor, then he will definitely be your rival.”

"He's no match for me now, so why was he able to steal the endorsement?" Ma Zhiyuan questioned. "That used to be my endorsement!"

Ma Zhiyuan wasn't concerned about the endorsement fee; the key issue was that someone else had snatched the endorsement that was originally his, which made him lose face.

Zhou Pingan said, "His endorsement fee is low. Compared to you, his endorsement fee is almost half the price. Are we going to lower our endorsement fee to keep this endorsement? There is no need. Even if we lose Math, we will have other endorsements to make up for it. If we lower the endorsement fee ourselves, it will not be so easy to raise it back later."

Ma Zhiyuan remained silent for a moment before accepting Zhou Ping'an's explanation.

"How much of the endorsement fee did Lu Yanhe receive?" Ma Zhiyuan asked.

Zhou Pingan said, "If my information is correct, it should only be three million a year."

"RMB?"

"Yes, RMB."

Ma Zhiyuan's lips curled into a mocking smile as he said, "Then he really is cheap enough."

Zhou Ping'an: "We don't need to lower ourselves to fight him out of pride. If we do that, we'll really be putting ourselves on his level."

Ma Zhiyuan was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "When will the recording of 'Idol Era' begin?"

Zhou Ping'an: "It's still in preparation. Don't worry, we've already signed the contract for this program. If it really becomes a weekly program as they designed, then you'll have at least one stage performance every month."

Ma Zhiyuan: "It will be a competition then. Can I hold onto first place?"

“With your abilities, of course you can,” Zhou Pingan said.

“But Li Zhibai will also participate, right?” Ma Zhiyuan suddenly asked.

Ma Zhiyuan's gaze as he looked at Zhou Ping'an was clearly telling a story.

Zhou Ping'an cursed inwardly, knowing why Ma Zhiyuan had asked that question.

Ma Zhiyuan was asking him who he would support first, him or Li Zhibai.

“Li Zhibai doesn’t have enough time to compete for the Tianxing Award. He’s started acting now, and he’s taking a multi-faceted approach. He doesn’t pose a competition for you, so don’t worry,” Zhou Ping’an said.

Ma Zhiyuan then gave a noncommittal "hmm".

-

After news of Lu Yanhe securing the Math endorsement spread throughout the entertainment industry, many male actors' agents were all saying the same thing with a smile:

The wolf is coming.

For a male actor, performance, status, and art may also carry significant weight.

But for an agent and a brokerage firm, no matter how important other things are, the most important thing is money and profits.

Business collaborations are where an artist earns the most money, and also a sector that agents value most.

This is because, apart from actor salaries, it's the most "monetizable" segment without incurring too many costs.

-

On the set of "The Seventeenth Floor," Li Yuefeng expressed his envy and jealousy to Lu Yanhe, though he didn't say much about it.

"We still need to win awards," Li Yuefeng said suddenly with a smile while a group of actors were waiting for their scenes.

No one knew why he suddenly had such a thought, and they looked at him with puzzlement.

In front of everyone, Li Yuefeng asked Lu Yanhe, "Yanhe, did you get the Math endorsement?"

Lu Yanhe didn't hide anything, nodded, and said, "The contract has been signed, but it hasn't been officially announced yet."

Li Yuefeng: "Math is a top-tier brand, what title did they give you?"

Lu Yanhe said, "Spokesperson for Greater China."

Li Yuefeng: "That's amazing! He became the spokesperson for Math in Greater China at the age of nineteen."

Lu Yanhe subconsciously wanted to ask, "Is it really that amazing?", but when he was about to say it, he realized that saying that would be a bit like Versailles, so he shut his mouth and just smiled.

After Li Yuefeng said that, the others looked at Lu Yanhe with more or less envy.

Lu Yanhe didn't know what to say at this moment.

I just feel like nothing I say will be right.

Chen Bige looked at Li Yuefeng and asked, "After you finished filming 'The Seventeen Floors,' did you take on any other projects?"

Li Yuefeng immediately shook his head and said no.

Shen Yue laughed and said, "Then how come you still have time to worry about endorsements? If I don't have any other dramas to film, I'll be anxious to death right now."

Li Yuefeng frowned slightly, "If you want to take on acting roles, you must have many offers, right?"

“But most of them are roles I don’t want to play. It’s so hard to find such a good script. You have to go through all sorts of channels to find a good script,” Shen Yue said. “I’ve never been involved in endorsement matters. My agent handles all the coordination. Anyway, it’s not really my business. These are things that I can’t get just by working hard or improving my skills.”

Li Yuefeng said, "A top-tier endorsement can really help you get roles, don't you know that?"

Shen Yue shook her head. "I don't know. How could I possibly help? How could I make the director think more highly of me?"

Li Yuefeng thought to himself, "How can Shen Yue be so muddle-headed?"

However, after Shen Yue interrupted him, Li Yuefeng finally stopped mentioning the endorsement.

This relieved Lu Yanhe.

-

When Hu Siwei approached Lu Yanhe again, Lu Yanhe assumed he was there to inquire about the weekly drama project, but that wasn't the case.

Hu Siwei said with a smile, "Yan He, I must make it clear first. The things I'm about to say are not something I came to you about. I'm just sitting in the position of producer of 'The Seventeenth Floor' and have to come here to do my job."

Lu Yanhe was quite surprised and puzzled, not understanding what Hu Siwei was trying to say.

To Lu Yanhe's surprise, Hu Siwei came to talk about the cooperation agreement that Beijing TV wanted to sign with each actor.

Hu Siwei: "If you are willing to sign this agreement at this time, we will give you the best publicity resources before and after the broadcast of this drama. At the same time, we will also strongly promote you to be nominated for three major awards through this drama."

Lu Yanhe looked surprised.

"ha?"

Hu Siwei said, "You've already won the Golden Tripod Award for Best Supporting Actor for 'The Golden Era,' so it's time to go for the Best Actor award, right? It's probably difficult for 'The Seventeen Floors' to win an award given its subject matter, but as long as Beijing TV puts in the effort, getting a nomination shouldn't be a problem."

Lu Yanhe shook his head incredulously and said, "Producer Hu, if I don't sign this agreement, Beijing and Taiwan won't help me with public relations for these awards, is that what you mean?"

Hu Siwei: "I want to reiterate, Yan He, what I said today is just a mouthpiece. Then I will answer your question. In my judgment, it's not that they won't help you with public relations, but the efforts will definitely not be that great. It will just be routine public relations."

Lu Yanhe asked, "Do we need to rely on public relations to get nominated for the three major TV drama awards in China?"

After all, the selection mechanism for domestic awards is quite different from that of several major international awards.

In other countries, industry voting is used, with thousands of judges.

In China, the judging panel model is used, which usually involves seven or eight people discussing or voting to make the decision.

The number of people involved leads to many differences.

“Having public relations is always better than not having public relations,” Hu Siwei said. “Take ‘The Golden Era’ for example. Because it was directed by Luo Yuzhong, it was on the radar of these major awards from the very beginning. As long as you act well, it’s easy to be seen. But with a subject like ‘The Seventeenth Floor,’ you know, no matter how popular it is, it’s not within the scope of these major awards. To get a nomination, you have to put in a lot of effort. At least you have to get the judges to watch the show before there’s any possibility of a nomination.”

Lu Yanhe nodded understandingly, "What you said makes sense. However, my agent, Sister Ziyan, has already refused you, so I won't agree. Filming 'The Seventeenth Floor' is just a movie. Asking me to sign up for so many variety show recordings is not only because I don't have the time, but also because I think it's not right from a professional ethics standpoint."

Hu Siwei sighed, but he was smiling.

"I knew you would reject me."

“I’m not rejecting you, Producer Hu. I’m rejecting the person who sent you to deliver this message.” Lu Yanhe smiled seriously and said, “I’ve spent most of my time studying these past few years, so I have very little free time. Therefore, every acting job I choose must be something I want to do and something of value.”

Hu Siwei laughed.

“You said the exact same thing as Ziyan.”

"Um?"

She said, "Your most precious asset is not your market value, but your time."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe smiled as well.

"So Sister Ziyan had already said that."

“This matter will not affect our collaboration on that film in any way,” Hu Siwei said. “I should add that.”

"Hmm." Lu Yanhe nodded, then asked, "Producer Hu, has almost everyone else agreed?"

Hu Siwei pondered for a moment. He shouldn't have revealed other people's information, but the person who asked him the question was Lu Yanhe. Hu Siwei didn't want to prevent their relationship from getting closer because of "business as usual".

“They’re all in talks, but they’ll all basically sign, especially Li Yuefeng.” Hu Siwei specifically reminded Lu Yanhe, “We promised Li Yuefeng that if he signs for another drama and a regular on a variety show, we’ll help him get a Best Actor nomination. At the same time, we’ll promote him as a co-star, not… the second male lead.”

In "The Seventeenth Floor", Lu Yanhe's contract clearly stated that he was the second lead, the male protagonist.

The move by Beijing and Taiwan is undoubtedly an attempt to somehow eliminate the differences between Li Yuefeng and Lu Yanhe at the public level.

They even positioned the drama as a dual-male lead drama starring Chen Bige.

After all, apart from Chen Bige's undisputed top status, the difference between Lu Yanhe and Li Yuefeng is not so obvious. In fact, in many people's eyes, Li Yuefeng, who has three hit dramas and is quite popular, also belongs to the top ranks of young male actors.

If Beijing and Taiwan were to do this, aside from disgusting Lu Yanhe and his group, it wouldn't cause any problems.

After all, Beijing and Taiwan are not going to change their order of billing; they are just making minor adjustments to their publicity.

Even Chen Ziyan couldn't say anything.

Hu Siwei's willingness to tell him this news at this time was essentially a way of letting Lu Yanhe and the others know in advance so they could prepare their response strategies.

Lu Yanhe nodded and said thank you, indicating that he accepted Hu Siwei's kindness.

-

In fact, if Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan were really the kind of people who cared about billing order and supporting roles, they wouldn't have let Lu Yanhe play so many supporting roles.

Both of them are rare individuals who use roles and production teams as selection criteria.

Many people say they focus on the script, but in reality they still read a lot of things outside of the script.

However, this does not mean that Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan are willing to be manipulated by others.

Not to mention making a ladder for someone else.

If Lu Yanhe played the male lead, and when the awards were announced, Li Yuefeng was nominated for Best Actor while Lu Yanhe didn't win anything, then Lu Yanhe would definitely become a joke.

Lu Yanhe certainly didn't want to see this happen.

-

Lu Yanhe told Chen Ziyan what Hu Siwei had said.

Chen Ziyan: "Beijing and Taiwan TV stations are used to being powerful and think they can still control everything. Don't worry, if a TV station could control an award, these three major awards would have lost their credibility long ago. Of course, it's true that they can promote Li Yuefeng, but we can do the same. Xiao Lu, we've all seen how good your acting is. Li Yuefeng's acting is so good that even a nomination would be an encouragement. If this drama gets him a nomination while you don't, it's them who will be embarrassed."

What Chen Ziyan said is itself a fact.

Without public relations, many people might not know that you have a good performance, or even what makes your performance good. After all, there are so many films and TV series released every year. Public relations is about telling people on a large scale how good you are.

However, if you're not that good, doing a lot of public relations will just be a waste of effort.

Unless you buy a biased referee.

Can you buy referee information in the three major awards?

Chen Ziyan dares not say that there was absolutely no "biased refereeing" in their history, but at least overall, it was a fair and influential result; otherwise, they would not have achieved their current status.

Chen Ziyan had seen Lu Yanhe's performance in "The Seventeenth Floor" before. Through this genius character whose words and actions were somewhat different from ordinary people, he gave a completely different feeling. This kind of shaping ability is something that even a professional actor who has been acting for ten years may not be able to give. Actors like Lu Yanhe, who are full of inspiration, may appear every year, but it is almost impossible to find a talented actor like Lu Yanhe who never abuses his inspiration and talent and always focuses on honing his skills.

Talented actors are often made great by their talent, but they are also easily limited by it.

It's incredible that Lu Yanhe had such a mindset at the very beginning of his acting career, according to Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen.

“Sometimes I think he’s too humble and too cautious, but other times I think that with his talent and luck, if he weren’t so humble and cautious, he could easily have made a mistake and lost everything.” This is what Chen Ziyan said to Lu Qingzhen.

-

"Lu Yanhe refuses to agree?"

Jiang Lan frowned at Hu Siwei, "He's so tough, he just refused outright?"

Hu Siwei smiled and said, "Director Jiang, why would he agree to our request when he's a rising star who just won the Golden Tripod Award and is also a top student from Zhenhua University?"

Jiang Lan: "Did you also tell him about the prize-winning thing later?"

“I told them, but they didn’t take it to heart at all,” Hu Siwei said. “You know what, with their acting skills, they won an award for their first film. They’re not worried about getting nominated. I think if we push them too hard, if ‘The Seventeen Floors’ really does get a second season, they might not be willing to come.”

Jiang Lan curled her lips sarcastically and said, "If 'The Seventeen Floors' can really be made into a second season, it means it's a huge hit. If he doesn't make a sequel like that, he must be out of his mind. No matter how big a star an actor is, he can't refuse a show that's destined to be a hit. His agency wouldn't allow it."

Seeing Jiang Lan's response, Hu Siwei stopped talking.

For some reason, Hu Siwei had a feeling that while a hit drama might be something other actors dream of, it didn't seem that important to Lu Yanhe.

It's probably because Lu Yanhe's current fame and status are not entirely due to his identity as an actor.

Jiang Lan is already one of the younger and more modern leaders in Beijing and Taiwan. However, in some ways, she is still like the older generation, immersed in the twilight of the television station's former imperial glory, inevitably falling into the tragedy of being too big to handle.

The entertainment industry is undergoing tremendous changes, not only due to the internet age, but also due to influences from all aspects of life.

Audiences prefer to see artists with unique personalities and genuine talent. Investors are increasingly valuing data and returns on investment. With the development of self-media and the encroachment of social media on the real world, the concept of public figures is also expanding rapidly.

Twenty years ago, many people would have found it hard to believe that an actor could become famous throughout the country without having a single representative work.

If we don't try to come up with new things, we'll be eliminated sooner or later.

Even the art form of film and television seems to be declining.

More and more people are being drawn to other forms of media.

This is a very unfortunate fact.

-

Sometimes the world gives people a feeling of vastness and emptiness.

Lu Yanhe would also have this feeling.

Fortunately, the production team didn't give Lu Yanhe that feeling.

"You're very lucky. From your description, the atmosphere on the film crews you've been on is exceptionally good."

That day, a few of them sat together rehearsing a play, and during a break, they chatted idly.

Chen Bige arranged for a truckload of coffee to be delivered, and treated everyone in the crew to coffee.

Lu Yanhe, holding the coffee Chen Bige had given him, talked about his previous filming experiences, and chuckled softly.

"Yes, I've always said that if my first film hadn't been with Director Law, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed acting so much."

Chen Bige: "You're lucky. Don't worry about Versailles. Among all the actors here, you're the only one who works with such good directors in every film. Apart from you, who here hasn't acted in a few bad films?"

Shen Yue immediately nodded and said, "When I had a drama airing before, I was criticized terribly. Of course, I also had my own problems, I have to admit. But to be honest, most of the things people criticized me for had nothing to do with me. It was because the director insisted that I act like a madman, saying that the audience would eat that kind of thing. I refused to act like that, and the director even called me arrogant. As a result, after the drama aired, everyone criticized me for being mentally ill and for playing the character as an idiot. The most speechless thing happened at this time. Suddenly, the director pushed all the blame onto me in an interview. He didn't say anything directly about me, but you could tell from his words that he was talking about me. He said that even the best director is helpless when he encounters an actor who can't be trained. He also has no way to resist an actor that the investor forces on him."

Jiang Jun asked in surprise, "It's not that drama, 'Mountain and Water Dwellings', is it?"

Shen Yue nodded with a sullen face.

“Oh, then you’re not an isolated case,” Chen Bige said immediately. “I’ve heard of him too.”

Lu Yanhe had no idea who they were talking about, so he took out his phone and silently searched for them.

The director of "Mountains and Rivers" is Liu Jian, who is a very experienced director.

Li Yuefeng asked Shen Yue curiously, "So how did you get this role?"

Shen Yue said, "They offered me the script on their own initiative."

“A big-name director like him has to find a scapegoat when his work gets criticized after it airs,” Chen Bige said with a smile. “Don’t worry, everyone in the industry knows what’s going on.”

"Anyway, I was so angry back then that I couldn't recover for months. Every day after work, when I got home, I couldn't help but cry." Shen Yue sighed. "I don't feel that way now. I really felt wronged back then."

“Anyone would feel wronged if they encountered something like this,” Chen Bige said. “There’s nothing you can do. You’re bound to run into a few rotten people. The only thing you can do is make yourself stronger so that in the end, those people can only look up to you.”

Chen Bige's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, but whether there was a story behind them or not, no one knows.

Jiang Jun chuckled twice.

"What is Teacher Jiang laughing at?" Li Yuefeng asked.

Jiang Jun: "I've been thinking about some things. When it comes to working on film sets, I doubt any of you have done as much as I have."

“That’s true, you have the most experience,” Chen Bige said.

“I’ve seen all kinds of film crews,” Jiang Jun laughed. “There are crews that want to make a good film, crews that mess things up, and crews that disband halfway through filming. Even now, I still think that as long as a film is filmed smoothly and broadcast, that’s great luck.”

Jiang Jun's words sent a chill down the spines of many.

Every year, this happens: halfway through filming, investors withdraw their funding, the producer/director runs away, or an actor gets into trouble. The film is never finished and can't continue, becoming an "unfinished project" in the film and television industry.

There are also some shows that have already been filmed, but for various reasons, they can't be sold, or even if they are sold, they are never broadcast.

No actor wants to be in this situation.

Actors are now very worried about taking on too many roles, which is considered bad luck by the industry. The worst thing is these rumors; you have nowhere to seek justice.

“But we don’t have the right to choose,” Lin Chan said. “I really only have one mindset: if a role comes my way, I’ll take it as soon as possible. Otherwise, I don’t know when the next opportunity will come. As a newcomer who has just debuted, I am always controlled by this sense of unease.”

“Everyone goes through this,” Chen Bige said directly. “At first, there is no choice but to seize every opportunity. But later, you gradually have more options. Otherwise, it is really easy to encounter bad shows or to perform badly.”

People only have so much time. The preparation for a play that takes a year is completely different from that that takes only one month. Generally speaking, the final result will also be completely different.

Chen Bige's meaning is simple: when given a choice, you must choose the right opportunity and learn to wait for it.

-

Lian Bei came over to discuss some things about the next scene with Chen Bige, and then the others dispersed.

Since there was still some time before the next scene was filmed, Lu Yanhe simply went back to his dressing room to read a book for a while.

Xiao Yun suddenly messaged him, saying: Yan He, it seems something happened to the Phoenix Terrace crew, have you heard?

Lu Yanhe replied with a question mark, puzzled, and asked: What happened?

Xiao Yun said: Liu Biao and He Min have been sued by the production team.

Liu Biao is the production assistant, and He Min is the head of the costume department for "Phoenix Terrace".

When the costume issue for Lu Yanhe in "Phoenix Terrace" arose, a junior assistant named Shen Yufang was ultimately blamed. Chen Ziyan said at the time that Huang Cheng would definitely not let these two people off the hook once filming was finished. They were kept around mainly to maintain stability and allow the filming to continue.

Upon hearing this news from Xiao Yun, Lu Yanhe sighed inwardly, "As expected."

Lu Yanhe said: "The two of them are dishonest and embezzled a lot of money from the production team. It's normal for them to be sued by the production team."

Xiao Yun: Huh? There's such a thing? No wonder.

Lu Yanhe asked: Where did you hear this news from?

Xiao Yun: My agent. I thought there was something wrong with Phoenix TV, but it turns out they're purging the two of them.

Lu Yanhe: These two are said to be veterans of director Chen Lingling's team, I never expected that something like this would happen to them.

Xiao Yun: That's terrifying.

Lu Yanhe asked: Are you filming right now?

Xiao Yun: No, I haven't received any acting offers. I'm just sitting at home picking my toes.

Lu Yanhe stared at the words "picking his feet" for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.

Xiao Yun probably belongs to the type of person who, if they don't receive a script they're satisfied with, would rather not act and stay at home doing nothing than accept a script that isn't quite right for them.

When Lu Yanhe worked with Xiao Yun on "Phoenix Terrace", he could clearly feel that although Xiao Yun was a carefree and uninhibited girl in real life, she had very high standards for herself when it came to acting.

Xiao Yun said: I really envy you. You've landed so many great roles, one after another. And you're still in school. If you weren't in school, wouldn't you be able to play all the roles that other male actors want to play?

Lu Yanhe: That's too exaggerated, how could that be possible?

Xiao Yun: How is that impossible?

Lu Yanhe: I can only film so many shows each year, and I can't possibly take on that many roles anyway.

Xiao Yun: "The Seventeenth Floor" is getting a lot of attention right now. I estimate it will be another big hit when it airs. Is it going to be a contender for Best Actor this time?

Lu Yanhe: Haha, I hope that when I'm aiming for Best Actor, you'll also be nominated for Best Actress.

Xiao Yun: I'll try my best to live up to expectations and not let our "Young Days" down.

After the first season of the show "The Days of Youth" aired, it received a good response and greatly boosted the popularity of each participant. Not to mention Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai, who were already popular, Song Linxin, Yan Liang, and Xiao Yun all saw significant growth in various metrics. Yan Liang and Xiao Yun, in particular, experienced a surge in popularity.

If it weren't for this, Xiao Yun might not have been able to seize the opportunity so quickly after Zhen Hongyu's accident and replace her in the previous role.

Xiao Yun said: It seems that the second season of "The Days of Youth" will start filming at the end of August, just like last year. Will you join?

Lu Yanhe: Yes, the agreement has been signed. I asked before if it would be the original team, and I only signed it because I was told it would be the same people.

Xiao Yun: I don't know what the production team plans to have us do this time.

Lu Yanhe: I really don't know.

Xiao Yun: They didn't ask you to plan the second season?

Lu Yanhe: No, if they ask me to plan for the second season, I'll have to charge them. I can't keep doing free work for them.

Xiao Yun: You should produce your own program from now on.

Lu Yanhe: I don't have that kind of time. I feel like I don't even have enough time right now.

Xiao Yun: That's because you're very famous. So at this time, we can't wish you to have more free time in the future; we should wish you to stay this busy forever.

Lu Yanhe sent a smiley face.

-

Two days after Lu Yanhe and Xiao Yun had their conversation, a piece of news suddenly surfaced online.

While filming "Phoenix Terrace", Lang Xia toyed with the feelings of a young girl in the crew. The girl thought that Lang Xia was interested in her, but she didn't expect that as soon as filming wrapped up, Lang Xia would never talk to her again.

This news comes from a well-known marketing account. The source is unclear and confidential, but the account is presented with absolute certainty.

Li Yuefeng was the first to ask him if the matter was true or false.

Lu Yanhe looked completely bewildered.

"I don't know."

When he was filming with Lang Xia on set, he wasn't seen getting close to any girl.

Li Yuefeng didn't believe Lu Yanhe was unaware, and he curled his lip, implying that Lu Yanhe wasn't a good friend and wouldn't even tell him something like this.

Li Yuefeng was used to this kind of behavior, and Lu Yanhe was too lazy to explain to him, as it would be useless anyway.

Lu Yanhe himself was curious and doubtful, unsure whether the news was true or false.

He went to ask Xiao Yun in private.

Xiao Yun said: I've also been inquiring. I didn't see Lang Xia getting close to anyone during filming. However, I've heard that this marketing account usually reveals the truth and rarely makes up fake news.

Lu Yanhe: The main thing is that the news is so well-constructed that it seems very real.

Xiao Yun: Why don't you go ask Producer Huang? Producer Huang definitely knows.

Lu Yanhe: If I were crazy to ask him, it would make me seem like such a gossip.

Xiao Yun: So you're a bit of a gossip yourself.

Lu Yanhe: ...Watch your words.

Xiao Yun: I'm just stating the facts.

As they were talking, Chen Siqi actually sent a message to Lu Yanhe, asking if the news was true or false.

Lu Yanhe, feeling both amused and exasperated, returned Chen Siqi's call.

"Why are you curious about this gossip? I didn't know."

Chen Siqi said, "You have no idea how many people have been asking us in the backstage of our editors' club whether this news is true or not."

"Huh? Why would they ask at the editors' club?"

“Because we often post entertainment news commentary,” Chen Siqi said. “In addition, you also filmed Phoenix TV, so everyone naturally assumes that you must know about it.”

Lu Yanhe: "I'm sorry to disappoint everyone, I really didn't know."

Although he didn't know, Lu Yanhe had heard a principle from Chen Ziyan: if such news is not quickly refuted after it comes out, it is generally not unfounded.

After waiting for a long time without receiving a response from Lang Xia, Lu Yanhe knew that there was probably something interesting going on.

Then, that very night, the girl who had been exposed resurfaced.

She did not reveal her real identity, but only wrote a long article about the matter:

I wasn't very familiar with him, but because of work, I needed to contact him frequently. He wasn't very popular on set. Because his father was a famous singer, many elderly people took care of him. He was a bit arrogant and didn't care to interact with many people, so he usually came and went alone with his assistant.

He often acted opposite Lu Yanhe and Xiao Yun. Lu Yanhe and Xiao Yun had known each other since "The Days of Youth" and had a good relationship. They often chatted and played games on set. He wasn't as close to them. I even think he was a little jealous and resistant to Lu Yanhe because Lu Yanhe was more respected on set.

He was probably feeling a bit down, as the director often criticized his acting skills—actually, he acted quite well, but the director was just demanding and critical of everyone's acting, including Lu Yanhe's. However, he was a sensitive person and would often fall into feelings of anger and disappointment.

That's probably why he suddenly started showing interest in me. During filming, we maintained a secret relationship; nobody knew. Of course, it was also my fault for being so naive. He never actually told me he liked me or wanted me to be his girlfriend, but I just fooled myself into believing it. Unexpectedly, after filming ended, he disappeared without a word, stopped answering my calls and replying to my messages.

...

What follows is her explanation of the relationship between the two, as well as the sarcasm and threats she received from Lang Xia's agent.

The most upvoted comment under her long post was: Why was Lu Yanhe more respected than Lang Xia on set? Didn't Lu Yanhe win any awards when he filmed "Phoenix Terrace"?

She even replied: "Because everyone can see clearly that Lu Yanhe is very talented in acting. He will become the best actor sooner or later. You haven't seen Lu Yanhe act on set, so you don't know how hard someone can work when they are so talented in acting. We all admire Lu Yanhe in private."

When Lu Yanhe saw this reply, he was completely dumbfounded: ???

Sis, if you're going to criticize Lang Xia, then criticize him. Don't drag me into this and give me a bunch of praise instead.

This is really making me look bad!

Lu Yanhe couldn't even imagine how angry Lang Xia would be after seeing all this.

-

The next day, when Lu Yanhe went to the film set again, he noticed that Li Yuefeng was looking at him strangely, and he seemed to want to say something but then stopped himself several times.

Lu Yanhe didn't even bother to ask Li Yuefeng what he wanted to say; it must be related to what that person said last night.

Li Yuefeng might even want to ask Lu Yanhe whether this person was a plant hired by Lu Yanhe.

The criticism of Lang Xia was a pretense; the real intention was to praise Lu Yanhe.

As soon as Shen Yue arrived, she immediately teased Lu Yanhe with a smile, saying, "Didn't you expect that you would suddenly be involved in this matter?"

The hashtag #LuYanhe is respected in the Phoenix Terrace crew# has now reached fifth place on the trending topics list, only one place lower than Lang Xia's trending topics. This level of popularity is something that many people really did not expect.

Many people are even joking: You're already criticizing Lang Xia, but why are you praising Lu Yanhe? Are you an undercover agent sent by Lu Yanhe to Lang Xia's side?

After reading the long post that girl made yesterday, Lu Yanhe now roughly knows who that girl is.

From the content of the long article, it can be seen that this girl is the most familiar with Lu Yanhe and Lang Xia, and the only person in the crew who can frequently contact Lang Xia without arousing suspicion is Chen Wenwen, who is in charge of Lu Yanhe and Lang Xia's affairs.

Lu Yanhe did not respond to this matter.

Huang Cheng, on the contrary, took the initiative to contact Lu Yanhe.

It was from Huangcheng that Lu Yanhe learned what was going on.

It turns out that Chen Wenwen herself didn't expose this, but Liu Biao did.

Previously, Phoenix TV was going to sue Liu Biao and He Min, so Liu Biao started to fight back in order to protect himself. He just casually released a small piece of information to warn Huang Cheng and the others that if they pursued him relentlessly, he also had a lot of dirt on Phoenix TV that could cause scandals and affect its broadcasts.

That's how Lang Xia got stabbed in the back.

As a result, Lang Xia thought that Chen Wenwen was causing trouble, so his agent He Yingzi immediately threatened Chen Wenwen, saying that if she did not give up, she could forget about working in the entertainment industry in the future.

Chen Wenwen is a young girl, why would she be afraid of these things from you?

In a fit of anger, I wrote the long post last night.

Lu Yanhe: "..."

He said, "Now many people even suspect that I was the one who exposed this. Sigh, Wenwen can criticize Lang Xia, but why is she praising me?"

Huang Cheng chuckled and said, "The actors she's most familiar with in the crew are you and Lang Xia. Lang Xia makes her so sad and disgusted, so compared to him, you become the white moonlight."

"Please, what do you mean by 'white moonlight'? Don't make me look bad." Lu Yanhe sighed. "This is the first time I've ever been praised and gotten into trouble for it."

"No, don't worry about it. I think most people support and appreciate you in this matter," Huang Cheng said. "I'm just calling you to explain the reason. Don't worry, and you don't need to respond to this."

Lu Yanhe: "I'm not responding. What could I possibly respond to? Yes, I am Lu Yanhe, the young genius who was highly respected in the Phoenix Terrace crew. That's too much of a fool."

Huang Cheng: "I'm relieved to hear that you still have the energy to rant."

(End of this chapter)