Chapter 292 The Red-Hot Lu Yanhe (16,000 words updated!)

Hu Siwei has experienced Chen Ziyan's assertiveness firsthand, as have many others in Beijing and Taiwan.

However, in this negotiation, Hu Siwei felt that Chen Ziyan's judgment was definitely wrong. This wasn't a matter of bargaining, but a matter of principle.

Beijing TV has never offered any actors a share of their earnings.

For any drama series, Beijing TV can pay the actor above market rates, but it has never given them a share of the profits.

These are two different concepts.

The concepts of one-off deals and long-term profit sharing.

However, in order to get the drama filmed, Hu Siwei still had to bite the bullet and report Chen Ziyan's request to his superiors.

Hu Siwei's superior is not Jiang Lan; the person who pushed this drama forward is Xu Bin.

Hu Siwei was able to become the producer of "The Seventeenth Floor" because Xu Bin exerted his influence behind the scenes, maintaining a delicate "balance" in the power of Beijing TV in this drama.

When Hu Siwei handed the first episode script written by Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan's request to Xu Bin, Hu Siwei thought Xu Bin would just curse and say, "Keep dreaming!"

This is Xu Bin's catchphrase. Whenever someone makes an unreasonable request, he will say this.

But this time, Hu Siwei did not hear those words.

He saw that Xu Bin had fallen into silence and contemplation.

Hu Siwei was taken aback.

Could it be that Xu Bin is still considering the possibility of this?

Is it true or false?

Hu Siwei looked at Xu Bin with disbelief, bewildered by his unusual reaction.

-

Lu Yanhe had no idea how Chen Ziyan had negotiated with Jingtai. Only three days later, Hu Siwei told him with an incredulous expression that Jingtai had offered unprecedented terms.

"An 8% share of the profits?" Lu Yanhe looked at Hu Siwei in surprise.

Hu Siwei asked, "Are you not satisfied?"

"No, what's going on with this profit sharing?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Hu Siwei was even more shocked and asked, "You don't know what happened?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head.

Hu Siwei took a deep breath and said, "It was Chen Ziyan who made the request: a salary plus screenwriter's fee of 2 million yuan per episode, plus a 10% share of the profits. In the end, we reached an agreement on 8%."

Lu Yanhe stared at Hu Siwei in shock.

Chen Ziyan actually helped him negotiate such a deal?

Seeing that Lu Yanhe's surprised expression seemed genuine, Hu Siwei asked, "Didn't your agent tell you?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head, "Sister Ziyan doesn't tell me about these things on her own. She negotiates them herself, and she only tells me when the contract is signed."

Hu Siwei's expression was somewhat complicated. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "You have a good agent."

-

Lu Yanhe thought for a long time about what name "Under the Eaves" should be changed to.

Does it use Friends? However, this story is not entirely based on Friends. Apart from using the beginning of Friends, the relationships between the characters and the story are different.

Moreover, these six people are not old friends, so choosing this name is a bit inappropriate.

"The Big Bang Theory" is even less suitable. The name comes from several main characters in the show, all of whom, except Howard, are physicists, and it's derived from the Big Bang.

A good name is important for a series that aspires to become a classic.

It should be simple, yet have its own unique characteristics.

On his way to a meeting in Beijing and Taiwan with the two episodes of script he had written, Lu Yanhe looked at the towering buildings outside and saw the prosperity of Yuming.

"A Life of Prosperity"?

The name flashed through Lu Yanhe's mind.

no.

They immediately denied it.

Although this is a story set in a bustling city, the story is anything but "bustling".

"Busts of Traffic"?

It's very literary, like a period drama.

Lu Yanhe silently looked out the window, realizing the difficulty of coming up with a good name.

-

This meeting between Beijing and Taiwan is mainly related to its content.

As a screenwriter and a core actor, Lu Yanhe gained a voice in a production for the first time—not because others listened to his opinions because he was famous or the lead actor, but because his opinions were needed from the very beginning.

Lu Yanhe has visited Beijing and Taiwan several times already.

However, he rarely comes to the administrative region.

This time, Linghe Film and Television Production Company, founded by Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan, will participate in the production of this drama as a joint producer.

Lu Yanhe's acting fee and screenwriting fee were signed separately. The former was split with Xingyu Entertainment Agency, but the latter was not.

Lu Yanhe only signed an entertainment contract with Xingyu Entertainment.

The 8% share was also agreed upon as a screenwriter, and it was clearly stated in the contract.

When Vice President Ma learned of this, he had some reservations, but no one said anything to Chen Ziyan.

After all, the contract Lu Yanhe signed included a market price for the actor's fee; the price wasn't deliberately lowered and instead allocated to the screenwriter's fee.

As for profit sharing... this has never happened to TV drama actors before.

However, this matter spread within Star Entertainment.

Lu Yanhe wrote a script for Beijing-Taiwan and received an incredible reward.

The fact that this matter has spread through Xingyu means that it will soon spread throughout the entertainment industry.

Lu Yanhe has not yet received any inquiries from others.

He came to Beijing and Taiwan today to discuss the lineup of key creative personnel.

However, before he could even reach the conference room, he was intercepted by Jiang Lan.

"Jiangtai".

"Xiao Lu, why didn't you tell me you were coming to Beijing and Taiwan today?" Jiang Lan smiled and put her hand on Lu Yanhe's shoulder to show that the two were very close. Other people from Beijing and Taiwan were watching. "Your meeting is still a while away, right? Come to Sister Lan's place and have a cup of coffee first."

Lu Yanhe did indeed arrive ahead of schedule.

He never expected that Jiang Lan would intercept him halfway.

Lu Yanhe wanted to say that this was not a good idea, but then Chen Ziyan's words popped into his mind: "Don't act too cooperative. That's how people from Beijing and Taiwan are. The more arrogant you are, the more capable they think you are. The more humble you are, the more trash they think you are."

So Lu Yanhe nodded and followed Jiang Lan.

When Hu Siwei, who was in the conference room, heard that Lu Yanhe had been intercepted by Jiang Lan, he was so angry that he jumped up and down.

"What is Jiang Lan trying to do?!"

He rushed off to find Xu Bin.

-

Jiang Lan brewed a cup of coffee for Lu Yanhe and brought it to him.

“We haven’t seen each other since the filming of ‘The Seventeenth Floor’ wrapped up,” Jiang Lan said. “I was supposed to go to your birthday party last time, but I had something to do that day, so I couldn’t go. It was such a pity. But I saw your comments online, and they really moved me. You truly deserve to be called the most promising young male actor right now. That’s great.”

Lu Yanhe said thank you.

"Chief Jiang, is there something you need from me?"

Jiang Lan smiled and said, "Nothing much, I just knew you were coming, so I specially invited you over for a cup of coffee, how about it?"

Lu Yanhe took a sip and nodded, "It smells delicious."

Jiang Lan: "I only found out these past two days that you can also write screenplays."

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "It's just something I wrote casually."

"You can write a script that earns you an 8% cut of the profits with just a few strokes of the pen. You're a genius," Jiang Lan praised. "No wonder you refused to sign that long-term cooperation agreement before. Capable and talented people never worry about not having opportunities."

"I just don't want to be tied down."

“I understand,” Jiang Lan said. “I misjudged the situation. I hope you can give me good scripts in the future. We had a very pleasant start with our collaboration on ‘The Seventeenth Floor,’ and we hope to continue that pleasant collaboration, right?”

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "As long as everything is suitable, of course."

Jiang Lan said, "I heard from Lian Bei that you have a script that is also about battle royale?"

Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised and shook his head, "I just have this idea. I mentioned it to the director, but I haven't written it yet."

Jiang Lan asked, "Could you tell me what the story is like?"

"I haven't figured it out yet; it's just a very basic concept," Lu Yanhe said.

Jiang Lan: "Then when your script is finished, you have to come find me first."

Lu Yanhe blinked and said with a smile, "I'll try my best to write the script first."

"Knock knock!"

There was a sudden knock on Jiang Lan's office door.

Jiang Lan turned her head to look.

Xu Bin had already opened the door and come in, followed by Hu Siwei.

"Jiang Tai, how could you run off with our Teacher Lu halfway through?" Xu Bin said to Jiang Lan with a joking smile.

"Oh dear, I just brought Yan He here to talk about 'The Seventeenth Floor,' look how nervous you two are." Jiang Lan stood up and smiled sweetly at Lu Yan He. "Alright, alright, I won't keep you any longer, Yan He, otherwise Director Xu will get angry with me."

Lu Yanhe stood up. "Then we'll talk about it next time."

As soon as Xu Bin came out of Jiang Lan's office, he said to Lu Yanhe with a smile, "Little Lu, I've read your script. As expected of a student from the School of Literature at Zhenhua University, you've written such a good script for your first time."

Lu Yanhe said, "Thank you for the compliment, Director Xu."

Xu Bin said, "Siwei has always told me that you are a very talented creator. This time we are making this drama together, and I will fully support you. Please feel free to make any ideas or requests you may have."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said okay.

Xu Bin did not attend the subsequent meetings.

Even a deputy director wouldn't attend meetings about such specific matters.

Today, Lu Yanhe came to Beijing and Taiwan, and the two deputy directors personally came forward to win him over, which is a rare phenomenon.

-

Meeting room.

The director is Bai Jingnian, the producer is Hu Siwei, the screenwriter and actor is Lu Yanhe, and the assistant director is Jiang Xun.

Several people sat together.

Today we're here to discuss the cast.

"The background of this drama is a group of young people who have just graduated from college. I will play Jiang Kele." Lu Yanhe first said his ideas, "I want Yan Liang to play Hu Fan, and Wen Minglan to play Chen Wanqiu."

Yan Liang is Lu Yanhe's good friend, and Wen Minglan is an actress brought under Chen Ziyan's wing.

Lu Yanhe didn't care at all that mentioning those two names would make them think he was bringing someone on a peddler's side.

When he was writing the script, he specifically focused on the characters of these two people.

"Their pay—" Hu Siwei immediately frowned, because neither of these two were unknown actors; to be precise, they were both somewhat famous, so their pay wouldn't be low.

Lu Yanhe said, "I will talk to them about the salary. It won't exceed your budget, so don't worry."

Hu Siwei was taken aback.

He glanced at Lu Yanhe with some confusion.

Based on his understanding of actors' salaries, these two actors' salaries couldn't possibly be as low as 50,000 yuan per episode. Could Lu Yanhe handle that?

“I have no objection to the other roles. Director, Producer Hu, what are your thoughts?” Lu Yanhe asked.

Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian exchanged a glance and said, "We plan to hold an audition."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "That's good too, let's do the audition then. When are we planning to start filming this movie?"

Hu Siwei said, "We are planning to start filming before the end of this year at least, and we want to broadcast it during the winter vacation. The main audience for this drama is definitely young people, especially students."

"Filming starts at the end of the year, and it airs during winter break?" Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised. "Is there enough time for post-production?"

Hu Siwei said, "This is different from a serious drama. The post-production of sitcoms is done very quickly, and we even plan to film and broadcast simultaneously."

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

Hu Siwei said, "Only in this way can we make it to the winter break broadcast schedule."

It consists of eight episodes, one episode per week, and will air for a total of two months.

Lu Yanhe said, "I don't understand the scheduling and production issues, so I can only listen to you guys. I'm only responsible for writing the script and acting well."

Lu Yanhe's words relieved Bai Jingnian and Hu Siwei. To be honest, Lu Yanhe's previous assertive attitude towards the script had led them to believe that he would maintain a dominant position throughout the production. Given his status as the screenwriter and lead actor, they really couldn't suppress him.

Actually, Lu Yanhe didn't want to be assertive—those who know him well understand his true personality. However, the script he was initially given was so bad that he regretted agreeing to act in the film without even reading it, feeling like he'd done something stupid. Therefore, after writing the script himself, he couldn't help but become assertive, mainly because he didn't want the script to be questioned.

Neither Hu Siwei nor Bai Jingnian are assertive individuals; otherwise, they might have already clashed.

Bai Jingnian is a veteran director at Beijing Television, having directed many productions. However, most of them are low-quality productions, shoddy and made to fill time slots. It must be admitted that most domestic TV dramas aren't that well-made; they're often just a way to make money from the start. Bai Jingnian is a long-time employee of Beijing Television, unlike directors at other film companies who rely on KPIs. Even if his productions are bad, it doesn't affect his income.

But this director, now middle-aged, discussed it with his old friend Hu Siwei and decided that he still wanted to make a serious masterpiece instead of just muddling through his life. So, Bai Jingnian wrote an outline of the story he had long wanted to film and handed it over to Hu Siwei.

Hu Siwei, as Bai Jingnian's old friend, knew his abilities and wanted to help Bai Jingnian realize this wish. Coincidentally, Xu Bin had also always wanted to create his own brand. Bai Jingnian's past films hadn't received good reviews, mainly due to too many restrictions: subject matter, script, broadcast method, scheduling… these weren't things he could decide; Bai Jingnian was merely a tool executing the station's instructions. He had already done his best within his capabilities.

When Bai Jingnian proposed making a sitcom, Hu Siwei felt that this genre had been vacant in China for a long time and presented a good opportunity. So, Hu Siwei took the project to Xu Bin, who had also experienced the era when sitcoms were all the rage. Since it was just a short series, he thought it was worth a try, as the budget wasn't high, and agreed.

Later, things were gradually finalized, and it was decided that it could be broadcast weekly. Because of the low cost, in order to boost ratings, it could not be broadcast online on video platforms during the initial broadcast. Then, Hu Siwei collaborated with Lu Yanhe on "Seventeen Floors". Hu Siwei suddenly had a brilliant idea to bring Lu Yanhe to act in this drama.

After such a long process, many things have changed from the initial plan.

Just like at the beginning, Bai Jingnian said he would write the script himself.

But that's how a play is; it will always change its final form as it evolves throughout the process.

Now, Lu Yanhe has become the absolute core creator of this drama, something Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian did not expect at the beginning.

-

After finalizing the matter, Lu Yanhe went to find Chen Ziyan and Zhou Pingan.

“Sister Ziyan, Minglan’s salary for this role will be much lower than her market price, but she won’t need to spend much time on it, only eight episodes. And I’m confident it will become a very popular drama.” Lu Yanhe said to Chen Ziyan, “Minglan will become a big star through this drama.”

Chen Ziyan smiled at Lu Yanhe and said, "Why are you saying this to me? Even if you asked Minglan to act in it for free, she would agree."

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was surprised.

Chen Ziyan said, "After I read the script you wrote, I told her that there was a role in it that was very suitable for her. Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have helped her get it."

Lu Yanhe asked, "Sister Ziyan, which role have you chosen?"

“Chen Wanqiu,” Chen Ziyan said, “beautiful and generous, with a gentle personality but a little bit of stubbornness. This personality feels like it was written based on her.”

Lu Yanhe laughed and said, "You're right. When I was writing this character, I did indeed incorporate Wen Minglan's image and personality into my writing."

Chen Ziyan asked, "Do you think this drama will be very popular?"

"It'll either be a huge hit or a complete flop," Lu Yanhe said, stating his assessment. "But I think it will be popular. It's been a long time since we've had a drama in China that tells the story of young people's lives. Now it's all workplace dramas, romance dramas, and fantasy dramas. Everyone must be tired of them."

Chen Ziyan: "Although we're tired of seeing the same old thing, these kinds of topics still produce a few hit shows every year, which means there's an audience and they're always popular."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "But I think this drama will fill a lot of the needs of the audience."

“You’re right.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “That’s what I’m looking for too. I haven’t seen a drama that specifically focuses on the lives and relationships of young people for a long time. When you were recording the variety show ‘The Days of Youth,’ what touched me the most was the concept that Li Zhenzhen proposed. In fact, she was right. Many young people want to see this kind of subject matter and type.”

Compared to Chen Ziyan's support, Zhou Ping'an was full of critical eyes.

“Although Yan Liang isn’t as popular as you and Li Zhi, he shouldn’t be reduced to a salary of 50,000 yuan per episode. He’s still an idol,” Zhou Ping’an said. “Besides, he’s currently filming.”

Lu Yanhe: "I know he's filming, but I also know that he finished filming this movie in November. Brother Ping An, you should know that Yan Liang is my best friend. I won't betray him."

Zhou Ping'an: "It's just an eight-episode sitcom. How popular can it be? Besides, in the past, most of the popular sitcoms in China were family dramas. Yours is about young people's lives, dreams, and friendships, and it doesn't even have a main plot. It looks like it's going to flop."

Lu Yanhe looked at Zhou Ping'an seriously and said, "Brother Ping'an, do you know what? This is a script that will get me 8% of the revenue from the entire drama from Beijing TV. Do you think a script that's going to flop deserves this treatment?"

Zhou Ping'an's lips twitched instantly; he was shocked by the news and showed an expression of disbelief.

“If you read the script carefully, you’ll know it’s a good script,” Lu Yanhe said. “If you don’t trust my judgment, you should trust Sister Ziyan’s judgment. Would Sister Ziyan let me play the lead role in a flop?”

Lu Yanhe looked at Zhou Ping'an with a determined gaze, "Although many unpleasant things have happened between you and me, I know you are a very capable agent. If it weren't for Vice President Ma's instructions to you, perhaps we could have worked together very well. Why don't you put aside your prejudice against me, read the script carefully, see if what I said is right, and then make a decision?"

Zhou Ping'an: "No matter how good your script is, I absolutely cannot agree to your fee of 50,000 yuan per episode."

“What if I told you that Yan Liang’s salary could rise to 500,000 per episode after this show finishes airing?” Lu Yanhe looked at him seriously.

Zhou Ping'an was taken aback.

Lu Yanhe said, "I can even say that this show will definitely have a second season, and Yan Liang's salary for the second season can increase to 500,000 yuan per episode."

Zhou Pingan smiled.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Zhou Ping'an said. "Your current salary is also around 500,000 yuan per episode, right?"

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "That's exactly what I was saying. If Yan Liang acts in this play, he will become famous."

Zhou Ping'an: "Do you think you're a prophet? You think I'll believe everything you say?"

Lu Yanhe: "I'm not a prophet, but I'm the only one who would give Yan Liang a script and ask him to play the lead role, because he's my friend."

Zhou Ping'an remained silent.

Lu Yanhe said, "Brother Ping An, take a look at the script first. I'm leaving now. Also, I'm currently writing a movie script with Yan Liang and Li Zhibai as the main characters. Maybe you think I'm a newcomer and that my script is terrible, but maybe you don't know that Jia Long and Chen Bige have already decided to star in the movie script I wrote, and Huang Kairen just booked a script with him as the main character. Do you still think my script is not good enough for Yan Liang?"

-

"I finally understand what it means to use someone else's name or a big name to intimidate others."

Lu Yanhe's tone on the phone became excited, showing none of the confidence, domineering attitude, and unreasonable manner he had displayed in front of Zhou Ping'an earlier.

"When I mentioned the names of Jia Long, Chen Bige, and Huang Kairen, Zhou Ping'an's expression immediately changed," Lu Yanhe said.

Chen Siqi laughed too, "Not bad, you're self-taught, but this isn't called using someone else's name or making a big deal out of them. You're not lying. Sometimes, you have to lie to get someone to agree to something."

"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe asked, "You?"

“Yes, but it’s not exactly lying. It’s just a double-dealing approach. In the end, the matter is resolved, so it’s not lying,” Chen Siqi said. “It’s a strategy.”

Lu Yanhe asked, "How's the winter special edition coming along?"

Chen Siqi said, "We are currently busy selecting manuscripts, and Teacher Shi Xia has finally agreed to give us an essay."

"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe showed a surprised expression.

Chen Siqi: "It's really not easy. After working so hard for so long, Teacher Shi Xia suddenly asked me a couple of days ago if I wanted to read his short article. I said of course I wanted it. How could I not? I even screamed with surprise on the phone, which startled him."

Lu Yanhe knew how much effort and energy Chen Siqi had put into winning over Teacher Shi Xia. It had been almost a year, and she had visited Teacher Shi Xia's home at least three times, and sent gifts to her during holidays.

"We can finally add Shi Xia's name to our all-star author lineup for the winter special issue of 'Jump Up'."

"Congratulations," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "By the way, there's something I need to tell you in advance. I'm going to write about this drama in my column in this special issue. They plan to broadcast it during the winter break, and I'd like to promote it in 'Jump Up'."

Chen Siqi: "Of course, no problem."

Chen Siqi added, "All of our 'Jump Up' media accounts can cooperate in the promotion."

Lu Yanhe: "These past few days I've been telling people that this drama will definitely be a hit and become a sensation. I've been saying it with such confidence and certainty, but actually I have absolutely no idea what to expect."

Chen Siqi: "This means you've finally advanced to the next level."

"Advanced?"

“Well, no truly talented creator is without self-confidence; it’s just a matter of whether they show it or not,” Chen Siqi said. “Besides, you’re in the entertainment industry, a place where everyone is desperately trying to exaggerate their abilities. If you’re not confident, others will look down on you. Before, you had Sister Ziyan around, and she helped you with all of this. Now you’re the main creator of a drama, and you can only rely on yourself to handle everything in this production team. Looking at it now, the results are pretty good, aren’t they?”

Lu Yanhe hummed in agreement.

Chen Siqi said, "Moreover, I also believe that this drama will be a hit. What you said is correct. If it were just your own blind confidence, why would Jia Long and Chen Bige choose your script? Why would Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian, two senior actors with such deep experience, invite you to be the screenwriter? Why would Beijing TV agree to give you 8% of the revenue? All of this actually shows that you wrote well. Only when you wrote well could these things happen."

"You're really good at encouraging people, you've really inspired me," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.

-

As a result, Li Zhibai came looking for him in a very aggressive manner.

"You asked Yan Liang to act with you, why didn't you ask me?" he questioned.

Li Zhibai drove up to the school gate and called him out.

Lu Yanhe suddenly received a call from him, saying he was waiting for him at the school gate and that he should hurry over. He thought something urgent had happened, so he rushed over, only to find out that it was just about Lu Yanhe's role in the play and that he hadn't asked him for anything.

Lu Yanhe was both amused and exasperated, saying, "We only have a low-budget production, and we can't afford to hire you right now. How could Zhou Ping'an possibly agree to lower his salary and act in this drama at the same time as you and Yan Liang?"

Li Zhi chuckled and said, "You said you'd write a movie script for me and Yan Liang, but now there's no sign of it. Instead, you've written a script that leaves me out of the picture."

"It just so happens that people from Beijing and Taiwan approached me for collaboration; it wasn't intentional," Lu Yanhe said. "Besides, I already recommended 'Nineteen Years of Criminal Records' to you and Yan Liang; did they contact you?"

Li Zhibai nodded, "They did look for me and even had me audition, but there's been no news yet. I guess they didn't like me."

After he finished speaking, he glared at him again and said, "Don't interrupt, it's you who did something dishonest."

“What can we do if that role is more suitable for Yan Liang?” Lu Yanhe said. “Are you going to play a gentle, positive and sunny person? I can’t imagine you like that.”

Li Zhibai: "..."

Lu Yanhe said, "I can imagine you playing a volatile and emotional person."

"I'm here to confront you and demand an explanation, not to listen to your complaints about me."

Lu Yanhe laughed and said, "I'm explaining to you why we didn't cast you. Of course, the main reason is your salary. You're too expensive. It's not me who's paying; it's Beijing TV that's paying. They're unwilling to pay. Do you expect them to take advantage of us?"

Li Zhibai pursed his lips.

"Moreover, there's another character in the script I wrote that I want you to play."

"Um?"

Lu Yanhe said, "The Squid Game is a theme very similar to The Seventeenth Floor."

Li Zhibai looked at him incredulously, "You wrote another script?"

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Li Zhibai: "Lu Yanhe, how many stories are in your head? Damn, how did you come up with all of these?"

Lu Yanhe thought to himself, this wasn't his idea; he was just a lowly porter.

In "The Squid Game," there is a young male police officer who is also one of the main characters. He did not participate in the death game, but suspected that the game was related to his missing brother. So he infiltrated the organization to investigate this secret, which is another subplot. The actor who played this role became famous overnight because of this drama.

Lu Yanhe said to Li Zhibai, "The script hasn't been written yet, but the characters have been decided. I'll show it to you after the script is finished."

Li Zhibai immediately nodded, and his previous attitude of questioning Lu Yanhe disappeared.

"That's alright, your attitude is pretty good."

Lu Yanhe said, "You won't be the lead actor in this drama."

Li Zhibai: "The first lead role is nothing. I don't have the problem of only playing leading roles. After you won the Golden Tripod Award for Best Supporting Actor, Zhou Ping'an kept grumbling that he wanted to give me a supporting role that could compete for an award."

Lu Yanhe: "As long as you don't mind."

Li Zhibai glanced sideways and asked, "Then the pay for this movie won't be low, right?"

"Big production, what's missing?" Lu Yanhe believed that after "The Seventeenth Floor" aired, "The Squid Game" would not be a small production, and Li Zhibai's salary would not be reduced.

In this drama, there are two middle-aged characters. The main character is, of course, the one played by Lee Jung-jae, and Lu Yanhe was thinking of casting Jiang Jun in the role. Just as Lian Bei said, because of Jiang Jun's fame and appeal, the other main characters had to be played by big stars who could carry the drama and get the investors and broadcasting platforms to agree. So, Lu Yanhe immediately thought of casting Lee Ji-baek for the role of the young male police officer, and Jiang Yuqian for the role of the young girl in the main group—if Sister Yuqian was willing to play the role.

With these two in the main cast, the overall quality of the cast won't be lacking.

Lu Yanhe: "Since you're here anyway, let's have a meal together. I'm hungry."

"What do you want to eat? Your brother Bai will treat you."

"How about we eat at our school cafeteria?" Lu Yanhe asked. "Our school cafeteria has a wide variety of delicious food."

“Let’s go then.” Li Zhibai said, “No, I need to find a place to park first. This is just a temporary parking space, so I can’t stay here for too long.”

-

Wearing sunglasses, Li Zhibai followed Lu Yanhe into Zhenhua's campus, and the two attracted a lot of attention.

Although the students from Zhenhua were relatively restrained and unlikely to exhibit the excited screaming behavior, quite a few still took out their phones to film the two of them.

Li Zhibai waved and greeted several girls with a bright smile.

Lu Yanhe shook his head at his peacock-like, flamboyant manner.

That's just how Li Zhibai is.

As a result, because Li Zhibai did not have Zhenhua's campus card, Lu Yanhe ended up treating Li Zhibai to this meal.

"The food in your school cafeteria is indeed quite good," Li Zhibai commented.

"That's right, I told you it was delicious," Lu Yanhe said. "Nobody goes out to eat much anymore."

Li Zhibai: "I feel like you're really enjoying your campus life. I rarely go there more than a few times a semester."

"If you don't go to school, what will you do after graduation?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Li Zhibai said, "My crappy school, nobody cares about you normally. You just have to take the exams. And to be honest, it doesn't matter whether I get my diploma or not. Unlike you and Yan Liang, one of you is at Zhenhua and the other is at Beijing Art University. Those are both prestigious schools. If I had those degrees, my dad would have been hosting a banquet for everyone by now."

He had dinner with Lu Yanhe and asked, "Are you going back to Ziyuan Bridge tonight, or staying in the dormitory?"

“Let’s go back to Ziyuan Bridge. Tomorrow is Saturday, and there are no classes,” Lu Yanhe said. “But I need to go to my dorm to get my computer. You called me just now, and I rushed out in a hurry, thinking something urgent had happened.”

Li Zhibai: "Whose fault is that? When I heard that you only cast Yan Liang in the movie and not me, I immediately exploded."

Lu Yanhe: "I can't possibly put all three of us in every single drama."

Li Zhibai: "That's your problem."

Lu Yanhe: "..."

-

The news that Lu Yanhe was going to collaborate with Beijing and Taiwan on a sitcom quickly spread throughout the entertainment industry.

The first reaction everyone had upon hearing this news was that Lu Yanhe was going to collaborate with Beijing TV on a new drama. They all remarked that after Lu Yanhe won the Golden Tripod Award, his resources immediately followed suit, and he should continue to win awards.

Upon closer listening to the details of the collaboration, what? Screenwriter? What?! 8% of the profits?!

This news was absolutely explosive; it completely shocked everyone.

Zhou Ping'an finally relented and agreed to let Yan Liang play the role in the drama.

Lu Yanhe was right. This is the only TV series that would agree to let Yan Liang play the lead role, and it is a TV series produced and broadcast by a traditional major station like Beijing TV.

This had extraordinary significance for Yan Liang.

Zhou Ping'an is a very good accountant. He can calculate the explicit salary figures and also the hidden income that a leading role in a film will bring to Yan Liang at this stage.

But Zhou Ping'an still didn't seem inclined to accept it readily. When he told Yan Liang about it, he didn't forget to put eye drops in Yan Liang's eyes.

“Look at your good friend. He says he’s sending you the lead role, but to be honest, he’s just trying to take advantage of you. He’s getting 2 million yuan a episode and taking 8% of the revenue, while you only get 50,000 yuan a episode.” Zhou Ping’an clicked his tongue twice. “He’s really shrewd with his calculations.”

Yan Liang listened in silence, without saying a word.

Zhou Pingan said, "At this point, he realized he hadn't approached Li Zhibai, and he knew that if it were Li Zhibai, I would never have agreed."

Yan Liang remained silent as he listened.

After Zhou Ping'an finished speaking, Yan Liang left silently.

A paycheck of 50,000 per episode is very low, especially compared to Lu Yanhe's paycheck, it seems pitiful.

But--

Yan Liang took a deep breath.

If it weren't for Lu Yanhe, which TV station would be willing to give him the male lead role in a prime-time drama?

Li Zhibai's words from yesterday still ring in my ears: "Old Lu went too far. He asked you to play this role, but not me, and then he insulted me for not being able to play it. He clearly wrote the character based on you, yet he blames me for not being able to play it. Why didn't he write the character based on my personality?"

Li Zhibai clicked his tongue and said, "He's the one who truly loves you. According to the script, you're the real male lead in this drama, and he's just a supporting character."

Yan Liang looked up at the clear blue sky, his silent eyes reflecting the blue of the sky.

Clean and crisp.

-

When Lu Yanhe started filming the second season of "The Days of Youth", everyone else joked and asked if there were any suitable roles for them.

Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "The budget is too small to afford everyone, but you are all welcome to make a cameo appearance. Thank you."

Lu Yanhe plans to find one or two characters in each episode and invite his celebrity friends to make cameo appearances.

For example, Li Zhibai volunteered for the mission.

More and more information is coming out about this drama.

For example, Lu Yanhe is actually the screenwriter of this drama, and as a key member of the creative team, he will participate in the casting of this drama.

These messages were unconsciously embellished by everyone with an unbelievable tone, giving them a legendary quality.

"He's only twenty years old." This is the most crucial point, and also the one that has sparked the most discussion.

It's normal for actors of Chen Bige and Shang Yongzhou's caliber to influence the creative direction and casting of a production, and this is already accepted within the industry, so it doesn't seem strange.

But Lu Yanhe is not one of them, so why does he have such great power?

It was this unusual phenomenon that put Lu Yanhe and Jingtai in the spotlight.

The news then began to spread from within the industry to the entire internet.

When Lu Yanhe was recording the second season of "The Days of Youth" with everyone, he didn't check his phone, so he wasn't aware of what was happening online. After he finished recording the show and got his phone back, he went online and discovered that he had been the subject of discussion online for several days.

Some people questioned his ability to write scripts, some questioned his ability to carry a drama, and of course, many people supported him and looked forward to his work. There were all sorts of opinions.

However, this time, the majority of people remain skeptical.

Because Lu Yanhe is too young, only twenty years old, and has only been acting for less than two years, yet he has already started writing scripts.

Based on conventional experience, everyone felt that no matter how talented Lu Yanhe was, he didn't have the ability to write a script independently.

—Is the Chinese entertainment industry really doomed? An idol actor who has only appeared in one drama and less than three episodes so far, won a Golden Tripod Award for Best Supporting Actor without any effort, and now he's the independent screenwriter and lead actor of a major Beijing-Taiwan drama. Is this world just magical, or am I just intolerant of such a thing? What kind of backing does Lu Yanhe have to get such outrageous resources? Even Huang Kairen couldn't get resources like this, right?

That's what some people say.

Then, Yu Jiang, Lu Yanhe's eternal hater, arrived late but did so, reposting the Weibo post and saying: "Everyone has finally seen Lu Yanhe's true colors, right? When I exposed his ambition despite his young age, you all said I couldn't tolerate a young person. Now can you understand how I feel?"

Then, Chen Siqi, Yu Jiang's biggest hater, appeared, showing a promotional picture of "Jump Up" with cumulative sales of over 1.5 million copies in both print and digital versions, and said, "I've always understood your feelings of envy, jealousy, and hatred."

Yu Jiang retorted: "You relied on the popularity of Lu Yanhe and the power of fans to make 'Jump Up' and support the sales of 1.5 million copies. Do you think such a deceptive game can be replicated in a TV series?"

Chen Siqi reposted and officially announced: "Since Teacher Yu Jiang asked so sincerely, I will mercifully announce it in advance. Whether this achievement can be replicated in Yan He's new play, we shall wait and see. But this achievement has finally made our 'Jump Up' successfully move Teacher Shi Xia. We will publish Teacher Shi Xia's new work in the winter special issue of 'Jump Up'. Please look forward to it!"

Yu Jiang instinctively wanted to retaliate, but then his gaze fell on the name Shi Xia, and his lips twitched.

Shi Xia?!

Chen Siqi: "I understand the doubts many people have about Yan He, because he is very young and he has never shown his ability as a screenwriter in front of everyone. At this time, it is useless for me to say more, so I will not say much. After the show is broadcast, everyone will have their own judgment. However, I cannot sit idly by and ignore the targeted and guiding remarks made by some teachers who are holding onto past grudges."

Chen Siqi added, “People always criticize us, saying that two recent high school graduates want to make a magazine. Do they think this is child’s play? Do they think they can make a magazine just by relying on Lu Yanhe’s fans? Now, this magazine has entered a period of healthy development. It has successfully reached its first anniversary and has published eleven issues in total. The cumulative sales of the print and digital versions have exceeded 1.5 million copies. In the past year, many senior writers have encouraged us to keep going. Even many serious literary writers have expressed their encouragement to us in various ways. This is something we never expected when we decided to make a commercial literary magazine. Not to mention, we are now proud to announce that Mr. Shi Xia has given us one of his new works, which will be published in the winter special issue of Jump Up.”

Chen Siqi posted her third Weibo post: "Being young means having no experience, being young means that everything you do will be questioned and challenged, but being young also means unlimited possibilities. Let your work speak for itself."

Chen Siqi's three Weibo posts, with their clear and distinct stance, garnered a large number of likes from young fans.

Yu Jiang was once again attacked by people after being bombarded by Chen Siqi's three Weibo posts.

It can be said that all the doubts that Lu Yanhe faced were mitigated by Chen Siqi's strong response, which eliminated the harm they caused to Lu Yanhe.

The main reason is that the sales of "Jump Up" are too solid. This is an achievement made by two young people, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi, and no one can deny it.

Since Lu Yanhe was able to produce a best-selling magazine against the trend at the age of nineteen, why couldn't he write a script for a hit TV series at the age of twenty?

Chen Siqi's response brought everyone's thoughts to this point.

Clarify the doubts and questions that you subconsciously feel based on your life experience, choose to give Lu Yanhe a basic level of trust, and then maintain your expectations for this drama.

-

Chen Ziyan told Lu Yanhe, "Siqi is really good at doing public relations for you. Every time you are attacked by public opinion, her response can help you turn the tide just right. She is very capable."

Lu Yanhe: "If she hadn't helped me respond to Yu Jiang, I really wouldn't know what to say."

“Of course you can’t bring this up yourself,” Chen Ziyan said. “Remember, no matter what happens, you can’t go and confront people on your own, understand?”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan: "But thanks to this incident, your drama has become popular even before it airs. It won't lack attention and popularity. I guess many people will want to know what this new drama, which you wrote and starred in, will be like."

Lu Yanhe chuckled softly and said, "They don't know yet that this drama will be exclusively broadcast on Beijing and Taiwan, and it won't be streamed online. If they knew, I estimate they would have even bigger objections."

Chen Ziyan: "This is a very risky approach, after all, very few people watch TV nowadays."

“But many families still have televisions at home,” Lu Yanhe said. “I understand what Hu Siwei and his team want to do. From the beginning, they planned to make sitcoms, and low-budget sitcoms at that, keeping the cost of each episode under five million yuan. That’s exactly what they wanted to do.”

"They want to boost ratings."

“Okay.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “After the TV series completes its first round of exclusive broadcast, we will sell it to video websites for streaming.”

Chen Ziyan said, "But it's also possible that it won't be able to boost the ratings, which really depends on the appeal of the show. Of course, if the show does manage to boost the ratings, even if it doesn't reach 2%, reaching 1% would be a huge success."

Currently, the average viewership rating for prime-time programming on Beijing and Taiwan is between 0.3% and 0.6%.

If the viewership rating can break 1%, then it will basically be the king of dramas that year.

In the internet age, traditional television stations are experiencing such low viewership ratings.

Apart from the national television station, all other television stations do the same.

Then it will be a battle for ratings.

-

The auditions for the actors were scheduled for a weekend in October.

Lu Yanhe was also one of the interview judges.

Because of the recent uproar online about Lu Yanhe serving as screenwriter, many people are keeping an eye on this drama, knowing that no matter what happens, it will definitely be a popular drama that attracts attention.

It won't be an invalid broadcast.

However, Hu Siwei had already informed various agencies and agents that the drama currently only has three main roles—one male and two female—that have not yet been cast. The main purpose of this audition is to select these three actors, but due to budget constraints, auditions will not be open to A-list actors this time.

This made some A-list actors who had been considering the role back down.

This does not dampen the enthusiasm of the various brokerage firms at all.

Which talent agency hasn't signed some relatively unknown actors, or even newcomers?

For this group of actors, the primary expectation of their management companies is not to make money, but to become famous.

Only by becoming famous can you earn more money.

This drama is currently enjoying great popularity and is clearly a highly anticipated show; everyone wants their people to be in it.

Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian were approached by various people seeking their help, and Lu Yanhe also became very popular because of this incident.

Some people even tried to use their connections to get Huang Kairen to put in a good word for Lu Yanhe.

Huang Kairen laughed and said, "This is too crazy. There's nothing I can do. Yan He is a very good senior of mine. He came to me, so I could only call you here."

Lu Yanhe was also helpless and said, "Brother Huang, we are just a small film crew, it's not that exaggerated."

Huang Kairen said, "Do you know how popular you are right now? Many people are asking me about your play."

Lu Yanhe said, "This is because people haven't seen the script and don't know what kind of drama it is. Then, because I was questioned and became a trending topic, the drama suddenly gained attention. In fact, it's just a low-budget drama, but others are calling it a big-budget drama. I don't know how to explain it."

Huang Kairen: "You wrote the script, there's no doubt about that, right? It's not just a rumor, is it?"

“No, that’s not it,” Lu Yanhe laughed.

Huang Kairen: "I was just saying, I told you before that I would ask you to write a play with the two of us as the main characters. You promised me, don't forget."

"I can't forget it. But, Brother Huang, how about you make a cameo appearance in my drama?" Lu Yanhe chuckled and said.

Huang Kairen: "Cameo? Sure, whenever you're filming, I'll come whenever I have time."

He agreed immediately.

"That's great, thank you, Brother Huang."

"Don't mention it," Huang Kairen said.

After hanging up with Huang Kairen, Lu Yanhe returned to his worries about what to name the play.

These past few days, Lu Yanhe has been troubled by this matter, but he hasn't been able to come up with a good answer.

Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian were also thinking about it.

However, every time someone came up with a name, they would pass it over, always feeling that it wasn't good enough, lacked impact, wasn't fitting enough, or was just not quite right.

On the day of the audition, Lu Yanhe left early in the morning and arrived at the Beijing-Taiwan border crossing.

The audition took place in Beijing and Taiwan.

To Lu Yanhe's surprise, there were already many people waiting when he arrived.

Looking around, the waiting room was almost full. They were all young actors.

Lu Yanhe's appearance surprised and delighted everyone in the waiting room.

"It's Lu Yanhe!" someone whispered.

Lu Yanhe nodded to them, waved, and walked into the audition room.

Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian are already here.

Coffee and snacks were laid out on the table.

The preparations were quite thoughtful.

"Am I late?" Lu Yanhe wondered if he was late when he saw that everyone had arrived.

"No, it doesn't start for another fifteen minutes," Hu Siwei said. "There's been a lot of discussion about our play lately."

Bai Jingnian said with a smile, "The main topic of discussion is Yanhe."

Lu Yanhe said, "I hope these discussions will bring more viewers when the show airs, so that all the criticism I've received won't be in vain."

"Once they see the script you wrote and the show airs, they'll realize how wrong it was for them to underestimate you," Bai Jingnian said.

Lu Yanhe shook his head, "As long as they don't throw bricks at me, it'll be fine."

"Haha, how could that be?"

The three of them chatted for a while.

Hu Siwei suddenly said, "Yan Liang and Wen Minglan have already finalized their contracts, and we're preparing to start filming in December. Yan He, is your schedule okay?"

“No problem, as long as it avoids the times when I have classes and exams, especially since I have two exam weeks in January,” Lu Yanhe said.

Because it's a spin-off series that's being filmed and broadcast simultaneously, this filming method means Lu Yanhe doesn't have to spend many consecutive days on set like before.

For Lu Yanhe, the timing was much easier to coordinate.

Hu Siwei said, "We will definitely coordinate the filming schedule."

Bai Jingnian added, "Phoenix TV should be broadcast in November. Our station has bought the rights to the show."

Lu Yanhe was pleasantly surprised and asked, "Will it be broadcast on Beijing TV in November?"

“Yes, it will be broadcast simultaneously on TV and online,” Bai Jingnian said. “This will also help the ratings of our later drama.”

Although Lu Yanhe is not the main character in "Phoenix Terrace", he is still a major character with a complete storyline.

The broadcast of this drama on Beijing and Taiwan will definitely bring Lu Yanhe some viewers. And since this sitcom is broadcast after "Phoenix TV", as long as "Phoenix TV" doesn't collapse, it can certainly benefit from the popularity.

After chatting for a while, the audition officially began.

Lu Yanhe used to be the one going to auditions, but this was the first time he had sat in the interviewer's seat and looked at the people coming in for the interview. The feeling was somewhat strange and also a little dazed.

So this is how interviewers perceive auditionees.

From the moment someone walks in, I subconsciously assess which role they're suitable for, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Some people make a good first impression, but their subsequent performance is disappointing. Others don't make a good first impression, but during the audition, their delivery of lines and acting are surprisingly natural.

Despite the presence of cameras recording the scene, Lu Yanhe still took notes with pen and paper.

In front of him were the resumes of all the auditionees.

Everyone's situation is different when they come in. Some people will arouse the interest of Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian and be asked questions, while others will just be given a short segment to test their skills and then be sent away.

Lu Yanhe rarely spoke. He knew he wasn't really capable of leading an audition, so he just sat quietly to the side, taking notes and recording his impressions of each auditionee.

During the break, Hu Siwei asked Lu Yanhe if there was anything that left a deep impression on him.

Lu Yanhe said, "I haven't seen it yet."

Most of the actors who auditioned weren't very good at acting. Actually, the scenes that required auditions didn't really require much acting skill, and this sitcom didn't have very high requirements for the actors' acting skills. Lu Yanhe always thought that everyone would give a decent performance, just like the young actors he had encountered in the previous dramas.

However, through this audition, Lu Yanhe discovered that so many people's performances couldn't even achieve basic naturalness and lifelikeness; some even moved so stiffly that they looked like zombies.

Lu Yanhe didn't want to admit that he was completely shocked, but the reality was pretty much as it seemed.

But looking at Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian again, both of them had a calm and unsurprised reaction, without the slightest expression of surprise.

Lu Yanhe knew that this was the norm at audition sites.

No wonder Director Luo Yuzhong praised their group's performance highly when he auditioned for Star Entertainment.

Compared to the situation today, the performance given by the five of them back then was at least commendable.

Upon further reflection, Lu Yanhe realized that his understanding of actors had been somewhat above average from the very beginning.

From "The Golden Era" and "Phoenix Terrace" to "The Seventeen Floors" and even his cameo role in "Three Mountains," every co-star he worked with was carefully selected.

And this is the norm.

Lu Yanhe said nothing and silently processed everything.

But during the audition process, a few actors did catch Lu Yanhe's eye and he thought they were pretty good.

He wasn't exactly a great actor, but he just seemed very sincere, and his personality seemed to fit the character well.

Lu Yanhe made several special marks.

The audition lasted from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. before all the actors who had signed up for the audition were seen.

There's another match tomorrow.

Lu Yanhe felt utterly exhausted after sitting all day; it was too mentally taxing.

Hu Siwei lamented, "If it weren't for our limited budget, we should have hired a professional casting team to help us find actors."

For large production teams, it's rare for directors to be responsible for the initial auditions.

Often, a professional casting team provides the cast list for the director's team to make the final decision, and only one or two more reviews are needed.

Lu Yanhe laughed and said, "Maybe we won't be in such a predicament when the second season starts."

-

After having dinner with Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian that evening, Lu Yanhe returned to school.

Since neither Li Zhibai nor Yan Liang were at Ziyuan Bridge, he went back to his dormitory to sleep.

Mao Jiayang lifts dumbbells in his dormitory, and his biceps are very well-developed.

Seeing that Lu Yanhe had returned, Mao Jiayang said, "Yanhe, someone came to your dorm looking for you. He said he was a classmate of yours in the film history class. He said you borrowed his notes and came to give them to you, but you weren't there, so he just left them on your desk."

Lu Yanhe immediately glanced at his desk and, sure enough, saw a stack of photocopied notes.

He nodded.

"But film history should be an elective course, right?" Mao Jiayang asked.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Mao Jiayang was a little surprised and asked, "Do you always ask for other people's notes so diligently for your elective courses? Aren't elective courses just about passing?"

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "I chose this course because I was interested in it. The grade was secondary. The main thing was that I was interested in the content of the course. The teacher who teaches this course is also very knowledgeable. He uses a lot of examples in every class. I didn't want to miss the lecture because of taking notes, so I borrowed notes from someone else."

Mao Jiayang: "Cool!"

At school, there were actually many rumors about Lu Yanhe, such as that he appeared in the library every few days just to create a persona of being a hard-working student, and that his love of reading was just an illusion, and that he hadn't actually read many books, and so on.

Even in public, Lu Yanhe is an idol to almost every student at Zhenhua School.

However, behind the scenes, there are still people gossiping for reasons unknown to them.

Perhaps this is an experience that no celebrity can avoid.

Only those truly close to Lu Yanhe know how much of his love for reading stems from his own heart, and how much from utilitarian motives as rumored.

This is also why the people in the dormitory sincerely admire and respect Lu Yanhe.

Mao Jiayang had told Li Xiao, "At least half of the students in our school are studying and working hard with very utilitarian purposes, even trying to improve their GPA and overall performance. I've rarely seen students like Lu Yanhe who are simply interested in knowledge and the content of books. He doesn't seem like an artist at all."

Li Xiao once jokingly said, "I feel like you're a fan of Lu Yanhe now."

Mao Jiayang nodded, "That's not necessarily a bad idea."

Li Xiao: "Isn't it said that celebrities are only good from afar and not good up close? People who actually get close to celebrities in real life will break through the filter and realize that they are also people with many flaws."

Mao Jiayang: "Lu Yanhe is different."

"Um?"

“The media has touted him as a genius, as if he can learn anything effortlessly. But once you get to know him, you’ll realize that he puts in 100% effort and focus into everything he does, which is why he can do everything with such ease,” Mao Jiayang said. “Geniuses may attract jealousy, but none of us in the dorm are jealous of him. We all think that he deserves everything he has achieved.”

Li Xiao was also surprised to hear Mao Jiayang describe Lu Yanhe in this way.

She didn't know much about Lu Yanhe. If Mao Jiayang hadn't been Lu Yanhe's roommate, she probably would have just seen him from afar on campus, or brushed past him somewhere on campus, without any real interaction.

She felt a little out of place attending Lu Yanhe's birthday party with Mao Jiayang that time.

Later, Li Xiao learned from Mao Jiayang that the birthday party actually originated from his suggestion of a couples activity. Only then did she understand why she and several other girls who were not familiar with Lu Yanhe at all were in an inner area reserved for Lu Yanhe's private circle of friends at his birthday party.

“Lu Yanhe is very sincere, just treat him as a very nice classmate.” Mao Jiayang said this to Li Xiao more than once.

The update is here! Not only have we added extra chapters based on everyone's monthly votes, but we've also added even more chapters.

I have successfully completed the three-day bonus chapter event for monthly pass holders, without any delays.

Of course, we also discovered something very important: the monthly ticket ranking brings in far more new readers than many other recommendation positions.

Thank you everyone! We actually made it into the top 100 of the monthly ticket rankings!

(End of this chapter)