Chapter 303 If you've got the guts, don't back down!

"When did Lu Yanhe go and film a movie?"

"I heard it's just a cameo role."

"A cameo? Then why is he making such a big fuss as if he starred in this movie?"

"He's the only star in this movie; everyone else is a newcomer."

"Isn't this a scam? They're not even the lead actor, but they're being made to look like one."

"That's what they say, but the production team also needs to promote the film. If you were in their shoes, wouldn't you go and find the biggest star to do the promotion?"

"Isn't this very easy to backfire?"

...

The above conversation took place according to some entertainment reporters.

At this very moment, they are waiting at the airport for Lu Yanhe to appear.

He has a public schedule today; he's going to South Korea to participate in promotional activities for Phoenix TV's broadcast.

A South Korean video website has purchased the rights to Phoenix TV and will be streaming it in South Korea.

As a supporting actor, Lu Yanhe would not normally participate in such events. Moreover, although Lu Yanhe is currently popular, he is only popular domestically and has no international fame. To Koreans, he is an unknown nobody.

But Huang Cheng and Chen Lingling said they would take him along, whenever he was free.

Lu Yanhe did have some free time, so he went to South Korea with Huang Cheng and Chen Lingling.

Zeng Qiao and Wei Fang were also traveling with them.

Wei Fang was the person they specifically requested to invite. Many of the TV dramas she starred in are very popular in South Korea, and she is one of the most well-known Chinese actresses in South Korea.

As soon as Lu Yanhe got out of the car, he was surrounded by reporters.

Zou Dong and several bodyguards who had been temporarily assigned to them blocked their way.

"Yan He, 'Three Mountains' has been shortlisted for the Xituer Film Festival. Will you attend the film festival with the crew?"

"Yan He, the fourth episode of Friends has a viewership rating of over 2, and Beijing TV has announced that a sequel will be produced. Are you really not planning to return?"

"Yan He, when are you coming back from your trip to South Korea to promote your new drama?"

...

Everyone was asking questions at once.

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment, took off his sunglasses, and greeted everyone with a smile.

"It's freezing cold, do you guys have to be so dedicated? Aren't I cold squatting here?" Lu Yanhe asked with a smile.

The reporters said, "What can we do if we have to make a living this way?"

Another reporter said, "It's because you rarely show your face. You finally made an appearance a few days ago, and then you disappeared again. Why don't you go on promotional tours with the rest of the Friends crew? If you did, the show's ratings might have been better."

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "It's already very good, how much better could it be?"

The reporter said, "Maybe it can break 3."

"I wasn't expecting that much," Lu Yanhe said. "The ratings are already pretty good, I'm very satisfied. Besides, everyone's really popular right now, so it's okay if I miss a bit. I'm just too tired."

The reporter said, "You haven't been out in public much, how come you're tired?"

Lu Yanhe said with a sigh, "I'm still a student. I just went through a terrible exam week. You have no idea how hard I studied for the exams, hanging my head from the rafters and pricking my thigh with an awl every day."

The reporters were speechless for a moment.

Lu Yanhe waved his hand, "Alright, alright, you guys go back now. Don't squat here. It's freezing cold, why don't you go inside?"

The reporters chuckled.

Lu Yanhe said, "If you really have any questions for me, there are many channels you can ask. There is a Q&A column on 'Jump Up', and there are also my social media accounts. You can find me there. If I see them, I will answer them if I can. There is no need to go to such lengths."

“We want an exclusive,” the reporters said with a smile.

Lu Yanhe looked at them and said, "You guys are from at least ten media outlets, right? And it's not an exclusive."

The reporters who had been criticized by Lu Yanhe looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Lu Yanhe's thought process was too peculiar. Mainly, nobody wanted to hear Lu Yanhe say these things.

Lu Yanhe waved his hand, "No, I have to catch my flight and go in. We'll talk next time."

"You haven't said yet, will you go to the Citium Film Festival with the film crew?" a reporter pressed.

"Oh, I only had a cameo role in the movie. It doesn't matter whether I'm there or not. You guys should focus on the main actors. They're just not famous now, but they'll be famous once the movie is released." Lu Yanhe gave them a cheering gesture. "This is the perfect time to grab exclusives. Good luck!"

Reporters: "..."

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lu Yanhe's reaction today... was really beyond their expectations.

I never expected Lu Yanhe to react like this.

Besides, Lu Yanhe wasn't like this before. Why is he suddenly acting like a happy rabbit? He's even cheering them on and telling them to hurry up and grab the exclusive.

-

Lu Yanhe arrived at the waiting room and met with Director Chen Lingling and the others.

"Hi, Director!" Lu Yanhe greeted her warmly as soon as he entered.

Chen Lingling smiled, stood up, and hugged him.

“It’s been a while since we last met. You’re so popular lately, yet you still managed to find time to accompany us to Korea,” Chen Lingling said. “Didn’t your manager take advantage of your current popularity to get you more work?”

“My agent knows I need to rest,” Lu Yanhe said earnestly. “I was too tired recently, both physically and mentally, and I need to take a good rest now.”

"Then going to South Korea means you'll be working again?" Chen Lingling asked.

"It's alright, I'll just treat it as a vacation," Lu Yanhe said. "Anyway, the people there don't know me, and I've never been abroad before. It's my first time, so I can go and have some fun."

Chen Lingling asked in surprise, "Is this your first time going abroad?"

"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded.

At this moment, Huang Cheng came over with two cups of coffee.

He saw that Lu Yanhe had also arrived, smiled, and said, "Perfect, you can each have a cup, and I'll go get another one."

Lu Yanhe quickly took it, saying, "Thank you, Brother Cheng."

Chen Lingling pointed at Lu Yanhe with a surprised look and said, "We have to take good care of him this time, it's his first time going abroad."

Huang Cheng asked, "Where's Zou Dong? Isn't your assistant supposed to go with you?"

Lu Yanhe: "He's outside."

Because Zou Dong did not have a first-class ticket, he was not allowed to enter the VIP waiting room.

Huang Cheng said to Chen Lingling, "Don't worry about Xiao Lu. He has someone to take care of him. It's his first time going abroad, and his assistant is very capable. Chen Ziyan told me that, so we don't need to worry about him."

Chen Lingling said to Lu Yanhe with a serious expression, "The first time I went abroad, I got completely lost. My English isn't very good either, so I didn't know how to ask others where I was."

Lu Yanhe laughed.

Huang Cheng: "Lu Yi is a top student from Zhenhua High School, so his English is bound to be good. He won't get lost like you."

Chen Lingling pursed her lips and glanced at Huang Cheng, implying that Huang Cheng had gone too far by saying such things in front of Lu Yanhe.

Huang Cheng smiled, waved his hand, and went to get himself some coffee.

The feeling between the two of them just now surprised Lu Yanhe. Although he already knew from Chen Ziyan that Chen Lingling and Huang Cheng had an unusual relationship, Lu Yanhe still felt that the feelings between Huang Cheng and Chen Lingling were more special than an ordinary relationship.

Zeng Qiao and Wei Fang arrived almost ten minutes apart.

Wei Fang arrived with a beaming smile and said, "Director, why are there only a few of us going to South Korea to promote 'Phoenix Terrace' this time? Why didn't you just invite everyone?"

Chen Lingling said, "The organizers only gave us such a small budget, so they could only invite a few of us."

Wei Fang curled her lip, "I knew it. They even require me to bring only one assistant. If I bring more, I have to cover the expenses myself. How stingy."

"Then you're going to bring a few assistants with you?" Chen Lingling said with a hint of helplessness.

"It's not that we necessarily need to bring more people, it's just that I haven't received this kind of request in a long time, which makes me feel a little strange," Wei Fang said. "Never mind that, Director, this time 'Phoenix Channel' is being broadcast online in South Korea, and we've been asked to do some promotional work. Besides meet-and-greets, are there any other arrangements?"

Chen Lingling said, "I'm going to be on two variety shows."

This trip to South Korea lasted five days in total. Excluding the two days for travel to and from the airport, there were three separate itineraries.

Lu Yanhe had already received the itinerary notification, so he was somewhat surprised that Wei Fang seemed not to have received it.

Immediately, Chen Lingling spoke up.

"We already discussed this with your management team, didn't they tell you?"

“I don’t care about all that. Usually, they just take on the work and I do it according to their arrangements,” Wei Fang said. “I never pay attention to these trivial arrangements, anyway, I can’t remember them clearly.”

Wei Fang seemed to have a carefree and easygoing demeanor, but Lu Yanhe felt that it wasn't really carefree and easygoing; she inexplicably exuded a sense of pride and willfulness.

But then again, she has the right to be proud and willful.

Zeng Qiao sat down next to Lu Yanhe and asked in a low voice, "I want to ask, did Li Lili and Hu Fan get back together in the end?"

Lu Yanhe was still muttering about Wei Fang when he suddenly heard Zeng Qiao's question and was taken aback.

Zeng Qiao said, "I've been following Friends closely and really want to know how the story ends."

Lu Yanhe laughed and whispered, "Brother Qiao, I can't give away any spoilers. You can keep watching."

Zeng Qiao glanced at him sideways and said, "Can't I even know in advance?"

"It is the most unethical thing to spoil the plot for a loyal viewer who is eager to know what happens next," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.

Zeng Qiao: "..."

"That's going too far," Zeng Qiao said, glancing at him sideways.

Lu Yanhe asked in a low voice, "Brother Qiao, you've been so busy lately, how come you still have time to watch dramas?"

The popularity of "Phoenix Terrace" brought Zeng Qiao a busy New Year's Eve.

Lu Yanhe frequently saw Zeng Qiao's activities trending on social media.

There have been about five or six audience meet-and-greets for Phoenix TV alone.

Zeng Qiao said, "Although I can't catch up with the hottest shows, Beijing TV rebroadcasts them twice a day, so I can catch up to some extent. Your show isn't long, only twenty minutes per episode, and it's easy to watch. You can just sit there and watch it for a while whenever you have nothing to do."

"Brother Qiao, when you're off work, do you prefer to be alone or go out and hang out with people?"

"Half and half."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Zeng Qiao: "And you?"

“I’m quite a homebody,” Lu Yanhe said. “Unless I’m going out with very close friends, I usually just stay by myself.”

“That’s great. It’s wonderful to be able to enjoy being alone,” Zeng Qiao said. “But you can really be alone? I thought you were always surrounded by people. You don’t seem to live alone, do you? Or do you live with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang?”

“Yes, but they are also very busy, and we rarely have time to meet them now,” Lu Yanhe said.

“That’s true. All three of you must be very busy right now. You’re the only one who’s doing a little better, right? I haven’t seen you out much.” Zeng Qiao said, then looked at Lu Yanhe. “Even my agent said that you’re in the middle of a promotional period, but you don’t look like an actor in the middle of a promotional period at all.”

"It's almost done," Lu Yanhe said. "I don't want to work non-stop every day, so it's fine as it is now."

The two of them chatted for a while.

Once on the plane, some people slept with earplugs in, while others took out a book and started reading.

Lu Yanhe brought his notebook and was reading the script of "Late Spring" while making his own notes.

-

“Lu Yanhe went to South Korea. Let’s have a good get-together when he comes back,” Li Pengfei said to Chen Siqi.

They were all on winter break, and now they've reunited in Yuming.

Everyone else was there except for Lu Yanhe.

Today we had dinner at Li Pengfei's house, which was arranged by Li Pengfei.

Chen Siqi was working on her tablet when she heard Li Pengfei's words. She said, "Okay, he hasn't had any other work since he came back from South Korea. He's just waiting for the New Year."

Li Pengfei: "He doesn't celebrate the New Year either."

“How could he not celebrate the New Year?” Chen Siqi said. “He just doesn’t have a family to celebrate the New Year with like other people. He still celebrates it on his own.”

Li Pengfei scratched his chin. "So, will you spend Chinese New Year with him this year?"

“You mean New Year’s Eve? Although I really want to do that, I can’t. I still have to have dinner with my dad and stay up all night to welcome the new year,” Chen Siqi said. “I can be with him after New Year’s Day.”

Li Pengfei clicked his tongue and said, "I asked Lu Yanhe to come to my house for the New Year, but he refused no matter what I said."

Why would he agree?

"He's always alone anyway."

"Coming to your home, seeing you reunite with your brother and dad? Isn't that better than being alone?" Chen Siqi said. "By the way, isn't your brother graduating next year?"

“Yes,” Li Pengfei said. “He went on an exchange program in his junior year of college, and as soon as he came back, he applied to do an internship at some green health organization in a country. He couldn’t come back for Chinese New Year this year, so it was just me and my dad spending the holiday together.”

Chen Siqi clicked her tongue, looked at him, and said, "Your dad raised you two all these years without finding you a stepmother. It must have been quite difficult for him."

Li Pengfei: "He just didn't marry a stepmother for us, but he didn't keep my mother chaste. Don't make it sound like he's some kind of noble person."

Chen Siqi: "..."

She suddenly looked behind Li Pengfei and called out, "Hello, Uncle."

Li Pengfei was shocked and turned around to look.

There was no one behind him.

Li Pengfei flew into a rage and turned to look at Chen Siqi.

Chen Siqi had already gone to Lin Yu's side with a teasing smile on her face.

"That's going too far, Chen Siqi!"

Chen Siqi turned around and gave him a smile, shrugging her shoulders, as if to say, "If you're so capable, then don't back down!"

Li Pengfei silently took a deep breath, then put the blame on Lu Yanhe.

"Hey, Lu Yanhe has arrived in South Korea! Fans spotted him leaving the airport." Bai Yu suddenly said, holding up her phone. "Tsk, our Editor-in-Chief Lu is really handsome. He's probably going to dominate the Korean entertainment news from now on."

“Don’t say that. He’s a nobody in South Korea,” Chen Siqi said.

Bai Yu shook her head. "Siqi, think about it. Our Editor-in-Chief Lu has a bit of a knack for attracting attention and trending topics."

"ha?"

"Ever since he entered the entertainment industry after finishing his college entrance exams, it seems like he's never left the trending topics. The slightest thing can make him trend, and all sorts of things, topics, and news appear out of nowhere," Bai Yu said. "I believe it will be the same for him in South Korea. Metaphysics is something that ordinary people like us can't look at with a common perspective."

(End of this chapter)