Chapter 339 A Snap (10,000-word update!)

It's become commonplace for Zhou Ping'an to be constantly criticized by Li Zhi.

Zhou Ping'an himself was no longer surprised.

“Zhibai, I’m not really going to reject you, but we still have to show some respect. He’s a big screenwriter now, and he’s always talking about writing plays for you guys. If we don’t put him down, people will think we’re so eager to be in his plays.”

Li Zhibai glanced at him and said, "Do you know what you're saying? Weren't you the one who complained that he didn't give me the role of Huang Kairen?"

Zhou Pingan said, "That's different. This film is directed by Wang Zhong and stars Chen Bige. It's not just that he wrote the screenplay. To put it bluntly, movies are still the art of the director. We still have to look at the director. If you can become the male lead in Wang Zhong's new film, then what else is there to say? Look at the three main actors of 'Three Mountains,' they've been so popular lately. You can see them at almost every event. An art film that didn't even make 100 million at the box office has made three newcomers. They're really stirring things up."

Li Zhi asked, "Does this make you feel threatened again?"

"How could there not be? Those two boys are one thing, but you and Yan Liang have already established yourselves and they can't threaten you in the market right away. The key is that Sui Fangran. You know I have a typical imbalance of male and female staff. The people I want to promote, I can't promote. I wanted to put her in 'Divine Picture' before, but they took a liking to Sui Fangran and are trying to negotiate with her."

Zhou Ping'an spoke with great indignation.

Li Zhi asked: "The script for 'The Divine Picture' is a complete mess right now, are they still looking for a female lead?"

“The female lead has already been cast, but ‘The Divine Picture’ is an ensemble drama with several important female characters. We wanted to cast Sui Fangran as the girl named Li Yao,” Zhou Pingan said. “I originally had my eye on this role and wanted to help Fu Li get it.”

Li Zhibai: "What are you thinking? The male lead and the second male lead have already been taken by me and Yan Liang. There's no way we can give you any other main roles to bring along. Otherwise, will this drama belong to Wen Xia Zhiyin or Zhou?"

Li Zhibai incisively shattered Zhou Ping'an's delusions.

Zhou Ping'an: "The success of the drama 'The Legend of the White Jade' has led to even more requests for fantasy dramas from you."

Li Zhibai immediately looked at him warily.

"You're not going to give me another role, are you?"

Zhou Pingan said, "I want you to take care of Fuli."

"I'll bring Fuli?" Li Zhibai wasn't immediately angry, but asked, "What benefits will I get?"

"If you agree to mentor Fuli, I'll give you the autonomy to choose your roles in the next two dramas. If you want to take them, I won't say a word."

"Ha." Li Zhibai looked at him as if he were an idiot. "You think I really want to take any roles right now, and that I'll actually listen to you?"

Zhou Ping'an: "..."

The veins on his forehead bulged.

"So what conditions do you want?"

Li Zhibai said, "I can bring Fuli to act in a play, on the condition that you are not allowed to give any of the plays I don't act in to Ma Zhiyuan, and you are not allowed to push any commercial deals I don't accept to him."

Zhou Ping'an: "Why are you still so childish? You and he are keeping to your own devices and living in peace now. He's an idol, and you've already started acting."

"Don't give me that." Li Zhibai looked at him expressionlessly. "I'm only speaking to you politely now because you've been fair and reasonable these past two years. But why should my resources be given to someone I don't like? Yan Liang and Cheng Hai are fine, give them to whoever you want, but not Ma Zhiyuan. If I find out you've given him any more of my unsuitable resources, I'll really turn against you."

Zhou Ping'an: "..."

“I’m not joking with you,” Li Zhibai emphasized again.

Zhou Pingan took a deep breath and said, "Then why don't you cast Fu Li in an ancient costume drama?"

"Whether it's a period drama or not is another matter. There's also 'The Divine Map' coming up, and I don't want to keep wearing period costumes," Li Zhibai said. "Can't you give me a slightly lighter role?"

Zhou Ping'an: "I only have one criterion for accepting roles: they must be popular and become hits."

In this respect, Zhou Ping'an was indeed like that.

He has a really sharp eye. Putting everything else aside, he can spot which shows will be hits and which characters will be popular with the audience.

Li Zhibai suspected that Zhou Ping'an might be choosing roles based solely on his own interests, which was why he had fewer distractions and was more accurate in his judgment.

-

Having a discerning eye for choosing roles is something not everyone possesses.

In May, another drama starring Jiang Yuqian was broadcast, "Human Fireworks", a drama about family ethics. It was another realistic work that Jiang Yuqian took on after filming "The Golden Era".

It can't be said that the show was bad; it still garnered some attention, and the viewership numbers weren't bad either.

However, for Jiang Yuqian, it was a Waterloo.

As it's not a big-budget drama aimed at a specific fanbase, this show didn't generate much buzz online, and there wasn't much discussion about it.

Several critics were not very satisfied with Jiang Yuqian's performance, pointing out that all the problems she had with her previous acting were exposed in this drama—poor handling of details, a lot of emotions were just formulaic expressions, not precise enough, and so on.

After Lu Yanhe helped Jiang Yuqian promote the show, he also went to see it.

It's not that it was poorly made; the overall story follows a standard dramatic structure. However, it just didn't have the kind of appeal that makes you want to keep watching.

It's a very mundane family drama, and I'm not particularly interested in Lu Yanhe.

Jiang Yuqian's transformation, which was established with "The Golden Era," was overshadowed by the less-than-expected response to "Human Fireworks."

Lu Yanhe genuinely felt that Jiang Yuqian shouldn't have taken this role. The plot of this drama was scattered, unlike "The Golden Era," which was basically focused on Jiang Yuqian alone, with almost all the stories revolving around her character.

"Human Fireworks" features a storyline where each character has their own narrative, but the director failed to execute it well, resulting in a somewhat chaotic plot and a lack of coherent logical structure. Instead, the characters and storyline felt disjointed.

In this context, a campus romance idol drama starring Xiao Yun actually stood out and became a minor hit.

This actress, who has a rather outgoing personality, gave an outstanding performance in "Phoenix Terrace" at the end of last year, and immediately released another campus idol drama in May of this year, playing the female lead. Her consecutive good performances have brought Xiao Yun into the industry's spotlight.

She can handle both period dramas and modern dramas, and her acting range is wide.

In the "Days of Youth" group, everyone was congratulating Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yun sent ten big "ha"s in a row.

That's how the film and television industry is—it changes in an instant, and nobody knows who will be the next person to be exposed.

Lu Yanhe stayed quietly at school, attending classes, writing papers, and live-streaming his reading. He recorded "City Travelogue" on average once every ten days. In between, he participated in the preparation work for the two movies, "Lost in Thailand" and "Rouge." Apart from that, he studied the scripts that Chen Lingling handed him, preparing for the filming that started in August.

The script doesn't even have a name yet; it says "Suspenseful Crime Film Directed by Chen Lingling."

The rhythm of life suddenly became very stable.

-

A lot has happened this month.

Xiao Jing finally broke up with his girlfriend. It was a pity, but Lu Yanhe wasn't surprised.

On the day they broke up, Xiao Jing took a few of them out for drinks, and then they went to a karaoke bar.

He said, "If I'm alone in my dorm room, I'll feel so uncomfortable that I can't sleep."

However, things didn't get any better for him after he went out.

When they arrived at the karaoke bar, Xiao Jing took the microphone and sang sad love songs, his eyes filled with tears.

Lu Yanhe looked at him, feeling a mix of emotions, yet helpless.

Mao Jiayang also felt the same way and said to Lu Yanhe, "Xiaoxiao refuses to stay in Yuming and wants to go home. I don't know what to do."

Lu Yanhe looked at Mao Jiayang blankly.

Mao Jiayang smiled sheepishly, almost self-deprecatingly.

“Originally, I didn’t want to stay in Yuming. I wanted to go back to Dongbin, but if Xiaoxiao stays in Yuming, I think we can stay in Yuming together.” Mao Jiayang’s eyes were glistening with tears, perhaps because he was provoked by Xiao Jing. “Maybe Xiaoxiao and I will have to break up after graduation.”

Lu Yanhe felt as if he had been hit by a hammer.

I feel terrible.

Stories in life, from meeting to parting, happen all the time.

Other things are also happening in the entertainment industry.

For example, in the show "Idol Era", Ma Zhiyuan finally regained the top spot, and Li Zhibai, who had held the top spot for a month with "Bai Yu Yao", was finally overtaken by Ma Zhiyuan.

For example, Chen Jiang, who debuted in "Three Mountains", was photographed hugging and kissing a woman in a nightclub. The scene was ambiguous and the actions were bold and revealing, which aroused a lot of controversy.

For example, a movie called "Flying to the Blue Sky" received no attention before its release, but after a week of release, it became a hit on short video platforms, boosting its box office. Despite only earning 14.27 million yuan in its first week, it surged to 213 million yuan in its second week, shocking the industry.

-

Every day, from the moment we open our eyes, we receive all sorts of information.

We don't know which aspects will intersect with our lives, or which, while seemingly closely related, are actually just two parallel lines that are very close to each other.

Lin Yu and Zhou Mukai began arranging Yu Ming's "Jump Up" campus tour.

Lu Yanhe participated in these activities with Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin.

These kinds of activities are like movie roadshows; they're tiring and exhausting because you have to go to each place yourself and interact with people face-to-face. It takes a lot of energy and effort.

Fortunately, these activities weren't one day after another, so the fatigue didn't accumulate.

-

That day, Xin Zixing accompanied Lu Yanhe back to No. 13 Middle School to carry out the "Jump Up" activity on campus.

Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin were unable to attend this event due to other commitments.

Therefore, Xin Zixing accompanied Lu Yanhe to participate.

She will also be the person in charge of the digital version of "Jump Up" and will share her insights with everyone.

Having not returned to No. 13 Middle School for a long time, Lu Yanhe felt a sense of nostalgia and a feeling of things having changed when he stood at the school gate again.

Xin Zixing took a photo and said, "So this is the high school you went to. I've passed by it many times, but I didn't know it was your alma mater."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I haven't been back for a long time either."

Xin Zixing asked with a smile, "Such an outstanding senior like you, didn't the school invite you back?"

“I did contact them, but I was very busy before, and moreover, I didn’t have much to study. I can only say that my grades improved as a miracle. But I guess the school doesn’t want everyone to think that it’s not too late to start working hard in the senior year.” Lu Yanhe said with a smile, “When the teachers in the first and second years of high school advise everyone to study hard, they will say that Lu Yanhe only started to work hard in the senior year and he still got into Zhenhua High School.”

Xin Zixing burst into laughter upon hearing this.

“That’s true, we really can’t encourage this kind of trend.” Xin Zixing nodded. “I understand.”

Lin Yu was primarily responsible for coordinating the trip to No. 13 Middle School.

She herself was a student at No. 13 Middle School.

Principal Song and teacher Liu Qin personally came to meet them near the school gate.

"Hello, Principal! Hello, Teacher Liu!" Lu Yanhe saw them and immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Oh my, our star student is finally back!" Principal Song greeted Lu Yanhe with a bright and enthusiastic smile.

"I'm sorry, I was too busy before and only just got back," Lu Yanhe said immediately.

For Principal Song, students like Lu Yanhe are star students he often talks about, and also students whose names are written on his work resume.

Principal Song was extremely pleased that Lu Yanhe was able to return to the school at this time.

His welcome to Lu Yanhe was so warm, not to mention his homeroom teacher, Liu Qin.

Liu Qin looked at Lu Yanhe kindly and said, "You seem to have lost even more weight?"

"I've gotten darker and look a little thinner, but my weight hasn't changed," Lu Yanhe said. "Don't worry, I'm eating properly and I haven't been dieting."

"It's good that they're not dieting. I often see news about celebrities dieting, and it seems really exaggerated."

"I didn't, I wouldn't do that."

After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Yanhe and the others went to the lounge.

The sharing and exchange activities later will be held on the playground.

All students will gather on the playground.

-

"Can we really get a shot of Lu Yanhe if we just squat here?" In a residential area near No. 13 Middle School, two figures were huddled by a window, fiddling with their equipment—a long-lens camera that could clearly capture the interior of the school campus fifty meters away.

“Yes, I’ve figured it all out. Their event is being held on the playground,” said the man fiddling with the camera in his hand. “We finally found out Lu Yanhe’s itinerary, so we can’t let this opportunity slip by.”

"Does anyone actually watch these photos and videos? It's not like it's a private trip," my companion asked.

“Are you stupid? It’s just because no media is filming this event that you think it’s just a regular promotional event. If we film it, it’ll be a real exclusive,” said the man fiddling with the camera. “He’s going to give a speech. If we can record his speech, we can definitely sell it for a good price!”

When the two men talked about getting a good price, their eyes lit up.

-

Qiu Ling knew that Lu Yanhe would be going to No. 13 Middle School today to conduct the "Jump Up" activity in the school.

She also made an appointment with Lu Yanhe to have dinner together later that evening if he was free.

As a result, the police station suddenly received a report that two men were hiding in a private house near No. 13 Middle School, suspiciously watching the school. They looked very much like the burglars who had been wanted a week ago.

Qiu Ling happened to be in charge of this case, so as soon as she received the news, she immediately set off with her team.

The police officers from the local police station who were in charge of controlling the situation at the scene kept watch over the surrounding area, indicating that the person was still upstairs.

As Qiu Ling led the group upstairs, they could still hear the march playing on the campus of No. 13 Middle School.

The students appear to be gathering.

Qiu Ling vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

When she led her people into the house, subdued the two men who were acting suspiciously inside, and then saw the camera mounted on the window, Qiu Ling understood what was going on.

It has nothing to do with the burglary; they're just two paparazzi.

Qiu Ling: "..."

The two paparazzi, who had been subdued, were still unaware of what was happening. They squatted on the ground, looking at the police officers who had suddenly burst in with fear, trembling with apprehension.

-

Lu Yanhe's exchange activities at No. 13 Middle School were very successful.

The younger students were very supportive and enthusiastic towards him.

Moreover, it seems that many people are loyal fans of "Jump Up," buying every single episode.

Indeed, fighting on home soil has its advantages.

Xin Zixing and Lin Yu shared behind-the-scenes stories of the production of "Jump Up," which also piqued everyone's interest.

They, who usually only see the finished product, only now realize that there are so many interesting stories behind the production.

After the event, Principal Song specially arranged to treat them to lunch.

This had been discussed beforehand.

Lu Yanhe went to rest first.

Little did he know, Qiu Ling was waiting for him with those two paparazzi.

Lu Yanhe looked at her in surprise and asked, "Sister Qiuling, what are you doing here?"

Qiu Ling said, "It's all because of you that I made a wasted trip."

She handed Lu Yanhe a stack of printed A4 papers containing photos taken by the two paparazzi.

She briefly recounted what had happened.

Lu Yanhe looked in surprise at the two men standing behind Qiu Ling. Both of them were tall and thin, so thin that they looked malnourished, with dark circles under their eyes and puffy eye bags.

Qiu Ling said to the two of them, "Apologize."

The two men immediately bowed and apologized to Lu Yanhe.

"We're sorry, we were wrong, we shouldn't have taken those photos."

Lu Yanhe was already used to this kind of thing happening.

"They didn't cause any trouble for anyone, did they?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Qiu Ling's tone sounded somewhat admiring.

"No, you might not believe it, but they paid to rent a house from that family for half a day just to film an exclusive video of you."

Lu Yanhe was also very surprised when he heard this.

Qiu Ling shrugged speechlessly. "Are you surprised? Me too."

Lu Yanhe looked at them, somewhat helplessly, "They're just filming me, yet they have to pay to rent a place? Do my videos make that much money?"

The person on the left said, "Your videos... are quite profitable."

The man on the right muttered, "This time we've lost everything. We spent all our money on this camera and rented a place, just to make some money by shooting an exclusive video of you, and now it's all gone down the drain."

The man on the left nudged his companion with his elbow.

The person on the right shut up and sighed.

Qiu Ling waved her hand and said, "Alright, you've apologized, you can leave now."

The two paparazzi then reluctantly and dejectedly prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment," Lu Yanhe suddenly said.

The two of them looked at Lu Yanhe with suspicion, wondering what else he was thinking.

Are you unwilling to let them go easily?

Lu Yanhe asked, "Are you running your own business, or are you employed by a company?"

"Running a solo business" means being a self-employed individual who buys items and sells them to others.

The leader said with a self-deprecating tone, "We'll just make our own way."

Lu Yanhe glanced down at the photos in his hand and said, "Why don't you come work for me? Give it a try?"

"Huh?" The two paparazzi looked completely bewildered.

Lu Yanhe said, "You should know that 'Jump Up' is doing its own self-media and needs people like you."

"Do they need... paparazzi like us?"

Lu Yanhe: "We always get the other party's consent before taking photos. We happen to need manpower, and the photos you took are of a decent quality. So, if you're willing, I can introduce you to them."

"ah?"

“Isn’t this what you said? You’ve already spent all your money to film me. Even in this situation, you still know to spend money to rent a house and find good camera positions and angles. You still have your professional qualities. It’s just that after you come here, you can’t be paparazzi anymore,” Lu Yanhe said. “Think about it. I’ll have my assistant leave you some contact information. If you’re interested, contact us.”

The two paparazzi walked away looking bewildered.

Qiu Ling was extremely surprised.

"Why are you suddenly recruiting soldiers?" she asked.

Lu Yanhe waved the photo in his hand.

"They have the skills, the equipment, and they're passionate about their profession, willing to spend money to get the best shooting angles," Lu Yanhe said. "I've come across them, why wouldn't I take them?"

Qiu Ling exclaimed, "You're amazing!"

-

That evening, a message about Lu Yanhe spread online.

The paparazzi named "Li Bi" posted a video he recorded, describing what happened to him that day and asking for help from his fans.

"What do you think? Should I accept Lu Yanhe's invitation?"

Not long after, the platform created its own topic to capitalize on the buzz surrounding this incident.

#After being secretly photographed, Lu Yanhe, impressed by the paparazzi's skills, recruited them to join his team#

The novelty of this topic left many people in disbelief.

Clicking on it, the first page features Li Bi's videos.

“I’ve been a paparazzi for a while now, but I’ve never had such bad luck. I happened to run into the police arresting a burglary suspect, and our neighbor reported us as the criminals. As a result, we were arrested and then asked to apologize to Lu Yanhe. It was so embarrassing. The honor of being a paparazzi is to wear fine clothes in the dark. Being caught red-handed has made me lose all face.”

"Unexpectedly, what embarrassed me the most was not this incident, but that Lu Yanhe didn't care at all about being photographed by me. Instead, he asked me if I wanted to work for his 'Jump Up' self-media platform. I asked him if he was going to hire paparazzi to photograph other celebrities. I thought to myself, this guy looks respectable, but he's up to no good. He doesn't allow paparazzi to photograph him, but he's still hiring paparazzi to photograph other people. But then, surprisingly, he said he didn't want paparazzi and that if I went to work for him, I wouldn't be a paparazzi anymore."

...

A group of people watched his video and laughed heartily.

"Should I, a lone swindler, accept Lu Yanhe's offer of amnesty?"

"To be honest, a stable job is really attractive to me. This precarious job of running errands, and looking at my sallow and thin face, you can tell how miserable I am."

"But I, a paparazzo, have been recruited by an artist. I feel like even the coffin lid of our paparazzi ancestor can't hold it down."

...

Lu Yanhe saw the video late at night after Zou Dong reminded him.

He laughed as he watched.

This person has a great speaking voice; when they tell a story, they have a good rhythm and tell it in a very coherent way.

Lu Yanhe asked Zou Dong, "Brother Dong, has he contacted you?"

"No." Zou Dong shook his head. "I don't think he'll contact us. He just posted this video to create hype and make money from traffic."

Lu Yanhe remained silent, lost in thought.

Hype?

Lu Yanhe, however, felt that this person was actually seriously considering this matter.

Like many young people today, he habitually shares everything he encounters online.

If someone like that were willing to join the "Jump Up" self-media team, they might do something even more interesting.

-

The self-media team behind "Jump Up" is now led by Chen Siqi and Xu Zijun.

Lu Yanhe had heard from Chen Siqi that the self-media sector was developing rapidly and was in dire need of manpower.

Especially since self-media content is more diverse than magazine content, covering commentary, interviews, film and television, topic discussions, and more. They also create original content, unlike many other self-media outlets that plagiarize and repost content to easily gain traffic. Therefore, creating high-quality content requires a larger workforce.

This trending topic inadvertently served as free advertising for the self-media platform "Jump Up".

Many people, after seeing this trending topic, became curious and searched for the social media accounts associated with "Jump Up." They then discovered a lot of interesting content.

The "Editors Club" now has nearly five million followers across various platforms, with some overlap, but it's still a significant number on any platform.

For other self-media accounts, this would be worth setting up a separate team to do, but right now it's just the editorial department of "Jump Up" doing this part on a part-time basis.

"To further specialize it, a dedicated team must be established to operate it."

Lu Yanhe also believes that given the current development of the "Editor Club," it should be developed into a dedicated team, otherwise it would be a waste of its current achievements.

Although it was derived from "Jump Up", it has accumulated a group of fans by having accounts on various online platforms, and its audience is actually wider than that of "Jump Up" magazine in some ways.

-

That afternoon, Chen Ziyan walked into a club, intending to meet someone. However, upon entering, she heard several people chatting on a sofa.

"Lu Yanhe is really cunning. While other artists try to build good relationships with the media, he directly becomes a member of the media and expands his influence."

"And you know what? Think about it, when Lu Yanhe was starting the magazine, so many people in the industry said he was out of his mind, doing something so thankless and exhausting. They all had no faith in him. But look what happened! He made the magazine a huge success, and it even became one of his biggest assets. Look at when 'Friends' aired; Beijing TV didn't do any promotion at all. If it weren't for the writers and editors he had with 'Jump Up' who helped him create the initial buzz, the show might not have become such a hit that very night."

"People really do need to be cultured. Cultured people think and see things from a broader perspective, unlike us who only see our own little patch of land." Someone laughed self-deprecatingly.

“To be honest, if Lu Yanhe hadn’t started this magazine, he might not have the fame and status he has now.” Someone immediately said, “His status is indeed different now. In fact, if you take away his identity as a Zhenhua student and the editor-in-chief of ‘Jump Up’, he wouldn’t have this kind of golden status.”

"Alright, what's the point of saying all this now? Anyway, only he can walk this path. Is there anyone else in the entertainment industry who can walk it? Can we find another person who got into Zhenhua University on their own merit? The more we talk, the more it shows that we're jealous."

"I admit I'm jealous."

"How come Chen Ziyan has such a discerning eye? How come she always gets it right?"

"Who knows? If I knew, I'd be a top agent too."

"By the way, have you heard? Although Lu Yanhe has officially announced so many projects, there are still some unannounced projects on his plate. There's a movie he's starring in with Shang Yongzhou, and it's directed by the same director as 'Enjoy Life While You Can't'."

"ah?"

"Yes, you all don't know yet, right? I heard they're very sincere. If Lu Yanhe is willing to act, they'll change the script to a dual male lead version, with Lu Yanhe and Shang Yongzhou co-starring."

"Tsk tsk, if he could co-star in a movie with Shang Yongzhou, his status in the film industry would rise even higher."

"I'm so envious and jealous. With someone like Lu Yanhe, there's no need for us to be young male actors for the next few years, since we can't be like Lu Yanhe anyway."

...

Chen Ziyan stood behind the screen, listening to their lively discussion for a long time.

Chen Ziyan was used to people gossiping about them behind their backs and was no longer surprised.

However, when she heard others envying her for finding a treasure, Chen Ziyan couldn't help but feel ironic.

Given Lu Yanhe's situation at the time, who else but her would dare to sign him?

People can only see the successes that have already happened, but few dare to gamble before success occurs.

What is a top-performing agent? A top-performing agent is someone who, once they identify a promising candidate, is convinced of their potential and perseveres relentlessly, never giving up.

Chen Ziyan thought about the people she was going to meet later, paused for a moment, and thought to herself, "If you can snatch away the people I've painstakingly trained, then all these years of my hard work will have been for nothing!"

Chen Ziyan came to see Hong Qi and Ma Zhongquan.

Ma Zhongquan's group.

Chen Ziyan knew immediately what Ma Zhongquan was planning.

Not long ago, Ma Zhongquan had already warned her. Now he's about to strike.

Chen Ziyan smiled slightly and calmly walked inside.

This club is membership-only; only members can enter.

Becoming a member isn't simply a matter of paying money. Status, position, and income are all criteria used by this club. Of course, it's not particularly high-end; it just does screen members, otherwise, those outside agents wouldn't be able to get in.

However, getting a private room inside is much more difficult.

Relying on Ma Zhongquan is definitely not an option.

Chen Ziyan entered the private room, smiled slightly at Hong Qi and Ma Zhongquan, and said, "Mr. Hong, Mr. Ma, have you been waiting for a long time?"

-

At Zhenhua University, in the coffee shop that Lu Yanhe frequented, Lu Yanhe was sitting with Xin Zixing.

Lu Yanhe put down the proposal in his hand.

"Sister Zixing, there's nothing wrong with this plan. I think it's great."

In her latest travel plan, Xin Zixing added two travel companions: Song Linxin, an old friend of Lu Yanhe, and Zhou Shuyu, Qiu Ling's boyfriend and an associate professor at Yuming University.

Xin Zixing hopes to have more guests on "City Travelogue" so that when Lu Yanhe is unable to participate, they have to find someone to fill in temporarily.

If possible, Xin Zixing hopes to establish a fixed guest team, with two or three members from each episode responsible for recording the show, so that the audience can get used to them.

However, this will definitely weaken Lu Yanhe's core position in the program.

Xin Zixing didn't want Lu Yanhe to have that feeling.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yanhe agreed immediately.

“This is a great idea. I don’t actually have that much time to record every episode myself. I think it’s great that more friends can come and record this documentary together,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, the addition of someone like Professor Zhou Shuyu can enrich the content of our program. We really can only eat and drink. With Professor Zhou around, we can also learn a lot about history and culture.”

Xin Zixing: "I'm glad you don't mind."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

After discussing the upcoming photoshoot plans, Xin Zixing returned to her role as a friend and asked, "After you and Siqi officially announced your relationship, there must have been quite a few paparazzi coming to see you, right? You were alright at school, weren't you? Did any paparazzi manage to sneak in?"

Lu Yanhe nodded, "The school's access control is quite strict. Outsiders need to be invited by us and approved by the school before they can get a pass to enter."

Xin Zixing asked, "Are you serious about inviting those two paparazzi who secretly filmed you to join your social media team?"

“I’m serious, as long as they’re willing to come,” Lu Yanhe said. “But they haven’t contacted me yet, maybe they’re not interested.”

Xin Zixing: "No one would take this kind of invitation seriously at first glance; it's unbelievable."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

“Your actions probably scared them half to death,” Xin Zixing said bluntly. “But the fact that they took a liking to you means they must have some admirable qualities about them.”

“That’s true.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “They have the skills and the ambition.”

Xin Zixing: "Actually, with so many students from universities across the country contributing articles to your self-media platform, how could you possibly lack content?"

The self-media platform "Editors Club" certainly doesn't lack content.

Manuscripts that "Jump Up" cannot process will be published on the "Editors' Club".

“But we don’t just want to turn our self-media into an electronic version of ‘Jump Up’; we also hope to create content that is suitable for self-media,” Lu Yanhe said. “For example, they are currently working on a topic: what kind of jobs college students can do. This kind of content is not suitable for publication in ‘Jump Up’ magazine, but it is very suitable for dissemination on social media.”

"Hmm." Xin Zixing nodded. "Then what does this have to do with those two paparazzi?"

“Because we also have a column that specializes in writing about celebrities and gossip,” Lu Yanhe said. “Both of them are suitable for this segment.”

Xin Zixing was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

“You guys have a lot of ideas. Maybe I’ll need to find a job here in the future,” Xin Zixing said.

"Hmm? Sister Zixing, are you coming to visit us?"

“I—” Xin Zixing shrugged, “I’m not considering it for now, but no one can predict the future. The people and things around us are constantly changing. The leaders and colleagues I get along with now may not be the same in the future. So I’m asking you for a meal ticket in advance. If I can’t make it on Yemai.com in the future, I’ll come to you.”

“Okay.” Lu Yanhe nodded immediately. “Sister Zixing, as long as you’re willing to come, I’m definitely willing to build the team and staff you want and support what you want to do.”

People like Xin Zixing will succeed at anything they do.

-

“It’s not that I can make any artist successful; it’s that I only choose artists who are likely to succeed.” Chen Ziyan looked at the two people in front of her expressionlessly. “If you think you can just steal or snatch people from me, then you can try and see if you can do it.”

Although her eyes were on both of them, her words were undoubtedly directed at Ma Zhongquan.

Hong Qi's expression was also calm, and his gaze towards Chen Ziyan carried a hint of gentleness.

Ma Zhongquan didn't notice Hong Qi's gaze. Seeing that Chen Ziyan was still so arrogant even at this point, he said in a deep voice, "Chen Ziyan, I know you are capable and domineering, and you have every right to say such things. I have always respected you as someone we can learn from. But no matter what, this is not a reason for you to hide it from the company and start a company outside without permission."

Looking into Ma Zhongquan's eyes, which seemed to be shooting out sparks, Chen Ziyan thought to herself, "This man finally couldn't hold back anymore."

"No, that's not it," Chen Ziyan admitted frankly.

Ma Zhongquan: "Then why did you do it!"

"Cough!" Hong Qi suddenly coughed lightly.

Ma Zhongquan turned to look at Hong Qi and asked incredulously, "President Hong, even at a time like this, you're still going to tolerate her?"

Hong Qi shook his head and said, "No, but she didn't hide it from the company."

"she--"

“I own 40% of the company she set up outside,” Hong Qi said. “I knew about it long ago.”

Chen Ziyan picked up the cup in front of her, brought it to her lips, and took a sip.

Ma Zhongquan looked at Chen Ziyan in disbelief.

Through the glass in Chen Ziyan's hand, Ma Zhongquan could clearly see the corners of Chen Ziyan's mouth slightly upturned.

She smiled quietly, with a calm demeanor, as serene as a gentle breeze and still water.

Ma Zhongquan heard the sound of his heart shattering.

-

It's not easy to reach 10,000 words, so read it and cherish it.

I'm asking for monthly votes, and I've also updated my WeChat official account with a short essay.

(End of this chapter)