Chapter 343 Some things should be taken seriously, some shouldn't be (13,000 words update!)

Lu Yanhe often reminded himself of one thing: don't take too many things seriously.

Chen Ziyan often said the same thing to him.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ziyan told him that someone genuinely believed he was a good person, and therefore spoke up for him without any self-interest.

Lu Yanhe felt inexplicably disillusioned.

In the entertainment industry, how much sincerity is there, and how much is just pretense driven by self-interest?

Chen Ziyan said, "He said something very good: Yan He, people like you because you haven't changed yourself because of this environment. His words really touched me."

People like Yang San seem to be quite common in the entertainment industry.

Many people have expressed their opinions about Lu Yanhe.

This is the inevitable situation when you become a topic of conversation; everyone will talk about you.

"If Yu Jiang can just shake it off and pretend that nothing happened, that's disgusting," Chen Ziyan said bluntly. "Li Zhibai was absolutely right; he's incredibly shameless."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

-

Ruyi Pictures is also having a headache these past few days.

Collaborating with an author like Yu Jiang has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage lies in the fact that her works are indeed quite popular, and she has a fan base of book readers, and her past TV adaptations have also been quite successful.

The downside is that she's too restless.

It's not that you, as an author, have to disappear behind your work and become invisible. But you also can't keep popping up and doing unexpected things, making the controversy grow bigger and bigger.

Their idea for adapting the films was quite good: all three films would feature A-list actors, not newcomers.

Li Zhibai was one of them.

In that case, can they still contact Li Zhibai?

Ruyi Pictures had no choice but to send someone to communicate with Yu Jiang, asking her not to cause so much trouble.

This infuriated Yu Jiang.

However, Yu Jiang's contract with Ruyi Pictures clearly states that the author has an obligation not to bring negative public opinion to the film's production and release. If such a thing happens, Ruyi Pictures can hold Yu Jiang accountable.

For Yu Jiang, the three films she collaborated on with Ruyi Pictures were a very important step in her career.

From TV series to movies, it's all about visual media for the audience, but for her, it's like two different worlds.

Her novels have been adapted into TV series with great success, but not into movies.

A writer like Yu Jiang, whose writing career is almost entirely intertwined with film and television adaptations, cannot possibly ignore this point.

She could only swallow her pride and bear it.

What annoyed and angered Yu Jiang the most was that even though she had already bowed down to Lu Yanhe, he still wouldn't accept it and even dragged Li Zhi and a hundred others to mock her in front of the camera.

Yu Jiang felt extremely aggrieved.

-

This incident has brought Lu Yanhe considerable attention.

More variety shows are now seeking out Lu Yanhe.

Some even went so far as to offer Lu Yanhe a reward of three million yuan just for appearing on one episode.

This price exceeds his market price.

Chen Ziyan said, "Even if you appear on fewer shows, and your pay increases rapidly, there are still people willing to offer higher prices."

For an artist like Lu Yanhe, a fee of three million for recording one episode is quite high. After all, he's not an artist with a terrifying fan base like Li Zhibai or Ma Zhiyuan. If he didn't generate enough buzz, the platform wouldn't be able to afford such a price.

This is also the paradox of this market—because Lu Yanhe's quantifiable metrics are not as good as Li Zhibai and Ma Zhiyuan's, his price in the variety show market cannot be raised like theirs. If it weren't for Lu Yanhe frequently trending on social media, these production teams would never have offered him such a high price.

In comparison, Lu Yanhe's salary for a single drama is far higher than that of Li Zhibai and Ma Zhiyuan. This is because his past experience allows him to "carry" dramas, so platforms and brands will pay for his work.

-

To put it bluntly, Lu Yanhe is actually not short of income from recording variety shows these days.

These days, he records a show often for other reasons than for money.

"Jump Up" now brings Lu Yanhe tens of millions of yuan in income every year, not to mention his actor and screenwriter fees.

At the end of May, Chen Siqi even brought Li Bi to Yuming to sign the cooperation agreement.

The agreement stipulates that they will support Li Bi in building his personal video account for a total of eight years. After eight years, the contract will expire, and they will then discuss renewal. Alternatively, Li Bi can leave with the video account.

This shocked Li Bi.

Even if he doesn't understand the market, he knows that nowadays, a social media account belonging to an internet celebrity is basically the property of a company, and it is rarely given to the internet celebrity personally.

Chen Siqi said, "We will make a big investment in you in the first two years. In the first two years, you don't need to worry about making a profit. Just focus on building your influence and popularity."

Li Bi was a little confused and asked, "If there's no profit, how am I supposed to support myself?"

Chen Siqi said, "For the first two years, we will give you an annual salary of 200,000 yuan. From the third year onwards, you will have to earn your own living. We need video accounts, and even more so, we need video accounts that understand the entertainment industry and can create influence. We will provide you with resources and connections, such as artists and agencies, just like the teacher Jia Long you have already contacted. However, how to shoot, what to shoot, and in what format to broadcast are things you need to consider. We will help you with topics and data management, but this is not unlimited. In short, we use our investment in the first two years to exchange for your profits for us in the following six years. This is a mutually beneficial cooperation that we have calculated."

Li Bi understood some of it.

He asked, "How much of the profits from this video account will I get?"

Chen Siqi said, "In addition to your base salary, we will take 70% for the first four years and 50% for the next four years."

Li Bi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the profit-sharing ratio. Fortunately, it wasn't too outrageous.

Chen Siqi said, "This percentage isn't low, but I hope you understand that we will provide you with artist resources and filming opportunities that others can't provide. In the first two years, we will also invest no less than one million yuan annually in marketing and promotion for you. This is our cost, while you operate at almost no cost. We bear the risk, and you only need to focus on creating good content. I think this revenue sharing ratio is relatively reasonable. Do you have any objections?"

Li Bi shook his head. "I accept."

This is actually much better than what he knew.

He knew Chen Siqi was telling the truth. Especially after the eight-year contract ended, the video account would belong to him. That alone was something he could hardly get anywhere else.

Lu Yanhe said to Li Bi, "Li Bi, do you know why we created this video account?"

Li Bi swallowed hard and said, "Actually, after receiving your invitation, I did a survey on the self-media of 'Jump Up'. I found that you all use text-based descriptions and there is almost no video content. Neither your self-media nor the personal accounts of each of your editors have kept up with the trend of short videos, which has actually caused you to miss out on a lot of traffic."

“That’s right.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “You are the first video blogger we signed. There may be a second or a third in the future, but the first one is always different. Only if you succeed can there be others. I invited you to join the ‘Jump Up’ team because I admire the efforts you made to film me. This kind of perseverance is the key to success. I believe that as long as you have the opportunity and the platform, you will be able to stand out.”

Li Bi was flattered and overwhelmed.

"Thanks."

"Have you thought about what you want to film?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Li Bi asked, "Isn't it just making videos for celebrities, like vlogs?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head. "The artist's own team can film that kind of thing. Why would they ask you to film it?"

“I really don’t know,” Li Bi said. “I thought that was the case.”

Lu Yanhe said, "You need to think about it yourself: what kind of content can you film on your video account, and why should people watch your videos?"

Chen Siqi said, "Actually, it's just a novel concept and column. But you don't do interviews, and you're not good at interviews. It's not your profession, so it's basically a matter of luck. If you happen to shoot some good material, then you'll have something to watch. But what if you don't shoot any?"

Li Bi said, "But that's how it usually is. Many times we follow for two or three months and still don't find anything useful."

Chen Siqi nodded, "We're not telling you to keep being a paparazzi and taking your chances. You should think about what kind of picture you want to make of this."

Li Bi asked, "What if I film something that the celebrity shouldn't release?"

Lu Yanhe said, "We'll talk about it after we get the footage. Actually, that's the question you need to consider. What kind of media do you want to be? How much authenticity do you want to show? If you only release what the artists are willing to release, the audience won't find it interesting. If you release what the artists are unwilling to release, the audience will be excited, but will you be able to get other artists to work with in the future? You need to weigh the balance yourself."

Li Bi looked bewildered and said, "Why does it sound...like an unsolvable problem?"

"It's not that there's no solution, but rather that there's no single correct answer for every situation; you have to weigh the pros and cons yourself," Lu Yanhe said. "We don't have experience with this either, so we can only offer some of our own insights. As an artist myself, my feelings and attitudes towards different media reporters and paparazzi vary. Some people I'm willing to cooperate with, while others I'm less inclined to. Sometimes I'm willing to say the same things to one media outlet, but I might not want to say the same things to another. How to get celebrities to show things in your short videos that they wouldn't show elsewhere is something I think you need to think about carefully from an artist's perspective."

Upon hearing this, Li Bi nodded and said okay.

-

After talking with Li Bi, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi bought two tickets to the photography exhibition and went to browse the exhibition together.

They weren't really interested in the photography exhibition; they were just looking for something to do together.

Chen Siqi said, "I've also been thinking about our video account. Besides launching Li Bi as a video blogger, could we also develop our own official video account for 'Jump Up'? Indeed, the traffic for short videos is huge now, and it would be a waste of this opportunity if we didn't do it."

Lu Yanhe asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"I'd like to turn some of our sections into live videos, such as book recommendations, film reviews, and even the interviews in each issue of our magazine—we could turn those into interview programs," Chen Siqi said. "What do you think?"

Lu Yanhe said, "I have many ideas, but I'm worried that we don't have enough manpower to support so many ideas."

“We have already recruited a new batch of people and are now gradually training them,” Chen Siqi said. “I also plan to implement a column responsibility system. For example, I plan to hand over the book recommendation column to Bai Yu, and for the film and television review column, especially the review column of foreign films and TV series, Lin Yu is the most suitable person to hand it over to because of her good English.”

"What about the interview?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Chen Siqi asked, "What do you think of Peng Zhixing?"

"Brother Zhixing?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback. "He's a contracted host with Aurora Video. Aurora Video wouldn't let him come here to do a new program, would they?"

Chen Siqi: "We're not making a proper program. We're doing interviews in the form of short videos, which doesn't conflict with their 'Journey'. Besides, we're mainly targeting big names from all walks of life, not celebrities."

Lu Yanhe: "I can't be sure about that either. I need to have a serious talk with the Northern Lights video team and Brother Zhixing."

Chen Siqi nodded, "How about this, I'll communicate with the Northern Lights video team. You're familiar with Peng Zhixing, why don't you talk to him? If we can get him and his team to take charge of our program, we'll all be at ease. We all know his capabilities."

Peng Zhixing is now the best at conducting interviews among the younger generation of hosts.

Lu Yanhe agreed.

The two chatted about work while looking at the photography exhibition.

They didn't really understand it either; they only had a direct feeling that it looked good or not.

Fortunately, the photography exhibition space was quite large, so there weren't too many people.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi walked together in the exhibition hall, only occasionally attracting the attention of others and being secretly photographed. No one took the initiative to come up to them or disturb them.

Lu Yanhe suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"Is that Sister Zixing?" he asked, looking at the back of a woman in a pink casual suit in front of him.

Chen Siqi looked over in that direction.

"The figure looks a bit like him from behind."

As they were talking, the person turned to the side and looked to the left.

Her profile was exposed to Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi.

They confirmed that she was Xin Zixing.

"Should we go say hello?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Just as I finished asking the question, another figure suddenly walked over from the left.

He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, concealing himself quite thoroughly.

You can tell from his physique that he's a handsome man.

There weren't many men like this in the photography exhibition, but there were also quite a few.

However, both Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi recognized the person immediately.

There was no way around it, because they were just too familiar with each other.

"Is that Huang Kairen?"

"It looks like it should be Brother Huang."

Lu Yanhe took out his phone and sent a message to Huang Kairen: Brother Huang, are you at the photography exhibition?

He watched as Huang Kairen picked up his phone, glanced at it, casually turned his head to look around as if searching for something, and finally fixed his gaze on him.

The two sides looked at each other in bewilderment.

-

"I would like to invite Huang Kairen to record an episode of 'City Travelogue'."

Twenty minutes later, the four of them sat in a nearby coffee shop, staring at each other. Xin Zixing broke the silence first and explained.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Huang Kairen jokingly asked, "Yan He, you don't mind, do you?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head, "What's there to mind?"

There was about two fists' distance between Huang Kairen and Xin Zixing.

Instead, it seemed a bit deliberate.

Chen Siqi's gaze shifted between the two of them.

Are you here to discuss work?

Chen Siqi often talks to people about work, and it's not uncommon for her to meet with people she wants to collaborate with at places like art exhibitions or photography exhibitions. However, she usually chooses these places because the other party has these preferences, and she hopes to increase their goodwill and the probability of them agreeing to collaborate by meeting in such an environment.

Did Xin Zixing represent Yemai.com to discuss cooperation with Huang Kairen at the photography exhibition?

Who are you trying to fool?

Artists of Huang Kairen's caliber have a large management team to handle their work.

For a project of this caliber, such as "City Travelogue," even agents are too lazy to handle it personally.

In fact, Xin Zixing and Huang Kairen could also sense that Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi did not believe that they had come out to discuss cooperation.

But they pretended not to know.

They're putting on an act for each other.

Xin Zixing took the initiative to bring up the topic of Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi.

"Are you two on a date?"

Chen Siqi: "I had to come back for something, and he happened to have time, so we came to see the exhibition."

Xin Zixing: "You really have a hard time, frequently traveling back and forth between Yuming and Jiangguang."

Chen Siqi: "Without Sister Zixing, you all worked so hard, filming 'City Travelogue', which required traveling all over the country."

Xin Zixing said, "I heard you're planning to launch a video account?"

“Yes.” Chen Siqi nodded. “Before, our team only had so many people, so we had to prioritize making the magazine. Now that the team is gradually getting more manpower, we also want to explore new areas and expand our influence.”

Xin Zixing nodded.

Huang Kairen said to Lu Yanhe, "You're going to be acting in Chen Lingling's new play with Zeng Qiao, right?"

"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded. "Brother Huang, when will you be joining the crew?"

"It will be half a year from now," Huang Kairen said. "The next project is a period drama with a realistic theme."

Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.

"Period drama?"

"Yes, it tells the stories of entrepreneurs in the 1990s," Huang Kairen said. "It's not a family drama."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

Who's directing?

"Yu Huai, the director of The Long Day."

This is also a great director. Although Lu Yanhe had never met Yu Huai, he knew about the drama "The Long Day," which had won many awards, including the Best Actor award at the Honghe Awards for Jiang Mingzheng.

Upon hearing the director's name, Lu Yanhe immediately realized that this drama was a mainstream serious drama aiming for awards.

Both Jiang Yuqian and Huang Kairen seem to hope to take a further step on the path of mainstream serious dramas after their successful transformation in "The Golden Era".

However, Jiang Yuqian's film "Human Fireworks" was lukewarm and unsuccessful.

Lu Yanhe didn't know how Huang Kairen's drama would turn out this time. However, since it was directed by Yu Huai, the quality should be pretty good.

Huang Kai-ren asked, "When are you planning to film the movie 'Lost in Thailand'?"

Lu Yanhe said, "I don't know yet. The director hasn't been decided yet. Teacher Jia Long and Aurora Video are looking for a director together. The filming crew hasn't been assembled yet."

"I'm so envious that you get to star in a movie with Jia Long."

“I’m not acting,” Lu Yanhe said immediately.

"Huh?" Huang Kairen looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise, his face full of astonishment.

"To be precise, I won't be the lead actor; I might have a cameo role," Lu Yanhe said.

Huang Kairen said, "But I heard that this movie has two male leads."

"That's true, but I won't act in either of those roles. Neither of them suits me," Lu Yanhe explained. "The other male lead will probably need to have an audition."

Huang Kairen immediately asked, "Then do you think it's suitable for me?"

“Brother Huang, this role isn’t suitable for you either,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “I think we’ll have to find a newcomer to play the part.”

"A newcomer?"

"Yes, because it's a very simple and natural character."

Huang Kairen responded with an "Oh".

Lu Yanhe suddenly remembered something and asked, "Have you met Director Wang Zhong?"

Lu Yanhe had previously told Huang Kairen that he wanted to invite him to audition for "Rouge".

Huang Kairen said, "Not yet, we haven't been able to schedule a time."

Lu Yanhe: "Actually, I think Brother Huang, you are very suitable for the male lead in this movie."

Huang Kairen looked hesitant.

"What's wrong, Brother Huang?"

Huang Kairen said, "Although I haven't met Director Wang Zhong yet, we've spoken on the phone twice. He introduced me to the role he's offered me, but I... I'm not sure if I can play it well."

The role of Twelfth Master is indeed difficult to portray. Although the film is primarily told from Ru Hua's perspective, the character of Twelfth Master is by no means simpler. His deep affection, cowardice, and selfishness pose a considerable challenge for any actor.

No actor can step into a role without psychological burden.

Lu Yanhe didn't know whether Huang Kairen thought the role of Twelfth Young Master was difficult to play, or whether he backed out after learning that the role was rather negative.

If it's the latter, Lu Yanhe would understand.

An actor like Huang Kai-ren doesn't really need to take any risks. Starring in this film might propel him to stardom, but it could also ruin his screen image. Huang Kai-ren hasn't reached the point where he can disregard his screen image and public perception.

Lu Yanhe could only advise Huang Kairen: "Brother Huang, he's not a bad character. He's just cowardly, but he has his charm."

Lu Yanhe said this because he had seen Leslie Cheung's portrayal of the Twelfth Master.

Such a negative character was portrayed by Leslie Cheung in a way that made him seem suave, selfish, and fickle, yet the audience only felt a sigh rather than resentment. To be able to play such a character to this extent is a testament to Leslie Cheung's own talent.

However, Huang Kairen had not read it. Without any reference, he could only speculate based on the script and the character himself. Therefore, he could only see the character's selfishness, cowardice, betrayal, and patheticness.

As a popular actor with a consistently positive image, it certainly takes a lot of courage to take on such a role.

Huang Kairen said, "I may need to meet with Director Wang Zhong and have a serious talk before I can make a decision."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

-

Lu Yanhe truly understood Huang Kairen's hesitation.

When evaluating an actor, many people often say that the actor is timid and dares not play negative roles.

However, that's because many people don't know that sometimes, a negative character can directly ruin an actor's career.

Over the past few decades, too many actors have been typecast by a single role.

Why are actors hesitant to play villains?

Because once a villainous role becomes deeply ingrained in people's minds, it's rare for film and television productions to offer you a role as a positive character.

Just like Li Mingqi, the actress who played Rong Momo in "My Fair Princess," she was so badly targeted that she would get eggs thrown at her by the audience on the street. Who would dare to cast her in a positive role? And then there's Charmaine Sheh. Because of her villainous role in "War and Beauty," she lost an endorsement because the advertiser felt that such an image was unsuitable for their brand. As a result, Charmaine Sheh didn't take on any villainous roles for many years.

Actors who dare to play genuine villains and risk offending the audience with their image are either at a point where they can't be typecast by a single role, or they need an opportunity to be recognized, even if it's as a villain—it's better than being unknown. Actors in between almost never play villains.

This isn't about whether or not to dedicate oneself to art; it's about whether or not one can hold onto their own livelihood.

-

The character of Twelve Young Master is not a villain, but he is certainly negative.

Apart from Lu Yanhe, no one in the world knew that this character would become a classic in film history.

Lu Yanhe could not tell Huang Kairen that the role of Twelfth Young Master would become his representative work and a significant achievement in his acting career.

Even if he said that, Huang Kairen wouldn't really believe him.

There's no way to prove it with words alone.

Finding a suitable actor who can act opposite Chen Bige and is willing to play such a negative role is a real headache.

Lu Yanhe only hoped that Huang Kairen would make the right decision in the end.

From God's perspective, he knew the right decision was to take this role and play the Twelfth Young Master.

-

The four of them had coffee at the cafe, and then Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi made an excuse that they had something to do later and left first.

As soon as she left, Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yanhe and asked, "You also think there's something wrong with those two, right?"

Lu Yanhe nodded without hesitation, "There's definitely a problem."

Chen Siqi: "I don't even know when they got together."

Lu Yanhe: "Actually, I suddenly remembered something."

"What's up?"

“When I was filming ‘The Golden Era’ in Langhua, one night I happened to run into Brother Huang buying condoms at a convenience store next to the hotel.”

"Huh?" Chen Siqi was taken aback.

“However, the next morning, I met Sister Zixing in the hotel restaurant,” Lu Yanhe said. “That’s when I met Sister Zixing.”

Chen Siqi looked shocked, her face full of disbelief.

"Aren't you over-connecting these things?" Chen Siqi's first reaction was that she found it strange.

Lu Yanhe said, "It might just be a coincidence, but thinking back carefully, there have really been several times when I ran into them at the same time and place. I didn't take it seriously before, and just thought it was a coincidence."

"So many coincidences... are they still coincidences?" Even Chen Siqi was shaken.

"Could they have been together for a while already?" Chen Siqi said.

The two men looked at each other in bewilderment.

Both of them saw the meaning of "it really is possible" on each other's faces.

Chen Siqi said, "If that's really the case, then they've done an amazing job of keeping it a secret."

Lu Yanhe sighed, "Yes."

Chen Siqi: "So, are you going to confirm this with them?"

"Forget it, since they didn't bring it up, I won't ask. Asking won't change anything, it'll just make things awkward," Lu Yanhe said.

Chen Siqi: "Yes, you're right."

The two of them suddenly fell silent after saying this much.

Their eyes met intently, as if they could see into the depths of each other's souls.

After talking about so many other people's things, I suddenly realized that it's the two of them on a date right now.

Despite opening and closing her mouth so many times, Chen Siqi's lips remained rosy.

Lu Yanhe's gaze lingered on that spot, and he suddenly felt an almost instinctive dryness in his mouth, so he couldn't help but swallow.

Chen Siqi noticed the gradual change in Lu Yanhe's gaze. His usually indifferent and nonchalant personality suddenly became shy. He turned his head away and looked away, no longer daring to meet Lu Yanhe's eyes.

Then, Lu Yanhe suddenly kissed him.

-

#Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi kiss and show affection in the street!#

Chen Ziyan swore that she never imagined she would see such news about Lu Yanhe on her phone one day.

Where is the maturity, composure, and rationality you were promised?

What happened to your promise not to cause trouble?

Although Lu Yanhe is no longer affected by this kind of thing, he has already officially announced his relationship with Chen Siqi.

Chen Ziyan thought to herself, "These young people have too much hormones. They can't control themselves at all. They can't even resist kissing. They have to kiss in the street!"

She looked at the two people in the photo, who seemed completely unconcerned, and silently clicked her tongue.

Although she was inwardly complaining about all the trouble Lu Yanhe had caused her, she had to admit that the photo was indeed quite pleasing to the eye, with the handsome man and beautiful woman's intimate actions looking very nice.

"He's just a young guy, no matter how well he pretends normally, when it really matters, it's all the same," Chen Ziyan complained to Lu Qingzhen.

Lu Qingzhen said, "Do you want him to be abnormal?"

Chen Ziyan: "Tsk, seeing the two of them dating makes me feel a bit emotional."

Do you feel nostalgic about your ex-boyfriends who disappeared?

"It makes me nostalgic to have had such a romantic relationship before." Chen Ziyan glared at Lu Qingzhen. "Don't just pick things I don't want to hear, okay?"

Lu Qingzhen: "You can still have a romantic relationship now."

"Forget it, I'm not in the mood for that. My mind is full of calculations, I can't afford to be lovey-dovey," Chen Ziyan said listlessly.

Seeing Chen Ziyan like this, Lu Qingzhen knew that her friend had gradually given up some things over the years.

After a moment of silence, Lu Qingzhen asked, "How's your company doing? When do you need me to come over?"

Chen Ziyan said, "I'm currently recruiting people, but the official launch will definitely be next year. There are many things that need to be communicated in advance, and we need to have a good start."

Lu Qingzhen nodded.

"What you're about to do is something that hasn't been done in the entertainment industry before. The difficulties and obstacles will definitely be huge. And as a result, almost every agency will see you as a thorn in their side. You're competing with all the agencies for business."

"This is only temporary. Besides, I only do business with a very small number of artists," Chen Ziyan said. "I can't take much of their business away from them."

Lu Qingzhen is not optimistic about this.

She asked, "Do the artists you manage know about this? With a company like this, it's obvious that you'll have to put less effort into these three people. Won't they have any objections? Especially Lu Yanhe, who is currently in the peak of his career and needs you to fight alongside him the most."

“You’re wrong.” Chen Ziyan shook her head. “What he needs most right now isn’t an agent who can help him find good projects, get big directors, and plan his career. What he needs is an agent who can protect him to the greatest extent and help him grow smoothly. I started this company to do these things and make people at the top of the pyramid my partners. That’s what he needs most right now.”

Lu Qingzhen was surprised by Chen Ziyan's statement, but at the same time, she felt that it made sense.

Suddenly, at that moment, Lu Qingzhen's phone rang.

She picked it up and glanced at it, then frowned in surprise.

Why is Ma Zhongquan calling me?

Chen Ziyan was also somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

Ma Zhongquan doesn't usually have any direct work-related interactions with Lu Qingzhen and rarely contacts her directly.

Lu Qingzhen answered the phone and responded twice. It was unclear what Ma Zhongquan said, but Lu Qingzhen's expression grew increasingly grim.

Chen Ziyan couldn't help but frown.

Could it be that Ma Zhongquan couldn't do anything about her, so he turned his attention to Lu Qingzhen instead?

-

Within the company, the relationship between Lu Qingzhen and Chen Ziyan was no secret; many people knew they were close.

Ma Zhongquan also knew.

“If it’s just a trivial matter, I won’t say anything. For Chen Ziyan’s sake, I will be lenient with you.”

Lu Qingzhen wanted to roll her eyes at what Ma Zhongquan said.

“But this time you’ve delayed Ma Zhiyuan’s business. He’s our company’s top artist and our most profitable artist. You’ve ruined one of his business deals, and he’s furious. What do you suggest we do?” Ma Zhongquan asked Lu Qingzhen with a grim expression.

Lu Qingzhen said, "Mr. Ma, I think we need to clarify some things first. The brand Vuitton did initially want to work with Ma Zhiyuan, and I passed the buck to Zhou Ping'an. I communicated with him three times, but Ma Zhiyuan himself was not satisfied with the endorsement price and refused to agree. It's normal for a long-established top luxury brand like Vuitton to offer an endorsement price lower than the market price, but Ma Zhiyuan wouldn't listen. As a result, Vuitton itself took a fancy to Li Zhibai and wanted to cooperate with him. How can this be blamed on me?"

Ma Zhongquan said, "I don't know how much of what you said is true, but Ma Zhiyuan insisted that it was because you were negligent and did not follow up on the brand's attitude and information in a timely manner, which is why he did not agree in time. If you had conveyed the brand's attitude to him immediately, he would have made a different decision."

“Mr. Ma, if you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. I have a record on my phone of whether I informed Zhou Ping’an immediately or not, whether it was the brand’s attitude or other information.” Lu Qingzhen looked at Ma Zhongquan firmly. “If you want to use this reason to deal with me, I’m sorry, I’m not a dough you can knead.”

Ma Zhongquan sneered and said, "Do you think the company will choose you over Ma Zhiyuan? It's not that we're trying to mess with you, it's that Ma Zhiyuan thinks this is your problem. Okay, the company's most profitable artist doesn't like you, so what do you think we should do?"

"I'll let you do whatever you want, but I only have one thing to say: whether it's you or him, whatever you want to do, whatever accusations you want to pin on me, you need to figure out if you can even put those accusations on me." Lu Qingzhen's face was covered in frost. "Ma Zhiyuan lost his endorsement himself and is taking it out on me, OK, if you think this is a given fact and don't intend to investigate the truth, then just tell me what you plan to do. Let's not beat around the bush, let's say what we have to say."

Ma Zhongquan said, "You are a veteran of the company. You should know that sometimes, even if it's not your fault, the company doesn't make a profit based on right or wrong."

“Yes, but let’s judge fairness based on right and wrong,” Lu Qingzhen said. “I’m a long-time employee of the company, and I know how to protect myself. You don’t need to try to fool me.”

Ma Zhongquan said, "You can name your terms if you leave the company. Ma Zhiyuan thinks this is your fault, and we have to give him an explanation."

"I'm leaving the company? Heh, sure, a year's salary as compensation."

"That's impossible."

“If you want to fire me so easily, then we’ll see each other in court,” Lu Qingzhen said. “I have always worked diligently at Xingyu Entertainment. In terms of work and achievements, I have a clean record.”

Ma Zhongquan knew that Lu Qingzhen was a difficult woman to deal with. How could someone who had managed to remain powerful in the Ministry of Commerce for so many years be a pushover?

However, Ma Zhongquan had not expected her to adopt such a high-handed attitude.

"If you make things this bad with us, do you think any other company in this industry will hire you?"

“Mr. Ma, I’ve gone to such lengths. Wherever I go, I can bring dozens of brand business resources to that place. Are you underestimating me, or are you underestimating everyone’s need for profit?” Lu Qingzhen said. “You want to drive me away with a fabricated charge? I don’t care if it’s Ma Zhiyuan’s opinion or whose opinion it is. Without sufficient compensation, let’s see who can afford to drag this out. I’d like to see if the brands that cooperate with Ma Zhiyuan will still think he meets the brand image requirements after his behavior is exposed.”

Ma Zhongquan: "Lu Qingzhen, your contract with the company includes a confidentiality agreement. You know that if you don't keep it confidential, you'll have to pay an exorbitant amount in compensation."

Lu Qingzhen smiled slightly, "Mr. Ma, these days, you can just find any marketing account to spread rumors. What evidence do you have to prove that it came from my mouth?"

They've put it all out in the open.

"If you had that kind of ability, those rumor-mongering marketing accounts would have been wiped out long ago, and they wouldn't be as arrogant as they are now."

Ma Zhongquan's face flushed red.

Lu Qingzhen: "Now, you can seriously consider my compensation demands. I'll seriously consider it if it's a year's salary. Otherwise, I can fight this battle too."

She stood up gracefully and left Ma Zhongquan's office.

-

Ten minutes later, Lu Qingzhen rushed into Chen Ziyan's office with a gleam in her eyes.

"Damn, it feels so good to imitate your usual arrogant and domineering attitude! No wonder you always have that kind of face!"

Chen Ziyan gave her a disdainful look and said, "Can't you have some backbone? Don't make such a big deal out of nothing."

Lu Qingzhen said, "You can't understand me. You're used to being arrogant, but I'm not! It feels so good. So this is what it feels like to be cool. I finally understand why everyone likes the cool guy so much."

Who is "Arrogant Bro"?

“Li Zhibai, netizens call him ‘cool guy,’ and even brands use ‘cool guy’ as their keyword for him.”

Chen Ziyan: "..."

Lu Qingzhen said, "It's so cool, it feels so good."

"Don't get excited yet. What exactly did you talk to Ma Zhongquan about?"

“Just do as you told me, and perform perfectly,” Lu Qingzhen said. “Actually, I was going to leave anyway, but he pulled this stunt, so I can stand on the moral high ground and demand compensation. Fine, fine, I won’t suffer any loss.”

Chen Ziyan: "They have no right to make you suffer losses. Over the years, anyone who can read the reports can see how much you have contributed to the company from those data. Haha, they want to get rid of you, which is the most foolish decision. Only after you leave will they realize how much they have lost."

Lu Qingzhen looked embarrassed and let out a shy "Ouch."

"Do you think I'm that outstanding?"

Chen Ziyan: "Yeah, in my eyes you're so outstanding, can you please switch back to your normal tone of voice? Stop acting cute and adorable, okay?"

Lu Qingzhen finally broke down and couldn't help but roll her eyes at Chen Ziyan.

Chen Ziyan: "Luckily, your contract with the company didn't have a non-compete clause, otherwise, there would have been a lot more trouble."

"Haha, they just think I'm not capable enough to take the resources away."

"Utterly foolish." Chen Ziyan cursed Ma Zhongquan again. "Does he really think that without the connections he usually cultivates, so many business resources will come his way? The competition is so fierce, and you're not the only artist in the market."

Lu Qingzhen said, "But to be honest, Ma Zhongquan does have reason to be proud. Our Xingyu Entertainment has quite a few popular artists."

"But haven't you noticed a very serious problem?"

"Um?"

"Logically speaking, you should be the one most likely to discover our company's problems."

"If you ask me about the biggest problem, let me think about it, and the first thing that comes to mind is the homogenization of core artists," Lu Qingzhen said. "If we don't count Lu Yanhe, who rose to prominence this year, Xingyu's two trump cards are three leading actresses who are all popular and have similar image routes, and two top stars who both follow the idol route and have similar image positioning."

“That’s right. Our company’s artist lineup is too homogeneous. We’re competitors with ourselves, and there’s a lot of internal friction,” Chen Ziyan said. “So I’m saying that although you see a plethora of stars and a lot of popular celebrities, they’re actually far from realizing the full value of their popularity.”

Lu Qingzhen nodded.

“In this situation, Ma Zhongquan has not yet grasped a more terrifying consequence.”

"Um?"

“Homogeneous competition means that some people will have to leave,” Chen Ziyan said. “The three leading ladies here have to share the title with others, but elsewhere, they will be unique. Do you think they would be willing to renew their contracts with the company?”

Lu Qingzhen suddenly realized.

Chen Ziyan smiled slightly and said, "The more top-tier an artist is, the more personalized the service they need. In the current market, no one has the ability to plan such personalized services, but I can."

Lu Qingzhen: "Who have you taken a fancy to?"

She knows Chen Ziyan too well.

Since Chen Ziyan said that, it means that Chen Ziyan must have someone she has her eye on.

Chen Ziyan shook her head and said, "It's a secret for now."

Lu Qingzhen snorted lightly: "You even kept it from me, fine."

-

Here, because of Huang Kairen's hesitation about the role of Twelfth Young Master, Lu Yanhe also had to start thinking about who else could play the role if Huang Kairen really didn't want to play it.

Among male actors of this age, there are only a handful of top-tier ones. Lu Yanhe knows almost all of them. In terms of appearance, Huang Kairen is the most suitable. No one else is suitable to play a spoiled young master with a sense of destiny in a movie with this kind of atmosphere, especially a selfish, cowardly, and pretentious young master.

When Lu Yanhe talked to Wang Zhong and Chen Bige, Chen Bige said, "Actually, if Shang Yongzhou has time, he can definitely play the role."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

Shang Yongzhou?

In truth, Shang Yongzhou was indeed a suitable candidate.

Why didn't he think of Shang Yongzhou before?

Lu Yanhe had actually thought about it, but the moment Shang Yongzhou's image flashed through his mind, he subconsciously assumed that Shang Yongzhou wouldn't act.

Even Huang Kairen was unwilling to take on such a negative role, so why would Shang Yongzhou be willing to take it on?

Regarding Lu Yanhe's doubts, Chen Bige said, "Why would he care about whether a role is negative or not? For him, as long as the script moves him, he can accept a lot of things. That's the attitude we both have."

Wang Zhong said, "But if that happens, won't the actor's salary increase again?"

If a low-budget art film can eventually find Shang Yongzhou and Chen Bige to star in it, the cast would be impressive, but their salaries would further increase the film's financial burden.

Chen Bige said, "Director, if it's a matter of salary, you don't need to worry. At worst, I'll lower my salary a little more, and I'll talk to him. We'll lower our salaries together."

Chen Bige's high regard for this film is evident in his words.

Lu Yanhe said to Wang Zhong, "Director, when would you like to find some time to meet with Huang Kairen? Have a serious talk with him? From what I heard, he didn't say he was completely unwilling to act, but he has concerns and wants to have a serious talk with you before making a decision."

"I've tried to meet him twice, but he's busy and I'm busy too, so we can never get together."

Lu Yanhe could already detect some dissatisfaction in Wang Zhong's tone. He wanted to sigh, but he held back.

He believed Huang Kairen definitely wanted to meet with Director Wang Zhong, but given his current status, he was undoubtedly extremely busy, making it difficult to schedule a time. Director Wang Zhong was already somewhat impatient.

Lu Yanhe was unsure whether he should try to advocate for Huang Kairen.

He genuinely felt that if Huang Kairen acted in this movie, the career transition he had always longed for might finally come true.

He acts in both movies and TV series, but there are special circumstances to this.

For actors like Huang Kairen and Jiang Yuqian, despite their fame, it's not easy to truly enter the film industry.

If Huang Kairen could act in "Rouge", with director Wang Zhong and Chen Bige as the female lead, he would be in a position to succeed even without the film being released.

It's vulgar, but that's how this industry works. First, you need to assess your own skill level, and second, you need to assess the skill level of the people you're working with.

-

To Lu Yanhe's surprise, Shang Yongzhou actually called him.

"Senior brother!" Lu Yanhe exclaimed in surprise.

Shang Yongzhou laughed twice and said, "I heard from Director Fu Kai that you took on the role in 'The Road to Glory'. We can work together properly now."

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I will do my best."

Shang Yongzhou added, "Chen Bige called me and talked about the movie 'Rouge.' That's when I found out that you wrote the script for this movie. You're something else, kid. You can write a script of this quality."

Lu Yanhe smiled sheepishly.

Be humble, be humble.

He reminded himself.

“However, I have to tell you that I have finished reading the script and I do think it is very well written, but I do not intend to act in it,” Shang Yongzhou said. “It has nothing to do with the script or the role. I have to tell you this in person to avoid any misunderstandings caused by relaying the message.”

"It's alright, senior brother," Lu Yanhe said.

Shang Yongzhou: "It's nothing else, I want to devote myself to the creation of 'Roof of Glory'. I won't consider the next movie until this movie is finished. But it seems that you want to start filming 'Rouge' in the second half of the year."

Lu Yanhe: "I don't know anything about this filming; it was all handled by Director Wang Zhong and his team."

“Okay.” Shang Yongzhou said, “Filming for ‘Road to Glory’ will start at the end of the year, so you should take good care of yourself and get some rest.”

"Okay," Lu Yanhe replied.

Shang Yongzhou: "I see you have so many projects coming up, it's overwhelming. How can you manage to prepare so many projects all at once?"

"Uh, actually I don't act in many of these projects," Lu Yanhe said. "I just wrote a script. I've written several scripts before, and they all came out together in this wave of announcements."

Shang Yongzhou: "Aren't you going to act?"

“Hmm,” Lu Yanhe said, “Just like I don’t plan to act in ‘Rouge’. Before filming ‘Rouge Road’, I only have that drama directed by Chen Lingling to film. I will conserve my energy. Don’t worry, senior brother, I won’t delay the filming.”

Upon hearing this, Shang Yongzhou breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

Please vote for me! Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)