Chapter 346 of "The Legend of the Martial Arts World" is here!

Lu Yanhe carefully considered each character in "Lost in Thailand". If it were Chen Bige, the most suitable role for her to play would be Li Chenggong's wife.

He made a list of all the celebrity friends who wanted to make a cameo appearance, and then picked out all the characters in the script who only appeared in one or two shots.

Find the roles you can play one by one.

"This should be okay, right?" Lu Yanhe looked at the list and suddenly thought of Jia Long's friends who could also make a cameo appearance.

He added another role after each of his celebrity friends could play, so that if Jia Long already had an idea for a certain role, he wouldn't have to worry about his friends who were invited to make cameo appearances and would have room for adjustment.

He was shocked when he counted the numbers: more than a dozen of his friends had agreed to make cameo appearances, many of whom had volunteered to do so.

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

When Jia Long received the list, he was astonished.

Jia Long couldn't help but say to his agent, "Look, basically all the actors who have worked with Lu Yanhe are on this list. This kid is really amazing, everyone likes him."

The agent laughed and said, "Who wouldn't like him? He's got real talent, he can handle projects and write scripts on his own, and most importantly, none of the projects he works on or the scripts he writes are for him to star in. So who wouldn't want to do him a favor? Being on good terms with him means you can collaborate later, which is the most profitable deal. Didn't you offer to help him with a cameo role in 'My Own Swordsman'?"

Jia Long smiled and said, "It's because he wrote 'Lost in Thailand.' He's a really talented person. He directly approached me to act in it. Such a good script will definitely be discovered by others, it's just a matter of time. So of course I have to return the favor. And you see, he and Chen Ziyan never interfered with the project from the beginning just because they wrote the script and they are also the producers. They gave me so much respect and face. I am willing to continue to work with them."

"Everyone else thinks the same way," the agent said calmly. "It's not that everyone is aiming to star in Lu Yanhe's future projects. Just the fact that he's easy to work with makes everyone willing to work with him. Isn't 'The Seventeen Floors' being promoted right now? I heard that Beijing TV didn't initially include Jiang Jun. It was Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige who took the initiative to ask Beijing TV to include Jiang Jun. After everyone knows about this, what kind of impression do you think people will have of Lu Yanhe? He's a really loyal guy. Brother Long, even though you two are so much older than each other, he's worth getting to know. I heard that he reserved a lead role for Jiang Jun in his next two projects."

Jia Long looked surprised. "Two main characters?"

“Yes.” The agent nodded. “One of the main characters is the highly anticipated period sitcom ‘My Own Swordsman,’ the show you were willing to make a cameo appearance in.”

Jia Long looked surprised.

He was genuinely incredulous.

In the entertainment industry, it's not like you can elevate someone's career just by having a good relationship with them. There are only so many main roles in a film or television series; even if you're the lead, you don't have the final say on the other main characters' positions.

Jia Long knew that Lu Yanhe now wielded far more influence than the average lead actor, having reached a position where he could be considered a "key figure" in a project. However, investors, production companies, and other partners wouldn't allow Lu Yanhe to make decisions arbitrarily, especially regarding the crucial role of lead actor. Would they agree to Lu Yanhe handing over such a key lead role to Jiang Jun, an actor with little fame and a history of health risks?

Indeed, this has sparked debate within the Northern Lights video community.

Lu Yanhe is pushing forward two projects at once: "My Own Swordsman" and "Squid Game," which are completely different in theme and genre, but both are major projects.

Unlike other partners, Lu Yanhe was personally invited back by their boss, Lin Desheng. Even the cooperation terms were personally finalized by Mr. Lin. They really didn't have much autonomy.

Originally, everyone was worried about what would happen if Lu Yanhe couldn't come up with a new script for a year or two. But it turns out that his creative ability is so strong that it's not a problem of not being able to produce one. It's just that he has too many projects to work on at once, which puts a lot of pressure on the funds of Aurora Video.

Lu Yanhe is currently working on two projects, each with a budget of no less than 200 million yuan. He wants to use the best production teams. For Aurora Video, this was not part of their initial plans at the beginning of the year, meaning their existence would mean taking away resources that were originally allocated to others. The annual production budget is limited, and with his two projects taking up such a large portion, other projects will be affected.

In this situation, many people who are pushing forward other projects have to protect themselves, so they can only cause trouble for these two projects—not necessarily because they dislike Lu Yanhe, or because they really don't think these two projects are promising.

"Of course we know that the broadcast data for these two projects won't be bad. With his ability to generate revenue, we don't know how well these two projects will be received, but the data will definitely be a hit. But we also need to eat. He will take away at least 400 million yuan from these two projects. What will we eat? Will we starve?"

For those inside the Northern Lights Video team, Lu Yanhe's arrival was like throwing a fish into a small pond. Everyone else was on edge, fearing their projects would be cut or delayed as a result.

-

Zheng Huai-ren, who is in charge of film and television content development at Northern Lights Video, is under a lot of pressure.

Since he was carrying out Lin Desheng's orders, he also needed to maintain his own internal balance.

For a top-tier video platform, resources are plentiful, the market is large, and there are countless people vying for a share.

Zheng Huai-ren knew that no matter what, Lu Yan-he's two projects had to be guaranteed. This was Lin De-sheng's intention. He was joking; if he didn't listen to the big boss's orders, he could just wait to be kicked out.

However, he also needs to maintain a good internal balance. At least 400 million yuan is involved, which means at least four A+ level projects will be affected this year.

Zheng Huai-ren felt overwhelmed.

A platform this big can't possibly survive on just two projects for a whole year, given that there are 365 days in a year.

A project can sustain you for a year, but a project can't actually be featured on the homepage of a video website for a year—if he actually did that, he could just resign at the end of the year.

After much deliberation, Zheng Huai-ren decided to adopt a two-pronged approach.

He carefully reviewed all the projects he planned to advance this year and decided to cut the budget for each project, especially some mid-sized projects. These projects, with production costs in the tens of millions, are neither small nor large. These projects are now mainly used to explore new themes and genres, and are somewhat adventurous.

Zheng Huai-ren has no intention of cutting any projects, but rather squeezing out some of the excess from each project.

In addition, projects scheduled to start in the fourth quarter should be postponed to next year if possible to reduce cash flow pressure.

Then there's Lu Yanhe's side.

Zheng Huai-ren decided to meet with Lu Yan-he and Chen Zi-yan.

We should meet, no matter what.

-

The location was chosen by Zheng Huai-ren.

For Zheng Huai-ren, meeting with Lu Yan-he and Chen Zi-yan was a major event that required careful consideration.

This meeting will involve discussing many things that affect other aspects.

Zheng Huai-ren made many preparations.

Take it very seriously.

-

In the car, Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe, "I heard that your episode will be broadcast live, instead of being recorded and edited."

Lu Yanhe, who was holding a tablet computer, was taken aback when he heard Chen Ziyan say that.

"ah?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Idol Era is the last episode of the first half of the year. After this episode, the rankings for the first half of the year will be released, which is very important. Therefore, they are planning to broadcast this episode via live broadcast."

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

"Wouldn't that mean...immense pressure?" Lu Yanhe said.

Chen Ziyan asked, "Are you worried?"

“I haven’t performed on stage for a long time, so of course I’m worried,” Lu Yanhe said. “If I mess it up, I won’t even have a chance to re-record.”

Chen Ziyan: "But live streaming also means that many people can't edit their audio."

Lu Yanhe looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Chen Ziyan said, "Although we have been trying our best to present a real stage for 'Idol Era' and not to do fake editing or the like, auto-tuning is still unavoidable. If the live performance is not auto-tuned, many people will inevitably have a car accident."

Lu Yanhe asked, "Who are you talking about?"

“Anyway, it’s not just the three of you,” Chen Ziyan said. “The three of you at least participated in a real talent show and your skills are there for all to see. You might not be able to be professional singers, but you’re all OK to handle a stage.”

"All right."

Chen Ziyan: "This is a good thing, especially your joint performance, 'Green Apple Paradise.' To be honest, this song is hard to describe. When I first listened to it, I thought I had gone back to the 1990s. It's so retro."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "Our theme was retro classic. The three of us tried on the styling, haha, we looked so cool and tacky."

Chen Ziyan: "I saw it, and I'm really impressed. Three big heads with parted hair, wearing suits in red, green, and yellow. I was completely mesmerized."

Lu Yanhe asked, "Sister Ziyan, what do you think?"

"I think your stage is... quite unexpected among all the modern pop stages."

Very different.

Lu Yanhe only provided the song, but Li Zhibai and Yan Liang designed the entire performance as a retro scene from the 1990s, creating a sense of time travel and presenting a different kind of popular fashion.

In particular, the three of them looked very similar to the male singers on the Spring Festival Gala at that time, as if they were replicas, and they were also handsome and dashing.

Chen Ziyan thought about it for a long time and finally decided to let the three of them go through this ordeal.

The song is undoubtedly a good song, and the performance is undoubtedly eye-catching. Although it is not so "idol", "idols of the last century are still idols".

“Zheng Huai-ren probably wants to come and talk to us about the production budget tonight,” Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe. “I heard that when you mentioned these two projects, things went up in circles at Aurora Studios.”

Lu Yanhe asked why.

Chen Ziyan explained simply that a platform has a limited budget for content production each year, and by taking over these two major projects, it's like taking a large slice of the pie that originally belonged to someone else.

Lu Yanhe: "So they can't come up with that much money?"

“Not necessarily,” Chen Ziyan said. “You negotiated the cooperation with President Lin personally. Moreover, your two projects are clearly large projects that are meant to be profitable. However, there is a lot of room for negotiation on how to obtain the funds, how many installments to make, and how much to make. I guess he wants to reduce the financial pressure. It would be even better if you could only open one of these two projects this year. That’s my guess.”

Lu Yanhe said, "I originally only wanted to start with 'My Own Swordsman,' the script for 'Squid Game' wasn't even finished yet."

“When I say ‘start,’ I don’t just mean to start filming,” Chen Ziyan said. “When you write a script, the company has to pay you your screenwriting fee first, right? You need to spend money on pre-production, auditions, location scouting, costume design, set design, and so on.”

Lu Yanhe understood.

"They might want me to relaunch 'The Squid Game' next year?"

"It might be in the second half of the year. In short, don't launch two projects at the same time, as it will put a lot of pressure on their finances," Chen Ziyan said. "Don't forget that Northern Light Venture Capital was the main investor in the movie 'Lost in Thailand,' and they also invested a little in 'Rouge.' This means that they will have to invest a lot of money in your four projects, leaving other projects struggling to make ends meet."

Lu Yanhe understood.

He nodded in realization.

Chen Ziyan added, "I don't think we need to rush. We can focus on making 'My Own Swordsman' a success first. Also, I've read your script, Yan He. You want to write thirty episodes in one go. I don't think it's necessary. We can do what 'Friends' did and film the first season first."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe said, "Sister Ziyan, I think if 'My Own Swordsman' isn't filmed all at once, and the first season becomes a hit, it will be difficult for everyone to find a time that works out."

Chen Ziyan: "It's alright. When we sign the contract, let's just sign a three-season contract first. We'll talk to Aurora Studios and set the schedule in advance. We'll film dozens of episodes in one go. It's not easy for you to write, and our production pressure is indeed high. This is different from the situation of Friends. They gave us five million in production budget per episode. The production budget for each episode of My Own Swordsman is now about eight million. If you write thirty episodes in one go, that's more than two hundred million. And that's the most conservative estimate. Aurora Studios is under a lot of pressure."

Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "You have no idea, this drama is planned to have more than eighty episodes."

He also knew that the situation was different.

The original production costs were low at the time, so they were able to film so many movies in one go, but the situation is different now.

His scriptwriting fee alone is 500,000 yuan per episode.

Not to mention, Lu Yanhe doesn't intend to use all newcomers for the lead roles.

With a production budget of eight million per episode... Lu Yanhe felt that it might not be possible to cover it.

He said, "Sister Ziyan, how many episodes do you think the first season should have?"

"Twelve to sixteen episodes is more reliable." Chen Ziyan followed Lu Yanhe's original thirty-episode script, "so that it can be filmed in two or three seasons."

Lu Yanhe decided to tell the truth, "Sister Ziyan, actually, my idea for this drama is to write about eighty episodes."

Chen Ziyan looked at Lu Yanhe in disbelief.

Lu Yanhe said, "So, if we only film twelve to sixteen episodes per season, it might take five or six years to film. By then, the actors' appearances might have changed. But the time changes in my show are not very fast, so I still want to finish filming as quickly as possible."

Chen Ziyan was at a loss for words.

"Of course, if there's a lot of production pressure, we can film a dozen or so episodes for the first season. But wouldn't it be better to film more episodes all at once later?" Lu Yanhe asked. "If the first season does really well, they'll be much more generous with the production budget for the later seasons, right?"

Chen Ziyan said, "I...I don't know what to say right now. More than eighty episodes, are you sure?"

"This is an episodic drama, with each episode featuring a new protagonist and a new story." Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "These kinds of dramas only become more popular with more episodes."

Chen Ziyan: "How about this, when we meet with Zheng Huai-ren this time, don't mention the 80+ episodes. Let's start with the 30-episode plan and tell him to split it into two or three seasons. This will relieve a lot of their pressure, and we won't have to put too much energy into it all at once. Of course, you can write the script first, and the actors' contracts can be signed first. However, this also brings up a problem. If the contracts are signed separately, in the later seasons, not only will the actors' salaries increase significantly, but the salaries of other departments will also increase significantly. If it really becomes as popular as Friends, then the production costs will increase again."

It depends on whether you want to make a one-shot deal, go all in and gamble on making a fortune in the end, or split things up and spread the risk, but the costs will definitely keep increasing in the future.

Lu Yanhe said, "I'm worried that if we split the film into several seasons, we might not be able to get the original cast together for filming later on due to various issues."

Chen Ziyan said, "Forget it, what are we thinking about here? Let them worry about it themselves. We've explained everything to them, and it's their business how they choose to invest, not ours."

Lu Yanhe said, "I plan to invest some myself."

"Huh?" Chen Ziyan was somewhat surprised.

Lu Yanhe said, "I'm also going to talk to him later. If Northern Lights is under a lot of financial pressure, I'll cover part of it myself. I've made some money in the past few years. If it's still not enough, I'll ask Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, and Siqi. They'll definitely be willing to invest."

Chen Ziyan's expression was complicated. "Yan He, what if this drama isn't as popular as you think? What if it doesn't bring you much return?"

Lu Yanhe said, "First, I believe it can be done; second, if it really loses even a little, then it's a loss."

"You've lost money, so what about your friends?"

Lu Yanhe said, "I'll just use other projects to help them earn it back."

Chen Ziyan: "..."

Young and impetuous, they dared to say anything.

Chen Ziyan was filled with emotion.

-

Lu Yanhe is very confident that "My Own Swordsman" will be very profitable.

This gave him a lot of confidence after meeting Zheng Huai-ren.

Zheng Huai-ren was very warm and respectful to him and Chen Zi-yan. This was entirely evident in his attitude.

As the senior executive in charge of content production at Aurora Video, Zheng Huai-ren did not have the air of a "high-ranking person" that the deputy directors of Beijing and Taiwan TV had, which relieved Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe still isn't used to dealing with this kind of person; they seem to be from two different worlds.

Just as Chen Ziyan had predicted, Zheng Huai Ren had actually come tonight to inquire with Lu Yan He about his specific plans for the two projects.

Chen Ziyan will be in charge of this.

She briefly explained their ideas for the two projects and pointed out that "The Squid Game" is still in the scriptwriting stage, so there are no plans to start formal development this year. They just communicated with them first and will prepare for the project next year.

Lu Yanhe clearly saw Zheng Huai Ren breathe a sigh of relief at this moment.

"What we really want to focus on is 'My Own Swordsman.' We hope this show can catch up with next year's winter vacation," Chen Ziyan said. "Although we hope this sitcom can be aimed at all age groups, it will definitely be mainly aimed at young people, and the story is more geared towards young people."

Zheng Huai-ren said, "If we want to air the show during the winter break early next year, then the schedule for our show is a bit tight."

“It’s okay. If we really can’t make it in time, we’ll just do it during the summer vacation,” Chen Ziyan said. “Because this drama must first open up the youth market. This was very clear to Yan He during the scriptwriting stage. The story is written for young people. Although people of all ages can watch it, many topics and emotional resonances are with young people.”

Zheng Huai-ren nodded.

"But if we can make it during winter break, we'll try to go during winter break, because we have other plans," Chen Ziyan said. "It's not good to fight against ourselves."

"Is it 'The Squid Game'?" Zheng Huai-ren asked.

Chen Ziyan shook her head, "No, we know that the post-production of 'Squid Game' takes time and can't be completed quickly. It's a separate project."

Zheng Huai-ren was taken aback. "There are other projects?"

Chen Ziyan nodded, "It hasn't been announced to the public yet. We'll let you know when we're ready to put it on the agenda."

Zheng Huai-ren thought to himself, "Haven't you all already put it on your agenda for next summer?!"

Lu Yanhe was also puzzled, because he didn't have any other projects to work with Aurora Video on at the moment. Which one was Chen Ziyan referring to?

He silently suppressed his doubts and cooperated with Chen Ziyan's performance.

Chen Ziyan said, "Regarding 'My Own Swordsman,' we need to ask you to assemble the production team. President Zheng, Yan He and I are not professionals in this area, as you know. If we want to make the best drama, we need to find the most suitable people to do it."

Zheng Huai-ren nodded, "We have many cooperating contracting companies, so there's no problem with that. We've already sent them the projects, and there will be a bidding process in early July. They will submit their proposals, and we will select the best ones. We would also like to invite you to participate."

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

Is this even possible?

Film and television projects can now be put up for bidding?

Zheng Huai-ren said, "This time, 'My Own Swordsman' was a very mature work from the scriptwriting stage. What we actually needed was a production team that could execute our ideas well, rather than a creative team. So, we adopted this approach."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

Indeed, when he was writing the project proposal, he was very clear about the style of the show, the target audience, and so on. He even made clear notes on the set design, scenery, and cinematography.

This is very different from when he wrote Friends.

Zheng Huai-ren took Lu Yan-he's script very seriously and thoroughly implemented his ideas.

"There's one more thing, Mr. Zheng. We also plan to film 'My Own Swordsman' in seasons, following the model of 'Friends.' This way, we'll have a much larger budget for each episode, and we can also do a better job in many aspects," Chen Ziyan said. "We plan to produce two or three seasons, depending on the performance of the first season. The first season might only have twelve episodes. What do you think?"

Zheng Huai-ren was taken aback.

This was something he hadn't expected.

When Lu Yanhe first came up with the concept of a 30-episode series, they internally assumed that Lu Yanhe was not planning to write a script for a seasonal drama series this time.

Unexpectedly, they still did it.

“However, we don’t plan to strictly follow the rhythm of one season per year for production,” Chen Ziyan said. “As long as the results are good, we will film and broadcast as we go. For example, we can finish filming the first season this year and broadcast it during the winter vacation next year. We can start filming the second season in March and broadcast it next summer. We can film the third season in the fall and broadcast it during the winter vacation the year after next. This is just an idea, not a finalized plan. Simply put, what I mean is that we don’t need to be like Friends, filming and broadcasting one season per year.”

Zheng Huai-ren hadn't quite come to his senses yet when he nodded. "We need to study this further, and study it further."

Chen Ziyan smiled and said, "By the way, President Zheng, you mentioned before that Northern Lights Entertainment also had a project they were looking for with Yan He. Since Yan He is here today, why don't you talk to him about it?"

Zheng Huai-ren came to his senses and said, "Oh, I see. We also got the filming rights to 'The Divine Picture,' but it's a completely different story and character from Wen Xia Zhiyin's drama. It's just a story set in the same world. We want to invite Yan He to star in it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe immediately shook his head and said, "President Zheng, thank you for your kind offer, but since Li Zhibai and Yan Liang have already acted in another version, I won't be acting in it. I don't want people to compare our two versions, and I don't want this to affect my relationship with my friend."

Zheng Huai-ren didn't expect Lu Yan-he to refuse so easily.

He said, "It's an S+ level drama on our platform."

"You should find someone else." Lu Yanhe showed no intention of changing his mind.

Chen Ziyan then laughed and said, "President Zheng, now you know I didn't deliberately refuse, right? Yan He really didn't want to act. We're already too busy with our own projects, let alone other people's projects."

Zheng Huai-ren sighed and said, "Alright."

Chen Ziyan added, "However, Mr. Zheng, you see, since we've postponed 'The Squid Game' until next year and split 'My Own Swordsman' into a seasonal series, easing your financial burden, shouldn't it be fine to have Tu Song sing the theme song for 'The Divine Picture'?"

Lu Yanhe didn't expect Chen Ziyan to bring this up, but then he smiled.

Chen Ziyan deliberately said it to his face, not wanting him to find out from elsewhere and create a rift in his heart.

For an agent like Chen Ziyan, managing several artists inevitably involves using A's resources to help B acquire resources, and vice versa. However, the imbalance in the development of A and B often gives the impression that one is taking advantage of the other, as seen in some of Zhou Ping'an's actions.

Sometimes, it's a genuine gain, where one party's interests are sacrificed to consolidate the interests of another.

But sometimes, while helping one party accomplish something, it also incidentally helps the other party accomplish something, and neither party suffers any loss.

In this situation, don't feel like you've been taken advantage of.

Lu Yanhe is increasingly able to understand this.

As expected, Zheng Huai-ren readily agreed.

-

"My Own Swordsman" has officially entered the development stage.

Lu Yanhe has submitted the script for the first ten episodes. Since it has been turned into a seasonal drama, he can take a break for a while.

He wants to use the last two episodes to summarize the previous plot and leave a few loose ends for the later episodes.

This required him to make some modifications to the originally planned eleventh and twelfth episodes.

Later, Lu Yanhe met with Zheng Huai Ren a few more times, and Lu Yanhe specifically mentioned that if there was a shortage of funds, he could take responsibility for part of it.

Zheng Huai-ren immediately said no need.

Just kidding, he's just under financial pressure, not that he thinks "My Own Swordsman" isn't profitable.

Giving up a small share means earning less money in the future.

A seasoned veteran like Zheng Huai-ren would never make such a mistake.

It's not the kind of project with high risk that requires others to share the risk.

Lu Yanhe began to busy himself with things related to acting.

He made an appointment with Xiao Yun first.

Lu Yanhe had mentioned this to Xiao Yun during the previous "Days of Youth" gathering.

As soon as Xiao Yun answered the phone, she agreed and added, "Can I bring my boyfriend along? I'd like him to meet you."

Lu Yanhe asked jokingly, "Would it be more appropriate for me to bring Siqi along?"

Xiao Yun: "If she can come, that would be great! I haven't met her yet!"

Lu Yanhe: "She's not in Yuming, maybe next time."

"All right."

Lu Yanhe asked, "What's your boyfriend's name?"

“Zhang Luzhou is also an actor,” Xiao Yun said. “So, I would like to ask you, sir, to give him some guidance.”

Lu Yanhe: "No, what kind of big shot am I?"

"You're too modest, boss," Xiao Yun said with a smile. "I'm practically working for you now."

Lu Yanhe: "Does that mean I can cut your salary?"

"Hey! Lu Yanhe! My salary is already very low, and you're still cutting it!" Xiao Yun shouted.

Lu Yanhe: "You think your pay is low now? Don't give me that. You're so famous now."

"I didn't ask for much pay! I'm very honest, and my agent also told me to take the low-profit, high-volume approach."

Lu Yanhe couldn't help but laugh at the phrase "small profits but quick turnover".

Xiao Yun sighed, "Don't cut it! My salary is already very, very low."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Yanhe couldn't help but inquire about Xiao Yun's current salary. He was stunned by what he found out.

It was indeed much lower than he had imagined.

Despite already being famous and having hit dramas under her belt, in the current market, she only earns 200,000 yuan per episode of a TV series.

Why is it so low?

Xiao Yun's market value, if not increased by a zero, should at least be multiplied by three, right?

After hearing Lu Yanhe's doubts, Chen Ziyan said, "It shows that her agent is a smart person. She wants to use a low salary to help her get better resources. Although she is popular, her situation is very similar to Minglan's. She became popular because of the drama, so she has many drama fans but few personal fans. In this case, she definitely needs to continue to take on good roles to maintain her popularity. If she continues to take on ordinary roles, and if she doesn't become popular, her period of popularity may only last two or three years, and she will go back to where she was before."

Lu Yanhe suddenly understood and nodded.

"The main reason is that the drama that made her famous was a campus romance web series. Although it was popular online, it was still somewhat removed from the mainstream film and television market, and it couldn't really boost her salary," Chen Ziyan analyzed.

I see.

Lu Yanhe said, "In that case, the actors' salaries for 'My Own Swordsman' are not as expensive as I initially imagined."

Chen Ziyan said, "The actors haven't even been selected yet. Are you planning not to use any of the popular actors?"

“Xiao Yun is a popular actor. The main thing is to find a suitable actor,” Lu Yanhe said. “In this drama, the characters are well-developed, and the drama is well-developed. This is different from ‘The Seventeenth Floor’. In ‘The Seventeenth Floor’, even if the actors performed poorly, it would not affect the plot and setting.”

Chen Ziyan said, "Bai Zhantang, you should find a better actor. I think no matter what, you should at least find an actor who can carry the show, otherwise the risk is too great."

"Actually, after 'The Seventeenth Floor' airs, Teacher Jiang Jun's popularity will definitely increase significantly. His role in 'The Seventeenth Floor' is very good, and there is a lot of room for him to perform," said Lu Yanhe. "If he plays Constable Xing, then our show won't be without stars."

Chen Ziyan: "I advise you not to be too optimistic."

Chen Ziyan's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Lu Yanhe's head.

“If you use this kind of cast, the hardest place to get approval is Aurora Video; they might not agree,” Chen Ziyan said. “They’ve invested so much money; they won’t risk using a bunch of unknown actors to star in this show.”

Lu Yanhe realized that what Chen Ziyan said was right.

That's true.

Lu Yanhe said, "Can't I even invite big names to help out the main characters in each of my episodes?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Yan He, you don't understand what an S+ level drama means to a platform. Unless you find big stars for the roles of Bai Zhantang and Tong Xiangyu, the platform will definitely face a major challenge in terms of actors. Your screenwriting is indeed a big attraction, but it can't carry the drama."

Lu Yanhe remained silent.

Chen Ziyan added, "In addition, I also want to make something clear to you. If you want this drama to really be a good show, then you must be good at using stars. Why are stars' salaries so high in this film and television market? Even though so many people say why stars deserve such high salaries. Because in the current environment, a drama is selling its star lineup in order to attract advertisers and generate viewership."

Lu Yanhe: "It's not that I don't want to use celebrities, but you know, I really hope to find the most suitable actors for these roles."

"Why didn't you want Huang Kairen to play Bai Zhantang? Your reason is that Huang Kairen is too handsome. An actor's image can be adjusted through makeup and photography," Chen Ziyan said. "I think Huang Kairen is much more suitable to play Bai Zhantang than he is to play Twelve Young Master. Of course, this is just my personal opinion and feeling. You are the screenwriter, you created these characters, you know them best, so please take this into consideration."

Lu Yanhe fell silent.

Why did he subconsciously think that Huang Kairen couldn't play Bai Zhantang?

His reason to Chen Ziyan was that Bai Zhantang wasn't that handsome.

What is the reality?

Lu Yanhe thought about it and realized it was because he felt Huang Kairen had too much of a celebrity aura, and he was worried that such a big star would steal all the attention from the main cast.

He likes the TV series "Wulin Inn" because each member of the main cast has their own unique charm, making the audience feel that they are a family.

If an actor is too famous and has too much of a star quality, it will overshadow the brilliance of others.

From a creative perspective, his idea certainly makes sense.

But for a TV series to achieve this balance, it means that the main cast must either all be stars or none of them are.

This is very inconsistent with the usual production process.

Sister Ziyan must have already figured it out, that's why she said that.

Lu Yanhe fell into deep thought.

With these thoughts in mind, he went to Baiweiju to meet Xiao Yun.

The person in charge of his private room was Wang Biao.

I saw him working as a waiter here last time, so when I made the reservation this time, I specifically asked him to be in charge of the service for this private room.

When Wang Biao saw Lu Yanhe, he gave him an "I see" smile.

"I was wondering why someone suddenly specifically asked me to be in charge of this private room. I thought some rich woman had taken a liking to me. It gave me quite a fright," he said quietly as he led Lu Yanhe toward the private room.

Lu Yanhe was speechless.

But that's just Wang Biao's personality.

After meeting him twice, he actually got used to it and accepted his style.

Xiao Yun and her boyfriend arrived first and waited for him in the private room.

Lu Yanhe greeted them happily, and then introduced her boyfriend Zhang Luzhou to him through Xiao Yun.

Zhang Luzhou was wearing a very ordinary T-shirt and jeans. He was handsome, but didn't seem to have any special features; he was just the kind of handsome with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

"Hello, Brother Luzhou." Lu Yanhe addressed him respectfully as "brother," after all, the other man was older than him.

Zhang Luzhou hurriedly greeted him, saying he really liked his acting and had been learning from him.

Lu Yanhe hurriedly said he didn't deserve such praise.

A very polite greeting.

After exchanging pleasantries, the dishes were served.

Lu Yanhe then talked to Xiao Yun about the TV series "My Own Swordsman".

He said, "This drama will be very long, and we plan to make it a seasonal series. I would like to invite you to play one of the two female leads. To put it simply, she is a female knight-errant who wants to travel the world and uphold justice, but she unexpectedly becomes a waitress at an inn. In this Tongfu Inn, she meets all kinds of people, experiences all sorts of things, and gets to experience a different kind of martial arts world."

Xiao Yun's eyes lit up.

"You're amazing! You gave me the lead role right off the bat!"

"There isn't really a female protagonist in the strict sense. The main characters are a shopkeeper, a waiter, a bookkeeper, a waiter, a cook, a child, and two constables," Lu Yanhe said. "That's the kind of story I wrote."

Xiao Yun: "Enough, enough! It's just an ancient version of Friends! My God, you actually cast me as one of the main characters! If you were to release this show for auditions, other actors would be fighting tooth and nail for the roles. Friends made all six main characters famous in one go. It's outrageous! I'm so excited!"

She looked on with anticipation.

Lu Yanhe: "You're willing to take it?"

"Yes, yes, yes! What's there to hesitate about? Of course I'll take it!" Xiao Yun said. "When to film? I'll talk to my agent and set aside all my time!"

Lu Yanhe said, "I haven't even found a director yet."

Xiao Yun was taken aback.

“You are the first actor I’ve found,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “Of course, I plan to start filming this drama in the second half of the year and broadcast it during the winter vacation in January or February next year.”

(End of this chapter)