Chapter 348 Chrysanthemum Tea

The final episode of "Idol Era" in June was officially confirmed to be broadcast live on June 12th.

This has attracted widespread attention.

Fans, especially those who were helping their idols climb the charts, were completely taken aback by this sudden news.

The previous programs were all pre-recorded, so why is there a live broadcast all of a sudden?

The key issue is that no one knows how the live stream will ultimately turn out. Many fans, while fans, are aware of their artists' skill levels; those who are truly "blinded" by the results are a minority. This has made even some fans of artists who rely heavily on post-production editing somewhat nervous.

In addition, "Idol Era" clearly intends to turn this episode into a "grand ceremony." They've introduced a new format of live voting for rankings and officially announced eight guest performers to support the show. Among them, Lu Yanhe will not only have a solo performance but will also perform a three-person stage with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang.

The show's production team included a slogan in the stage preview images of the three of them: "Classic Recreation, We're Really Going For It!"

These four words immediately piqued everyone's curiosity about their stage presence.

A classic reissue?

How popular is the show "Idol Era"?

Because of this program, Bingyuan Video has consistently ranked first in traffic among all video platforms since the beginning of the year. The program brings a stable audience to Bingyuan Video every week, and the audience is growing. Idols naturally attract young people, and more and more students and young adults are drawn in, becoming fans of a particular idol or program, and starting to watch it weekly.

On this show, almost 90% of the performances are modern, hip-hop, and high-energy.

The biggest difference between it and music variety shows is that the main concept of "Idol Era" is stage performance.

The stage performances include singing, dancing, and other elements. Therefore, this program offers a diverse range of performance styles.

The last time Lu Yanhe and his two friends performed together on stage was last June.

A whole year has passed, and now there is finally a new stage.

Lu Yanhe's few remaining "stage fans" and "group fans" all shed tears, because they never expected to see such a day again.

-

The person in charge of monitoring various data for "Idol Era" repeatedly exclaimed, "It's weird! Lu Yanhe is going to perform on our show, and it hasn't even aired yet, but it has already reached two peaks of popularity, exceeding 10,000."

When others heard him say this, they said, "He's famous."

"However, generally speaking, an artist with such high popularity should also have a high level of loyal fans. But his fans are definitely not in the top tier from any perspective. There is a big gap between them and Li Zhibai and Ma Zhiyuan."

"They just have a lot of casual fans, so they don't bother with your data-driven operations."

"The main reason is that they don't follow the idol artist route anymore, so they don't need such loyal fans."

"What are you saying? Which celebrity doesn't need fans?"

"Of course it's necessary, but is it really a good thing if an actor's fans are as fanatical as Li Zhibai's or Ma Zhiyuan's fans? Every time Li Zhibai's dramas air, his fans fight with other artists' fans without exception. This doesn't leave a good impression on everyone. If Li Zhibai himself weren't so good at fighting, he would at least be affected in terms of commercial opportunities. Absolutely no artist can ignore the impact of negative public opinion."

...

Xu Fanxing sat at her workstation, listening silently to everyone's discussion without joining in.

She'd actually been on the show "Idol Era" for a while now. After Chen Ziyan arranged for her to come here, she became a regular artist liaison. Chen Ziyan didn't say exactly what she wanted her to do here, only that she should first familiarize herself with the environment.

When she first arrived, she found it difficult to adapt to the environment. It wasn't that the work was too busy or tiring, but rather that many aspects of this place were very different from the world she had experienced before. She had always thought that she wasn't afraid of hard work or fatigue, but after arriving here, she realized that some places couldn't be endured simply by working hard enough.

No one taught her anything; as a newcomer, everyone kept their distance, neither offending nor getting close. But that wasn't the worst part. What truly overwhelmed her was the job itself. Dealing with the artists' teams shattered her entire worldview.

Before Xu Fanxing could even say anything when dealing with the artist's team for the first time, the agent gave her a once-over and then left with their artist. Xu Fanxing had no idea what she had done wrong, but the agent simply told the production team without saying a word that they needed someone else to handle things with them.

After going around in circles, Xu Fanxing finally learned from someone's discussion in the break room one day that the artist's side thought she was too beautiful and therefore didn't want to work with her. Xu Fanxing found it unbelievable and hard to believe.

But after doing this job for a while, Xu Fanxing gradually realized that there were many similar situations. Many artists' teams mind if the staff they work with are beautiful; female celebrities worry about being overshadowed, and male celebrities worry about being misunderstood and having rumors spread.

Besides these things, there were other things that Xu Fanxing found unbelievable. For example, some celebrities had a meal allowance of 1,000 yuan per meal. Xu Fanxing really wanted to know, what were they eating? Gold? When she saw such news online before, she always thought it was marketing accounts deliberately using exaggerated headlines to grab traffic. It wasn't until she personally handled the coordination and encountered such a request.

This is still somewhat understandable; at most, it's considered extravagant and wasteful by celebrities. But there are things that she finds even more incomprehensible, such as not being allowed to have mirrors in hotel rooms, or having to place three potted plants in the hotel room, or demanding that the production team cover the entire management team's food, lodging, and transportation... Dealing with different celebrities brings different requirements, and even with the same celebrity, the requirements are different every time.

Xu Fanxing often thought about the past years, how she worked hard and earned a meager salary of less than three thousand yuan a month, which was not even enough to cover someone else's daily meals. This comparison made it take her a long time to adjust her mood.

Having worked with different artists and teams, when she connected with Lu Yanhe again, she suddenly felt like she had returned from a "fantasy world" to the "real world".

She was liaising with Lu Yanhe's team, and the person who came to liaise with her was an assistant who had just taken over the work.

His name is Wang Biao.

She coordinated with Wang Biao regarding Lu Yanhe's rehearsal schedule, accommodation, and travel requirements. Wang Biao quickly replied with a schedule, which included several time slots that were already booked: "Except for these time slots, the rehearsal times can be arranged with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang. Just let us know when you have the schedule."

Xu Fanxing was stunned when she saw this sentence.

The schedules of these artists are the most difficult to coordinate. Because artists already have packed schedules and various demands, some don't want afternoon rehearsals, some don't want rehearsals after 9 PM, and some explicitly say they can't stay up late and must finish before midnight. This scheduling is always the biggest headache for Xu Fanxing, who has to coordinate and communicate repeatedly. Many artists verbally agree, saying they'll cooperate, but once the time is up, problems arise here and conflicts there, leaving Xu Fanxing with a major headache.

Although she knew Lu Yanhe and had dealt with him before, she had encountered far too many people whose public image and private behavior were completely different lately. Xu Fanxing hadn't expected Lu Yanhe to be so straightforward. She even wondered if it was because Wang Biao had just taken over the job that he was being so easy to talk to.

Xu Fanxing then confirmed other details with Wang Biao regarding Lu Yanhe's upcoming trip to record the show. This included confirming the specifications of the transportation, the level of the hotel he would be staying at, the size and layout of the on-site lounge, and so on.

Wang Biao replied: Sister Fanxing, there's no need to go to so much trouble. We're coming here on our own and we're not staying in a hotel. We'll all stay at Yuming Hotel. You just need to arrange four boxed meals for us.

Xu Fanxing: ? ? ?

She asked: Don't we need to prepare anything extra?

Wang Biao: I asked Brother Lu, and he said it's no trouble at all.

Xu Fanxing was shocked.

However, after she reported the coordination situation on Lu Yanhe's side, no one reacted much.

Only one person said, "Tsk tsk, Lu Yanhe is still Lu Yanhe. Reading more books makes you more cultured."

People seem to have become accustomed to Lu Yanhe's actions.

Xu Fanxing finally felt a sense of relief: no matter how many demons and monsters there are, there are still honest people in the world.

-

Lu Yanhe's solo performance was rehearsed separately.

The rehearsal was scheduled for 3 p.m.

Lu Yanhe went directly to the studio to audition for sound and to test his positioning.

His appearance drew a large crowd to the scene.

This is Lu Yanhe's first time performing on "Idol Era".

Lu Yanhe hasn't sung in a long time either.

If we don't evaluate Lu Yanhe's singing skills from the perspective of a professional singer, they are very good. He does have a good voice that people find "pleasant to listen to," but it's not as outstanding as his acting talent.

The theme song of "The Seventeenth Floor" is a song full of a sense of fate and struggle. In the chorus, there is a high note that Lu Yanhe also hits with ease.

Everyone present was astonished.

Because they had all heard about Lu Yanhe's career path—why did Lu Yanhe make acting his main profession? Because his talent in acting far surpassed his talent in singing.

They all thought Lu Yanhe was just an ordinary singer.

As a result, the song he sang so effortlessly stunned everyone.

"Yan He, you sing very well, why don't you sing more often?" someone asked.

Standing on the stage, Lu Yanhe quickly waved his hand and said, "It's just amateurish and sounds good. I'm sorry for making a fool of myself."

The director came over, his eyes full of surprise, and said, "You really should come to our show more often; your song is sure to be a hit."

Lu Yanhe: "Thank you, Director. I hope you'll take my good wishes with you."

The director added, "We've all heard the demos of the songs you wrote for Li Zhibai and Yan Liang. You truly deserve to be the author of 'Remembrance.' Don't you really want to consider releasing more musical works in the future?"

Lu Yanhe said, "Of course I will if there is a suitable opportunity, but I write songs very slowly. It has been so long and I have only written a few songs."

The director said, "I have a feeling that these songs will become popular, especially 'Battlefield of Youth,' a battle song dedicated to high school and junior high students. When I first heard this song, I got goosebumps and felt my blood boiling."

Lu Yanhe smiled and said thank you.

Regardless of whether they were being polite, "The Battlefield of Youth" was indeed written for students.

Lu Yanhe remembered this song because his school played it constantly during his college entrance exams, which made him know how to sing it from beginning to end.

The rehearsal went smoothly, and the director said to him, "We'd like to put your song in the fifth performance slot. What do you think?"

"Sure, no problem, I'm fine with anything. This performance is also to promote 'The Seventeenth Floor'. Thank you to the director for giving me this stage."

Director: "I should thank you for being willing to come to our show."

He personally escorted Lu Yanhe to the studio.

Lu Yanhe said to him, "Then we'll see you later."

There will be a rehearsal for "Green Apple Paradise" at 9 pm.

The director nodded.

Lu Yanhe didn't wait there; instead, he went to a nearby bookstore. This bookstore was a partner of "Jump Up," and he planned to write the script there.

Chen Siqi has been saying that if he has the opportunity, he should make more appearances at the bookstores that collaborate with "Jump Up".

Lu Yanhe also kept this matter in mind.

Moreover, he also wanted to meet someone here.

Wang Dashan was a classmate recommended by He Jiang.

-

Wang Dashan was wearing a white shirt, black pants, and canvas shoes. He had a buzz cut and looked very energetic, but not at all like a celebrity.

However, Lu Yanhe's eyes lit up.

Because he has a strange, honest and clumsy temperament, which fits the character of Niu Geng very well.

He stood outside the bookstore waiting for him.

Lu Yanhe was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. Wang Dashan probably didn't recognize him at first, until he walked up to him.

"Wang Dashan?"

Wang Dashan realized what was happening and said, "Hello."

I also used your name.

“You’re my senior, just call me Yanhe,” Lu Yanhe said. “We’ve finally met.”

There was an inexplicable restraint on Wang Dashan's face.

The tension was visible to the naked eye.

"I...I..." His expression suddenly fell. "I can't say it. You're the producer, how can I just call you by your name?"

His drooping eyebrows and eyelids revealed a hint of awkward frustration.

At this moment, Lu Yanhe had only one feeling—

A gift from heaven!

-

Wang Dashan and Wang Baoqiang are similar in some ways, but quite different in others.

Lu Yanhe subconsciously wanted to find someone who looked very similar to Wang Baoqiang, but upon seeing Wang Dashan, he realized that finding someone who looked similar was not the point at all.

After talking with Wang Dashan, Lu Yanhe realized why he couldn't get roles in other production teams.

He's quite stubborn and inflexible.

For example, when Lu Yanhe asked him if he would play a role he didn't want to play, Wang Dashan shook his head and said he wouldn't.

Lu Yanhe then asked, "What if he keeps refusing to play roles he doesn't want to play, and has no roles to play?"

He didn't say that he would stop acting, but rather that he would say we'd talk about it later.

Lu Yanhe was both amused and exasperated.

Not every young actor who graduates will lower their standards to compete for an opportunity, but such actors often end up getting hurt.

Reality is always cruel.

Lu Yanhe originally thought that Wang Dashan came from a small town and had an average family background, so he wouldn't have such lofty aspirations. He didn't expect that Wang Dashan really had such high self-expectations.

"Do you know what kind of role I want you to play?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Wang Dashan shook his head, "I don't know, but He Jiang told me that he was acting with Teacher Jia Long."

"Yes, that's right."

“I watched Friends, and you’re really good at writing lines.” Although Wang Dashan was nervous in front of Lu Yanhe, he regained his professional confidence when talking about the script. He was saying that Lu Yanhe was good, but there was no hint of flattery. Instead, he was just stating the facts. “Your script must be very good. I really want to act in it.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Whether you will be cast in the final round depends on the auditions. Teacher Jia Long will also be there in person. If he is not satisfied with your acting, there's nothing I can do," Lu Yanhe said.

"Mmm." Wang Dashan pursed his lips tightly and nodded.

"Do you know why I wanted to meet you as soon as I saw your resume?" Lu Yanhe asked curiously.

Wang Dashan shook his head.

A genuine look of doubt appeared on his face.

A big star like Lu Yanhe must be very busy most of the time.

Lu Yanhe said, "When I wrote the character Niu Geng, I felt that he was a sincere person who would make people around him willing to help him for free. I met He Jiang, but it was actually for another drama. He was not so concerned about his own affairs, but he brought your resume to recommend you to me. I was very curious about you. Someone who could get his classmate to do this made me feel at that moment that you might be very similar to Niu Geng."

Wang Dashan suddenly realized what was going on.

"He Jiang has always been a very good person."

"You two have a good relationship?"

“Yes, that’s good.” Wang Dashan nodded. “He was my best friend in college.”

"No wonder." Lu Yanhe smiled, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you signed with an agency? If they want you to act, do they need to contact your agency?"

Wang Dashan shook his head and said, "I haven't signed with a company. No good agency has signed me."

Lu Yanhe looked enlightened.

"I see."

Wang Dashan nodded.

Lu Yanhe said, "There's one more thing. Even if you end up acting in it, the pay we'll give you won't be very high."

“It’s alright,” Wang Dashan said. “If you want me to act, I’m willing to act even without paying me.”

Lu Yanhe: "We're not unscrupulous businesses, but we need to make it clear to you first. On the one hand, our film production budget is quite tight, and on the other hand, this is your first time acting, so the market price won't be very high."

“I know,” Wang Dashan nodded.

Overall, communication with Wang Dashan went smoothly.

Lu Yanhe also had a very good impression of Wang Dashan. The main reason was that after talking with Wang Dashan, Lu Yanhe felt that he was really suitable to play Niu Geng. Sometimes, the things Wang Dashan said and the reactions he made were exactly like Niu Geng's. This put Lu Yanhe's mind at ease.

To be honest, at this point, Lu Yanhe realized once again how precious Wang Baoqiang was as an actor. Xu Zheng didn't play the role of Li Chenggong badly, but if he didn't play it, other actors could have done it well. However, if Wang Baoqiang didn't play Niu Geng, it would be difficult to find someone who could take over the role.

This honest, sincere quality, which doesn't come across as foolish or stupid, is so precious.

Most actors don't have this kind of energy, and those who do can't come out of the industry. Wang Baoqiang is the only one who can use this kind of energy to become a big star of his caliber.

-

After chatting with Wang Dashan, Lu Yanhe started working at a booth in the bookstore.

He ordered a coffee, turned his back to the view inside the bookstore, and faced the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows are green trees and walls. This angle was specially reserved for him by the owner, who knew his identity was somewhat sensitive, so this spot would give him a relatively private place in the bookstore.

Of course, it will definitely be seen by others.

Lu Yanhe came to this bookstore to attract attention and generate traffic for the bookstore.

Chen Siqi said, "Bookstores are declining, so it would be a good thing if you could help bring in some customers."

Bookstores are now trying to save themselves, hoping to survive as long as possible in this era.

Chen Siqi is also willing to help drive traffic to the bookstores that collaborate on "Jump Up"—so it's one thing for writers to go to various bookstores for book signings or exchange activities, and it's another thing for Lu Yanhe to use his celebrity influence to drive traffic.

Around 5 p.m., Li Zhibai pushed open the door of the bookstore and came in carrying a large bag.

Although he was wearing sunglasses, the moment he entered the bookstore, some people heard the noise, turned around and glanced at him, and were then stunned by the scene before them, completely captivated by what they saw.

This scene was just like one in a movie.

The sun had already set, and the golden sunlight had somehow turned orange-red.

Outside the bookstore are skyscrapers and bustling traffic, creating a white noise effect composed of human voices and other sounds.

Li Zhibai was wearing dark blue beach shorts and flip-flops, looking like he had just come from the beach. But this casual, lazy ease only accentuated his already somewhat rebellious temperament.

Handsome, arrogant, with a kind of freedom that transcends ordinary life.

This is the first impression many people have of him.

Then, some people recognized him as Li Zhibai.

Screams rang out.

Li Zhibai looked in the direction of the sound and immediately gestured for the girl who had screamed to be quiet.

The sound stopped abruptly.

He flashed a bright smile, a row of white teeth gleaming in the orange-red sunset—so flamboyant that the girls clutched their rapidly beating hearts.

Li Zhibai turned his head and looked around, finding the person sitting in the corner, wearing headphones, and intently typing on the keyboard.

He walked over.

Surprisingly, not a single person came up to ask for a photo or autograph.

The bookstore owner was stunned by what Li Zhibai saw when he entered—even though he had to admit that Li Zhibai's star quality was much stronger than that of his business partner.

Even with sunglasses on, she's still incredibly dazzling.

-

Li Zhibai sat down next to Lu Yanhe and put his bag on the table.

"Let's go eat."

Lu Yanhe was startled when Li Zhibai suddenly sat down. "Why did you come all of a sudden?"

Li Zhibai said, "I saw Zou Dong's car in the parking space next to this bookstore, and I guessed you were in there."

Lu Yanhe: "With such sharp eyes, why don't you become a detective?"

Li Zhibai: "Stop talking nonsense, I'm starving, let's go eat."

Lu Yanhe scratched his head. He had originally wanted to finish writing the script for this episode in one go, but Li Zhibai's interruption broke his train of thought.

"Alright, alright, let's eat. Where's Yan Liang?" Lu Yanhe asked.

“He’s still on the plane. He’ll get off in an hour, and it’ll be almost eight o’clock when he gets here,” Li Zhibai said. “Let’s just pack some food for him.”

"good."

Lu Yanhe packed his things and patted Li Zhibai on the shoulder, "Since you're here, that's perfect."

Li Zhibai looked at Lu Yanhe with a puzzled expression, wondering why he said it was just right.

Then, he found himself being used as a mascot by Lu Yanhe to take pictures with the bookstore owner.

The bookstore owner's smile was as radiant as a blooming chrysanthemum.

As soon as they finished taking photos with the bookstore owner, everyone else in the bookstore stared at them longingly.

Lu Yanhe waved and said, "Shall we take a group photo together? Boss, could you take a picture for us?"

"Okay." The boss immediately nodded with a smile.

The boss took the photo using Lu Yanhe's phone.

Lu Yanhe said, "I'll post it on my Weibo later, you can take it yourself."

Everyone cheered and said yes, they were very excited.

Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai said goodbye to them and left.

Li Zhibai said, "You're really amazing. You managed to write your script in that bookstore without being disturbed."

“The boss found me a good spot,” Lu Yanhe said. “Unlike you, who’s like a peacock, always showing off and flaunting his feathers wherever he goes.”

"Go to hell!" Li Zhi retorted.

Zou Dong saw Lu Yanhe come out and got out of the car.

Lu Yanhe asked Li Zhibai, "Shall we eat around here?"

"Let's eat around here," he said.

Lu Yanhe told Zou Dong that they didn't need a car and should go straight to eat.

Zou Dong and Li Zhibai's bodyguards followed behind them.

There's a lot of foot traffic here.

Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai walked down the street wearing sunglasses, attracting almost 100% attention.

The main reason is that the two are tall and handsome. Even if others cannot recognize them as celebrities at first glance, they will still be attracted by their appearance.

Then someone recognized who they were.

Perhaps because they were so casual, no one came forward to bother them.

It was just that many people quietly took a picture of it.

Lu Yanhe rarely has the opportunity to walk on the street like he does now.

He and Li Zhibai looked around, then went into a barbecue restaurant.

"We have a rehearsal tonight, so I need to replenish some protein first," Li Zhibai said.

-

Ma Zhiyuan learned from the production team that the rehearsal for the three of them, Lu Yanhe, would be held that evening.

His performance had already finished its rehearsal in the afternoon, and the live performance went very well.

He spent a lot of money to hire a choreographer from South Korea to design a brand new dance specifically for his stage, and also made many cool designs.

During the rehearsal, although there were only staff members present, everyone said it was really exciting.

This result relieved Ma Zhiyuan.

What he fears most is that after a long period of hard work and preparation, the result will be disappointing.

Now it all depends on how well Lu Yanhe and the others perform on stage.

Ma Zhiyuan knew that with Lu Yanhe joining them, their combined performance would definitely be the hottest show of the night.

After all, the last time the three of them reunited was a year ago. Just the topic of this kind and the combined appeal of the three of them are something he can't compare to.

Ma Zhiyuan was self-aware in this regard.

Ma Zhiyuan knew that he had to be significantly better than their show in order to gain a clear advantage.

After leaving the scene and returning to the lounge, his assistant asked him if he wanted to go back now.

Ma Zhiyuan said, "Let's order dinner first. I'm a little tired and need to rest."

The assistant followed the instructions and prepared to go find the production team.

"Let's not bother with the production team, let's just order takeout ourselves," Ma Zhiyuan said.

Upon hearing this, the assistant paused for a moment and said, "But if we don't contact the production team, they won't be responsible for this expense."

Ma Zhiyuan said, "Once you've ordered, I'll transfer the money to you."

The assistant said "Oh," and then asked, "Okay, Brother Ma, what would you like to eat?"

"Just order the dishes I usually like to eat."

"OK."

-

Ma Zhiyuan took out his phone, ready to browse social media for a while.

Unexpectedly, a search for trending topics revealed the names of Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai.

Many people posted real-time photos on Weibo of Li Zhibai and Lu Yanhe.

Ma Zhiyuan then noticed that the two men seemed to have no pressure about the performance at all, and were even able to chat and laugh while having dinner outside.

A shadow immediately fell over Ma Zhiyuan's heart.

In this respect, Ma Zhiyuan will never catch up with Li Zhibai, and he himself knows it. Ma Zhiyuan can never match Li Zhibai's confidence and relaxed attitude on stage.

Just then, the assistant came over with his phone and asked, "Brother Ma, there's a barbecue place nearby with really high ratings. Want me to order some for you? Didn't you say you wanted to eat there yesterday?"

Ma Zhiyuan frowned immediately and turned his phone face down. "What are you talking about? We're about to go live. If I eat this kind of stuff, what am I going to do if I get pimples?"

The assistant was inexplicably berated and left silently.

Ma Zhiyuan was unable to suppress his anger—he knew he shouldn't, but he had no choice and couldn't control himself.

He took a deep breath and reminded himself to calm down.

Don't panic.

-

After Yan Liang got off the plane, he turned on his phone and saw messages from Li Zhibai and Lu Yanhe in the group chat, saying that they had packed food for him, including barbecue, roasted chicken legs, and roasted sausages.

Yan Liang was shocked and asked: "Eating so much meat will give you pimples! You're going to be live-streaming tomorrow!"

Li Zhibai: Huh?

Lu Yanhe: Really? I got pimples just from eating barbecue?

Yan Liang: I wouldn't say for sure, but it's possible.

So, before the rehearsal, Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai each drank a large cup of chrysanthemum tea.

(End of this chapter)