Chapter 422 The Room on the Second Floor

Choi Ji-soo didn't actually say "Oh my god," but that's the gist of it; she was mainly expressing shock.

The main reason is that although Choi Ji-soo had indeed met Lu Yanhe at the film festival before, she had never spoken to him face-to-face in this way before; she had only sat in the media section and asked questions along with other media outlets.

In this situation, it was unbelievable to Choi Ji-soo that Lu Yanhe would remember seeing her before.

"How could you remember me? That's incredible." Choi Jisoo exclaimed in surprise again.

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "You are very beautiful. You were sitting in the first row and even asked me a question."

Choi Ji-soo looked even more shocked.

"You actually remember that I was sitting in the front row."

What should have been a very ordinary interview turned into a little awkward one for the interviewer, Choi Ji-soo, because of this unexpected incident.

Lu Yanhe turned to ask, "Do you have any coffee? I just got from the airport and I'm a bit sleepy, I need to perk myself up."

At that moment, Wang Biao suddenly appeared with a thermos.

"Here." He opened the thermos and placed it in front of Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe looked at Wang Biao in surprise.

"We've only been at the hotel for a short time, where did you come from?"

Wang Biao said with a smug look, "I guessed you would want to drink coffee. I went to buy coffee next door after I checked in. There is a coffee shop next to the hotel."

Chen Ziyan said with a smile, "That kid Wang Biao is very clever."

Lu Yanhe took a sip and felt refreshed.

He said to Choi Jisoo, "Come on, I'm okay now."

Upon hearing the translator's retelling, Choi Jisoo smiled and said, "Okay, thank you. Actually, I prepared an interview outline, but what I really want to ask now is, you've been in the industry for many years now, how do you still maintain such energy? I've interviewed many celebrities, and generally, after a long time in the industry, they often lose the energy they had when they first debuted. But I see that you don't see yourself as a celebrity at all, which is really rare."

Lu Yanhe was somewhat puzzled and confused.

"I don't quite understand," he said. "I'm only twenty-one, isn't it normal to be energetic?"

Choi Ji-soo corrected: "It's not the kind of vitality that comes from age. What I'm talking about is... aura. Many artists who debuted early, even if they're not old, give off a sense of being old."

Lu Yanhe: "I really haven't thought about this. I don't know how to answer it. I can't say I'm maintaining my energy; I've never actively tried to. Although I debuted early, I've only really started working as an artist in the industry in the last few years. I still have a lot of passion for this industry and my career. Also, it might be related to my life experiences. I haven't encountered any huge setbacks that would drastically change me. Most of the people I've met have been quite tolerant of me. No matter what I say or do, they believe in me and support me, including my manager. Simply put, I haven't suffered much loss or been mistreated."

Choi Jisoo: "You haven't been mistreated much?"

She seemed surprised.

Lu Yanhe nodded: "I've hardly ever swallowed my pride."

Choi Ji-soo's face showed an incredulous envy.

“When you debut as an artist in South Korea, whether you’re a singer, idol, or actor, it’s impossible to say you haven’t experienced hardship.” Choi Ji-soo was genuinely surprised. “Is the entertainment industry in China really that privileged?”

Lu Yanhe: "It's not fair to compare like that. I'm just talking about my own personal situation. If we're talking about being well-off, before I met my current agent, I had encountered people who didn't care about me or were just going through the motions. I was in a slump for a few years, but after that period passed, it didn't leave any shadow in my heart."

Choi Ji-soo breathed a sigh of relief.

“You have actually encountered this before, but you didn’t let it affect you, which is really rare,” Choi Jisoo said. “You are a very optimistic person.”

"Maybe? I've never been praised for being optimistic before." Lu Yanhe said, then looked at Chen Ziyan, "Sister Ziyan, no one has ever praised me for that, right?"

Chen Ziyan glanced at him helplessly and said, "You are indeed optimistic about this matter."

-

Wang Biao whispered to Zou Dong, "How could anyone say that Brother Lu is such a pragmatic person? He always anticipates the worst possible outcome in everything he does."

Zou Dong crossed his arms and said, "How can it not be called optimism if you anticipate the worst-case scenario and then go all out to achieve it?"

Wang Biao was stunned: "..."

That seems to make sense, doesn't it?

After the interview, it was time for dinner.

Dinner was also arranged by Zhong Benshuo.

To Lu Yanhe's surprise, there were quite a few people having dinner together.

Zhong Benshuo invited many of his friends from South Korea to welcome Lu Yanhe.

This is naturally another gesture by Zhong Benshuo to express his high regard for Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe could only muster his energy and exchange pleasantries with everyone. The translation was quite busy, but fortunately, a few of the people there spoke good English and could communicate in English.

After finally finishing dinner, Lu Yanhe was about to go home with Chen Ziyan. Zhong Benshuo, however, said he planned to take Lu Yanhe to a party later to meet some friends in the entertainment industry. Since Chen Ziyan had a work video conference that evening and couldn't go with Lu Yanhe, Zou Dong and Wang Biao accompanied him instead.

Lu Yanhe asked Zhong Benshuo who these people were so he could familiarize himself with them beforehand and avoid the awkward situation of not recognizing them or being unable to call them by name.

Jong Bon-seok said it was a party hosted by Korean actress Eugene, and the exact attendees would only be known at the event. However, parties hosted by Eugene are always star-studded.

Lu Yanhe had heard of Yoo Jin; she was a South Korean film star who had acted in many movies and was very well-known throughout Asia.

“Senior Yoo Jin loves organizing parties,” Jong Bon-seok said to Lu Yanhe. “When he heard you were in Korea, he insisted that I take you there. He really wants to meet you.”

Upon arrival, they discovered that the party was taking place on the grounds of a private residence. From outside the yard, they could only hear laughter and distant music. After driving in, they went up a small hill, turned a corner, and a three-story house came into view.

The place was packed with people, men and women, with champagne and fine wine, chatting and laughing freely in the open courtyard.

The appearance of their car also attracted the attention of some people, who cast questioning glances at them.

Zhong Benshuo got off the bus first.

He seemed to be quite famous; as soon as he got out of the car, some people showed expressions of surprise. Lu Yanhe couldn't understand what they were saying, but from their expressions and actions, he could tell that they recognized Zhong Benshuo and were excited to see him there.

Lu Yanhe also got out of the car.

Lu Yanhe saw confusion and scrutiny on the faces of the surrounding crowd. They seemed puzzled as to who he was and why he was here with Zhong Benshuo.

Then, someone seemed to recognize him and pointed at him in surprise, saying something to the person next to him.

At this party in a foreign land, Lu Yanhe felt like a rare and exotic animal being scrutinized. Zhong Benshuo led him forward, with Zou Dong and Wang Biao following behind. This entourage made everyone present, even those who didn't recognize him, know that he must be someone of considerable importance.

People who knew Zhong Benshuo greeted him with smiles.

Zhong Benshuo responded with a smile. Lu Yanhe thought he would stop to exchange pleasantries, but Zhong Benshuo didn't stop.

As he walked into the house and through the crowd, Lu Yanhe saw Liu Zhen sitting on the sofa.

He recognized that face.

Liu Zhen saw them immediately, stood up, walked up to them with surprise, patted Zhong Benshuo on the shoulder, and then looked at Lu Yanhe.

Zhong Benshuo introduced the two of them to each other.

They actually know each other.

Lu Yanhe took the initiative to greet her first: "Hello, Senior Liu Zhen, I am Lu Yanhe."

The translation service provides real-time translation.

Liu Zhen enthusiastically pulled Lu Yanhe's arm and hugged him.

“When Jong Bon-seok said you would come, I told him to make sure you came. I watched your performance in ‘Late Spring’,” Yoo Jin said to Lu Yanhe. “I was in Venice at the time, but unfortunately, we didn’t run into each other there.”

Lu Yanhe politely said, "Thank you. I'm also a fan of yours. I've seen many of your movies and I really enjoy them."

The two were exchanging words, while people around them were curiously observing them.

Whether they knew him or not, everyone knew that the young man in front of them was an actor from China, and one of China's most popular stars.

Even if many people don't know, they will still show a shocked expression when they hear that his starring film "Late Spring" won the Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival last year.

Then, when people mentioned that he was a character from "The Seventeenth Floor" and "Friends," some reacted with an "Ah, so it was him!" reaction.

Lu Yanhe was a little uncomfortable in this environment, mainly because he couldn't understand what the people around him were saying, which made him feel out of place and repulsed.

After greeting Liu Zhen and chatting for a few minutes, about five minutes later, Liu Zhen was called away by someone else after they agreed to work together on a film in the future.

Lu Yanhe did not become idle because of this.

Zhong Benshuo introduced several Korean actors to Lu Yanhe. Lu Yanhe might not recognize their names or faces, but once he heard about their works, even if he hadn't seen them, he would have at least heard of them.

Lu Yanhe greeted everyone politely, introduced himself to them, and exchanged contact information.

In about half an hour, Lu Yanhe met, exchanged pleasantries, and chatted with different people in a whirlwind. Suddenly, Zhong Benshuo said, "Yanhe, Senior Liu Zhen said there are too many people here. He's waiting for you on the second floor and wants to have a good chat with you."

Lu Yanhe was about to leave when he heard Zhong Benshuo say this, so he had no choice but to go up to the second floor with him. Zhong Benshuo suddenly thought of something and said to Lu Yanhe, "There is only Senior Liu Zhen in the room. It may not be convenient for your bodyguards and assistants to go in."

Lu Yanhe found it strange when he heard him say that.

"Is it okay if they wait for me at the door?"

Zhong Benshuo hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

Two burly men in black suits stood at the door of the room; they looked like bodyguards.

Lu Yanhe turned to Zou Dong and Wang Biao and said, "Brother Dong, Wang Biao, wait for me here for a moment."

Zou Dong nodded.

One of the burly men in black saw them approaching, knocked on the door, and opened it.

Lu Yanhe and Zhong Benshuo went inside.

There was an antique-style screen at the entrance, and you had to walk around it to get in.

The room was dimly lit. Liu Zhen sat on the sofa inside, one hand resting on the back of the chair, the other arm around a scantily clad woman. The woman held a lighter in one hand and a cigarette in the other, lighting it for him with a sassy gesture. Her upper body was almost pressed against Liu Zhen's, and her low-cut neckline was fully exposed to Liu Zhen's eyes, bright and almost completely unprotected.

When Liu Zhen saw them come in, she gave them a bright smile.

“My little brother is here, have a seat!” Liu Zhen gestured for them to sit on the sofa next to him.

Lu Yanhe was completely stunned by what he saw. Zhong Benshuo patted him on the shoulder and said, "Sit down."

As they sat down, two petite figures emerged from the dimly lit corner.

They walked straight toward Yoo Jin and Jong Bon Seok.

Lu Yanhe immediately realized what was going on, made a "don't come any closer" gesture to the woman walking towards him, and said to Liu Zhen and Zhong Benshuo: "Senior Liu, Mr. Zhong, I have a girlfriend."

(End of this chapter)