Chapter 436 Support (8,000-word update!)

Since his debut, Lu Yanhe has almost never been subject to widespread or prolonged criticism.

This audition is one example.

The comment section under Lu Yanhe's own Weibo post is filled with countless people expressing their disappointment in him.

The gist of it is that if the final decision is to use a top actress like Chen Bige, then there's no need to organize auditions in the first place, or to use the guise of casting newcomers.

Faced with these insults, Lu Yanhe remained silent.

He simply remained silent and let everyone criticize him.

At times like this, he couldn't explain anything.

The more this was the case, the more certain Zhou Shuchun became that the two girls he saw that day were just ordinary high school girls.

There's nothing special about it.

Only by adopting this attitude can Lu Yanhe keep Zhang Ruo's identity hidden and maintain her mystery.

The other party involved in this incident, Chen Bige, was also caught up in this undeserved misfortune. Although the matter was actually unrelated to her, because she was the female protagonist, some people also had opinions about her.

Since "The Seventeen Floors," Chan Bige's career has shown a trend of returning to its peak.

Rouge, The Night Runner... and now another one, Love Letter.

Some people directly said: "Why are all of Chen Bige's recent dramas related to Lu Yanhe? Either she co-stars with Lu Yanhe, or the scripts are written by Lu Yanhe. Her new works have too much of Lu Yanhe's influence. Does this mean that an actress of Chen Bige's caliber can't act without Lu Yanhe?"

Chen Bige's fans, of course, scoffed at this claim.

Are you kidding me? Who are you talking about?

"It's true that Chen Bige is becoming more and more picky and producing fewer and fewer works. But to say that she can't get roles without Lu Yanhe? You should ask the major film companies if they would give Chen Bige any scripts without Lu Yanhe. I don't know how they came up with such a statement."

"However, Chen Bige and Lu Yanhe are cooperating far too frequently. How can they cooperate so often?"

"So what if we collaborate frequently? 'The Seventeen Floors' was a huge hit, 'The Night Runner' was nominated for the Picardo Film Festival, 'Rouge' is director Wang Zhong's new film, and the attention 'Love Letter' received goes without saying. Why don't you ask the other actors, who wouldn't want to act in any of these films? Why don't you mention that director Wang Zhong has also collaborated with Lu Yanhe so many times? From 'Three Mountains' to 'The Night Runner' to 'Rouge,' that's three times, right?"

The controversy continues online.

The issues they were arguing about were indeed something Lu Yanhe had never expected.

It really gives me a "why bother?" feeling.

The longer and smoother the collaboration between people, the more collaborations they will have. In Hollywood, many directors have their own group of regular actors. After collaborating on seven or eight films, they don't care about fresh sparks. They can still create good and classic works by finding fresh people to work with.

Lu Yanhe scoffed at such claims. He thought to himself that in *Rouge*, he was essentially a behind-the-scenes figure, not even appearing on screen. And *Night Run* was a short film, not a proper feature film, so it didn't leave a deep impression. All told, *Love Letter* was only the second film he'd acted alongside Chen Bige as the female lead. In fact, due to the plot, Lu Yanhe didn't have any scenes with Chen Bige in *Love Letter*. All his scenes were with Zhang Ruozhi.

This also means that Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige did not have any scenes together in "Love Letter".

However, none of this can explain it. Lu Yanhe didn't want to explain either. Every play, every story, the narrator has their own ideas; some start with a climax and then decline, some start with a decline and then rise, some have constant plot twists, and some are foreshadowed. If every time someone questions him, he has to stand up and explain, then a lot of things lose their meaning.

Lu Yanhe believes that these debates will disappear after the film is released.

-

In the movie "Love Letter", besides these main characters, there are several other very important characters.

"In short, this story is about two high school students who, because they have the same name, are teased by everyone and start noticing each other. Many years later, the boy, Huai Jing Shu, gets together with a girl who looks exactly like the girl, Huai Jing Shu. Her name is Zheng Ni, and Sister Bige plays both Zheng Ni and the adult Huai Jing Shu. The boy, Huai Jing Shu, dies unexpectedly while mountain climbing. Zheng Ni misses him dearly and writes a letter to the address Huai Jing Shu used to have in high school, but it ends up being sent to the girl's home. Through these letters, the two girls get to know each other, reminisce about Huai Jing Shu, and unexpectedly discover that back in high school, not only did the girl secretly have a crush on the boy, but the boy also secretly had a crush on the girl. By the time the girl discovers this, the boy has already passed away."

Lu Yanhe sat down in front of Wan Xin, the winner of the Best Actress award at the Honghe Awards, and introduced her to the movie "Love Letter".

This actress, who is nearly fifty years old, is still very well-maintained, with an elegant and pleasant demeanor, and her eyes are still as captivating as spring water.

Lu Yanhe first met her at the Red River Awards ceremony. After exchanging contact information, they only exchanged greetings during holidays and had no further contact. This time, Lu Yanhe suddenly remembered this elegant actress while searching for actors for his film.

Lu Yanhe said, "Actually, I just wanted to ask you to play my mother in the movie, the mother of the boy I play, Huai Jingshu."

Wan Xin showed a hint of surprise.

"Xiao Lu, you want me to play your mother?"

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “It’s mainly because I’m playing a handsome young man in the movie, and I need to have a very beautiful mother for people to believe it.”

Wan Xin laughed.

"Xiao Lu, when do you plan to film this movie?"

“We filmed it in summer and winter, and your scenes are all in winter,” Lu Yanhe said. “You don’t have many scenes, only two, but as you’ll know once you’ve read the script, this isn’t a role that just anyone can play; it requires a lot of inner strength.”

Wan Xin: "From what you've told me about the movie story, it seems quite sad."

“It’s not sadness, it’s regret,” Lu Yanhe said. “You’ll understand once you read the script. What I’m trying to tell isn’t a sad story about missing each other, but rather the realization, through this regret and memories of youth, that someone once secretly liked you, and that the very existence of this fact is a beautiful thing.”

Wan Xin said, "Okay, I'll read the script first and then get back to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Sister Wanxin," Lu Yanhe said.

Wan Xin said, "I had set a rule for myself that I would never play a mother or mother-in-law role unless absolutely necessary. I mean the kind of mother or mother-in-law role that is just a supporting role for the main characters. I still want to play leading roles for a few more years. It was only because you approached me that I made an exception and took a look at the script first."

Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "Sister Wan Xin, this role is not a supporting role in the traditional sense, and your acting skills will not make her an ordinary supporting role."

Wan Xin nodded.

-

Besides Wan Xin, there are many other actors we need to find.

Lu Yanhe always visited them in person.

Thanks to Lu Yanhe's current influence, he can basically make an appointment with anyone without any problem.

However, since everyone is very busy, it's not always possible to find time to see him.

Some actors were still on set, so Lu Yanhe simply went to visit them on set and met them there.

Overall, finding actors was a relatively smooth process for Lu Yanhe.

Some refused, but most agreed immediately.

Everyone believes that Lu Yanhe's movies are bound to be good.

During the communication process, Lu Yanhe could not hide the fact that he was preparing to direct this movie. As a result, the news that Lu Yanhe was going to write, direct and star in the movie "Love Letter" gradually spread.

-

Yu Jiang was very active during this time because "Flowers on the Stars" was going to be screened and sold at the Jose Film Festival.

She first announced that her new novel would be serialized in Star! magazine, and then announced that Lang Xia would star in another movie adapted from her novel, Beloved.

In mid-April, Icefield Video spearheaded a screenwriter forum.

Yu Jiang was invited to participate.

A total of eight screenwriters participated in the forum, including Feng Qiyue, the screenwriter of "The Seventeenth Floor".

During the forum, participants discussed one of the topics: "The difference between screenwriters and directors."

When the discussion reached a fever pitch, the host suddenly asked, "Actually, I saw a report before that someone invited Mr. Feng Qiyue to direct their script, but Mr. Feng Qiyue declined. Mr. Feng, could you share with us how you considered this matter?"

Feng Qiyue bluntly stated: "I am not a person who likes to deal with people. Otherwise, I would not have become a screenwriter. A large part of the reason I chose this profession was because the nature of the work is very pure, unlike other professions that require dealing with too many people. In fact, many people with screenwriting mindset also have directing mindset, but not everyone is suitable to be a director. This is not just a matter of mindset. A director almost requires you to be an all-rounder and know a little about everything."

The host mentioned, "Recently, there has been news that Lu Yanhe will write, direct, and star in the film 'Love Letter,' which he also wrote. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Lu Yanhe is very young, only twenty-one years old. It's truly remarkable that he has achieved such success at this age. And I've always felt that at this age, his desire to try new things is a wonderful thing," a screenwriter said.

“Oh, you said it yourself, he’s only twenty-one years old.” Yu Jiang shook his head.

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Professor Yu Jiang?"

"Forget it, I won't say anything, lest I say something unpleasant and people say I'm targeting him."

"Haha." Feng Qiyue suddenly laughed.

Yu Jiang looked over and asked, "Teacher Feng, what's so funny about what I said?"

Feng Qiyue said, "It's nothing."

He shrugged.

Yu Jiang: "Anyway, we're all here now. If you think what I'm saying is funny, you might as well just say it. There's no need to be so hesitant."

“Then I’ll say it. Please don’t take offense. I just find it funny. I wanted to avoid saying anything unpleasant that might make people think you’re targeting him. But isn’t that what people think? Aren’t you targeting him?” Feng Qiyue asked.

Yu Jiang said, "So Teacher Feng came to stand up for Lu Yanhe because he had worked with him on 'The Seventeenth Floor'?"

"Does he need me to stand up for him?" Feng Qiyue's expression seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?" He said, "Teacher Yu Jiang, actually, apart from yourself and your small group of supporters, no one thinks that your remarks about Lu Yanhe are rational."

Yu Jiang's face turned extremely ugly.

“It seems that Professor Feng’s self-assessment is quite accurate. You are indeed not suited to dealing with people,” Yu Jiang said. “This is a forum where everyone is discussing matters objectively, but you are launching a personal attack against me.”

Feng Qiyue: "To say that Lu Yanhe is only twenty-one years old in such a contemptuous tone, isn't that right?"

Yu Jiang: "Wasn't it just stating the facts when I said he was twenty-one?"

“Am I not just stating the facts?” Feng Qiyue said. “Teacher Yu Jiang, why don’t you take a look at what everyone is saying online?”

Yu Jiang said, "I never care about what people say online. Who knows if the person saying those things on the other end of the internet is a paid troll, a hater, or even a dog."

"Fellow netizens, Yu Jiang has launched a personal attack against you, calling you dogs," Feng Qiyue said solemnly, spreading her hands.

Yu Jiang's expression changed drastically.

"Feng Qiyue, don't deliberately misinterpret my meaning!"

"Didn't you say those words? Isn't this just stating the facts? Did I take things out of context or exaggerate? Luckily, there was a live broadcast!" Feng Qiyue was too lazy to pretend anymore and looked coldly at Yu Jiang, "Playing dumb."

Yu Jiang's face turned red with anger.

She angrily got up and left her seat.

-

After Yu Jiang stormed out, the forum continued.

Another screenwriter sighed and said to Feng Qiyue, "Really, why did you have to have such a big conflict with her?"

Feng Qiyue said, "She brought up Lu Yanhe first. If she can refrain from mentioning him, I'll just casually go over with her to save face."

"They didn't fire at you."

“But she attacked Lu Yanhe.” Feng Qiyue said directly, “She has no connection with Lu Yanhe, and they have never worked together. She has always been trying to ride on Lu Yanhe’s coattails. It’s one thing to ride on his coattails, but she also always speaks ill of him. I don’t know what she is thinking. I thought that after Lu Yanhe’s several dramas came out last year, she would realize how ridiculous her words were and would stop saying them. I didn’t expect her to start again now.”

"Just ignore what she says; nobody will believe her anyway."

"Why spoil her? Why let her fart like that? If she wants to fart, she can go home and do it, not in public. She can smell as bad as she wants, but she shouldn't stink me."

...

Because this forum is more professional, only a few thousand people actually watched the live stream.

However, the exchange between Feng Qiyue and Yu Jiang, as well as Feng Qiyue's rant after Yu Jiang left, garnered over ten million views in a single day.

The exchange between the two of them was widely reposted by various marketing accounts.

Everyone knows that traffic has arrived.

This incident has become a source of amusement for onlookers.

Anyone who knows even a little about the feud between Yu Jiang and Lu Yanhe knows about it.

However, this is not so familiar to most netizens. Many people are unaware of the cause and effect, and are confused about how the argument started.

Therefore, some kind-hearted netizens compiled a collection of past grievances between Lu Yanhe and Yu Jiang for those who do not understand the cause and effect to look through.

The hype keeps coming one wave after another.

Feng Qiyue is a very famous screenwriter. You may not have heard of his name, but you are basically familiar with the films and TV series he has written.

He rarely makes such high-profile statements.

The sudden act of standing up for Lu Yanhe and criticizing Yu Jiang was exciting for the audience, but surprising for industry insiders.

-

"Are Teacher Feng and Yan He on good terms?"

"We've already filmed 'The Seventeenth Floor' together, and we're going to film a second season, so of course it's great."

"There are plenty of actors who have acted in Feng Qiyue's scripts, so why haven't we seen Feng Qiyue stand up for the other actors?"

"That means Feng Qiyue and Lu Yanhe have a better relationship."

"Actually, it's also possible that Teacher Feng Qiyue simply doesn't like Yu Jiang."

"That's true, Yu Jiang is also a weirdo, and many people have criticized her."

"But have you noticed that, despite so many people disliking Yu Jiang, he is still doing very well?"

"Because she's popular. This is the era of internet traffic. Besides, she now has her own company and is involved in film and television production. No matter what, her novels are popular. Look, her novel 'Flowers on the Stars' is so popular. Maybe it will break 100 million at the box office. If it really achieves such results, do you believe that many actors will start praising her and saying good things about her?"

That's really... disgusting.

"You can be disgusted with yourself, and she can be happy with herself."

“If I were Feng Qiyue, I would also support Lu Yanhe.” This person immediately said, “Why should people like Yu Jiang dominate the entertainment industry? I would prefer more people like Lu Yanhe.”

"Now you know why Feng Qiyue spoke up for Lu Yanhe, right?"

"Those who follow the right path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little help."

-

Online opinions on this incident are almost unanimously in favor of Feng Qiyue.

It's often said that in the internet age, even the hottest topics will fade away after a few days.

But people have memories.

Yu Jiang's name appears frequently on trending topics, but most of the time it's negative news. Over time, her public image has suffered.

People instinctively frown when they see her name. This time, she clashed with Feng Qiyue. Regardless of the content of the clash, many people feel disgusted the moment they see the name Yu Jiang, and a sense of "Why is it her again?" arises.

After seeing the online reactions, Yu Jiang was even more furious.

"Teacher Yu, please stop reading those messages online. They don't know the real situation at all. They just take some fragments and make judgments about you out of context."

Her assistant comforted her.

“Once ‘Flowers on the Stars’ is released, everyone will realize how wrong they were,” the assistant said. “The internal screening feedback for this movie is so good. Feng Qiyue is just bullying you because of his seniority. Once this movie becomes a box office hit, he will find out who the actors really want to befriend: you or him.”

Yu Jiang's mood was somewhat soothed by his assistant's words.

She said, "I don't believe that one person can succeed at everything. He's just a 21-year-old boy. No matter how talented he is, can he really make a classic film?"

Yu Jiang made no mention of Feng Qiyue.

Her unresolved issue was still Lu Yanhe.

The assistant silently shut up.

If it were Feng Qiyue, the assistant felt that Yu Jiang could definitely compete, but Lu Yanhe? Even though she was Yu Jiang's assistant, she didn't have the face to say what she just said.

-

“Being a director is not an easy thing at all,” He Yingzi also told Lang Xia. “If he is really encouraged by the people around him to direct ‘Love Letter,’ then he will really mess it up.”

Lang Xia asked, "But we don't know if he has the talent to be a director. Maybe his talent as a director is no less than his talent as an actor?"

He Yingzi said, "That has nothing to do with us. We'll just walk our own path, and we won't be any worse than him. Is your popularity lower than his now? No, it isn't, is it? We live in the internet age, the age of traffic. Even those luxury brands that used to be so high and mighty have started to find various idols as spokespeople and do promotions, haven't they? Lang Xia, you don't need to belittle yourself at all. As long as you continue on this path, you will become the most popular actor just like him."

Lang Xia nodded.

He Yingzi said, "Actually, I recently took a liking to a script, but unfortunately, that script has already been given to someone else, Yan Liang."

"What script?" Lang Xia asked.

He Yingzi said, "The Mountain Top is a high-quality drama. It features an older and a younger character. The younger character is the second male lead, but his character is just as good as the male lead's. It's a fraud drama, and we've never had a drama with this kind of theme in our domestic web dramas before."

Lang Xia asked, "If this role is really good, and filming hasn't started yet, why don't we talk to the production company? We can bring our own investment to the production. Aren't there several brands that are willing to invest in my drama?"

“Yan Liang is a popular actor now thanks to the Friends series. What we can bring, he can bring too.” He Yingzi sighed. “I wish I had seen this script first. Unfortunately, the script was given to Zhou Ping’an first. It was originally intended for Ma Zhiyuan to play the role, but Ma Zhiyuan declined, so Zhou Ping’an gave it directly to Yan Liang.”

"Yan Liang would still accept roles that Ma Zhiyuan wouldn't act in? He really has no backbone." Lang Xia curled his lip.

He Yingzi said, "As long as the role is good and the production team is good, what do you need backbone for? An actor will do anything to get a good role."

Lang Xia shook his head: "I can't do it."

He Yingzi smiled and said, "Anyway, you have me here, so you don't need to do these things. After 'Flowers on the Stars' is released, you'll be filming 'Beloved.' With two consecutive leading roles, you'll have a foothold in the film industry. I hope both films do well at the box office."

Lang Xia asked, "In the sequel to the movie 'Burning Fire,' could my character become one of the main characters?"

He Yingzi said, "I've been communicating with them for a long time. They've only written a rough draft of the sequel's script. They haven't officially started writing the script yet. What's the rush?"

Lang Xia: "I don't want to just have a cameo role in this movie series."

“If you perform well in the first film and the audience feedback is good, your role in the sequel will naturally increase,” He Yingzi said. “Now, the movie ‘Burning Fire’ is a complete free-for-all, with so many actors involved. If I were to continue asking for more screen time in the sequel, it would only make them resentful.”

Lang Xia pursed his lips, but didn't refute anything. He just reluctantly said, "Fine."

-

“Wan Xin’s performance contract has already been reviewed by the legal department,” Chen Ziyan said. “Two scenes, 600,000 yuan in remuneration, you’re quite willing to spend that much.”

Lu Yanhe said, "Sister Ziyan, Teacher Wanxin is worth it."

Chen Ziyan said, "The creative team behind 'Love Letter' is a bit over the top."

"Um?"

“You yourself didn’t even mention it. Behind the scenes, there are Luo Yuzhong, Liu Bige, Xin Zixing, and others. In the cast, there are Chen Bige, Wan Xin, Li Songfan, and others. Only you could have made this film with a production budget of around ten million,” Chen Ziyan said. “It would be impossible for anyone else to hire so many people with that amount of money.”

Lu Yanhe said, "I paid the actors according to the market price, without any discounts."

“Market price is market price, but so many companies offered you market price to act in movies, did you go? They came to you because they wanted your movies,” Chen Ziyan said. “Otherwise, why would Wan Xin come to your movie to play a role with only two scenes? It’s not like she doesn’t have leading roles to play.”

Lu Yanhe nodded. "That's true."

Chen Ziyan said, "With this kind of lineup, if you told people that the production budget was only ten million, no one would believe it."

Lu Yanhe said, "The main expense for this film was the production team. There was no need to create special effects, and the costumes, props, and sets didn't require much money either."

"Love Letter" is a modern-day drama, so it doesn't need to spend money on special effects like many blockbusters, nor does it require the high production costs of costumes, props, and sets like period dramas. Basically, all the investment is in the cast and crew.

Chen Ziyan said, "What I mean is that we shouldn't promote the fact that our film had a low production budget, because no one will believe that ten million can really make this film. If someone else wanted to make 'Love Letter' with ten million, they definitely wouldn't be able to find a cast like yours. If we promote this point, it might backfire."

Lu Yanhe then understood Chen Ziyan's intention.

He nodded and said, "I understand, Sister Ziyan, I will be careful."

Chen Ziyan asked, "So 'Love Letter' is almost finished, when do you plan to film 'You Are the Apple of My Eye'?"

Lu Yanhe said, "I haven't thought about it yet."

"Do you want to continue directing this movie?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "The staging of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' is far more demanding than that of 'Love Letter.' It's already quite a hassle for me to film 'Love Letter' now, so let's just forget about 'You Are the Apple of My Eye'."

“That’s how it is to be a director,” Chen Ziyan said. “If you don’t plan to direct ‘You Are the Apple of My Eye’ yourself, then I’ll talk to other film companies and see who we can get to co-produce with us.”

Lu Yanhe said, "Sister Ziyan, actually, the box office of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' should be higher than that of 'Love Letter'. I plan to invest more in this movie myself."

Chen Ziyan said, "But if you invest too much, other companies may not be willing to take over."

If Lu Yanhe invests more, it means that everyone else's share will decrease. If their expected returns from this film are not high enough, they may not be interested in doing the project.

Lu Yanhe said, "That's not too much. What I mean is, Sister Ziyan, if you're interested, you can invest more. The box office of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' will be even higher."

Lu Yanhe was unsure about the box office performance of the film "Love Letter".

Because the subject matter and content of this film are too far removed from the current film market.

Lu Yanhe wasn't sure how many audiences would be willing to go to the cinema for a film about unrequited love with a somewhat tragic ending. This film was primarily controlled by his and Chen Ziyan's production company; there were no collaborations with other film companies or other investors, ensuring that Lu Yanhe could make the film entirely according to his own vision. The film's funding came entirely from Lu Yanhe, Chen Ziyan, Chen Siqi, Luo Yuzhong, Liu Bige, Chen Bige, and their associates.

Lu Yanhe believes that people are willing to invest not because they believe the film will be a box office hit and make them a fortune, but because it is his first film as a writer, director, and actor, and they are specifically supporting him.

Chen Ziyan, in particular, is the second largest investor after Lu Yanhe himself.

Lu Yanhe was also worried that if "Love Letter" flopped, he could let the movie "You Are the Apple of My Eye" help Chen Ziyan earn some money back.

Chen Ziyan smiled.

She said, "I'm not that professional in film production yet, and I don't know how much it will cost to make 'You Are the Apple of My Eye'. I'll talk to a few companies first and see if they're interested. If they're willing to give me a share to invest in, I'm certainly willing to invest more."

For projects that are not viewed favorably, the natural thing to do is to beg and plead for the support of investors.

However, for projects like "You Are the Apple of My Eye," Chen Ziyan believes that many film companies would be willing to participate in the production. In such cases, the amount of investment they would be willing to offer is uncertain. Good projects never lack investment; it's the share of investment that's fiercely contested.

Chen Ziyan knew that Lu Yanhe didn't really understand these things. The movie "Love Letter" was almost like playing house in terms of raising funds. In Chen Ziyan's view, it was just a group of relatives and friends seeing that their child wanted to start his own business, so they not only contributed their efforts but also took out a sum of money to help the child realize his dream.

Why did Chen Ziyan remind Lu Yanhe not to publicize the ten million yuan production budget?

Because apart from "Love Letter", no other movie will be made like this.

Of course, Chen Ziyan couldn't tell Lu Yanhe too much about these things.

Everyone was trying to protect Lu Yanhe's purity, and Chen Ziyan, as his agent, was even more so.

(End of this chapter)