Chapter 469 The Strange Envelope

Marketing accounts immediately started popping up.

Marketing accounts are never absent from matters that generate huge public opinion and discussion.

Lu Yanhe never expected that some of his fans would hold onto this matter so tightly, forcing Zeng Qiao to give up the lead role.

They completely disregarded Lu Yanhe's stated stance, insisting on their own position under the guise of acting in Lu Yanhe's best interests and fighting for his benefit, recklessly and unreasonably arguing with him.

Lu Yanhe felt truly distressed at this moment.

This isn't an attempt to smear his opponents; it's from genuine fans who like him.

Lu Yanhe couldn't understand why they could disregard his true thoughts and feelings and presumptuously speak and do things on his behalf.

Just when Lu Yanhe felt his career was soaring like a rocket, this incident dealt him a heavy blow.

Worst of all, Lu Yanhe didn't even know how to resolve the situation.

Lu Yanhe couldn't possibly speak out about this matter again and again. The more he spoke out, the more frantic those radical fans became, as if they were deliberately opposing Lu Yanhe.

"At present, the only option is to cool things down and deal with it calmly," Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe.

"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.

However, no one expected that Maxine would suddenly change the order of the names on each of their promotional messages at this time.

Lu Yanhe's name appeared before Zeng Qiao's name.

This matter quickly became a trending topic.

When Lu Yanhe's radical fans saw this, they also took the lead in questioning the Icefield Video and the official Weibo account of the domestic "Silent River" with the attitude that they had achieved a stage victory in the battle, asking them not to make changes yet.

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and called Zhong Benshuo to ask why Maxine had suddenly changed the order of authorship.

At this critical juncture, Lu Yanhe did not believe that Maxine's modifications were an unintentional coincidence.

Chung Ben-shuo said directly, "Because on our Maxine platform, you have much more fame and fans than Tseng Chiao, this is for promotional purposes."

"Did you communicate with director Chen Lingling and the others before making these changes?"

“We at Maxine are the producers of this drama, so we can decide this ourselves,” Zhong Benshuo said. “Yan He, this won’t do you any harm, so why should you care about it?”

“Mr. Zhong, I hope you can change the order of the credits back.” Lu Yanhe felt exhausted. For the past few days, he had been forced to face something he didn’t want to face, which left him in a very irritable state. “When we filmed this drama, both Zeng Qiao and I signed contracts with the production team. Please follow the contract. Zeng Qiao is the lead actor, and I am the second lead actor. This is clearly stated in the contract.”

Zhong Benshuo was greatly puzzled and couldn't understand it at all.

He asked, "Yan He, why are you refusing to change the order of signatures? It would be entirely beneficial for you."

As for the contract… as long as Zeng Qiao doesn’t pursue it, the contract doesn’t mean anything. And given Lu Yanhe and Zeng Qiao’s current situation, Zhong Benshuo doesn’t think Zeng Qiao will pursue this matter. If she does, Zhong Benshuo is confident he can handle it.

Lu Yanhe said earnestly, “Mr. Zhong, this is neither beneficial nor harmful. We all worked together to create a work, and the process was not easy. If, just because I have won a few awards in the past year or two and have become more famous, I disregard the previously signed contract and overturn what was agreed upon long ago, that is a matter of credibility. In addition, more importantly, Zeng Qiao and I are very good friends, and it is even more impossible for friends to do such a thing. Please change our order of authorship back.”

Lu Yanhe's attitude remained firm.

Faced with his attitude, Zhong Benshuo naturally did not insist any further.

So, less than two hours after the change, the latest authorship order published by Maxine returned to its original state.

Some people on foreign websites questioned why the order of authorship had been changed back.

Zhong Benshuo's account directly replied: Lu Yanhe is a very humble actor. He took the initiative to contact us and asked us to change the order of the credits back to the previous order. We respect his opinion.

This response immediately broke the defenses of Lu Yanhe's fans.

"..."

Lu Yanhe even saw someone cursing him in the comments section of his Weibo post: "You're hopeless."

Lu Yanhe found it all quite amusing.

-

"How are you?"

Perhaps because of the considerable online buzz, when Lu Yanhe returned to school, he ran into Miao Yue in the cafeteria, and Miao Yue specifically asked him a question out of concern.

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "Not bad, I wasn't defeated."

Miao Yue smiled and said, "I'm not worried about you being defeated, but I am worried that your pressure might have increased again. Are you more anxious because of it? Do you want to go for a check-up?"

Lu Yanhe was also taken aback by Miao Yue's reminder.

He had never thought of this before.

but--

"I think everything should be fine. My previous anxiety mainly came from work. The pressure from online public opinion hasn't caused me much mental anxiety," Lu Yanhe said.

Miao Yue: "Are you that strong? Why can you not care about those opinions?"

"It's probably because I've always felt that the voices on the internet have no real connection to my real life. They can be annoying sometimes, but that's about it." Lu Yanhe wasn't putting on an act; he genuinely felt that way.

Miao Yue was also familiar with Lu Yanhe's personality and knew that he wouldn't deliberately act like a big shot in this kind of thing.

"Have you been at school recently?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Miao Yue nodded. "If not at school, where?"

"All the classes are over. I thought you would go to the film set with Liu Bige."

"Your classes are over, but I still have two electives this semester and a graduation thesis to write." Miao Yue said, giving Lu Yanhe a somewhat resentful look. "Do you know that you've become the thorn in the side of all of us classmates?"

"Why?" Lu Yanhe was completely bewildered when he heard that he had become a thorn in the side of his classmates.

Miao Yue: "Because you have so much work to do, yet you still managed to complete all your credits ahead of schedule and finish your graduation thesis ahead of time, do you know how many teachers use you as an example to spur us on?"

Lu Yanhe: "Uh..."

This was something he truly hadn't expected.

Miao Yue said with a smile, "You know what? Some people even complained privately that Professor Zhao must have written your thesis for you."

"What?"

"He said that Professor Zhao helped you write your graduation thesis to repay your life-saving grace." Miao Yue said this with a sneer. "Someone is jealous of you and has had a problem with you for a long time. They know it's impossible, but they still said it on purpose just to have some fun."

Upon hearing her words, Lu Yanhe guessed who was saying these things behind his back.

At Zhenhua University, within their college, there was only one person who harbored such malice towards him.

Ji Qianxing, who confessed her feelings to him but was rejected.

Lu Yanhe curled his lip.

Miao Yue suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh right, there's one more thing. Is Bingyuan Video planning to buy the TV adaptation rights to 'Rouge' from you?"

Lu Yanhe nodded, "Yes, how did you know? It's not just this, there's also 'Lost in Thailand,' they want to adapt that into a TV series too."

Miao Yue: "Some of them came to me and wanted me to participate in the script adaptation work."

Lu Yanhe: "I haven't even agreed to give them the adaptation rights to the series yet, and they're already moving so fast?"

"They also said they're still negotiating the adaptation rights with you, so they weren't lying to me," Miao Yue laughed.

"Do you want to do it?" Lu Yanhe asked.

“I declined,” Miao Yue said. “I’m revising my new novel, and I won’t take on any other work until it’s finalized.”

Miao Yue possesses the composure typical of Zhenhua students in this regard. At Zhenhua, many students are indeed very diligent and hardworking, but they don't feel the anxiety or impulsiveness of "I must seize this opportunity immediately" when faced with seemingly good opportunities. Everyone retains the confidence of being a Zhenhua student, and doesn't rush to grab a seemingly good opportunity out of fear of missing out. Everyone firmly believes that they will wait for an even better opportunity.

Lu Yanhe said, "Given the current reputation of the film 'Rouge,' adapting it into a TV series might be quite stressful."

Miao Yue frowned and glanced at Lu Yanhe sideways: "Are you trying to provoke me?"

Lu Yanhe quickly raised his hands to show his innocence.

“I didn’t mean that. It’s just that we suddenly got onto this topic, so I said it,” Lu Yanhe explained.

Miao Yue: "What you've said makes me feel compelled to prove myself next."

"Don't be impulsive." Lu Yanhe immediately crossed his arms and said, "I'm not responsible."

"You're not going to take responsibility? That's a scumbag's statement." Lin Miaomiao suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

She wore jeans and a light yellow jacket, with her hair all tousled, making her look less like a student and more sophisticated and fashionable.

Of course, she is beautiful and looks good in any style.

"You startled me." Lu Yanhe wasn't exaggerating; Lin Miaomiao's sudden appearance behind him and her words startled him so much that he jumped to the side.

Lin Miaomiao gave him a disdainful look.

“You’re a celebrity, and I’m standing this close to you, don’t you have any sense of vigilance?” she said. “If I were a hater, you’d probably be all fired up by now.”

"Why would you splash chicken blood on me if I'm not a ghost?"

"In the eyes of your haters, if you're not a ghost, are you even human? They'll throw chicken blood at you to exorcise evil spirits," Lin Miaomiao said. "Don't you know how many fans have been cursing you online lately?"

Lu Yanhe: "..."

He was even suddenly reprimanded by Lin Miaomiao.

"This is a school, not some chaotic place. Do I need to be splashed with chicken blood?"

Lin Miaomiao: "Hehe, do you know what happened with the pit that Wang Xiao fell into before?"

"What happened?" If Lin Miaomiao hadn't said anything, Lu Yanhe would have almost forgotten about it.

Lin Miaomiao: "We only recently found out that someone from outside sneaked in and dug the pit overnight."

"Sneaked in...?"

“That’s right.” Lin Miaomiao nodded. “Moreover, before he turned himself in, no one at the school found out who had set this trap.”

Lu Yanhe became more and more confused as he listened. "What do you mean? He wasn't caught, yet he turned himself in? He confessed on his own?"

“Well, he didn’t even want to dig this hole. He wanted to dig up some soil from Zhenhua to plant trees.” Lin Miaomiao waved her hand. “Don’t look at me with that incredulous look. Everyone who hears this story finds it incredible and absurd, but it’s the truth.”

Lu Yanhe: "So what are you trying to say by telling me this story now?"

"I want to tell you that this world is a big place, full of wonders, and all sorts of oddballs can appear. Don't think that just because you're in Zhenhua, no one will throw chicken blood at you," Lin Miaomiao said.

Lu Yanhe: "..."

-

When Lu Yanhe received a thick envelope in the dormitory manager's office downstairs, he took it to his dormitory and opened it, only to find a stack of his photos inside. Each photo had a big red X marked on it. At that moment, Lu Yanhe was overwhelmed with excitement and his mind was in turmoil. While he was also greatly surprised, he took the time to add: "Lin Miaomiao is such a jinx."

After hanging up the laundry, Mao Jiayang came in from the balcony and saw Lu Yanhe standing in front of his table, staring blankly at a pile of things. He was unusually stunned and puzzled. He walked closer and called out, "Yanhe."

Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze and looked at Mao Jiayang.

"ah?"

"What's wrong?" Mao Jiayang asked.

Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze. "Oh, it's nothing. I just received a... somewhat strange envelope. Right, I need to make a call."

He picked up his phone and called Chen Ziyan.

Mao Jiayang took a closer look and his eyes widened instantly.

"Holy crap! Who sent this to you?" Mao Jiayang asked incredulously when he saw the photos with big X's on them scattered on the table.

He reached out to take it.

"Don't touch it!" Lu Yanhe immediately stopped him, saying, "There might be fingerprints on it."

Mao Jiayang realized what was happening, nodded, and withdrew his hand.

Lu Yanhe briefly explained to Chen Ziyan what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ziyan immediately became serious and said, "Wait for me, I'll be right there."

Lu Yanhe hummed in agreement.

After Lu Yanhe hung up the phone, Mao Jiayang hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head, "I don't know what happened either."

"This package...did you pick it up from the courier station? Who sent it to you? Did you check it?"

“No, I didn’t get it from the courier point, I got it from the dormitory manager’s office downstairs,” Lu Yanhe said. “When I came back, the dormitory manager stopped me and said there was an envelope for me.”

Upon hearing this, Mao Jiayang immediately said, "Then I'll go ask the dormitory manager now."

After a while, Mao Jiayang came up.

"The dormitory manager said he didn't know who sent it; it came from the school's mailroom along with a bunch of postcards and envelopes."

Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised: "The mailroom?"

"Yes." Mao Jiayang nodded. "Now, basically all the courier services deliver to the courier point. Only the post office still has its own route, which delivers to the school's mailroom and then distributes the packages according to the buildings."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized and asked, "So, this was delivered by the post office?"

Mao Jiayang said, "Well, although very few people send letters these days, this line has still been preserved. If someone puts an envelope in the mailbox, it can still be delivered to the designated address."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

"But who would send you something so threatening, and know your dorm building number?" Mao Jiayang was very suspicious.

Lu Yanhe understood his concerns.

Although he was a little confused, he knew that the person who did this and delivered the envelope to him was definitely not joking or playing a prank.

Lin Miaomiao's words from not long ago still ring in my ears.

—Don't you know how many fans have been criticizing you online lately?

Only someone who harbors a certain amount of hatred towards Lu Yanhe would do such a thing.

-

Chen Ziyan came to the school with a group of people.

It wasn't just one person.

Moreover, it was quite a large-scale operation.

Several people followed behind her, wearing black masks. As soon as they entered the room, they looked like secret agents from a movie. They opened their toolboxes, put on gloves, and put the photos and envelopes on Lu Yanhe's desk into individual transparent plastic bags.

Lu Yanhe and Mao Jiayang stood aside in astonishment, watching the scene unfold before their eyes.

Chen Ziyan asked, "Besides this envelope, is there anything else?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head.

Chen Ziyan looked at Mao Jiayang.

"Please keep this a secret for now and don't tell anyone," Chen Ziyan said to Mao Jiayang. "Otherwise, it could easily lead to some people imitating us."

Mao Jiayang nodded and said, "Okay, I definitely won't reveal a single word."

Lu Yanhe asked Chen Ziyan, "Sister Ziyan, how should we handle this?"

"Let's see if we can find any clues first," Chen Ziyan said. "Reporting to the police at this point wouldn't be very helpful. I've already found a professional team to help us investigate. We shouldn't reveal this until we make progress. Right now, it's just one person, but if word gets out, it might encourage others to imitate this behavior."

(End of this chapter)