Chapter 500 Who Cooperates with Whom (7,000-word update!)

"I was almost knocked unconscious by his offer of fifty million dollars!"

In a phone call with Chen Ziyan, Lu Yanhe said in utter shock, "Finally, someone has come up with so much money to throw at me."

Chen Ziyan's reaction was "Uh—", and then she said, "If I told you that many film and television companies in China have offered you contracts worth hundreds of millions of yuan to write and direct a movie, but I have rejected them all, would you be angry?"

Lu Yanhe: "What? I thought people in our country were more rational."

“When someone offers you such a fee, do you think they’re being irrational? No, it’s just that you don’t know how much money they can make from you,” Chen Ziyan said. “You are the most valuable person.”

Chen Ziyan added, "You've already seen it all. 'Rouge' and 'Lost in Thailand' both brought you nine-figure incomes. The most profitable thing is never one person's salary."

Lu Yanhe: "But those were all... how should I put it, real money earned through box office and licensing. No matter how much they earned, I would only think that the project was very successful and that I was lucky to be able to earn so much. But when Zhong Benshuo comes to me with a $50 million agreement, as long as I am willing to give the broadcasting rights of the sequel to 'The Squid Game' to Maxine, I can earn $50 million, and the purchase price of the broadcasting rights will be paid separately as normal, I... maybe I am used to doing a little bit and getting paid a little bit, this kind of unexpected windfall makes me subconsciously feel uneasy."

"Because we're all influenced by the idea that there's no such thing as a free lunch." Chen Ziyan succinctly explained what Lu Yanhe hadn't made clear earlier. "Right? You're actually worried about this."

"right!"

Chen Ziyan: "To put it simply, I'm not surprised that Zhong Benshuo brought this $50 million deal. You don't know what 'The Squid Game' means to Maxine. In fact, to be precise, from 'Friends' to 'The 17th Floor' and now 'The Squid Game,' the returns Maxine has received are several times, even ten times, the cost of acquiring them. And how popular 'The Squid Game' is globally isn't just about the number of viewers. It's the same principle, you've forgotten? A hugely popular series is a catalyst for a video platform, a catalyst for its stock price."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized his mistake.

He did indeed overlook this aspect again.

“Then you’ll understand what a hugely popular TV series means to a platform like Maxine,” Chen Ziyan said. “It’s a series that has broken historical records.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.

Chen Ziyan: "For other creators, if they encounter such a hugely successful work, even if they don't do it themselves, investors, producers, platforms, agents, etc., will urge them to abandon other projects and devote themselves wholeheartedly to this one. But it's different for you. Every one of your works has been a hit to varying degrees. As an actor, screenwriter, and director, you are sought after by all sectors. Even I find it difficult to say which role you should primarily focus on now. For you now, none of these roles are dispensable. So, next, will you prioritize working on the film 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' or writing the sequel script for 'The Squid Game'? As Maxine's representative and the person in charge of the 'The Squid Game' project, Zhong Benshuo has two things to do: ensure that the project stays with Maxine and ensure that it continues to move forward, without being delayed by your other projects. That's the significance of this $50 million."

Lu Yanhe breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Will you finish writing the script for the second season of 'Squid Game' this year?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "I will write it down, but it may not be finalized."

After all, when he transmigrated, "The Squid Game" didn't have a second season, so he had to write it himself. He had never written an original script before, only adding some original content during the scriptwriting process. These were two different things. Lu Yanhe didn't know if he could write it, but he wanted to try first.

Chen Ziyan: "Have you... considered switching to a different platform for streaming? Like HP?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "I haven't considered it. Success isn't so easy to replicate. 'Squid Game' is already a huge hit on Maxine, why would I easily change it? I don't want to have too much personal interaction with Zhong Benshuo; this is a personal matter between us. Maxine itself is a great streaming service, and it hasn't treated me badly, has it?"

“Yes, it’s good that you think this way,” Chen Ziyan said. “Zhong Benshuo… I’ve dealt with him a few times, and my impression of him hasn’t been very positive. He’s a typical, sophisticated egoist. However, we don’t need to make value judgments about others. A sophisticated egoist can also be a collaborator with shared interests. But with this kind of person, I think it’s best to just cooperate. There’s no need to develop any other relationship. It’s very good that you have a natural wariness and defensiveness towards him now.”

Lu Yanhe laughed.

Chen Ziyan's frank expression of her dislike for Zhong Benshuo resonated with Lu Yanhe.

Similarly, this made Lu Yanhe want to laugh.

Chen Ziyan suddenly said, "The cast of 'Squid Game' Season 2 has been almost completely reshuffled except for Jiang Jun and Liu Zefan. There's going to be a lot of trouble ahead."

Lu Yanhe laughed.

"Have you watched the third season of Friends?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Lu Yanhe shook his head.

When Friends was airing, he was filming Love Letter and was so busy that he didn't have time to watch Friends Season 3.

Chen Ziyan said, "The ratings plummeted, and eventually there was hardly anyone discussing it online."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

"The third season hasn't been released on any domestic video platforms yet, probably because they had problems with advertising revenue for online streaming and suffered a setback." Chen Ziyan laughed with a sense of satisfaction. "You probably can't imagine how badly the ratings for the third season dropped. By the seventh episode, it had fallen to only 0.3%."

Lu Yanhe wore an expression of disbelief.

"No way?"

It had the potential to be a major fire, so how could it have collapsed like this?

Chen Ziyan: "I don't watch every episode. Their reputation has collapsed to this extent, yet they insist on airing only one episode a week and not releasing it on video platforms at the same time. I have no way to see just how bad it is."

Lu Yanhe stared at Chen Ziyan in surprise, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

-

Lu Yanhe really didn't expect that "Friends" would be handled like this by Beijing TV.

"Squid Game" was indeed very popular in China, but it still falls short compared to "Friends" back in the day.

"The Squid Game" only became popular among young people, unlike "Friends," which became a social phenomenon, with every media outlet using the characters and plot of "Friends" to discuss values ​​and issues.

It's fair to say that the phenomenal success of "Friends" in China is incredible. With such a solid fanbase, Lu Yanhe couldn't understand how the third season could have been so terrible that its ratings had plummeted below the minimum for Beijing TV.

He searched online for related comments to see what people were saying about the show. He then realized just how much resentment people had towards the third season.

The criticism was directed at Gao Bohua, the director of the third season.

There are virtually no clips online that are longer than a minute.

Any clip exceeding one minute would likely infringe on copyright, which is why it wasn't included.

Lu Yanhe pointed out several of the most criticized aspects. One was that Zhang Lan's new character was competing with Li Lili for a man, which became one of the main storylines of the third season. Another was that the third season also introduced the character of Chen Wanqiu's ex-boyfriend, who suddenly came back to pursue Chen Wanqiu again. The theme of the third season suddenly became a love feud drama, and because of this, it was criticized to no end.

Moreover, many people are saying that with each episode of the third season, their liking for these characters diminishes. Previously, because of a soft spot for the characters who had been with us since the first season, they could tolerate even an annoying fly appearing in the second season. Now, the third season is completely vilifying their beloved characters.

Like the white moonlight in one's heart, they have become overweight and turned into greasy middle-aged men and noisy middle-aged women.

Upon seeing this description, Lu Yanhe inexplicably understood everyone's feelings.

-

"Has 'My Own Swordsman' finished filming? How's the post-production going?"

That day, Hu Siwei invited Bai Jingnian out. The longtime friends sat down together for a drink and a chat.

Bai Jingnian nodded and said, "The post-production of this drama is easy to do, it's basically finished, and it's expected to premiere this summer."

Hu Siwei asked, "I heard it's going to be broadcast in three seasons?"

“Yes.” Bai Jingnian nodded. “But we’ve actually already filmed half of the content. We’ll start filming the other half this year.”

Hu Siwei: That's great. So, will you air one season per year for these three seasons?

“Yes.” Bai Jingnian nodded. “This is good too, there’s no pressure.”

"Since you left Beijing and Taiwan, things have been going smoothly for you now," Hu Siwei said with a smile.

"To be honest, I have to thank you, Lao Hu. If it weren't for your support in making the 'Friends' project and bringing in Lu Yanhe to revise the script, I might have really just been stuck working at Beijing TV until retirement," Bai Jingnian said. "Speaking of which, are you still planning to continue working at Beijing TV?"

Hu Siwei was taken aback. "Huh?"

"The third season of Friends must have dealt you a significant blow, right?" Bai Jingnian said.

Hu Siwei lowered his head and smiled, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"It's more than just a big blow." He sighed. "They even held an internal meeting to make a self-criticism, and I, as the producer, was the first to be affected."

Bai Jingnian frowned. "Xu Bin pushed you out to take the blame?"

“Not really. When we had the meeting, I asked that my objections to the adaptation of the third season be recorded in the minutes,” Hu Siwei said. “But even if I did that, it was to no avail. Nobody listened to me at the time.”

"That's just how things are between Beijing and Taiwan."

Bai Jingnian originally wanted to say something more, but after glancing at Hu Siwei, he fell silent and decided to let it go.

He said, "You really should consider leaving Beijing and Taiwan. With your strong abilities, it's a pity that you've been wasting your time in Beijing and Taiwan."

Hu Siwei smiled.

“Old Bai, I’m not you. I’m not a director, and I don’t do any creative work. It’s easy to leave Beijing and Taiwan, but what will I do there?” Hu Siwei gave a bitter smile. “I was just a producer on Friends. To put it bluntly, I was a senior accountant, managing everything and all sorts of miscellaneous things.”

Bai Jingnian said seriously, "Yanhe's film and television production company is in dire need of someone like you."

Hu Siwei looked at Bai Jingnian in surprise.

"What?"

Bai Jingnian: "I'm not just saying this casually. He complained to me before that when he was making the movie 'Love Letter,' his entire team was made up of friends."

Hu Siwei immediately shook her head, "Don't tease me. How could Lu Yanhe's company be short of people? If he wanted to hire, the entire entertainment industry would be sending resumes to his company."

“I’m serious about this,” Bai Jingnian said. “As for Lu Yanhe’s production company, I don’t need to say anything about its future. It’s a fact that his company is short-staffed right now. He probably hasn’t decided whether he’ll continue directing in the future, so he hasn’t recruited any real production staff. But think about it, Lu Yanhe is involved in so many projects—acting in them, writing them himself, and even becoming a producer in the future. He needs someone who really understands film and television production to help him, and he doesn’t have that kind of person around him right now. You two have always had a good relationship. You two were quite familiar with each other when you filmed ‘Friends.’ Why don’t you give it a try?”

Hu Siwei fell silent and did not refute any further.

Bai Jingnian said, "If you're too embarrassed to ask, I'll speak up for you."

Hu Siwei immediately shook his head.

"Need not."

Bai Jingnian's words left a strong ripple in Hu Siwei's heart, and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

-

The third season of Friends has been a disaster, enraging the station manager. Other factions are laughing at them, while their own internal situation is gloomy and dismal.

In the past few days, the question Hu Siwei has been asked most often is: Will Friends continue to be filmed? Will there be a fourth season?

Faced with this question, Hu Siwei didn't know how to answer it.

Because he didn't know either.

In reality, given how the third season turned out, several of the main actors have made it clear that they don't want to participate in the fourth season until fundamental changes are made. Even if Beijing TV wanted to produce it, they would face the problem of the main actors being absent. It has truly become a mess, and a mess that is difficult to clean up.

Xu Bin then called him to his office.

"Can Friends be saved?" Xu Bin asked him.

Hu Siwei said, "Unless we can bring Lu Yanhe back or Bai Jingnian back, given the situation of the third season, even if the fourth season returns to the level of the first season, it may not be able to win back those viewers."

Turning the tide against adversity is always harder than pressing forward in victory.

Hu Siwei looked at Xu Bin, who had two dark circles under his eyes, and sighed inwardly. He thought to himself that he had said countless times before that the director poached from Hollywood should not be allowed to mess things up in the third season, but Xu Bin did not believe him. He believed in the director named Gao Bohua as if he were bewitched or had found a lifeline.

Now that the third season has flopped, Gao Bohua is nowhere to be seen in movies anymore.

Xu Bin remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Since we can't save him, let's just let it go."

Hu Siwei looked at him with some surprise, not understanding what he meant.

Xu Bin said to Hu Siwei, "Let's put the Friends project on hold for now."

Hu Siwei was surprised that Xu Bin made the decision to suspend "Friends" so quickly.

So, in Xu Bin's eyes, could this decision be made so quickly?

Hu Siwei was momentarily silent, somewhat... lost.

In the past, these people who came from television stations liked to call themselves "television people".

Later, this idea gradually cooled down, was phased out, and disappeared.

Hu Siwei was once proud to be a "television professional." When he first joined the company, he truly enjoyed a period of great success. Back then, he produced programs, bought TV dramas, went on location shoots, and traveled all over the country searching for material suitable for television broadcast… Hu Siwei genuinely felt that this was a place he could dedicate his life to.

Then, the internet age arrived.

When Friends Season 1 achieved such dazzling success, Hu Siwei was thinking about nothing else but that they had finally found a way for the TV station to continue.

It should be exclusively broadcast.

As long as there is top-notch content, television and mobile phones are merely the mediums for viewing.

Hu Siwei fully believed that the Friends series could last at least five or six seasons.

Because this is different from typical TV series, it's a sitcom with almost no main storyline. As long as you're familiar with the main cast, you can watch it even if you don't watch it consecutively.

Once a group of viewers who love this series is cultivated, the ratings can continue to dominate the market.

Who knew that its dazzling brilliance would last so long, like the final burst of energy in the dying man's life.

Xu Bin said to Hu Siwei, "You've worked hard these past few days, take a rest."

Hu Siwei nodded, glanced at Xu Bin, and hesitated before speaking.

Xu Bin saw it, but he didn't ask. He just waved and said, "Go and rest."

Hu Siwei sighed silently to himself and left.

-

"Rebooting Friends?"

Lu Yanhe stared in shock at the man who had come to see him.

Xu Senjin, director of Yuehu TV.

Xu Senjin is 42 years old this year and has been working in the broadcasting system in Yuehu. He became the station director last year.

Chen Ziyan sat down next to Lu Yanhe, smiled at Xu Senjin, and said, "Director Xu, the copyright of 'Friends' is held by Beijing TV, not us."

Xu Senjin said, "Ms. Chen, as long as Yan He is willing to return to 'Friends,' we will handle the rest."

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan exchanged a glance.

This station director, who also came from a top-tier television station, felt very different from the other television station directors that Lu Yanhe and his colleagues had met before.

Some people possess a kind of charisma that makes them seem capable at first glance, and Xu Senjin is such a person.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xu Senjin said, "Yan He, you can speak your mind if you have any concerns. I am very sincere in wanting to make the 'Friends' series. Yuehu TV has been working hard to develop over the years, and you could say that it is one of the top-tier TV stations that is still focused on creating and innovating content. Beijing TV has not seen the true value of the 'Friends' series. As for the kind of thing that happened at Beijing TV, where you were unjustly affected by internal strife, I can promise you that as long as I am at Yuehu TV, it will never happen."

Lu Yanhe paused for a moment and said, "Director Xu, do you hope that the 'Friends' series will continue and be broadcast on Yuehu TV?"

“Yes,” Xu Senjin said. “You have absolute autonomy. How this film is shot is up to you.”

-

Xu Senjin's suggestion made Lu Yanhe fall into deep thought.

To be honest, the Friends series has a very different meaning for Lu Yanhe.

He made a bold statement back then, quitting Friends, and he kept his word, but he still felt a little regretful.

If that incident hadn't happened, Friends would have already reached its third season.

In any case, the ratings would never have plummeted like this, right?

"Friends" marked his first involvement in a project outside of acting. And it wasn't just as much of a role as a screenwriter. As Bai Jingnian told reporters at the time, Lu Yanhe was involved in casting, discussing the filming plan, and many other aspects of the production. Lu Yanhe made significant contributions to the overall vision and final product of "Friends."

Lu Yanhe himself knows best the investment involved.

-

Subsequently, as if to show Lu Yanhe their sincerity, Yuehu TV broadcast the two TV series "Phoenix Terrace" and "The Silent River" in succession. Not only that, they also bought the TV broadcasting rights to "Three Mountains", "Late Spring", "Lost in Thailand", "Rouge", and "Road to Glory", and created a special column called "Lu Yanhe Film Week", which aired from Monday to Friday.

Lu Yanhe was completely taken aback by Yuehutai's actions.

These shows were bought by television stations for broadcast, and the copyright fees were calculated based on the number of times they were broadcast.

You have to pay every time you play a video.

Aside from not being able to buy the rights to the first season of Friends, The Golden Age, and The Seventeen Floors, they aired everything they could buy.

This action has also attracted the attention of many people.

"Does Yuehutai like Lu Yanhe that much?"

"They... are going to cooperate with Lu Yanhe?"

For a top-tier television station to broadcast the same person's work so frequently is indeed a signal in the eyes of many.

Of course, nobody would have thought of this in relation to Friends.

After years of repeated hype, everyone has automatically separated Lu Yanhe from the Friends series.

As for Yuehu Terrace... it has absolutely nothing to do with Friends.

The general consensus is that Lu Yanhe is going to collaborate with Yuehutai on a new project.

Many people went to Yuehutai to inquire, and also came to Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan to inquire.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan both replied, "No."

-

"Is Lu Yanhe really going to cooperate with Yuehutai?"

At an internal meeting between Beijing and Taiwan, Director Shen Tailin looked at Jiang Lan and asked.

Jiang Lan is currently the only deputy director of the Beijing-Taiwan Railway Station who can still form a cooperative relationship with Lu Yanhe.

Jiang Lan shook her head. "I asked them, and they said no, but I don't know if it's true. However, even if they really are cooperating with Yuehu TV, it wouldn't be surprising."

Shen Tailin: "Is Lu Yanhe still unwilling to return to the Friends series?"

“I asked him privately too.” Jiang Lan glanced at Xu Bin. “I also told him that if he’s willing to return, we’ll have him as a creative consultant for *Friends*, with full decision-making power and autonomy. But he was also very direct. He said in front of everyone that he wouldn’t return to Beijing to participate in *Friends*. It wasn’t about whether he wanted to come back or not, but rather that he couldn’t say it and then go back on his word. Actually—”

Jiang Lan paused for a moment, glanced at Xu Bin and the other deputy directors, and then said, "The fact that he can speak so frankly makes me feel that he is actually telling the truth. When we talked to him about the second part of 'The Seventeen Floors,' it went very smoothly without any difficulties. The filming of this movie will start this year."

Jiang Lan said all this not for any other reason than to subtly remind Shen Tailin that no matter how much they want to bring Lu Yanhe back to the "Friends" series, they shouldn't mess with her. Lu Yanhe still has to act in "The Seventeen Floors".

The third season of Friends was a complete flop, but her Seventeen Floors is still in full swing preparing for its second season.

Shen Tailin asked, "Besides 'The Seventeenth Floor,' what other projects does Lu Yanhe have?"

Jiang Lan: "I've looked at some of the scripts he has, the ones with the copyright still intact and that can be developed into TV series, but none of them seem suitable to me at the moment."

Shen Tailin nodded. "What if we asked him to write a sitcom script? Would he come?"

Jiang Lan paused for a moment, "I need to talk to him to find out. However, Director, Lu Yanhe's situation is very different now. Everything else is still manageable, but now he basically keeps the copyrights of all his projects to himself. He only sells the broadcasting rights or shares the copyright of the series with the production company, but he keeps the story and other derivative development rights to himself. This is completely different from when he was making 'Friends'."

Shen Tailin nodded.

“If he can write another show like Friends, all these conditions are negotiable.” Shen Tailin looked at Jiang Lan. “The key is whether he is willing to write it and whether he is capable of writing it.”

Xu Bin didn't utter a single word from beginning to end.

On the one hand, he didn't want to speak up; on the other hand, he sensed that Shen Tailin didn't seem to care about his attitude or opinions.

This is a television station, an environment that has been passed down through generations for decades. Perhaps in some companies, or on video platforms like Aurora Video, a deputy might still be lectured like a grandson in front of their superior, but in a television station, this is almost impossible. Because no one relies on anyone else for their livelihood, everyone is on the government payroll, and there is a clear division of responsibilities and a strict hierarchy. But unless you plan to completely break ties, you'll usually be on friendly terms.

Today, Shen Tailin ignored Xu Bin as if he didn't exist, which was a bit too obvious.

After the meeting ended, Xu Bin returned to his office with a gloomy expression.

He sat in his seat for a while and then called Hu Siwei.

"Come here for a moment."

Hu Siwei came to his office.

Xu Bin said, "Lu Yanhe just doesn't want to continue making 'Friends' anymore. Didn't you have a good relationship with him when you were filming 'Friends'? Go talk to him and see if you can collaborate on other projects. He has several scripts, which Jiang Lan has read, but she didn't like them and didn't want to develop them. You can bring them over, and we'll do it."

Hu Siwei was stunned, looking at Xu Bin in disbelief, "Huh?"

Xu Bin asked, "What? Is there a problem?"

Hu Siwei saw a hint of obsessive anger and embarrassment in Xu Bin's eyes.

So Hu Siwei swallowed back what he wanted to say and didn't say it.

“I’ll contact Lu Yanhe,” Hu Siwei said to Xu Bin.

He walked out of Xu Bin's office, stood in the corridor, looked at the light shining through the window at the end of the corridor, and sighed deeply.

The words Bai Jingnian had said earlier vaguely resurfaced in his mind.

-

Last night before bed, I suddenly came across Lin Haitingtao's new novel, *Reversal*. He's a very famous author of sports-themed novels; I hadn't read any of his other works before, this was my first. It was already 140,000 words in, and I thought I could try a genre I'd never read before, maybe it would make me sleepy and help me get some rest. As a result, I read all 140,000 words in one go, catching up to the latest chapter. I really enjoyed it; those interested can check it out.

(End of this chapter)