Chapter 502 He's Being Idealistic Again (10,000-Word Update!)

Li Zhibai himself had never studied the drama "Bai Yu Yao" this much.

Li Zhibai suddenly realized something and asked in surprise, "You didn't finish reading 'The Ballad of the White Jade', did you?"

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Of course, I've watched almost all of your plays. Even if I haven't watched them all, I've picked out the parts you acted in."

"Wow." Li Zhibai stared at Lu Yanhe in disbelief. "Are you that awesome? I suddenly feel ashamed of myself. I didn't watch your whole show."

“Watch it or not, it’s up to you to start comparing.” Lu Yanhe laughed. “I’m writing scripts, so I often think about how you guys act, what you’re good at and what you’re not good at, so that I can take that into account when I write roles for you.”

Li Zhibai gave a thumbs-up.

"I'm impressed, really, Lao Lu, you're awesome, I'm impressed," Li Zhibai said. "With your attitude towards work, if you don't succeed, who will?"

Yan Liang smiled.

"Wait!" Li Zhibai suddenly looked at Yan Liang with a face full of surprise and suspicion. "You didn't watch our whole show, did you?"

Yan Liang said, "When I have nothing to do, I watch all the plays you guys act in. They're quite interesting. Watching you act is different from your usual performances."

Li Zhibai: "...Why do I suddenly seem like such an unfriendly person?"

He was somewhat annoyed, about himself.

Lu Yanhe repeated once more: "You're starting to compare yourself to others because of this?!"

Yan Liang smiled so hard his eyes narrowed.

"Please treat us to a meal to make amends."

"I'll pay you back with my damn goodness!" Li Zhibai clicked his tongue.

The next day, Li Zhibai invited the two of them up to Fengming Mountain to eat at a restaurant on the mountain that was so expensive that it felt like a knife was being ripped off when paying the bill.

-

The sunshine in the mountains is wonderful.

In March, when spring was just beginning and the air was still chilly, the mountain seemed to warm up when bathed in golden sunlight.

Li Zhibai, wearing sunglasses, looked up at the sky and remarked, "The sky is quite blue."

Lu Yanhe complained, "You're wearing sunglasses and you still think the sky is pretty blue? Shouldn't it be grayish-blue?"

Li Zhibai: "Wearing sunglasses does not mean you are colorblind."

Yan Liang: "There is still a color difference compared to what we actually see."

“It’s not like you can’t see the color!” Li Zhibai glanced at the two of them. “I have to say, you two are really something. I said the sky is pretty blue, and you’re nitpicking, aren’t you?”

Lu Yanhe lay down on the sofa and looked at the mountain view outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

He wasn't wearing sunglasses.

Faced with this rare natural scenery, Lu Yanhe really wanted to see more of it.

Then, just when they all felt that the price was indeed justified, Yan Liang suddenly said, "That person... is he Ji Miao?"

Li Zhibai's carefree expression suddenly froze, as if he had crashed.

Lu Yanhe craned his neck to look and saw the person Yan Liang had mentioned.

It really does seem to be Ji Miao.

“It’s not just her, there’s also Wen Minglan and Bai Jin,” Lu Yanhe said.

Yan Liang: "Huh? I didn't see it."

“They are all wearing sunglasses and standing behind the car. Take a closer look.”

Wen Minglan and Bai Jin have both filmed three seasons of "Friends" with Yan Liang, so they must be very familiar with each other.

While Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were looking around, Li Zhibai moved to a corner like a quail, avoiding all views from outside the window.

Lu Yanhe turned to look at Li Zhibai, both amused and exasperated, and asked, "Isn't it a bit much?"

Li Zhibai: "Don't talk like that without feeling the pain."

Lu Yanhe: "You and Ji Miao... it's not over yet?"

"Look at what you're saying! It never even started!" Li Zhibai shouted.

Lu Yanhe: "If you shout any louder, Ji Miao will hear you."

Li Zhibai: "..."

-

After Lu Yanhe and his two companions finished lunch together, they were preparing to go down the mountain when, by sheer bad luck, they ran into Wen Minglan and her group, who were also leaving, in the parking lot.

Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang's first reaction was to go see Li Zhibai.

Li Zhibai, on the contrary, did not react at all.

"What a coincidence! If I had known you were here, I would have eaten with you all," Wen Minglan said.

Yan Liang felt it was his duty to take over the conversation, so he smiled and nodded, "What a coincidence, you're here too."

An actor is an actor; they don't need to prepare themselves mentally when they're playing dumb.

Bai Jin said to Lu Yanhe, "It's been a long time since I've seen you. Have you watched season three? Did you see how bad it was?"

Bai Jin herself has a rather carefree personality, and often, her words can give people a sense of surprise, like, "Why are you saying something like this at a time like this?"

Although Lu Yanhe already knew this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly once again when asked about it in public.

Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "I haven't seen it broadcast on TV yet, and it's an exclusive broadcast, so it's hard to find a suitable time."

Bai Jin said very seriously, "I'm telling you, Yan He, if you really don't want to come back, and if they make a fourth season, I don't want to act in it anymore. I know that I became known to everyone because of this show, but I don't want to make this show so bad, and I don't want the fans who liked me because of this show to end up hating me."

Lu Yanhe never expected that Bai Jin would say such a thing.

Lu Yanhe pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I will not be returning to the fourth season of Jingtai, if that's what you're asking about."

Bai Jin nodded, "Okay, sigh, if 'Friends' could have been filmed properly from beginning to end, it would definitely be different from now."

"Have you taken on any other roles?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Bai Jin shook his head.

"I didn't work as hard as Minglan and Lili."

Indeed, Lu Yanhe also noticed that Bai Jin hadn't acted in any other dramas in the past two years besides "Friends".

She rarely appears on variety shows; almost all her exposure comes from various fashion events or ceremonies.

Every time Lu Yanhe sees news about Bai Jin, it's usually about her outfits, red carpet appearances, or something similar that has gone viral and is very popular.

Actually, the reason Bai Jin was chosen to play the role that mirrored Phoebe in "Friends" was because Bai Jin herself possessed a quality that set her apart from many others. She was an "unconventional" person. This unique charisma has always been favored by the fashion industry.

Lu Yanhe didn't know if Bai Jin wanted to continue acting.

The group was talking, but Li Zhibai and Ji Miao remained mostly silent.

Suddenly, Bai Jin remembered something, pointed at Li Zhibai, then at Ji Miao, and asked, "Didn't you two just film a movie directed by Liu Bige together?"

Lu Yanhe: "..."

Bai Jin had no idea what she had said.

Ji Miao nodded and said, "We just finished filming."

"Then why are you two acting like strangers?" Bai Jin asked without hesitation.

She was completely unaware that the fact that the two leads, who had just collaborated on a film, didn't exchange a single word after meeting and acted like strangers was itself problematic.

Yan Liang laughed twice and said, "Really? We've been talking the whole time, so they didn't have a chance to speak. You've been talking too much, and now you're blaming others for not speaking."

Bai Jin pointed at himself incredulously: "Me?"

The next second, she accepted it, nodded, and gave a humble and apologetic look.

"I do talk a lot, please forgive me."

Now it was Yan Liang's turn to be embarrassed.

"I, I—"

Lu Yanhe had no idea how this awkward situation had come about.

Wen Minglan stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "What are your plans for this afternoon? It's rare to run into you, how about we go play an escape room game together?"

Just as Lu Yanhe was about to say forget it, since they had other things to do, Ji Miao suddenly gave Li Zhibai a provocative look and said, "You're taking the three of them to play in an escape room? Have you forgotten that none of the three of them are even afraid to watch horror movies?"

Bai Jin: "Oh, right, weren't we just talking about this? In our industry, many male actors are quite timid. Escape rooms... I doubt any of the three of you would dare to try it, right?"

Bai Jin's gaze fell on Lu Yanhe and the others.

Li Zhibai's competitive spirit was immediately ignited.

Li Zhibai had a "who do you think you are?" look on his face. "Don't dare to play? What are you talking about? Go ahead, I want to see what kind of escape room it is."

Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang both wore expressions that said, "I knew it."

Of the three, Li Zhibai was the most susceptible to provocation.

-

An hour later, in front of a zombie that suddenly fell from the ceiling, Li Zhibai gripped Yan Liang's arm tightly. Yan Liang was also startled, but Li Zhibai's grip immediately diverted his attention.

In the dimly lit passageway, there were three boys who pretended not to be afraid, their faces pale, clenching their teeth to keep from screaming, and three girls who frankly admitted that they were scared, so their screams never stopped.

The six of them fought their way through the challenges and finally managed to escape the secret room two hours later.

Wen Minglan exclaimed excitedly, "How exciting!"

Bai Jin: "I think I'll play one more!"

Ji Miao glanced at Li Zhibai and the others. The latter were expressionless, even like ghosts, as if their souls had not yet returned.

She subtly pursed her lips and looked away.

Wen Minglan looked at Lu Yanhe and the others: "Should we play another one?"

Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze and said, "It's getting late. The one we just played was the easiest one. The others will take longer."

"Oh, okay." Wen Minglan was a little disappointed. "Then... what time is it now? Let me see, it's only 4:30."

Bai Jin: "It's too early to go back now."

Li Zhibai said, "There's a movie theater nearby, why don't we watch a movie? You've been running around all afternoon, aren't you tired?"

Bai Jin: "It's a bit tiring, but if you ask me to run through another escape room, I'd be willing to."

"Hahaha." Wen Minglan took Ji Miao's hand. "Actually, I'd like to, but I'm a bit tired. How about we just watch a movie?"

"Alright."

The six people who inexplicably ended up in the escape room also inexplicably ended up in the movie theater.

On the way there, Lu Yanhe said in the group chat with the three of them: I thought you would suggest going back.

Yan Liang: I thought you guys would bring it up.

Li Zhibai: Stop being so hindsight.

Lu Yanhe: It seems that you and Ji Miao can still get along normally.

Li Zhibai: She's not Mengli.

Li Zhibai's words seemed a bit puzzling at first glance, but Lu Yanhe quickly understood their meaning.

Li Zhibai and Meng Li had such a falling out that they couldn't even maintain a proper relationship, but Ji Miao was different. It was a matter between the two of them, and in front of others, neither of them would be unable to even put on a show of politeness.

Yan Liang: I don't think you actually dislike Ji Miao that much.

Li Zhibai: Isn't that obvious? If I disliked her, would I have argued with her for so long?

Yan Liang: Then why don't you give it a try? Just because you don't want to be in a relationship right now, and you don't want to take responsibility?

Li Zhibai: You're making me sound like a scumbag.

Yan Liang: So you just don't want to take responsibility?

Li Zhibai: I can't stand being tied down in a fixed relationship.

-

Wen Minglan, who was walking in front, turned around and glanced at the three boys behind her. She whispered, "Are those three chatting secretly in a group chat? All three of them have their heads down and are typing frantically."

"No way?" Bai Jin turned around and looked at them in surprise, then immediately asked loudly, "Are you guys talking in a private group chat?"

All three people looked up at the same time and put down their phones.

"No."

"How could that be?"

...

Bai Jin turned around and said to Wen Minglan, "No."

Wen Minglan: "..."

Wen Minglan looked past Bai Jin and at Ji Miao. At that moment, she felt that she desperately needed some emotional comfort from Ji Miao.

Ji Miao seemed to understand, and gave her a comforting look.

Sometimes, having a friend like Bai Jin is like having a bomb that could explode at any moment; you never know when she'll suddenly blast you away.

But she was also... inexplicably cute when she exploded.

-

When Bai Jin asked this question, Lu Yanhe and the other two put down their phones and stopped chatting.

However, despite all six of them taking different degrees of disguise, they were unsurprisingly recognized by many people after appearing together at the movie theater. This was to be expected.

Lu Yanhe and his group came out today without bodyguards or assistants, but Wen Minglan and her group did bring them.

So, the three-person team had to deal with the security of six people. Before they even entered the movie theater, they were surrounded by dozens of people.

The journey through film was fraught with obstacles.

They had to leave the movie theater, a place where people gather in large numbers.

At this moment, Ji Miao suddenly said, "How about we go to my house to watch a movie? I have a home theater that can fit all six of us. We can also have dinner at my house; my housekeeper will be there too."

Lu Yanhe looked at Yan Liang.

Yan Liang looked at Li Zhibai.

Li Zhibai said, "Don't bother your housekeeper."

Ji Miao glanced at him, then looked at Wen Minglan and Bai Jin, "Are you going or not?"

Even Wen Minglan noticed that the atmosphere between Li Zhibai and Ji Miao was a bit strange at this moment.

"I—" Wen Minglan had just started to say "I" when Bai Jin suddenly nodded, "Go ahead! I've never been to your house before. I've heard that your house is beautifully decorated, and I've wanted to go see it for a long time."

She turned to look at Lu Yanhe and the other two.

“Let’s go together. Aunt Ji Miao’s cooking is famously good,” Bai Jin said. “I’ve never tried it before, so we can’t miss this opportunity.”

-

When Lu Yanhe and the other two came out of Ji Miao's house at 10 p.m., they were all stunned.

I originally planned to go back after lunch, so why did I stay until 10 p.m. before setting off on my way back?

At every crucial juncture where they could have left, they failed to do so.

Lu Yanhe was somewhat dazed, feeling that today's day was so different from his usual daily life.

Yan Liang suddenly called out to Li Zhibai.

"What?" Li Zhi asked.

Yan Liang looked at Li Zhibai and said, "Nothing else, I just want to make a prediction."

"prophecy?"

"I think you'll eventually be won over by Ji Miao," Yan Liang said.

Li Zhibai's lips twitched slightly.

"What the hell?"

Lu Yanhe smiled.

However, Lu Yanhe also felt that Yan Liang's words were not unfounded.

During the nearly five hours spent at Ji Miao's house, Ji Miao acted like a true "hostess," being considerate, attentive, and attentive to everyone's needs.

Under Lu Yanhe's observation, Ji Miao still paid special attention to Li Zhibai. She concealed it well; even though it seemed that only Bai Jin among the six people was unaware of anything, and everyone else knew something to some extent, she still did not explicitly express her different feelings for Li Zhibai.

Lu Yanhe understood Li Zhibai even better.

He could tell that Ji Miao's attitude made Li Zhibai breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Zhibai definitely had feelings for Ji Miao; he just didn't want to be in a committed relationship—Lu Yanhe realized that Li Zhibai's understanding of love seemed somewhat distorted and warped. In Li Zhibai's mind, dating a girl seemed to mean entering a prison and losing one's freedom forever.

Lu Yanhe didn't know how Li Zhibai came to have such an understanding of dating... although in a sense, he wasn't wrong.

However, this is definitely not normal.

-

"This is a story about the emotional relationship between a man and a woman."

Holding the script in his hand, Hu Siwei introduced the project he was preparing to promote to Xu Bin: "After it was published on YeMai.com, it aroused a lot of discussion. I also came across the story by chance. It is a diary of a YeMai.com user, recording the various stories that happened between him and the girl he liked, from meeting her to confessing his love, and then getting together. I want to acquire the adaptation rights and make it into a TV series."

Xu Bin frowned as he flipped through the proposal Hu Siwei had given him, paying particular attention to the various data points supporting the story. His frown deepened afterward.

"This isn't a big IP, is it?" Xu Bin asked. "Only nine thousand views? You even found this."

Hu Siwei sighed inwardly.

“Indeed, because it’s not a novel, it’s actually just an online diary,” he said. “But the story is really well written, very relatable, and can resonate with many young people today, and it wasn’t expensive to produce.”

Xu Bin looked at Hu Siwei and asked, "What kind of results will this drama achieve? Will the ratings break 1%?"

When questioned by Xu Bin, Hu Siwei couldn't bring himself to say yes.

“We urgently need a drama that can help us stand tall again, not this kind of... trivial story that doesn't even qualify as an IP, about the petty squabbles of a young couple. Even if some people like it, how many will like it? Will it become a hit?”

Xu Bin clearly looked down on this story, thinking it was too small and the cost too low.

Hu Siwei opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something more.

Xu Bin added, "You should stop focusing your energy on these small projects and instead work on creating a big production! You need to make another show like Friends."

At this moment, Hu Siwei's temper finally broke down.

"And then what? Continue to let those people offer random, irresponsible opinions, changing things beyond recognition?" Hu Siwei asked.

Xu Bin was stunned.

He looked at Hu Siwei with some astonishment and disbelief.

In all the years that Hu Siwei had been with him, Xu Bin had never seen anyone so directly contradict him like this before.

Hu Siwei took a deep breath and said, "Director Xu, I lost control just now, I'm sorry. I understand what you mean. I'll go see if I can find another project that's as popular as Friends."

He stood up, turned around, and walked towards the door.

"Hu Siwei!" Xu Bin suddenly called out to him in a very serious tone.

Hu Siwei turned to look at him.

Xu Bin's face tightened, and he asked, "Is there something you're unhappy about with me?"

Hu Siwei looked at him silently. If it were any other time, he would probably have immediately denied it with a grin.

This time, however, he simply glanced at Xu Bin in silence, then said, "Director, I'll go out now," opened the door, and walked out.

Xu Bin's face was ashen, and he remained motionless for a long time. As the office door closed from the outside, only his breathing could be heard inside. After a long while, a dull thud, like a heavy object hitting something, could be heard through the door.

-

Two days later, Lu Yanhe met with the people from Yuehu TV again. This time, they came to talk about developing the film and television review self-media platform "Jump Up" into a film and television review program.

When Lu Yanhe learned of Yuehutai's plans, he was extremely surprised and taken aback.

However, they were very serious. Not only were they serious, but they also had a very comprehensive plan.

"We want to dedicate 15 minutes between 10:00 and 10:15 every night to a commentary segment."

This time, it was Xu Senjin, the director of Yuehu TV, who came to talk to Lu Yanhe about this matter.

How should I put it... Lu Yanhe really wanted to ask, is the director of a TV station really that free? Impossible, right? Even if he is free, does he really not care about his status and dignity? Coming to him personally to discuss cooperation once or twice?

"Friends" is one thing, but why do they have to come and talk about a commentary section themselves?

Xu Senjin, perhaps sensing Lu Yanhe's confusion and surprise, smiled and said, "Don't be too surprised, and don't feel too guilty. This isn't bait to get you to agree to continue doing 'Friends.' Our station itself wanted to create such a program, and someone suggested that 'Jump Up' is one of the most influential comprehensive film and television review programs in China. That's why we thought of collaborating with 'Jump Up.' We want to make this program a daily update, with a large volume of content. In fact, it would be difficult for us to travel all over the world to film festivals and visit various film sets. Collaborating with you is a win-win situation."

Lu Yanhe asked with some curiosity, "Director, why would Yuehu TV suddenly want to create such a film and television review program?"

“In the current market, it’s no longer a matter of video platforms competing with TV stations. If we want to continue developing, we need to innovate and create programs that no one else has, programs that only we can produce. The more difficult it is to replicate, the more unique it will be. So, people in the station came up with some ideas, including creating a film review program, fifteen minutes long, low-cost, but in line with current online trends. In fact, apart from the movie channel that specializes in film reviews, there isn’t a single comprehensive review program in China right now,” Xu Senjin said. “To put it bluntly, this is a testing ground. Maybe it will turn out unremarkable, but maybe it can gain some attention by offering some unique and relatable commentary.”

Lu Yanhe immediately understood.

In fact, Lu Yanhe quite admired Xu Senjin.

In this era, the decline of television stations is an inevitable trend. It is truly rare and not easy for a station director like Xu Senjin, who does not rely on the station's profits for his livelihood, to still be able to put his heart and soul into making something of himself in this field.

After meeting with Xu Senjin, Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan went to a nearby private club to continue their conversation. Chen Ziyan was a member of this private club.

In Yuming, there are many such private clubs, but they are generally not known to the public. Their exteriors usually look ordinary, and people would not associate them with how luxurious and exquisite the interior decoration is.

They need a private space to discuss important matters.

Chen Ziyan said, "Now we have a few important decisions to make. First, regarding Yuehu TV, although Director Xu Senjin hasn't explicitly said it, everything he's done points to you. He definitely wants to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with you, like with Aurora Video, with the reboot of the Friends series being the main focus. Whether we agree to it is up to you. Second, regarding Maxine, you haven't given a clear answer about the sequel to Squid Game. Zhong Benshuo came to me again to inquire about the situation. He's worried that you'll take Squid Game to HP. You said you would definitely continue to work with Maxine on Squid Game, but you didn't tell Maxine or HP. Tom White might have the same idea. If you refuse him when he comes to you, he might have his own thoughts. You have a good relationship with Tom White, which is not easy to maintain. I think we should try our best to maintain it and not let it fall apart."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan: "So, my opinion is to give Maxine a clear stance as soon as possible."

“There’s a third thing. I support your idea of ​​recruiting Hu Siwei to our company. I’ve been following up on this matter recently.” Chen Ziyan took out a tablet from her bag, opened a file, and said, “This is a project that Hu Siwei recently wanted to work on, but Xu Bin rejected it. My friends in Beijing and Taiwan told me that the atmosphere between Hu Siwei and Xu Bin has been strange these past two days. Hu Siwei used to go to Xu Bin’s office at least three or four times a day, but these past two days, they haven’t said much to each other. I think there’s something wrong with their relationship, and we can add fuel to the fire now.”

Lu Yanhe's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "What kind of fire?"

Chen Ziyan raised the tablet in her hand and said, "The copyright of the project he wants to work on is still in the author's hands."

Lu Yanhe immediately understood Chen Ziyan's intention.

"Shall we buy the copyright?"

“Yes.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “The copyright won’t be expensive. It’s actually just a post that’s a little popular on YeMai.com. The licensing fee will be at most 100,000 yuan. And after reading the post, I understand why Hu Siwei wanted to do this. The story is very short, focusing on a young couple from dating to marriage, all about the mundane details of daily life, but it also has a lot of funny and lighthearted parts. It’s a great story template that can be used to make another sitcom. And, importantly, the cost can be very low, because it’s basically just the two of them, a house, two actors, and some guest actors, that’s enough.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe asked with some curiosity, "Is Hu Siwei trying to recreate a sitcom like Friends?"

"I don't know if it's a sitcom, but it's definitely about creating another series," Chen Ziyan said. "This story is perfect for it; there's no main plot, it's all about everyday life."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"What if Hu Siwei still refuses to come after we buy it?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Chen Ziyan said, "Then let's do it ourselves. This project is especially suitable for beginners to practice. The filming is almost effortless."

Lu Yanhe nodded when he heard that Chen Ziyan already had a very clear idea.

"Then let's buy it."

"In addition, regarding the collaboration with Yuehu TV—" Lu Yanhe said, "Actually, I have to admit that if I had the opportunity to continue the Friends series, to reboot it, and to film it according to my original ideas, I would be very willing."

Chen Ziyan: "Okay, then let's not hesitate any longer. If you want to do it, then we'll do it. How Yuehu TV handles the copyright of 'Friends' is their business. We'll just wait for their results."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "However, if that's the case, Sister Ziyan, then I'll be tied to quite a few series, and I might have to spend a lot of time filming series every year."

Chen Ziyan: "Each season of Friends has eight episodes, each episode is twenty minutes long, and it is basically filmed in a few fixed locations. Given its scale, if it were filmed in a concentrated manner, it could probably be finished in a week. What really takes up your filming time is the Seventeen Floors series, and the upcoming Burning Fire series."

The latter two are trilogies.

Chen Ziyan added, "But it's okay, Yan He. You're only twenty-two. You still have about seven or eight years before you enter the golden age of acting. Before that, the types of roles you can play are relatively limited. It's good that you have hit dramas like 'The Seventeen Floors' and blockbusters like 'Burning Fire' to ensure your popularity in the next few years. Next, with the 'Friends' series, if you really do it, you won't need to consider commercial factors when choosing roles. You can make as many movies like 'Road to Glory' as you want."

Lu Yanhe understood what Chen Ziyan meant.

These few dramas essentially provided Lu Yanhe with a safety net—as an actor, especially a top-tier one, one must always balance artistic pursuits and commercial returns to truly maintain their status. In the following years, as long as "Burning Fire" doesn't flop and incur losses, and the other two dramas perform normally, Lu Yanhe's commercial returns in film and television will consistently remain at the top level in the industry. He no longer needs to rely on other projects to ensure his dominance in commercial returns, audience appeal, and market enthusiasm.

Before Chen Ziyan reminded him, Lu Yanhe had never thought that this matter could be interpreted from this perspective.

That's absolutely right... you're absolutely right.

Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief, and his eyes lit up.

"Ziyan, have you received any good scripts recently?" Lu Yanhe asked, "Those that will start filming next year or the year after?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Besides the film directed by Gong Jiang, which I am still following, I heard that director Wang Zhong is also working on a new script. I don't know how far along it is. I heard that for the first time, he is not planning to write about supernatural themes. I am quite curious."

Lu Yanhe was both amused and exasperated.

"Of course, there are some art film scripts, but none of them really caught my eye," Chen Ziyan said. "Several scripts were pretty good, but not to the point where I felt it was worth the risk to act in a film that might not do well at the box office. Although we're saying you might not need to worry about commercial returns for the next few years, at the very least, you shouldn't lose money just to gain publicity. If a project loses money, it will have some impact, more or less."

Lu Yanhe agreed.

Chen Ziyan asked, "What about you? Haven't you received any scripts?"

“Teacher Feng Qiyue talked to me about two scripts before, but they were both TV drama scripts, and they were the kind of big dramas with dozens of episodes. I said that it would be difficult for me to take so much time to act in such a large-scale TV drama now,” Lu Yanhe said. “There is also Zuo Feng, the screenwriter of ‘The Seventh Chapter of Floating Life’. He also told me about an idea, saying that he wanted to write a story later and asked for my opinion. Although he did not say it directly, he probably wanted to invite me to star in it.”

"Haven't you ever thought about writing a few scripts like 'Rouge' for yourself?" Chen Ziyan said. "Huang Kairen made a big comeback with this movie, going directly from a popular actor to a Best Actor. Although you also won the Galaxy Award for Best Actor, as some people nitpick, your only major film so far is 'Late Spring'."

Lu Yanhe curled his lip.

"I'm already in this state, and you still want to talk about who's first or second billing? I'm speechless." Lu Yanhe complained, "No wonder so many celebrities are fighting over this billing order."

Chen Ziyan: "Why do you think there is such a group of career fans? It's secondary to how good your acting is. They project their own fantasies onto you. You have to be awesome in every aspect, overwhelmingly number one, a hexagonal warrior with no weaknesses, in order to meet their expectations of you. You can't have any flaws."

Lu Yanhe: "When I finish filming 'Chinese Paladin,' won't they start arguing like crazy? I'm not even the second lead anymore in this drama. I think I'll be ranked fifth at most."

Chen Ziyan: "...They won't make a huge fuss. They'll just say condescendingly that you only did this to help your good friend by playing the fifth role."

Lu Yanhe: "I'm impressed."

Chen Ziyan's phone suddenly vibrated.

She took it out and glanced at it.

"Hmm?" Chen Ziyan was a little surprised. "You went out with Minglan and Ji Miao a while ago?"

"Yes, I went out to eat with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, and I ran into Minglan, Ji Miao and Bai Jin."

"You guys even went to Ji Miao's house?" Chen Ziyan said. "Someone took pictures and said you left Ji Miao's house late at night. They didn't say anything, but the description was quite ambiguous. They said you guys were getting to know each other and that you had feelings for each other. They even asked why Chen Siqi wasn't there and whether she knew you went to another female celebrity's house late at night."

Lu Yanhe was speechless: "What nonsense is this?"

"Forget it, let's ignore them. No normal person would believe their insinuations in this kind of news," Chen Ziyan said. "You and Siqi are planning to move in together this June, right?"

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded.

“It’s alright, it’s still in Ziyuan Bridge, so the environment is relatively familiar. However, if you two are photographed living together, it will probably cause some public opinion, so we need to make contingency plans in advance,” Chen Ziyan said. “By the way, if you buy a car, remember to tell me the license plate number, including Siqi’s. I need to make some arrangements.”

"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded. Although he didn't know what arrangements Chen Ziyan was planning, he was too lazy to ask. If he asked everything, there would be too much to ask.

"Also, you'll definitely need to hire a housekeeper. You two are so busy, someone needs to clean and tidy up the house regularly. If you're still using your current housekeeper, that's fine. But if you're going to hire a new one, remember to let me know so I can do a background check and give you all the necessary instructions," Chen Ziyan said. "Don't let anything go wrong with these little things. Many celebrities get into trouble and face self-defense crises because of betrayal by people around them."

Lu Yanhe: "Okay."

He knew it wasn't good to think this way, but he couldn't help thinking it.

With Chen Ziyan around, Lu Yanhe really wasn't worried about problems like "backyard fires".

Chen Ziyan is like a powerful guardian spirit; no trickery can escape her notice.

He also knew that this was too much of a sign of blind confidence on Chen Ziyan's part.

But... let it be.

Lu Yanhe couldn't imagine what it would be like if he couldn't even trust Chen Ziyan.

Yeah, he's being idealistic again.

-

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(End of this chapter)