Chapter 521 The Moon Shines Brightly at This Moment, We Share the Same Horizon (8,000-word update!)

After Lu Yanhe acted in his first scene, he became an instant star in the "Misty" drama crew.

Ultimately, actors must rely on their acting skills to speak for themselves.

This is especially true in places like film sets.

Being popular and famous can certainly bring some preferential treatment, but to truly win the recognition and approval of the crew, you still need solid acting skills.

Just like some actors who aren't very famous, but whose professional skills are widely recognized, when they attend events, they will definitely receive the respect and courtesy of those popular stars—provided that the actor's professional skills are widely recognized. If an actor has great acting skills but isn't known by many people, many people won't bother with such politeness.

Why is this happening?

Because no matter how much the actual situation in this era is "traffic-driven," in everyone's perception, acting skills are still king.

You don't have to prioritize acting skills, but you can't say that publicly. If you do, you'll violate public order and good morals, and you'll be attacked by public opinion and condemned by mainstream media.

This is a fundamental understanding of how the entertainment industry is structured.

In the crew of "Misty", these young actors, regardless of their fame or whether they are likely to become superstars in the future, if you perform poorly or even badly, people will dislike you even if they don't say it.

For many people, Lu Yanhe, a young film emperor from China, is a complete stranger who has never seen any of his works. Those who know a little about him know that he has won the Best Actor award at China's mainstream film awards and has won awards at the four major international film festivals, making him quite famous.

As for his actual acting skills, it's ultimately impossible to know without seeing and hearing the truth.

Now, Lu Yanhe's acting skills have a concrete description: he scared Arne Bogut in his very first scene.

-

"Arne, is that Chinese actor's acting really that exaggerated? He scared you in the very first scene?"

The muscular Simon Schmid looked at Arne Bogut with a mocking smile, his eyes full of amusement, seemingly amused by the fact that Arne Bogut had been frightened while acting.

Arne Bogut glanced at him and said, "You'll see when you act opposite him."

Simon Schmid curled his lip and said, "You're just a coward. I'm never afraid of ghosts or anything like that."

Lily Williams glanced at Simon Schmid and said, "You're so strong, of course you're not afraid of these things. We're not like you."

Actually, it has to be said that China does a better job in science education.

At least among young people, China is largely atheistic, with no belief in ghosts or spirits. But in Europe and America, it's a different story; a significant group genuinely believes in the existence of ghosts and spirits.

Just like the three of them are discussing now, their conversation reveals that some of them genuinely believe that ghosts exist in this world.

Lily Williams was one of them.

“I was on set watching the scene where Arne and Lu Yanhe were filming. I was sitting behind the director watching the monitor.” Lily Williams’ eyelashes trembled slightly as if she remembered something. “Lu Yanhe really is like a vengeful demon. I get nervous and scared just thinking about acting with him like that.”

“Lily, you’re exaggerating. No matter how well he acts, it’s still just acting,” Simon Schmid said.

Lily Williams immediately said, "Have you forgotten about 'The Gates of Hell'?"

“The Gates of Hell?” Simon Schmid’s expression changed suddenly when he heard the name.

Not only him, but Arne Bogut's expression also changed.

-

"We can actually take inspiration from the movie 'The Gates of Hell' when it comes to marketing our film."

Shinna Lin was talking to Mooken Sorge on set about the film's marketing, saying, "You know how 'The Gate of Hell' was marketed, right?"

“Yes, they did a lot of marketing for the actor who played the ghost in the film, saying that he was possessed on set and that the actor didn’t remember anything that happened on set. Some co-stars also said that when acting, the actor was like a completely different person, and they felt like they were being suppressed by something, like the fear of sleep paralysis,” said Murken Sorge. “A lot of rumors about the film crew emerged to generate buzz for the movie, and it worked very well, grossing $130 million worldwide.”

“They still deny that this is movie marketing, saying it's a real event, but we all know it's definitely marketing,” Xin Nalin said. “I think our movie should also learn from this approach. Lu Yanhe is Chinese, and you know, China has just as many ghost and god legends as we do. I think if we can do some similar marketing around him, it will definitely attract a lot of attention.”

Murken Sorge shook his head immediately and said, "Impossible. Lu is not an ordinary, unknown actor. Many people know him. This kind of marketing on him will not have any effect at all. You underestimate his fame and influence in the global film industry."

Xin Nalin is indeed not involved in the art film circle, and she doesn't know much about Lu Yanhe's situation.

However, Sinnalin insisted, "His high profile is even better, isn't that a double benefit? A famous actor experiencing many inexplicable mysteries during the filming of a horror movie, even seemingly being possessed by a ghost. This story is definitely captivating."

Muken Sorge frowned slightly.

“I don’t think Lu Yanhe will accept it,” Muken Sorge said directly.

"Muken, do you also think that the marketing plan I proposed is very beneficial to the film's box office?" Cinna Lin asked.

Murken Sorge said, "I believe my films can sell well at the box office without this kind of marketing. I haven't used this kind of marketing for my last two films, and I don't like it. Only low-quality horror films need this kind of fake marketing."

Horror movies are scary not because they are based on true events.

In this world, most people know that horror movies are not real, but they are still scared out of their wits, and some even have heart attacks and die unexpectedly from fright.

Murken Sorge can be described as a director with strong ideas and personal aesthetic pursuits in filmmaking.

Although Muken said that, he noticed that Cinnaryn's expression didn't seem to convince him.

-

Whether the movie "The Mist" will be a box office success is actually a greater pressure for Shin Na-lin.

This was a project that Xin Nalin single-handedly promoted.

Even though Murken Sorge's previous two films were box office successes, that doesn't mean the third one will be 100% successful.

That's not the case.

Now that there's a way to reduce the box office pressure on a movie, and even let them start dreaming ahead, how could Shin Na-lin give it up so easily?

-

Chen Ziyan arrived at this time.

She rushed there, weary from her journey, and met Lu Yanhe again after two weeks.

"The last episode of 'My Own Swordsman' on Aurora Video garnered over 30 million views in 24 hours, making it the drama series with the most new members added this year and also the drama series with the highest revenue from pre-roll ads." Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe, "Congratulations, you have created another drama series that has created a ratings miracle."

Lu Yanhe smiled and waved his hand, saying, "When is the second season scheduled to air?"

Chen Ziyan said, "It will be broadcast early next year, in winter, to catch the winter vacation. Also, 'My Own Swordsman' will be broadcast exclusively on Yuehu TV, with two episodes every afternoon. Remember to send a promotional message to Yuehu TV on Weibo."

"Okay, sure." Lu Yanhe nodded. "So, what are the approximate ratings?"

“I don’t know, but after the online broadcast of Aurora Video is over, every episode of ‘My Own Swordsman’ except for the first one will require a membership to watch. I think it will still attract a lot of viewers if it is broadcast on TV.” Chen Ziyan said, “This is also a new model that can be explored. After the online broadcast ends, it will switch to a membership to watch the series. If people want to watch the series without paying a membership, they can go to the TV station to watch it.”

Lu Yanhe: "But the TV station doesn't broadcast it every day."

"Of course, this just means there are more viewing channels, and everyone can choose what they need," Chen Ziyan said. "The key is, look at 'Friends.' It was delayed in being broadcast on video websites and was broadcast dozens of times on Beijing TV and other channels. The ratings were still high and there were a lot of advertisements. This shows that there is a huge market for this kind of show. No matter how many times you broadcast it, as long as you broadcast it, people will still watch it."

Lu Yanhe: "Then I hope that 'My Own Swordsman' will also be broadcast very well on Yuehu TV."

Chen Ziyan: "There's another piece of good news that you're sure want to hear."

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "What good news?"

"Because of the popularity of 'My Own Swordsman,' Jiangzhi saw a surge of more than 600,000 tourists last week," said Chen Ziyan. "Tongfu Inn in Jiangzhi has become incredibly popular."

Lu Yanhe smiled with delight.

"Really?"

“Really,” Chen Ziyan said. “The tourism department of Jiangzhi sent us a banner to thank the crew of ‘My Own Swordsman’ for their contribution to the local tourism industry in Jiangzhi. Not only that, Huang Kairen and Liu Zi were also appointed as tourism promotion ambassadors for Jiangzhi.”

"Very good."

Chen Ziyan: "People from Jiangzhi also said that they will push for 'My Own Swordsman' to apply for various official mainstream awards, which will directly boost the local economy and is of great significance."

"Then Brother Yunlan and Sister Yiyi must be incredibly busy these days," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.

"That's for sure."

Chen Ziyan: "Because we will continue to film the later parts of Tongfu Inn in the second half of the year, and Jiang Zhi is so popular now, everyone is under a lot of pressure. We are afraid that the popularity will not decrease when we start filming, which will cause a lot of trouble for the filming."

Lu Yanhe said, "This is a happy trouble."

“It is indeed a happy trouble.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “The Northern Lights Video asked me to ask you what you think. They want to know if it is possible to develop some spin-off dramas for the TV series ‘My Own Swordsman’.”

"A spin-off series?" Lu Yanhe asked, somewhat surprised.

Chen Ziyan said, "This is a martial arts film, and it's also a sitcom. All the stories take place in the Tongfu Inn environment, but there is actually a very big world view. They think they can develop some of the stories mentioned in 'My Own Swordsman' and make them into spin-off series. If you are willing to authorize them and agree to let them film it, they will start preparing."

Lu Yanhe: "I don't have time to write scripts for their spin-off series."

“I know, and they know too, so all they need is your agreement,” Chen Ziyan said. “If you don’t agree, there’s nothing we can do.”

“I think it’s okay to make a spin-off series, but let’s wait until ‘My Own Swordsman’ finishes airing. I don’t want other shows to steal the show before ‘My Own Swordsman’ has finished airing.”

“Okay.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “They won’t be that quick. They need to find someone to write the script, prepare the production team, and then film and broadcast it. It’s a long process.”

"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.

-

Chen Ziyan only stayed for two days.

She mainly came to check on Lu Yanhe's situation on set.

Lu Yanhe showed her around the film set.

"Actually, it's similar to China. There's not much difference in our hardware," Lu Yanhe said. "But there's one thing that really surprised me: their film crews operate very efficiently. Everyone knows what they're supposed to do as soon as they arrive on set, and they basically only shoot for about eight hours a day before wrapping up."

Chen Ziyan said, "Their experience in managing film crews for over a hundred years is something we can't compare to. We should learn from them and apply it to our own film crews in the future."

"Um."

Chen Ziyan was chatting with Lu Yanhe while looking at the exhibits when a woman suddenly approached them.

"This is our film's producer, Xin Nalin," Lu Yanhe introduced to Chen Ziyan.

Chen Ziyan: "Oh, I know, I've video-called her."

As she spoke, Xin Nalin walked up to them, stopped, and smiled happily at Chen Ziyan.

"Ziyan," Xin Nalin pronounced it quite clearly.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan were both surprised.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xin Nalin said, "Since you're here, I also have something I'd like to discuss with you."

The matter that Sin Na-lin wanted to discuss with them was actually about the film marketing that she had previously talked about with director Mu-ken.

-

“We cannot cooperate with this kind of publicity.” Chen Ziyan shook her head without hesitation after hearing this, “This kind of publicity will cause great damage to Yan He’s acting image.”

Xin Nalin had anticipated that Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan would have such concerns.

Indeed, unless an actor is past their prime and needs some buzz to revive their career, or is an artist whose persona is inherently dramatic and prone to making outrageous statements, under normal circumstances, no ambitious actor on the rise would want to be associated with rumors of being "possessed by a ghost."

but--

Xin Nalin continued to try to persuade Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan.

“After the film’s release, we will clarify that all these rumors are just for the purpose of promoting the film,” said Sin Na-lin. “We know that you come from a country that does not worship ghosts and gods. Rest assured, we just hope to help more people know about the film by doing related publicity before its release.”

“I’m sorry, we cannot cooperate with this kind of publicity.” Chen Ziyan didn’t even consider it and remained unmoved. “This kind of publicity, no matter how much it boosts the movie’s box office, will be very harmful to the actors.”

Xin Nalin did not expect Chen Ziyan's attitude to be so firm and without explanation.

She remained silent for a long while before looking at Lu Yanhe.

She seemed to want to see if Lu Yanhe would have a different attitude.

"This kind of promotional approach could very well help 'The Mist' gross over 100 million yuan at the box office," said Xin Nalin.

Lu Yanhe smiled at Xin Nalin and said, "My salary is for my performance, not my reputation."

-

When he first started out, Lu Yanhe really didn't want to become a "troublesome actor" in other people's eyes.

There were all sorts of problems that made the production team feel overwhelmed, and the crew was very uncooperative.

At that time, I often saw some actors with a reputation for being "very difficult to work with," and I silently thought to myself that I must not be such an actor.

Later, as he worked on more and more film crews and encountered more and more situations, he realized that being a good actor is not just about blindly cooperating.

If you can simply cooperate, it means you have nothing to uphold or defend.

Therefore, Lu Yanhe gradually changed his approach. Or rather, he gradually revised his thinking.

He gradually realized why many good actors were known as "difficult to work with," "hard to cooperate with," and "eccentric."

It's not that they are actually contrary to their reputation, but rather that they may no longer care about these things—especially after reaching a certain position, they no longer need to please everyone. They only need to do their part, know what cannot be compromised, and then stick to it to the end.

As for whether this will make some people unhappy, then so be it.

-

Xin Nalin didn't directly express any dissatisfaction to Lu Yanhe, but dissatisfaction doesn't require directly saying "I don't like you" to be felt.

However, this does not affect Lu Yanhe's acting.

From his very first scene, Lu Yanhe's performance earned the recognition of the entire crew. Later on, whenever he had a scene, some staff members would eagerly anticipate seeing him act on set.

After noticing this phenomenon, Simon Schmid privately muttered, "Is his acting really that good? It's been exaggerated."

Simon Schmid also watched Lu Yanhe perform on set, but because he hadn't acted opposite Lu Yanhe yet, he didn't have the same personal experience as Arne Bogut.

He didn't think Lu Yanhe's acting was bad, but rather he was moved—

Is it really that good?

Aren't you guys overreacting?

-

"With your acting skills, would you still be questioned on set?" Yan Liang asked in surprise.

That evening, the three of them were having a video call. Lu Yanhe talked about his recent life on the film set and brought up the previous incident.

“That’s all gone now. At first, they all thought I couldn’t act scary.” Lu Yanhe smiled. “Actually, I think playing a ghost is quite fun. You can act however you want, unlike playing an ordinary person where you have to follow some normal rules and can’t be too unconventional. Playing a ghost is very enjoyable. You can design a lot of things yourself, and it doesn’t matter if you act a little wildly imaginative.”

Lu Yanhe's performance in the TV series "Mist" was indeed very unconventional and spontaneous.

Sometimes he even gets so engrossed in the performance that he enjoys the voyeuristic feeling of being a ghost.

Everyone else is in the open, but he is in the shadows.

He is the one who holds the initiative.

Hatred can flow freely in the body, free from the rational constraints of being human and the moral constraints of humanity—he is playing a ghost, so he can be boundless, unrestrained, and even hysterical to the point of not caring about the audience's feelings.

He's no longer human. Would anyone still use moral standards to judge a ghost who has died a tragic death?

Li Zhibai said, "It sounds like you really enjoyed the performance."

Lu Yanhe: "Yes."

Li Zhibai: "Sigh, you really enjoyed acting."

"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked.

“It’s annoying,” Li Zhibai said. “Ever since ‘Even Faking Death Is Not Allowed’ finished filming, I’ve been looking at scripts for more than half a year, but I haven’t found one that I like.”

"Aren't you preparing 'Nineteen Years of Criminal Records'?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Li Zhibai: "We're still working on the script. It won't be that fast. After the script is finished, we still need to find actors. By the time we start filming, it will be a long time coming. The Legend of Sword and Fairy and Huang Beng's movie 'Go Die' won't start filming until next year. I can't just not join any productions this year, can I? There are still six months left."

Lu Yanhe: "Didn't Lin Suyang introduce you to any good scripts?"

“He doesn’t. He never managed actors before, and he doesn’t have that network of resources. It was already an unexpected surprise that he was able to help me get the role in Huang Beng’s ‘Go Die.’ He mainly focused on business and publicity for me, but I still had to rely on myself to film the movie,” Li Zhibai said. “I never imagined that one day I would have to contact producers and directors I had worked with before and ask them if they had any suitable scripts to recommend to me.”

Lu Yanhe: "Your standards are too high now."

"What else can I do? I've watched you and Yan Liang both become accomplished actors, and you're both on the verge of becoming TV Kings and Movie Kings. Oh wait, you're already a Movie King, damn it." Li Zhibai said, "I'm not willing to be your background prop."

Yan Liang smiled.

"I haven't won Best Actor yet."

“Damn, you have two awards in hand: Friends and Gold Rush, and you have another one coming on strong: The Summit. Who knows when you’ll win an award?” Li Zhibai said. “I have to plan ahead. I can’t wait until you all win awards before I take action. That would be years too late. No way.”

Lu Yanhe: "Then you really have to rely on your own efforts. Generally speaking, projects that start filming this year have already cast their actors, especially the roles that suit you. They contacted actors as soon as the project was approved. Unless someone suddenly drops out and can't act, and you have to step in, otherwise, joining the crew at the last minute? I think it's very risky."

Li Zhibai: "Let's keep looking. If we really can't find it, we'll have to give up. We can't just act in a script that we don't really like."

"There is another way."

"What method?"

“Take a look at which big directors are starting filming movies in the second half of the year, movies with scripts you think are great, and you can try to make a cameo appearance for them. They would definitely be willing,” Lu Yanhe said. “This way, you can also get to know more people in the film industry.”

Li Zhibai: "Me, actively go to them to ask for a cameo role? I would never do something that would lower my status. I am Li Zhibai, okay? If someone asks me to do a cameo role, I would have to think about it and consider my relationship with that person before making a decision. How could I actively go to them for a cameo role? I would only do something like that if I had no other acting opportunities."

Hearing Li Zhibai say this, Lu Yanhe had no choice but to give up.

"What about Yan Liang? What are your plans for the second half of the year?" Lu Yanhe asked.

"I'm only filming 'The Flowing Light,' and I'm currently doing action training. There are a lot of fight scenes in it, and I want to do as many of them myself as possible, using as few stunt doubles as possible," Yan Liang said. "This is the only film I'll be working on in the second half of the year; I don't have any other projects."

Li Zhibai said, "You don't know how abnormal this kid is. He goes to participate in action training every day and practices for about four or five hours every day."

Lu Yanhe: "It's always good to have more skills. Let me tell you, Li Zhibai, you also have a lot of action scenes in 'Chinese Paladin.' Don't just talk the talk, you should practice with Yan Liang too!"

“I’m practicing,” Li Zhibai said immediately.

Yan Liang followed suit, complaining: "Although he does practice, he's actually only half-hearted."

"Damn it, Yan Liang, you actually snitched on me? Have you no shame!" Li Zhi shouted angrily.

Yan Liang made a face.

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"You keep filming, and when you come back, we'll record 'The Days of Youth.' It's really rare to be able to get everyone together to record this show," Yan Liang said with a smile.

This year, everyone was fortunate enough to avoid filming during August and September, so the fifth season of "Days of Being Young" was able to smoothly welcome everyone back.

This program is the only variety show where Lu Yanhe serves as a regular guest, making it exceptionally significant.

As an actor, Lu Yanhe actually needs to consciously reduce his public exposure, except for film promotions.

Therefore, he rarely appears on variety shows and attends few public events, in order to maintain his freshness when he appears in public and to keep the audience's expectations of him.

If someone appears in public too frequently, they will definitely lose the interest of some people.

Although Lu Yanhe didn't record the entire season of the variety show "The Days of Youth," he attended every season.

This is because they really developed a bond with each other while on the show.

It can be said that the group of people from "The Days of Youth" is Lu Yanhe's only circle in the entertainment industry.

Aside from this circle, he has never been involved in any other social circles.

Four years have passed, and the fifth season is about to begin filming. Everyone on the show is getting better and better.

They were almost all newcomers back then, but now they've all become big names.

Singers Qin Zhibai, Song Linxin, and Liu Zhiyin need no introduction. The first is a popular original singer on various music variety shows and festivals, the second is a major contributor to film and television OSTs, and the third is currently the leading female pop idol in the Chinese music scene. The only host, Peng Zhixing, was originally a rising star heavily promoted by Aurora Video, and after several years of honing his skills, he has become a leading figure among the younger generation. As for the actors, needless to say, except for Su Xiao, who hasn't yet reached a certain level of success, everyone else is a top-tier actor capable of carrying a leading role.

This group of people seemed to be witnessing and chasing each other's careers, getting better and better together.

Everyone wonders if a show like "The Days of Youth" can continue to produce so many big names.

The salary is secondary; isn't scheduling even more difficult?

However, although it was indeed difficult to get everyone together from beginning to end, no one missed a single recording of the entire season.

Even if everyone doesn't have time to record from beginning to end, they will definitely participate in the recording of some episodes.

Just like Lu Yanhe, who even had a limp one year, made a surprise appearance in the last episode while sitting in a wheelchair, showing up in the house where everyone lived together.

Last season, in the final episode, there was a Q&A segment where the production team drew questions from the show's fans and asked them to the celebrities on camera.

One of the questions is: Will you continue filming this show indefinitely?

The artists looked at each other in bewilderment.

In that episode, Lu Yanhe was the first to speak.

“We can’t promise that we’ll keep filming forever, because there’s no show in the world that can keep filming forever. But at least, look, it’s the fourth season now, and everyone is trying their best to come back here and continue to work on this show with the familiar directing team and friends,” Lu Yanhe said. “I dare not say forever, nor do I dare say forever, but the feelings we show in this show are real. Our games and challenges have a script, but our interactions with each other have no script.”

Everyone else's eyes welled up with tears.

Liu Zhiyin said at the time, "This is the first show I've been on since I returned to Korea. All my confidence comes from this show, from everyone's care for me, and from the support of the show's audience. For me, this is more than just a show; it's a vacation that I look forward to most every year when I'm tired and busy with my schedule. Participating in this show is my annual vacation."

Xiao Yun, usually the most carefree person, covered her face and choked up.

"It's so annoying, I hate it when people get sentimental at this time." She muttered, "I hope we can record for a few more years, until the end of our show, and we don't feel any reluctance, regret, sadness or loss. We can record until we've left everything we can in this show before we end it."

Lu Yanhe thought back to this time last year, when he was in a foreign land, and suddenly he missed these people.

He clicked into the "Days of Youth" group chat, intending to say "I miss you guys a little," but typing that out would seem pretentious.

After thinking for a moment, he raised his phone, took a picture of the moon in the night sky, and sent it to the group chat.

The moon shines brightly at this moment, and we share it across the ends of the earth.

-

I'd like to continue recommending my old book, "I Became the Scandalous Woman Overnight," which went from 7 initial subscriptions to over 1,000 average subscriptions per day.

(End of this chapter)