Chapter 712 This works too (11,000 words)

Although they are all actors, in reality, probably because they have been around for so many years, Hollywood actors, once they become famous and successful, generally wield more power than actors from other places.

Of course, the main reason is that Hollywood itself is a place that highly values ​​the star system.

In fact, before Lu Yanhe's time travel, China had almost become a "star-centric" system for a period of time, which was the era of traffic that came with the internet age. For a few years, top celebrities meant everything, and investors, directors, and producers all spent huge sums of money to invite those top celebrities to join their projects.

Then this "era of top influencers" collapsed rapidly when everyone realized that traffic couldn't really translate into real money.

Of course, in the realm of TV dramas, especially historical romance dramas, top-tier actresses like Yang Mi still hold a special position.

However, this is usually a very small minority, and there is no fixed succession. Zhang Ziyi and the other four leading actresses have held their niche for almost thirty years, and no one has taken their place. Yang Mi and the post-85 generation of actresses have also occupied their own niche, and even though Da Bei has been "missing" for so long, no one has been able to fill the gap.

What makes Hollywood so special is that, throughout its centuries-long history, it has consistently produced a steady stream of superstars with immense influence.

For almost every ecological niche, one leaves and another appears.

However, this is also related to the fact that Hollywood basically judges actors based on their films, so the evaluation criteria are very uniform.

Unlike in China, where movie stars are categorized as "X-girls," the post-85 generation of actresses has relied on the drama industry as their base, dominating and overshadowing the younger generation of movie stars for many years. The leading men like Huang Xiaoming have not been able to develop into a group of middle-aged actresses comparable to the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses, and two top actresses, respectively), and the comedy industry has also interfered and dominated the film industry for many years.

The standards are too inconsistent, so basically everyone is arguing their own way, and fans are fighting like cats and dogs, with each faction refusing to give in, making the industry a complete mess.

Hollywood's advantage lies in the fact that no matter how popular a TV series is, or how amazing "Friends" is, it can't surpass the movie.

It has created such a mechanism for the iteration of film stars.

Even in this era known as the "death of superstars," after Julia Roberts became "the last leading lady in Hollywood," there is still Jennifer Lawrence, who has had a glorious career for many years. The double boost of the "Hunger Games" series and an Oscar for Best Actress directly propelled her to the top. Her starring role in "Passengers" was a box office flop, even though it grossed over $100 million in North America.

Following Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet has already established a foothold in the industry. While he hasn't reached the same level of fame, the industry and media have already dubbed him DiCaprio's successor. He's young, well-known, talented, and has impressive box office results. His performance in the biographical film *The Unknown*, in particular, exceeded predictions, currently boasting $75 million in North America and $130 million worldwide.

These two are truly representatives of those who have been pushed to the very top by the entire Hollywood industry—as long as they produce good performances and good works, they will definitely be seen, and there is no such thing as being buried.

Therefore, even a film like "The Unknown" was enough to secure him his second Oscar nomination.

It's not that he acted badly; to be fair, he did present a very different state and performance in this film.

However, as long as you work hard and demonstrate your talent, you will be recognized.

In an awards season that is never short of good performances, his film was so mediocre (not even in the author's opinion, but in the North American media and industry's opinion), yet he remained on the list of favorites for the Oscars.

Given this environment, actors like Erin Wallace, though not currently A-list, still exude confidence and charisma.

Erin Wallace didn't take her agent's warning too seriously.

Even if Lu Yanhe was right, she still believed that her insistence was not wrong.

She's right no matter who she tells the story to.

In the film industry, if other actors offer opinions on roles that aren't theirs, it's considered meddling, and no actor can accept that.

Whether the suggestion is right or good, Eileen doesn't care right now.

-

"It's not his suggestion now, it's my decision to change it."

Muken spoke firmly to Eileen's agent.

Eileen's agent: "Muken, when we signed the contract, we made requirements regarding the script. Any last-minute changes to the script require our consent; otherwise, the script cannot be changed arbitrarily."

“If you think I have new ideas about the script during filming and can’t make changes, then don’t come to me. I will give my opinion to D19 and you can communicate with D19.”

"I'm annoyed," Muken said.

Seeing this, Eileen's agent softened his tone a bit.

“Muken, you know, of course we respect your opinion, but Eileen is also a girl who cares about her image. Lu Yanhe raised questions about her role in front of so many people. If she just accepts it, what will others think of her?”

Muken: "She's an actress, she should have professionalism. Can't she see that this suggestion could make her character more complete?"

“Muken, I will talk to her again.” The agent said helplessly, “But, in the final analysis, this matter is because Lu Yanhe did not consider Eileen’s feelings when he gave his opinion, right? Eileen is not a newcomer who has just started acting. She is the female lead. Even if Lu Yanhe is the lead in this movie, he should not disregard Eileen’s feelings and give his opinion in public, right?”

“He was giving me feedback, not to Eileen,” Muken said firmly. “I wrote the script, not Eileen.”

Eileen's agent: "..."

-

That evening, Muken suddenly sent each actor a revised version of the script—for that one scene.

Lu Yanhe was also surprised.

Muken moved the changes from the character of Eileen Wallace to the character of Wang Jiaqi.

The character of Eileen Wallace remains unchanged from the original script; any additions were made to the characters played by Wang Jiaqi and Jason Porter.

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

This is certainly a good direction for modification.

Wang Jiaqi essentially embodies the "negative" and "greedy" aspects of the character Eileen Wallace, while Jason Porter takes on the "supporting" role originally intended for Wang Jiaqi.

Neither of them actually had much more screen time, but this change altered their characters. Jason Porter, in particular, whose original role was primarily about muscle and physical strength, now suddenly possesses a degree of human complexity.

Erin Wallace was furious in her room and threw the script down.

The next day, she directly asked the production crew for sick leave through her agent and did not come to the set.

Muken also lost his temper.

"I wanted to revise the script, but she wouldn't accept it. I've now kept her original version, without changing anything, but she still won't accept it and has even taken sick leave! What illness does she have?!"

Muken lashed out at Erin's agent.

"If she doesn't cooperate, then you'd better leave now!"

Eileen's agent was also very helpless, and even somewhat distressed.

However, there was really no way to deal with Eileen's temper and personality.

Muken went directly to Sinalin and brought up Eileen Wallace's current problems.

"Because she suddenly took leave, we couldn't finish filming this scene today, so we could only shoot solo shots."

Shin Na-lin was equally annoyed.

D19 agreed to Murken's request to revise the script.

This change does not affect any additional budget, and from a scriptwriting perspective, it is obvious that it can improve the script.

Erin Wallace is so uncooperative.

They felt they were being "bullied" over something so trivial.

Shin Na-lin said to Eileen's agent, "Where is she? At the hospital or at the hotel? Take me there."

Eileen's agent stammered.

Xin Nalin turned to Muken and said, "Muken, if I can't bring her back today, see if you can just transfer her role to someone else."

Eileen's agent was horrified.

"Shin Na-rin, it doesn't have to come to this, does it?"

Shin Na-lin: "Although D19 is just an independent production company, we may not be as feared as Parameter and Midoriya, but we are not so bad as to be put on airs by an actor. Come on, take me to find Irene. If I still can't convince her, then we will take legal action and terminate the contract."

-

Lu Yanhe and the others stayed on set, knowing that the producer and director were communicating with Eileen's agent.

Ryan Waters gave Lu Yanhe a very wary look.

This incident actually had nothing to do with him.

The adjustments made to the Ghostbusters script had nothing to do with him.

However, while observing this incident, Ryan Waters realized that in the eyes of D19 and Muken, Eileen Wallace was not even half as good as Lu Yanhe, let alone comparable to him.

Both Muken and D19 quickly accepted and agreed to Lu Yanhe's suggestion.

This is a very rare occurrence for a film company.

It's rare to be able to make changes to the script so quickly in terms of programming.

Especially after filming began.

Ryan Waters thought to himself, "Eileen Wallace has really messed up this time."

He and Erin Wallace had always been at odds, and he was filled with schadenfreude at the thought of her suffering.

However, at the same time, there was also a strange sense of unease, like "the rabbit mourns the fox's death."

-

"Yan He is filming in the United States and is not in China."

Chen Siqi sat opposite Yang Zhouli, and Lin Yu sat next to her.

She didn't come alone.

Although she didn't admit it, Chen Siqi was indeed a little intimidated when facing Yang Zhouli.

This wasn't the first time Chen Siqi had faced representatives of such large corporations, but this was her first time engaging in this type of negotiation.

She didn't even know how to start the conversation.

It wasn't until Yang Zhouli inquired about Lu Yanhe's recent situation that things changed.

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to cooperate with you,” Yang Zhouli said to Chen Siqi in a very frank manner. “I also told Lu Yanhe the same thing before.”

Chen Siqi: "We do not accept acquisitions or controlling stakes. If this is the cooperation method you are talking about, everyone knows that."

Yang Zhouli nodded.

“Indeed, I inquired about it later.” He nodded, crossing his hands together. “However, there are many ways to cooperate.”

"Does that include poaching talent from us?" Chen Siqi asked bluntly.

“This is not what I originally meant,” Yang Zhouli said. “It’s just a terrible fact that the best talent in this field is all jumping around in your way. It’s a somewhat distorted industry market. Either you live within the system by receiving funding and subsidies, or you die directly in this sunset industry. Only you are full of vitality.”

"So, the only way to poach talent is from us?"

"Just like you're not targeting us by refusing to accept acquisitions, financing, or controlling stakes, we're not specifically targeting you to poach people; it's just that you're the only place where we can poach people."

Yang Zhouli was quite direct in his statement.

Chen Siqi didn't even know how to respond to that.

Lin Yu glanced at her and asked, "So, does President Yang mean that he will continue to poach people from our side?"

"Actually, we'd like to recruit you too, but we don't know what conditions you'd need for us to agree," Yang Zhouli said with a smile.

“If you poach Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi, I’ll go over there too.” Lin Yu smiled calmly.

Chen Siqi: "President Yang, Shijin has a large and established business, so there is really no need for them to compete with us."

“I have no intention of competing with you,” Yang Zhouli said. “I am well aware that friends are better than enemies.”

"But you're always poaching people from us; it doesn't seem like you want to be friends with us."

"On the contrary, it is with Xin Zixing and Bai Yu that we can further cooperate and become friends, right?" Yang Zhouli said. "Yemai.com is an online community, Bai Yu is a traditional literary magazine, and 'Little Eyes' is the domestic distribution of foreign films. At least in these businesses, we do not have any business conflicts. On the contrary, there are many areas for cooperation and win-win results."

Chen Siqi frowned slightly as she looked at Yang Zhouli.

Yang Zhouli's meaning was beyond her expectations.

My phone vibrated.

Lin Yu glanced at the message on her phone and frowned.

-

—Lu Yanhe had a disagreement with the lead actress, Erin Wallace, on the set of the sequel to "The Mist"!

This news was published by The Hollywood Reporter five minutes ago.

Along with this announcement, some photos were also released.

Eileen Wallace's anger is obvious; one of the pictures even shows her directly confronting Lu Yanhe and getting angry.

This news quickly became a trending topic on various social media platforms.

Disagreements within film crews are a favorite topic of gossip, regardless of nationality.

-

Wang Biao hung up on another call from a reporter, frowning.

Many domestic media outlets called him, wanting to confirm the authenticity of the news.

Because there is no unified statement to the outside world at the moment, Wang Biao is not answering the phone.

Wan Qingqing has arrived to help handle this matter.

Darren Wilson also came to the set.

He will represent Lu Yanhe in communicating and negotiating with Eileen Wallace to see how both sides will respond or resolve the matter.

When such public opinion issues arise, the most important thing is the communication between the main figures in the news.

-

Lu Yanhe shrugged and said, "At worst, I'll just tell the truth. I have no problem responding."

“Eileen will twist this into you interfering with her performance,” Darren Wilson said helplessly. “I know you meant well, but good intentions are the hardest thing to prove and the easiest thing to be distorted.”

Lu Yanhe: "If you want to deny the conflict between us, what if Eileen comes out and betrays us? It will only make us look guilty."

Darren Wilson said, "I will make sure that such a thing doesn't happen."

“But I’m not at ease,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’m not willing to publicly respond and say that there is no conflict between me and Eileen. At most, I will not respond or speak out.”

Lu Yanhe's opinion was firm.

He felt that since he hadn't done anything wrong, he shouldn't dig a hole for himself just to avoid trouble.

Darren Wilson could not force Lu Yanhe to change his mind.

Seeing this, the public relations staff had no choice but to put aside their own ideas and remain inactive.

This matter has sparked considerable controversy.

Erin Wallace also continued to take sick leave and refused to come to the set.

Meanwhile, Muken and his crew had already begun filming other scenes.

D19, on the other hand, was researching Erin Wallace's affairs.

Finally, on the fourth day of Erin Wallace's sick leave, D19 gave her an ultimatum: if she couldn't come to the set by tomorrow, they would proceed with the contract termination process.

-

Eileen Wallace sat up angrily from her hospital bed.

"How dare they? We signed a contract. I have health problems, so taking sick leave is a reasonable request!"

The agent silently looked at the woman in front of him, whose emotions had deviated from normal and were beginning to become hysterical, and said, "Eileen, I have told you the truth many times. The reality you are facing now is that if you cannot show up on set tomorrow, you will not only lose the movie 'The Mist,' but you will also face a lawsuit from D19. This will be a long battle, and even if you win the case, you will not be able to get away unscathed."

Eileen Wallace let out an angry scream.

Her fists were clenched tightly.

-

The next day, Erin Wallace returned to the set with a blank expression.

Lu Yanhe treated her as if she didn't exist.

Similarly, she treated him as if he didn't exist.

They are like strangers.

-

"Kneel down."

Lu Yanhe's eyes were tinged with indifference, as calm as a dry well, yet also as deathly still as a death stare.

With reddened eyes and a trembling jaw, Eileen Wallace knelt down in front of Lu Yanhe, her face filled with terror.

"Please, please let us go!" Her voice trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. "We didn't mean to break in, we'll leave right away! Please, let us go..."

Her sobs and fear emanated from every pore of her body.

Lu Yanhe stared at her silently, his face unmoved by her pleas for mercy; in fact, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

It was subtle, but that hint of playfulness made him seem even more mysterious, powerful, and unfathomable.

Until he shifted his gaze to Wang Jiaqi.

"Click!"

Muken called "cut".

Eileen Wallace instantly wiped the fear off her face, stood up, and walked towards her chair.

Lu Yanhe glanced at her.

When it comes to acting skills, Erin Wallace's performance is truly impeccable.

She is indeed a very good actress; she can come on and go as she pleases.

Lu Yanhe looked at Muken.

Muken gave him a thumbs up.

"Awesome!" he said in Chinese.

Lu Yanhe smiled faintly.

He didn't completely detach himself from the character's emotions.

He wanted to maintain that state and feeling as much as possible until the work was finished.

After the incident, although harmony between people was not restored, the film could continue to be made.

That works too.

As long as no other unexpected problems arise.

-

How are you?

"Everything is normal."

During the video call, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi smiled at each other.

Chen Siqi: "I saw that you and Eileen had some trouble before, so I didn't tell you about my meeting with Yang Zhouli."

"How did your conversation go?"

"His ideas were completely beyond my expectations," Chen Siqi said, recounting her conversation with Yang Zhouli.

Lu Yanhe: "...He wants to cooperate with us?"

“Yes,” Chen Siqi said. “You didn’t expect that, did you? In his words, digging up Sister Zixing and Bai Yu was actually to strengthen cooperation with us.”

Lu Yanhe was at a loss for words.

Absolutely true.

If it's Xin Zixing and Bai Yu, then there is indeed a basis for cooperation between them.

Even though Xin Zixing and Bai Yu left, it was a peaceful parting of ways. They were no longer colleagues, but remained friends.

But is it necessary for Yang Zhouli to make such a grand move to cooperate with him?

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi both fell silent.

They looked at each other during the video call, but neither of them spoke.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Do you think we can cooperate with him?"

"We're not in a hurry to make a judgment; we'll take it one step at a time," Chen Siqi said. "We won't accept financing or controlling stakes; that's our bottom line. We can look at the rest later."

Lu Yanhe: "I'm afraid that after taking the first step, there will be a second and a third step. We all know that they have big intentions."

"No matter how big his ambitions are, the market can't be dominated by just him. He's not crazy; he knows that."

"Hmm," Lu Yanhe said, "So you're inclined to cooperate with him?"

“Yes.” Chen Siqi nodded. “He proposed a cooperation plan that I couldn’t really refuse.”

"Um?"

“Shi Jin has a lot of investments and operations overseas, including two publishing companies that cover more than 50 countries,” Chen Siqi said. “He can share these resources with Tiaoqi.”

"He probably didn't come here specifically to do charity, did he?" Lu Yanhe laughed. "What are his requirements?"

"He made two requests. First, for every play produced by Jump Up Theater, Shi Jin should be given priority with an investment share of at least 35%. Second, the electronic version of 'Jump Up' should be re-released on Yemai.com, and a deeper, more structured collaboration should be established. In short, there should be phased sharing and cooperation on platforms and content," Chen Siqi said.

Lu Yanhe: "It sounds like he wants to shorten their accumulation phase in the entertainment media as much as possible."

“I think so,” Chen Siqi said. “He also said that it’s not just ‘Jump Up’, but also some traditional literary magazines such as ‘Harvest’, as well as some top content magazines and media overseas, such as those manga magazines in Japan. They have all talked to each other about cooperation. They want to make YeMai.com a comprehensive and the largest community content platform.”

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

This is truly a resource that only a large, powerful corporation like Shijin could integrate.

Buying copyrights alone is a time-consuming, laborious, and expensive process.

Chen Siqi said, "In fact, to some extent, we are just one of his content providers, but what he can provide us is not only domestic platforms, but also multiple overseas channels. He invited me to go to Japan with him and Xin Zixing next week. He will communicate and cooperate with several top Japanese manga magazines. He suggested that we can choose suitable novels to talk about manga and animation adaptations."

"He wants you to see his power for yourself."

“Yes.” Chen Siqi sighed. “Now I suddenly understand why Bai Yu chose to leave. She was very direct. She said that ‘Jump Up’ can continue to do very well without her, but she can get a better job opportunity. I originally went to confront her, but she gave me a big gift that touched my heart. I was immediately moved.”

Lu Yanhe smiled.

“Then trust your intuition and judgment,” he said. “However, if you’re going to jump up and cooperate with him, Linghe and Shihuo should wait and see for now. I will also tell Sister Ziyan that you can’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

"Hmm." Chen Siqi nodded, then, as if remembering something, she said, "There's one more thing. He said he would give you a gift."

"What?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

Chen Siqi: "I had the same reaction as you, but he wouldn't explain any more, only saying that we'd find out later."

Lu Yanhe: "I haven't received any gifts lately... Is he trying to win me over this way? No way?"

-

After thinking it over, Lu Yanhe also felt that Yang Zhouli would not do such a thing.

Yang Zhouli wouldn't be so low-level. Did he really think Lu Yanhe could be bought off by such petty tricks?

“Yan He.” Mu Ken suddenly came to find him.

"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe was a little puzzled, wondering why Mu Ken had come to see him.

Muken said, "I've been thinking, and there's one more thing I'd like to change."

"Where?"

“Your fight with Rien,” Muken said, “I want to add a scene where, after you have defeated him and he is completely lying on the ground, he suddenly attacks you and inflicts serious damage on you in front of the ghost-catching team. Of course, you are strong enough that even so, you have someone take action again to completely annihilate him.”

"This—" Lu Yanhe quickly realized, "You think that with this scene, they would have the courage to think that I am currently in a weak period, making the story more credible that they would dare to take the risk of trying to capture me?"

“Yes.” Muken nodded.

Lu Yanhe nodded, "I think this idea is great, no problem, I can film it."

Muken: "Then we'll reshoot this scene tomorrow."

"good."

This scene was actually simple to film, but in post-production, we had to add several special effects shots, including Rien taking action, Lu Yanhe getting injured, and Lu Yanhe completely eliminating Rien.

This would likely require a small additional budget for the film, unless Muken manages to save the money elsewhere.

How to communicate with D19 is Muken's business; Lu Yanhe doesn't need to worry about it.

Lu Yanhe was quite pleased to see that Mu Ken was still working on the script.

Moreover, these are issues that can only be realized on set, in conjunction with the actors' performances.

From the perspective of the script's text and content, these scenes don't actually need to be added; they all make sense.

However, after Lu Yanhe made his appearance and displayed such a powerful aura and strength, a logical flaw appeared in the visual effect, so it had to be adjusted.

A good director is one who can make adjustments based on the on-set shooting situation at any time, ensuring that the entire film is within a smooth, natural, and complete framework.

Filming this movie, especially playing the same role again in the sequel, Lu Yanhe felt that his ability to grasp the character had visibly improved to a higher level.

In this role, Lu Yanhe deeply felt that what was more important than acting skills was to grasp the subtle state of the character.

The most subtle details are often what make a character most charming.

Lu Yanhe really liked the cool, seemingly arrogant indifference he exuded when playing the ghost.

-

In the film crew, both Wang Jiaqi and Jason Porter were very grateful to Lu Yanhe.

There's no other reason than that if Lu Yanhe hadn't offered some suggestions for revision, their characters wouldn't have undergone the changes that Eileen Wallace refused to accept, which enriched their personalities.

This is not just about having a few more lines of dialogue.

Jason Porter may not know, but Wang Jiaqi, an actor who has been acting for many years and studying scripts for many years, knows very well that adding this little bit of screen time will immediately add another layer to their characters, which means that they have a greater chance of being remembered by the audience.

The news of a feud between Lu Yanhe and Eileen Wallace circulated for several days, but neither party responded, and neither the production team nor D19 did, so the hype gradually died down.

However, it was common knowledge on set that the two of them didn't get along. No one took sides; everyone just quietly did their jobs.

Wang Jiaqi was the first person to openly chat and laugh with Lu Yanhe in front of Eileen Wallace, showing affection in public.

Jason Porter is the second.

Wang Jiaqi asked directly in front of many people, "Yan He, do you have any suggestions for my role? Your guidance before was really helpful. I finally understand why you can win so many acting awards."

Wang Jiaqi's words were like a knife to the heart, striking right at Eileen Wallace's core.

That wasn't enough. One day, Wang Jiaqi asked again, "Yan He, I've heard many people say that the movie 'Tropical Rainy Season,' which won you Best Actor at Citour this year, will be participating in this year's awards season. If it has a premiere in the United States, don't forget to give me an invitation. I definitely want to attend."

Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded.

At this point, Eileen Wallace finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Do you really think awards season is so easy to navigate?" Her words were full of disapproval and contempt for Lu Yanhe.

This is also where Eileen Wallace feels most superior to Lu Yanhe right now.

No matter how much Lu Yanhe is rumored to be famous, he still doesn't have an Oscar nomination.

Even if you win Best Actor at Seatour, in Hollywood, it's not as effective as an Oscar nomination.

Then, Jason Porter asked, "Lu, will you be a presenter at the Oscars this year?"

"I don't know yet." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I usually only receive the notification one or two months before the awards ceremony."

"I'm so envious of you. You're not even twenty-five yet, and you've already been an Oscar presenter twice." After saying that, Wang Jiaqi suddenly seemed to remember something, turned to look at Erin Wallace, and asked, "Erin, how many times have you been an award presenter?"

Eileen Wallace's expression changed.

“Oh, you’ve only been nominated once.” Wang Jiaqi said as if suddenly realizing something. “I haven’t seen you at the Oscars for so long.”

"..." Lu Yanhe was taken aback, not expecting Wang Jiaqi to be so aggressive towards Eileen Wallace—

Although Lu Yanhe could roughly guess that Wang Jiaqi was returning a favor.

Eileen Wallace was so angry that her face turned green. She sneered and looked at Wang Jiaqi.

"Wait until you get an Oscar nomination before you start mocking me. What are you now?"

Wang Jiaqi didn't care about her sarcasm at all.

She confidently retorted.

“If I were a white person like you, with my acting skills, I would have been nominated more than once.”

Wang Jiaqi is now full of aggression, and the fierce look in his eyes makes him seem like a fighting rooster that is pretending to be leisurely strolling around.

"If you were Asian, could you have achieved what I have achieved in a place like Hollywood?" Wang Jiaqi said this without any qualms.

She is arguably one of the most successful Asian actors in Hollywood.

If you're among white actors in Hollywood, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself one of the top few if you didn't win an Oscar for Best Actor or Actress.

Eileen Wallace's face turned even greener.

Lu Yanhe lowered his head and chuckled softly.

Wang Jiaqi's attack power is quite strong.

Deep down, Lu Yanhe was quite grateful to Wang Jiaqi for stepping forward at this time and helping him to say a few words to Eileen Wallace.

He's a proud man and didn't want to engage in a public verbal battle with Erin Wallace.

However, to say that he could simply tolerate Eileen's taunts is an understatement; he couldn't possibly endure them.

Fortunately, Wang Jiaqi is not only willing to step forward at this time, but also has the ability to do so, and can completely overwhelm Eileen.

-

Later, Ryan Waters heard about the verbal sparring between Wang Jiaqi and Eileen.

In his shock, he was also relieved that Eileen had spoken up first and lashed out at Lu Yanhe.

Then he became a target for criticism.

Eileen Wallace is much younger than him.

Ryan Waters found it hard to imagine whether he would still have the face to stay on the set if he had a conflict with Lu Yanhe and the crew, film company, and other actors sided with Lu Yanhe.

He's a person who cares a lot about his reputation.

If it weren't for the unpleasant incident on the first day of the script reading where he was late and had a disagreement with Lu Yanhe, he would have definitely taken the initiative to befriend Lu Yanhe.

To be honest, Ryan Waters also really wanted to befriend Lu Yanhe.

They are famous and influential, can write scripts and manage projects, and even in Hollywood, people will buy their services.

Ryan Waters always tries to befriend people like that.

As an actor who is somewhat past his prime (to put it bluntly, he is already past his prime), he understands the importance of creating more opportunities for himself and having more options for the future.

Ryan Waters is now too embarrassed to take the initiative to talk to Lu Yanhe.

Fortunately, no conflict occurred between them.

After filming with Lu Yanhe for a while, he was about to wrap up his scenes.

His character's role is mainly in the early stages; after he is eliminated by Lu Yanhe, his storyline ends.

When he finished filming his last scene, on the day filming wrapped, Ryan Waters hesitated for a long time about whether he should go and say goodbye to Lu Yanhe.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Yanhe came over carrying a small bag at that moment.

"Hi, Rien." Lu Yanhe knocked on the door of his lounge. "Is now a good time?"

Ryan Waters looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise. "Of course, please come in."

Lu Yanhe said, "You've finished filming today. I really enjoyed working with you on this movie."

His scene with Ryan Waters was actually the fight scene.

However, that scene, from the moment he went down the stairs until they finished filming, took about a week to shoot, and his scenes with the ghost hunters also took about a week to shoot, meaning that Ryan Waters filmed for a total of about two weeks.

Lu Yanhe greatly admires Ryan Waters' performance.

It must be admitted that although Lu Yanhe was initially annoyed by his lateness, nothing unpleasant happened again after that.

Unlike Eileen Wallace, Ryan Waters never provoked or had any unpleasant encounters with Lu Yanhe again.

Therefore, Lu Yanhe took the initiative to break the ice.

Since the other person is older, Lu Yanhe is willing to offer a way out.

Judging from Ryan Waters' reaction, he had actually wanted to mend their relationship for a long time.

That's enough.

"This is a Chinese folding fan that I brought from China."

Lu Yanhe handed him the bag and introduced it.

"I wrote the words on it," he smiled. "I hope you like it."

Ryan Waters opened the box, took out the folding fan inside, and opened it to take a look.

He showed a look of surprise.

On the surface of the folding fan, besides a few words he couldn't understand, there was a simple sketch of a portrait. It was a portrait of him, and he could recognize him at a glance.

“Wow—” Ryan Waters’ eyes were shining.

This is neither a sketch nor an oil painting.

“This is a traditional Chinese ink painting. I commissioned a professional painter to paint it, as I don’t know how,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “But I wrote these characters myself. They mean ‘Friends come from afar.’ This is a saying by Confucius, a very wise ancient Chinese philosopher.”

Ryan Waters was even more surprised.

"I know Confucius."

Confucius is indeed very well-known internationally.

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"Welcome to China. Contact me when you come," Lu Yanhe said.

“Okay.” Ryan Waters had completely forgotten the embarrassment he felt at first after being tricked by Lu Yanhe.

He now feels that this gift is very special and meaningful.

He loved the gift.

"I like this fan."

"Thank you." Lu Yanhe smiled contentedly. "I'm happy as long as you like it."

-

A few hours later, Ryan Waters posted a status update with photos of himself wrapping up filming, including group photos with many members of the crew, as well as some other photos.

However, his first photograph was of a Chinese folding fan.

In his social media post, Ryan Waters mentioned this folding fan, writing:

This is the most meaningful wrap-up gift I've ever received. Do you know what these Chinese characters mean? They were written by Lu Yanhe himself!

-

"You and Lien get along quite well," Chen Siqi said to Lu Yanhe afterward.

Lu Yanhe: "...If I said that I only took the initiative to break the ice with him when he finished filming, would you believe me?"

"What?" Chen Siqi was shocked.

Lu Yanhe: "I didn't expect him to like this gift so much."

"You really put thought into this gift," Chen Siqi asked. "You didn't prepare a folding fan like this for each of them, did you?"

"Yes, it's prepared. It will be given to each person as a wrap-up gift when they finish filming," Lu Yanhe said. "Ryan will be the first to finish filming."

"And Eileen's, are you ready?"

“I’ve prepared it, but I don’t plan to give it to you,” Lu Yanhe said bluntly.

“Okay,” Chen Siqi laughed, “Then she’ll be embarrassed.”

"This was her own choice."

Chen Siqi: "When will you wrap up filming?"

“I still have some time.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “This movie isn’t difficult to shoot, but Mu Ken is shooting it rather slowly. His standards are much higher than with the first movie. He’s been nitpicking over many shots and has started playing with camera angles.”

Chen Siqi: "Then aren't you very happy?"

Chen Siqi knew exactly what kind of person Lu Yanhe was.

Beneath Lu Yanhe's feigned annoyance lay genuine satisfaction and happiness.

He always hopes that a play will be better.

"I ran into Director Luo today," Chen Siqi suddenly said. "He's been in a bit of trouble lately, have you heard?"

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe asked, "You mean my teacher?"

“Yes,” Chen Siqi said. “You didn’t know?”

"I don't know, what's wrong with him?" Lu Yanhe asked immediately.

Chen Siqi: "He was preparing for a movie before, I don't know if it's the one he approached you about, but it seems there's been a copyright issue, and the original author is preparing to sue. I don't know the specifics, but when you have time, you can call Director Luo and ask him about it."

“Okay,” Lu Yanhe said. “It’s a good thing you ran into me, otherwise I wouldn’t have known about this, and the teacher certainly wouldn’t have told me.”

"He probably thinks it's pointless to tell you. Even if you were in China, let alone when you're filming abroad, if he can't solve the problem, you probably can't either."

That's the truth.

“However, at times like this, regardless of whether you can help or not, you should still show some concern,” Chen Siqi said.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Siqi is right, that's for sure.

-

I recommend the older entertainment-themed book, "I Became the Leading Lady of a Scandal Overnight."

(End of this chapter)