Chapter 726 Dare to Talk the Bad? No (10,000 words)

The crew of "Dingfeng No. 1" had no idea what was going on. Huang Tai, who had arrived at the set with a bright smile and great enthusiasm, left with a face as unpleasant as if she had just gone to the toilet and heard a series of loud "thumping" sounds from next door.

Only a few people guessed it.

For example, Liu Bige.

"Did you two have a fight?" Liu Bige teased.

Lu Yanhe remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Why would I fight with her?"

Liu Bige: "I think you must have provoked her. I've never seen her look so pale before."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"Now you see it."

Liu Bige: "Is it about the sequel to 'Burning Fire'?"

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"I guess she told you a lot, but didn't say anything substantial, right?" Liu Bige asked.

"What's wrong? Why do I feel like there's some resentment behind your words?" Lu Yanhe asked.

"Sigh, they want to make a sequel to 'Even Faking Death Is Not an Option,' but I won't be directing it anymore. They approached Yueyue and asked her to continue writing the sequel's script, but they didn't say how much she would be paid. They just asked Yueyue to come up with an outline first."

Lu Yanhe: "How can you do it like this? When you hire someone to write a script, don't you always pay an advance?"

“Yes.” Liu Bige nodded. “But Yueyue was too embarrassed to ask, after all, it wasn’t the first time we’d worked together. I was going to talk to Mrs. Huang about it, but she seemed like someone you shouldn’t mess with, someone you shouldn’t approach.”

Lu Yanhe laughed.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault." He suddenly realized something, "Doesn't screenwriter Miao Yue have an agent?"

“No,” Liu Bige shook his head. “She has not signed a contract with any company.”

Miao Yue actually occasionally publishes articles in "Jump Up".

However, Miao Yue did not sign an author contract with "Jump Up".

Lu Yanhe said, "I think it would be better for her to find an agency to handle her screenwriting work. If a professional agency can handle these things, she won't have to be at the forefront herself."

Liu Bige: "I'll talk to her about it."

"Um."

"Can your company, Shihuo, act as a screenwriter?" Liu Bige asked again.

“Of course, Shihuo’s agency scope is vast,” Lu Yanhe said. “Aren’t all your business contracts with Shihuo?”

Liu Bige's directing contract is based in Longyan, but the commercial contract is handled by Shihuo.

Such a young director, with his good looks, talent, and award-winning achievements, naturally has high commercial value.

It's not just about commercial value; Shi Huo also handles invitations to appear on variety shows and attend events.

Chen Ziyan's Shi Huo is a large-scale brokerage concept.

While celebrity management remains the core business, it is also expanding into other areas.

This model is actually somewhat similar to those top overseas brokerage firms—they can broker anything.

Once a large network is woven, it will no longer be a small company or workshop.

-

"Honey, that's not how you do it."

Chen Ziyan stood in front of her floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the scene below, her face beaming with a warm and beautiful smile.

"Although Tu Song is not a mainstream singer, if you study him carefully, you will know how far he has come in original music over the years, and how many fans he truly has who are willing to pay for his music."

"Such a young singer held seven concerts last year, and every single one was sold out. What does that mean? If you want to invite him, you have to give him the treatment he deserves."

"Oh, let's stick to the facts. Of course we're friends, but artists' affairs are artists' affairs."

"Yan He? Coming to the first season of the show? Don't you know how busy Yan He is? He's always on set. Do you see any program that can get him? Here's the deal: if you can get Tu Song into the starting lineup, I'll invite Minglan to come to the first season of the show, okay?"

"Then I'll wait for your good news. Tu Song isn't going to challenge other contestants if he's not a starter. Singers like him are so rare. There's no reason for that."

...

Chen Ziyan hung up the phone with a smile.

As soon as the phone call ended, the smile on her face was no longer so fake; it had a sweetness that could drown you in it.

She was taken aback when she saw the long message Lu Yanhe sent her. After reading it, she couldn't help but slap herself in the face, but then she laughed.

Mrs. Huang needs to go back and adjust her mood.

After thinking about it, Chen Ziyan decided that she still had to play the role of "peacemaker".

Well, always leave room for maneuver, so you can meet again in the future.

In opera, the red-faced actor finishes his role, then the white-faced actor takes the stage; culture is passed down, and success is achieved generation after generation.

I dialed the number.

"Oh dear, Mrs. Huang, tsk tsk, Yan He is still a hot-blooded young man after all. You didn't take it to heart, did you?"

"Oh dear, these big stars, they all have terrible tempers, Yan He is no exception, but I know you won't hold it against them, right?"

"Contracts are something that can be negotiated and discussed back and forth. Once an agreement is reached, they will be signed."

"This Wang Biao is too young and doesn't know how to be careful. I'll teach him a lesson later. But Mrs. Huang, you should at least give Yan He some recognition for what happened on your boss Zhang Yang's WeChat Moments. Do you think Yan He is so easy to bully?"

...

As for signing a contract, let's discuss it first.

I won't engage, I still won't engage.

She's just playing the good cop, not turning against them.

-

The incident between Lu Yanhe and Huang Tai was kept very secret.

A day passed, and no word came out.

Of course, as long as Lu Yanhe doesn't spread any rumors, Huang Tai definitely won't do it.

If this gets out, it will be far more detrimental to Huang Tai than to Lu Yanhe.

After all, Lu Yanhe is the male lead in both of Longyan's key projects, "Burning Fire" and "Dingfeng No. 1".

If news of a rift between Lu Yanhe and Longyan spreads, it will affect the market performance of these two projects.

Huang Tai had to pretend to be very close to Lu Yanhe.

Back then, Huang Tai was certain that Lu Yanhe's side would not give up on the "Burning Fire" series, so her handling of many things revealed her true indifference.

Now, Lu Yanhe is doing the same thing, retaliating in kind, and he has figured out Huang Tai's psychology—when it comes to the most core interests, even if Lu Yanhe points his finger at her and curses her, she has to endure it.

As long as "Burning Fire" and "Dingfeng No. 1" still need Lu Yanhe, she has to endure it.

-

"I've transferred the money to you."

Liu Bai's voice came from the other end of the phone.

He was suppressing his anger, and it seemed like he was having a hard time holding back.

Xiao Mo: "Thank you, Brother Bai, for the breakup fee."

"What breakup fee? Don't talk nonsense!" Liu Bai immediately raised his voice, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Brother Bai, I was talking about resigning." After saying that, Xiao Mo hung up the phone without saying another word.

On the phone, her attitude was nothing like the sharp one she had shown in front of Liu Bai; instead, she sounded like a timid and normal assistant.

His tone was full of gratitude.

The reason is simple: they are afraid of being recorded and actually being sent to prison for "extortion".

To prepare for this, she did numerous mental simulations and extensive research. Finally, she chose to strike unexpectedly, confronting Liu Bai and threatening him when he was alone. She spent the entire day raising funds, refusing to answer any calls except his. When the money arrived, he called, and to avoid being recorded, she carefully chose her words, saying very little.

Okay, the money has arrived.

Xiao Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at the number displayed on her balance sheet, her inner joy hidden, something she dared not reveal.

She picked up her bag, took her suitcase, and walked out of the cramped little house.

-

Liu Bai was furious.

Damn it!

Just as Xiao Mo had suspected, Liu Bai was preparing to record the conversation.

Once the money is transferred, they'll get some information out of her and get her to admit over the phone that she extorted the 500,000 yuan.

As a result, she hung up the phone without saying another word.

Liu Bai let out an angry roar.

Li Zhibai and Yan Sui happened to be nearby, and they could hear Liu Bai's roar even through the door.

"What's wrong with him?" Li Zhibai asked in surprise.

Yan Sui shook his head.

Li Zhibai: "That's strange."

Yan Sui: "He looked unwell all day."

“He’s had so many takes, and Director Wu has yelled at him. It’s no wonder he looks so upset.” Li Zhibai clicked his tongue. “He’s probably been provoked.”

Yan Sui: "His acting skills are actually not bad, so why did he make so many basic mistakes today?"

Li Zhibai: "Who knows him? He's so absent-minded."

He suddenly remembered something, "Xiao Mo really didn't come today?"

“She didn’t come.” Yan Sui shook his head. “I sent her a message, but she didn’t reply.”

Li Zhibai: "It seems he's really gone. Liu Bai doesn't have an assistant now."

Li Zhibai suddenly remembered something, "Don't tell anyone what I told you."

Yan Sui: "Keep your mouth shut, you can rest assured."

Li Zhi laughed a hundred times.

Yan Sui: "Brother Bai, I've thought a lot about what you told me last time. If I start to correct my mistakes now and work hard to do so, do I still have a chance?"

“With me, you’ll have opportunities at any time,” Li Zhibai said.

Yan Sui was stunned.

He clearly hadn't expected Li Zhibai to give that answer.

He also knew very well what kind of person Li Zhibai was—someone who "speaks his mind".

Since he said that, that's what he really meant. This was completely beyond Yan Sui's expectations.

-

"No, this scene just now wasn't filmed well."

The scene being filmed for "You Are the Apple of My Eye" is of two girls, Shen Jiayi and Hu Jiawei, walking in the sunlight, leaving Ke Jingteng and the others stunned.

There's no clear plot development, but it's very important.

Anyone who has seen this movie knows how important this shot is.

Because this is the first time Shen Jiayi has tied her hair in a ponytail—Ke Jingteng wanted to see Shen Jiayi wear a ponytail.

For Ko Ching-teng, this was like his dream girl suddenly granting him a wish.

The joy at that moment was no longer just simple joy.

Wu Chi said to Yan Lingyu, "The key to this scene lies in you. On the surface, you and Hu Jiawei are just walking past each other in the sunlight, chatting and laughing. But deep down, you know very well that you tied your hair up in a ponytail because of Ke Jingteng's words. Moreover, at this moment, you already know that you have fallen for Ke Jingteng. At this moment, your smile in the sunlight must be the kind of smile you give when you walk past a boy you like, without letting others know that you like him, but you actually know in your heart that he is looking at you at this moment. This kind of feeling is not simple at all, but it must be presented as very simple."

Yan Lingyu nodded.

“I’m telling you all this not so you can act it all out. You need to really feel that emotion, and then express as much of it as you can,” Wu Chi said. “This part absolutely cannot be faked; you have to completely immerse yourself in Shen Jiayi’s feelings at this moment.”

The movie "You Are the Apple of My Eye" is actually easy to act in because the characters and the plot are very easy to get into.

But sometimes, it's incredibly difficult to act. In this film, everyone seems to be "playing themselves," and as long as it's authentic, it will be moving. However, it's neither a documentary nor an idol drama. It's somewhere in between, a story of adolescence seen through a filter.

If Yan Lingyu were to play Shen Jiayi, she would lack the innate sense of intimacy that Michelle Chen possesses.

Michelle Chen's appearance is that of a pure girl who is "not a great beauty, but would definitely attract the attention of boys in school." In the movie, with the added filter of the character, she basically hit the "goddess" image of many boys during their school days.

Therefore, Wu Chi basically had to film Yan Lingyu's scenes more than three times.

We had to adjust the feel of her in the photos again and again, based on her existing image. If even the slightest hint of aloofness appeared, we had to start over.

Wu Chi has a very accurate grasp of the script and the characters.

Even during the script meeting, Lu Yanhe said that we should just listen to Wu Chi.

Lu Yanhe's words made everyone trust what Wu Chi said.

Yan Lingyu is the same, even though she has already played the female lead in Liu Bige's films.

When Wu Chi first communicated with Yan Lingyu, he was quite careful.

In Wu Chi's eyes, this actress had a close relationship with Lu Yanhe, and at first glance, she didn't seem like the kind of person who was easy to get along with.

After getting to know each other better, Wu Chi discovered that, putting everything else aside, Yan Lingyu was quite good at acting.

Although her acting talent was not as good as Xiao Yun's and Li Zhibai's.

An afternoon passed, the light faded, and Wu Chi still hadn't captured a shot that satisfied him.

The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat awkward.

Looks like it'll be coming again tomorrow.

Yan Lingyu and Xiao Yun sat to one side.

Wu Chi couldn't resist either, and lit a cigarette.

This scene had to be temporarily abandoned; we had to change locations and film the next scene.

Because the filming didn't go smoothly, the staff on set tried to remain quiet and didn't say much.

A somewhat oppressive and eerie silence descended.

If things don't go smoothly while filming, this is what happens.

Li Zhibai noticed this.

The situation is actually quite tricky.

If Xiao Yun were the one encountering problems while acting, he could simply go over and tease him a bit, and then Xiao Yun could scold him a few times, which might improve the atmosphere on set.

Yan Lingyu's personality is not as carefree as Xiao Yun's.

Li Zhi was unsure whether his reckless actions would backfire and provoke Yan Lingyu.

However, he also felt that if the atmosphere continued like this, it wouldn't be good and would be detrimental to the filming of the later scenes.

At this moment, Liu Bai suddenly muttered, "An entire afternoon has been wasted like this."

Li Zhibai glanced at him sideways.

Liu Bai noticed Li Zhibai's gaze, shrugged, and said, "I'm going to the restroom."

-

There is a common misconception about film crews: the male and female leads are naturally of higher status than the supporting actors, so the supporting actors must be polite and respectful to the leads.

Actually, that's not the case at all.

Actually, the biggest difference between the entertainment industry and other industries is that the former is naturally placed in the public eye, so everything is magnified. Other than that, it's pretty much the same.

Liu Bai's complaints and rants did not cause much of a stir.

The only people who heard it were Li Zhibai, Li Yuefeng, and a few others.

As soon as Liu Bai left, Li Yuefeng smiled and said, "Quite a temper."

Li Zhibai: "He didn't think about himself when he was making mistakes."

Li Yuefeng glanced at Li Zhibai in surprise.

Li Zhibai's attitude toward Liu Bai was somewhat unexpected.

Normally, Liu Bai would fawn over Li Zhibai on set, even if he didn't say he was "fawning over him," he would definitely "praise" and "lick" his boots, always saying that Li Zhibai was a superstar, very popular, and awesome.

For a long time, Li Yuefeng was very unhappy with Liu Bai because of this incident.

Isn't he famous? Isn't he a big star?

He's only one or two less hit works than Li Zhibai, but in terms of popularity and fame, he's just as good!

Liu Bai is such a snob!

This is the impression Liu Bai left on Li Yuefeng.

Surprisingly, Li Zhibai didn't like him either!

Li Yuefeng burst out laughing.

"Ugly people often do strange things." This saying carries a hint of personal grudge.

Li Zhibai glanced at him.

Zhong Shiyu, who is a bit overweight and wears black-rimmed glasses, said, "Let's not talk about each other like this behind each other's backs."

Zhong Shiyu plays the most mature person among them in the movie.

Off-screen, he was a few years older than them. Although not a star, he had extensive experience in stage plays and had won major awards in the theater world. He not only played a role in the play, but also served as a performance coach for many of them off-screen.

Everyone still respects him quite a bit.

Neither Li Zhibai nor Li Yuefeng spoke again.

-

"You don't need to persuade me anymore about the 'Ten Miles of Fragrance' project. I won't act in it."

Yan Liang said to Zhou Ping'an with absolute certainty.

Zhou Pingan sighed.

Yan Liang said, "I don't want to be the spokesperson for prudence."

Zhou Ping'an glared at Yan Liang with a look of exasperation. "Now Lu Yanhe has three companies under his belt: Linghe, Shihuo, and Tiaoqilai. Li Zhibai has transitioned into a producer and has his family's company backing him. They all have capital backgrounds. What about you? You were the most mediocre of the three. You've already secured a top-tier position, but how long can you hold on?"

Yan Liang smiled, looking at Zhou Ping'an with a mocking gaze.

“Brother Ping An, you said it yourself, Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai both have capital backgrounds, so don’t you know who my capital background is?” Yan Liang said, “They are my capital backgrounds, I don’t need to find other capital to be my background.”

Zhou Ping'an was speechless for a moment.

Yan Liang: "If you want to leave Woodpecker and get on the capital table, that's your own business. Don't drag me into it. I've never been tied to you from the beginning. The one tied to you is Ma Zhiyuan. Instead of trying to persuade me, you should try to clean up Ma Zhiyuan's image and make him popular again."

He silently put on his sunglasses, got up, and left Zhou Ping'an's office.

"It's rare for you to make time to come to the company, and all I get to hear are these things I don't want to hear. You really are—"

Yan Liang smiled silently and shook his head.

"Just when I think you've changed a little and started to get better, you throw cold water on me, making me see clearly that you're still that greedy businessman at heart."

Zhou Ping'an angrily rebuked, "Every man for himself, or the world will destroy him. How long can you rely on Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai?"

"Then I can rely on you?" Yan Liang looked at Zhou Ping'an incredulously and laughed. "Can I even rely on you for a single day?"

Zhou Ping'an's face turned bright red.

"Can't you think before you speak?" Yan Liang took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked out.

-

In the group chat, Yan Liang said: "I can't work out with Zhou Ping'an anymore, I need to find a new agent."

Upon seeing the message, Lu Yanhe asked: Do you have anyone in mind?

Yan Liang and Zhou Ping'an will break up sooner or later.

They had already reached a consensus on this point.

The reason Yan Liang hadn't replaced him before was because they still needed each other; it was purely a business relationship of mutual exploitation.

The foundation for mutual exploitation in business is now also unstable.

Therefore, even though Yan Liang said this was very sudden, Lu Yanhe was not surprised at all and immediately asked if there were any candidates for a new agent.

Yan Liang: I wanted Zhang Huan to be my agent directly, but the Woodpeckers might not agree. They might still want to assign me a different agent.

Zhang Huan is Yan Liang's assistant.

Lu Yanhe said: If Woodpecker wants to arrange another agent for you, that's fine too. Just let Zhang Huan be your executive agent. Zhang Huan will be in charge of the specific matters.

Yan Liang: After this contract expires, I will not renew it with Woodpecker. I plan to open my own studio.

Lu Yanhe: Sure, you can start your own studio now. With the Friends and Gold Rush series under your belt, you don't need to worry about running the studio for a while.

Yan Liang: That's what I think too. Actually, I get very few resources from the Woodpeckers now. The resources they can provide me are no longer what I particularly need.

Lu Yanhe: However, in areas such as legal affairs, publicity, public relations, and business, Zhuomuren is still very strong, especially in business. Sister Ziyan said that in this aspect, Zhuomuren is top-notch in the industry.

Yan Liang has over a dozen endorsements and earns eight-figure commercial income annually, most of which comes from the operations of Zhuomuren.

Yan Liang: If all else fails, I can still sign the business contract with them.

Lu Yanhe: If it's a split contract, you'll be at a disadvantage. There are quite a few A-list celebrities in the Woodpecker group now, but with a split contract, your priority will be lower, and the business you get will be less than if you found a brand PR partner yourself.

Yan Liang: I really don't know anything about this.

He then asked: What if I take the business check-in to the fire station?

Lu Yanhe: Same here. Shi Huo has a lot of signed artists. If it's just a split contract, from the company's perspective, their top-tier commercial resources will definitely be given priority to artists of the same level with full contracts. This isn't even a matter of income. As you know, the quality and level of commercial cooperation often affect the entire industry and the public's perception and opinion of the artist.

Yan Liang: Yes, I understand.

Lu Yanhe: However, you really should contact overseas agencies. I have several projects here, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they are all Hollywood projects, and there are roles reserved for you. Having an overseas agency to handle your agency business can help you promote your career development overseas in all aspects through these projects. If you only handle it through your own studio, it will be a bit difficult to make progress.

Yan Liang: Okay, do you have any recommendations?

Lu Yanhe: I suggest you send out the signal yourself first. If you do it through me, they'll easily associate you with me, and that might make some agencies back down. You currently have several shows like "Friends" doing very well on streaming platforms, so overseas agencies are definitely interested in you. Knowing you want to expand your career overseas, they'll proactively contact you and negotiate. See what conditions they offer before making a decision.

Yan Liang: Okay, I understand.

Lu Yanhe: Have any Hollywood projects approached you?

Yan Liang: Several streaming series approached me, but Zhou Ping'an turned them down because they were all supporting roles.

Lu Yanhe: Zhou Pingan turned down the supporting role in the streaming series, but if you have the opportunity, I think you can go to a foreign film crew and see what it's like. It's only a few days of filming, just a cameo, but you can familiarize yourself with the situation of a foreign film crew in advance. It's very different from the domestic one. The most important thing is to let everyone see that you are willing to film overseas. Hollywood is a very interesting place. On the one hand, they are very arrogant, but on the other hand, they also respect the "artist mentality" very much. Their entire production environment promotes the "artist mentality". If they think that you only want to film in China and don't want to go to Hollywood, they won't even send you a script.

Yan Liang is now much more well-known overseas than Li Zhibai.

He has well-known dramas and representative roles, and many people recognize his face.

Therefore, if Yan Liang wants to develop his career overseas, it might be difficult for him to play leading roles, but production companies would definitely be happy to have him play some guest roles.

Yan Liang: I can do it, I'd be happy to.

Lu Yanhe said: "Then when I see a suitable cameo role, I will give them your contact information."

Yan Liang: I'll give you Zhang Huan's phone number and email address. Zhou Ping'an will definitely refuse; he won't even tell me.

Lu Yanhe agreed.

-

At this time, "The Mysterious Ghost," in which Jiang Yuqian starred, was released globally, including in China, and on the same day as in Europe and America.

This film, starring top American actor Mam Valentine, is a very typical American spy action movie. Jiang Yuqian plays a mysterious female agent from the East, with only seventeen minutes of screen time and three appearances.

However, Jiang Yuqian's image in the movie is that of a beautiful and mysterious woman, with excellent makeup and styling.

Although Lu Yanhe didn't have time to go to the cinema to watch it, he saw Jiang Yuqian's scenes in the trailer when he forwarded it. She was very beautiful, both beautiful and sexy, and it was an image that she had never appeared in domestic film and television dramas before.

The scene where she danced passionately on the piano in the bar, in particular, fully showcased the charm of her beautiful face.

After its opening weekend, the film grossed 82 million yuan in China over three days, which is decent. Its global opening weekend grossed 67 million yuan, which is also decent for a big-budget film.

The main problem is that there are too many of these kinds of topics, and they are no longer as appealing as they used to be.

However, for Jiang Yuqian, this was a successful performance.

Critics have given her appearances very high praise.

Although her role was small, her presence was strong, forming a stark contrast to Jiang Cao in "The Squid Game," making it an unexpected performance.

For Jiang Yuqian, this was just a supporting role; she had already accomplished her mission by making her face and gaining prestige around the world.

In particular, Jiang Yuqian traveled the world with the film crew for promotional activities, which gave her a lot of exposure.

On the day that "The Mysterious Ghost" grossed over 100 million yuan at the Chinese box office, Lu Yanhe sent her a congratulatory message.

Jiang Yuqian: Because my character has been very well received, Simon and his team want to develop a spin-off series based on my character. What do you think?

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and asked: What level of production is it?

Jiang Yuqian: She didn't say anything, just made a suggestion.

Lu Yanhe: Well, this is still far from being finalized. You can respond positively right now. This doesn't mean we've officially entered the preparation process; it's just a simple communication. In Hollywood, there are so many ideas like this. Any idea that's even slightly popular will be suggested to be developed into a film or television series.

Jiang Yuqian: I never expected that playing just a minor supporting role would be so popular.

Lu Yanhe: In this type of subject matter, beautiful and sexy female agents are relatively easy to become popular. However, such characters are generally quite simple and do not have much room for complex development. If you really want to make derivative works, you must pay attention to the script, as it is easy to ruin it.

Jiang Yuqian: Mm-hmm.

Lu Yanhe: What's your next project?

Jiang Yuqian said: "Red Eye Flight will not start filming until next year. In the second half of the year, I took on an independent film project in the United States, directed by the same independent film director who made Sofa."

Lu Yanhe asked with a smile: Are you about to start aiming for awards again?

Jiang Yuqian: No, not at all. Although my idea for taking this role was somewhat pragmatic, it wasn't for awards. I simply wanted the critics to see that I'm not just a commercial film actress.

Lu Yanhe understood.

Use independent productions to boost her reputation.

Jiang Yuqian: I also recommended Li Zhibai for this movie. I think Li Zhibai will act with me.

Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised: Li Zhibai?

Jiang Yuqian: Hmm.

She asked again: Did he tell you?

Lu Yanhe: No.

Lu Yanhe then said: Sister Yuqian, you and Li Zhibai...

He hesitated for a moment, unable to bring himself to ask the rest of the question.

Jiang Yuqian: I've started work here, bye.

Lu Yanhe missed his chance to ask further questions.

-

That day, Li Yuefeng and Liu Bai both asked for leave from the "Those Years" crew. Neither of them gave a reason, but everyone knew that they were going to audition for the "Ten Miles of Fragrance" crew.

Xiao Yun asked curiously, "Li Zhibai, why didn't you go?"

Li Zhibai: "I'm not interested in that movie."

"Why? Don't you want to act in fantasy dramas?"

"Yeah, more or less." Li Zhibai nodded. "It's not that I don't want to act in fantasy dramas, it's just that I don't want to act in this particular script, I'm not interested."

Xiao Yun cupped her face in her hands and said, "I'd really like to act in a fantasy drama."

"Why?" Li Zhibai looked at Xiao Yun in shock.

Xiao Yun has acted in many period dramas, from "Phoenix Terrace" to "My Own Swordsman", but he has never acted in a fantasy drama.

The roles she plays are mostly female characters with a strong sense of chivalry and江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world).

Including the second female lead she played in "You Are the Apple of My Eye," she is also a rather carefree and not very demure girl.

This is very much like her personality.

Xiao Yun said, "They're so beautiful in fantasy dramas, so ethereal and otherworldly."

Li Zhibai looked at her speechlessly and said, "Don't you need to be so ethereal and otherworldly? You're not that kind of person."

Xiao Yun glared at him.

"Why am I not in that category? Can't I play a fairy?"

Xiao Yun was furious and wished he could unleash his "Overwhelming Force" to smash Li Zhi against the wall a hundred times.

Li Zhibai: "You could play a violent fairy."

Xiao Yun: "...Do you believe I'll use violence on you right now?"

At this moment, Yan Lingyu arrived.

"Ling Yu, have any fantasy dramas approached you?" Xiao Yun asked immediately upon seeing her.

Yan Lingyu was taken aback, blinked, and pointed at Li Zhibai, saying, "I just filmed 'Chinese Paladin' with him, does that count?"

"This isn't a fantasy drama in the traditional sense, is it?" Xiao Yun said. "I'm talking about the kind of fantasy drama that involves romance."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingyu shook her head and said, "No, no such project has come to me."

"Really?" Li Zhibai was somewhat surprised. "No fantasy dramas have ever approached you?"

Yan Lingyu: "Before I acted in 'Chinese Paladin,' I had a conflict with my company, and they probably turned down all my offers."

After "Chinese Paladin", Yan Lingyu went on to film "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and did not take on any other projects in between.

Xiao Yun asked, "What do you think of me acting in a fantasy drama? Playing a fairy with an ethereal aura."

Yan Lingyu looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Aren't you more suited to playing a female knight-errant?"

Li Zhibai burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?!" Xiao Yun was even more annoyed.

Yan Lingyu, puzzled, asked, "What's wrong?"

"Never mind, it's nothing." Xiao Yun sighed, then stopped talking, indicating that he was feeling quite disheartened.

Li Zhi asked Yan Lingyu: "After you finished filming 'You Are the Apple of My Eye', did you take on any new roles?"

Yan Lingyu shook her head.

“The company is helping me review the script, and I’m reviewing it myself.” She sighed. “I’m planning to enroll in an acting class to learn more.”

Yan Lingyu has fully realized how bad his acting skills are in the two dramas "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and "Chinese Paladin".

In fact, after she finished filming "Late Spring", her next two dramas were heavily criticized, partly because the dramas were bad, and partly because she herself acted really badly.

In "Chinese Paladin" and "You Are the Apple of My Eye," she had a great production team that helped her to highlight her strengths and minimize her weaknesses, but an average production team wouldn't have the same ability.

Yan Lingyu feels that she is not suitable to take on too many roles right now.

Her company is also fully aware of this.

Her company is well aware that with the success of "Chinese Paladin" and "You Are the Apple of My Eye," Yan Lingyu will definitely rise to the ranks of top-tier actresses. Until then, there's no need to over-exploit her talent.

Therefore, the two sides have reached an agreement to a certain extent.

Xiao Yun suddenly sighed, "I really hope that one day I can become an actress like Sister Yuqian."

"Huh?" Upon hearing the name, Li Zhibai let out a questioning sound.

Xiao Yun: "What's wrong? Is it not working?"

"You...your target is Jiang Yuqian?"

“Yeah, we’ll probably never be as good at acting as Bige in this lifetime. It’s more worthwhile to pursue the goal of being like Yuqian,” Xiao Yun said. “By the way, have you guys seen ‘The Mysterious Ghost’? I really want to see it.”

"I haven't seen it yet." Yan Lingyu shook her head. "Are you guys going to see it?"

Li Zhibai: "..."

At this point, he couldn't very well say that he had secretly gone to check on it after work.

He has so many scenes to film every day, he's exhausted, so isn't it strange that he still went to see this movie?

—It’s not surprising at all. It’s perfectly normal for actors to go see a movie after work.

However, Li Zhibai was now acting suspiciously, as if he were trying to hide something.

So he shook his head.

Then, after finishing work that day, they went to see "The Mysterious Ghost" together.

-

The summer movie season has always been a fiercely competitive battleground for films.

The Hollywood film "Ghost" had a mediocre box office performance, and its run in China is expected to end at around 200 million yuan.

However, it still managed to gross over 100 million yuan after a week of global release, and should have barely broken even at the box office.

Lu Yanhe's film "Tropical Rainy Season," for which he won Best Actor at the Citour Film Festival, has also been scheduled for release during the National Day holiday in October.

"Tropical Rainy Season" is an art film, which is actually not very suitable for release during major holidays. However, after research by the distribution company, due to Lu Yanhe's current personal appeal, his award at the Sea Tour Film Festival, and various other factors such as its impact on the North American awards season, they believe that if "Tropical Rainy Season" is released during the National Day holiday, although it may not be able to capture the box office volume of the top tier, it may be able to ride the wave of the overall market and earn around 200 million yuan at the box office.

For them, acquiring the Chinese distribution rights to "Tropical Rainy Season" was a huge profit.

During the seven-day National Day holiday, there are usually about two films in the top tier, which can average around 1 billion yuan in box office revenue. The second tier consists of blockbusters that are dragged down by word of mouth, as well as films that receive better-than-expected reviews.

The film "Tropical Rainy Season" is essentially an art film, without any elements of any genre.

Lu Yanhe only made one request regarding publicity: no "false advertising."

Avoid using ambiguous editing techniques that might mislead viewers into thinking the film has some popular elements, thus luring them in.

“These days, movies can’t fool many viewers. If you fool one person, you’ll get another one to criticize you,” Lu Yanhe emphasized.

Therefore, the promotional campaign for "Tropical Rainy Season" took the opposite approach, emphasizing instead its "art film" attributes.

Lu Yanhe won the Best Actor award at the Situ Film Festival.

"Green Valley Films, the company handling North American distribution, highly praised Lu Yanhe's performance and will be lobbying for him for this year's Oscars!"

Why did Lu Yanhe choose to act in this low-budget film? Come to the cinema and you'll find the answer.

"During the National Day holiday, there are a plethora of blockbusters and special effects. Watch 'Tropical Rainy Season' and enjoy the art of living."

Everyone was shocked.

Because, no one expected that the first film to be scheduled for release during the National Day holiday would be an art film.

For a moment, many people subconsciously thought, "Are you crazy to release an art film at this time? Do you want to be cannon fodder?"

However, because they saw Lu Yanhe's name, no one dared to directly predict his downfall.

It was at this time that "The Days of Youth" arrived at the filming location of "Dingfeng No. 1".

-

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

(End of this chapter)