Chapter 808: Comparing whose dad is worse?

On the way back, Lu Yanhe felt very sleepy. His eyelids felt like they were filled with lead, and he couldn't lift them. He felt dizzy and his head felt so heavy that it seemed like it might fall off at any moment.

But when he returned to Ziyuan Bridge, lay in bed, and was truly alone in the quiet surroundings, his sleepiness suddenly vanished.

This is a problem that he avoids more and more the longer he is in this world.

When he first arrived in this world, he didn't care about his identity at all. It didn't matter what it was. At that time, his attitude towards this world and his identity as Lu Yanhe was no different from playing a murder mystery game.

But now, everything is different.

Lu Yanhe has completely come to see himself as a person of this world.

He has completely become Lu Yanhe.

Everything he has is everything he has.

What he subconsciously wanted to avoid was what he would eventually have to face.

illegitimate child.

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.

He lay in bed with his eyes open.

At that moment, he suddenly resonated with the sleepless night in "Dingfeng No. 1" when he had to make a decision.

This is how a person is when faced with a real choice.

It's not about being caught in a dilemma, but rather like tossing a coin into the air. The instant you toss it, you already know which side you hope it will land on.

He knew his choice almost without hesitation. All the time that followed was spent convincing those who dared not, did not want to, hesitated, worried, and felt uneasy about the unknown.

Lu Yanhe sat up.

Suddenly, Chen Siqi gently patted his back.

She didn't say anything.

He didn't turn around.

She gently stroked his back.

On this quiet night.

-

The next day at noon, when Chen Ziyan arrived at Ziyuan Bridge, she felt inexplicably nervous.

Because she didn't know what decision Lu Yanhe would make.

No matter what decision Lu Yanhe makes, Chen Ziyan will support him. But precisely because Chen Ziyan won't offer any of her own opinions on this matter, she is particularly nervous.

It's like watching your friend stand on the field—

That was even more nerve-wracking than being on the field yourself.

That's exactly how I feel.

Chen Ziyan knocked on the door.

Chen Siqi opened the door.

"Siqi, how is he?" Chen Ziyan herself did not expect that the first thing she asked was about his condition.

Concern leads to confusion.

Chen Siqi gave her a "everything is fine" smile.

"That's good." Chen Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief, then picked up a takeout order she had bought on her way here and handed it to Chen Siqi. "This is your favorite bayberry crispy duck."

Chen Siqi smiled as she took it, "Great, I've been craving this."

Chen Ziyan nodded and went into the house.

It was only then that she noticed there were several pairs of shoes in the entryway.

Was anyone else here at noon today?

Chen Ziyan entered the house. On the sofa, Li Zhibai and Li Pengfei were playing games with game controllers, while Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe were cooking in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Wang Biao and Zou Dong were assembling an ergonomic chair.

"Sister Ziyan."

They took turns greeting her.

Chen Ziyan was taken aback.

Is Lu Yanhe not planning to bring up that matter at noon today?

Seeing this, Chen Ziyan composed herself.

-

"Yan Liang and I have to go to the movie channel to record a program this afternoon. The recording starts at three o'clock, and we have to leave at one o'clock, so we have to hurry."

At 11:30, Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang cooked a home-style meal together, served it on the table, and invited everyone to sit down.

"You have a show to record this afternoon, so don't rush to treat us to lunch. How about we have a late-night snack together after you finish recording?" Li Zhi asked.

Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "There's something I need to tell you all this noon."

Chen Ziyan was taken aback.

etc?

She looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise—or rather, in shock.

So many people?

Lu Yanhe seemed to notice Chen Ziyan's nervousness, and at this moment, he cast a reassuring look at her.

Li Zhibai: "What's the matter?"

"Let's eat first. It's been so long since I've had Chinese food, my Chinese stomach is growling like crazy," Lu Yanhe said.

Li Zhibai nodded, "Alright, I'm hungry too."

Everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to enjoy their meal.

Lu Yanhe smiled and said to Li Pengfei, "When I eat now, I often think back to our senior year of high school, when your dad and your housekeeper brought us a sumptuous meal to visit us at school. Later, I met so many rich kids, including Li Zhibai, but I have never met a dad more down-to-earth than yours."

“He was just playing around with me for a while. Later, I was so busy with work that I rarely had time to sit down and eat with him throughout the year,” Li Pengfei said.

Li Zhibai waved his hand and said, "Seriously, brother, you need to learn to be content. Come and see my dad, and you'll know how amazing he is. I dream of having a dad like yours."

Chen Siqi laughed and said to Li Zhibai, "How dare you say that to my face? You're the one who should learn to be content. At least your dad didn't find you a stepmother who could have completely fooled you and even abandoned me, his daughter."

Chen Ziyan: "..."

Wang Biao thought to himself, "My God, what's going on at noon today? Are they comparing whose dad is the worst?"

He secretly glanced at Zou Dong, his eyes asking what was going on.

Zou Dong, on the other hand, remained quiet, focusing on his own thoughts and eating silently.

Wang Biao followed suit and withdrew his gaze.

"But thankfully, he doesn't live off his father." Lu Yanhe smiled. "You all know what Ma Zhiyuan said in the live stream yesterday, right?"

“I know,” Li Pengfei said. “You didn’t know, did you? All the students in my class registered several accounts to call him a big idiot and accuse him of spreading rumors online.”

Lu Yanhe looked surprised.

"Oh? Were we high school classmates?"

“Yes.” Li Pengfei nodded.

Lu Yanhe: "How come I didn't know? There were no messages in the group chat?"

“We created a support group for Lu Yanhe No. 13 Middle School,” Li Pengfei laughed. “After all, we’re always discussing how to help you attack those who smear and insult you, and we can’t let you know about these things.”

Lu Yanhe: "...You guys are still doing this?"

“Yeah,” Li Pengfei said. “You don’t know, do you? There’s more than just our class’s fan club. There are several in No. 13 Middle School alone. Your juniors all idolize you. Didn’t you cancel your fan club? Sometimes, like for your movie premiere or any event you have that requires some organized support, they will spontaneously organize and strengthen your fan club.”

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

"But they also know that you don't like the fan club format, so they don't say anything and just do it quietly."

Lu Yanhe had no idea that his classmates and younger schoolmates from No. 13 Middle School had done such a thing for him.

"I'm so envious," Li Zhibai said. "Is this the appeal of top students?"

Li Pengfei said, "Is it because he goes back to No. 13 Middle School almost every year after graduation?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head, "Not every year, but I have indeed gone back many times. When 'Jump Up' was doing campus activities, I participated twice and was even invited back to give a speech under the national flag. There are also some commemorative events that they invite me to, and I usually go if I'm in Yuming."

“No wonder.” Li Zhibai shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Damn it, I hate people who are already incredibly arrogant but even more arrogant than us.”

Yan Liang couldn't stop laughing.

Lu Yanhe: "I received a lot of care at No. 13 Middle School. They need me, so I can't not go."

That was his first year in this world, in this time and space.

Lu Yanhe received a great deal of care from his homeroom teacher, other teachers, and classmates.

At this moment, Lu Yanhe suddenly felt a sense of peace deep within his heart.

"I've digressed. What I want to say is that there's something I really need to tell you. Whether or not to say it publicly, I need to discuss it with Sister Ziyan again, but at least in front of you, you are the most important people in my life. I've made a decision, and I don't want to run away from this anymore."

After Lu Yanhe finished speaking, he looked at Chen Ziyan.

Chen Ziyan took a deep breath.

She understood the thought hidden in Lu Yanhe's gaze.

She nodded and said, "I've said it before, I'll support whatever you want to do. At worst, we can learn from Nuwa patching up the sky together, it's no big deal."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"What are you trying to say?" Li Zhibai was completely bewildered, realizing that what Lu Yanhe was about to say was no small matter. "This is all connected to Nuwa mending the sky! Don't scare me, what are you up to?"

Lu Yanhe said, "Ma Zhiyuan is right, I am indeed—"

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but at this moment, he still found it difficult to speak.

But he persisted and uttered those three words: "illegitimate child."

The room was so quiet that there wasn't a sound.

Everyone's expression froze—or rather, they didn't know how to react.

After Lu Yanhe uttered those three words, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Alright, we've passed the hardest part.

"I don't want to say that he is my father. I didn't know at first. It was only with Sister Ziyan's help that I learned the truth. That person is Chen Pinhe."

Li Zhibai's chopsticks fell onto the table.

He stared at Lu Yanhe, speechless.

The others weren't much better off.

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.

“Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, you should remember that on my 18th birthday, I fell into the water,” Lu Yanhe said. “That day, I received a letter. Someone asked me to meet them and said they would tell me the truth about my parents’ deaths. It was about my parents when I was a child. Then, when I got there, I waited by the river, and then someone pushed me into the river.”

"Yes, I remember. We never found out who that person was," Yan Liang said.

“You should also remember that Zhou Ping’an kept trying to get me to terminate my contract with the company back then,” Lu Yanhe added.

“Yes.” Yan Liang nodded again. “Actually, we all found it strange and didn’t understand. Even if you weren’t very famous at that time, they didn’t arrange any work for you and wanted to terminate your contract. It all seemed very strange.”

Lu Yanhe said, "That's because Chen Pinhe used his connections behind the scenes to find Vice President Ma and get me to leave the entertainment industry. Then, Vice President Ma found Zhou Pingan."

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were dumbfounded.

“At that time, we didn’t know it was Chen Pinhe. It was only after he made several more moves to try to get me out of the entertainment industry that Sister Ziyan discovered some shady dealings.” Lu Yanhe took a deep breath. “You’ll know what happened next.”

Li Zhibai asked incredulously, "Was it him who pushed you into the river?"

Lu Yanhe shook his head: "I don't know. There have been no new clues about this matter. The place where I was asked to meet was a blind spot for surveillance. There was no one around, and... it was dark, so I didn't see anything."

Chen Siqi grasped Lu Yanhe's hand.

-

The car headed towards CCTV.

Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe were sitting in the same car.

Zou Dong was in charge of driving.

Yan Liang's team met up with them directly at CCTV, so there was no need for them to come and pick up Yan Liang separately.

However, Yan Liang now prefers that his team come and pick him up by car.

The atmosphere in the carriage was strangely heavy.

Yan Liang had been wanting to say something to break the heavy silence, but he wasn't a very good talker to begin with, and at this moment, he didn't know what to say.

From the first day they met Lu Yanhe, when they were both only fifteen years old, Yan Liang's impression of Lu Yanhe was that he had a "tragic upbringing".

Both parents are deceased.

Born in a rural area, he came from a poor family.

At that time, Yan Liang already felt that Lu Yanhe was too pitiful.

Ten years later, Yan Liangcai suddenly realized that the truth was far more complex than he had imagined.

Yan Liang always said that he was the most ordinary of the three.

However, on the other hand, he also has the most ordinary yet warm family.

Yan Liang felt an overwhelming pang of sorrow—an emotion he would never have felt had he known these things ten years ago. Back then, he felt only sympathy. But these past ten years had made it impossible for Yan Liang to remain detached—to feel sympathy.

So annoying.

Yan Liang turned his head to look at the fleeting scenery outside the window.

Why did he and Lu Yanhe go to the movie channel to record a program this afternoon of all?

Yan Liang couldn't help but blame himself for his low emotional intelligence and inability to speak properly, failing to say anything to ease the atmosphere at this moment.

"Are you alright?" Lu Yanhe suddenly asked in a low voice.

Yan Liang: "...What do you think?"

Lu Yanhe: "Shouldn't you be the one comforting me?"

Yan Liang: "I do wish I had that ability, and what's the point of comforting you now? It's all hindsight."

His tone carried a hint of complaint.

“You too, only telling us today that you have such a deep hatred for… Chen Pinhe,” Yan Liang said. “No wonder you were so upset with him before… Sigh, luckily we didn’t commit to any projects with him before.”

“It’s okay, I can work with him.” Lu Yanhe said, “I’m very relaxed right now. Working with him doesn’t mean anything. He’s a movie star. Working with him can also be a good opportunity to learn from his experience.”

"Come on, how can you think like that?" Yan Liang glared at Lu Yanhe. "People like this should be cut off completely. You're dreaming of dancing on a knife's edge?"

Lu Yanhe smiled.

Yan Liang understood the self-deprecating tone.

After a moment of silence, Yan Liang said, "Never mind, it doesn't matter what."

Yan Liang: "But, if it really was him who pushed you into the river back then—"

-

After Lu Yanhe and the others left, Li Pengfei and Li Zhibai did not go out. Instead, they picked up the controllers and continued playing the game.

They just fought rather quietly.

"It's shameful that they dropped such a huge bomb on us and then ran away."

"Scold him later."

"scold."

After a long silence, the two exchanged a few words, then fell silent again.

Li Zhibai: "Chen Pinhe is a real bastard."

Li Pengfei: "I want to find someone to put a sack over his head and beat him up."

Li Zhibai: "Is it possible?"

Li Pengfei: "What's wrong with paying enough money?"

Li Zhibai: "His security detail must be very strong, right?"

Li Pengfei: "There are always times when we make mistakes."

Li Zhibai: "Why not find someone to splash dog blood on us, right in front of everyone?"

Li Pengfei: "That works too."

Both of them had very fast hand speed when using the game controllers, clearly indicating they were experienced players.

However, at this moment, both of them spoke in a calm tone that didn't sound like they were playing a game at all.

-

"The simultaneous global release of 'Flypaper' took a lot of effort, but thankfully, we received a lot of support from all sides, which made it possible for the project to be successfully realized."

Lu Yanhe said to the host with a smile.

Yan Liang looked at him, feeling a sense of admiration.

There was absolutely no sign of anything unusual on his face.

"Because this film is actually the first Hollywood film produced by Linghe, we were feeling our way across almost every aspect," Lu Yanhe explained. "Especially with the film 'Flypaper,' although it was supposed to be released globally simultaneously, different distributors were responsible for China, the United States, Europe, and other regions. Coordinating and managing this process was quite challenging. Fortunately, it was also a learning process, and I think this experience will be of great help to our future projects."

The host asked, "Actually, we've also noticed an interesting phenomenon: since Linghe was established, it seems that the films it has produced have all been relatively small and exquisite projects, without involving large-scale productions? This also applies to your scripts; you have been very strict in controlling costs."

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Because we are a very young company, we had limited funds at the beginning, so we could only do small-budget projects. In recent years, we have had much more funds, but we also face a problem: should we invest these funds in two or three top-tier projects, or should we continue to pursue the path of small but beautiful projects and make more films every year? As far as I am concerned, I think Linghe does not really need the success of a top-tier project at this stage. What it needs more is to gain experience in production, distribution, publicity, copyright operation and other aspects through each project, and to build a complete channel network in each different aspect.”

Lu Yanhe smiled after he finished explaining.

"Otherwise, you might spend a lot of money, energy, and time to make a great film, but you won't be able to secure the best shelf space or the most prominent billboards for it. In fact, those big companies might bully their customers, and while others can get a 30/70 split, you'll only get a 50/50 split."

Lu Yanhe spoke from the bottom of his heart.

He even hesitated for a moment before not using "Burning Fire" as an example.

...

"Yan Liang, is this your first time acting in an English film?"

"Yes." Yan Liang nodded, snapping out of his reverie and focusing his attention. "When Yan He gave me this script, I never imagined he would cast me in such a role."

"Because Yan Liang's personality is usually quite reserved, he doesn't talk much," Lu Yanhe said. "This role was adjusted according to his own personality."

The host laughed and said, "Having a screenwriter as a friend is really enviable; you can have scripts tailored to your needs."

Yan Liang is right.

He said with a smile, "So when Li Zhibai and I take on other projects, we don't really care whether the project will be a hit or whether it will be a bit risky. Anyway, even if the results aren't great, Yan He's projects will always be there to cover for us. As long as we act in his projects, we're guaranteed to succeed."

"Don't flatter me to death," Lu Yanhe laughed.

Yan Liang: "Okay, indeed, the pressure is immense."

"High stress? Why?"

"Because we've been successful all along, while that gives us a lot of confidence, it also puts pressure on us, as we're afraid that this success might end with me," Yan Liang said with a smile.

Lu Yanhe laughed, "That's why I've been very strict about controlling costs. For 'Flypaper,' it only needs to gross over $45 million worldwide to break even, which would reduce the pressure considerably. For a more stylized genre film like 'Flypaper,' expecting it to gross $200-300 million globally is unrealistic and very difficult, because it's not a mainstream film. Although I know many people expect at least $100 million, those who truly understand the film won't predict its box office performance based solely on a few conceptual points."

The host said, "Then why not make another movie like 'Home Alone'?"

“If movies like ‘Home Alone’ were so easy to make, they wouldn’t have achieved such miraculous box office success,” Lu Yanhe said. “I can only say that family-friendly comedies like this, which don’t follow the usual formula, are rare finds. Moreover, ‘Flypaper’ has its own value; it has its own audience. Just because it only grosses $50 million doesn’t mean it has no value.”

The host nodded.

"There's another question I want to ask. You've written many English scripts, and actors like Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, Jiang Yuqian, and Wen Minglan have all become lead actors. But why haven't you been a lead actor yourself?"

Lu Yanhe said, "On the one hand, the role is suitable. On the other hand, even if I don't act in my own scripts, I can still get good scripts and roles in Hollywood. But I am a lucky person. Not every actor is as lucky as me. If I can use my scripts and my little bit of influence to help more Chinese actors get such performance opportunities, why not? Look at Li Zhibai. After Buried Alive, I don't need to write scripts for him anymore. He also has projects from Europe and America coming to him. Yan Liang is the same. Actually, he had a male lead in a big production. The producer was not very confident in him at first because he was not very famous in Europe and America. But after they saw Yan Liang's performance in Flypaper, they no longer hesitated."

Yan Liang laughed, "Don't give me that. They clearly chose me because of your recommendation and approval."

“It’s all the same thing anyway,” Lu Yanhe said. “I got the role in ‘The Golden Era’ because of Sister Yuqian’s recommendation, I got the role in ‘Phoenix Terrace’ because of Director Luo Yuzhong’s recommendation, and I got the role in ‘Mist’ because the director’s wife is Chinese and kept telling the director how well I acted. Now that I have a certain influence, of course I want to recommend my good friends to bigger projects. They are fully capable of those roles; they just need an opportunity.”

The host nodded very seriously.

“I’m surprised you can answer these questions so frankly,” the host said. “Thank you for not just giving some platitudes. I believe that people in this industry will be greatly inspired by our program.”

"Thanks."

The recording of the program has ended here.

Staff members came forward to help them pick wheat.

Yan Liang said to Lu Yanhe, "Li Zhibai said, let's have a late-night snack together later."

Lu Yanhe agreed, then turned to the host and asked, "Sister Lan, would you like to come along?"

Li Lan from the movie channel said, "No, my child is waiting for me at home. I have to hurry back and put him to sleep. We can get together again next time."

After the staff helped her remove all her clothes, she came over and said, "If the premiere of 'Flypaper' is short of a host, you can ask me. I'll fill in as a guest."

Lu Yanhe looked at Li Lan with surprise and delight.

"Really? Sister Lan?"

“Really,” Li Lan said. “You are all very kind, and I hope I can support you.”

"That's great, thank you, Sister Lan," Lu Yanhe said.

Li Lan, a host from the movie channel, volunteered to host the event, which carries a very different meaning.

"But we'd be too embarrassed to ask you for help for free. How about you give us your agent's contact information?"

“I can’t go if there’s a reward,” Li Lan said with a smile. “So, I can only make a guest appearance.”

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

Okay, but she's a tenured host, which is different from regular hosts.

"Thank you, Sister Lan."

"Work hard!" Li Lan hugged them all. "Good luck!"

Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang returned to the dressing room to remove their makeup.

“Li Zhibai has come over, and Li Pengfei is with him,” Yan Liang said.

"They won't be playing games all the time, will they?" Li Zhibai and Li Pengfei said as they left that they wanted to continue playing games.

"I guess so," Yan Liang said enviously. "How can someone enjoy playing video games so much?"

Lu Yanhe: "What about you? Aren't you addicted to playing games? It seems like you're not."

"I might play a few more rounds with the two of you at most, but I'm really not interested in playing by myself," Yan Liang said.

The two were chatting when suddenly, Wang Biao let out a gasp.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked Wang Biao after seeing this scene in the mirror.

Wang Biao's face showed disbelief and incredulity as he said, "Just now, the media reported that Ma Zhiyuan was cornered in the toilet and beaten up, and he was even photographed going to the hospital."

Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang both widened their eyes at the same time.

"You got beaten up?"

(End of this chapter)