Chapter 810 Are you telling us to be two-faced? You're hilarious!

"Hello, Xiya, I am Lu Yanhe."

In October in Los Angeles, the chill has already begun to seep into the body through the skin.

Lu Yanhe met with Xi Yawei in a coffee shop in Los Angeles.

This Korean-American female director, who became a sensation during awards season last year with a niche romance film, has short hair, no makeup, and her freckles are clearly visible on her face.

"Yan He, hello." Xi Yawei had that kind of scholar's simplicity and restraint.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "I heard you're preparing a new film called 'The Window Sill'."

“Yes.” Xiah Wei nodded. “I wanted to cast Jiang Yuqian as the female lead, but she hasn’t agreed yet.”

“She’s probably still reading the script,” Lu Yanhe laughed. “I didn’t learn about this play from her; I learned about it from the news.”

Lu Yanhe did not want Xi Yawei to mistakenly believe that he had seen the script from Jiang Yuqian.

For many creators, it is a great taboo for their scripts to be seen by other creators.

Especially during the creative stage.

Sia Wee asked, "Would you like to act in 'The Window'?"

Lu Yanhe said, "I haven't read the script, so I don't know if there's a suitable role for me."

Sia Wee shook her head and said, "There's only one supporting role, and not many scenes. I don't think it's suitable for you."

Lu Yanhe nodded. "I saw in the news that they're planning to cast Chen Pinhe for an important role in your movie?"

Sia Wee nodded.

"I am a fan of his."

Lu Yanhe's heart skipped a beat.

Sia Wee: "However, it's not the main role, and I don't know if he would agree to act in it."

Even though Xi Yawei was a popular film director during last year's North American awards season, actors of Chen Pinhe's caliber are not easily cast as supporting roles in his new films.

There are very few directors in the world who can get actors of this caliber to play supporting roles.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

His meeting with Xia Wei today was actually to test her attitude towards Chen Pinhe.

Since she had already mentioned that she was a fan of Chen Pinhe, he couldn't just snatch her away.

Therefore, Lu Yanhe did not mention this matter, but only smiled and said that he liked Xi Yawei's films, including the possibility of cooperating in the future.

Sia Wee nodded.

“I was very impressed with your performance in ‘Tropical Rainy Season’,” she said. “But you seem to act in very few movies like that.”

“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “It’s also very difficult to find a script and a role that moves me. The more this type of film is, the more homogeneous it becomes.”

"you're right."

The two chatted for about an hour before saying goodbye in a friendly manner.

Lu Yanhe thought to himself, it's not a good idea to start with Xiya Wei.

-

If it weren't for Xi Yawei's new work, Lu Yanhe wouldn't have been so keen on targeting Chen Pinhe.

Sia Wee is a director highly favored by the Academy Awards and the four major international film festivals.

It's rare for a young director to make art films and receive such intense attention for every single one.

From international film festivals to the Oscars, every film she makes generates a lot of buzz.

This is a director who is very good at choosing subjects, and also very good at writing dialogue.

Lu Yanhe is worried that if Chen Pinhe stars in Xi Yawei's film, it will give Chen Pinhe's career overseas a new boost.

That's something Lu Yanhe doesn't want to see right now.

Lu Yanhe knew, of course, that he couldn't completely suppress Chen Pinhe.

They have their own reputation in the international film industry.

However, Lu Yanhe hopes that Chen Pinhe will not be the only actor of his age group with influence overseas.

This is why he strongly recommended Jiang Jun to star in "Destruction Day".

Chen Pinhe is a good actor with international influence—that's an undeniable fact. But if there were more people like him, Chen Pinhe wouldn't be so special. Lu Yanhe isn't worried about Chen Pinhe's success; he's worried about a shift in the balance of power between them.

At least until Linghe truly becomes a large and powerful film company overseas. By then, no matter what Chen Pinhe wants to do, he won't be able to overtake him.

Lu Yanhe never wants to see a repeat of the situation he faced when he first came into this world, where he had no control over the situation.

He hoped that between him and Chen Pinhe, the one who would always say, "If you're not satisfied, just keep it to yourself," would always be him.

-

"Alternatively, we could try other channels, such as producers or production companies, to raise objections to the use of Chen Pinhe and change Xi Yawei's mind."

"Either, create one or even two strong contenders for the Best Supporting Actor award for the film 'The Window'."

Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe over the phone.

“Of course, if you ask me, I think we shouldn’t force anything right now,” Chen Ziyan said. “Although Xi Yawei is indeed talented, even if we’re planning ahead, we’re a bit too early. If you want to know yourself and your enemy, you need to see the script first so you can be targeted. But you don’t want to drag Jiang Yuqian into this, and you don’t even want to see the script from her.”

“This is my business, and besides, Sister Yuqian’s career in Hollywood has just started to take off.”

“Of course, I’m not saying you did anything wrong. Jiang Yuqian is indeed at a crucial time right now. We can’t let others think she’ll leak the script,” Chen Ziyan said. “Once she’s truly established herself, she’ll be a greater help to you in the future. Right now, she’s still standing in Hollywood thanks to your help.”

"Um."

“I think it’s better to do this: the production company for the movie ‘The Window’ is Meiyuan, an independent film production company,” Chen Ziyan said. “Why don’t you contact Meiyuan first, and then take your time to see how things go? You can’t rush these things.”

"good."

“Actually, it would be great if you could have Xia Wei tailor-make a script just for you,” Chen Ziyan said. “What do you think of Xia Wei’s impression of you?”

"I don't know," Lu Yanhe said. "She's quite reserved; it's hard to tell what she really is feeling."

Chen Ziyan: "Okay, she is indeed the most outstanding auteur director in recent years. Her film texts are very good. If Chen Pinhe were to take a shortcut and win awards at film festivals overseas during the years when you were focusing on commercial films, it would be quite troublesome."

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “This is the last thing I want to see, so the best solution is to prevent Chen Pinhe from acting in this movie.”

"Then we'll have to find someone to break his legs," Chen Ziyan joked.

-

When Zhou Ping'an entered the ward, Ma Zhiyuan was scolding his assistant for being stupid.

Zhou Ping'an frowned subconsciously.

After all these years, Ma Zhiyuan's temper hasn't changed at all.

Disgusting.

Compared to him, Li Zhibai's bad temper seemed exceptionally endearing.

"You're already injured like this, save your energy," Zhou Ping'an said.

Upon seeing Zhou Ping'an appear, Ma Zhiyuan was surprised and suppressed his annoyance.

Why are you here?

Ma Zhiyuan's immediate reaction to Zhou Ping'an was to be wary.

Zhou Pingan said, "I heard you were injured, so I came to see you."

Ma Zhiyuan: "Ha, you've come to see me make a fool of myself?"

"So sensitive?"

Ma Zhiyuan still looked at him warily.

Zhou Pingan asked, "Who hit you?"

"Wasn't this someone you arranged?" Ma Zhiyuan glared coldly at Zhou Ping'an. "You were just lecturing me for talking nonsense before, don't pretend. What are you trying to warn me about this time? Speak up."

Ma Zhiyuan's assistant quietly left.

Zhou Ping'an laughed in anger, hands on his hips, "You think I hired the person who hit you?"

“Isn’t that right?” Ma Zhiyuan said. “Who else could it be but you?”

Zhou Ping'an nodded, "Okay, you're awesome."

Ma Zhiyuan: Still pretending?

Zhou Ping'an sneered, "So, after all this time, you don't even know why you were beaten. You're incredibly stupid."

Ma Zhiyuan sneered.

Zhou Ping'an: "You can talk about Lu Yanhe, but you even dare to spread rumors that Ning Yao slept with Chen Pinhe. I might as well tell you this so you can die knowing why. This beating you got has nothing to do with me. The person who taught you a lesson was Chen Pinhe. If you can't control your mouth again, I wouldn't be surprised if you end up in jail one day."

Ma Zhiyuan's expression changed, revealing disbelief.

"When did I say that Ning Yao slept with Chen Pinhe?"

"Oh, you're usually so loose-lipped, when have you ever dared to say anything? You've even forgotten what you said?" Zhou Ping'an looked at Ma Zhiyuan sarcastically. "Think about it carefully, when did you say that? By the way, didn't you want to make a comeback and continue being a star? I can tell you directly, whether it's Lu Yanhe or Chen Pinhe, whom you recently offended, they are doing everything they can to stop you. You might as well give up on that idea."

Ma Zhiyuan: "So that's why you came here."

He glared at Zhou Ping'an with a sinister look in his eyes.

"Do you think I'm stupid? You think I'll give up just because you've fooled me? No way!" Ma Zhiyuan said. "Zhou Ping'an, either you help me create an opportunity for a comeback, or I'll release the recording online. I don't care if Lu Yanhe is an illegitimate child or not. Anyway, you said these words. I don't know if they will affect Lu Yanhe, but they will definitely affect you. It's uncertain whether you can hold your position in Shijin then."

Ma Zhiyuan's lips curled into a ruthless smile.

Zhou Ping'an frowned and looked at Ma Zhiyuan without saying a word.

-

"Can you take on this movie for me?"

Li Zhibai handed one of the scripts he had chosen to Lin Suyang.

Lin Suyang took it, looked at it, and showed a look of surprise.

"You chose this script adapted from a game?"

“Hmm,” Li Zhibai said, “It’s a blockbuster.”

Lin Suyang: "I thought this was the last thing you wanted to take on. This character is another rich second-generation with a bit of a mental illness. Didn't you say you didn't want to play this kind of role anymore?"

Li Zhibai: "But this movie has a high probability of becoming a hit. Do you know how many players this game has?"

Lin Suyang: "...Okay."

Li Zhibai: "Furthermore, Su Yang, please help me find scripts and check out the production teams. In the next few years, I prefer to act in productions with good teams, especially big productions."

Lin Suyang nodded, though he was a little confused.

"What about the art films you asked me to find for you before?"

“Keep looking for scripts for me. I’ll act in any particularly good ones,” Li Zhibai said. “That way, I can rest less in the future.”

Lin Suyang's eyes lit up.

"What's wrong with you? Did you suddenly change your mind?"

Li Zhi thought to himself, no, he didn't change his nature.

It's just that... when he suddenly realized that he wasn't as powerful as he had imagined, and when he wanted to help Lu Yanhe kick Chen Pinhe, he didn't know where to start, which was quite frustrating.

Given Li Zhibai's personality, how could he accept that he had accomplished nothing in this matter?

-

Lu Yanhe had been reluctant to tell Li Zhibai and the others about his relationship with Chen Pinhe, partly because of this.

He knew that if Li Zhibai and Yan Liang found out about this, they would definitely stand with him in their hatred of the enemy.

This is precisely the thing that Lu Yanhe least wants to do.

He bothers others and affects them—especially with this kind of trivial matter, especially with his true friends.

-

Just as Lu Yanhe was thinking about how to contact Meiyuan, a company he had never been in contact with before, news came from Hollywood.

"Jiang Yuqian told Xi Yawei that she could take the role in this movie, but she would not work with Chen Pinhe."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

"ah?"

Darren Wilson said, "This matter almost came to light in the media, but Jiang Yuqian's agent stopped it."

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

His first reaction was to call Li Zhibai and ask, "Did you tell Sister Yuqian?"

Li Zhibai was completely bewildered.

"say what?"

"The matter of Chen Pinhe."

"No." Li Zhibai responded, completely bewildered. "You said this matter ends with just the few of us, so of course I didn't tell her."

Lu Yanhe found it even stranger.

If that's the case, why would Sister Yuqian do that?

"What's wrong?" Li Zhi asked.

Lu Yanhe then explained the matter to him.

Li Zhibai: "That's perfectly normal."

"normal?"

“Although Yuqian doesn’t know the true relationship between you and Chen Pinhe, she knows that you and Chen Pinhe don’t get along. She was the lead actress in the movie ‘Destruction Day,’ so how could she not know?” Li Zhibai said. “She told me a long time ago that since you’re not going to work with Chen Pinhe, she will try her best not to work with him in the future.”

When Lu Yanhe heard Li Zhibai say that, for a moment he was both moved and felt sorry.

"There's no need for that. What a pity if she misses out on the movie because of this."

"Come on, I think she did a great job," Li Zhibai said. "Does she really have to act in that movie? Why bother? We acted in a movie together, and then there's the publicity. We'll run into each other all the time. Are we supposed to keep playing good friends? If we play good friends this time, what will happen later? Who knows what will happen in the future? If you only have a conflict with an idiot like Ma Zhiyuan, we can still work with Ma Zhiyuan. But you and Chen Pinhe are destined to never see each other again. What's the point of us working together? Are you trying to make us play both sides? You're really funny."

Lu Yanhe was speechless after being rebuked by Li Zhibai.

"..."

-

"Jiang Yuqian refuses to cooperate with Chen Pinhe?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Yuezhen's voice was filled with disbelief.

"What right does she have to say such things? We're doing her a favor by acting in this movie."

The person on the other end of the phone sighed and said, "Sister, of course I know what kind of status Teacher Chen has, and what kind of status Jiang Yuqian has."

"Then just tell me directly, what exactly is going on? Just because Jiang Yuqian doesn't want it, does that mean the movie has to be made according to her wishes?"

"Sister, we don't really have the final say on this. After all, Jiang Yuqian is the female lead that West Asia specifically requested. Besides, the movie Jiang Yuqian starred in, 'Doomsday,' has already grossed over 700 million yuan at the Chinese box office, hasn't it? It grossed over 100 million US dollars in a single region. It's the highest-grossing Hollywood movie in China this year. It's very popular right now."

Zhang Yuezhen got even angrier when the movie "Doomsday" was mentioned.

This movie was originally supposed to be Chen Pinhe's!

If Chen Pinhe hadn't turned down this movie, would he still need to waste so much time talking about such a low-budget art film?

Zhang Yuezhen said, "Song Ya, think this through. Today, Jiang Yuqian can demand not to work with Chen Pinhe for some inexplicable reason. Tomorrow, she can make even more unreasonable demands. Are you going to keep indulging her? Is it that hard to make $100 million at the box office in China? Pinhe is not only a movie star, but two of his films have also broken $100 million in China!"

"Sis, I know, but that's not a Hollywood movie." The young man called Song Ya was very polite to Zhang Yuezhen on the phone, even coaxing her. "Hollywood companies recognize their own film achievements. In addition, Jiang Yuqian had a movie called 'Red Eye Flight' in July this year, which grossed nearly $200 million worldwide. Even among European and American actresses, her momentum is not as strong."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuezhen already understood the other party's attitude.

The only reason they were willing to talk to her so much was because of Chen Pinhe's status and influence.

They didn't say it too bluntly; they were being polite.

But how could Zhang Yuezhen swallow this insult at this moment?

-

“If we tell Xi Yawei directly now that we don’t want to cooperate with Chen Pinhe, we’ll be breaking ties with him.”

Jiang Yuqian's agent couldn't help but say these things to her as well.

"Although you've shifted your career focus to Europe and America, your base is still in China. By contradicting Chen Pinhe without any reason, you're likely to be disliked and resented by people in the industry."

Jiang Yuqian said, "Most of my current projects are collaborations with Yan He. If I were to work with Chen Pinhe again, wouldn't that kind of two-faced behavior be met with resistance and disgust from people in the industry? Everyone knows that Yan He and Chen Pinhe are at odds."

He Heng: "That's true."

"Sister Heng, you've always said that you have to have a conscience to survive in this industry, right?" Jiang Yuqian immediately added, "Leaving aside interests, just look at my relationship with Yan He. He has very few enemies in this circle, you could count them on one hand. If I can't even stand by him and share his hatred, how badly would he feel?"

He Heng: "That's what they say, but that's Chen Pinhe after all. You're directly attacking him."

“Back when I was still at Xingyu Entertainment, Zhang Lan contacted Yan He many times, wanting to collaborate with him. But because Zhang Lan and I are mortal enemies, Yan He simply ignored her. That’s Zhang Lan, and Yan He didn’t even bother with her,” Jiang Yuqian said. “Even if it was Chen Pinhe, so what? I just don’t want to collaborate with him. He has a high status and is a movie star, but I can’t win the Best Actress award anyway, so he can’t do anything to me.”

He Heng sighed.

"Well, fine, I know you're right."

"Sister Heng, I've come to understand one thing very well over the years."

What's the reasoning behind that?

"My efforts and dedication are not because I'm increasingly afraid of losing what I've gained, but because I'm becoming more and more capable of defending what I want to defend," Jiang Yuqian said.

He Heng opened his mouth, then smiled with relief.

"Then keep climbing higher and higher, so that those who want to pull you down can't even reach you."

-

A few days before the release of "Destruction Day" in Europe and America, the BBC announced that Liu Zefan (who starred in "The Squid Game") would join the cast of "The Suspect".

Since "The Squid Game," Liu Zefan has also starred in an American TV series, playing an important role. However, the series was only moderately successful and did not generate much buzz.

After that, Liu Zefan also acted in a more serious period drama in China, co-starring with a veteran actor in a dual male lead role. However, the drama didn't achieve the expected success, which still had an impact on Liu Zefan.

After all, in the domestic film and television market, Liu Zefan has already firmly established himself as a leading young actor capable of carrying a drama.

Actors who occupy this niche will be criticized from various angles unless the dramas they star in become huge hits.

In this context, Liu Zefan's sudden acceptance of such a lucrative opportunity naturally delighted his fans.

As a result, not long after, some media outlets received information from somewhere that the BBC had previously approached several top-tier male actors of the same age in China for the series "The Suspect." However, the BBC did not follow the rules and sent scripts and roles to the actors at the same time. After the actors found out, they turned them all down.

It was under these circumstances that the drama ended up in Liu Zefan's hands.

This news naturally upset Liu Zefan's fans.

No actor's fan would be happy to hear this kind of news after their idol finally landed a big, good project. It's as if their idol could only get lucky and land a low-paying job—

Not to mention, it's as if the other actors are all very principled, while Liu Zefan is the only one without any backbone, given how he was treated by the BBC and yet he still accepted the role.

Among the top male actors of the same age group, Lu Yanhe is the most prominent.

Liu Zefan's fans were confused. Although Lu Yanhe's popularity and fame were undeniable, they couldn't just bully him like that.

Therefore, a group of Liu Zefan's fans went to Lu Yanhe's Weibo comment section, asking Lu Yanhe to come out and explain the situation, whether it was really as the media reported.

Lu Yanhe was very clear about the ins and outs of this project.

That's the truth, but Li Zhibai and Yan Liang only knew that the script had been delivered to them. Who knew if the BBC had also sent it to Liu Zefan at the same time, or if the BBC only sent it to him after they refused?

In addition, Liu Zefan and Lu Yanhe have genuinely collaborated several times.

From "The Seventeenth Floor" to "The Squid Game," Lu Yanhe and Liu Zefan had a very good relationship. Even later, when Lu Yanhe served as producer and helped assemble a cast for "Jiang Yan," their contact never stopped.

Lu Yanhe didn't want the situation to become awkward.

He then called Liu Zefan to inquire about the situation.

Liu Zefan said he was also completely baffled and didn't know what was going on. The BBC sent him a script, his agent immediately accepted it, and that's how the collaboration was reached. He had no idea about what was being discussed online and even asked Lu Yanhe if the drama had been offered to him.

“They didn’t contact me, but I know they did contact two other people at the same time. They happened to have a word with each other and found out about the BBC’s shady dealings, so they all turned it down,” Lu Yanhe said. “It’s okay, these are all minor details. I heard from them that the script is very good and they look forward to the final product.”

Liu Zefan asked, "Did they approach both Li Zhibai and Yan Liang at the same time?"

It was obvious.

Lu Yanhe said, "It's them."

Liu Zefan was speechless for a moment.

"Never mind all that. It's just lucky they found out at the same time. Otherwise, if they had both accepted the call at the same time, the BBC might have stirred things up and made them argue, creating unnecessary conflict."

"Then I'll take it—"

“It’s perfectly normal that you accepted the offer. We don’t know if the BBC sent you scripts at the same time. Normally, when we receive a script invitation, we don’t ask others if they have received one either. Everyone understands that,” Lu Yanhe said. “Their criticism is directed at the BBC’s actions. You don’t know that the BBC sent scripts to other people at the same time, but you have already signed a contract with the BBC. Just pretend this didn’t happen, ignore the online comments, hold on for a few days, and people’s attention will naturally shift.”

Liu Zefan: "Ah, I feel a little embarrassed now."

“Please don’t do that,” Lu Yanhe said. “Why don’t you try your best to act well in this drama and further increase our popularity overseas? That way, if I have suitable projects overseas in the future, you can help me act in them, and investors and partners will have fewer questions.”

Only after hearing Lu Yanhe's words did Liu Zefan smile and say thank you.

Lu Yanhe: "Zhi Bai and Yan Liang won't say anything either."

Liu Zefan said, "I'll call them later to avoid any misunderstandings."

“That works too.” Lu Yanhe felt that no matter what the matter was, it was better to talk things out than to leave misunderstandings and conflicts unresolved.

However, not long after hanging up the phone, Liu Zefan's agent suddenly posted a message on Weibo:

It's ridiculous. Now, whenever there's an overseas project, it's always assumed that the person who rejected it got to work for someone else? Can't they just step forward and say for sure whether this project was even approached to them? Was it actually rejected by them?

(End of this chapter)