Chapter 858 A New Stage in Life

Chen Pinhe has been in a very bad mood lately.

The negative public opinion surrounding him has basically never stopped.

If you talk about these things too much, they'll just keep appearing on him like lice.

Even though Zhang Yuezhen always said that these things wouldn't affect him, he still found them annoying and disgusting.

It's important to know that Chen Pinhe is someone who is very concerned about his reputation.

He couldn't even respond to such a public scandal with righteous indignation.

In many people's eyes, this is already a low-class approach.

So, there really was nothing he could do. Chen Pinhe suffered in silence—because he had no choice but to remain silent. However, no one reflected on whether they had truly acted like a "tyrant on set" before. The person who suffered in silence harbored resentment towards the one who exposed the incident.

Zhang Yuezhen said, "Should we still invite Zheng Ximo to attend the Fei Hong Awards ceremony? This film has also been nominated for Best Film."

Chen Pinhe remained expressionless and said, "Hasn't he already started preparing for a new work? Does he still have time to attend the Fei Hong Award ceremony?"

When Zhang Yuezhen heard Chen Pinhe say that, she knew that he was secretly competing with Zheng Ximo.

Zhang Yuezhen said, "Honey, we still need to maintain a semblance of harmony. We can't give him any ammunition. He posted a Weibo post that caused a huge uproar. If he says anything more, it will make us seem too petty. Zheng Ximo is just a director who got a little emotional because of the attacks from your fans. You are an award-winning actor and producer. You should be magnanimous and not take these things to heart. Your attitude is very important."

Chen Pinhe took a deep breath.

He knew, of course, that Zhang Yuezhen was right.

Posture is important.

Why do people empathize with Zheng Ximo so much? Because between Zheng Ximo and Chen Pinhe, Zheng Ximo is the one in the weaker position. Chen Pinhe is in the "superior" position, and he must show "magnanimity" and "tolerance".

Even though Zheng Ximo was somewhat annoyed, he even posted a veiled criticism.

It's alright. I, Chen Pinhe, understand that Zheng Ximo was just emotional. This is partly due to my fans going too far. I still greatly admire Zheng Ximo's talent; otherwise, why would I have collaborated with him in the first place? As for his current resentment and criticisms towards me, that's fine. I understand and accept it. I believe time will tell.

This is the public relations strategy Zhang Yuezhen devised for Chen Pinhe in this matter.

Say nothing, silently endure everything.

He accepted the condemnation and criticism.

Time will tell.

To protect Zheng Ximo from saying things he would regret later when he was emotional, Chen Pinhe was willing to endure some grievances in order to quell the storm caused by this matter.

-

"This is tricky." Chen Ziyan narrowed her eyes slightly and said to Lu Qingzhen, "Zhang Yuezhen's move was more effective than words, and Chen Pinhe has become the victim instead."

Lu Qingzhen also took a deep breath.

"Zhang Yuezhen is indeed quite shrewd. With this move, she doesn't need to say anything, but she turns the tacit acceptance of the facts into consideration for the overall situation. She doesn't do extensive publicity in the public sphere, but instead spreads Chen Pinhe's good intentions within the industry, thereby gaining the industry's sympathy and recognition for Chen Pinhe."

Chen Ziyan said, "We need to remind Zheng Ximo that it is not appropriate to make any more insinuations against Chen Pinhe at this time. Otherwise, others will have a deeper impression and think that Zheng Ximo has really lost his mind because of the attacks from Chen Pinhe's fans."

"Putting the blame on the fans, that's really..." Lu Qingzhen scoffed. "I don't even know what to say anymore. Zhang Yue is truly a cunning fox who's been playing the game for so many years. Is this her own skill, or does she have a mastermind behind her?"

Chen Ziyan: "I don't know if she has a master behind her, but this kind of complete abandonment of public relations will make the situation look completely contrary to them. On the contrary... it will make many people think that Chen Pinhe is really generously letting these public opinions ferment. Behind Chen Pinhe's so-called 'drama tyrant' image, he may not be a strong and domineering actor."

Lu Qingzhen: "Great job! So what are you planning to do now?"

Chen Ziyan: "We don't need to do anything. This matter can't have a substantial impact on him anyway. It's enough to just have this one thing attached to Chen Pinhe. What we need to do is to keep Chen Pinhe in these kinds of pesky scandals from time to time, so that he can't continue to be as upright and honorable as before."

Lu Qingzhen: "But it won't cause any serious injury..."

"When there are too many flies, people get annoyed," Chen Ziyan said. "What is Chen Pinhe's biggest asset? Is it his acting skills? No, there are plenty of good actors in the entertainment industry. The biggest asset of a popular star is always his popularity, whether the audience likes him or not. Some actors seem to have just had some trouble, but they haven't been blacklisted and can still cause trouble. But two years later, you find that this person has suddenly disappeared. Why is that? Upon closer inspection, it's because every time he appears, it's with negative news, so no collaborator is willing to work with him anymore."

Lu Qingzhen nodded.

"I think I understand what you mean."

"Of course, we must continue to look for a decisive move that can kill the enemy, but before that, we must also constantly dismantle his advantages," Chen Ziyan said. "So that every time Yan He's conflict with him goes viral, everyone's first reaction is that Yan He disrespects his senior. We need to make everyone understand that such a senior is not worthy of respect."

Lu Qingzhen laughed.

"Okay, I understand, your line of thinking is correct."

Chen Ziyan nodded as well.

“Those celebrities who become famous through controversy, the controversies can be cleansed in the future. The controversies that can’t be cleansed are just a temporary fix,” Chen Ziyan said. “I want to turn the controversies surrounding Chen Pinhe into the poison that he has to suffer for his own evil deeds.”

...

Zhou Pingan walked in.

"Sister Yuezhen, long time no see! You've become more and more beautiful. Seriously, why are you still promoting those young girls? You should debut on your own and promote yourself. You'll definitely be a top-tier female star in China."

Zhou Ping'an wore a fawning smile, like a chrysanthemum in full bloom.

Zhang Yuezhen smiled calmly.

“Ping An, why don’t you be my manager? If you were to be my manager, I believe I could definitely become a top female star.”

Zhou Ping'an: "As long as you sign with me, I'll make you a top-tier female star."

He and Zhang Yue exchanged a knowing smile.

After the pleasantries, let's get down to business.

"Sister Yuezhen, what brings you here today? Have you taken a liking to one of my artists?"

Zhang Yuezhen smiled.

“You’re joking. Even if I had my eye on you, I wouldn’t try to steal your girlfriend,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “I asked you out today because there’s something I want to ask you.”

Zhou Ping'an immediately said, "Sister Yuezhen, please speak, I will tell you everything I know."

Zhang Yuezhen said, "Lu Yanhe was initially brought into the industry by you, right?"

Zhou Ping'an was taken aback.

Before he came, he had many guesses about Zhang Yuezhen's purpose in asking him out, but he really didn't expect it to be related to Lu Yanhe.

“Yes, but we parted ways a long time ago. Why are you suddenly asking about him? I can’t possibly be worthy of him now,” Zhou Ping’an said.

Zhang Yuezhen: "He and my husband have never gotten along very well, it's nothing special, I just wanted to know more about him from you."

-

In late November, Lu Yanhe met with the cast of "Friends" for the first script reading of the season.

Although filming and broadcasting simultaneously is no longer possible, the script readings continue. In fact, prior to this particular reading, Lu Yanhe had already revised the script based on everyone's feedback.

The screenwriter for this show is still Lu Yanhe, even now that it's in its final season.

He has always insisted on personally handling the adaptation of "Friends" into this world.

Because he is the one who understands this story best, and he is also the one who knows every actor in this world best.

It's been more than half a year since I last saw these friends.

We basically only meet once a year during the filming and promotional periods for "Friends".

Actually, this is fine too.

One session at a time.

There is a fixed time each year when we can reunite.

Lu Yanhe now feels that, like in "The Days of Youth," in such a rapidly changing world, it's good that there are one or two things that remain unchanged, things that will appear when the time comes.

-

In fact, Lu Yanhe was a little worried.

During the time Yang Zhoujin was pursuing Zhan Yun, Yin Xincheng stayed by her side, and the two developed feelings for each other and got together.

However, after they got together, there was a lot of negative public opinion, and Yin Xincheng was basically ridiculed by the masses. Many people said that Yin Xincheng was not good enough for Zhan Yun.

As public figures, they faced immense pressure, causing brands and partners to reconsider their relationship. As a result, after holding on for about six months, the two broke up amicably.

Even though we didn't say we'd be friends after breaking up, we still remained colleagues.

When they broke up, they agreed not to affect the filming of "Friends".

That being said, it doesn't mean that it won't have any impact at all.

Fortunately, during the script reading, Lu Yanhe did not feel that there was any problem between the two of them.

The two of them could even chat and laugh together, as if nothing had happened.

Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised and secretly marveled.

Neither of them explicitly revealed the truth, as if the two of them had never been together.

-

Bai Jingnian has returned to the position of director.

However, this time, Bai Jingnian brought three assistant directors with him.

They were all his students.

To say that you're using "Friends" as practice material isn't accurate; this show is not meant for practice.

But to say they were just there to gain experience wouldn't be accurate. The three of them were deeply involved in the scriptwriting process this season, and they basically saw the scripts for every episode written by Lu Yanhe at the same time as Bai Jingnian.

But in essence, to put it bluntly, it's about training directors.

After several years of development, there are still too few directors in China who can direct sitcoms—in other words, directors who truly understand sitcoms.

Therefore, when they proposed that Bai Jingnian be the chief director of the TV series, while the other three people would be listed as directors, Lu Yanhe agreed.

As long as it's not a case of false advertising, it's fine.

-

During the break, Lu Yanhe went to the restroom, and Yin Xincheng went as well.

Yin Xincheng said, "I thought you wouldn't be able to film 'Friends' this year."

“How could that be? This time of year is definitely reserved for Friends,” Lu Yanhe said.

"But isn't this year 'Windbreaker' aiming for the North American awards season? I've heard many people say that you'll be focusing your efforts on the public relations for 'Windbreaker'."

“I just came back from the United States. I’ve done all the necessary public relations and publicity work, but I won’t stay there forever,” Lu Yanhe said. “Besides, the public relations for ‘Dingfeng No. 1’ hasn’t reached a critical stage yet, so there’s no need for me to stay there indefinitely.”

Yin Xincheng: "So, will we still be promoting 'Friends' in the US this year?"

“Judging from Maxine’s schedule, we should be going, as is the case,” Lu Yanhe said. “Friends is almost becoming a mainstay of Maxine’s programming. Last year, the series ranked in the top five in terms of viewership and total viewing time.”

Yin Xincheng said, "Then let's go together to promote 'Dingfeng No. 1'."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"By the way, I'm getting married," Yin Xincheng suddenly dropped a bombshell.

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

"ah?"

Why are you suddenly getting married?

How long has it been since he broke up with Zhan Yun?

Yin Xincheng smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "My girlfriend is pregnant, so I plan to announce the news after this season of 'Friends' finishes airing."

Lu Yanhe stared at Yin Xincheng in shock, unable to recover for a long time.

Isn't this progress a little too fast?

A sudden marriage?

ha?

Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment, "Uh, sorry, but I really don't know who your girlfriend is now? Have you gone public with your relationship? I don't think so."

If Yin Xincheng made it public, he must have seen the news.

Yin Xincheng shook his head.

"We've only been together for six months, I didn't expect things to go so fast." Yin Xincheng said, feeling a little embarrassed, scratching his head, but there was also a hint of pride on his face.

“…” Lu Yanhe said, “Then you guys are really fast.”

"You have to come to the wedding."

"When are you having your wedding?" Lu Yanhe asked. "As long as I'm not filming abroad, I should be able to come."

Yin Xincheng: "It should be next March, after that, she'll be more noticeable."

"You'll probably be showing a bit by March next year, right?" Lu Yanhe asked suspiciously.

"Yes." Yin Xincheng touched his nose. "By the way, I haven't told anyone else about this yet. Don't tell me yet, I still need to tell them one by one."

Lu Yanhe: "...You're really funny."

Yin Xincheng: "I never expected that I would be the first person in 'Friends' to get married."

An inopportune thought flashed through Lu Yanhe's mind: what if he was also the first character in "Friends" to get divorced...?

After the thought crossed his mind, Lu Yanhe quickly shook his head, dispelling the "malicious" idea.

Actually, you can't blame him for thinking that way.

Dating for six months, getting on the bus before buying the ticket... it just seems a bit...unreliable.

-

Who knew that during this reunion, in addition to Yin Xincheng, Bai Jin also announced that she had entered a new stage of her life.

She made the announcement suddenly during a dinner gathering that evening.

In that instant, everyone stared at her in shock, not daring to utter a single word.

Bai Jin said, "I received my postgraduate offer from the University of Manchester. After filming this season of Friends, I'm going to study and temporarily put aside my work in the entertainment industry."

For a few seconds, the tense atmosphere dissipated—

Forgive Lu Yanhe, but when he heard "a new stage in life," his first reaction was that Bai Jin was getting married.

vulgar.

vulgar.

Lu Yanhe silently condemned himself for a moment before realizing another serious problem.

"So you can't act in the next episode of 'Friends'?"

(End of this chapter)