Chapter 962 Detonation (2)

A moment of madness brings a moment of pleasure.

As a result, most of Lu Yanhe's inventory was exposed to the public.

What was originally a film project that could have taken ten years to make has now been completely revealed all at once.

Li Zhibai even called him immediately to ask if his account had been hacked.

Are these projects real?

Lu Yanhe said, "It's true."

Li Zhibai: "Do you have that many scripts on hand?"

“Well, I won’t write them all out, but I know exactly what each story is like, and I’ve thought it through,” Lu Yanhe said. “I didn’t originally intend to release them all at once, but I was suddenly provoked. People are saying I’m engaging in factionalism in the entertainment industry, saying I’m deliberately suppressing Chen Pinhe…”

Li Zhibai: "I understand."

He added, "Then you've definitely gotten what you wanted. With these dozen or so Weibo posts, you've really taken over the market share."

Lu Yanhe said, "While I'm answering your call right now, I'm constantly hanging up on new calls."

“Who told you to do something so outrageous? You’re not going to have a peaceful life from now on. All the major film companies will probably be scrambling to get your projects,” Li Zhibai said.

Lu Yanhe said, "I guessed it, but I need to take Ziyan's call first, so I can't talk to you now."

Lu Yanhe hung up the phone.

Chen Ziyan's call has come in.

"Hey, Sister Ziyan."

"Was it good?" Chen Ziyan asked as soon as she opened her mouth.

It wasn't the overwhelming barrage of attacks I had expected.

Lu Yanhe was even more embarrassed.

He laughed.

Chen Ziyan: "I give up."

Lu Yanhe: "...I was a little bit arrogant, just like a young man."

"You're almost thirty, brother, still acting like a young man."

"A middle-aged man suddenly feels the exuberance of youth."

"You're kidding me." Even though it was just a phone call, Lu Yanhe could almost see Chen Ziyan rolling her eyes.

Lu Yanhe: "I'm sorry, I was wrong."

“Shut up. There’s no need for an insincere apology. I didn’t call to interrogate you,” Chen Ziyan said. “We’ve found out some new information from the US.”

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe asked in surprise, "What's going on?"

Chen Ziyan: "I found it strange from the beginning that Zhang Yuezhen was able to help Chen Pinhe get so many resources. Although Chen Pinhe had won awards at the four major international film festivals before, those were not Hollywood resources. How come he suddenly succeeded in taking the international route and was able to star in 'Death Stranding' and get 'Doomsday'?"

"Hmm—" Lu Yanhe had been in Hollywood for a few years, so he knew the rules of the game. It was indeed a bit unusual. Hollywood would be okay with you playing a supporting role, using you to boost the show's rating, but you want to play the lead role? You have no commercial value in Hollywood, so why should you? Do you have someone like Lu Yanhe to strongly protect you? No, you don't.

"So, what did Zhang Yuezhen do?"

“We heard some rumors that Zhang Yuezhen used to be involved in the socialite circle here, taking the ‘madam route.’ However, she used this connection to collect a lot of dirt on people, and at crucial moments, she used bribes on some and threats on others.” Chen Ziyan smiled. “Of course, because everyone keeps these things to themselves, it’s very secretive. Hua Ruzhen knew that you and Chen Pinhe didn’t get along, so she gave me a hint and some clues, and that’s how I dug some things out.”

Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.

Chen Ziyan: "This woman is ruthless."

What surprised Lu Yanhe even more was Hua Ruzhen's attitude.

"What hints did she give you?"

“That’s right,” Chen Ziyan said. “The rumors about your discord with Chen Pinhe have been around for a long time. She once asked me if it was true. I said yes. Then she asked me if there was any possibility of reconciliation. I said that the apparent discord stemmed from deeper conflicts and rifts, rifts that could not be mended. Then she understood.”

Lu Yanhe: "Okay."

"She's still deeper into the Hollywood circle."

"yes."

Chen Ziyan said, "You see, I told you, a person who crosses the line will not maintain their line in other aspects."

Lu Yanhe said, "What about Chen Pinhe? Is he really that clean?"

“Him,” Chen Ziyan took a deep breath, “I’ll tell you the truth, Yan He, I’ve been keeping an eye on this matter for years, investigating and watching. Chen Pinhe is indeed a complete hypocrite, selfish and cold-hearted, but he also cherishes his reputation and almost never lets his hands get dirty. All I know is that Zhang Yuezhen has been doing all the work for him, so he only needs to walk the red carpet clean and in a suit.”

Lu Yanhe: "Well... never mind, let the dogs fight it out, neither of them deserves any sympathy."

Chen Ziyan nodded: "That's the right attitude."

Lu Yanhe asked, "So what are you planning to do next?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Having made so many enemies, it's natural to use others to take revenge. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

What should we do about the leverage she has over us?

“A secret is only a secret when it is known to a very small number of people. When the secret is no longer a secret, the blackmail is no longer a blackmail,” Chen Ziyan said. “Zhang Yuezhen is involved in something that puts her in the game, so she can’t expect to get away with it easily.”

Lu Yanhe: "I understand, I've learned something."

Even just listening to her on the phone, Lu Yanhe could sense Chen Ziyan's unwavering confidence.

-

Buried 2 grossed over $200 million worldwide in just two weeks, with $100 million of that coming from China.

Li Zhibai still enjoys top-tier box office appeal in China.

So far, none of the films he starred in have grossed less than 500 million RMB.

Even excluding box office revenue in China, "Buried 2" still grossed $100 million.

Compared to the first film, Buried 2 is no longer just a low-budget dark horse hit, but has directly entered the ranks of truly blockbuster films.

Parameters even provided Li Zhibai with another script.

A horror movie script that they themselves are preparing to develop.

Li Zhibai rejected the offer immediately after reading the script.

"I don't like these kinds of horror movies where everyone's hacking and slashing each other. They're boring."

He showed no intention of being polite to Parameters since he was new there, and directly denied the script's appeal to him.

Parameters says that this kind of subject matter has great box office potential.

Li Zhibai said, "If I wanted to make a movie with box office potential, my schedule would have been booked five years in advance."

Parameters: "..."

They now understand why Li Zhibai is nicknamed "Cool Guy" in the Chinese media.

Although Parameters didn't experience Li Zhibai's popularity in China firsthand, he could see it in various media outlets.

A South Korean media outlet wrote about Lee Ji-baek, and the headline read as follows:

In China, Lu Yanhe may have a higher industry status than him, but he is not more famous.

This phrase was later used by many foreign media outlets to describe Li Zhibai, somewhat like "one person tells ten, ten tell a hundred".

Therefore, Parameters was not surprised by what Li Zhibai said.

If Li Zhibai really wanted to make Hollywood movies, he could have taken the opportunity to break into Hollywood after the minor success of "Buried".

The success of "Buried" was enough for him to knock on the door of Hollywood.

However, in reality, he still focused his career development on China.

-

"What about that movie that came to you before?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Li Zhibai had met a director here before. At that time, Li Zhibai had some concerns about the script itself and was not very sure. He even asked Lu Yanhe for advice.

Li Zhibai shook his head and said, "In the end, he still refused. We couldn't reach an agreement on the creative process."

In some ways, Li Zhibai was even the most selective about scripts among them.

In this respect, Lin Suyang was not as assertive as Zhou Ping'an.

Zhou Ping'an would very forcefully insist that Li Zhibai act in what he considered to be promising projects.

Lin Suyang, on the other hand, respected Li Zhibai's own ideas.

As a result, Li Zhibai's projects in recent years have either been Lu Yanhe's or projects that he himself had been in charge of from the beginning.

In the long run, this is detrimental to Li Zhibai's career development as an actor.

Lu Yanhe's current momentum has one very important reason—

Many of his partners hope that his momentum will continue to grow stronger and stronger.

He's doing well, and so is everyone.

Lu Yanhe was worried that Li Zhibai was on a path that seemed to be on a good upward trend, but was actually becoming increasingly narrow.

Of course, it doesn't really matter.

Based on the fans and popularity Li Zhibai has accumulated over the years, and the works he starred in in the past, not to mention anything else, "Chinese Paladin" and "You Are the Apple of My Eye" are enough to keep him popular for twenty years to come.

In a parallel universe, he becomes the "male version of Liu Yifei" in the entertainment industry (a blood cow in the Chinese entertainment industry).

Lu Yanhe simply believed that with Li Zhibai's thick skin, coupled with his image and innate star charm, he could absolutely become a superstar if properly managed. Just like Lu Yanhe's vision for Yan Liang, in the future, Yan Liang could be a combination of Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves, reaching the top of the action star realm through several classic blockbuster series.

When he realized what was happening, he was shocked.

Damn, isn't this a classic case of "hoping one's son will become a dragon" mentality?

Take control, get this under control!

Alarm bells rang in Lu Yanhe's mind.

Don't do it "for your own good".

Li Zhibai was his friend.

Nothing is more important than him doing what he wants to do.

Why must he become a superstar?

You are yourself.

Lu Yanhe pulled back from the brink, stopping himself from starting to "preach".

Li Zhibai understood Lu Yanhe's hesitant gesture.

Was my refusal too impulsive?

“No, no.” Lu Yanhe shook his head and smiled. “Just do what you want to do. Everyone was against you working with Liu Manbo on ‘Grass on the Grass’ again, but didn’t the result prove that you were right to give him a second chance?”

Li Zhibai narrowed his eyes.

"So, you still think my rejection was a bit hasty?"

"To be honest, there is a little bit, but that's not important." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I'm serious."

“Alright.” Li Zhibai shrugged. “If you really think I made a mistake in rejecting any script, you must tell me. I trust your judgment.”

"Yeah, don't worry. If I really think that script is absolutely worth you acting in, I will definitely push you to act in it. My hesitation just now had nothing to do with the script itself, so I realized it later and told you it wasn't important."

“OK.” Li Zhibai nodded.

Lu Yanhe smiled and patted Li Zhibai on the shoulder.

"Congratulations on the great success of 'Buried 2'. Although the media doesn't understand and thinks I did a lot of work on the script, it actually had little to do with me. It was something you discussed with the screenwriters. The market has proven your ideas to be correct. Stop thinking you can't read scripts. Your script aesthetics are excellent."

Li Zhibai: "I'm really not used to your sudden, serious praise of me."

Lu Yanhe: "Then we should get used to it. I think there will only be more and more of these kinds of situations in the future."

-

Lu Yanhe certainly wouldn't hold back his praise for Li Zhibai.

To be honest, Li Zhibai managed to secure both "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" and "Grasshopper" without losing money commercially, with the latter being a huge hit.

Even if all of this relies on Li Zhibai's own popularity and online traffic, it's still extremely difficult. Popularity comes every year, and even professional operators can't guarantee they won't lose money commercially, let alone someone like Li Zhibai who's only half-baked in this field.

Of course, Li Zhibai was also very lucky.

Who knows what will happen with Li Zhibai's unconventional approach?

Lu Yanhe also knew that although he had a cheat code, he was actually following a very conventional and step-by-step path.

This route is certainly correct; it is a legitimate and prosperous path.

But not everyone has to take this path.

Just like those who always believed that movies were superior to TV series, after the advent of streaming media, no one could have imagined that the production quality of many series would even surpass that of ordinary movies.

A group of Oscar-winning actors and actresses have returned to the peak of their careers with the help of streaming blockbuster dramas.

Li Zhibai's "Grass on the Grass" achieved remarkable success on streaming platforms without relying on Lu Yanhe, winning over overseas audiences. Even though its popularity is primarily concentrated in Asia and hasn't truly achieved widespread viewership in Europe and America, this is still quite an accomplishment. Only a handful of Chinese dramas each year truly generate a viewing frenzy in Asia, and in recent years, these few have all had some connection to Lu Yanhe.

Next, Lu Yanhe's drama series projects will mainly be on Aurora Video.

Whether it's HP or Maxine, if they can't snatch Lu Yanhe's projects, will they continue to invest in Chinese-language dramas as they have in previous years?

Without creators to chase after, they might turn their attention elsewhere.

Therefore, the success of Li Zhibai's "Grass on the Grass" and even "The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot" are helping to enhance the commercial value of Chinese-language dramas on overseas streaming media—it's about Chinese-language dramas, not just Lu Yanhe's Chinese-language drama projects.

(End of this chapter)