Chapter 138 Youthful Spirit
"In this exam, 27 students from our class ranked in the top 120 of the grade, a record high, the first time ever!" Liu Qin said with a smile. "Thank you all for making me so popular among the homeroom teachers."
The whole class cheered.
Liu Qin: "In addition, I would like to give special praise to Lu Yanhe and Li Pengfei. Everyone knows what their grades were like before, but this semester they have undergone visible changes. They have worked hard, been serious, and continuously improved their grades, making remarkable progress. I especially hope that students who are currently ranked lower will not be discouraged, but continue to strive. There is still time, and the college entrance examination scores can continue to improve. Everyone must always remember that you are not competing with the dozens of people in your class or the hundreds of people in the school, but with the hundreds of thousands of candidates in Yuming. So, every extra point you score means you are surpassing not just one or two people. Do you understand what I mean? Never give up until the very last moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, applause broke out.
The students were very receptive to their homeroom teacher's motivational speech.
Then, Liu Qin added, "Next, I would also like to commend Xu Zijun."
Everyone's eyes turned to Xu Zijun.
Suddenly, she was the focus of countless gazes, and a blush immediately appeared on her face.
Liu Qin said, "At such a crucial time as senior year, Xu Zijun encountered what is probably the biggest pressure crisis of her life so far. Her performance declined in the last monthly exam, but she maintained her focus and her mindset, and this time she returned to the top 20 in the grade. All students should learn from her mindset. This semester will soon be over, and as the college entrance examination gets closer, everyone will feel more and more pressure, which is very normal. Don't be afraid, and don't keep it to yourself. If you feel like you can't hold on any longer, you can come to me to talk. This is not a waste of time, but a way to relieve pressure."
Liu Qin broke these things down into very small details and told them about them one by one.
Emotions are contagious, and the students listened with extra attention.
Lu Yanhe's agitated mood, which had been affected by Chen Ziliang, was gradually calmed down and he slowly became peaceful.
-
Meanwhile, at a live commercial performance.
Thank you everyone!
Li Zhibai shouted and left the stage amidst enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
He left under the escort of bodyguards and got into his nanny car.
Many people were chanting Li Zhibai's name, and the atmosphere at the scene was so enthusiastic that it felt like he was a superstar who had been in the industry for more than ten years.
But in reality, at least half of them are paid trolls hired by the organizers.
Zhou Ping'an sat in the car with a smile, waiting for him.
"You still have quite a few fans here today."
Li Zhibai plopped down, took off his coat, and was covered in sweat.
He sang and danced for fifteen minutes in such cold weather and broke out in a sweat.
"Brother Ping An, could you please give me fewer of these kinds of commercial performances next time? They're so low-class," Li Zhibai said unhappily.
Zhou Pingan said, "Don't underestimate this kind of commercial performance. Although the environment is average, you can get 100,000 yuan for each appearance. The local bosses are very generous with their money."
“I don’t need that little bit of money. It’s so beneath me. I’m embarrassed.” Li Zhibai frowned. “I’m not an artist here to perform in this kind of show.”
"Okay, okay, I know. It's almost the end of the year, and we only took the job because they were generous with the pay. Normally, they'd be stingy with the pay and even if they begged me to let you do it, I wouldn't agree."
Zhou Pingan comforted Li Zhibai before continuing, "You know the show 'Little Song Gathering', right? Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang have both been on it. I've talked to their production team, and they'll let you appear on the show for the next three episodes, do three performances, and see how the show goes before deciding whether to continue as a regular cast member."
When Li Zhibai heard Zhou Pingan say that, he looked at him in surprise.
"Really?"
“Why would I lie to you? Although this show isn’t a top-tier variety show, it still has a loyal audience. Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were on this show before, and the results were quite good. You’re already the most popular among them, so prepare your performance well and give everyone a performance that will amaze them. Then we can cooperate with the production team to do some marketing.” Zhou Ping’an said, “You’ve been a bit idle these past six months and haven’t had any good work arranged for you. I still hope that you can be both a singer and an actor in the future. You’re one of the people I have the most faith in. If you work hard, you will definitely become a top-tier star in the future.”
"OK."
"You didn't apply for an interview with Chen Ziyan, did you?" Zhou Pingan suddenly asked.
The topic suddenly veered to this point, making Li Zhibai realize that Zhou Ping'an had been talking to him about this all day.
I'm afraid he'll run away.
Li Zhibai smiled and said, "Brother Ping'an, are you really that worried about me?"
“With your talent, it’s quite possible that Chen Ziyan might snatch you away. Of course, I need to give you a heads-up.” Zhou Ping’an looked at him. “You know, I’ve always been grooming you for the top tier. My plan for you is to become a top star, especially now that you’re almost nineteen and can finally officially become an actor. I’m currently negotiating a lead role for you.”
Seriously... it's all pancakes.
Li Zhibai: "But, of all the people like Feng Zhi, you'll only keep three in the end, right?"
"Yes, I have limited energy, and it's a waste of time to keep people who can't be made famous."
“I am Cheng Hai. Who is the third person?” he asked.
Zhou Ping'an smiled and said, "We'll have to see how they perform recently, but to be honest, no matter who stays, they won't surpass you in my eyes. You're the one I have the most faith in. You know, in the entertainment industry, an artist's own excellence isn't the most crucial factor. Whether an artist has an agent to handle all sorts of things is a very important reason for their long-term success. Lu Yanhe was previously chosen to play the role in 'The Golden Era,' but now that role has been picked by Chen Ziliang. Chen Ziliang is now vying for the role, and Lu Yanhe has no one to help him. Can he keep it on his own? Just think about it, it's impossible."
Li Zhibai frowned.
"Brother Ping An, are you saying that Chen Ziliang is trying to steal Lu Yanhe's role?"
"Um."
"Does Lu Yanhe know about this?"
“I know. Although I don’t intend to help him keep the role, I still told him the news as soon as possible.”
"Is Chen Ziliang out of his mind? He's trying to steal other people's food." Li Zhibai suddenly frowned and scolded him angrily.
Zhou Pingan looked at him in surprise.
"Why are you so angry? This has nothing to do with you."
Zhou Ping'an hadn't paid much attention to them recently and didn't know that in just a few months, Lu Yanhe's relationship with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang had progressed rapidly. They hadn't become familiar with each other in three years, but they had become familiar with each other in three months.
Zhou Ping'an's impression of the three of them was still based on what he had seen before.
These artists were all rather indifferent to each other, and there was even competition between them. Zhou Ping'an never expected that Li Zhibai had become so close to Lu Yanhe that he would be angry about what had happened to him.
Li Zhibai also realized that he had become too emotional.
He curled his lip and said, "I've always hated that narcissist Chen Ziliang."
Zhou Ping'an suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."
Li Zhibai's dislike of Chen Ziliang was indeed for a reason.
He had met Chen Ziliang before. Li Zhibai was a few years younger than him, so at first Li Zhibai would take the initiative to greet him. However, Chen Ziliang was arrogant and looked down on others. Not only that, he once publicly ridiculed Li Zhibai, saying that he was just an idol star who relied on fans for his livelihood. When Li Zhibai heard this, he wanted to beat him up, but someone stopped him.
Zhou Pingan said, "Chen Ziliang's actions are certainly despicable, but he is currently very popular. If he is willing to make a cameo appearance, the production team will definitely be happy. They'll get such a big boost for free."
"I don't believe he won't cause trouble for the production team. Wherever this idiot goes, he causes trouble. Wasn't the last strike on 'Little Song Gathering' his doing?"
"He did cause this, but look, it was such a serious matter, but it all just fizzled out, didn't it? The production team of 'Little Song Gathering' even said they were going to sue him, but someone mediated it later, didn't they?" Zhou Ping'an said calmly, "In the entertainment industry, whether you act like a big shot, have a bad temper, or even do some really awful things, as long as you don't cross the line and get banned or disappear, as long as you're popular, have buzz, and generate topics, you'll always be sought after. Hard work and character don't matter."
Li Zhibai glanced at Zhou Ping'an in surprise.
Although Li Zhibai had always known that Zhou Ping'an was not a person with high moral standards, he never expected that Zhou Ping'an would dare to say such things so openly; it was simply unbelievable.
Seeing Li Zhibai's surprised look, Zhou Pingan didn't hold back. Instead, he went even further and said, "You're still young now, and you still value ideals, morality, and character very much. But later, after experiencing many ups and downs, you'll realize that nothing is more important than what you actually hold in your own hands. Lu Yanhe didn't hold anything in his hands, so when Chen Ziliang wanted to take his role, he just did it without any resistance from Lu Yanhe."
Li Zhibai fell silent.
-
Later that night, the three of them started jumping around in a small group.
Li Zhibai said from inside: Zhou Ping'an really disgusts me.
He tagged Lu Yanhe and said: Why didn't you tell us that Chen Ziliang stole your role?
Yan Liang chimed in immediately: Stealing a role? What's going on?
Lu Yanhe appeared in the group chat after a while: Zhou Pingan told you? Zhou Pingan also told me this news. I'm still thinking of ways to keep my role. It's no use telling you. It would only make you worry along with me.
Li Zhibai: Who said that? You've got some big ideas. How do you know we can't help you?
Lu Yanhe: You don't mean you're going to ask Zhou Pingan for help, do you?
Li Zhibai: Why would I ask him for help with something like this? I just want to make things difficult for Chen Ziliang during this period, let everyone see what kind of person he is, and give him a good scolding. We can't possibly sign him at a time like this.
Lu Yanhe: Don't do anything reckless. You'll offend people for no reason.
Li Zhibai: This isn't just baseless; it's targeted, okay? He said before that I'm an idol who relies entirely on fans for a living. But what does he rely on for a living? A popular singer, isn't he just relying on fans for a living? Besides his fans, how many people actually think he sings well? Screw him. Don't worry, I'm going to be on "Little Song Gathering" soon. I'm going to disgust him to death on the show and let everyone know what kind of person he really is.
Yan Liang: You're going to be on this show too? Are you going to cause trouble on the show?
Lu Yanhe: Don't go crazy. Killing a thousand enemies will only result in eight hundred casualties on your own. It's not worth it.
Li Zhibai: What's there to criticize about me? Anyway, I have a bad temper and like to fight with people. People who know me know that. How much can I criticize?
When Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe saw Li Zhibai say those words with such pride, they were speechless for a moment.
Lu Yanhe was really afraid that Li Zhibai would go crazy on the show.
If he really makes things difficult for Chen Ziliang on the show, then the two of them will truly become enemies.
Why would Li Zhibai, an artist on the rise, offend an already famous and popular singer at this time?
He immediately called Li Zhibai.
"Don't do anything reckless, don't go crazy. It's not easy for you to get a chance to be on a show—oh, I forgot, it's not easy for you, but all in all, it's your chance to meet the audience and let more people like you. You don't need to do something like this just to disgust him. He can't take my role away so easily. Don't worry, Director Luo Yuzhong and Sister Yuqian both support me."
Li Zhibai said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I've been annoyed with him for a long time and I've been holding back. Now that I've let it all out, why should I hold back anymore?"
“You yourself are very likely to be cyberbullied by Chen Ziliang’s fans,” Lu Yanhe said helplessly. “Even if you don’t care, doesn’t Zhou Ping’an care? Don’t your parents care? Why bother? It’s not time to break ties yet. Let’s play it safe for a while and develop our strength. He can’t stay popular forever. We will definitely be more popular than him in the future.”
After much persuasion, Lu Yanhe finally convinced Li Zhibai to give up publicly exposing Chen Ziliang's disgusting behavior on the show.
"The Golden Era was indeed a very rare opportunity for me, and I did everything I could for it. But if I can't get the role due to some unforeseen circumstances, I'll accept it, it's okay," Lu Yanhe said. "My focus right now is on my studies. I don't have the energy or the ability to compete with him. But I don't care about temporary gains or losses. On one hand, I believe in Director Luo Yuzhong and Sister Yuqian. On the other hand, I believe in myself. He might be able to take one or two roles from me, but can he take all of them? One day, I will stand in front of him and make him regret what he did today."
-
After calming Li Zhibai down, Lu Yanhe began to think. He had known about this news for a few days now, so should he take the initiative to contact Luo Yuzhong?
Lu Yanhe hesitated because he was afraid that if he showed worry and unease, it would displease Luo Yuzhong. If Luo Yuzhong had the idea of having Chen Ziliang replace him in the play, that would be fine, but if not, Luo Yuzhong would definitely be angry.
Don't you trust me at all?
A director like Luo Yuzhong is bound to be ambitious, and Lu Yanhe was handpicked by him. If Lu Yanhe had expressed his concern about being replaced when Luo Yuzhong had no intention of replacing him, the director might have changed his mind and decided to replace him.
Looking ahead and behind, that's a true reflection of Lu Yanhe's current state.
After much hesitation, Lu Yanhe decided that he should still take the initiative to contact Director Luo Yuzhong, but he should change his approach and find a way to avoid angering Luo Yuzhong.
Lu Yanhe sent a message to Luo Yuzhong: Hello Director, my agent told me that my acting contract was sent a few days ago. Is there anything else I need to do?
Let's test the waters with this incident and see how Luo Yuzhong reacts.
That's all we can do for now.
Otherwise, he would have actually gone straight up to Luo Yuzhong and asked: Director, Director, are you thinking of replacing me again? Replacing me with Chen Ziliang?
Luo Yuzhong did not reply for a long time.
-
At this very moment, Luo Yuzhong was at the dinner table, feeling extremely frustrated. He was trying his best to refuse the female public relations staff arranged by Chen Ziliang, while mentally drawing a big X in his heart.
As a big-name director, it's not uncommon for him to arrange scenes with female escorts, but it's a bit exaggerated for someone to arrange something like this for someone he's only seriously meeting and having dinner with for the first time.
Luo Yuzhong was somewhat annoyed.
I came to keep the appointment today because Chen Ziliang asked someone to introduce me. He had originally wanted to get to know this very popular singer.
Although film and television dramas and music are two different industries, they have always been in the same entertainment circle. Now that the industry has expanded to the point of becoming the entertainment circle, they are closely related to each other.
Every drama has a lot of OSTs, and Luo Yuzhong has gotten to know many singers over the years of acting.
Some singers who are interested in acting will indeed make cameo appearances for him.
As long as it's not unsuitable, Law Yu-chung is happy to find one or two less important, stereotypical roles for them in his dramas, so they can get some acting experience.
On the one hand, it satisfied their curiosity, and on the other hand, it served as a publicity gimmick.
Luo Yuzhong is not the kind of director who is oblivious to what's going on around him.
Luo Yuzhong has been immersed in the art of filming and ensuring that a film reaches a wider audience for many years. He is extremely knowledgeable about it and attaches great importance to it.
But today, when Chen Ziliang arrived, he started with warm greetings, which was normal. Then he led me into a private room, but something felt off. There were several beautiful women sitting in the room, who were obviously there to keep me company while I drank.
Luo Yuzhong doesn't like this kind of thing.
Social interactions are a part of life and unavoidable, but don't be too vulgar. He's a seasoned director who's been around for decades; does he need a bite from a complete stranger like you?
Luo Yuzhong initially underestimated Chen Ziliang.
His heart is not upright.
I'm here today because I know Chen Ziliang is interested in the role of the female lead's white moonlight.
Luo Yuzhong thought to himself that it was a good thing to be able to refuse in person. He would put it tactfully and politely decline the offer. If the man was willing, he could find him another role to play, as long as he wanted to.
He knew that Chen Ziliang was quite popular among young people, so he was also hoping to meet him. The conversation went well, and they could discuss collaborating on an OST.
But Luo Yuzhong frowned when he heard those songs on the way here.
It's not that it's unpleasant to listen to or unacceptable; it's just that Chen Ziliang's style isn't really suitable for film and television soundtracks.
"Director Luo, I practically grew up watching your dramas." Chen Ziliang said this sincerely, while holding a woman's hand.
Luo Yuzhong felt disillusioned—come on, don't let others hear that you became like this because of the drama I filmed.
-
Jiang Yuqian knew what Chen Ziliang was planning lately.
He Heng laughed and said, "Chen Ziliang still has designs on you. You've been giving up on him for so long, but he still won't give up."
"He says he won't give up, but do you think he's that devoted to me?" Jiang Yuqian immediately rolled her eyes.
She closed the script in her hand and glanced at the scenery rushing past outside the car.
"He still wants to play my white moonlight? He doesn't even look at himself with that crooked and crooked look. He doesn't look like a white moonlight at all. Does he really think he can win over Director Luo with his public relations skills?" Jiang Yuqian said disdainfully. "Little Lu has really impressed me. Chen Ziliang spread the word, hoping that Lu Yanhe would back down on his own, but he actually sat still and remained unmoved."
He Heng nodded, a hint of appreciation appearing in his eyes.
"He is a rare, relatively composed young man."
“He’s quite likable,” Jiang Yuqian said. “You don’t know, Director Luo speaks highly of him, and he seems to admire him a lot.”
He Heng: "When I heard you recount how he fought with Director Luo for this role, I thought this young man was a good person with a good character."
“Yes.” Jiang Yuqian clicked her tongue. “Zhou Ping’an is blind and has no manners.”
"Haha, Zhou Ping'an has always been that kind of person, greedy for money, profit-driven, and only interested in immediate gains." He Heng immediately slapped a heavy label on him, a clear example of professional prejudice.
-
Luo Yuzhong came out looking dejected and got into his car. He had just managed to refuse the painting that Chen Ziliang was trying to force on him after much persuasion.
Although he liked Zhang Shansan's paintings, he didn't want to buy one from Chen Ziliang.
After the meal, Luo Yuzhong fully realized one thing: Chen Ziliang was a troublesome person, and it was best to have very little contact with him.
Luo Yuzhong got into the car and remarked to the driver, "How come young people these days are more cunning than the average middle-aged person? It's so vulgar."
The driver, who had followed Luo Yuzhong for over a decade, smiled silently and said nothing.
He didn't need to say anything.
Luo Yuzhong then saw the message Lu Yanhe had sent him, which had already been sent an hour earlier.
He has many pinned chat windows on his social media, and you have to scroll down to see Lu Yanhe's messages. Because of this habit, he often finds it difficult to see and reply to other people's messages immediately. But it's okay, given his status in the industry, "timely" is not that important.
Luo Yuzhong smiled when he saw the message from Lu Yanhe.
"Look, there are still some clever and sensible young people here. They probably heard some rumors and got anxious, so they're asking questions indirectly."
Luo Yuzhong replied: "Just go through the contract normally. Filming won't start until the second half of next year. Let's talk about preparations after you finish your college entrance exam. Don't let it interfere with your studies."
(End of this chapter)
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