Chapter 139 Some blushed, some frowned
Luo Yuzhong's reply put Lu Yanhe at ease.
It's only thanks to the director's attitude that people feel at ease.
It would be problematic if Luo Yuzhong didn't reply to this; if he did reply, it means his thinking is correct.
Chen Ziliang and Zhou Pingan were the ones doing all the talking. No one mentioned Luo Yuzhong's attitude; it was as if it didn't matter at all. It was as if as long as Chen Ziliang wanted to act, he would definitely be able to.
A small incident gave Lu Yanhe a slightly different feeling.
He was glad he hadn't believed everything he heard.
-
After Zhou Ping'an finished painting a picture of a bright future for Li Zhi, he went to see Yan Liang.
In front of Yan Liang, his attitude was not so warm, and he even showed the imperious manner that some leaders would show to their subordinates.
"Yan Liang, how's your exam preparation going? Is it tough?" Zhou Ping'an asked, and before Yan Liang could answer, he immediately changed the subject, "I've always had high hopes for you, and you can feel it yourself. Among so many young people, I've always been more concerned about you, and I always think of you when there are good opportunities."
Yan Liang immediately replied, "Yes, I know, and I've always been very grateful to Brother Ping An."
“You’re different from Li Zhibai and Cheng Hai. You weren’t very popular back in the competition, but you’ve always been obedient and hardworking. Do you know what I admire most about you? Your relentless, hardworking spirit and never-give-up attitude.” Zhou Ping’an looked directly at Yan Liang, as if emphasizing the effect of his words with his eyes, and even nodded at the end. “These are very important qualities for artists. Some artists become famous overnight, like Ma Zhiyuan from MX, but others are more like a slow and steady stream, relying on persistence and hard work to eventually seize an opportunity and become famous.”
Yan Liang hummed in agreement.
This wasn't the first time Yan Liang had heard these words from Zhou Ping'an. Over the years, Zhou Ping'an had repeated these same phrases countless times, and they had become words of comfort and encouragement for Yan Liang in his heart.
"Chen Ziyan is back. I think you young people must be getting restless, right?" Now, let's get down to business.
Zhou Pingan casually brought up Chen Ziyan.
Yan Liang immediately said, "No, I still want to stay with you. I know you've always taken special care of me."
Zhou Ping'an smiled with satisfaction.
"However, this is also my fault. There are seven members in Fengzhi, and I insisted on eliminating one of them, saying that only three would be kept. It's inevitable that you'll feel a little uneasy. Actually, I'm telling you the truth in private. I won't just keep three people. They are all artists I've mentored for two or three years. How could I be willing to give them up? Except for a very few I don't want to mentor, I will still mentor them in the end. I said that before just to inspire your potential, to make you work hard, and to make you feel a sense of crisis. Look how popular MX is now. We in Fengzhi can't compare to them in terms of group popularity, but after the group disbands, you will all be individuals fighting on your own. I hope you can be more proactive and ambitious."
Yan Liang thought to himself: "..."
"I bet some of you in our group have already started contacting other agents, right?" Zhou Ping'an asked casually. "Actually, I can understand. You're all good kids. It's just that sometimes I make you feel insecure."
Yan Liang silently suppressed the curse that had been running through his mind and said, "I don't know much about the others. I don't usually interact with the four people from Chenghai, especially in the last year. There haven't been any group activities, so I've seen them even less. Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai are a bit closer. Lu Yanhe has been focusing on his studies lately, reading every day. I guess he doesn't have the time or energy to contact others. Li Zhibai doesn't care about these things at all. As long as no one interferes with his sleeping in, he's fine with anything."
Zhou Pingan laughed.
“You guys are still the same as you were more than two years ago. You’re really the children I’ve watched grow up.”
-
The small group of three people became active.
Yan Liang: His question left me speechless. Did he expect me to tattle on him?
Li Zhibai: It's disgusting.
Lu Yanhe: I second that.
Yan Liang: Are you guys free tonight? Let's grab some spicy hot pot together.
Lu Yanhe: I can.
Li Zhibai: I don't know. I have a job in the next city. I don't know what time it ends in the afternoon. I'll come over if I can make it.
Yan Liang: Okay, let's make an appointment for now. I really have so many complaints to vent. Every time this happens, I envy Li Zhibai. I wish I had a family background that would allow me to be unrestrained towards him and confront him whenever I'm unhappy.
Li Zhibai: It's okay, I'll help you fight back next time.
A few people were chatting idly in the group.
Lu Yanhe suddenly reminded everyone: "You all must remember not to send messages to the wrong group! There was a case in our class where someone sent a message to the wrong person in the class group, and ended up exposing their own scandal."
Li Zhibai: What you said made me take a look right away.
Yan Liang: I was startled too, and my hair stood on end.
Lu Yanhe: Anyway, when you're criticizing someone, make sure you read carefully so you don't post it to the wrong person, or you'll suffer a Waterloo.
Li Zhi's 100 Questions: What's the situation with the drama "The Golden Era"? Did Chen Ziliang steal your role?
Lu Yanhe: There shouldn't be any.
Li Zhibai: That's good.
Li Zhibai: I ran into him today. His face was so dark it was practically glowing, like everyone in the world owed him five million. What a bastard.
Lu Yanhe: You didn't have a conflict with him, did you?
Li Zhibai: I ignored him no matter what conflict I had with him.
-
Chen Ziliang's face was really dark today.
Yan Wei was exhausted, but she still had to coax him patiently, saying, "Ziliang, Liu Zhilan greeted you just now, but you ignored her. She's a senior, after all."
"A washed-up singer, what kind of senior is he?" Chen Ziliang complained without any politeness. "Damn it, these old geezers just rely on their seniority and status to look down on us. Luo Yuzhong is also a decadent type. I don't know what benefits Lu Yanhe gave him, but he doesn't even respect me. I, a minor superstar, was asked to play a cameo role for him, and he refused. What a piece of trash!"
Yan Wei took a deep breath, suppressing his speechlessness and complaints.
“We can’t really control the minds of veteran directors like Luo Yuzhong. I think he’s actually very polite and respectful to you. He came out to have dinner with you as soon as you invited him.” Yan Wei knew how to hit the nail on the head with Chen Ziliang. “Do you think it’s that easy for someone to invite him to dinner? The main thing is that you’re a singer. People always think more about who should play the role. Jiang Yuqian auditioned for his movies several times, but she didn’t get the part.”
Chen Ziliang glanced at him, snorted softly, his temper somewhat subsided, but he still said, "If I ask him out for a meal and he doesn't even accept, then I've wasted the last few years of my life."
-
In the evening, after finishing his evening self-study, Lu Yanhe took the bus back. After getting off the bus, he went straight to the spicy hot pot stall.
He was the last to arrive; Li Zhibai and Yan Liang had already started eating.
"Hey, you're here." Li Zhibai greeted him and patted the chair he had saved for him.
Besides them, there were a few other people at the stall, who looked like local residents. Some were wearing pajamas, and some had a bag of snacks next to their feet. They looked like they were out for a stroll, bought some things, and then stopped by to have some spicy hot pot before going home.
The three handsome young men still attracted attention.
Under everyone's gaze, the three of them became embarrassed to speak and, having nothing to say, silently ate.
"Are you celebrities?" Sure enough, someone couldn't help but ask.
Lu Yanhe pointed to his school uniform and said, "Going to school."
"Oh." The person who asked the question nodded, suddenly realizing, and after a while, said, "You guys could be stars, you're quite handsome."
"Thanks."
This is the time when residents of nearby communities come out to eat spicy hot pot soup—these people are tempted by their cravings starting around 8 or 9 o'clock, and by around 10 pm, they can't resist and come out.
The group ate with gusto, their mouths greasy and they were having a great time.
Lu Yanhe is the same.
After finishing evening self-study, being able to eat hot and spicy mala tang is really great.
After a while, when everyone else had finished eating and left, and no one else came over for the time being, Yan Liang seized the opportunity to say, "I want to find another agent."
One sentence stunned both Li Zhibai and Lu Yanhe.
"Huh?" the two exclaimed in unison.
In their eyes, Yan Liang was the most obedient to Zhou Ping'an, and the least likely to leave Zhou Ping'an.
Even before Li Zhibai had mentioned changing his agent, Yan Liang blurted out such a sentence.
Yan Liang said, "I'm really annoyed with him. Besides, I've seen through him over the past two years. He's always making empty promises and dangling carrots at you, but he can't actually give you anything. I want to change my agent now."
"Do you have a goal?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Yan Liang: "I'm going to try my luck with Chen Ziyan."
"Oh." Lu Yanhe nodded, somewhat surprised.
Yan Liang said, "Old Lu, you're going to sign up too, right?"
“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “I will give it a try.”
“If it doesn’t work out, so be it. But since I’ve tried, Zhou Ping’an will definitely hear about it, and he probably won’t take me under his wing anymore.” Yan Liang sighed. “But I’m still determined. I’ll never get ahead here.”
“I was quite surprised that you could make such a decision,” Li Zhibai said. “I thought you would never take this step.”
“These past few months, I’ve been quite moved by Lao Lu,” Yan Liang said. “Giving up the art exam and going straight to the college entrance exam was such a big decision, and he just did it on his own. After that, whether it was ‘The Golden Era’ or anything else, Lao Lu was always bravely making changes. I was inspired by him. I was always worried that changes might not lead to a better outcome, and I was worried that things might get worse. But now I think, whatever, things will never get better if we don’t change. I know that Zhou Ping’an doesn’t think much of me. In his eyes, I’m just a tool that will always be obedient. Under such circumstances, how could I possibly stand out? I don’t want to be a nobody forever.”
"You're great, that was the right decision." Li Zhibai nodded, expressing his approval. "It's just that we needed some wine, and this is the perfect time for a drink."
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang shook their heads.
Li Zhi and his two high school seniors asked the shopkeeper for a can of beer and drank it themselves.
Another person has arrived.
Their conversation ended there.
After eating and drinking to our hearts' content, we paid the bill and left.
Because of this, Lu Yanhe started his live stream at 11 p.m.
Upon seeing the notification for the live stream, Helan clicked on it and couldn't help but comment in the chat: "Don't study too late every day, your body can't take it."
Lu Yanhe saw it.
Lu Yanhe smiled at the familiar ID's comment and explained, "It's alright. I feel like my body can handle it. I'll rest if I can't. I only have a few months left, and I want to give it my all during this time."
A bunch of people were spamming "6666666" in the comments section.
Lu Yanhe refocused his attention and returned to his book.
-
At this juncture, everyone is reflecting on their future and making plans for it.
Li Zhibai was quite moved by Yan Liangdu's decision to change his agent.
He wasn't joking.
Li Zhibai was the one who was most likely to lie down among the three, and he always knew that.
Because they don't need to work hard, they're lucky, and they're very popular.
With his family backing him, even someone like Zhou Ping'an wouldn't dare to say anything mean to him.
However, people always have their own ideas.
He wasn't an entertainer just because he had nothing better to do and wanted to find a new identity to have some fun.
My initial participation in that talent show was partly due to my interest in that area.
Following Zhou Ping'an didn't have much of an impact on him.
In fact, from an objective point of view, Zhou Ping'an treated him quite well.
That's just how Zhou Ping'an is; he'll take anyone who can make money for him seriously.
But what happens next?
What kind of artist does he want to be?
Singer, actor, or something else?
Li Zhibai lay in bed, pondering for a long time, but he couldn't come to a conclusion.
He had never thought about it before, nor did he have that many ambitions or dreams. Now, when asked to think about it, all he can come up with are some empty and unrealistic things, such as becoming a superstar or a movie star.
But all of this is too unrealistic and not feasible.
...
Sigh. It's not like you can just start working hard whenever you want. Finding a goal is so difficult, let alone making an effort.
-
If Lu Yanhe knew Li Zhibai's thoughts, he would immediately feel a sense of déjà vu.
Isn't Li Pengfei the same?
Both of these rich kids are carefree and optimistic.
It's just that Li Zhibai is somewhat driven by his identity as an artist and Zhou Ping'an, so he doesn't seem to be as lazy as Li Pengfei was before.
When Lu Yanhe woke up, he received a message from Li Pengfei: I took the day off today and can't go to school. Could you pick up a package for me from the mailroom and put it in my drawer?
Lu Yanhe: Okay.
He then asked: Why did you take leave?
He hasn't replied for half a day.
Lu Yanhe boarded the bus, and Li Pengfei replied: "I had an upset stomach. It kept me awake all night, and I'm on an IV drip now."
Lu Yanhe: You're in the hospital?
Li Pengfei: No, I invited a doctor to my house.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
I'm so envious; you can get an IV drip at home when you're sick.
He replied: Okay, then you should get some rest.
Li Pengfei emphasized again: "Don't open that package for me, just put it in my drawer."
Lu Yanhe: Why would I open your package?
Li Pengfei: Reminder, reminder.
-
In December, the temperature dropped several degrees again.
Lu Yanhe had to travel between the school and the dormitory every day in the wind and snow, so he bought himself a scarf and gloves. Not only that, but three days after buying the scarf and gloves, he immediately bought himself a pair of earmuffs.
It's too cold.
I don't know what Li Pengfei bought that he specifically asked me to come to the gatehouse to pick it up.
Even if he doesn't come today, Li Pengfei can still get it from the reception room when he comes tomorrow. Is he afraid someone will take it by mistake? Is it that precious?
Lu Yanhe walked into the classroom carrying a delivery box the size of a basketball.
Mei Ping bumped into him and quickly stepped aside, saying, "Lu Yanhe, you're so handsome!"
"Haha, I'm also impressed by your beauty," Lu Yanhe said immediately with a smile.
Mei Ping's gaze fell on the package in Lu Yanhe's hand, and she asked, "What did you buy?"
"It's not mine, it belongs to Li Pengfei."
"Him? He didn't come today." Mei Ping glanced at him curiously, took a few steps, and then suddenly remembered something and reminded him, "Oh, right, you weren't in the classroom just now. Teacher Su said he would come to give a talk about the Hundred Days' Reform at 12:30 today."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Okay, thank you."
This package couldn't fit into Li Pengfei's drawer.
He placed the package under Li Pengfei's desk and sent him a message to let him know.
Li Pengfei: Okay.
Lu Yanhe: It's not something valuable, is it? How about I put it in Teacher Liu's office for you? You can pick it up from Teacher Liu tomorrow?
Li Pengfei: No, please don't! Just put it under my desk, it's fine, it's not anything valuable.
Lu Yanhe: Okay.
This was all so mysterious, and Lu Yanhe was very curious about what Li Pengfei had bought.
He slipped it under Li Pengfei's desk.
When Jiang Haitian saw it, he asked, "What is this?"
Lu Yanhe: "I don't know."
Jiang Haitian hissed and said, "It's not some weird stuff, is it? Tsk tsk."
"What strange thing?" Ying Hetian also asked.
Jiang Haitian rolled his eyes and chuckled twice, "What else could it be? Porn, or some sexy magazines. Otherwise, why would he send them to school? He could just send them home. He bought them without his family's knowledge. What else could it be?"
Ying Hetian also wore the same lewd smile.
None of them noticed that Luo Zicheng, who was sitting in front, turned around and glanced back after hearing their words.
-
Star Entertainment Agency.
Zhou Ping'an was somewhat bewildered when he received the stamped contract from the production company of "The Golden Age".
Is it stamped?
Did Lu Yanhe get the role?
Zhou Ping'an was stunned for a long time.
Chen Ziliang failed? Is he really that incompetent?
"Knock knock".
Someone knocked on the door.
Zhou Pingan: "Come in."
He placed the contract face down on the table and looked up at the person who had come in.
He was somewhat surprised by the person who opened the door and walked in.
"Oh my, Ziyan, what brings you here all of a sudden?" Zhou Ping'an was surprised to find that the person who knocked on the door was Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan smiled slightly and said, "It's been so long since we last met, can't I just see you?"
"Oh, I'm so glad you're here." Zhou Ping'an quickly stood up, invited Chen Ziyan to sit down in the reception area, and asked, "What would you like to drink? Coffee? Tea?"
Chen Ziyan: "Coffee, Americano, please."
Zhou Pingan used the coffee machine in his office to make two cups of coffee, brought them to her, and said, "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, there is something I want to discuss with you," Chen Ziyan said frankly. "I've taken a liking to one of the people you have with you. How about transferring him to me?"
Zhou Ping'an's eyelids twitched, and he looked at Chen Ziyan in surprise.
Are they really so brazen about robbing people?
Zhou Ping'an truly didn't expect that Chen Ziyan would actually come directly to him and ask him for the person.
He panicked for a moment and didn't react in time.
Does Chen Ziyan want Cheng Hai or Li Zhibai?
These two were his most popular artists, and Zhou Ping'an subconsciously thought of them.
He doesn't want to let either of these two people go.
"Ziyan, you've already set your sights on my people as soon as you got back." Zhou Pingan gave a wry smile. "I've painstakingly trained them for so long, they're both my flesh and blood."
"Don't worry, it won't make you feel bad. As for those few you're focusing on developing, I'll only seriously consider them if they want to leave and contact me," Chen Ziyan said. "If someone hadn't asked me to help them out and asked me to take care of them, I wouldn't have asked you for this. I've never liked poaching other people's artists to manage."
Zhou Ping'an thought to himself, "If you don't want to steal other people's artists to manage, then what are you doing right now?!"
He smiled and said, "Oh, who has such a big reputation that they would ask you to take care of them?"
“Mao Bingyu, you know, she was one of the artists I managed back then. She later retired from the industry for some personal reasons. Over the years, I’ve kept in touch with her. She said she has a nephew in our company, and he’s being managed by you,” Chen Ziyan said.
"Mao Bingyu?" Zhou Ping'an looked surprised. Of course he remembered this once-famous star. "Who is her nephew?"
"Tu Song," Chen Ziyan said, "Now you understand why I came to find you, right?"
Zhou Ping'an was extremely surprised.
He had been mentoring Tu Song for almost three years and never knew that Tu Song was Mao Bingyu's nephew.
Tu Song himself has never said that.
“Tu Song doesn’t want others to know that he is Mao Bingyu’s nephew, nor does he want to use Mao Bingyu’s connections to help his career. This time, Mao Bingyu contacted me privately, hoping that I could help him without Tu Song finding out,” Chen Ziyan said. “I’ve inquired and found that Tu Song isn’t one of your usual key artists. Transferring him to me won’t hurt you. I think you’ll make a decision by the end of the month to stop managing him. I came to see you at this time because I wanted to transfer him to me before you eliminate him, so that the kid’s confidence won’t be dampened. Consider it a favor I owe you.”
Zhou Ping'an remained silent.
He hadn't expected that Chen Ziyan actually wanted Tu Song.
If it were Tu Song, then indeed, even if he were to transfer him to Chen Ziyan, he wouldn't feel reluctant. Just as Chen Ziyan said, he hadn't originally planned to continue mentoring Tu Song. Moreover, gaining a favor from Chen Ziyan in the process would be quite worthwhile.
"Sure, since you came to see me in person, I'll definitely give you face." Zhou Ping'an laughed. "But aren't you currently selecting artists from across the company? Besides Tu Song, are there any others you've got your eye on?"
Zhou Ping'an was still wary of Chen Ziyan taking a liking to Cheng Hai and Li Zhibai and snatching them away.
Zhou Ping'an had absolutely no confidence in competing with Chen Ziyan; she was simply too legendary.
Chen Ziyan glanced at him, making him feel as if his thoughts had been laid bare.
She smiled and said, "Don't worry, like I said before, I've never liked to poach other people's artists to manage. I won't poach the artists you're focusing on developing."
-
Li Pengfei was not at school, so Lu Yanhe went to the cafeteria to eat alone.
It's too cold outside, so Lu Yanhe goes to the playground less often, preferring to stay cooped up in the classroom rather than go out.
As soon as you step out of the classroom, the wind blows like a knife; it's not just cold, it hurts.
"Hey, who opened this box?" Lu Yanhe was reading a book in his seat when he suddenly heard Jiang Haitian ask in surprise.
box?
Lu Yanhe looked back.
Jiang Haitian pointed to the express delivery box under Li Pengfei's desk.
Everyone around looked in this direction.
Lu Yanhe looked down and realized that the express box, which was originally sealed with tape, had been cut open in the middle at some point. Because it was still folded, it was not obvious. Only by looking closely could one see that the express box had been opened.
He couldn't help but frown.
He stayed in the classroom all morning and didn't leave. He only left for lunch and came back right after. The package must have been slashed open when he left.
However, Lu Yanhe went to the cafeteria quite late, and many students had already returned from the cafeteria. There were quite a few people in the classroom, so if someone ran over and opened the express delivery box, someone should have seen it.
"Who opened it?" Jiang Haitian turned around, faced the whole class, and asked loudly.
The classmates then looked over, and many of them didn't know what had happened.
Jiang Haitian pointed at the delivery box and asked, "Did anyone see who opened this delivery box? It was Li Pengfei's package. Who was so bored as to open it while he was away?"
No one spoke.
There are no surveillance cameras in the senior high school classrooms, so it's impossible to verify. If no classmates saw him, then there's no way to find out who he is.
Lu Yanhe pondered for a moment, then turned to ask the students sitting around him if they had seen anyone come to Li Pengfei's seat just now.
But everyone shook their heads.
"have no idea."
"I didn't see it."
"I just got back to the classroom too."
...
At lunchtime, everyone went out to eat or chatted with classmates, and no one paid special attention to Li Pengfei's desk.
Moreover, since the water dispenser in the classroom is at the back, students in the front row have to go to the back to get water, so no one finds it strange.
Lu Yanhe made a phone call to Li Pengfei.
"Hello? What's up?" Li Pengfei answered the phone and asked.
“Your package was opened by someone just now. What did you order? Let me check if anything is missing,” Lu Yanhe said.
If something is lost, the person who stole it is the one who opened the package without permission.
Li Pengfei was shocked. "Someone opened my package? What idiot is that?"
Lu Yanhe: "I just don't know who it is. Everyone went to lunch and didn't see it."
“I’m speechless. I bought a pair of gloves to give to…” Li Pengfei said, then hesitated for a moment, “I was going to give them to Xu Zijun. I saw that she has frostbite.”
Lu Yanhe looked surprised.
He opened the package and glanced inside. It was indeed a pair of gloves, and clearly, through the transparent packaging, it was a pink women's glove.
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.
No wonder Lu Yanhe wanted to send it to the school but refused to give it to Teacher Liu, and he kept stammering about what it was.
If people find out, they'll definitely suspect he's secretly dating someone and is planning to give this to his girlfriend.
He had no doubt that Li Pengfei had fallen for Xu Zijun. He knew Li Pengfei quite well; if Li Pengfei liked someone, he wouldn't be able to hide it. He probably bought Xu Zijun these gloves because he had recently noticed a girl in his class who didn't come from a good family and had chilblains on her hands in winter, so he wanted to do a good deed and give her a pair of gloves—it was that simple.
"It's just a pair of gloves, right? Okay," Lu Yanhe said. "The item is still here; it's not lost."
He hung up the phone and said to Jiang Haitian and the others, "It's just a pair of gloves. Nothing was lost. Although we don't know who opened his package, let's just leave it at that."
As long as nothing is lost, that's fine.
Jiang Haitian was very puzzled, "I don't know who did this."
"Was it intentional?" Ying Hetian suddenly thought of something. "This morning we were just talking about the things Li Pengfei bought, which he didn't dare send home. Maybe it's something he doesn't want his family to find. Someone thinks there are some pornographic videos or something in there, so they want to sneak in and take a look?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Haitian looked at Ying Hetian in shock and said, "Who's so thirsty?"
Ying Hetian smiled lewdly again.
"Then the possibility is much higher."
"..."
Lu Yanhe fell into deep thought.
Perhaps it's not to see those things, but to confirm if those things are inside?
Lu Yanhe suddenly noticed that Luo Zicheng was also looking in their direction.
As soon as Lu Yanhe looked over, Luo Zicheng immediately turned his head back.
"..."
Oh well, nothing's lost anyway, so who cares?
At this moment, Li Pengfei sent him another message: Don't tell anyone that these gloves are for Xu Zijun. If they find out, they'll definitely start gossiping and thinking the wrong thing.
Lu Yanhe: I know, I haven't told anyone else, don't worry.
-
Two days later, Lu Yanhe saw the gloves on Xu Zijun's hands.
He smiled.
I don't know when Li Pengfei sent it out.
However, the temperature has really dropped, and it's getting colder and colder.
Especially in the morning, when Lu Yanhe gets off the heated bus, the cold wind rushes over him like a tide, and he feels as if he has been hit by a freezing spell. His whole body will shiver, and his warm body will instantly turn cold.
Lu Yanhe hopes this winter will pass quickly.
He learned that Tu Song had been chosen by Chen Ziyan and was being asked to do something.
This news caused a huge uproar at Star Entertainment Agency, including among several people in their Fengzhi team.
Even Tu Song himself was confused and didn't know why.
Tu Song said he didn't even submit an application form because he felt he definitely wouldn't be chosen by Chen Ziyan.
Everyone says Tu Song got incredibly lucky.
This news did not cause him much of a stir.
Anyway, he had already submitted his application. He didn't know if Chen Ziyan would take a liking to him. Of course, it would be best if she did, but he wouldn't force it if she didn't.
Lu Yanhe is currently focusing on his studies.
With the college entrance examination approaching, he felt that he still had many areas to improve if he wanted to get into Zhenhua or Yuming, and he did not yet have the ability to do so.
But at this moment, Chen Ziyan took the initiative to add him as a friend.
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised when he saw the friend request.
—I am Chen Ziyan.
He accepted Chen Ziyan's friend request with surprise, holding his phone, unsure how to greet her.
Calling her Miss Chen is inappropriate, and Sister Ziyan is even more inappropriate. Should we call her Ms. Chen?
After hesitating for a while, Lu Yanhe finally addressed him with the formal "you": Hello, I am Lu Yanhe.
-
The snow was falling heavily. After class at noon, many students filed out of the teaching building, trampling the thick layer of snow on the ground into unsightly mud.
Lu Yanhe walked in the opposite direction from most people, heading towards the school gate.
After adding Chen Ziyan as a friend yesterday, Chen Ziyan didn't say anything else to him, only asking where he would be today, and then asked him to meet at a coffee shop near the school at noon today.
I didn't expect the snow to be so heavy today.
When Lu Yanhe reached the school gate, he saw that his shoulders were covered with a layer of snow.
He had to frequently brush the snow off himself to prevent it from melting and soaking his clothes.
Lu Yanhe walked out of the school gate and headed towards the coffee shop two hundred meters away, following the map's directions.
My feet were freezing cold, and walking in the snow felt like I had lost all feeling.
Fortunately, it wasn't far; it only took two minutes to walk there.
As soon as I opened the door, a wave of warmth hit me.
Lu Yanhe felt as if he had come back to life in an instant.
Chen Ziyan sat in a window seat inside.
She is actually a very beautiful woman, with long, wavy hair, a generous and dignified face, and a bright and charming appearance. She is wearing a white jacket and cotton-padded coat, and tall boots. Sitting there, she looks like she is on a movie set.
Several people around her were secretly watching her.
Lu Yanhe walked over and greeted him, "Hello."
Chen Ziyan was staring blankly out the window when she saw Lu Yanhe. She nodded and gestured for him to sit down.
"You haven't had lunch yet, have you?" She pushed the menu in front of Lu Yanhe. "Take a look at what to eat, and we can chat while we eat."
The cafe only offers a few sandwiches and salads.
Lu Yanhe ordered a smoked chicken sandwich.
Chen Ziyan waved her hand, and a waiter immediately came over.
She ordered a smoked chicken sandwich, a vegetarian salad, a fruit platter, and a latte for Lu Yanhe.
"That's fine." Chen Ziyan glanced at the menu quickly, almost without hesitation, and told the waiter several names before closing the menu and handing it back to them.
After the waiter left, she looked at Lu Yanhe and asked, "How are your grades doing now?"
"It's alright. I ranked over 160th in the grade in the last exam," Lu Yanhe said.
What is the target?
For the first time, Lu Yanhe said the two names with some embarrassment: "Zhenhua and Yuming".
Although Chen Ziyan's reaction wasn't as incredulous as others', a flash of surprise still crossed her eyes. Indeed, it was hard for anyone to imagine that Lu Yanhe would actually target these two top universities.
“I watched your live stream, and I thought you were just putting on a show. I didn’t expect you to actually be studying.” Chen Ziyan asked, “Why don’t you take the art exam? If you do, the requirements for your college entrance exam score will be much lower.”
Lu Yanhe said, "Participating in the art exam requires a lot of training, and I don't have the ability or the conditions to do so."
"What exactly happened between you and Zhou Ping'an that made him want to force you away?" Chen Ziyan asked.
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
“Didn’t you sign a termination agreement with him? After the college entrance exam, you will terminate your agreement with the company,” Chen Ziyan said. “Although this matter is confidential, someone has already told me.”
Lu Yanhe was extremely embarrassed.
He originally thought Chen Ziyan was unaware of this matter, and he was thinking that if Chen Ziyan really wanted to take him with her, he could take this termination agreement to her and discuss how to handle the follow-up matters.
I didn't expect that they already knew.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you didn't know, because when I talked to Brother Ping An before, he said to keep it a secret from everyone."
"This makes me very curious, why did he force you to leave?"
“I don’t know either,” Lu Yanhe replied sincerely. “I asked him, and he said that someone didn’t want me to work in the entertainment industry, so they put pressure on the company’s management. But I actually come from a very ordinary place and have a very ordinary family background. I don’t understand why anyone would want me to leave the entertainment industry, which has been bothering me a lot.”
Chen Ziyan: "It's not as simple as hoping you leave the entertainment industry. I heard that you were pushed into a river in September this year? You almost died?"
Lu Yanhe stared at Chen Ziyan in shock.
Why does Chen Ziyan even know about this?
Lu Yanhe found it hard to believe.
Chen Ziyan waved her hand.
At this point, the waiter brought over the sandwiches, salad, and coffee.
The conversation between the two paused for a moment.
After the waiter left, Chen Ziyan continued, "Clearly, there are things about you that you don't know."
Lu Yanhe frowned.
"Let's put that aside for now. The person who attacked you is hiding in the shadows and won't dare to show themselves. Be careful and at least don't go to places that could put you in danger again," Chen Ziyan said. "I think you know why I called you out today. I'm quite interested in you and I'm thinking of mentoring you. If you were just an ordinary artist, even if you had a falling out with Zhou Ping'an, it wouldn't matter. But right now, there's clearly a powerful force behind you that we don't even know is preventing you from staying in the entertainment industry. This means that even if you stay in the entertainment industry in the future, you'll face a lot of trouble. I'm considering whether mentoring you will bring more rewards or more trouble."
Chen Ziyan's frank words left Lu Yanhe speechless.
"I... I don't even know what kind of trouble I'll face in the future, and I can't tell you that these troubles won't happen." Lu Yanhe smiled. "I'm sure many people want to gain your favor and become your artist, and so do I."
Chen Ziyan looked him over with interest and asked, "Have you ever thought about this: if you still want to stay in the entertainment industry, will you still face such a life-threatening situation?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "When I was pushed into the river, I had already been in the entertainment industry for two years and was practically unknown. Rather than saying that I faced a life-threatening situation because I was in the entertainment industry, I'd rather believe that it was because I had faded into obscurity that the person dared to do it. After that, he never appeared again, and the police didn't find any clues about him. If I become famous one day and receive a lot of media and fan attention, would he still dare to do it?"
Chen Ziyan smiled slightly and asked, "If one day you discover that there is a force completely beyond your imagination to stop you, suppress you, or even continue to threaten your life and force you to leave the entertainment industry, would you give up?"
“I can’t predict the future, but I can’t do it now. If I were just an ordinary person, I would be truly powerless to protect myself against that dark force lurking somewhere.” Lu Yanhe said.
The young man in front of me still looked rather green. He possessed a composure rarely seen in young people, yet because of his youth, he didn't appear cunning. Of course, he genuinely didn't seem cunning either.
What surprised Chen Ziyan the most was what he said and the state he presented. He was clearly a thoughtful person who thought a lot.
Chen Ziyan has been observing Lu Yanhe for almost a month.
Since noticing him at the audition for "The Golden Era," Chen Ziyan has read a lot of his information and materials. She found that Lu Yanhe's changes in the last few months are almost unbelievable compared to the previous two years.
However, it was precisely the changes in the last few months that revealed a quality in him that attracted Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan is an old-fashioned agent. Younger agents may be used to the current celebrity management model and have more faith in the company's packaging, persona creation, and label marketing. But Chen Ziyan comes from the past era of celebrity management, and she still retains some habits from that era, such as looking for attractive qualities in an artist.
A person's trait is a very mysterious thing. It is not a personal talent or skill. Some people are proficient in all kinds of skills, but they are not popular and have few fans. Some people do not know anything, but they are attractive because of the charm they exude in their every move. It is a mystery.
First of all, Lu Yanhe has a good-looking face.
Young man's face.
With regular facial features, neither too thick eyebrows nor too big eyes, nor too delicate-looking, she is suitable for various roles.
Secondly, he has a good voice and sings with a youthful quality.
Although the music market is currently sluggish, an actor who can sing can gain greater exposure, whether it's for film and television OSTs or various large-scale events or galas.
Most importantly, his hard work and diligence do not give people a sense of pressure.
This is a talent.
It can create pressure when someone is more outstanding, hardworking, and diligent than those around them.
Lu Yanhe's ability to livestream his studies every day and attract many followers to study with him is a testament to his charisma.
At the same time, his ability to make such great progress in a short period of time without arousing hostility from his classmates is another kind of charm.
For Chen Ziyan personally, Lu Yanhe has the interest and motivation for her to cultivate.
If an agent isn't even interested in an artist, how can they recommend them to their partners?
At that moment, the coffee shop door was pushed open from the outside once again.
Lu Yanhe was sitting with his back to the door. Feeling a gust of cold wind, he subconsciously turned around and saw Yuan Yi, whom he hadn't seen for dozens of days. Behind her was Su Su.
Lu Yanhe looked at them with some surprise.
He had thought the matter between the two of them was resolved and over, but he didn't expect it to still be unresolved.
Chen Ziyan asked, "Do you know them?"
“Yes, that man is my history teacher,” Lu Yanhe explained.
Chen Ziyan said, "I do have some hesitation about you. I haven't thought it through yet, so I want to meet you today and talk to you. To be honest, I still don't have a definite idea. You are the most complicated person among all the people I've been interested in."
Lu Yanhe laughed, shook his head, and said, "It's okay. I won't be surprised if you don't choose me in the end."
“Then you might really never be able to be an artist again,” Chen Ziyan said. “I’m the only person at Star Entertainment who can invalidate that termination agreement.”
“It doesn’t matter if I terminate the contract,” Lu Yanhe said. “By then, I will definitely have been admitted to Zhenhua or Yuming. I can write songs myself, I have a live streaming room, and I have a good social image. I have two banners awarded by the police for my bravery. I may not be someone that other agencies really want to sign, but I think that no one can make me leave this industry completely for the time being.”
Chen Ziyan laughed.
"You say you won't choose me, which doesn't surprise you, but actually you're still trying to sell yourself to me."
“Why not?” Lu Yanhe frankly admitted, “I hope you can be my agent. Today is the first time I’m talking to you face to face about this. Although I’m pretending to be calm and composed, I’m actually very sincere and hope to win your favor. I know that if you are willing to be my agent, I can devote myself to this path from now on.”
Chen Ziyan chuckled to herself.
If someone tells you in such a serious tone that they are nervous and hope to win your favor, the image of this person that comes to mind is probably that of someone who is somewhat timid and nervous. But if they don't even breathe rapidly and every word they say is calm and powerful, for a moment you may not even know whether they are telling the truth or not, but you don't care. Then you must admit that you have already made your choice.
Chen Ziyan was about to speak.
Suddenly, a terrified scream pierced the entire coffee shop.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan turned around in shock, stunned by what they saw.
Lu Yanhe, in particular, felt his hands and feet go cold and go numb the moment he saw the scene before him. He was incredulous and unable to react.
Yuan Yi held a small silver knife in his hand and stabbed it into the chest of Su Su, who was sitting opposite him.
Red blood gushed out, quickly staining a large area of his white shirt.
Su Su's face was filled with shock, astonishment, and pain.
"Teacher Su!" Lu Yanhe finally reacted, shouted, and jumped up at the same time, running towards Su Su.
A group of panicked people stood around, too afraid to approach, their eyes filled with fear and unease as they looked at the scene.
Amid the commotion, Yuan Yi calmly looked at Su Su.
"Since you're saying I'm mentally ill, it shouldn't matter if I stab you, right?"
Lu Yanhe had already rushed over.
He looked at Su Su with a pale face, wanting to reach out and support his shoulder, but he didn't dare to.
Because Yuan Yi's hand was still gripping the hilt of the knife.
She stood halfway opposite Su Su, looking down at him with a slight smile.
"You said you would love me for a lifetime, but you broke your promise. This is what you owe me."
Yuan Yi released her grip and sat back down in her chair.
Lu Yanhe felt his hands, feet, lips, and cheeks trembling.
He looked at Su Su, and at this young, handsome, and gentle teacher, his face almost instantly turned pale, unable to hide his pain.
Suddenly, he remembered something and shouted towards the bar, "Quick, call an ambulance!"
Yuan Yi said casually, "Stop shouting, he won't die."
The look in her eyes as she gazed at Su Su held a chilling despair, a despair that seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Su Su finally spoke.
He glared at Yuan Yi, his voice barely a whisper, yet filled with hatred, and said, "You... you're a fucking lunatic!"
(End of this chapter)
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