Chapter 146 Plans for the Future
"Knock knock".
A knock came at the door.
Lu Yanhe thought it was Zhou Pingan who had returned and left something behind, but when he looked, it turned out to be Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan hadn't told Lu Yanhe beforehand that she was coming, which is why Lu Yanhe was surprised.
"Sister Ziyan, what brings you here to see me?"
It's still so early.
Chen Ziyan said, "I only heard the news last night that Zhou Ping'an is going on a business trip with Vice President Ma at 10 am this morning. I guess he will definitely come to you to sign the formal termination agreement first thing this morning. Tu Song is coming back today, so I came here on my way."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Sister Ziyan, you're amazing. Zhou Pingan just left."
“Yes, we ran into each other at the elevator,” Chen Ziyan said. “This is the new contract. Take a look, sign it, and give it to me later.”
Chen Ziyan took out three identical contracts from her bag.
The contract was terminated no sooner than a new one arrived.
Chen Ziyan had already prepared this new contract for Lu Yanhe, but she hadn't given it to him because she didn't want it to affect his college entrance exam. Now she was sending it over so that he could seamlessly transition into the new contract.
Lu Yanhe picked up the contract and nodded, "Thank you, Sister Ziyan."
"What are you planning to do these next few days?" Chen Ziyan asked.
"I don't know, I hadn't thought about it before. I'll rest for a few days first. Aren't I going to start learning acting soon?" Lu Yanhe said.
“Okay.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “If you have nothing to do these days, you can watch more movies and TV dramas and see how other people act. If you don’t know how to act at first, just imitate. You have good comprehension. The last audition gave us a big surprise. Slowly learn to understand the psychology of the characters.”
"good."
Chen Ziyan: "I'm going on a business trip tonight and won't be back for three days. Call me if you need anything."
"good."
Chen Ziyan looked at Lu Yanhe and suddenly laughed.
“You’re always so good and well-behaved, it’s almost unsettling for me,” Chen Ziyan said. “I’ve never managed such an obedient artist before.”
Lu Yanhe was somewhat at a loss.
Is it wrong to be obedient?
Lu Yanhe simply doesn't tend to show his emotions on non-principle issues.
“It’s okay, this is fine. As long as you’re comfortable, that’s all that matters. But you don’t have to be so subservient to me. I’m not like Zhou Ping’an’s manager. You can communicate with me anytime if you have any opinions or ideas,” Chen Ziyan said. “I’ve said before that you’ll listen to me about work matters, but if you have your own ideas, you can tell me directly. I’ll consider your thoughts. I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t allow artists to have their own ideas. I just don’t like those stubborn, opinionated artists who are unprofessional, incompetent, and always babbling on and on.”
Lu Yanhe laughed.
"I'm not like that, Sister Ziyan, don't worry."
"Alright, here's the contract. That's all. I'm about to head out." Chen Ziyan said, "Tu Song's back. If you're bored these next few days, you can ask him to hang out. He doesn't have any work scheduled for the next couple of days."
"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded.
"They're gone."
After seeing Chen Ziyan off, Lu Yanhe picked up the contract and began to read it carefully.
Although he believed Chen Ziyan wouldn't betray him, he still had to carefully review each point.
Chen Ziyan specifically brought it over for him to read, sign, and then come to her again; that's the same principle.
From the very beginning, she adopted an attitude of "you have to listen to me," but in these matters, she never forcefully demanded that he trust her completely.
In fact, Lu Yanhe was quite shocked after reading the contract terms.
Because the contents of this contract are clearly very favorable to him.
First, the contract is for five years, not the eight or ten-year contracts that are common for newcomers. This alone is quite rare. Artists need time to develop. Five years is a long time; the first two or three years are for training you to become famous, and then you only have two years left to make money for the company. Of course, you can renew the contract, but if you only discuss renewal after you've become famous, there are many more variables, and the company doesn't have the upper hand.
Secondly, the contract clearly states that Lu Yanhe's revenue sharing ratio with the company has changed to 3:7, previously 2:8. A new supplementary clause states that if Lu Yanhe's revenue exceeds five million yuan, this ratio can be adjusted to 4:6; and if his annual revenue exceeds five million yuan, the ratio will be further adjusted to 5:5. Finally, if Lu Yanhe's revenue exceeds ten million yuan, the ratio will be renegotiated.
These two provisions safeguarded Lu Yanhe's rights and interests to a great extent.
Lu Yanhe is only nineteen years old this year, and will only be twenty-four in five years. He will still be in the prime of his career, and his negotiating power for contract renewal will be at an advantageous age. The additional clause regarding profit sharing guarantees Lu Yanhe's earnings after he becomes famous.
There were many other conditions that were very favorable to Lu Yanhe, including providing him with an assistant and a nanny car during his work period, and even two medical check-ups a year.
Lu Yanhe was stunned when he saw the physical examination item. He really didn't expect to be able to enjoy such a humane service.
After reading it, Lu Yanhe had nothing to say, and he was even too embarrassed to ask Li Zhibai's legal counsel to help him review the contract.
Even Li Zhibai would be jealous.
Lu Yanhe knew very well that he was able to get such a contract because of Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan holds a high position and wields considerable power within Xingyu Entertainment, which allows her to offer such lucrative contracts to the artists under her management.
Even if Zhou Ping'an wasn't ruthless, he wouldn't have that authority.
-
What should I do?
When this problem was presented to Lu Yanhe, he himself hadn't expected it.
Having already experienced the madness of a summer after the college entrance exam, he no longer feels the urge to vent all the pent-up frustration and hardship.
Before, I had a very focused goal every day: to prepare for the exam. Now that the exam is over, I feel like I have nothing to do.
Lu Yanhe organized all the study materials, intending to throw them away, but he was reluctant to part with them.
The things I've saved up over a year of hard work.
He put it in a cardboard box, then looked around his room. It really was... "bare walls," with nothing there.
The original owner of this body had no money and lived a very frugal life, buying nothing. After he transmigrated, he also had to stretch every penny to make ends meet and save every penny, which is how he accumulated his small savings.
Let's go buy some things first.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself.
The company provided each of them with a laptop in their room, so he definitely couldn't take it with him, and Zhou Ping'an certainly wouldn't be willing to let him take it either. Buying himself a laptop was the priority, since he would be continuing to do live streams later.
Then, buy a few novels to read. This is something that can be done through live streaming. We've been live streaming our studies all along, so it would be good to replace textbooks with novels or other books in the future. Reading more books is always beneficial. Lu Yanhe was able to get into a 985 university before, and he performed steadily this time, which is due to the influence of traditional education. The concept of "reading more books" is deeply ingrained in his mind.
Chen Ziyan also said that in the end, being an artist depends on one's character and how long one's personal qualities can be maintained.
Reading books may not guarantee his long-term success, but having knowledge and expertise will ensure he has nothing to worry about.
As the old saying goes, "In books, you'll find beauty like jade; in books, you'll find houses of gold."
Lu Yanhe decided what he wanted to buy and prepared to leave. Just before leaving, he remembered what Chen Ziyan had said, so he contacted Tu Song.
"I'm going to buy a laptop and some books. Do you want to come with me?"
Tu Song was surprised to receive his call, seemingly unaware that Lu Yanhe was going to sign with Chen Ziyan.
However, since Lu Yanhe had nothing else to do when he first asked him out, he agreed.
The two of them went out under the scorching June sun. Although the temperature had not yet reached its peak, it was still so hot that they were sweating.
"How did you do on the exam this time?" Tu Song asked.
Lu Yanhe felt that he didn't really want to ask, it was just something he said casually.
"It's alright, we'll see what score you get in the end," he said. "You changed agents these past few months, you must be much happier than before, right?"
"Hmm." Tu Song's eyes lit up when he said this. "Much better! I'm already preparing to record my first single! It's an OST for a TV series!"
Lu Yanhe knew that Tu Song was single-mindedly focused on becoming a singer. He didn't want to act, record variety shows, or be a comedian. He was the one in the Fengzhi group who loved singing the most, and now that he had the opportunity to sing his own single, even if it was just an OST, he was very happy.
"Congratulations! You can finally be a proper singer now," Lu Yanhe said.
Tu Song said, "Sister Ziyan is much better than Zhou Ping'an. She wasted more than two years of her life under Zhou Ping'an."
As he was speaking, he suddenly remembered something, and his words came to an abrupt halt.
He had heard that Zhou Pingan was planning to terminate Lu Yanhe's contract.
Tu Song felt a little embarrassed, as if he had been showing off to Lu Yanhe.
He really didn't mean that!
Tu Song wanted to apologize to Lu Yanhe, but he didn't know what to say.
Seeing Tu Song's hesitant and reluctant manner, Lu Yanhe became even more certain that Tu Song was still unaware that Chen Ziyan had also become his manager.
Since Chen Ziyan didn't bring it up, Lu Yanhe didn't leave it at that either.
"It's alright. I hate Zhou Ping'an too," Lu Yanhe said. "Don't worry, I won't complain to Zhou Ping'an."
"Who cares about him now?" Tu Song breathed a sigh of relief and pouted. "I ran into him this morning. Was he looking for you?"
"No, Yan Liang and Li Zhibai are flying to other places today, and he came to give them some instructions," Lu Yanhe said.
"Unsurprisingly, Zhou Ping'an ultimately chose Cheng Hai, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang," Tu Song said. "Two of the most popular and one of the most obedient."
Tu Song was referring to what Zhou Ping'an had said before, that only three people would remain in the Fengzhi group to continue leading the team.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Then...the other two people, them?"
"I don't plan to be an entertainer anymore," Tu Song said. "Ming is preparing to apply to an overseas university, and Xiao Shan is going home, saying he's planning to open a shop."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Have they all given up?
This surprised Lu Yanhe.
Tu Song said, "Actually, if they stay, they just need to change agents. Even if Zhou Ping'an refuses to manage them, there will definitely be other agents willing to manage them. They don't have to do anything, and the company will give them a subsidy of three thousand yuan a month. This is much better than the new recruits we just signed."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Maybe they just don't want to waste any more time."
Not everyone is like Lu Yanhe, with nowhere to retreat.
They can apply to universities overseas or open a shop, both of which can be supported by their families, and they may not care about the monthly subsidy of three thousand yuan.
They see no hope for their future in the entertainment industry, and while they are still young, they can certainly choose to take a different path.
Tu Song then asked, "When will the movie 'The Golden Era' be filmed?"
Lu Yanhe said, "We're going to start filming next month."
Tu Song asked, "Do you plan to become an actor in the future?"
"I don't know, let's see," Lu Yanhe said. "I still have to go to university, so I won't be able to focus on this like you do."
Tu Song is different; he didn't go to university.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang both went to performing arts universities, but Tu Song didn't even get into one.
I had heard before that he had always wanted to apply to a music academy, but Zhou Ping'an didn't seem too keen on it.
I don't know if he still has that thought now.
If so, Chen Ziyan shouldn't disagree, right?
Lu Yanhe chatted with Tu Song, bought a laptop as planned, and then went to the bookstore to browse around.
Tu Song was somewhat surprised when he arrived at the bookstore with him.
"So you really do love reading," Tu Song remarked.
It seems that Tu Song also thought Lu Yanhe was just putting on an act.
Since the college entrance examination results haven't been released yet, practically no one knows that Lu Yanhe is a true academic star.
Lu Yanhe didn't explain, picked out a few books in the literature and art section, and then prepared to pay.
"Lu Yanhe?!" A surprised voice rang out.
Lin Miaomiao stood behind Lu Yanhe, holding a plastic-wrapped book in her hands, her eyes shining.
"You're here to buy books too?" Lin Miaomiao asked with surprise, looking at the books in Lu Yanhe's hands.
"Hmm." Lu Yanhe was also pleasantly surprised to see Lin Miaomiao and smiled. "I just finished my exam yesterday, so I came to visit today."
Since the two became friends, Lu Yanhe has chatted with Lin Miaomiao a few times. He discovered that although she speaks bluntly and sometimes without thinking, she is a very genuine and lively person.
They're still in their second year of high school—oh, no, after this summer, they'll be in their third year.
Thinking back, I realized I'd been fooled by her before, genuinely believing she was a TV host.
Lin Miaomiao asked, "How did you do on the exam? I watched your live stream yesterday, but you ended it as soon as I clicked in, so I don't even know what you said."
This is because they went in too late and missed the first bite.
Lu Yanhe said, "I did okay on the test. I didn't estimate my score, but I feel I performed quite well. I didn't encounter any particularly tricky or strange questions."
"As soon as you finished your exams, the actual test papers were sent to our group chat." Lin Miaomiao looked exasperated. "Our homeroom teacher is a real test-taking genius."
"I'm responsible for you," Lu Yanhe said.
Lin Miaomiao sighed, "You've finally made it through, but I still have a year to endure. Senior year of high school, just thinking about it makes me feel so awful."
"Once you get through this, you'll find a free and open world," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "Keep it up!"
Tu Song walked over with a copy of "The World of Music".
He looked at Lu Yanhe curiously, then at Lin Miaomiao, and suddenly his expression froze. "You're Lin Miaomiao?"
Lin Miaomiao looked at Tu Song with a puzzled expression and asked, "Do you know me?"
“Uh, I’ve met him once.” Tu Song nodded. “My aunt took me to your father’s birthday banquet.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Miaomiao's expression changed instantly.
She glanced at Lu Yanhe subconsciously before saying, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I've never seen you before."
"You're not called Lin Miaomiao?" Tu Song retorted. "Isn't your father Lin Desheng from the Northern Lights Videos?"
"..."
Lu Yanhe looked at Lin Miaomiao's face and fell into a strange state of confusion and hesitation.
She seemed very reluctant to admit that she was Lin Desheng's daughter.
But judging from Tu Song's reaction, he doesn't seem to be a vicious person. Why is he so wary?
Lin Miaomiao suddenly glanced at Lu Yanhe again and said, "I have something to do, I'll be leaving now."
After saying that, he turned and ran away.
Lu Yanhe and Tu Song were both puzzled, wondering what was wrong with her.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but ask Tu Song, "What's going on?"
“That’s what I wanted to ask you,” Tu Song said. “How do you know her?”
Lu Yanhe said, "I ran into her when I went to record the show last time. She said she was the host of the live broadcast of the show and even interviewed me during the live broadcast."
"Uh, she's probably just doing it for fun. Do you know who she is?"
"You just mentioned that you're Lin Desheng's daughter? Who is Lin Desheng?"
"You must know about the Northern Lights video, right?" Tu Song asked.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Of course I know that; it's one of the largest online video platforms right now.
Tu Song said, "He's the CEO of Aurora Video."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Boss?
Tu Song said, "This Miss Lin is as proud as a peacock outside. When I saw her that time, many people fawned over her, but she ignored them completely. I didn't expect you to be able to chat and laugh with her like that."
"Uh, I don't know who she is either." Lu Yanhe realized that it was no wonder she spoke so arrogantly when she first met him. She was obviously a spoiled little girl at home. No wonder she dragged someone in to interview him and pretended to be a host, and no one stopped her. Everyone was playing along with her game. How could they not cooperate? She was the princess of Aurora Video.
Tu Song looked at Lu Yanhe thoughtfully and said, "She seems to treat you differently."
"I've only met her a few times."
“But she’s happy to talk to you and laughs so happily,” Tu Song said. “If you’ve seen how she treats other people, you’ll know why I say that.”
Lu Yanhe asked in surprise, "Is it really that exaggerated?"
“More than that,” Tu Song said. “Her manner, to put it nicely, is noble; to put it bluntly, it’s arrogant. But even so, many people still fawn over her, and everyone wants to please her, after all, President Lin only has her as his child.”
This chance encounter finally revealed Lin Miaomiao's true identity to Lu Yanhe.
He was surprised, but also had a sudden realization; all the previous clues now connected together.
He only knew that Lin Miaomiao's family must be very rich, but he didn't know she had such a powerful background.
The top video platforms in China today are all backed by large corporations with substantial capital support. The resources that lead a video platform are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
This is especially true for artists like Lu Yanhe.
But Lu Yanhe didn't have any other thoughts.
How can we get in touch with the Northern Lights video through Lin Miaomiao?
It's great if you have the opportunity, but there's no need to force it if you don't.
Lu Yanhe now feels that his whole life has been renewed, and he has a strong sense that as long as he works hard, he can get anything through his own efforts.
-
When I got back, it was almost noon.
The two ate a meal with toppings at a small restaurant near the entrance of the residential area before going back.
In the afternoon, Lu Yanhe thought to himself that he couldn't just stay idle like this forever.
Especially in the next few years, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will have to juggle his studies with his acting career, which will be very demanding.
He was going to make a plan for himself, writing down what he needed to do next, item by item.
Including everything he knew before he traveled through time.
Novels, music, movies and TV shows... these all exist only in his memory. If he doesn't write them down while he still remembers them, his memories will become increasingly blurry, and he will be able to replicate fewer and fewer things in the future.
Lu Yanhe first eliminated the novel.
Novels are entirely text, often exceeding one or two hundred thousand words, and this is considered a small number.
He only remembers the plot; asking him to recreate a novel now is simply impossible.
However, good stories and good ideas can be written down first, and if there is an opportunity later, you can find someone else to adapt them into a screenplay. For example, Agatha Christie's most famous detective novels, whether it is "Murder on the Orient Express" or "Death on the Nile", can actually be adapted into a new novel story - as long as it is confirmed that a similar trick has never existed in the world.
The same applies to film and television dramas; he can only write down good stories and good ideas first, in preparation for later.
The only thing that can be quickly replicated right now is the song.
It's a pity he doesn't know how to read sheet music. Speaking of which, could he learn some music this summer, at least the basics, so he can write down the melodies in his head?
If he can't do it now, he'll hum each song one by one and record it on his phone so he won't forget it in the future.
After completing these plans, Lu Yanhe began to think about what else he could do.
This space-time is also developing, and it has also developed things like e-commerce and online payment methods.
After much thought, Lu Yanhe realized that the space for him to utilize his transmigrator abilities was actually very small, mostly concentrated in the field of content creation. This was the only field where he relied too much on his personal creative thinking rather than the progress of society, making it difficult to produce similar works.
There's nothing we can do about that.
First, I need to record and replicate; second, I need to find ways to improve my skills.
Just like Lu Yanhe can sing many songs, but because he can't compose music, he can't write the sheet music himself and can only ask Chen Siqi for help. He also knows many successful film and television stories and novels, but he doesn't have the ability to write them into scripts or novels, so he can only sigh in vain for now.
Go learn how to write novels? Go learn how to write screenplays?
You need to learn these skills.
Lu Yanhe made several plans for himself.
This summer, in addition to taking acting classes to improve his skills and filming on set, he also needs to learn basic musical notation, improve his writing ability, and start learning how to write stories.
As the plan was listed out one by one, Lu Yanhe felt more and more at ease.
He found himself now terrified of having nothing to do.
He had never had such thoughts before the time travel.
Things have changed.
He was momentarily bewildered upon realizing the changes in himself.
No matter how actively you try to integrate into this world, you still can't change the fact that you are an outsider.
Regardless, I was haunted by a sense of unease and instinctively wanted to strengthen myself in order to face any potential adversity in the future.
The phone buzzed and vibrated.
Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze and picked up his phone.
Lin Miaomiao sent a message: Did your friend tell you who I am?
Lu Yanhe: Hmm.
Lin Miaomiao: You... don't expect me to be of any help to you. Although my father is Lin Desheng, I can't say anything about him.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
The familiar, sharp-tongued Lin Miaomiao is back.
He said: I didn't expect you to be of any help to me.
Lin Miaomiao: That's good.
Lu Yanhe didn't know if Lin Miaomiao was genuinely a bit dim-witted and spoke without considering others' feelings, or if she was saying such things to be upfront about what was unpleasant. But since Lin Miaomiao had always been like this since they first met, Lu Yanhe wasn't very angry.
At first, I thought it was lucky that the girl wasn't put in a sack and beaten.
Lin Miaomiao added: "It's not that I'm unwilling to help you, it's just that I really can't help. My dad will never give me a second glance just because someone tries to please me."
Lu Yanhe sighed and replied: Don't overthink it, I really don't care about this.
The main reason was that he felt he and she weren't really that close.
We've only met a few times, and we can't even be considered friends.
If he hadn't run into her outside the hospital that time and been comforted by her by chance, he wouldn't have felt any closeness to her at all.
It's only a little bit now.
Just then, someone tagged him in the class group chat, and his phone popped up a notification.
He had previously found it too noisy, so he set the class group's message notifications to Do Not Disturb mode.
He clicked on it and saw that everyone was urging each other to get together that night.
While the college entrance exam results are still pending, we're counting the number of people who can join us for the party tonight.
Lu Yanhe replied, "I can."
A short while later, Linyu posted the reservation information in the group chat.
She said: "This restaurant has a large private room. The screen in the middle can be removed, and three tables can be set up to seat about forty people. Teacher Liu said that there was still about 1,000 yuan left in the class fund, and she asked me to go to her to get it when I organize a class activity. It's perfect timing to use it up for today's meal."
Everyone responded enthusiastically.
(End of this chapter)
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