Chapter 153 I've been your big brother for three years
Lu Yanhe rested for more than ten minutes before packing up his things and leaving the rehearsal room to find Li Zhibai and Yan Liang.
The two of them were also taking classes at the company, in a rehearsal room on another floor.
He walked down the corridor with his backpack to wait for the elevator when suddenly, MX and his group arrived together.
"Excuse me! We're in a hurry!" MX's manager, Lin Suyang, led the way, shouting as he came over, looking rushed and seemingly heading somewhere in a hurry.
Besides Lu Yanhe, there were other people from the company at the elevator entrance.
He and the others moved aside.
Lin Suyang stood at the elevator entrance with MX and a few others. He caught a glimpse of Lu Yanhe out of the corner of his eye and was taken aback.
As Xingyu's agent, he was naturally aware of Lu Yanhe's recent changes.
The person Chen Ziyan has her eye on.
Lin Suyang glanced at him again but said nothing.
However, when Ma Zhiyuan of MX saw Lu Yanhe, his face immediately turned stern, as if Lu Yanhe owed him a lot of money, and he looked disdainful.
Lu Yanhe and Ma Zhiyuan haven't seen each other since the last conflict at the restaurant.
Upon seeing Ma Zhiyuan, Lu Yanhe could only chuckle inwardly.
"MX is really popular right now," Lu Yanhe heard someone whispering behind him. "It seems like they've landed another endorsement deal."
"Hmm, I got the endorsement deal with that really popular snack brand lately, what's it called again? Snacks Are Busy?"
"That seems to be the name."
Within the company, the measure of an artist's popularity is the number of commercial endorsements they have.
Film and television resources can be facilitated by various factors, but business opportunities are based on concrete evidence. Brands will approach you more if they believe you can drive sales, and less if they don't think you can.
MX went into the elevator first, and no one else went in that elevator.
Lu Yanhe waited for the next elevator before getting on.
-
Lu Yanhe arrived at the rehearsal room where Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were, and met Zhou Ping'an at the door.
Zhou Pingan also saw him.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside them, beyond words.
In the end, Zhou Ping'an looked away, pretending not to see Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe did not go forward to greet them, but stood silently in place, waiting for Li Zhibai and Yan Liang to come out.
After a while, Li Zhibai and Yan Liang came out.
Zhou Pingan pulled them back and said, "You should stop getting involved with Lu Yanhe. Now that he's latched onto a powerful figure, he might not be happy to play with you."
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were speechless.
Upon hearing Zhou Ping'an's words, Lu Yanhe silently pursed his lips, pretending not to hear them because he didn't want to put Li Zhibai and Yan Liang in a difficult position.
Seeing that Li Zhibai and Yan Liang remained silent, Zhou Ping'an continued, "Don't think I'm trying to sow discord. You're all the same age, and there will be plenty of competition between you in the future."
Li Zhibai listened impatiently and said, "Well, Yan Liang, Cheng Hai, and I are the same age. We'll inevitably compete with each other in the future. Should we not go together?"
Li Zhibai has never been very respectful to Zhou Ping'an, and Zhou Ping'an can't do anything about it.
Zhou Ping'an was rebuked by him and said, "How can this be the same? You are all artists I manage, and you can support each other."
Li Zhibai said, "We can also go with Lao Lu."
He clicked his tongue and waved his hand impatiently, "We have plans tonight, I'm leaving."
He beckoned Yan Liang to leave.
Zhou Pingan: "Who did you meet?"
Li Zhibai: "Why do you care who we invited?"
Zhou Ping'an: "..."
He was a little angry, but he couldn't bring himself to vent it on Li Zhibai.
With a powerful family background and his own fame, he doesn't rely on Zhou Ping'an for anything. What can Zhou Ping'an say?
Cheng Hai only came out after everyone had left.
Zhou Pingan asked, "Do you know who they met up with tonight?"
Cheng Hai said, "Chen Biqiu."
Zhou Ping'an: "Chen Biqiu? Didn't they invite you to come along?"
Zhou Ping'an was furious. "How could Li Zhibai do this? Can't he tell the difference between near and far? Lu Yanhe has already changed agents, and he's still calling on them. How could you not call on them?"
Cheng Hai glanced at him silently and said, "He called me, but it wasn't you who asked me to have dinner with you tonight, so I didn't go with them."
Zhou Ping'an was taken aback, then realized that he had come here to pick up Cheng Hai.
"..." Zhou Pingan continued, "Why didn't he tell me sooner?! Why didn't he invite me?!"
Cheng Hai didn't say anything.
Speechless.
-
Li Zhibai drove Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe to the restaurant.
“Zhou Ping’an is really petty,” Li Zhibai complained. “Why is he acting like a big shot in front of me? Damn it, I can call whoever I want. Chen Biqiu was calling me, not him.”
Lu Yanhe: "Zhou Ping'an has been petty for a long time, there's no need to get angry."
Li Zhibai: "A grown man, so petty, and trying to sow discord, he's fucking disgusting."
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang exchanged a smile.
They lived under the same roof as Li Zhibai for three years and knew that Li Zhibai was most annoyed by Zhou Ping'an's faults.
Back when Lu Yanhe was still under Zhou Ping'an's command, Zhou Ping'an often told them things like this: don't get close to other people, they're all competitors, not friends, and so on.
Whenever they got along well with someone, Zhou Ping'an would step in and emphasize the "competitor theory."
Lu Yanhe said, "Zhou Ping'an probably said these things because he was afraid that you wouldn't trust him and would believe someone else."
"He doesn't even look at his own behavior. I'm speechless. Who can trust him?" Li Zhibai said. "If he hadn't been my manager from the beginning, I really wouldn't want to deal with him."
Lu Yanhe: "Let's just bear with it for now. It's hard to find a better agent than him in the company, and they might not even be willing to take him on. We're all working under the same company, so it's easy to offend people."
“Who says otherwise? Otherwise, they would have left long ago,” Li Zhibai retorted.
After leaving the Fengzhi group, Lu Yanhe looked back at them and felt that Zhou Ping'an was indeed an unqualified manager.
Li Zhibai and Cheng Haiquan were living off their past glories, while Yan Liang, Tu Song, and a few others gradually faded into obscurity.
It's one thing for them not to have a stage to perform on, but why not let them transform their careers sooner?
Judging from the audition for "The Golden Era," everyone seemed to have a lot of acting talent, but he didn't seem to give them any opportunities to act.
They were all recording shows and doing commercial performances.
No wonder everyone's popularity and buzz are getting lower and lower.
However, among the three people Zhou Ping'an is currently managing, Cheng Hai and Yan Liang have no background and no way to change their agents. The only one who can do so is Li Zhibai.
For Li Zhibai, changing his agent or not makes little difference.
The bottleneck in his further development of his acting career was that he was too lazy, not that his agent was not helpful.
In terms of popularity alone, he is by no means low.
Otherwise, Chen Biqiu wouldn't have taken the initiative to invite him out for dinner.
-
"Hey, Zhibai, long time no see, you've gotten even more handsome!" Chen Biqiu greeted Li Zhibai warmly as soon as they met, and even patted him on the shoulder.
Their enthusiasm makes them seem like true friends.
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang knew that the two had a grudge from the beginning because of Chen Biqiu's editing, which caused Li Zhibai to be chased and scolded by the fans of another artist for a long time.
Li Zhibai noticed that there was a woman wearing a white T-shirt next to Chen Biqiu, and glanced at her again.
"Let me introduce you. This is Li Zhenzhen, a program producer. She just returned from South Korea," Chen Biqiu said. "She used to be my assistant director. This time, she came back to prepare for a program and wanted to invite you to be a regular cast member, so she asked me to make the connection."
Lee Ji-baek looked at Lee Jin-jin and said, "Hello, PD Lee."
Li Zhenzhen smiled and looked at Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang beside Li Zhibai.
“Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang are my two teammates, but our group has disbanded.” Li Zhibai introduced them as well. “We lived together, so we came to eat together.”
Chen Biqiu looked at Lu Yanhe, smiled, and said, "I know. You've received two banners for bravery and righteousness, a shining example of the mainstream. We heard you were preparing for the college entrance exam, and we sent you a program invitation, but you declined."
Lu Yanhe said, "Now that the exam is over, I hope the two directors will give me more guidance if I have the chance."
Chen Biqiu nodded.
"My current agent is Chen Ziyan. If you have any job offers, please contact her," Lu Yanhe said.
Chen Biqiu opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"You changed your agent? It's not Zhou Ping'an anymore?"
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded, pointing to Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, "Their agent is still Zhou Ping'an, but I've changed agents."
Chen Biqiu was astonished upon hearing Lu Yanhe's words.
Chen Biqiu was surprised that Lu Yanhe had changed his agent, and even more surprised that Lu Yanhe's agent had been changed to Chen Ziyan.
At first, he just felt that the name sounded familiar, but he quickly realized that it was that famous and legendary agent!
Chen Biqiu had heard that Chen Ziyan had returned to mentor newcomers, but he didn't know who she was.
Variety shows are driven by immediate revenue, unlike platforms that might bet on a particular artist by casting multiple shows in advance and releasing them gradually, hoping that if one of them becomes a hit, the others will follow suit and generate huge profits.
Therefore, he didn't bother to find out who the newcomer Chen Ziyan was mentoring was.
After exchanging pleasantries, the group sat down.
After some conversation, Lu Yanhe realized that tonight's dinner was mainly to connect Li Zhenzhen's new program with Li Zhibai.
After figuring it out, Li Zhibai said, "Director Chen, of course I'm very willing to join this program, but whether or not I can join a program is not up to me. It still depends on Zhou Ping'an's approval."
"Of course I'll get him to agree," Chen Biqiu said with a smile. "The main thing is you. Zhenzhen specifically asked me to meet you so we could talk about the theme of the show in person and have a face-to-face exchange. As you know, there are all kinds of program formats and themes on the market now. Everyone is promoting all sorts of concepts when preparing a program, but whether a program is good or not doesn't just depend on a concept. The program itself still needs to be entertaining. Zhenzhen has high expectations for this program, and she has carefully selected each of the regular guests. She wants to see you in person to confirm your real personality in private, rather than having you create a persona for the show."
Li Zhenzhen nodded and continued, "I hope that the celebrity guests can show their true selves on the show. The more authentic it is, the more effective it will be. Fake things always lack something."
Li Zhibai looked at her curiously and asked, "What do you want to know about me?"
“This can’t be explained in just a few words. Do you have work in the next few days? If you’re okay, I’d like to spend a few days with you and see what you’re like usually. Only by getting to know your personality in depth can I know whether you’re suitable to appear on our show,” Li Zhenzhen said earnestly.
Li Zhibai is currently very popular, and most programs would charge a hefty fee to invite him. Li Zhenzhen's new program isn't even a top-rated show, yet they still want to judge whether he's suitable for it. His first reaction was, "Are you serious?" He was somewhat annoyed, but Li Zhenzhen's expression seemed so pure. It wasn't that she looked down on him or had any prejudice against him; it was a kind of pure stubbornness that gradually made Li Zhibai's aversion fade away.
Li Zhibai said, "I'm off these two days and don't have any work. If you want to come with me, it'll just be to watch me eat, drink, and have fun with Lao Lu and Yan Liang."
“That’s fine.” Li Zhenzhen nodded. “I wanted to see you as you really are.”
The fact that a variety show director would be so serious surprised Li Zhibai and others.
Chen Biqiu laughed and explained, "Zhenzhen has always been this meticulous person, but she is very talented. She wrote many of my program scripts, which received countless positive reviews. After returning from her studies in South Korea, she is preparing to produce a variety show themed around the slow-paced cohabitation of young people. There have been quite a few shows of this type in China, but most of them are actually pseudo-slow-paced variety shows. They still incorporate a lot of traditional variety show formats and dare not truly slow down."
Li Zhenzhen nodded and said, "I want to invite seven young people to participate in this program and live together. Living together includes room allocation, preparation of three meals a day, daily leisure and entertainment, and various topics of conversation. In fact, we will also invite some of your friends to participate in this program and live together. Through this kind of social interaction, we will explore young people's understanding of life today."
Listening to Li Zhenzhen speak, you can tell that she is a person who is sensitive and observant in life.
To be precise, she even has some humanistic ideals in her approach to making programs.
Chen Biqiu was clearly not one of those types.
He is a typical variety show director who films whatever the audience likes to watch.
Li Zhibai scratched his head and said, "Why do I feel that this program format is quite artistic? This is not my style."
"The overall style of the show is a slow-paced variety show, with a humanistic and warm atmosphere, but in reality, I hope that people of all kinds of personalities can be included," Li Zhenzhen said. "You can think of it as the audience observing the lifestyles and attitudes of young people through the cohabitation of these seven young people. It is also a show in which the audience observes you."
Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I don't mind, but Zhou Ping'an might not agree, right? Every time I record a show, he always asks the production team to provide a script. He absolutely won't allow any scandals about me to surface. If I appear on this show, it will probably expose quite a few of my flaws, and he definitely won't be able to accept that."
"Can you accept this?" Li Zhenzhen suddenly asked.
Li Zhibai shrugged. "I don't care. I've never liked being a perfect person."
Li Zhenzhen said, "Then let's work together to overcome the problem with your agent, okay?"
"Uh, I don't even know if I want to record this show," Li Zhibai said bluntly. "It sounds like it's not suitable for me."
Li Zhenzhen glanced at Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang, then suddenly asked, "So you're living with these two, right?"
"Cohabitation? I... well, it just means living in the same house. Why use such a disgusting word?" Li Zhibai complained. "Isn't that a word used to describe relationships between men and women?"
Li Zhenzhen laughed.
“That’s not quite it. Actually, that’s the point of the show, except that the people you live with are six different people,” Li Zhenzhen said. “Frankly, it’s hard to find someone with your genuine personality in the entertainment industry these days. Many people put on a ‘straightforward’ persona, but they’re actually just rude. I don’t want to have any artists I don’t like on this show. I hope this show can go on for a long time and become a variety show version of Friends, meeting once a year. Everyone has known each other since they were young through this show, and then they can witness each other’s growth and development. Including Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe, as your good friends, they can also participate in the recording of the show, visit your house, and stay overnight. The key question is, are you willing to spend so much time trying out a new show format?”
Li Zhibai took a deep breath.
"What you're saying is putting so much pressure on me? Does that mean I might not want to continue filming this show, but I'll still be tied to it?"
“Every gathering must come to an end. I’m just putting forward my idea for this show. If you want to leave later, that’s fine too,” Li Zhenzhen said. “In many mature and well-known series, it’s not uncommon for regular guests to leave after a certain season. I really don’t want to see that happen, but if that day really comes, I certainly hope that we can part amicably. In fact, you don’t need to worry about these things. We are only discussing the first season now.”
Li Zhibai said, "I need to think about it. To be honest, the theme of this show doesn't appeal to me. Living with a group of strangers is too much trouble for me."
Li Zhenzhen and Chen Biqiu exchanged a glance.
Neither of them continued to try to persuade them.
After dinner, they said goodbye to Li Zhenzhen and Chen Biqiu.
-
After saying goodbye, Li Zhenzhen and Chen Biqiu did not leave immediately, but went to a nearby bar instead.
“Li Zhibai doesn’t seem very interested,” Chen Biqiu said. “What do you think?”
Li Zhenzhen pondered for a moment and said, "I really like Li Zhibai's personality, and I still hope to have him as a regular guest, but since we really can't invite him, there's nothing we can do but look at other people."
Chen Biqiu: "At first I thought he would be unwilling to be observed by you for a few days. He has a bad temper, and as you know, he comes from a good family, has no shortage of resources, is popular, and is a bit arrogant. He doesn't really listen to others. Don't be fooled by his constant talk of 'Zhou Ping'an is in charge.' In reality, even if he doesn't want to do a job, Zhou Ping'an can't force him."
“It’s precisely because of this kind of personality that I feel the show needs someone like this,” Li Zhenzhen said. “Brother Qiu, you know, the production budget for this kind of show isn’t high. I don’t necessarily want to make a hugely popular show. I’m just very interested in this kind of theme and have always wanted to make this kind of show. But if the guests don’t give me the desire to film, I can’t put 100% of my passion into this show.”
“You have to remember that you are just a variety show director, not an auteur director. Even if you are an auteur director, you still have to be responsible to the investors,” Chen Biqiu advised. “If the show is not popular and does not accumulate a certain number of fans, it will definitely not be able to continue as a series. For you, Li Zhibai is a very suitable artist in terms of personality, but for me, he is a popular artist who is supported by investors, brands and platforms. Only when he participates will the show have sponsors.”
Li Zhenzhen nodded, "I know."
Chen Biqiu: "Among the seven guests you are currently preparing to invite, Li Zhibai is the most popular. If you can't invite him, you must invite someone with similar popularity, otherwise your program may not be able to start filming."
"But if the guests are not suitable, no matter how popular they are, the show will not be effective and there will be no chemistry."
“I trust your judgment, but you need to know that without popular artists, you can’t even film your show, let alone talk about effects and chemistry,” Chen Biqiu said.
Li Zhenzhen fell silent.
Chen Biqiu: "Didn't Li Zhibai not refuse your request to stay by his side and observe him these past few days? You should contact him and observe him first. With his bad temper and lack of education, he might not understand if you talk to him about ideals or understanding of programs. It's better to play the emotional card, let him get to know you, and then he'll be too embarrassed to refuse you."
Li Zhenzhen: "..."
She really didn't want to use this method.
However, Chen Biqiu was her mentor in the variety show industry, and she has always trusted him.
If it weren't for his connections and his role as the producer of her show, it wouldn't have even received the green light for preparation.
Do we really have to do this?
Li Zhenzhen was caught in a dilemma.
-
"Li Zhenzhen doesn't look like a variety show director; she looks more like a recent college graduate."
On the other side, Li Zhibai also began to comment on Li Zhenzhen.
“I’ve only ever seen such strong idealism in recent female college graduates. This is the first time someone has talked to me about a show, about so many ideas and themes,” Li Zhibai said. “Others just brag to me about how much investment the show has, how much importance the platform attaches to it, how much investment resources it will inject, how luxurious the guest lineup is, and how popular it will be after it airs. Tonight, she’s been talking about young people’s attitudes and lifestyles all night, saying she’s trying to use the show to help more people understand young people. My God, I don’t even understand it myself.”
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang laughed at the same time.
"But I think this show is quite interesting, and it's not hard work. You can make money easily," Yan Liang said.
Li Zhibai was about to say "I don't lack money" when he swallowed it back down.
"Sigh, the main problem is that this show sounds a bit strange and dangerous. I'm usually lazy and irritable, and recording this kind of show would expose my true nature too much. I'd probably get chased and cursed online." He was worried about it himself.
"You just said you're okay with having your flaws exposed on the show."
“How could I admit it in front of them?” Li Zhibai admitted to lying just now with a straight face. “She’s funny, who wants to expose their own shortcomings?”
As he thought of something, he added, "It would be fine to record a show like this with you guys, I'd be a little more willing. But recording with some strangers? I'm not interested."
Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang.
"Oh, it's Li Zhenzhen."
They just exchanged contact information.
Li Zhibai answered the phone.
"PD Lee, is there anything else?"
Li Zhenzhen said, "Zhibai, how about I come over tomorrow? Let's try getting to know each other for a few days first. I'll observe what you're really like in your life, and you can get to know me better too. I'm very sincere about inviting you to record this show. No matter what your final decision is, let's get to know each other first. Do you think that's okay?"
Li Zhibai frowned subconsciously, wanting to refuse.
But since the other person spoke so earnestly, he really couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Uh, okay then? But I really don't know much about it. I'm just a very lazy person who likes to eat and do nothing."
Li Zhenzhen: "Look, you are the only person I know who dares to admit to someone he just met that he is a lazy person who likes to eat and do nothing."
It took Li Zhibai a while to process the relationship between "people of people".
"Alright, then come if you want."
After hanging up the phone, Li Zhibai was puzzled.
"I already told her I didn't want to record anymore, why is she still bothering me?"
-
High popularity is an artist's trump card.
When an artist becomes famous, it's as if they have a "passport" wherever they go.
Li Zhibai received all sorts of warm and preferential treatment, which Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang had already gotten used to.
They actually benefited quite a bit from it.
Just like this time, I got to know Chen Biqiu and Li Zhenzhen, and also added their contact information.
Li Zhibai was highly sought after and they wanted to invite him to their show, while Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang, who weren't as famous, were given the "cold shoulder," which was perfectly normal.
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were both used to it and understood it.
Lu Yanhe was already preparing to move out, but Li Zhibai said, "Since Li Zhenzhen wants to observe my real life, you shouldn't leave for the next couple of days. If you leave, I'll have to get used to the living environment you're leaving."
Lu Yanhe was speechless and said, "I'm leaving. How will that affect you? Do you need to make special adjustments for me?"
Li Zhibai scoffed and said, "That's heartless of me. I've been your older brother for three years, and I've always taken good care of you."
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang chuckled simultaneously.
(End of this chapter)
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