Chapter 179 Going Solo
Besides the three of them, the dinner also included director Luo Yuzhong, coordinator Zheng Meixin, assistant director He Xun, lead actress Jiang Yuqian, and lead actor Huang Kairen.
If Lu Yanhe himself had invited them to dinner, he definitely wouldn't have been able to get them to come.
Only when Chen Ziyan hosts this dinner will everyone show up and give her face.
Chen Ziyan's primary goal was, of course, to help Lu Yanhe establish himself on set, which was what Li Zhibai had previously referred to as "paying respects to the local authorities."
At the dinner table, Lei Shuangcheng and Luo Yuzhong were the two people with the most say in the entire crew.
Chen Ziyan and Lu Yanhe toasted the two of them.
Lu Yanhe used to be a complete lightweight, but in order to improve his alcohol tolerance, he would occasionally drink a little with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang over the past six months. However, he still couldn't drink much; after just two small cups, his stomach would feel like it was on fire.
Seeing that he was grimacing, Jiang Yuqian knew he wasn't used to it, so she smiled and poured him a glass of juice.
"Take it easy."
"Thank you, Sister Yuqian," Lu Yanhe said.
"Xiao Lu doesn't usually drink, right?" Zheng Meixin asked.
Lu Yanhe: "I occasionally have a drink with friends."
Zheng Meixin said, "Well, you're not bad. Many young people don't drink anymore these days. Director, if you want to drink in the future, Xiao Lu can have a drink with you."
Luo Yuzhong waved his hand and said, "I won't drink while filming, it will affect my work."
"Is it okay to have a drink now and then?" Zheng Meixin said. "Director, this is probably your only hobby, so don't be too hard on yourself."
Chen Ziyan said with a smile, "Fortunately, Meixin has always been by the director's side, so she can take care of him while filming."
Luo Yuzhong shook his head and sighed, "It's quite rare. Do you know how many years Meixin has worked for me?"
“It’s been about ten years, hasn’t it?” Chen Ziyan said.
“It’s been twelve years,” Luo Yuzhong said. “When I first met her, she was just a young girl who had recently graduated and was assigned to be my assistant. Now she’s a mother.”
“That’s right, I’m almost forty years old,” Zheng Meixin said. “Everyone says I’m lucky to have met Director Luo. I’d say the same thing. If I hadn’t met Director Luo, I don’t know where I would be now.”
After chatting for a while, Lu Yanhe realized that apart from a few actors, everyone else at the table today was from Luo Yuzhong's old crew, the kind of people who had worked together for many years. This kind of relationship couldn't be replaced by an ordinary one.
Chen Ziyan said, "Speaking of which, it's fate. Several of the artists I manage have worked with Director Luo. Look, Shang Yongzhou, Chen Bige, Mao Bingyu, and now Xiao Lu is also working with Director Luo. This fate is truly remarkable. Director, I must offer you another toast."
-
My phone suddenly vibrated.
Several messages came in one after another.
Such frequent vibrations could only be coming from a group chat.
Lu Yanhe opened his phone and saw that it was Li Zhibai speaking in the group.
He: It seems my company is about to be acquired?
Him: Has my family gone bankrupt?
Him: I can't get in touch with my parents either, damn it!
Lu Yanhe stared at these words in surprise, unsure how to react.
Fortunately, there was Yan Liang. He said, "Don't worry, tell us what happened. How did you suddenly go bankrupt?"
Lu Yanhe: Yes, what's going on?
Li Zhibai: A woman from JP Jewelry said that Huanjin Group is acquiring my family's company.
Lu Yanhe looked at the latest news from Li Zhibai and felt that something was not quite right.
Yan Liang has already brought it up directly: Acquiring your company doesn't necessarily mean your family has gone bankrupt; it's not the same thing. You can't contact your parents.
Li Zhibai: I can't get in touch with them. Now when I search for my family's company online, all I see are news reports about broken capital chains and projects running into trouble. The key thing is that I can't even contact my parents.
Lu Yanhe knew why Li Zhibai would associate this with his family going bankrupt.
He inexplicably recalled the incident where someone jumped off a building at Li Zhibai's company.
Their company's project ran into funding problems, and one of the project managers jumped off a building. The man's family even came to the entrance of the residential area to cause trouble for Li Zhibai.
Later, the matter was suppressed, and it was clarified that the blame lay with the person who jumped. He had bribed officials, taken kickbacks, and done many shady things, which is why he jumped at that time.
Is this matter not over yet?
What exactly went wrong with Li Zhi's Hundred Schools of Thought?
As Lu Yanhe was thinking this, the topic of conversation at the dinner table turned to Ma Zhiyuan. Upon hearing the name Ma Zhiyuan, Lu Yanhe instinctively perked up his ears.
"Why is Ma Zhiyuan going solo? Isn't it good for him to stay in MX?" Assistant director He Xun asked Chen Ziyan.
He looks very young, probably only in his twenties. To be able to become an assistant director at this age, he is clearly Luo Yuzhong's protégé and has strong abilities.
At the dinner table, he didn't drink alcohol, but kept chatting about gossip with everyone. In particular, his spirit when talking about gossip was more like that of a tabloid reporter than a director.
Chen Ziyan shook her head and said, "I don't know either. I've always been independent at Xingyu, only managing my own people and affairs. Ma Zhiyuan is under the jurisdiction of Deputy General Manager Ma. I really don't know what his plans are."
He Xun clicked his tongue. "I once dealt with Ma Zhiyuan. He always looked down on people. Such an arrogant artist is incredibly popular. I really don't understand why."
Huang Kairen, the male lead in the drama "The Golden Era", smiled and said, "Young people nowadays like artists with personality like Ma Zhiyuan. My team told me that I usually lack personality and sharp edges, which is why I am not popular with young people nowadays."
“Idols and actors are not the same profession,” Chen Ziyan said. “It’s good for Ma Zhiyuan to develop independently. He doesn’t drag MX down, and MX doesn’t drag him down.”
"A drag? Why would you say that?" He Xun asked in surprise. "He debuted with MX and has grown up with MX to where he is today."
“MX isn’t just about him. There are differences in their development, which means some people are more popular and some are not as good. If you can’t adjust your mindset, the more popular person will feel like they are being dragged down.”
-
The official announcement of her solo career was made at 6 PM.
Ma Zhiyuan returned to the dormitory at eight o'clock, and by eight-thirty he had packed his things, carrying his bag and preparing to move out of MX's dormitory, not intending to stay for even a second longer.
"Why are you leaving so late? You can leave tomorrow," Wei Zhuoran said, frowning.
Ma Zhiyuan only carried one bag and nothing else. Someone would come and help him pack his other luggage and then send it to his new place.
The others were all there.
Chen Jing and Jiang Bai remained seated on the sofa, while Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong got up and came to the door.
Ma Zhiyuan glanced at the two people in the living room, then looked away and said to Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong, "Forget it, we're leaving anyway, so we might as well leave sooner rather than later. MX will be in your hands from now on."
(End of this chapter)
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