Chapter 212 Promising!
Chen Lingling added, "One more thing, Lu Yanhe, you're too handsome now, very refined. I wish your skin tone could be a little darker, and your muscles a bit more defined. Right now, you don't look like a martial artist, but more like a scholar who's always been studying in a private school."
Lu Yanhe looked embarrassed.
"Okay, director, I'll start working out as soon as I get back."
Lu Yanhe doesn't like to exercise. In some ways, he's like Li Zhibai—he avoids exercise if he can.
Now that Chen Lingling had said that, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
-
"Yan Liang, from now on I'll go for a run with you every morning."
Upon returning, Lu Yanhe announced the matter.
Before Yan Liang could react, Li Zhibai asked in shock, "What's gotten into you this time?"
"The director scolded me."
Although Chen Lingling didn't say it explicitly, she essentially meant that she felt his current image was too delicate.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were unaware that Lu Yanhe had taken on another role. Upon hearing this, they both showed excitement. "Wow, you even got a role in Director Chen Lingling's new film?"
Lu Yanhe: I guess so? I went to try on makeup today.
Although no contract has been signed yet, Chen Lingling has already asked him to tan his skin a bit, which probably means she's satisfied with him; otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a request.
Li Zhibai said, "Tsk, you're really making me a little jealous now. You just finished filming with Luo Yuzhong, and now you're able to film with Chen Lingling."
Yan Liang: "Yes."
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Because I was lucky."
"You'd better treat us to two meals, wouldn't you?" Li Zhibai said. "I just saw a deal on a buffet that costs 1499 yuan per person a couple of days ago. Why don't we try it today?"
Yan Liang asked in shock, "So expensive?"
Lu Yanhe asked in shock, "What do you eat in here? Gold?"
Li Zhibai glanced at the two of them with disdain and said, "This is nothing. It's just a buffet. It's strange that they can charge such a high price. I'd like to see for myself."
Lu Yanhe said, "Brother, you should know that although I have acted in Director Luo's films and am also in talks with Director Chen, my pay is very low."
Li Zhibai: "Stop talking nonsense. Your salary for acting in 'The Golden Era' may have been low, but now when you take on a new role, it's impossible for it to be that low."
Lu Yanhe looked bewildered and asked, "Why?"
“What’s there to ask? What was the situation when you took on ‘The Golden Era’? And what is the situation now?” Li Zhibai said. “Given how often you’re trending on social media, you should have a lot of web dramas coming to you.”
Lu Yanhe still looked blank. "No."
-
"Xiao Lu has indeed gained some fame. How many campus male lead dramas have approached him now?"
In the small garden of Star Entertainment Agency, Lu Qingzhen and Chen Ziyan sat facing each other, drinking afternoon tea.
There was a script in front of Chen Ziyan. When Lu Qingzhen asked about it, she found out it was another campus drama with Lu Yanhe as the male lead, and she made the above remarks.
Chen Ziyan smiled and said, "I've received no less than ten this month, and they're all campus-themed, with male protagonists who are all academic geniuses or top students."
“After all, Xiao Lu is a true academic genius,” Lu Qingzhen said. “Are you planning to let Xiao Lu take the call?”
Chen Ziyan: "I'm reading the script now, but I'm a little hesitant. You know, Xiao Lu acted in 'The Golden Era' before, and he's going to act in 'Phoenix Terrace' next. With this kind of start and resume, he could actually take the route of serious dramas and word-of-mouth, and his reputation in the industry and the market would be better. But now it's not an era where good wine needs no bush. Xiao Lu is still so young, is it necessary to build this kind of high-end image so early? I've been thinking about this question for the past two days."
“High-class image is a good thing, but it's also risky if it's too expensive to find.” Lu Qingzhen succinctly pointed out Chen Ziyan’s dilemma.
Chen Ziyan laughed.
“You understand me best.” She picked up her cup and took a sip of coffee. “Xiao Lu’s image, knowledge, and personality are all exceptional. Because he has almost no obvious weaknesses, he can take any path, which makes me conflicted.”
"Didn't you tell Xiao Lu yourself? He's still so young, he should try different paths, even if he makes a mistake, it's not a real mistake."
"But I need to be clear about what I'm doing." Chen Ziyan glanced at the script on the table, but hesitated to make a decision.
-
In the end, instead of eating at the 1499 buffet, Lu Yanhe treated the two of them to barbecue at the entrance of the residential area.
Pork belly, butter, and chicken feet are the classic three dishes; you can choose the rest yourself.
One beer per person.
"You shouldn't be able to pass out after just one can of beer, right?" Li Zhi asked Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe's alcohol tolerance is no longer what it used to be.
Li Zhi was clearly mocking him.
Lu Yanhe gave him the middle finger.
"Tsk tsk, looks like he's really built up his alcohol tolerance," Li Zhibai said. "So arrogant, he even dares to give the middle finger."
Lu Yanhe: "So what if you can drink? I'll beat you up one day."
"Oh!" Li Zhibai raised an eyebrow. "Arrogant? Don't wait until one day. Today, let's see who takes whom down."
Lu Yanhe immediately said, "You've been drinking for years, but I've only been drinking for a short time. It's not fair for you to beat me today."
"Coward." Li Zhibai sneered, his face full of arrogance.
Yan Liang shook his head speechlessly.
"Sister Qiuling!" Lu Yanhe suddenly waved towards the door.
One second Li Zhibai had a "I'm so cool and arrogant" expression on his face, but the next second he completely changed it and put on the look of a model student.
Lu Yanhe looked at him and snorted, "Coward."
Li Zhi was taken aback and immediately turned around to look.
Qiu Ling could be seen at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant.
They were fooled by Lu Yanhe!
Li Zhi, furious, pointed at Lu Yanhe and said, "Lu Yanhe, when did you become so cunning!"
Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe slapped their thighs and burst into laughter.
Suddenly, Lu Yanhe stopped laughing halfway through, his expression froze, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Sister Qiuling!"
Seeing that he was still acting, Li Zhibai sneered, "Keep acting, let's see how long you're going to keep this up. If you don't impress me with Officer Qiu today, I'm not done with you!"
"Li Zhibai, what does it have to do with me if you're not done with him?" Qiu Ling's voice suddenly rang out from behind Li Zhibai.
At that moment, Li Zhibai felt a jolt as if countless electric currents were running through his body.
He looked up abruptly and saw Qiu Ling standing right behind him.
"Officer Qiu, Qiu."
Qiu Ling raised her hand and slapped Li Zhibai on the head, saying, "How many times have I told you, call me Sister Qiu Ling from now on, stop calling me Officer Qiu all the time."
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were both desperately trying to suppress their laughter.
Who would have thought that Qiu Ling would actually appear at this moment?
Qiu Ling pulled out the chair next to Li Zhibai and sat down directly.
“I haven’t seen the three of you together much lately,” Qiu Ling said. “How come you’ve all gotten together again today?”
Seeing that Li Zhibai was still a bit dazed and hadn't come to his senses, Yan Liang took over the conversation and said, "We were all busy with work recently, so we didn't have much time together. Today, we managed to find some time together, and since everyone was here, we got Lu Yanhe to treat us to dinner."
Qiu Ling picked up the menu. "Lu Yanhe is treating? Looks like I'm in luck. What did you all order? I'll see and add some more."
Qiu Ling added a few more items, looked at them, and said, "What have you all been busy with lately? I know Xiao Lu, he just finished filming and is now editing some kind of Mook. What about you two?"
Yan Liang said, "Recording shows, doing business, and all sorts of filming, that's basically my schedule."
Qiu Ling said, "Your work doesn't sound that interesting either."
“Most of the time it really isn’t fun,” Li Zhibai said. “How could you possibly find our work fun?”
“Celebrities, your work and life are glamorous in the eyes of us ordinary people,” Qiu Ling said.
"Most of it is a constructed image; behind the scenes, there are many things you can't imagine."
"For example?"
“For example, you often see us eating at roadside stalls,” Li Zhibai said. “But look at those variety shows, the celebrities go to high-end restaurants. Even if they eat at roadside stalls, they are definitely not these dirty, greasy little stalls.”
Qiu Ling nodded, "That's true, but I don't think all idol artists are like the three of you. I've only ever seen the three of you wearing slippers to eat barbecue and spicy hot pot. But... it seems like the three of you are the only idol artists I know."
“Except for a few particularly pretentious people, they’re all pretty much the same,” Li Zhibai said. “When I work with others, eat and play together, we’re all the same… cough cough, we’re all the same.”
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang also choked.
Qiu Ling clicked her tongue twice and pointed at Li Zhibai with her chopsticks.
Yan Liang tried to smooth things over for Li Zhi, saying, "Sister Qiuling, do you usually encounter many vicious and ruthless people?"
"Yes, you'll see a lot, and you'll encounter many people whose thought processes you just can't understand or comprehend," Qiu Ling said, shaking her head with a sigh.
Lu Yanhe suddenly thought of the ex-girlfriend who had been harassing Teacher Su Su.
He didn't know why, but that image was inexplicably planted in his heart.
He seemed to be able to recall the somewhat crazy smile on her face at any moment.
Qiu Ling suddenly remembered something, looked at Lu Yanhe, and said, "By the way, wasn't your history teacher stabbed by his ex-girlfriend? Do you remember?"
Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze, gave a wry smile, and said, "How could I possibly forget?"
Qiu Ling asked, "Do you know how this matter was ultimately resolved?"
"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe asked in confusion, "How was it handled? After Teacher Su returned from her recovery in the hospital, she continued to teach us, and there was nothing different about her."
"I meant his ex-girlfriend."
"She intentionally hurt Teacher Su, shouldn't she be arrested and sentenced? Teacher Su's injuries must be quite serious."
“Your teacher dropped the charges against her and will not pursue her liability,” Qiu Ling said. “The two sides reached a settlement.”
Lu Yanhe looked at Qiu Ling in disbelief.
"Really? Why?"
Qiu Ling shook her head and said, "I don't know either, but I heard that your teacher did do something wrong to her in the past, which is why she wasn't held responsible."
Lu Yanhe felt even more puzzled.
"In short, the person who introduced him to me on the blind date later sincerely apologized to me, saying that he hadn't investigated properly before introducing him to me, and that it was fortunate that I didn't like him, otherwise I might have been the one who got stabbed." Qiu Ling shook her head, somewhat sighing, "These things between men and women, they get entangled and entangled, and in the end, they always end up hurting each other."
Li Zhibai's eyes widened. "How could that be!"
"How so?"
"Two people who truly love each other will definitely grow old together," Li Zhibai said confidently.
Qiu Ling scoffed and said, "Only kids like you would believe in fairy tales about growing old together."
“You’re not that old, how can you say such things?” Li Zhibai said with dissatisfaction.
"Me? I'm just a little discouraged." A hint of melancholy crossed Qiu Ling's face. "I've seen too many cases of love turning into hate."
“But you said it was just a case study,” Li Zhibai said. “Don’t lose faith in love.”
Qiu Ling looked at him in disbelief. "What's going on? When did it become your place to lecture me, you little brat?"
"Who are you calling a little brat?" Li Zhibai said in a rough voice, "I look much more mature than you."
Qiu Ling chuckled, "Who gave you that confidence anyway?"
Li Zhibai looked frustrated and annoyed.
Qiu Ling then turned to Lu Yanhe and said, "Lu, I saw a message saying that you're going to make a book with your classmates, is that right?"
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Did you really write it yourself, or is it just using your name?" Qiu Ling asked.
Lu Yanhe explained, "I made it up myself; it was originally an idea of mine and my friends'."
Qiu Ling: "It's really rare to see this kind of thinking. Do you know what my colleagues are saying? After they found out you were going to make a book, they all said that it's uncertain whether you will become the most popular idol among young children, but you will definitely become the most popular idol among all parents."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe was both amused and exasperated.
This wasn't actually part of his original intention to make the book.
"That's great. The things you're doing are making people more and more respect you," Qiu Ling commented.
“I see that many people online are questioning my ability to be the editor-in-chief.”
"Don't worry about what they say. Let's see if it works first. It's pointless to keep nagging before it's even finished," Qiu Ling said. "You should work hard. You're an idol promoted by our Yuming Police Station. You can't let our Yuming Police Station down."
Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded, saying, "I definitely won't let you down."
-
Lu Yanhe once again realized that negative reviews sometimes don't mean much. It was the next day that Xu Xiaoyin contacted him and asked if he could submit the book "Jump Up" to Jiangyin Publishing House for physical publication and distribution.
Lu Yanhe was taken aback and asked, "Sister Xiaoyin, are you sure? There's so much controversy online right now, and you're still willing to publish this book in print?"
Isn't it said that the publishing industry is nearing its end?
Aren't you worried about not being able to sell them?
Xu Xiaoyin replied to him: Why do you care about those controversies? What doesn't have controversy? Out of a hundred people, ninety will criticize you and ten will like you. Just do your best to satisfy the ten people who like you. Your book is controversial, but it also has a lot of supporters. It sounds a bit mercenary, but after our market research, we believe that this book is worth publishing because you have a lot of fans who support you.
Lu Yanhe said: But, Sister Xiaoyin, this book is not primarily aimed at fans. There is almost no content about me in it, except for one article I wrote myself.
Xu Xiaoyin said: I don’t know the specific contents of this book right now. But to be honest, Yan He, the main reason I want to publish this book is because I am optimistic about its sales prospects. Also, because I have been in contact with you, I know that you are a very serious person. I believe that you have put a lot of effort into making a book, which you have given up so many easy money projects for. I hope that the publication of this book can deepen our cooperation.
Xu Xiaoyin's words were very straightforward, but this actually made Lu Yanhe feel comfortable.
If Xu Xiaoyin were to say right away that she believed in him and therefore didn't need to read the content to be sure that everyone would like the book, that would be too hypocritical, and Lu Yanhe would even find it offensive.
In fact, Xu Xiaoyin said something that touched Lu Yanhe.
If out of a hundred people, ninety will criticize you and ten will like you, then just do your best to satisfy the ten who like you.
The world is so big, and there are so many people. Even if only one-tenth of them like you, it's still a huge number of people.
Lu Yanhe replied to her: Sister Xiaoyin, I need to communicate with the people at Yemai.com. We gave them all the electronic copyrights before, but we didn't agree on the physical publication.
Xu Xiaoyin said: Okay, then I'll wait for your news. If other publishers come to you, please be sure to give us priority!
As predicted, in the following days, several other publishing houses approached us through various connections. One of them even came through YeMai.com, a publishing house that YeMai.com frequently collaborates with.
Lu Yanhe proposed to Xin Zixing that he would entrust the physical publication of this book to Jiangyin Publishing House, but Yemai.com hoped that Lu Yanhe could entrust the physical publication to the company they often cooperated with.
Xin Zixing said, "This publishing house has a long-term cooperative relationship with Yemai.com. If they are responsible for the physical publishing, the connection between the two sides will be much smoother."
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, if Jiangyin Publishing House hadn't come to me, I would have listened to your opinion. But Jiangyin Publishing House is a publishing house I've worked with before, and we have a very good relationship. I still hope that Jiangyin Publishing House will be responsible for publishing this book."
Xin Zixing felt somewhat helpless.
But there was nothing more she could say.
"Jump Up" is a book edited by Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi, and the copyright is not held by Yemai.com itself.
Even the leaf vein network couldn't influence Lu Yanhe's decision.
After talking to Xin Zixing about this matter and leaving, Chen Siqi exclaimed in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Siqi looked surprised and said, "I didn't expect you to reject her so decisively just now."
"ah?"
“I used to think you were quite shy and embarrassed to refuse people, so I was always the one to say the unpleasant things. But now it seems you can say them after all,” Chen Siqi said. “You didn’t hesitate at all and directly rejected another publishing house they wanted to cooperate with.”
"That's because I've indeed collaborated with Jiangyin Publishing House several times, and I'm quite familiar with their editors," Lu Yanhe said.
Chen Siqi nodded thoughtfully. "So, are you the kind of person who would dare to do things you wouldn't normally do for people you're close to?"
Lu Yanhe scratched his head, "Well... it doesn't seem to have gotten to that point."
"Anyway, you've really impressed me today," Chen Siqi said.
Lu Yanhe smiled.
Chen Siqi: "In this way, it seems that the book has returned to our original plan in a roundabout way."
"Um?"
"Make a magazine, the kind of magazine we used to read all the time."
Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze and said, "Oh, right."
Chen Siqi: "However, we only have three commissioned fiction pieces in our fiction section right now, and we haven't submitted a single one yet."
Lu Yanhe said, "I'll ask them today how the manuscript is coming along."
“We need to tell them a deadline,” Chen Siqi said. “Otherwise, we might not be able to meet our plan to release the book in September.”
It's already the end of July.
Lu Yanhe nodded and said okay.
He asked, "Aren't we writing relatively few novels?"
“Hmm.” Chen Siqi nodded. “I’ve been commissioning miscellaneous notes and essays on my end, but you’ve been the one commissioning the novels. Besides Liu Jiazhen and Mingyin, there’s also your classmate, Bai Yu.”
Lu Yanhe: "Then should I ask Sister Xiaoyin to help me make an appointment with a writer I know?"
Chen Siqi: "Didn't you say that last time? You said last time that you were going to find a publisher to help you commission articles."
"I was a little embarrassed to say it, so I haven't brought it up yet."
Chen Siqi immediately looked over with disdain.
"You're still so thin-skinned."
Lu Yanhe awkwardly touched his nose.
“However, Lu Yanhe, you should be mentally prepared,” Chen Siqi suddenly said.
"Um?"
“Yema.com may no longer cover the production costs of this book,” Chen Siqi said. “Once it is published in print, Yema.com will no longer be the only channel for reading this book. For them, this book may not be worth 100,000 yuan.”
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I've thought about it."
"Hmm? So what are your thoughts?"
“If they are unwilling to continue to bear the burden, I am prepared to bear it myself,” Lu Yanhe said.
Chen Siqi looked at him in surprise.
"Aren't you afraid of losing money?"
"I am scared, but after thinking about it, even if I lose money and invest all 100,000 yuan, it's okay." Lu Yanhe smiled brightly, "At worst, I'll just have to eat dirt for a while, and I can earn it back later."
Lu Yanhe was very fortunate that he had come to this new world and in less than a year, he had given himself the confidence to say such things.
In this life, who doesn't want to live a little more freely, especially in their teens?
Chen Siqi nodded and said, "Then don't forget, since my name is on the editor-in-chief list, the profits are split 50/50. When it comes to production costs, we'll split them 50/50 too. But who knows if you'll deliberately underreport the figures? I'll manage the accounts and ask you for them later."
Chen Siqi had the nonchalant and carefree air of a young heiress.
But a hidden joy lingered in her eyes, a joy she didn't want Lu Yanhe to see.
-
As expected, LeafVein.net raised objections.
They originally wanted exclusive rights, but knowing that their 100,000 yuan wouldn't buy them all, they only agreed to electronic distribution rights. Who knew that the book "Jump Up" would become a hot topic after Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi were accidentally photographed and went viral, attracting the attention of a group of publishers who began to investigate the book's publishing prospects.
This investigation revealed that all parties involved could profit from the situation and were extending olive branches to Lu Yanhe.
Knowing that this matter couldn't be kept secret, YeMai.com thought of finding a publishing house with which they had a long-term cooperative relationship to publish it. In this way, the publication and release date could be postponed to a month after YeMai.com's online platform was launched, giving YeMai.com a month of exclusive e-reading time.
However, Lu Yanhe disagreed and insisted on handing over the publication to Jiangyin Publishing House.
After a discussion, the senior management of YeMai.com realized that it was impossible to stop producing the book "Jump Up," but if YeMai.com did not have any advantage in terms of release time, they were unwilling to provide 100,000 yuan in production funding.
The original intention was to use this book to attract traffic and build brand awareness. If it's no longer exclusive, how can it attract traffic and build brand awareness?
As Xin Zixing listened to the questions and discussions from the higher-ups, she felt helpless but also thought about how to smoothly continue the cooperation between "Jump Up" and Yemai.com.
“If we can’t provide the production funding as promised in the early stages, I don’t think they will agree to let the book ‘Jump Up’ be available for free on YeMai.com,” Xin Zixing said directly. “People buy a physical book, which costs at least 25 yuan now. If we don’t bear the production costs or make any investment in the early stages, why should they provide us with the copyright for e-reading? Without us, they could sell a few more copies of their book.”
Xin Zixing's words sparked another discussion among the higher-ups.
Xin Zixing hates these kinds of meetings the most because they are just endless arguments and the same old things.
However, it's unrealistic not to hold such meetings. Without reaching a consensus through these meetings, many things cannot be implemented.
The argument lasted for about an hour, until finally Liu Qiao turned to Xin Zixing and asked, "What suggestions do you have?"
Xin Zixing knew this was Liu Qiao's hint—these people had discussed for a long time but hadn't come up with anything new, they had no other opinions, and they knew that their opinions couldn't be implemented. You just need to come up with a suggestion quickly and make the final decision.
Xin Zixing smiled slightly and said, "There are two options. The first option is to reduce production costs and buy the exclusive electronic rights to the book 'Jump Up.' According to market prices, it's estimated to be between 30,000 and 60,000 yuan. The second option is to stop offering free reading and switch to paid reading. Reading this magazine on our Yemai website will also be charged, and the price can be a little cheaper than the physical book, but it certainly won't be much cheaper, otherwise Lu Yanhe and the others won't agree. Of course, even with the latter option, we still need to prepay a certain copyright fee, unless we give up the exclusive electronic rights altogether. As far as I know, many websites are interested in the electronic rights to this book. As everyone knows, this book has already sparked a small-scale discussion."
Liu Qiao nodded and said, "Xin Zixing's two summaries are quite accurate. Everyone, which one do you support? Please state your opinion."
...
After the meeting, Xin Zixing did not return to her own office, but went directly to Liu Qiao's office.
"How much advance payment are you prepared to give them?" Xin Zixing asked.
Liu Qiao glanced at her and said, "You actually caught up with me. You seem to care a lot about Lu Yanhe's matter."
“Otherwise, I’ll have to ask him to be the main presenter for my upcoming major project, ‘City Travelogue.’ If this causes a rift in our relationship, where am I going to find an artist who can handle this kind of city documentary?” Xin Zixing said.
Liu Qiao: "Alright, stop dawdling. I'll report this to the president first thing tomorrow morning. He won't be treated unfairly. Don't worry, he's a big star, a public figure, who would treat him unfairly?"
Xin Zixing nodded in satisfaction.
"And they even said they'd argued for so long over a few tens of thousands of yuan," Xin Zixing complained.
"It's only a few tens of thousands of yuan now. Don't forget, this book is going to be made into a series. How much would a dozen or twenty series cost? Many rules have to be set from the beginning and then changed later. How difficult is that to change them?"
"Alright, alright, stop lecturing me. I'm leaving, it's time to go home." Xin Zixing immediately turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," Liu Qiao called out to her.
"What?" Xin Zixing turned around and looked at him.
Liu Qiao bent down and picked up a paper bag. "This is a bag of coffee beans that someone gave me. I don't like this stuff, so you can take it back and brew it yourself."
Xin Zixing didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it directly.
"Okay, thanks, Brother Qiao."
"That's when Brother Qiao comes through, he's really something!"
(End of this chapter)
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