Chapter 229 Holding a Lantern to See People
"You can choose any main role in an S-class production, as long as it's not the lead role."
The man who sat in front of Chen Ziyan at nine o'clock in the morning had some gray hair at his temples, but he was still energetic and had a sense of authority and composure that came from long-term high position.
His tone of voice was like a deep, resonant wind, revealing no emotion or attitude.
While listening to the other person speak, Chen Ziyan was also observing him. Her conclusion was that the father and son looked very different.
If Xu Bantian is an impulsive, easily angered, simple-minded idiot, then Xu Bin is a tough, middle-aged man with the demeanor of someone who has been tempered in the military.
Chen Ziyan smiled slightly and said, "Why is Director Xu being so polite?"
"Let's not beat around the bush, Miss Ziyan," Xu Bin said. "Shall we leave it at that?"
Chen Ziyan: "Mr. Xu, I think you also know that whether this matter ends here or not depends not on me, but on your son's attitude and actions."
Xu Bin nodded, tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair, and said, "Miss Ziyan, he won't bother you anymore. You can rest assured about that. I've already taught him a lesson."
Chen Ziyan nodded, "In that case, I'll wait for Director Xu to send me the script."
After seeing Xu Bin off, Chen Ziyan finally stopped smiling.
Before we could even sit down, someone knocked on the door.
The person who arrived was Hong Qi.
As the executive CEO, Hong Qi rarely appears at the company. The actual management is handled by Vice President Ma. Chen Ziyan has hardly seen Hong Qi in the past six months.
"Mr. Hong, what brings you here today?" Chen Ziyan asked with a smile.
Hong Qi smiled and said, "Did Director Xu Bin come looking for you just now?"
"Mr. Hong is very well-informed."
"I ran into him at the elevator," Hong Qi asked. "Was it because of Xu Bantian's recent incident?"
Chen Ziyan nodded.
"Your methods are as swift as ever, striking at the heart of the matter." Hong Qi smirked. "I'm here today because I need your help with something. A friend's son wants to debut as a star. He's heard of your reputation and wants you to mentor him. If you're willing, I'm willing to pay you a ten million annual salary. How about it? Tempted?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes and shook her head, "No interest."
“I knew you’d say that.” Hong Qi said, then sat down in a chair, put his hands on the back of the chair, looked at Chen Ziyan and said, “After all these years, your temper hasn’t changed at all. Don’t you even know who it is? Someone who can pay you a multi-million dollar annual salary right off the bat is not short of money. He only has one son.”
“What’s it to me?” Chen Ziyan said. “Although I don’t have a multi-million dollar annual salary, I don’t need the money that much either. It’s rare to be able to stand freely in life.”
"Fine." Hong Qi shrugged and spread his hands. "I really don't understand why you'd rather take on Tu Song, that talentless nepotism hire, than make some money. But there's nothing I can do about it. I just can't understand your behavior."
"Since you already know, why are you asking?"
“We always have to go through the motions,” Hong Qi smiled. “After all, the other party also shares the surname Chen.”
Chen Ziyan's eyes sharpened instantly as she looked at Hong Qi.
"What did you say?"
“Chen Shen.” Hong Qi waved his hand. “You should know him, right? He’s the CEO of Lanyuan.”
Upon hearing this name, Chen Ziyan's sharp gaze softened.
“Not interested.” Chen Ziyan regained her composure. “Isn’t his son studying in the United States? Why doesn’t he take over his family business after coming back and instead comes to the entertainment industry to play around?”
Hong Qi: "Young people, attracted by the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, want to come and have some fun. He only has one son, so Chen Shen is happy to make his son happy."
"When did you and Chen Shen become so close?"
“I bought a piece of land with him a year ago, and we just sold it recently and made a profit,” Hong Qi said. “Whether we’re close or not, we became friends as soon as we made some money together.”
Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes at Hong Qi speechlessly, "When are you going to focus on your job and take care of this company more?"
"Isn't Ma Zhongquan managing things quite well? He wouldn't dare to go against you, would he?"
“This has nothing to do with whether he’s going against me or not. He’s practically turned Xingyu into an idol artist training center. Is our company going to transform and move towards idol artists?” Chen Ziyan said. “Now, most of the company’s artists are idol artists, and actors and singers have all taken a backseat. Not long ago, we even signed several internet celebrities.”
“What does it matter, as long as it makes money,” Hong Qi said. “Times are changing, and the entertainment industry is changing too. I know there’s a hierarchy in the entertainment industry, with idol artists at the bottom. Now there are internet celebrities, who are even less respectable than idol artists. But we’re running a company here. We need those who can make money standing up, and of course we also need those who can make money by bending over or even kneeling. Your thinking is too old-fashioned; you need to change it.”
Chen Ziyan: "I don't care what kind of company you want to make Xingyu into. I don't care whether the company lives or dies. I just want to give you a piece of advice. Some people think they have caught the next big trend and can take off, so they raise a lot of pigs. But pigs that don't catch the trend can't fly. Don't end up in a situation where the tail is too big to handle."
Chen Ziyan has been with Star Entertainment for several years, but she wasn't there from the beginning.
Her prominent position at Star Entertainment is due to her status as one of the company's veterans, as well as her rumored personal relationship with the company's boss.
She said she didn't care whether the company lived or died, but of course, the conversation had gotten so heated that it was impossible for her not to care at all.
But to be honest, Chen Ziyan's career and life were not tied to this company. If the company really collapsed, she would only be saddened by the demise of a company that was connected to her life.
Whether Hong Qi listens or not, she only says these words once.
-
During the day in Jiangzhi, Lu Yanhe spent the whole day eating, drinking, and shopping with Xin Zixing and the others, visiting many places in the city.
But the news that he was recording a program in Jiangzhi did spread, and many people came to see him. Lu Yanhe was followed by a lot of people almost wherever he went.
Xin Zixing and her team were originally a small group, unlike those large variety show crews that have strict security throughout the filming process.
In the end, more and more people gathered around to watch and take pictures.
Unfortunately, we had to adjust the shooting plans at several locations on the spot.
"Shoot all the outdoor scenes as establishing shots, and Yan He, shoot your parts indoors." Xin Zixing made the decision quickly.
Because of a lack of experience, everyone spent a lot of time on things like changing locations.
Lu Yanhe himself felt that the schedule was a bit rushed.
In his understanding, the program should be about taking your time to leisurely explore a city, rather than scouting locations and introducing various things to the audience.
It's not a travel channel program.
In the afternoon, Lu Yanhe found Xin Zixing and raised his doubts.
Xin Zixing also knew that Lu Yanhe was right.
The journey was rushed and they were constantly disturbed by onlookers. Throughout the filming, both she and Lu Yanhe were disturbed, including during lunch. They felt a deep sense of exhaustion and didn't even want to talk. They had to force themselves to talk and chat so that the meal wouldn't be too silent and quiet, or boring.
Lu Yanhe said, "Let's take a break first and not worry about the recording. I also feel that I'm not in good condition. This is not acting. There is no script for me to mobilize my emotions. I need to force myself to be energetic and in good condition to appear on camera. I think this state is not good, and no one will want to watch it."
The reason why the first episode of Langhua was so well received is because they filmed the most interesting parts of the city.
No, it's not that. Rather, people really like the style of leisurely wandering and exploring the city presented in the program.
Therefore, they didn't do much preparation at all; they basically had no idea what they would film, what they would encounter, or what would happen. Yet, the films shot under these circumstances were loved by audiences because of their vividness, naturalness, and authenticity.
During the filming, Lu Yanhe felt no pressure or burden. He treated it as a normal trip, wandering around wherever he wanted. He had no mission and didn't plan to visit all the interesting places. When he was tired, he would rest. When he didn't want to talk, he would sit quietly for a while. When he was in the mood, he would chat and laugh with Xin Zixing and the others.
The relaxation I felt then was completely different from the feeling of shooting today—and even completely different from the feeling of shooting yesterday.
Lu Yanhe felt that the main reason was that they were filming with a mission in mind.
Lu Yanhe found a small shop nearby, sat down, bought an ice pop, and ate it quietly.
Many people gathered around and greeted him.
Lu Yanhe responded to them with a smile.
There were still cameras filming him, but they were quite far away.
Xu Chao stood next to Chen Liang, watching Lu Yanhe together with Chen Liang.
He asked in a low voice, "Brother Liang, should we go and ask those fans to leave?"
Chen Liang: It's okay, we're just in charge of taking photos.
Xu Chao responded with an "oh".
Xin Zixing was pondering how to proceed with the filming when she looked up and saw Lu Yanhe already chatting with the fans around him.
The sunlight shone down freely.
Lu Yanhe was surrounded by people, but it didn't feel crowded or noisy; on the contrary, it was quite harmonious.
Some people took pictures of him with their phones, while others just looked at him.
Lu Yanhe didn't object and chatted with everyone with a smile.
"How old are you?" Lu Yanhe asked a girl with a ponytail.
"Seventeen," the girl said.
"Senior year of high school?"
"Yeah, I'll be a senior in high school as soon as school starts." The girl smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons. She was of average appearance, but her radiant smile was as clear as a stream.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Then why aren't you studying harder? Why are you always following me around?"
The girl said, "I really like you. It's rare for you to come to Jiangzhi, and I wanted to see you today. I always try my best."
"You better not be lying to me," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
"I'm not lying to you, I'm serious," the girl said earnestly.
...
Lu Yanhe rested for more than 20 minutes.
Xin Zixing came to find him at this time.
The two got into the car and started talking inside.
Chen Liang asked if they wanted to bring the camera into the car.
He had heard the whole conversation between Lu Yanhe and Xin Zixing and knew that they were talking about how to film the rest of the movie.
Xin Zixing thought for a moment and said, "No need."
There were only the two of them in the car.
Xin Zixing said, "Yan He, I've thought about it carefully just now, and I think you're right. I plan to take it slow for the rest of the trip. You can decide where you want to go, and we'll film according to your wishes. Do whatever makes you comfortable."
Lu Yanhe: "There's no need for that. I have no objection to your arrangements. I just feel that it shouldn't be like before, where classes are held at any time according to the schedule. I felt very comfortable during the half-hour break just now, especially when I was chatting with everyone. I think that kind of content would be more appealing to the audience if it were included in the program, because it wasn't pre-arranged, but rather happened naturally."
When Xin Zixing saw Lu Yanhe chatting and laughing with his fans, she felt that this was exactly the kind of scene that "City Travelogue" wanted to show.
"City Travelogue" is not just about cities, but also about the relationship between people and cities, and between cities and people. Ultimately, the city is about people.
It was at that moment that Xin Zixing suddenly realized why neither she nor Lu Yanhe felt comfortable during the previous shoots: because the previous shoots only had locations and tasks, but no human interaction or the emotions behind them.
-
The lantern-stepping activity takes place at night.
After Lu Yanhe talked to Xin Zixing, the filming of the program changed.
They cancelled their remaining travel plans and decided to just wait for the evening to arrive.
It's good to be relaxed.
Lu Yanhe invited everyone to go to a nearby teahouse for tea. One person was stationary, while the other was carried by the photographer. Everyone sat together.
The surrounding area was full of locals.
Lu Yanhe and Xin Zixing sat together.
Xin Zixing is the only one who frequently appears on camera with Lu Yanhe.
A large crowd of onlookers and photographers entered the teahouse, leaving the owner stunned. A look of delight spread across his face as he was excited and happy about this unexpected surge in business.
Looking at the young men and women around him, Lu Yanhe suddenly remembered the "lantern-stepping" activity tonight and asked curiously, "Will you participate in the 'lantern-stepping' activity tonight?"
The young people next to him exchanged glances when Lu Yanhe asked them a question. The more outgoing one had already spoken up, saying, "The person I like doesn't like me back, so what's the point of participating?"
“Exactly.” Another person sighed, “Last year I gave a lantern to the boy I liked, but he refused to accept it. It was so embarrassing.”
"Nowadays, only people who like each other but are too shy to confess would go out with lanterns on this day."
The group chatted amongst themselves, their conversations clearly indicating they had no intention of participating in the event.
Lu Yanhe was very surprised and said, "Isn't it said that most young people from Jiangzhi would participate?"
"Those are the ones who haven't been in a relationship yet, right? I'm already twenty-seven, how can I expect to find someone like that?" said a woman with sunglasses pushed up on her head and exquisite makeup.
"Then why did you take the day off and come back today?" A girl who seemed to be her friend immediately asked.
"I haven't been back to see my parents for a while, so I came back to visit."
"You're lying. You must have heard that Liu Ziyang came back from abroad, so you came back specifically for that, right?"
The woman in sunglasses instantly lost control of her expression, looking at her friend in disbelief and reaching out to cover her mouth.
This scene made everyone around laugh.
Lu Yanhe also smiled.
Okay, fine, this is just saying one thing and meaning another.
Just then, Xin Zixing said with delight, "He Yunlan and Liu Yiyi have agreed to come over tonight."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe smiled with delight.
Are they willing?
“Yes.” Xin Zixing nodded. “We’ve also prepared a few lanterns. We’ll carry them together when we go, to be in the mood.”
Lu Yanhe imagined what would happen that night and said, "I'm really looking forward to Jiang Zhi tonight."
-
As dusk fell, it was another twilight, with the sunset glowing like satin.
He Yunlan and Liu Yiyi met with everyone at a restaurant.
He Yunlan was wearing a white shirt and black trousers, looking like he had just finished work and rushed over.
But Xiao Mei immediately exclaimed, "Wow, men really do look much more handsome in white shirts than usual."
Lu Yanhe turned to look at Xiao Mei, somewhat surprised by her willingness to say anything, lacking the reserve of an ordinary girl.
Everyone sat down together to eat again.
"Where did you visit in Jiangzhi today?" He Yunlan asked with a smile.
Xin Zixing said, "I went to Baigan Tower and Mother-Child Bridge. I ate lunch on Dongzi Street and spent the afternoon strolling around Chunxi Road."
Lu Yanhe said, "This place is very livable, the food is delicious, and the city has a very leisurely feel; everyone is unhurried."
He Yunlan nodded and said, "Indeed, we have a lot of delicious food here. We were thinking of inviting you to our home so we could cook you a table of authentic Jiangzhi home-style dishes, but you've been quite busy. Please come again next time you have the chance."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe's eyes lit up instantly.
"Oh? I want to eat it!"
Liu Yiyi asked, "When are you leaving tomorrow? I heard from Yunlan that you're leaving tomorrow?"
"Yes, I have another job the day after tomorrow, so I have to hurry back," Lu Yanhe said helplessly.
"We'll just have to wait for another opportunity," He Yunlan said.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
-
At eight o'clock in the evening, Lu Yanhe, carrying the lanterns that Xin Zixing and the others had prepared, went out together.
As soon as Lu Yanhe stepped outside, he discovered that the entire city had undergone a tremendous change compared to the daytime.
As night falls, walking down the street, you can see people carrying lanterns everywhere, mostly young people.
Moreover, many people changed into ancient costumes, including ethnic minority costumes and Hanfu. In an instant, the scene was full of graceful figures.
When people saw the camera, they happily waved and greeted it.
Compared to traveling alone, most people travel in pairs or groups of several, chatting and laughing, looking like classmates or friends.
Lu Yanhe walked among them, remaining silent for a long time.
He was stunned by what he saw.
Especially the expressions on everyone's faces, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, so innocent yet so clear.
Lu Yanhe wondered if his own face also showed the same youthful innocence.
(End of this chapter)
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