Chapter 259 Idol
With the "generous" help of the production team, they enjoyed a sumptuous hot pot meal.
Eating can soothe the soul. This statement is absolutely true.
After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Yanhe prepared to take a nap.
He also wanted to send a message to Chen Ziyan to tell her about what He Zhong had said that morning.
Could it be He Zhong who planted the Trojan on his computer? This thought kept popping into Lu Yanhe's mind.
Although Lu Yanhe felt that it shouldn't be him, if it were him, why would he take the initiative to remind him?
Lu Yanhe couldn't figure it out, so he decided to stop thinking about it and discuss it with Chen Ziyan.
-
Because there were cameras all around, Lu Yanhe could only communicate with Chen Ziyan via text.
Chen Ziyan asked: Did He Zhong say anything else to you?
Lu Yanhe: No.
Chen Ziyan said: Maybe he saw someone else doing this? He's a photographer, he's either following you or looking at your lens, he'll see a lot of things that you didn't even notice yourself.
Lu Yanhe: Maybe, but because I've been recording the show, I can't ask him about the situation privately.
That's how reality shows are. Compared to regular program recordings, reality shows have almost no rest time. The only time you can briefly escape the camera is when you go to the bathroom.
Chen Ziyan: But He Zhong's reaction proves one thing: the person who implanted the Trojan on your computer was in the production team of the show "The Days of Youth".
Because He Zhong and Lu Yanhe only had one connection on the show "The Days of Youth," and no other interaction whatsoever.
Chen Ziyan said: I'll contact He Zhong and see if I can get some information out of him.
Lu Yanhe replied with an "okay".
Chen Ziyan added: "In that case, you'll have to be careful in the 'Young Days' program. Before we find that person, you'll have to be careful about your every move and word."
Lu Yanhe: Okay, I understand.
-
However, to the surprise of Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan, He Zhong left the production team just thirty minutes later.
At this moment, Li Zhenzhen looked at He Zhong in disbelief and asked, "Are you leaving?"
"Yes, I'm sorry." He Zhong's expression also looked full of unease, apology, and even guilt.
"He Zhong, do you know what you're saying?" Li Zhenzhen asked. "Our show is being filmed right now, and you're saying you're leaving. What will happen to the filming? Who will film Lu Yanhe?"
“I will ask my friend to come and fill my vacancy,” He Zhong said. “There’s an emergency at home, and I have no choice but to go back.”
Li Zhenzhen: "You signed a contract with us, He Zhong, you, you—"
The thought that just two hours earlier she had warmly invited He Zhong to join her next program and expressed her appreciation for him made Li Zhenzhen feel as if she had been slapped twice across the face, her face stinging with pain.
He Zhong's face showed even more guilt, but he did not hesitate or struggle and insisted on leaving.
"Director, I'm very sorry. I will take full responsibility for the compensation caused to the production team," He Zhong said. "If it weren't for a real emergency at home, I would never have left at this time. There's really no other way. Don't worry, cameraman. If you're willing, I'll contact my friend right away and we'll take care of the handover. It won't delay the filming."
Li Zhenzhen glanced helplessly at He Zhong, and at that moment, her heart softened again.
He Zhong's attitude was too sincere, and he said he had to leave because of an emergency at home. What could Li Zhenzhen say in this situation?
"Can't you even wait three days?" Li Zhenzhen softened her tone and tried to persuade her one last time.
He Zhong said, "There's really no other way, Director."
"What urgent matter requires you to leave immediately?" Li Zhenzhen said. "Our program will be completely filmed in three days. If you have any problems, tell me, maybe I can help you solve them? He Zhong, you know, I really admire you. My admiration for you is even to the point that I hope you can join my team and become a regular member. I can't stop you from leaving suddenly, but at least tell me what's wrong, maybe we can find a way to solve it together?"
He Zhong shook his head, looked at Li Zhenzhen in silence, and said, "This is a private matter for my family, and it's really inconvenient to talk about it. I'm sorry."
Li Zhenzhen sighed and said, "Okay, if that's the case, then there's absolutely no other way. This is the only option."
He Zhong asked, "Then I'll contact my friend now and ask him to come over as soon as possible."
Li Zhenzhen nodded.
-
Then, thirty minutes later, Lu Yanhe heard from Chen Mo that He Zhong had left for some reason and that the photographer had been replaced.
For a moment, Lu Yanhe was at a loss.
There was even a chilling sensation rising from the soles of my feet.
how so?
He Zhong had reminded him about the notebook that morning, and then suddenly left in the afternoon? Without warning—was there some kind of emergency at home? Just two hours ago, He Zhong hadn't shown any signs of anything amiss.
Lu Yanhe looked puzzled and asked, "Is something urgent happening at his home? The show is about to finish filming, only a few days left. Is he in such a hurry to leave?"
Chen Mo explained, "We don't know either. He didn't tell us in detail what happened. But please don't worry, we have arranged another cameraman to follow us, so it won't affect the normal filming of the program."
"Oh." Lu Yanhe didn't know what else to say, so he nodded.
-
"What's wrong?"
Seeing that Lu Yanhe's expression was not good when he returned, Li Zhibai asked him a question.
"Oh, it's nothing. They said my photographer had to leave and they need to find someone else," Lu Yanhe said simply. "I'm a little annoyed."
"What's there to be upset about?"
"Well..." Lu Yanhe realized that his reaction was a bit too much. To others, it was just a matter of changing a photographer, but it seemed like something major had happened.
Be careful with your words and actions.
The four words Chen Ziyan had just spoken came to Lu Yanhe's mind.
Lu Yanhe came to his senses and said, "I feel this is a bad omen."
He gave a wry smile. "I'm a bit superstitious about this. After all, it's the first reality show I've ever filmed, but the person filming me was replaced halfway through."
Li Zhibai looked at Lu Yanhe with an incredulous expression.
"You actually have such superstitious beliefs?"
“Yes,” Lu Yanhe nodded, “I didn’t expect it myself.”
“I really don’t understand,” Li Zhibai said. “You’re overthinking it.”
Lu Yanhe shrugged and asked, "Any activities this afternoon?"
“They didn’t say anything, there are no group activities,” Li Zhibai said. “I have an interview later, and I can’t participate in the activities this afternoon.”
What interview?
"I shot a magazine cover and need to do a related interview," Li Zhibai said.
Are you shooting a cover again this afternoon?
"We're not filming this afternoon; we've already finished. Today we're only doing interviews," Li Zhibai explained. "It's not like these are all happening on the same day. Haven't you filmed them before?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "I only posed for the cover of our group of seven at the time."
After that, Lu Yanhe never shot a solo cover again.
Before, when he wasn't famous, Zhou Ping'an wouldn't give him any cover shoots. Now that he's just become famous, the magazines that come to Lu Yanhe are all mediocre and don't meet Chen Ziyan's "better to have none than to have something of poor quality" principle for Lu Yanhe.
Li Zhibai said, "Don't magazines come to you to shoot covers these days? There should be quite a few brands that like artists with a good image like you, and they should be willing to pay for your work."
Many people assume that the celebrities featured on magazine covers are chosen by the magazine itself, but it's not that simple. Generally, the brand pays for the magazine cover shoot, and deciding which celebrity to feature is not only the magazine's decision but also requires the brand's approval.
Li Zhibai said Lu Yanhe has a good image, referring to his positive social image and overall positive conduct. Having him model for a collaborative brand's cover would also benefit the brand's image, especially given Lu Yanhe's current popularity.
Lu Yanhe shook his head: "I don't know. It's all Sister Ziyan who's handling things. But maybe it's because I've been too busy lately that Sister Ziyan hasn't been helping me find other jobs."
-
Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai rarely talked about work-related matters.
Usually, when we get to this point in the conversation, we'll chat about it together.
While chatting, Lu Yanhe took out his phone and sent Chen Ziyan a message about He Zhong's sudden departure from the program.
Chen Ziyan replied: It's okay, I'll contact He Zhong. Just act normal and don't let others think you're affected by this. Regardless of whether his departure was really due to family issues, I'll talk to him. Don't be nervous.
Chen Ziyan immediately understood Lu Yanhe's worries and tension, and comforted him.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "Luckily, Chen Ziyan is here."
When it comes to matters involving the potential "mastermind," Lu Yanhe finds his life experience utterly inadequate.
How do I find He Zhong, how do I talk to him, and how do I get the information I want from him?
Lu Yanhe had no ideas at all and could only rely on Chen Ziyan.
"However, when will you be filming your next project, 'Phoenix Terrace'? Has the filming date been set?"
After sending a message to Chen Ziyan, Lu Yanhe came to his senses, nodded, and said, "The specific time hasn't been decided yet, but it will probably be filmed at the end of the year, which will coincide with my winter vacation."
“That’s great. I was wondering how you’d be able to act if you were in school,” Li Zhibai said.
“I’ve had to prioritize classes for the past few years,” Lu Yanhe said. “I haven’t been able to film many movies.”
Li Zhibai nodded, "If you ask me, why don't you just take on some supporting roles in big productions? That way you won't need a lot of filming time, and you can also accumulate acting experience."
"Hmm." Lu Yanhe nodded. "That's an idea."
In fact, this was also the idea that Chen Ziyan and Lu Yanhe reached a consensus on.
In the next few years, if there are lead roles that can be filmed during winter or summer vacation, that would be best. If not, I will take supporting roles, provided that the drama and the role are good, then supporting roles are fine.
Chen Ziyan said, "It would be a great experience to play a supporting role in a film by a great director, just like acting in 'The Golden Era'."
For male actors of Lu Yanhe's age, it is already very difficult to get leading roles in top-tier productions.
One is a top-tier production, which basically doesn't have male leads around twenty years old. The other is that Lu Yanhe's current acting skills and experience are not enough to get such projects in the industry—after all, he can't carry the project unless he's chosen by a big-name director.
Lu Yanhe asked Li Zhibai, "Do you plan to change your career path later?"
"Transformation?"
"Don't you dislike acting in idol dramas?"
“But I don’t like acting in idol dramas, and I don’t get any other offers,” Li Zhibai said. “Serious dramas don’t offer me any roles that allow me to showcase my talents, so I find them boring.”
The two sat on the sofa and chatted.
In the workspace, the staff overheard the two chatting and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Li Zhenzhen was also a little surprised, mainly because she didn't expect the two of them to suddenly start talking about acting.
“Sometimes I can’t help but feel a little jealous of them,” assistant director Zheng Hesong suddenly said. “They debuted early, and by the time they were around twenty, they had popularity and fame and could play leading roles. Think about this industry, many people are in their forties or fifties and still can’t get a role with a few lines.”
“Don’t think they’re so lucky,” Li Zhenzhen said. “They also fought their way out of a bloody path. They had to participate in competitions at the age of fifteen, and finally defeated their competitors to debut. This was just the beginning. They faced all kinds of pressure and difficulties. Don’t just look at the few people who are still standing here. Look at their group. Seven people fought their way out from hundreds of people, and now only four of them are still in the entertainment industry. If Lu Yanhe hadn’t gotten into Zhenhua High School on his own and fought his way out, he would have disappeared long ago.”
Zheng and Song nodded and said, "I don't mean to belittle them, I just can't help but lament the cruelty of this industry."
“It’s cruel, but reality is cruel. The audience doesn’t owe anyone anything. They criticize idol artists for being incompetent and lacking talent, but they haven’t stolen or robbed anyone, and the fans are happy to pay for it.” Chen Biqiu suddenly appeared. He smiled and said, “Cruel, who can say it isn’t? But to survive in this industry, you have to follow its rules.”
Zheng and Song saw Chen Biqiu and laughed, asking, "Director Chen, which of the young people in our program do you think has the most potential?"
"Whom do I favor? It doesn't matter who I favor." Chen Biqiu shook his head. "Anyway, who becomes popular and who doesn't is not something I can decide, right? Whoever becomes popular, we'll promote them. The most important thing is that the audience likes them. Only when the audience likes them will we have sponsors to pay for their services."
Chen Biqiu pointed to Li Zhibai and Lu Yanhe on the monitor screen.
"What's with all this talk about transformation? Why can't we just stay in our comfort zone? Why do we have to keep making a fuss? How many people have died from making pointless attempts?" Chen Biqiu said. "If Li Zhibai dared to transform at this time, how long do you think his popularity would last? If it weren't for that drama he did in the summer that gave him a boost, he would actually have been showing signs of declining popularity."
Zheng Hesong: "So this kid is lucky, really lucky. I don't understand why he became famous, but he's been famous for so long."
"With his rich young master image, why can't he stay popular for so long? Others need packaging, but he was born with the image of an idol drama domineering CEO. He has the right timing, location, and people. Why are you asking him why he's been popular for so long?" Chen Biqiu looked at Zheng and Song with disdain. "You should ask why so many female viewers like domineering CEOs."
Zheng He and Song were both silenced after being cornered by Chen Biqiu.
Chen Biqiu said, "Putting everything else aside, just looking at female fans, even if Lu Yanhe gets into Zhenhua High School, he won't be as attractive as Li Zhibai. A poor kid wants to be an idol? I really don't think he'll succeed. He might become an excellent singer or an excellent actor in the future, but as a young idol, this path is most likely a dead end."
Everyone in the workspace fell silent.
Chen Biqiu's words were very direct, but upon closer examination, they did make sense.
What kind of person can be an idol?
No fan weighs various factors when they like an idol; they only have their first impression and first reaction.
Can't Lu Yanhe be a high-quality idol?
He can, but it's difficult for him to become an idol like Li Zhibai, who is adored by many people for no apparent reason.
In fact, what Chen Biqiu said was exactly what Chen Ziyan had thought about.
Everyone has their own path.
If Li Zhibai were to focus on transitioning into acting, he might certainly succeed, but it would be difficult for him to achieve the same level of success as an idol artist before the age of thirty.
If Lu Yanhe relies on his current popularity to become an idol artist, he may be able to continue to be popular and maintain an image of an artist with excellent performance and good image. However, he can only reach a score of 90, not the top level. For idol artists, background is not a sin, but it will be a burden.
When an idol fails to provide fans with a perfect fantasy detached from reality, the idol's aura is destined to fade.
While everyone else was deep in thought, only Chen Mo curled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a disdainful smile.
Chen Mo took out his phone and sent a message to He Zhong: If you want to continue working in this industry, watch your mouth. You know, if he wants to blacklist you in the industry, it's just a matter of saying one word, understand?
He Zhong did not reply.
But Chen Mo didn't care. It didn't matter that He Zhong didn't reply, as long as he saw it.
That's enough.
Whether she's an idol or a fan, it's none of her business.
She only cares about herself.
(End of this chapter)
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