Chapter 265 The Battle Begins (10,000-word update!)
Lu Yanhe chatted with Liu Bige about this for a while before getting back to business.
“He Han wants to have a video call with you and meet in person,” Liu Bige said. “This is his film project, and he’s going to direct it, so we need his approval.”
Lu Yanhe nodded and said okay.
He added, "You don't need to be too nervous. He basically approves of you; he just wants to talk to you."
"Um."
Liu Bige asked, "As for Miao Yue's 'Late Spring,' she has agreed to let me develop it into a film. Are you interested in joining? If you are willing to come, you can choose the role."
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised and said, "But the script hasn't been written yet, has it?"
"Not yet, I'm planning to get Miao Yue involved in writing this script," Liu Bige said. "If you act in it, we'll write the script with your character as the protagonist."
Lu Yanhe was surprised to receive another acting offer.
"This..." He hesitated for a while before saying, "I still need to ask Sister Ziyan's opinion. You know, the decision to accept roles is in my agent's hands, not mine."
“I know, but I want to know your thoughts. Are you willing? For a newcomer like me who is directing for the first time,” Liu Bige said with a smile, “and it’s an art film.”
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I'm willing, of course I'm willing. Miao Yue is my classmate, and you... are a new friend of mine."
“Friend? Well, you really are very young, to treat me as your friend so easily,” Liu Bige said.
"Don't you have one?"
“I have high standards for friends, and we’ve only known each other for less than a month,” Liu Bige said frankly. “But as a creator, you have qualities that I admire, and I hope we can become friends.”
"Oh, okay." Lu Yanhe said somewhat awkwardly.
Actually, he didn't really consider Liu Bige a friend. He was different from Li Pengfei, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang. But he had to give an identity just now, so Lu Yanhe could only use this word. He didn't expect Liu Bige to be so blunt and expose him directly.
Have you read the original novel of "Late Spring"?
"Not yet." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "This book is no longer available for sale online."
Liu Bige said, "Next time I'll bring you a copy so you can read it first. The script may be adapted a lot, but the core elements are still from that novel. I like the feeling that 'youth is a fleeting everyday thing' presented in that novel."
Lu Yanhe didn't quite understand at first.
Liu Bige nodded and said, "You'll understand once you read it."
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, even if he read it, he might not know.
However, the movie about high school students and youth reminded him of a movie he had seen before.
In the Heat of the Sun.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, maybe one day he will be able to make this movie in the world.
There is another movie, "Beijing Bicycle".
This is one of the movies that Lu Yanhe remembers quite well.
Do those two movies convey the feeling that "youth is a fleeting everyday thing"?
It seems not.
Lu Yanhe, on the contrary, felt that the novel "A Good Day for One Person" by Japanese female writer Aoyama Nanae had a similar feeling, but it was not about youth.
I read this novel because my deskmate liked it. He would secretly read it under his homework during evening self-study, and sighed several times with a sense of loss after finishing it. My classmate was a little curious, so he borrowed it to read. The novel wasn't long; he finished it in two hours. It was light and uncomplicated, and it brought him a rare sense of ease and joy, as he was feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of studying at the time.
As for art and so-called meaning, Lu Yanhe wasn't enthusiastic, though he respected it. He remembered a quote he'd read: "Man is a creature suspended in a web of meaning he himself has woven." The more people he met, the more he agreed with this statement.
“Producer Liu, why do you want to make art films instead of those more profitable ones? Is it just because those films are more profitable?” Lu Yanhe asked, knowing it was somewhat offensive. “I know that many artists are actually very afraid of being associated with words like profit and worldly affairs.”
Liu Bige shook his head. "Of course not. It's just that my current qualifications don't allow me to work on a large-scale project. Film companies wouldn't trust a young person like me who hasn't directed independently yet. Of course, besides that, after studying film for so many years and watching so many films, you always hope that what you do has as much meaning as possible, rather than just the ratio of expenditure to income."
Liu Bige possesses the passion and innocence of a creator. This was the strong impression Liu Bige left on Lu Yanhe during their several meetings.
“Just like you, why did you make a documentary like ‘City Travelogue’ and a magazine like ‘Jump Up’?” Liu Bige said. “Several people in Longyan Film Industry mentioned you and said that you are very unconventional and very different from other artists.”
"I'm just not following the typical image management approach that agencies take for young artists."
"What kind of image management do talent agencies typically use for young artists?" Liu Bige asked.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Hardworking, diligent, talented, persistent, or some kind of label-based persona."
Is that all?
"It sounds like it's no different from the labels you have on yourself, like academic high-achiever, literary youth, and idealist. But in terms of societal evaluation, these labels might be considered more sophisticated?"
“I haven’t labeled myself like that, and neither has my company.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “What I mean is, I’m just doing what I really want to do, instead of being like many artists who can only follow the arrangements of their management company and play a person who isn’t themselves.”
Liu Bige looked enlightened.
"Personal image is really something." He nodded in agreement, seemingly lost in thought.
-
In fact, although he did not create a persona for himself, Lu Yanhe still enjoys a high level of popularity online as a literary youth and academic high-achiever.
Meanwhile, with "The Days of Youth" being updated weekly and regularly released, Lu Yanhe's name appeared on the trending searches almost every few days.
This intense exposure made Chen Ziyan somewhat worried that Lu Yanhe would become tiresome to everyone.
Other celebrities try every means to increase their popularity and buy trending searches, but Chen Ziyan even started discussing how to suppress Lu Yanhe's popularity.
Suppress the hype surrounding some news items that don't have much practical significance.
However, perhaps because so many people are paying attention to Lu Yanhe, it's impossible to suppress the discussion even if they wanted to. This even led to a record number of views for the third episode of "City Travelogue".
Chen Ziyan is under a lot of pressure right now.
Besides these trending topics, there are also many collaborators who want to schedule Lu Yanhe's work.
Especially as the year draws to a close, many ceremonies and galas want to invite Lu Yanhe, and many award ceremonies have even promised to give him an award. Chen Ziyan could refuse these collaborations, but no one knows when Lu Yanhe's current popularity will subside, and she might have to ask them for help to increase his exposure.
Therefore, after careful selection, Chen Ziyan arranged several public events for Lu Yanhe, all of which were quite prestigious, such as fashion magazine events or film and television award ceremonies.
Since it was impossible to coordinate the schedule, Chen Ziyan could only politely decline, citing reasons such as Lu Yanhe having to attend classes and being in the midst of exam season.
It was probably because it was the end of the year. From the temperature drop at the end of October until mid-November, Lu Yanhe attended two public events and recorded an indoor variety show.
The show was recorded on Thursday night. Lu Yanhe rushed to the recording location after class, without even having time for makeup and rehearsal. The production team arranged for a makeup artist to come with him and do his makeup in the car. As soon as he got out of the car, he went straight to the recording site. While waiting, he went over the script with the director for fifteen minutes. The show didn't end until 1 a.m.
By then, all the school dormitories were closed. Luckily, they had rented a place near the school, and he said to Zou Dong, "Brother Dong, why don't you stay here tonight instead of going back?"
Zou Dong is a very meticulous person. Even though it's already this late, he will still arrive downstairs early the next morning to pick him up for school. Lu Yanhe has also seriously stated that it's only a ten-minute walk from here to school, very close, no need to go through the hassle, but Zou Dong will still appear on time without fail to fulfill his duty.
If Lu Yanhe says that he doesn't need to be picked up tomorrow and that he can go to school by himself, Zou Dongye won't say anything. He will still show up the next morning and ask him to get in the car without explanation, or accompany him to school.
"You hired me to do this job, and nobody knows when an accident might happen." Zou Dong was very serious and persistent about this matter.
In short, after spending time together like this, Lu Yanhe and Zou Dong had developed a relatively familiar way of getting along. On nights like this, Lu Yanhe would invite Zou Dong to stay the night. After all, the house had a guest room that wasn't usually occupied.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were both filming on set, and Lu Yanhe hadn't seen them for a while.
In mid-November, the second episode of "Jump Up" was officially released.
The book is available for free to read on YeMai.com for the first three days, after which both the physical book and the paid ebook will be available simultaneously.
As everyone expected, the sales performance of the second phase was not as good as that of the first phase.
In the first three days after its release, only 40,000 physical copies and 10,000 e-books were sold.
However, there is also some good news. Thanks to the release of the second phase, the sales of the first phase have increased, the physical book has been reprinted for the fifth time, and the e-book has sold an additional 4,200 copies in the past three days.
Nevertheless, the second issue of "Jump Up" still occupied the top three spots on major e-commerce book sales charts.
However, some media outlets somehow obtained the sales figures for the second issue of "Jump Up" and published an article that was pessimistic about the publication. This led many uninformed people to believe that "Jump Up" was not selling well. Some readers in Liujia Town even asked worriedly, "Won't the novel be canceled after only one issue?"
The official account of "Jump Up" had to issue a clarification: the sales of the second issue of "Jump Up" are still very good, and it is one of the best-selling new books recently. The third issue will be released as scheduled, and the fourth issue is currently in production.
Yu Jiang posted an update: According to what I heard from inside the industry, the sales figures for the second issue of "Jump Up" were cut in half. It seems that things that are meant to fool fans will not be accepted by readers in the end. Let's see how long they can keep up this act.
This time, Chen Siqi broke her silence and reposted her Weibo post: It's really incomparable to pickled cucumbers that get sour the more they soak. A sapling needs to grow into a big tree, it needs to grow very hard, it needs sunshine and rain, but a pickled cucumber only needs a dark corner and a pool of sour vinegar.
Chen Siqi's name became a trending topic.
Yu Jiang, his face flushed, berated Chen Siqi.
Chen Siqi announced that the third issue will feature Huang Kairen's thoughts on his acting career.
Huang Kairen's fans cheered and started booking the third episode of "Jump Up" on Yemai.com.
The first trailer for "The Golden Era" was released, featuring Lu Yanhe in three shots. Although he only appeared for 12 seconds in the three-minute trailer, he once again garnered praise and attention.
White Bird Entertainment published a commentary titled "Supporting Actor Surpasses Leading Actor?! First Trailer: Lu Yanhe Receives Higher Ratings Than Huang Kairen!"
On the same day, the self-media "Jump Up Editing Club" published an article written by Chen Siqi entitled "Huang Kairen: The Actor's Journey Starting from the Top Era", which recounted Huang Kairen's acting experience since his debut and praised his progress in each of his works without reservation.
At the end of the article, Chen Siqi wrote: "When all sorts of reports on the internet say that a newcomer will become the second Huang Kairen or surpass Huang Kairen, it actually means that he has become a high mountain that young male actors have to face. Without climbing over him, it is difficult to reach higher peaks."
Huang Kairen's fans were all ready to start a fight when they suddenly saw this article appear on the self-media account "Jump Up Editing Club". They hesitated for a moment. Everyone knows that Jump Up is Lu Yanhe's media, and the article was written by Chen Siqi, but it undoubtedly reflects Lu Yanhe's attitude.
As a result, a strange phenomenon appeared on the internet.
In the comments section of the article "Supporting Character Takes Over Lead?! First Trailer, Lu Yanhe's Ratings Surpass Huang Kairen's!", the most liked comment was "Editor-in-Chief Chen is magnanimous and has a broad vision," followed by "White Bird Entertainment is creating conflict, attempting to incite arguments between the two fan groups and create a negative online atmosphere. It is recommended that relevant departments interview them."
Eight hours after the article was published, it was deleted by Bai Niao Entertainment, making it a classic battle of fans fighting back against media marketing.
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"With Chen Siqi around, you, as her manager, will have so much less trouble," Lu Qingzhen said to Chen Ziyan with a smile.
As the weather got colder, the two of them moved their afternoon tea to a warmer hotel.
Chen Ziyan said, "She is one of the smartest girls I have ever met. Before we had even taken any action, she published an article. I guess she had already written it a long time ago."
"She used this tactic to directly thwart Bai Niao Entertainment's provocations, which instead made Huang Kairen's fans feel favorably toward Lu Yanhe and also brought Lu Yanhe and Huang Kairen closer together. She's truly a clever girl," Lu Qingzhen remarked. "When I was in college, was I as tactful as her?"
"Don't give me that. When you were in college, you were able to get 100,000 yuan in sponsorship for your club. I've never seen many people like you," Chen Ziyan said.
Lu Qingzhen smiled and said, "A hero doesn't dwell on past glories. Think carefully about this endorsement. I think it's very suitable for Xiao Lu and it matches his image well."
The endorsement that Lu Qingzhen mentioned is for a niche men's shoe brand from Italy.
“Because we haven’t entered the Chinese market before, we haven’t found any Chinese celebrities to be our spokespeople, and we don’t have much brand recognition in China,” Lu Qingzhen said. “But it has a history of over a hundred years in Italy. It’s not a new brand that just emerged. It’s also going for a light luxury style. I think it’s a perfect brand ambassador for Lu Yanhe at this stage. I know they’re looking for a spokesperson. If you think it’s okay, I’ll try to help Lu Yanhe get one.”
Lu Qingzhen handed Chen Ziyan a document that she had prepared beforehand.
Chen Ziyan nodded, "I'll take it back and take a look later. Since you say it's suitable, I'll definitely trust you. Have you confirmed all the relevant sensitive information? We don't want any comments attacking our country or making racist remarks. Foreign brands especially need to be careful about this."
“I’ve done a background check, don’t worry,” Lu Qingzhen said.
Chen Ziyan nodded in satisfaction.
-
"Yes, I have never made a movie."
Lu Yanhe is having a video call with He Han, the director of "Miss Ning" and a friend of Liu Bige, via his laptop.
He Han looks more like an artist than Liu Bige.
Liu Bige usually wears a shirt and has a neat and clean hairstyle. He Han, on the other hand, has the air of an artist. His hair is almost to his neck, his clothes are loose and baggy, he has heavy dark circles under his eyes, and he looks carefree and unruly.
This is the third time Lu Yanhe has video-chatted with He Han.
He Han's image has never changed; it has always remained the same.
Strangely, it wasn't until the third video call that He Han asked him if he had ever acted in a movie.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but wonder if He Han hadn't asked Liu Bige about this before.
He Han said, "I plan to come back next Spring Festival. See you then."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said okay.
He Han asked, "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
"Me? No." Lu Yanhe shook his head.
He Han smiled and said, "Okay, then let's do it this way. I'll have Liu Bige ask you to sign the contract later, so don't stand me up."
Lu Yanhe: "No."
That's how "Miss Ning" was decided.
From beginning to end, He Han never let him audition, nor did he ask him about his understanding of the character or the movie. He just chatted with him about random things and didn't know how he made this decision.
After ending the video call, Lu Yanhe took off his headphones, packed up his laptop, and prepared to go to the library.
Mao Jiayang came in at this moment.
His face looked rather grim, unusually somber.
Mao Jiayang was almost the most energetic person Lu Yanhe had ever met. He was smiling most of the time and had an exceptionally positive and sunny disposition. Lu Yanhe rarely saw him like this.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked. "Did something happen?"
Mao Jiayang was so angry that his mouth twitched, and he said, "Don't even mention it, it's disgusting."
"Huh? What disgusted you?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Mao Jiayang said, "Someone asked me to do some work for him, but now that I've done the work, he refuses to pay me and even says that I broke his computer."
"What's going on?" Lu Yanhe asked, somewhat surprised.
Mao Jiayang: "It was just a senior who got a job outside and dragged me into it, saying we could make some money. I was totally scammed."
"Did you break his computer?"
"How is that possible?" Mao Jiayang cursed angrily. "It was fine when I returned it to him, but who knows how it broke? They didn't pay the agreed-upon reward, saying they would compensate for the computer."
After listening to Mao Jiayang's explanation, Lu Yanhe also felt somewhat helpless.
There's really no way to reason with this kind of thing.
"It seems like I can only suffer in this situation. I should stay away from people like him from now on," Lu Yanhe said.
Mao Jiayang: "I just can't swallow this insult, it's disgusting."
Lu Yanhe didn't know how to comfort Mao Jiayang.
There seems to be no way to comfort someone like this.
There's no way to comfort them.
"Don't talk about my mess. I see you've had a lot of trouble these past few days too," Mao Jiayang asked. "That writer named Yu Jiang, what grudge do you have against her? Why does she seem to be targeting you, attacking you every now and then?"
“I’ve always felt that I have no conflict with her, but I don’t know why she keeps targeting me like this. I don’t know where I offended her.” Lu Yanhe shrugged and said, “Someone once told me that if someone questions or attacks you, if you can’t figure out why, then don’t think about it. Just fight back. Don’t fight amongst yourselves. I think that makes sense, and I’m going to put it into practice.”
Mao Jiayang exclaimed "Damn!" twice, "You're right."
Lu Yanhe: "Don't waste your time fighting each other. Since it's already happened, if you can fight back now, then do so. If you can't, then hold back for now and fight back when you have the ability to do so later."
“Of course, I’m not stupid,” Mao Jiayang said. “This time, I can only consider it a scam.”
Actually, if there were a way, Lu Yanhe would really like to help Mao Jiayang. If Mao Jiayang hadn't discovered the Trojan program on his laptop last time, he didn't know when he would have found out, or how many of his private matters would have been known.
-
"Is your classmate trying to make money?" Chen Siqi's first reaction after hearing about this was to ask this question.
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe originally wanted to ask Chen Siqi for help and see if she had any ideas, but he didn't expect Chen Siqi to suddenly say such a thing.
Chen Siqi said, "He was tricked by his senior into working for free, probably to make money."
Lu Yanhe: "He probably just wants to earn some pocket money."
Is he short of money?
"It should be alright." As far as I can remember, none of the people in my dorm mentioned that their families were in dire straits.
Chen Siqi: "That's probably because she wanted to earn some pocket money."
"Who wouldn't want to earn some pocket money?" Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
“That’s true,” Chen Siqi said. “There’s no solution. I can’t think of any good ideas for the time being. It’s not worth making a big deal out of this. Making a big deal out of it will only lead to each side sticking to their own version of events. There’s no need for that. Just like you said, once you’ve been burned, you’ll learn your lesson. In the future, we should stay away from people like this.”
"Um."
"That crazy woman Yu Jiang wrote a long scathing attack on us. Have you read it?" Chen Siqi suddenly asked.
"Not yet, I was just video chatting with He Han, the director of 'Miss Ning'," Lu Yanhe asked. "What did she say?"
“It’s the same old stuff over and over again,” Chen Siqi said. “I don’t even want to respond anymore.”
"Then don't respond."
"Oh, by the way, are you free this Saturday?" Chen Siqi suddenly asked.
Lu Yanhe: "You're free? What's up?"
"I plan to go back to Yuming this weekend to visit Mr. Shi Xia, the author of 'Life's Leftovers'," Chen Siqi said. "I want to ask him for a contribution."
"The Rest of My Life" and Shi Xia are milestones that cannot be ignored in modern and contemporary literature. They won the highest award in Chinese literature, have been bestsellers for thirty years, and remain classics. In the serious literary world, everyone is curious about one question: when will Shi Xia win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
Shi Xia and "The Rest of Life" are authors and works that you have definitely heard of even if you haven't read them.
Lu Yanhe was astonished. "You want to ask Professor Shi Xia for a manuscript? Really?"
Chen Siqi said, "Among the famous writers of serious literature, only Teacher Shi Xia has a large number of readers among young people, which is very close to the positioning of 'Jump Up'. If we want to expand the influence of 'Jump Up', we must invite more outstanding writers."
“Okay, I’ll go with you. Do I need to make any preparations?” Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Siqi said, "No need. It's our first time going, and he definitely won't agree. His writing speed hasn't been as fast as before in recent years. Domestic literary journals all want to get his manuscripts. This time, we can only establish contact first. We had to ask Sister Xiaoyin for help to finally get the opportunity to visit him."
Lu Yanhe asked, "So, is this just a simple greeting?"
Chen Siqi said, "I plan to dedicate a page in the third issue to a retrospective of Mr. Shi Xia's works, inviting actors who have starred in film and television adaptations of Mr. Shi Xia's works to share their thoughts on the works. This time, I also want to invite Mr. Shi Xia to share his views on the film and television adaptations of his works."
Lu Yanhe immediately understood Chen Siqi's thinking. Chen Siqi had found an excuse to get to know Teacher Shi Xia first, and then slowly win him over.
Lu Yanhe could only say "Respect" to Chen Siqi's actions.
He didn't know how Chen Siqi came up with so many ideas.
If he used his influence to create the magazine "Jump Up," then Chen Siqi used her own abilities to make "Jump Up" bigger and stronger as much as possible.
Extremely powerful.
Chen Siqi said, "I hope to get a serialization of Shi Xia's novel in one to two years."
Lu Yanhe stared at Chen Siqi in shock. He hadn't expected Chen Siqi to have this idea. He had originally thought that Chen Siqi just wanted to commission Teacher Shi Xia to write a short story or an essay.
Chen Siqi's ideas and actions always surprised Lu Yanhe.
This also made Lu Yanhe reflect on himself. When he subconsciously thought it was impossible, he actually set a lot of constraints and limitations for himself.
As an artist, this is certainly a good thing. It means restraining oneself from overstepping boundaries and taking risks, staying in a safe zone where everything is comfortable and one can act with moderation.
But he already knew clearly that this was not the kind of person he ultimately wanted to become.
-
In fact, another great advantage of studying at Zhenhua is that you can meet many people here who you have only heard of or seen in reports before.
Writers too.
The School of Literature not only has many writers-in-residence, but also frequently invites well-known writers to give lectures at the school.
Lu Yanhe would attend almost every time he had the time.
It wasn't that I wanted to get to know them; I just felt that such an opportunity was rare, to hear them talk about themselves, literature, and life.
The youth association organizes even more lectures and events like this, but they generally invite more well-known figures from the community.
Because of his position, he is occasionally invited to participate in receptions or events organized by the school and college. On these occasions, his presence symbolizes a certain attitude and represents a certain level of representation.
In this regard, Lu Yanhe had already adjusted his mindset and didn't feel that these things were wasting his time. He even felt that these experiences were good, as they allowed him to have close contact with top figures, understand their character, and observe their style of doing things.
Studying at Zhenhua University for just a few months made Lu Yanhe feel like he was enriching himself every day.
The constant pressure of courses and assignments, the seemingly endless reading list, the stimulation from various "geniuses" and "experts" around me, the gains from meeting and chatting with various big names, and so on.
This is where the most outstanding people gather.
But similarly, Lu Yanhe can also find any prodigy he wants here.
Yilong works at Yuming. After each issue's layout is designed, she brings Zhenhua to meet with Lu Yanhe and asks him to look at it in person.
Lu Yanhe originally said that she didn't need to go herself, she just needed to scan and send it to his email.
Yilong said that the printed result was different from the color seen on the computer screen, and since Chen Siqi was not in Yuming, only he could come and see it.
After the third issue was completed, Yilong said to Lu Yanhe, "Do you want to find two more art editors? Right now, I'm in charge of the design and layout of the entire magazine by myself, which is a lot of pressure. If I get sick or have an emergency and have to stop working, there will be no one to take over my work."
That's the truth.
After discussing it with Chen Siqi, Lu Yanhe said, "We don't need to look outside. Our school has a design and art major, and there are many talented people in this major. Why don't we post a recruitment notice on campus to recruit art editors? It will be easier to communicate with each other since we are in the same school."
Lu Yanhe thought the idea was feasible.
So, Yilong made a recruitment notice, and the two of them printed it out as posters, posted them on their WeChat Moments, and also posted them on the school's bulletin board.
When Xin Zixing saw their posts on social media, she asked in surprise if there had been a problem with her collaboration with Yilong. After Lu Yanhe explained, Xin Zixing nodded.
I received more than fifty resumes in my email, all of which included their design portfolios.
Art editors are responsible not only for basic tasks such as layout design, but also, at this stage, for illustrations and paintings—all of which require them to find suitable works based on the content of the article and negotiate with the authors or copyright holders.
It took Lu Yanhe, Chen Siqi, and Yilong three interviews to talk to all of the more than fifty people.
After these things were gradually finished, the weather got colder, November passed by busily, and the first winter wind with snow and rain arrived.
The snow fell softly, only to be washed away by the rain.
The cold wind suddenly became biting, and stepping outside felt like being cut into pieces.
At this point, Lu Yanhe finally received the final draft of the script for "Phoenix Terrace".
Phoenix Terrace is finally about to start filming.
Lu Yanhe participated in two script readings, and missed another one because it clashed with his class schedule.
"Phoenix Terrace" is a large-scale production with more than sixty actors whose names can be counted, and a large crew of over a hundred people.
This film will be shot at the Langhua Film and Television Base again.
Before the winter break, Lu Yanhe's scenes were only scheduled for weekends or evenings when he didn't have classes.
Lu Yanhe's character, the bodyguard Wei Jiang, is a main character with his own subplot, but in reality, he's only the fourth or fifth male lead.
This drama is a grand ensemble piece about political intrigue, featuring many important characters.
Lang Xia, who plays the prince, has more screen time than him.
On the day Lu Yanhe went to get his makeup done, he happened to run into several other actors.
They were all well-known actors, and when they met Lu Yanhe, they greeted each other politely, exchanged pleasantries, and exchanged contact information.
It's no longer the time when I was looked down upon.
Lu Yanhe greeted everyone politely.
Trial assembly and final assembly.
Only Zou Dong stayed by his side the whole time.
Chen Ziyan has to accompany Wen Minglan to meet the director today, so she can't come.
He still heard some gossip, about how Lu Yanhe's rise to fame was sudden, or that Lu Yanhe was difficult to deal with. Lu Yanhe just ignored these words, since no one would say such things to his face anyway.
Lu Yanhe increasingly felt that as more and more people became aware of you, you would only be discussed by more and more people; this was a direct and irreversible trend.
Finally, before the official filming, Lu Yanhe and Chen Lingling had a chance to sit down and have a long talk.
It was an evening when Lu Yanhe had just finished class and went downstairs with everyone to go to the cafeteria for dinner.
His phone suddenly rang. It was Huang Cheng, the producer of "Phoenix TV," calling to ask if he was at school. He said that if he was free, he and Chen Lingling were at Zhenhua and wanted to have dinner together.
So Lu Yanhe hurriedly rushed over.
-
Lu Yanhe and Chen Lingling had met and talked a few times before, but each time they only exchanged a few words and did not have an in-depth conversation.
Lu Yanhe had always been very curious about this legendary director.
After all, Chen Lingling is a true legend. Her story alone could be made into a movie.
Huang Cheng booked a private room at a restaurant near Zhenhua.
Lu Yanhe met them directly at the restaurant.
-
Chen Lingling was nagging Huang Cheng about the professor she had met that afternoon.
"Who introduced that professor you found? He started talking about respecting history and historical facts the moment he opened his mouth. Our drama is set in a fictional dynasty, and he doesn't even know what our drama is about before he comes up here and acts all high and mighty. It's really too much." Chen Lingling complained in annoyance, and also gave Huang Cheng a resentful glare.
Huang Cheng was both amused and exasperated, saying, "Didn't you ask me to find an expert to give you another round of feedback on the script?"
“I didn’t ask you to find this kind of expert for me. According to him, our film and television industry should stop making period dramas in the future, because they’re all just fictionalized accounts.” Chen Lingling said with annoyance, “He even said that our film and television industry has messed up the atmosphere.”
“I’ve mistaken this person for someone else, I apologize,” Huang Cheng said. “Alright, when you see Lu Yanhe later, don’t take it out on him.”
"Why would I take my anger out on him for no reason? Do you think I'm the kind of person who takes my anger out on others without any regard for right or wrong?" Chen Lingling gave him a disdainful look.
Huang Cheng: "...Okay, okay, I was wrong, I'll shut up."
Chen Lingling: "I didn't tell you to shut up."
Huang Cheng: "..."
Although he has worked with Chen Lingling for many years, Huang Cheng still sometimes feels unsure how to deal with her.
She seems to retain a part of herself that will forever remain the spoiled and willful side of a little girl.
Huang Cheng was sometimes surprised that Chen Lingling had so many different sides to her. Sometimes she was as spoiled as a young girl, and other times she was decisive and efficient, showing no signs of being herself at any moment.
-
As soon as Lu Yanhe entered, he greeted him politely.
"Sit down, Yan He." Huang Cheng stood up and patted him on the shoulder in welcome. "Just finished class?"
He noticed that Lu Yanhe was still carrying his schoolbag.
"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.
Huang Cheng noticed a pimple on Lu Yanhe's forehead, exclaimed "Oh!" and asked with a smile, "Have you been feeling a bit feverish lately?"
"I haven't been getting enough rest. Several courses have ended, and I'm required to submit course papers. I've been staying up late these past few days writing them," he said.
Huang Cheng has already ordered the dishes.
He said, "I heard that 'The Golden Era' is going to air this month."
"It seems so. The specific schedule hasn't been set yet, but it's said that it will start airing at the end of this month," Lu Yanhe said.
Have you seen the full movie?
"Not yet." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I've only seen the trailer."
Huang Cheng said, "Director Luo said that your performance in this drama is very good, and you may be nominated for Best Supporting Actor."
"Really?" Lu Yanhe looked flattered. "I'm really looking forward to it."
Huang Cheng smiled and said, "I thought you were going to say something modest."
"I can be humble, but I really wanted to win the award," Lu Yanhe said. "I put a lot of effort into the performance."
Huang Cheng nodded and asked, "This time, for the performance of 'Phoenix Terrace,' your agent said that you've already memorized all the lines of the script?"
“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Sister Ziyan also found me a teacher to help me with my lines. Once I finish these papers, I will start taking acting classes.”
Chen Lingling asked, "What kind of teacher did you find? Don't just find some unreliable ones who will teach you haphazardly."
Lu Yanhe said, "It's He Shuyi, the teacher who taught me before."
Chen Lingling clearly knows He Shuyi.
"She's alright."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Does the director have any other requirements for me?"
"You look great. You've gotten a bit tanned and have some muscle now. You're a bit more muscular than I've seen you before." Chen Lingling nodded. "However, you probably don't know martial arts, right? There will be some action scenes in the movie, so I guess we'll have to hire a stunt double."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe said, "As for action scenes, I can learn them in advance."
Chen Lingling looked at him with some surprise and said, "We're about to start filming. If you try to learn now, you'll only get the basics."
Lu Yanhe said, "Learning a little bit and being able to do a few moves is better than learning on the spot."
“That’s great that you’re thinking of this.” Chen Lingling looked at Huang Cheng. “Then why don’t you arrange a martial arts instructor for him and have him practice beforehand?”
Huang Cheng nodded.
"By the way, can you ride a horse?" Huang Cheng suddenly remembered something. "There are quite a few horse riding scenes."
"Yes, I will." Lu Yanhe nodded. "I knew I would be riding a horse when I read the script, so I went to learn twice, but I'm still not very good at it. I'll try my best to get better before the actual filming."
Huang Cheng said, "Okay, I'll find you another equestrian coach to teach you together."
"Okay, thank you, Producer Huang. Thank you for your help."
(End of this chapter)
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