Chapter 324 Routine Operations
Lu Yanhe had never gone through the script with a group of actors like this before, putting himself in the characters' perspectives, rehearsing lines, and talking about what he saw and what happened.
I've participated in script readings before, but the atmosphere in those settings was more like a meeting.
That night, Lu Yanhe lay in bed, his mind replaying scenes from the script.
Last night I dreamt that I was running through the city at night with Chen Siqi.
It was an abandoned city, with ashes slowly falling at the edge of the night.
Lu Yanhe woke up in the middle of the night, sat on the bed, his mind blank, feeling utterly exhausted.
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Fortunately, he didn't have any scenes to film in the morning.
Otherwise, he felt he might have a headache today.
Lu Yanhe really didn't know why he suddenly seemed to have a serious illness.
But he knew that it all stemmed from going over the script again with everyone yesterday. He vaguely sensed that he was getting closer to the world Meng Bai lived in.
At eight o'clock, Chen Siqi suddenly sent him a message: Have you gone out?
Lu Yanhe heard his phone vibrate, opened his eyes, glanced at it, and was stunned for a moment. Then he remembered that he had arranged to meet Xu Xiaoyin with Chen Siqi this morning.
I need to communicate with Xu Xiaoyin about some things.
He sat up, rubbed his head, and said, "I forgot, I'm still in bed, I'll be right there."
Chen Siqi: You're still in bed at eight o'clock? Are you not feeling well?
Lu Yanhe said: No, it's just that I didn't sleep well yesterday. I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep for a long time. I'm very sleepy.
Chen Siqi: Then I'll talk to Sister Xiaoyin myself. You can take a nap and come have lunch with us at noon. I can talk about other things, but it's more appropriate for you to bring up Xu Mingyue's matter. She's your senior.
Lu Yanhe was about to struggle over when Chen Siqi sent another message: Don't force yourself to come. It's not like I need you to come with me. Get some rest.
Lu Yanhe was indeed sleepy, so he gave up, lay down again, replied with an "okay," put his phone aside, and fell into a deep sleep again.
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"Why didn't Yan He come today?" Xu Xiaoyin asked.
Chen Siqi said, "He didn't sleep well last night and slept in again this morning. I told him not to come, to rest first, and to come over for lunch with us."
Xu Xiaoyin nodded and asked, "Is he filming a movie recently?"
“Yes.” Chen Siqi nodded. “He said it was a situation he had never encountered before. I originally thought that acting in this movie would be relatively easy and not so tiring.”
Xu Xiaoyin laughed, "I've watched Yan He's dramas, and apart from his own novel 'Friends,' all of them are characters with deep-seated suffering. I doubt any of them were easy to film. You can tell from watching his performances that they weren't easy for him."
Chen Siqi handed the plan to Xu Xiaoyin and said, "Sister Xiaoyin, this is a supplement we plan to publish. Please report it to the publishing house."
Xu Xiaoyin took it and nodded. "Okay, no problem. The sales of 'Jump Up' are very stable now. The publishing house will give you the green light to do a supplement."
"We plan to publish this supplement first and then make it available online. We've also communicated with Yemai.com," Chen Siqi said.
Xu Xiaoyin was taken aback, then her eyes lit up.
Jiangyin Publishing House has been hoping to further increase the sales of the magazine "Jump Up." However, "Jump Up" seems to have reached a bottleneck, with recent issues showing little growth and sales remaining around 80,000 copies. In fact, it's not that "Jump Up" hasn't gained more readers; rather, most of the readers attracted by its online popularity and reach are still choosing to read the magazine during the three-day free trial period on YeMai.com or purchasing the digital version.
The audience for printed books seems to have reached its limit.
Jiangyin Publishing House has been trying to get the three-day free trial of "Jump Up" on Yemai.com to be canceled... Of course, this is basically impossible.
This has been the framework for cooperation agreed upon from the very beginning.
Canceling the three-day free trial of "Jump Up" on YeMai.com will cause YeMai.com to lose hundreds of thousands or even millions of users every month.
"Jump Up" is now the most stable channel for YeMai.com to attract new users.
Even Lu Yanhe's "City Travelogue" didn't have the same traffic-generating effect as "Jump Up".
The reason for this is that the serialized novels in "Jump Up" have solidified a loyal readership, while each issue features different celebrities and public figures who are invited to write columns or give interviews, which attracts a new group of readers.
"City Travelogue" targets artsy young people, and it doesn't appeal to the general public as well as "Jump Up".
That's why Chen Siqi had the idea of creating a supplement.
The idea originated from the success of the summer and winter special editions.
The summer and winter special issues are still published at the normal times; it's just that one issue is now a special issue.
A supplement is a separate thematic project outside of regular publications; it is a work outside of regular publications.
Chen Siqi wanted to create a supplement for two reasons. First, the number of articles in "Jump Up" was so large that the twelve issues a year couldn't effectively handle them. Second, everyone wanted to do something innovative, but since "Jump Up" had only been published for a short time, they didn't dare to take risks in the main issue. So, they came up with the idea of creating innovative columns in the supplement.
This idea also received support from Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe has always felt that while online novels are very developed in China, short and medium-length novels lack a broad foundation, which is a real pity.
Especially for movies, most of the time long novels are not suitable for film adaptation; rather, short and concise short stories are more suitable.
Some novels that don't quite fit the style of "Jump Up" can be published in a supplement.
The copyright agency that collaborated with "Jump Up" has been pushing for the adaptation of several short stories.
Because of Lu Yanhe's connections, the magazine "Jump Up" has also received a lot of attention in the film and television industry, giving it a unique advantage.
However, because neither Lu Yanhe nor Chen Siqi were willing to sell at a low price, so far, they have only reached an agreement on the adaptation of Li Zhibai's short story.
Chen Siqi then asked, "How's the reprint of Miao Yue's 'Late Spring' going?"
Xu Xiaoyin nodded and said, "It has successfully passed the topic selection meeting, and we are currently looking for a designer to design a new cover."
"That's good." Chen Siqi smiled. "We'll be planning more and more standalone books in the future."
Xu Xiaoyin said, "The book market is sluggish now, but if the books by the authors featured in your 'Jump Up' series sell well, they will definitely get the green light."
“With ‘Jump Up’ as a promotional tool, it shouldn’t be a slow seller,” Chen Siqi said. “Besides, you are also very professional editors. We’ll handle the front-end, and you can take care of the back-end. Sister Xiaoyin, we will definitely be able to launch a batch of new writers.”
Chen Siqi and Lu Yanhe established Jump Up Culture Media Co., Ltd., and gradually signed a group of writers who frequently contributed to Jump Up. They were mostly new writers. As for well-known writers like Liu Jiazhen and Ming Yin who had already signed contracts with Jiangyin Publishing House, Chen Siqi did not target them. Instead, she signed long-term contribution agreements with them separately and advanced them royalties.
Miao Yue signed with them due to special circumstances, and she is the only writer here who has published two books and is no longer a newcomer.
Xu Xiaoyin has always been very satisfied with Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi's approach in this regard. They are very clear that their focus is on making magazines, not on publishing agencies. Establishing a company and signing new authors is also to better support a group of new talents and help them manage and incubate their copyrights.
Even though it's impossible for author Liu Jiazhen to have his copyrights transferred to "Jump Up," Chen Siqi didn't lower his treatment because of it; he was treated with the utmost respect in every way.
When signing new authors like Chen Siqi, they prioritize collaborating with Jiang Yin to release standalone books.
For example, Miao Yue's "Late Spring" was reprinted.
With Lu Yanhe starring in the film, many publishers will definitely be willing to reprint "Late Spring".
Chen Siqi went directly to Xu Xiaoyin.
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At noon, Lu Yanhe arrived at the restaurant with sleepy eyes and said to Xu Xiaoyin, "Sister Xiaoyin, I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit terrible."
Xu Xiaoyin looked surprised when she saw that Lu Yanhe even had dark circles under his eyes.
She rarely saw Lu Yanhe like this.
"What kind of torture did you suffer on set?" she couldn't help but exclaim.
Lu Yanhe shook his head and waved his hand with a wry smile, "It's not the crew's torment, it's my own problem."
Xu Xiaoyin said, "When Ruyi Entertainment decided to cast Chen Ziliang in the movie 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records,' instead of Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, I heard the news and thought I had to tell you as soon as possible."
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe looked surprised. "Chen Ziliang? He's playing the role?"
Has Ruyi gone mad?
Xu Xiaoyin nodded. "They originally chose you as their first choice, but after you declined, they started contacting other people."
"They actually looked down on Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, and chose Chen Ziliang instead?" Lu Yanhe still found it hard to believe.
Xu Xiaoyin: "Chen Ziliang signed his film and television contract with Ruyi, so Ruyi gave him this gift as a greeting."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
Xu Xiaoyin: "Moreover, although he hasn't acted much, he is still a big star."
“A big star with a terrible reputation,” Lu Yanhe quickly added.
Xu Xiaoyin smiled and said, "It's a pity, I really hoped that you could have acted in this movie."
“When I decided to act in Friends, I gave up Nineteen Years. Actually, it was because I didn’t have time to act in Nineteen Years. Otherwise, I definitely would have acted in it. Nineteen Years couldn’t accommodate my schedule,” Lu Yanhe said. “The role they offered me was only the second male lead.”
"Yes, it is indeed a pity." Xu Xiaoyin nodded. "If it weren't for you, this novel might never have been known to anyone. Maybe it would have just remained dormant, unknown to anyone."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Does Brother Jiazhen have any new works?"
“He is preparing, but hasn’t decided what to write yet. The success of both ‘Nineteen Years’ and ‘Silent Spiral’ has put a lot of pressure on him, and he doesn’t dare to start writing his next book easily,” Xu Xiaoyin said.
Lu Yanhe said, "If Brother Jiazhen can't think of a good story for the time being, why don't you start writing a column about his life?"
Chen Siqi said, "We asked him to write an article, but he kept saying that he couldn't write prose and didn't agree."
Lu Yanhe said to Xu Xiaoyin, "Brother Jiazhen is a very good storyteller. It must be very interesting for him to talk about his life. I think many people will be interested in the daily life of a suspense and crime novelist."
Xu Xiaoyin said, "Then I'll go talk to him again and see if I can persuade him."
“Okay.” Lu Yanhe smiled. “Actually, Sister Xiaoyin, there’s something else we need to discuss with you.”
"Huh?" Xu Xiaoyin was taken aback, somewhat surprised. She thought she had already said everything she wanted to say today.
“We hope that Mingyue will work full-time with us after graduation,” Lu Yanhe said. “Siqi is very busy with her work and has more and more things to coordinate. Mingyue previously interned at Jiangxin and represented Jiangxin in coordinating with us. In the future, we will have more and more things to coordinate with Jiangxin, including daily magazine publications, supplements, and individual books by authors, etc. We need someone who is very familiar with Jiangxin to be in charge of this. Mingyue happens to be very familiar with both us and Jiangxin, making her the most suitable candidate. Therefore, we would like to discuss this with you.”
"Trying to poach my employees." Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyin couldn't help but smile, but she wasn't surprised.
She had actually had a premonition all along.
"Xu Mingyue is only interning at our Jiangyin. If she wants to work for you, of course she can. The decision is in her own hands."
"She didn't want her decision to affect our cooperation, and she was even more afraid that you would be disappointed in her. She has always regarded you as her mentor."
Xu Xiaoyin: "How could that be? She's overthinking it. Right now, 'Jump Up' is the most important book in our Jiangyin Publishing House's catalog. We are of course very happy that she can come here as a representative of 'Jump Up' to connect with us."
Hearing Xu Xiaoyin say that, Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief, "Then thank you so much, Sister Xiaoyin."
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After having lunch with Xu Xiaoyin, Chen Siqi paid the bill and said goodbye to her at the restaurant entrance.
Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yanhe and asked, "Where are you going?"
Lu Yanhe said, "I'm going to the film crew."
Zou Dong had already followed. He had been eating nearby, waiting for Lu Yanhe.
Chen Siqi asked, "Is it convenient for me to go to the place where you're filming?"
"Sure, no problem."
“Then I’ll go with you. My flight back to Jiangguang is tonight,” Chen Siqi said. “I’ll go see where you’re filming.”
"good."
Lu Yanhe brought Chen Siqi to the film set. When the staff saw the girl next to Lu Yanhe, they were all stunned and curious about her identity.
It's human nature to be suspicious when you see a girl next to a boy; people will wonder if she's his girlfriend.
Especially popular stars like Lu Yanhe.
There were some paparazzi squatting around the film set—since they started filming here, more and more people have come to know that Lu Yanhe was filming here, so many people have gathered here, including paparazzi who want to take pictures of Lu Yanhe.
Chen Siqi followed behind Lu Yanhe, her expression calm.
Someone excitedly asked if that was Lu Yanhe's girlfriend.
Someone calmly replied, "Don't get excited, that's just Chen Siqi, a high school classmate who started a magazine with Lu Yanhe."
Hearing their chatter, Chen Siqi couldn't help but smile.
She and Lu Yanhe walked into the campus.
Chen Siqi asked, "Do you film most of your scenes here?"
Lu Yanhe said, "This is the main filming location; there are other filming locations as well."
Chen Siqi nodded and said, "This place... looks quite old. I didn't expect Yuming to have such an old school."
“It’s no longer a school, it’s a cram school, just like in the play,” Lu Yanhe said. “Liu Bige was attracted to its old-fashioned nature.”
Before Lu Yanhe could even find the main group, Kong Fan and the others had already heard the news that Lu Yanhe had brought a girl to the film set.
They stood in the corridor, looking around.
Chen Siqi looked up and saw several heads peeking out from the corridor above. She smiled and asked, "Are they the actors who acted with you in this play?"
"Um."
"They all seem to like you a lot."
"Standard procedure," Lu Yanhe said to Chen Siqi with a slight smile.
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"Pretending. If there's nothing going on between them, I'm blind." Chen Ziliang dismissively exited the search interface—five minutes ago, he searched for Lu Yanhe and found a video of someone taking Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi into the film set.
Many people in the comments section also said that she was not Lu Yanhe's girlfriend, but Chen Siqi, another editor-in-chief of "Jump Up".
It seemed very serious.
Chen Ziliang sneered.
His agent, Yan Wei, asked him what he was saying.
Chen Ziliang was too lazy to say anything more, only saying it was nothing, and then asked, "Is the contract for 'Nineteen Years' finalized?"
"The legal department has reviewed the contract and is ready to sign it." Yan Wei turned around and glanced at Chen Ziliang sitting in the back, saying, "This time you signed the film and television contract with Ruyi, and President Mo is not very happy. Let's arrange a time for you to have dinner with President Mo and say some nice things."
"What's there to say? I've been singing for so many years, and he's already earned enough?" Chen Ziliang said with disgust. "He's insatiable, trying to get me to keep my film and television contract with Xinghe. What film and television resources does Xinghe have to offer me?"
Yan Wei: "That makes sense, but not many people would willingly give up their interests just because it makes sense. You still need President Mo to back you up at Xinghe, so don't ruin your relationship with him."
Chen Ziliang remained silent for a while before finally responding.
During this period, Chen Ziliang's condition was very bad.
The new song received only lukewarm feedback, and apart from music variety shows, he received almost no good collaborations. This was especially evident in his business invitations, where the quality of brand offers plummeted.
Chen Ziliang's musical style is not suitable for film and television OSTs.
If his position hadn't been so precarious, he wouldn't have wanted to switch careers to acting at this time.
“Actually, Ruyi really values you. I heard that Li Zhibai and Yan Liang both had people help them get this role, but in the end Ruyi gave it to you,” Yan Wei said.
“The producers of ‘Nineteen Years’ had always wanted to cast Lu Yanhe in this role, but he declined, so they gave it to me.” A layer of disgust floated in Chen Ziliang’s eyes, though it was unclear who it was directed at. “I never imagined that one day I would have to eat Lu Yanhe’s leftovers.”
Yan Wei was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.
Chen Ziliang said, "Yan Wei, do you think I'm about to fade into obscurity?"
Yan Wei: "Of course not!"
Chen Ziliang looked at the passing street scenes outside the car window, fell silent, and stopped talking.
When he asked the question, he already knew the answer.
He knew the answer himself.
Yan Wei said, "Temporary gains and losses don't matter. Didn't Lu Yanhe also experience several years of lows before? You have the ability, so you don't need to belittle yourself because of temporary gains and losses."
Chen Ziliang remained silent.
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I woke up today to a lot of encouraging messages, so I immediately took advantage of my lunch break to write this chapter.
Thank you, thank you.
(End of this chapter)
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