Chapter 327 revealed?
When filming for "Late Spring" was nearing completion, Jia Long suddenly came to visit the set.
His appearance excited everyone in the "Late Spring" crew.
Jia Long is one of the most popular movie stars today, and has almost become a representative figure of a style. He is also one of the movie stars who can carry the box office the most.
Such an actor is a shining example for any filmmaker.
No one expected that Lu Yanhe and Jia Long were so familiar with each other that the latter would come to visit the set.
Lu Yanhe could tell what everyone was thinking just by looking at their eyes.
He couldn't explain it either. No, no, no, actually he wasn't very familiar with Jia Long. He just had a movie script that he wanted to collaborate with Jia Long on.
-
Jia Long was actually there to discuss the film "Lost in Thailand" with Lu Yanhe.
But after observing the filming on set and seeing the performances of several people, he was greatly surprised.
Before arriving, Jia Long hadn't expected that the young actors in this film would be so talented.
He talked to Liu Bige and was even more shocked after learning about the general theme of the film. He discovered that it was a pure art film, without any compromises.
After Lu Yanhe finished work, Jia Long left the film crew with him and went to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
Jia Long was also surprised and asked why he would take on this movie.
“I’ve read your works, such as Friends and Lost in Thailand. These are stories that are quite popular with audiences.”
Lu Yanhe immediately understood Jia Long's meaning.
Jia Long felt that since Lu Yanhe wrote stories in this genre, it meant that Lu Yanhe himself preferred more slice-of-life, lighthearted stories rather than the kind of films made by Liu Bige.
Jia Long didn't dislike this kind of film, but he felt it didn't quite suit Lu Yanhe—at least not based on his aesthetic preferences.
Lu Yanhe didn't answer again, but asked, "Teacher Jia, if a movie of this kind came to you, would you act in it?"
Jia Long laughed and said, "With my old face, how can I play a teenager? It would be uncomfortable for the audience to watch."
He knew, of course, that Lu Yanhe was referring to "this kind of film" not as a film with a protagonist of this age, but just as a joke.
“I will be very cautious,” Jia Long said. “Unless it is something that particularly moves me and makes me really want to act, I will not dare to act.”
The single word "dare not" already reveals a lot.
The current film market has placed Jia Long in this position—if a film he stars in doesn't break one billion yuan, it's considered a failure.
In this situation, he faced numerous obstacles when he wanted to take on a film that wasn't primarily aimed at maximizing box office revenue, including from collaborators, investors, and people around him.
A single box office failure casts a shadow over a box office legend, which in turn casts a shadow over any subsequent projects of that legend.
This was one of the reasons why "Lost in Thailand" was not well-received and was unable to obtain the conditions that Jia Long wanted.
People don't think that "Lost in Thailand" can't make money, but rather that it can't make the money they expect, and the return on investment is too low.
Lu Yanhe has hardly experienced situations where he was "out of control" these days, but he can more or less understand Jia Long's difficulties.
He also recalled seeing "Searchlight," starring Jia Long, at the Citium Film Festival. It was a film that wanted to explore art, but it was still made into a dark comedy and had been commercialized in many ways.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. The reason I came here today is actually to talk to you about ‘Lost in Thailand’,” Jia Long told him. “Aurora Video is willing to give me the conditions I want, but there’s one condition: they want to acquire the rights to develop the series based on this script.”
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
"ah?"
Jia Long said, "They want to develop 'Lost in Thailand' into a series, a series of road comedy films."
Lu Yanhe didn't know how to describe his feelings at this moment.
This feeling... is like having your secrets exposed.
Why does "Lost on Journey" hold such a high position in film history? Firstly, it is because of its excellent film quality. Secondly, its sequel, "Lost in Thailand," won the record for the highest-grossing Chinese film, ushering in the era of billion-dollar box office for Chinese films. Moreover, although the later "Lost in Hong Kong" was a critical flop, it still raked in over a billion dollars at the box office, demonstrating its amazing national popularity and appeal.
Lu Yanhe wanted to write "Lost in Thailand" for two reasons: first, it was simple and had strong textual content, making it a compelling script; second, it could be continued as a sequel.
Unexpectedly, the people at Aurora Video had such sharp eyes that they immediately recognized that this movie could be developed into a series.
Seeing Lu Yanhe's hesitant expression, Jia Long assumed Lu Yanhe was unwilling and asked, "You're unwilling?"
The copyright to this script belongs to Lu Yanhe.
If Lu Yanhe is unwilling, then it's really hard to say.
Lu Yanhe: "No, it's not that I'm unwilling, but I have similar thoughts about 'Lost in Thailand' and already have ideas for a sequel."
Jia Long looked surprised.
Lu Yanhe said, "Teacher Jia, I want to write the scripts for the first and second parts of 'Lost in Thailand' myself. As for the later series, if they want to develop it, of course they can. I won't participate in the specific scriptwriting. I can authorize them to film the sequel."
Jia Long breathed a sigh of relief. "It's great that you're willing. I finally found a company that's willing to agree to my conditions and invest in us to produce this movie."
Lu Yanhe said, "Teacher Jia, would you like to be a director yourself?"
"What?" Jia Long was taken aback.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Have you found a suitable director?"
Jia Long hesitated for a moment, "That's true, but I'm probably not suited to be a director. I don't have any ideas about it."
This surprised Lu Yanhe.
He would ask Jia Long if he wanted to be a director, mainly because of the series before "Lost in Thailand," where the bald lead actor later became a director.
Lu Yanhe also knew that many actors actually had the idea of becoming directors.
Only by being a director can one control the entire film and shoot it according to one's own ideas.
For an actor like Jia Long, who has reached this level, to say that he doesn't want to be a director is something that Lu Yanhe simply cannot understand.
Jia Long explained, "Being a director is too stressful; I just want to focus on my own acting."
Lu Yanhe nodded in understanding.
If that's the case, then it's understandable.
Jia Long smiled and said, "Director, let's take our time and see. There's no rush. We've finally secured the investment, so we can start building the team now."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
-
When Aurora Video learned that Lu Yanhe was actually the screenwriter of "Lost in Thailand," they were all a little stunned.
Aurora Video was already in talks with Lu Yanhe about a collaboration, attracted by his talent as a sitcom writer and his appeal as an actor.
Unexpectedly, the script that the investment department had their eye on was also written by Lu Yanhe.
Lin Desheng had been personally overseeing Lu Yanhe's matter. Therefore, this incident was quickly reported to Lin Desheng.
Lin Desheng was also taken aback by the news.
He knew Lu Yanhe was a troublemaker, but he didn't expect him to be this troublesome.
They quietly produced another movie script, and they had already made connections with Jia Long.
Lin Desheng personally went to the set of "Late Spring" to meet Lu Yanhe.
Unlike many executives, Lin Desheng, as the head of Aurora Video, places great emphasis on face-to-face communication with creators.
Lu Yanhe is not an exception. As long as a creator is valued by Lin Desheng, he will take the time to meet him and have a chat.
When Lin Desheng arrived at the "Late Spring" crew, unlike Jia Long, he was not a public figure, and few people in the crew knew him.
However, Liu Bige specially stopped filming to receive him, which made the crew realize that this person was no ordinary person. After inquiring, they learned that he was actually the CEO of Aurora Video, which made them all look at him with surprise and they were even more shocked by Lu Yanhe's connections.
Well, some people are very famous, so famous that they are unparalleled in their popularity, and everyone avoids them when they see them.
But this is only temporary. People who have been in this industry for a long time will naturally know that being famous is one aspect of strength, but on the other hand, it depends on what kind of circle you are in and what kind of people you usually associate with.
Everyone knows that Lu Yanhe is currently very popular. However, no matter how popular he is, he is still just a young actor in his early twenties. Although many people call him a genius and idolize him, when will the entertainment industry ever lack such a promising newcomer?
For the crew of "Late Spring", Lu Yanhe's frequent appearances on trending topics were not as shocking as Jia Long and Lin Desheng's visits to Lu Yanhe on set one after the other.
To use a cliché, "Those who know, know."
What exactly did I understand? It's hard to say for sure.
-
Lin Desheng chatted with Liu Bige for about fifteen minutes and learned that the latter had already signed a contract with Longyan Film Industry. He felt a little sorry, but said, "If there is an opportunity to cooperate in the future, let's talk about it properly."
Liu Bige nodded.
Even though Liu Bige is a film director, he dared not underestimate or treat such a bigwig from a video website with disrespect.
Judging from the current development of streaming media abroad, it's possible that streaming media will become the largest platform for watching movies in the future.
Liu Bige certainly wanted to leave a good impression on Lin Desheng.
Furthermore, Longyan Film Industry is a production company, not a distribution company.
As one of the largest video platforms in China, Aurora Video is a force that no content creator can afford to offend.
After Lin Desheng finished talking with Liu Bige, he went to Lu Yanhe's lounge.
"When they gave me the script for 'Lost in Thailand' and told me that I wrote it, I was quite surprised," Lin Desheng said with a smile and a shake of his head. "No wonder you specifically requested long-form video series in your cooperation framework with Aurora Video, rather than film and television works."
Lu Yanhe's lips curled up subtly, and he said somewhat shyly, "This is my first time writing a movie script, and I don't know how well it's written, so I agreed with Teacher Jia that I wouldn't reveal my identity as the screenwriter at first."
Lin Desheng said, "Now that you have 'Friends' in your hands, does anyone still question your screenwriting ability?"
“There are differences between TV series and movies,” Lu Yanhe explained with a smile. “But I didn’t expect that this script would eventually find its way to the Northern Lights.”
Lin Desheng also smiled, a very happy smile, and said, "This shows that we are indeed destined to be together."
He asked, "For this movie... it seems you didn't prepare a role for yourself? Or do you want to challenge yourself and play that rural lad, Niu Geng?"
Lu Yanhe said, "I won't challenge myself, the image is not suitable. I just plan to play the role of a college student in a cameo role."
Lin Desheng was somewhat surprised, "Usually when actors become screenwriters, they write lead roles for themselves. Why didn't you do that? Why?"
Lu Yanhe said, "Because there is no suitable protagonist for me in this story. If I were to write a protagonist based on my image, no matter who I replaced, it would not have the kind of antagonistic effect presented in the current script. This story is meant to have a shrewd and successful person and a simple and ordinary farmer, so that they can create so many laughs and reflections against this background."
Lin Desheng looked at Lu Yanhe with a hint of praise and appreciation in his eyes.
Because of his work, Lin Desheng often has to deal with all kinds of young people, and over the course of a year, he gets to know many talented young people.
He had seen far more talented young people than many people realize, if not countless. However, it's rare to find someone so mature and self-aware at such a young age—especially a highly talented one. Generally speaking, the more talented a person is, the harder it is for them to have a clear understanding of themselves; this is a frustrating but common fact. This is what's known as "genius syndrome."
Lin Desheng said to Lu Yanhe, "Yanhe, you proposed that actors should handle their roles separately, and screenwriters should handle theirs separately, which is fine. However, I still want to make it clear to you in person that I want to sign this cooperation framework with you for two reasons: first, I want to cooperate with you long-term; second, I hope you can create an evergreen series for Aurora Video that can last at least three years. I won't mince words with you. Nowadays, video platforms are burning money to grab market share, basically doing business at a loss. But why do people keep pouring money into it under these circumstances? Because everyone knows that there is a huge market and profit behind it. A hit show is popular for a while, or half a year, bringing a surge of viewers and cash flow to the platform, and then that's it. Nobody knows where the next hit show will be or when it will come. For a platform, this has no sustainability."
"In my opinion, the biggest advantage of Friends is not that it became a hit and brought the ratings of a traditional TV station like Beijing TV back to life. The key is that its format, with one episode a week and only eight episodes a season, can be written for three or five seasons if it continues to be written in this framework. For a platform, it means an evergreen tree that can bring stable and visible returns."
Upon hearing Lin Desheng's words, Lu Yanhe thought to himself, "President Lin, you really underestimated him."
Its original version was actually filmed for more than a dozen seasons, becoming popular from the television era to the internet era, and continuing to make money in the streaming era. It is the most representative sitcom.
However, he certainly couldn't tell Lam Tak-shing at this point that "Friends" had been making films for so long and remained popular for so long. Besides, he had nothing to do with the sequel to "Friends."
Lin Desheng said, "I hope you can bring such a work to the Northern Lights."
“Mr. Lin, to be honest, I am indeed preparing another sitcom,” Lu Yanhe said. “However, it is very different from Friends.”
Lin Desheng looked at him with some surprise.
“In my mind, it has a wider audience reach than Friends,” Lu Yanhe said. “Of course I’m willing to work with Aurora Studios on this sitcom, but I hope it won’t just be a web series exclusively broadcast on Aurora Studios.”
"You want it to adopt the broadcast format of Friends?" Lin Desheng's expression immediately changed.
"Friends" has not been sold to online platforms to this day and is still exclusively broadcast on Beijing and Taiwan.
Major video websites are green with envy.
Lu Yanhe shook his head: "Of course not. The reason why Friends was broadcast on Beijing and Taiwan was because it was originally intended to save the ratings. What I mean is, it was broadcast on TV first and then online. It was broadcast exclusively on TV at night and then went online on Aurora the next day at noon."
"Why do this? Do you think the number of viewers on video platforms isn't large enough already?"
"No, it's because this sitcom... I hope it can truly appeal to audiences ranging from eighty to ten years old. Video platforms can't reach such a wide audience," Lu Yanhe said. "I know you'll think I'm overestimating myself by saying this now, but that's the ambition I had when I wrote this script, and I believe it can achieve it."
Lin Desheng remained silent.
"Moreover, Mr. Lin, this show won't affect the performance of the video platform because of its broadcast on TV. There will definitely be many people willing to watch it again and again, just like Friends," Lu Yanhe said.
"Could you briefly tell me what the story of your new sitcom is?"
Seeing that Lin Desheng had agreed, Lu Yanhe also breathed a sigh of relief. "It's called 'My Own Swordsman,' a period drama, non-traditional martial arts sitcom. The story takes place in a place called Tongfu Inn..."
-
He Lan habitually searches for information about Lu Yanhe online.
Even though he had become her junior, she could often see Lu Yanhe on campus and had his contact information so she could contact him directly.
However, Helan had developed a habit of searching for Lu Yanhe online from time to time.
Sometimes you can find a lot of interesting content.
Of course, most importantly, as Lu Yanhe's number one fan, He Lan felt obligated to help Lu Yanhe monitor various public opinions and clarify and explain the situation.
This has become her greatest joy amidst her busy academic life.
That day, a netizen who was also a fan of Lu Yanhe suddenly sent her a website address, saying: "Lanlan, this is a forum that I accidentally discovered. Many people expose some information on this forum. Today someone mentioned Yanhe. Take a look."
Helan first asked, "Is it a rumor?" before opening the website.
Before the website even opened, the other party replied: "Doesn't look like it."
This is an online forum called "Spring Sprouts". The page layout is very rough and doesn't look like a modern website forum at all. It looks more like something made ten or twenty years ago.
However, a pop-up window suddenly appeared, indicating that she had to register to view the relevant content.
She had to register first before she could see the content of the post.
[Breaking News] Lin Desheng, the CEO of Aurora Video, went to the set of "Late Spring" to meet with Lu Yanhe today. They talked for nearly two hours in Lu Yanhe's lounge before coming out. It is unknown what they were discussing. There were rumors before that Aurora Video was going to cooperate with Lu Yanhe, and now it seems to be a done deal.
This message, however, displays the message "The remaining content requires 1 bud coin to read."
He Lan was taken aback. Following the recharge prompt, she clicked on it and found that one yuan could buy ten bud coins.
It wasn't very expensive, but... Helan had never seen a forum like this before, where you had to pay to read a gossip post!
Normally, Helan would have immediately assumed it was a scam website, but based on the preceding content, she felt it didn't seem like a scam or something fabricated.
It's not expensive anyway.
Helan then topped up one yuan.
Choose to purchase.
The remaining content is displayed:
—I have some guesses, of course, these aren't random guesses, but rather summaries based on some information I know, but don't blame me if I'm wrong in the end. My first guess is that Aurora Video probably wants to collaborate with Lu Yanhe on a new sitcom. I heard Lu Yanhe is creating a new sitcom, but there's no news about the genre. Everyone knows that "Friends" was a huge hit at the beginning of the year, making every platform envious, so it's normal for Aurora Video to be interested. My second guess is that I know Aurora might want to discuss a long-term cooperation framework with Lu Yanhe. Aurora Video is a platform that loves signing long-term cooperation framework agreements with creators they admire. I've heard that CEO Lin privately expressed his appreciation for Lu Yanhe. In fact, many people may not know that CEO Lin once visited Lu Yanhe's agency, Xingyu, and Lu Yanhe was invited to have a discussion with CEO Lin. At that time, CEO Lin quite liked Lu Yanhe, but Lu Yanhe wasn't very famous then, and not many people were paying attention to him.
After reading this long passage, Helan became increasingly convinced that this person definitely knew something and wasn't just spreading rumors.
She immediately took a screenshot, ready to send it to Lu Yanhe.
Surprisingly, this seemingly crude forum astutely displayed a message: screenshots are not allowed in the backend.
? ?
He Lan thought to herself, "What's the point of not allowing me to take screenshots? In this age of advanced technology, if you won't let me take screenshots, can't I at least take pictures?"
She immediately logged into the forum on her laptop, opened the relevant page, took a picture with her phone, sent the picture to Lu Yanhe, and then explained the basic situation to him.
He Lan did all this not for any other reason than to ensure that Lu Yanhe would know any information immediately, so as not to fall into a passive position later. However, He Lan couldn't tell what would happen with this information; she only knew that it was definitely sent by someone in the industry.
She immediately became curious about the website called "Spring Sprout".
After leaving the thread about Lu Yanhe's revelations, she started browsing the forum with great interest.
I only realized how much stuff they had when I went for a walk!
Some say there's an actress in the industry who claims she's never been in a relationship and is single, but in reality, she's been married before. The post is filled with countless speculations, but the person who made the accusation refuses to reveal their real name.
Some people say that there is a male actor who looks very loving with his girlfriend, but he is a womanizer in private. He only pretends to be a good man in front of the camera. His girlfriend has had two abortions for him.
Helan became completely engrossed after just one viewing.
The main reason is that these materials don't seem to be fabricated—this "Spring Sprout" forum has revealed its most unethical aspect: each account is followed by a "credibility" percentage.
In short, every message posted by an account is tracked over a long period of time. Once it is exposed as true or officially certified by the forum, it will be considered a genuine exposé. Conversely, if it is verified as false, its credibility will be deducted. Of course, there are also many messages whose authenticity is "temporarily unknown," and these messages are not included in the statistics for the time being.
A very ordinary calculation rule gives users who make whistleblowing a certain level of credibility. When the credibility exceeds 70%, the whistleblowing information is more likely to be considered genuine.
He Lan suddenly came across a post from five days ago that said, "Lu Yanhe is not single."
Just that one sentence.
However, this ID called "Wooden Man" is 100% credible.
He Lan's heart skipped a beat.
She clicked on "Wooden Man's" homepage, wanting to see other revelations about this person, but it showed that her level was too low to view "Wooden Man's" homepage.
This infuriated Helan.
She took a picture of the exposé and sent it to Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe has not replied.
-
He was filming a movie, and he handed his phone over to Zou Donglai for safekeeping.
The scene we're filming tonight is about him running away from home because his parents are arguing about their divorce, and then encountering Yan Lingyu, who has also run away from home.
In the movie, this is actually considered a minor climax.
Liu Bige said, "I want to make this scene a climax for the whole movie. Your meeting, your escape, etc., should be warm, romantic, and exciting. I want this whole scene to give you the feeling of finally seeing freedom after holding back for a long time."
His explanation was so esoteric that not only Yan Lingyu didn't understand it, but Lu Yanhe was also completely baffled.
Liu Bige: "It's okay, let's film first. I can't explain it clearly anyway."
He's becoming increasingly willful on set.
Liu Bige had already told them to be prepared to film all night.
"I want that feeling and state of being, that kind of exhaustion and excitement from staying up all night."
Lu Yanhe and Yan Lingyu had already gotten used to Liu Bige's demands.
Even if you don't fully understand, it's okay, just act it out first.
There were no shots of the other people in this scene, but Kong Fan and He Qingqing came over to watch.
Everyone was really curious to see how this scene was filmed.
Lu Yanhe had already witnessed firsthand how much Liu Bige could wear people down, but tonight, he was still driven to the point of wanting to quit and leave.
It wasn't that they couldn't continue filming, but rather that Liu Bige made him run through the street for about twenty takes. When they finally said it was over, Lu Yanhe asked him how his movements were so unique that he felt it was acceptable.
A scene with no lines and little acting was shot more than twenty times.
As a result, Liu Bige's answer made Lu Yanhe even more eager to flip the table.
Liu Bige said, "I just want this last picture of you with sweat on your forehead and nostrils, a slightly red cheek and nose, tired eyes, and white breath."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
Working with Liu Bige is truly exhausting; he'll drive you crazy.
By midnight, Kong Fan and the others couldn't hold on any longer and went back to sleep.
But Lu Yanhe and his team had to stay on set and continue filming.
After filming him seeing Yan Lingyu, seeing Yan Lingyu in a disheveled state with injuries, Liu Bige reshot about twenty more takes. After an hour, he wanted a close-up of Lu Yanhe's eyes.
However, this time Lu Yanhe really had nothing to say.
When Liu Bige saw him raise his eyes in the final shot, and look at Yan Lingyu, his deep and melancholy gaze in the night was a mixture of surprise, regret, and restrained sympathy. He had waited an hour for that look, but it was well worth it.
Even Yan Lingyu said that the last look in her eyes was good.
This isn't something that can be manipulated by technology; it's truly about meticulously working through each line to find that most subtle, critical point in the expression and emotion conveyed in the eyes.
They filmed until 4 a.m. When Lu Yanhe saw Yan Lingyu sitting to the side waiting for his scene, his eyelids almost drooping, he took the initiative to say, "Director, are we going to continue filming today? I feel like I can't concentrate if we keep filming like this."
Upon hearing Lu Yanhe's words, Liu Bige, who had been filming with unusual enthusiasm, turned around and looked around. Everyone was actually quite sleepy.
He said, "Let's call it a day and continue filming tomorrow."
The staff members all looked at Lu Yanhe with gratitude.
Lu Yanhe only saw the message He Lan sent him at this time.
Lu Yanhe didn't think much of the first piece of news about Lin Desheng, nor did he feel the need to keep his cooperation with Northern Lights a secret.
But the second piece of news that he wasn't single surprised him.
The man spoke with such certainty that Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.
In particular, the long introduction about the "Spring Sprout" forum sent by Helan, knowing that the ID "Wooden Man" was 100% "credible," made the message almost 100% true in the eyes of the forum users.
This forces Lu Yanhe to confront a question: should he go public with his relationship with Chen Siqi?
He didn't want to make it public because he didn't want Chen Siqi to get hurt. But it seems he couldn't hide it anyway; he didn't intentionally try to conceal it. Why keep it half-hidden? He should just go public.
The thought popped into Lu Yanhe's mind and wouldn't leave.
Before falling asleep, Lu Yanhe was still considering the feasibility of this matter.
-
Lu Yanhe slept until noon before waking up.
When he woke up, his back ached. He doesn't usually stay up late, but after staying up a little, he felt very uncomfortable and couldn't seem to wake up properly.
He drooped his eyelids as he brushed his teeth and washed his face. He picked up his phone and saw that Chen Ziyan had left him a message saying she would pick him up at 2 p.m.
We need to meet in person to talk.
Lu Yanhe glanced at the time and realized it was already 12:30 pm.
I haven't even had lunch yet.
(End of this chapter)
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