Chapter 333 A Swift Public Relations Response
I truly left the camera and the crowd behind, hiking in the desert with my friends, experiencing the desolation far from human habitation.
This feeling gave Lu Yanhe a long-lost sense of freedom and open-mindedness.
There was also a time when a sudden downpour occurred.
They sat in the desert hotel, the thin corrugated iron walls clanging under the pounding raindrops, as if they were about to tear down their shelter at any moment.
That kind of starkness in the face of nature is something you can't experience in the city.
Lu Yanhe's pent-up emotions over the past few months were unexpectedly released in the past few days.
He returned to a state of clarity of mind.
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Emerging from the desert, Lu Yanhe felt he had gotten a shade darker.
After finally getting together, everyone is going back to their respective schools in different parts of the country.
When Lu Yanhe returned to Yuming and met Chen Ziyan, she looked at him with a shocked expression and asked, "Did you not wear sunscreen? You've gotten so tanned!"
“I applied it, I applied it, but it didn’t work,” Lu Yanhe explained. “I even wore a UV-protective hat on the back, but it still didn’t help.”
Chen Ziyan glanced at him sideways and said, "Now look what's happened. You're so dark that makeup can't save you. Luckily, you won't be joining any film crews for the next few months, so you don't have to worry about your skin tone. Sigh, when you go to the Jose Film Festival in a few days, it'll probably cause quite a stir."
Lu Yanhe said, "Have you gotten much darker? I don't think you look that bad."
Chen Ziyan looked at him, not wanting to answer his question.
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The fact that Lu Yanhe had turned darker did not become a hot topic until he appeared at the Jose Film Festival.
The next day, he returned to school and someone took a picture of him and posted it online, which immediately became a trending topic.
Many people were startled by Lu Yanhe's photo.
—Why has he gotten so much darker?
—He looks a bit outdated now, not as handsome as before.
—No, I think he looks even more handsome with a tan.
—What's he up to? Did he get a tan?
...
A group of people found it unbelievable that Lu Yanhe had suddenly turned black.
Because Lu Yanhe used to have a rather "pretty boy" appearance.
Lu Yanhe wasn't particularly concerned about the discussions surrounding this matter. Anyway, he wasn't relying on his looks anymore, so being tanned was fine as long as it didn't affect his work.
Lu Yanhe has not endorsed any skin whitening products.
During his live stream, Lu Yanhe explained that he had gone to the desert for fun, which is why he got so tanned.
Few of his fans care.
As a result, quite inexplicably, the next day a topic appeared online: "Why can't male celebrities manage their image well?"
The topic is generating a lot of buzz.
One blogger used Lu Yanhe's darkening of his skin as a starting point to discuss the difference in public tolerance for the image of male and female celebrities.
"It has to be recognized that we are more demanding of female celebrities' image. They must be thin, fair-skinned, and have a good image and temperament. If there is even the slightest flaw, they will be criticized. On the other hand, male celebrities can have a belly and don't manage their figure. Even if they are ugly, there will be a group of people praising them as handsome. Or, to put it another way, men who are ugly can still make a living as actors. Lu Yanhe's incident actually has little to do with him. He was not filming, so he was criticized. But he was still supported by many people. This behavior reminds me of a female celebrity who just gained a few pounds and had a little more fat on camera. She was ridiculed for being fat and even made it to the trending topics. It's really unfair."
This article also received a lot of support and approval, with many calling for society to be more tolerant of women.
Chen Ziyan's biggest fear was that Lu Yanhe would get involved in such controversial topics.
It was a significant social contradiction in itself, and after years of debate, no conclusion had been reached. At this point, Lu Yanhe was drawn into it and could only get himself into trouble.
Chen Ziyan thought for a long time about how to face and resolve this matter.
From a public relations perspective, this matter is not about right or wrong, but about getting Lu Yanhe out of trouble as quickly as possible.
So, a few hours later, Chen Ziyan posted a message on her personal account: Yan He is preparing for a role he will be joining in the next production, and he deliberately tanned himself, which is required for the role.
Lu Yanhe sent several question marks shortly afterward.
Chen Ziyan explained it to him.
Lu Yanhe understood.
“But I haven’t taken on any roles of that type since then,” Lu Yanhe said. “Won’t people question that?”
“It takes at least a year from filming a show to its broadcast. Who will remember this after a year?” Chen Ziyan said. “If someone really asks, just say that the show was canceled and you didn’t act in it. The most important thing is to get you out of this matter.”
Lu Yanhe admired Chen Ziyan's keen reaction.
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Meanwhile, the invitation from the Jose Film Festival arrived for Lu Yanhe.
He received the invitation as a spokesperson for Math, the film festival's sponsoring brand.
This time, his job mainly involved promoting the brand.
Then came the press conference announcing the signing of a cooperation framework agreement with the Northern Lights.
These are his two most important works at this year's Jose Film Festival.
Lu Yanhe did not attend the opening ceremony; he flew there only the day before his work was scheduled to begin.
Fortunately, there were only three required courses this semester, and because of filming "Late Spring," he didn't take any general education courses. So he had plenty of time and no classes, otherwise he would have had to ask for leave.
Even with a legitimate reason, Lu Yanhe couldn't bring himself to ask for leave without a clear conscience—attending classes at school is a matter of course for students, and this was something Lu Yanhe himself was obsessed with.
As soon as he arrived in Jose, Chen Ziyan told him, "Director Wang Zhong invited us to dinner tonight."
Lu Yanhe had originally planned to wander around Jose by himself. But now he had no choice but to go keep his appointment first.
There were only Wang Zhong and Chen Ling at this dinner.
Wang Zhong came to talk to Lu Yanhe about the film "Rouge".
“I like this script. What do you think if I were to direct this movie?” Wang Chong asked Lu Yanhe.
He didn't mince words and asked the question directly.
Lu Yanhe said, "Director Wang, if you're willing to direct this film, of course I'm very willing. You know I'm a loyal fan of yours."
Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Lu Yanhe say that.
After all, the script was written by Lu Yanhe, and Lu Yanhe is not an ordinary screenwriter. If a director comes to buy the script, the screenwriter will sell it.
Wang Zhong had already heard from Chen Ling that Lu Yanhe's own production company would definitely hold the copyright to the script and participate in its production, rather than simply selling the script to someone else.
Moreover, there's Chen Bige—the female lead that Lu Yanhe has already cast.
Wang Zhong was not at all dissatisfied with the fact that Chen Bige was the female lead.
He admires Chen Bige and really wants to work with her.
Moreover, he also felt that Chen Bige was very suitable for the role of Ru Hua in "Rouge".
Wang Zhong has always felt that good ghost stories cannot be written in a modern setting—these kinds of stories need to take place in an environment far removed from people's real lives to have that eerie and ethereal atmosphere.
He has no desire to make movies that are scary for the sake of scaring people.
He loves to photograph gods and ghosts because their fantastical existence brings a kind of metaphysical beauty.
But "Rouge" is a story that blends the past and the present in a very touching way.
Especially when Ru Hua is in modern society, looking at the last remaining trace of the past on the stage, that one glance...
The script didn't say anything, but Wang Zhong could sense everything.
Lu Yanhe and Wang Chong talked a lot about "Rouge".
For example, why was Chen Bige chosen to play Ru Hua? According to Lu Yanhe, the role and the script were tailor-made for Chen Bige. Of course, that's not the truth.
Another issue is Wang Zhong's thoughts on Twelfth Master and on that young couple in modern times.
Lu Yanhe was surprised to find that many of his ideas were very similar to the original movie.
In particular, he suggested setting the story in the 1990s, rather than in the current bizarre city.
Wang Zhong said, "Only in this way can the audience find common ground between the customs of the past and the present. Now, we can no longer see any trace of the Republic of China era."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Wang Zhong suddenly asked, "Would you like to play the role of the Twelfth Young Master?"
Lu Yanhe looked at him in surprise: "Me?"
Wang Zhong asked, "What? Did you write this character so that the male lead wasn't reserved for yourself?"
Lu Yanhe smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, that's not true. I didn't write this character based on my own ideas."
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong said, "Actually, you could play the role of Twelfth Young Master, but there's a significant age difference between you and Chen Bige. I'm worried that the two of you wouldn't be a good match."
Lu Yanhe imagined himself acting in "Rouge" with Sister Bige, and he immediately shook his head, saying, "It's not suitable."
Even he gets goosebumps.
Wang Zhong laughed heartily.
He said, "In that case, when should we arrange to meet up with Chen Bige for a chat?"
Lu Yanhe said, "Director, Sister Bige is also at the Jose Film Festival this year. Should I ask her now if she has time?"
Wang Zhong: "That would be great!"
Lu Yanhe nodded, "Then I'll call Sister Bige."
After Lu Yanhe briefly explained the situation, Chen Bige immediately said she would come over now.
So Lu Yanhe and Wang Zhong waited for a while.
About half an hour later, Chen Bige arrived wearing a baseball cap.
She greeted Wang Zhong first, shaking his hand, "Director Wang, it's been a long time."
Wang Zhong said, "The last time we met was two years ago, wasn't it?"
Chen Bige nodded, "Yes, we met at the Jiangguang Film Festival before, and you gave me a film contribution award that time."
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The bad news is that today's update is still very short, but the good news is that I can finally resume normal updates tomorrow.
See you tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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