Chapter 392 Can't it be done?
“Your fans are all against you taking this movie. Although I don’t know where Zhou Shuchun got the news from, you’ve seen it yourself. I’m not the only one saying this role is no good, right? Kai Ren, only those who truly care about you and are good to you will tell you the truth.”
After Lian Xun finished speaking earnestly, he looked at Huang Kairen and carefully observed the expression on his face.
However, Huang Kairen remained expressionless, showing no emotion whatsoever.
A day earlier, Zhou Shuchun, a renowned reporter for the Art News, published an article detailing Huang Kairen's entanglement with the film "Rouge," and pointed out that the character had fatal flaws, which is why Lu Yanhe himself refused to play the role, thus giving it to Huang Kairen.
This news caused a huge uproar and aroused the anger of Huang Kairen's fans, who questioned how Huang Kairen's agent chose his roles.
Huang Kairen's fan club publicly demanded that he withdraw from the show, and even verbally abused Lian Xun, insulting him and his ancestors. This situation put Huang Kairen in a very difficult position.
Because Huang Kairen did not respond to the matter in a timely manner, fans flooded the social media platforms of director Wang Zhong and Lu Yanhe with comments, saying that if Huang Kairen acted in this movie, they would definitely not cooperate in any promotion, and even called on other fans to boycott the movie.
It caused quite a stir.
Both Huang Kairen and Lu Yanhe were put on the hot seat.
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After learning about this, Lu Yanhe immediately called Huang Kairen to let him know.
"Brother Huang, are you alright?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this," Huang Kairen said.
"What do you mean by implicated? What are you talking about? Wasn't it me who implicated you?" Lu Yanhe sighed. "I never expected this matter to be written like this."
"I don't know where Zhou Shuchun got the information from," Huang Kairen said. "My fans are unaware of the situation and have been emotionally manipulated. Anything I say will only escalate the conflict, so I haven't responded."
"Brother Huang, does acting in this movie put a lot of pressure on you?" Lu Yanhe asked.
As soon as Lu Yanhe asked the question, he realized how stupid it was.
If there hadn't been much pressure, Huang Kairen wouldn't have gone through all that back and forth, and even considered quitting acting.
Huang Kairen: "The pressure is immense, but I've realized one thing: if I don't make this film, I'll regret it, and I'll regret it for the rest of my life. If I mess it up, so be it. But if playing a role can completely ruin me, it just means I'm terrible at acting. To be honest, which actor hasn't played a role that everyone despises? Everyone has had that experience, including me. The pressure is immense, but I've figured out what I need to do, and I absolutely have to do it. Zixing also encouraged me to act."
What about your agency?
"Ever since I decided to go public with Zixing, my relationship with them has been a bit strained." Huang Kairen's tone sounded somewhat helpless. "Now they can't interfere with my choice of roles, but they've said a lot of unpleasant things, constantly advising me not to take them—actually, Yan He, I don't know if you understand what I'm saying, but I've acted in many plays, played many heroic roles, and they were all advised to give up by many people around them at important junctures in their lives, but they persisted and eventually succeeded. During this process, I often had a feeling—this might also be a crucial moment for me as an actor, should I stick to my own judgment? My judgment as an actor? Then, a voice in my mind said, if I don't stick to it this time, I will never become the heroes I've played before."
Every word Huang Kairen said resonated deeply with Lu Yanhe.
At this moment, Lu Yanhe finally understood and comprehended Huang Kairen's innermost thoughts.
At this moment, Lu Yanhe felt a little relieved of his guilt—Huang Kairen hadn't "reluctantly" agreed to take on the role because of their personal relationship; it was Huang Kairen's own decision.
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Entertainment critic Guan Suchen published a commentary article, in which he stated:
"I think the crux of this recent uproar lies in whether Huang Kairen will give up the role in this movie because of his fans' opinions. Actually, from my perspective, there's nothing to hesitate about. You know, the production team of a top-notch film like 'Rouge' is enough to impress any male actor in China. It might not even be a role that Huang Kairen can normally get involved in at this stage—and the fact that he got involved is most likely because Lu Yanhe is the screenwriter."
"Fans may find it hard to understand how distinct the levels of actors are in the entertainment industry. Lu Yanhe is a miracle because he miraculously achieved a rocket-like rise, without experiencing any hardship, and rose to a position that everyone wants to be with. But apart from him, no other male actor has such ability, including Li Zhibai, his good friend, who is considered to be at the same level as him in many people's eyes."
"The difference is hard to explain with a single standard, but simply put, it boils down to one thing: in everyone's mind, he is now a top-tier filmmaker. No matter what kind of movie he appears in, no one will think he is unworthy. But I'm sorry, Huang Kairen hasn't reached that level yet. He is indeed a very excellent actor, and even at the height of his fame, he didn't change his pursuit of good works and good performances. We can clearly see his efforts and progress in every film. However, there are many actors like him. The entertainment industry is not lacking in good actors. He is very popular and works hard, but he hasn't reached the position where he can star in the top-tier movies—such a position used to belong only to actors of the level of Chen Bige, Shang Yongzhou, and Chen Pinhe. Now there is another one, Lu Yanhe."
...
Guan Suchen's article drew anger and criticism from a large number of Huang Kairen's fans.
Of course, they have reason to be angry.
Guan Suchen's article portrays them as "irrational, ignorant of the situation, and bringing trouble to Huang Kairen," so how could they possibly tolerate it?
However, Su Chen is not a public figure. She makes a living by writing comments, and being attacked by fans is commonplace for her. She is used to it and doesn't care at all.
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Leaf vein network.
Liu Qiao put down his phone and pursed his lips.
The trouble Huang Kairen encountered had nothing to do with him; he only paid attention to it out of habit because of Xin Zixing.
The intranet system suddenly notified him that a new approval had been sent to him and that he needed to sign it.
Upon clicking, it turned out to be the brand ambassador for YeMai.com—actually the previous spokesperson candidate.
The three people are director Wang Zhong, singer Song Linxin, and actor Lang Xia.
Because they couldn't find another artist who could fit Yemai.com as well as Lu Yanhe, they eventually used the second approach: finding three people with different identities to serve as brand ambassadors.
Wang Zhong is considered prestigious because he won Best Director at the Situ Film Festival.
Song Linxin is known as an artistic young woman among young artists, which aligns with the user tags on YeMai.com.
Lang Xia is chosen because of his popularity and low price.
This matter had already been discussed at a senior management meeting, and now it's just a matter of going through the approval process.
However, the moment Liu Qiao saw the signature, a thought flashed through his mind.
If a spokesperson can be replaced, why can't a magazine? Why can't the editor-in-chief?
Lu Yanhe's continued refusal to respond to Liu Qiao's requests has been frustrating for Liu Qiao. Judging from current signs, Xin Zixing's departure from YeMai.com is a foregone conclusion, and "Jump Up" doesn't seem to intend to renew its contract with YeMai.com. As a result, YeMai.com's content section will certainly be significantly impacted, if not severely.
Looking for someone to edit a new e-magazine?
The production cost of an e-magazine is not high. For YeMai.com, the investment in the digital version of "Jump Up" and the returns it brought them were arguably the highest-return content brand in their company. To let it end like this would be a huge loss for YeMai.com.
Liu Qiao signed the approval document and began to think about how to create an e-magazine that could succeed "Jump Up".
Of course, this time we must learn from our mistakes and keep the copyright of the e-magazine on YeMai.com, instead of letting it be taken away like it was with "Jump Up".
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Despite strong opposition from fans, Huang Kairen ultimately signed the contract to star in "Rouge".
Lian Xun was so shocked that he forgot to express his dissatisfaction for a moment.
He then realized how serious Huang Kairen was this time, even disregarding the opinions of his fans.
"Are you crazy? Can't you see the huge opposition from the fans?" Lian Xun asked.
Huang Kairen said, "I saw it, and I considered it carefully, but my conclusion is that I want to act in it."
Lian Xun asked incredulously, "What kind of spell did Xin Zixing cast on you? Why have you become so obsessive since you got together with her? Don't you listen to anyone else's opinions anymore?"
Huang Kairen looked at him strangely and asked, "What does this have to do with Xin Zixing?"
Lian Xun shut his mouth, fell silent, and said no more.
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Two days later, Huang Kairen's fan club suddenly announced that it would cease all activities and that the fan club would not be reinstated unless Huang Kairen withdrew from the "Rouge" production team.
This incident went viral and became a trending topic.
However, despite this, Huang Kairen did not respond.
Media outlets photographed him traveling by car and asked him if he had anything to say to his fans.
He only said one sentence: "I have always spoken to my fans through my work. That was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future. There's not much else to say."
Huang Kairen's nonchalant attitude infuriated many fans.
For a time, Huang Kairen and his fan club reached a stalemate.
This was something Lian Xun never expected from the very beginning. He's now suffering in silence, unable to express his bitterness. If he had known it would end this way, would he have actively sought out Zhou Shuchun and tried to use the power of his fans to force Huang Kairen to give up the role?
While regretting his decision, Lian Xun couldn't help but get angry at Huang Kairen. Why was Huang Kairen like a rusty spring, unable to change his mind no matter what?
Especially... he's being heavily criticized right now. His personal social media accounts are practically being flooded with negative comments.
As a celebrity's agent, this is something you can't avoid.
Of course, this time he brought it on himself.
Seeing how stubborn Huang Kairen was this time, determined to film "Rouge", Lian Xun has now completely given up the idea of making Huang Kairen give up the idea, and sincerely hopes that the matter between him and Zhou Shuchun will not be leaked to a third party.
That day, Lian Xun accompanied Huang Kairen to a business event. As a result, several radical fans rushed up to Huang Kairen and shouted at him not to be confused, not to ruin his future, and not to destroy the career he had worked so hard to build. They were emotional and their voices were loud, which attracted a lot of attention.
Lian Xun had to stand in front of Huang Kairen with his assistant and bodyguards to prevent those radical fans from getting close to him.
Suddenly something came crashing down from behind.
"You bastard, letting Huang Kairen take on this kind of role! You're not fit to be Huang Kairen's agent!"
With a sharp curse, something hard slammed into the back of Lian Xun's head.
Before Lian Xun could react, everything went black.
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"Is he alright now?" Xin Zixing asked on the phone.
"There's a huge lump on the back, and bruising too. Sigh, he's still in the hospital." Huang Kairen's tone was somewhat downcast and self-reproachful. "He hasn't woken up yet. Luckily, that person only threw a phone at him, not something sharp, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Xin Zixing said, "Don't blame yourself too much. This matter is still the problem with your fan."
"Why do I have fans like this?" Huang Kairen's tone was tinged with annoyance.
Did you call the police?
"It's been reported," Huang Kairen said. "This kind of thing absolutely cannot be tolerated; it's intentional harm!"
Xin Zixing: "I never expected that taking on the role in 'Rouge' would bring you so much trouble."
"The more this happens, the more determined I become to make this film," Huang Kairen said. "I never realized that my fans would be so controlling about even my filming. Since when did I need their opinions on my acting? If they can't accept it, they shouldn't like me. Why do they have to resort to violence?!"
Xin Zixing sensed a deep sense of self-reproach in Huang Kairen's angry words.
She understood why Huang Kairen felt guilty.
Lian Xun disagreed with him taking the role in "Rouge" from the very beginning, but fans all believed that Lian Xun got the role for him.
In the eyes of fans, their idols would never make such a foolish decision.
It must be the agent's and team's fault.
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The incident of Lian Xun being attacked by fans became a trending topic.
Soon after, Huang Kairen, who had been silent for a long time, finally posted on Weibo:
I chose this role myself, and I chose it myself. I have a clear idea of how I want to pursue this path as an actor. You may not accept it, or you may not like it, but please don't hurt others. If you are my fan, please don't use the excuse of liking me and doing what's best for me to become an executioner.
In the comments section of his Weibo post, many fans tearfully accused him of being "heartless".
—If it weren't for the terrible script and character design, why wouldn't we support you?! I've been a fan of yours for so many years, and I've supported every decision you've made, but why did you choose to play such a blatant scumbag? What did you see in him?
Huang Kairen, his temper flaring, retorted: "Have you even read the script? Have you read every single line? Am I only allowed to play positive characters?"
—If this role is really good, and Lu Yanhe wrote the script himself, why didn't he act in it himself? Have you been fooled, baby? Don't be silly, why are you always so naive?
Huang Kairen took a deep breath and typed rapidly: "It was my choice to act, so Lu Yanhe gave me the role. If I hadn't acted, Lu Yanhe would have played it. I should thank him for giving me the opportunity, but you all think he refused and I got a piece of trash. How am I supposed to explain this? How am I supposed to face him when you all criticize him like this? Have you thought about that?"
...
That evening, Huang Kairen sat next to Lian Xun's hospital bed and exchanged dozens of messages with his fans.
If Lian Xun were to wake up now, he would probably faint from anger again after seeing his online argument with his fans.
No agent would want their artist to engage in online arguments with fans on social media.
No matter how many reasons there are, they are unwilling.
In the online world, nothing you say matters—you can never expect to reason things out in the public sphere.
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Lu Yanhe thought to himself that at this time, he couldn't just stand aside and be an outsider.
So he also posted a Weibo message:
The script had its rough edges, but everyone's creative efforts added to it. The characters had their imperfections, but with the right actors, even imperfections became like the Venus de Milo. In this era, we seem to have been brainwashed into believing that only flawless characters constitute the best art. Looking back, why is Cao Cao from *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, who was only condemned to betray the world but not to be betrayed by it, still considered a powerful and ruthless figure by many? Why is Zhu Bajie from *Journey to the West*, a lazy and irresponsible character, now considered a suitable marriage partner? The relationship between a character and an actor is not about good or bad—it wasn't in the past, it isn't now, and it won't be in the future. *Rouge* was fortunate to have found Huang Kai-ren, because it found the perfect actor to play its male lead. Lu Yanhe wasn't suitable, no one else was suitable; only Huang Kai-ren was the most suitable.
Ten minutes later, Chen Bige retweeted Lu Yanhe's Weibo post: Lu Yanhe almost became my male lead. Fortunately, at this time, Kai Ren resolutely said that he was willing to play the role. So, just as our screenwriter said, I got the most suitable male lead.
Yu Jiang suddenly appeared in Lu Yanhe's Weibo comment section: If that's the case, why didn't you say these things earlier? Maybe if you had said them a day earlier, Huang Kairen's agent, Lian Xun, wouldn't have had to suffer this injury.
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"Looking for me to edit the new e-magazine on YeMai.com?"
Yu Jiang put down her phone and looked at Liu Qiao sitting in front of her with some confusion.
"Mr. Liu, are you asking me to be the editor-in-chief of 'Jump Up'?"
"It's not 'Jump Up,' it's another e-magazine," Liu Qiao corrected. "Starting next year, we hope to create another e-magazine on YeMai.com. We've already proven over two years that there are still many readers who enjoy reading magazines."
Yu Jiang: "Mr. Liu, it's too much work to be the chief editor of a magazine. I've started my own company now, and I'm quite busy."
Liu Qiao said, "Teacher Yu, Lu Yanhe is also very busy, but he is doing a good job as the editor-in-chief of 'Jump Up'. You are one of the most popular writers right now. If we want to make a magazine that is better than 'Jump Up', we can only find an influential writer like you to be the editor-in-chief."
Yu Jiang frowned and asked, "Jump Up is already the number one selling magazine in China, why do you want to create another magazine that's even more popular than Jump Up? Is Jump Up leaving YeMai.com?"
She asked this crucial question with pinpoint accuracy.
Liu Qiao: "That's nonsense. We just felt that such a large arts and culture website like ours shouldn't just be a magazine brand."
Yu Jiang rolled his eyes. "I don't want to appear on the same platform as Lu Yanhe's 'Jump Up.' That kind of low-class magazine would lower my standards too much."
Liu Qiao couldn't help but curse inwardly, "What the hell!"
Although "Jump Up" is leaving, its achievements are undeniable.
It also lowers your standards!
What level do you have that makes it worth lowering you?
Even Professor Shi Xia has published a new work in this magazine!
Liu Qiao suppressed his temper, smiled again, and said, "So, Teacher Yu isn't even slightly tempted? There's absolutely no room for negotiation?"
“Yes,” Yu Jiang said immediately. “As long as you get rid of Lu Yanhe and his team’s ‘Jump Up,’ I’ll become your editor-in-chief.”
Liu Qiao looked at her in disbelief.
Yu Jiang misunderstood the meaning and asked in return, "What, you can't do it? If you can't, then forget it."
(End of this chapter)
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