Chapter 407 One Hundred Million Yuan!
It was probably the seventh or eighth time the door was kicked open.
The door lock clanged and became deformed.
Lu Yanhe was the first to rush in. Without much effort, he immediately spotted Professor Zhao Dezhong on the living room floor.
He was lying on the ground with his eyes closed, and the scene was quite frightening.
-
At this moment, Lu Yanhe was especially grateful that he had gotten his driver's license while filming "The Road to Glory" and that he had driven here with Chen Siqi today.
Together with the sixteen-year-old son of Zhao Dezhong's neighbor, he carried Professor Zhao Dezhong downstairs and sped to the hospital for emergency treatment.
About ten minutes later, Chen Siqi and the older woman from her neighbor's house also arrived.
The older sister said, "I have already called Professor Zhao's son and daughter. His son is coming back soon, but he works in Jinkou, so I don't know when he will be able to arrive."
Lu Yanhe was still panting heavily.
"I just called my advisor. Professor Zhao is a teacher in our college, so the college will take care of it and will arrange for someone to come over soon," he said to his neighbor. "Thank you for your help."
“We’re neighbors, let’s not be so formal,” the older sister said. “Professor Zhao has helped our family a lot. He’s tutored this brat’s essays countless times, and they’re still a mess.”
The sixteen-year-old boy never expected to be scolded by his mother at this time.
"Thank goodness you came today, otherwise, living alone, no one would have known he collapsed. Oh dear, it's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune, God bless him," said the neighbor.
Lu Yanhe also felt fortunate.
If they hadn't come today, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Sigh, Professor Zhao is the same. He lives alone, and his son and daughter are worried about him. They want to hire a caregiver to take care of him, but he insists that he's not old and hasn't retired yet, so he doesn't need a caregiver. Now look what's happened! He's home alone and no one even knows when his high blood pressure flares up," the neighbor muttered.
Chen Siqi asked, "Where is Professor Zhao's wife?"
“His wife passed away a few years ago,” said the neighbor. “His children are also very successful. One is a senior executive at a company in Jinkou, and the other is pursuing a doctorate in the United States. It’s just that they live far away and can’t come back in time for any emergencies.”
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi then realized what had happened.
This really leaves one speechless. It's a bit disheartening to hear.
-
Soon, a vice dean of the college and Chen Shiqiu arrived together.
Although Zhao Dezhong was not the kind of teacher who was very popular among students, he held a high academic position and was a very important professor to the college.
Knowing that Zhao Dezhong almost fainted at home alone and no one found him, but was fortunately caught by Lu Yanhe, the vice dean of the college patted Lu Yanhe on the shoulder and said, "Yanhe, we really owe you a lot today."
Lu Yanhe said, "We just happened to run into each other, and we happened to have an appointment with Professor Zhao."
-
After the college leaders arrived, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi no longer needed to stay here.
There's nothing they can do to help if they stay here.
However, because they were worried about Professor Zhao's condition, neither Lu Yanhe nor Chen Siqi mentioned leaving.
They waited with everyone else.
Professor Zhao Dezhong only breathed a sigh of relief after the rescue was over and he was out of danger, and then left with his neighbor and the others.
It was already evening.
To be precise, the sun had almost completely sunk below the ground, and the sky was almost dark, leaving only a little bit of white light, as if struggling to resist being dragged away.
Lu Yanhe said to his neighbor, "Let us take you home first."
"Oh, no need to go to so much trouble for you. We can just take the bus back ourselves. There are seats right outside the hospital."
Lu Yanhe: "It's so cold, and waiting for the bus is a hassle. We've got a car, so it'll only take us ten minutes to get you back. No trouble at all, come along."
When the neighbor lady heard Lu Yanhe say that, she smiled gratefully and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"It's no trouble at all."
After what happened with Professor Zhao Dezhong, Lu Yanhe is now inexplicably feeling somewhat exhausted.
It's not physical, but mental.
They first took their neighbor and her son back home.
After the neighbor and her son had gone inside, Lu Yanhe did not release the handbrake, but sighed softly.
Chen Siqi asked, "Are you tired?"
“A little.” Lu Yanhe nodded.
"How about we find a restaurant here, grab something to eat, and relax for a bit? We've been stressed all afternoon, and now that we're suddenly relaxing, we must be exhausted," Chen Siqi said.
Lu Yanhe agreed.
Chen Siqi took out her phone, searched for nearby restaurants, selected one, and said, "Let's go, there are restaurants within a hundred meters, let's just grab something to eat."
Lu Yanhe nodded and got out of the car with Chen Siqi.
As soon as they got out of the car, Chen Siqi grabbed Lu Yanhe's hand without saying a word and put it in her pocket.
Lu Yanhe was stunned and looked at Chen Siqi with some surprise.
Chen Siqi smiled at him and said, "You looked pretty cool kicking the door today."
Lu Yanhe suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Oh shit.
When will I be able to get rid of this habit of getting shy when praised?
The news that Lu Yanhe had saved Professor Zhao Dezhong quickly spread throughout the college and then to the university.
It was during winter break, so everyone was active online and there weren't many people at school.
After this story spread, it became a topic of discussion in various group chats.
The incident quickly spread online. The news of Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi saving the school teacher was naturally reported by various media outlets, becoming a highly anticipated news event.
Lu Yanhe was genuinely worried that Professor Zhao Dezhong, who was at the hospital, would be disturbed by the heat.
He immediately sent a message to Chen Shiqiu, saying: "Professor Chen, I didn't expect this matter to spread online. Professor Zhao may need to be on guard against media intrusion."
Chen Shiqiu said: Okay, I will also communicate with the hospital and ask the security guards to pay more attention.
Lu Yanhe: Teacher Chen, has Teacher Zhao woken up?
Chen Shiqiu: Not yet. I'm here with you. I'll tell you when you wake up.
Lu Yanhe: Okay, but Teacher Chen, are you the only one guarding there?
Chen Shiqiu: Several teachers from our college have arranged a shift. Another teacher will come to pick me up at 10 p.m. Teacher Zhao's son should also arrive around 10 p.m. I'll tell him the basic situation before I go back.
Lu Yanhe: Yes, thank you for your hard work, Teacher Chen.
Chen Shiqiu: You should get some rest too.
Lu Yanhe: Mm-hmm.
Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief after putting down his phone.
Meeting Professor Zhao Dezhong today left Lu Yanhe quite emotional. He thought of his own parents, his real parents. He wondered how they were doing after he transmigrated to this world. Would they miss him? Would they be heartbroken, grieving the loss of their child? When they grew old, would they, like Professor Zhao, fall ill and feel unwell, with no one to care for them?
As he thought about it, Lu Yanhe's eyes reddened.
I couldn't help myself.
"Knock knock!"
Someone knocked on the door.
Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze and quickly composed himself.
Who is it?
“Your father,” Li Zhibai shouted in his hoarse voice.
Lu Yanhe: "...Get in here."
Li Zhibai opened the door, entered the room, leaned against the door with one hand, and asked, "How is your teacher?"
"We're out of danger." Lu Yanhe stood up and sighed. "Fortunately, nothing serious happened."
Li Zhibai stared intently into Lu Yanhe's eyes. "Holy crap, Lu Yanhe, are you serious? You've been crying?"
"Stop crying, my foot." Lu Yanhe pushed aside Li Zhibai, who was blocking the doorway, went outside, poured himself a glass of water, and asked, "When is Yan Liang coming back?"
“It’ll have to wait until tomorrow. He’s busier than either of us right now. Friends Season 2 is trending every day. It’s always someone getting criticized, someone else getting criticized. Only the original cast members are doing a little better; they haven’t been criticized and their popularity is soaring. They’re being invited everywhere. They’re as busy as jet-setting men.” Li Zhibai clicked his tongue and looked at Lu Yanhe. “Why didn’t you give me a role in this show before?”
"We don't have the money," Lu Yanhe said bluntly. "We can't afford your salary based on the price of the first season of this show."
Li Zhibai said, "Uh."
“I didn’t invest in this drama either, and you don’t need to lower your salary for a drama produced by Beijing TV. They’re the ones who are getting all the benefits.”
“That’s true.” Li Zhibai nodded in realization. “Yan Liang has already accepted the role in ‘The Gold Rush.’ We’ll both be going out to film in March or April. Do you have any plans?”
Lu Yanhe said, "I was approached by a film company before, but I was still hesitant about whether to take the role. I haven't decided yet, and I don't have any other plans for the time being."
Li Zhibai: "It's rare to see you with some free time."
“I haven’t been free either,” Lu Yanhe immediately said. “I just haven’t been acting myself, but I’ve been busy. For example, as I said, I’m going to write a play for the three of us, and I plan to film it next year.”
"That's still more than a year away."
“Yes, but we need to finish the script this year and find a production company and investors,” Lu Yanhe said. “We can’t rush to find them later.”
“That’s true.” Li Zhibai nodded.
-
After Yan Liang returned, the three of them began rehearsing the program "Green Apple Paradise".
Since they already had a mature stage, they didn't need to prepare for too long this time; they just needed to get back into the swing of things.
On January 27th, the three of them went to the filming location of "Lost in Thailand".
They will be making cameo appearances together in this movie.
Their cameo appearance was in the scene from the original story where Wang Baoqiang and his coworkers squatted together discussing the IOU and how to get the money back.
That scene was also funny in the original work.
-
Since directing "Lost in Thailand," director Jiang Lu has been meeting celebrities he has never seen before every now and then.
They're all just making cameo appearances in this movie.
A road comedy film with a "rustic" and "village-like" feel has been turned into a lineup for the Lunar New Year film season.
The star-studded cast made Jiang Lu wonder if the movie would end up being just a star-studded film.
When Lu Yanhe and the other two appeared, Jiang Lu became even more certain of this idea.
I knew the three of them were going to have a cameo in this movie, but there are many others who agreed to come but didn't show up for various reasons.
As for this scene... Jiang Lu originally thought that these idol-level stars would be unwilling to act in it.
Because the image is really unattractive and very tacky.
If it were about sacrificing one's image for a very important role, then that would be one thing.
But it turned out to be just a cameo appearance.
Jiang Lu thought they wouldn't agree.
But after Lu Yanhe and the other two found out that they were all in this terrible state, they agreed without saying a word.
Upon arriving at the scene, Lu Yanhe was surprised to find that the first person he saw was Li Bi.
Li Bi, carrying a camera, said with a smile, "Boss, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm here too."
What are you filming?
"We're shooting behind-the-scenes footage for promotional purposes when the movie is released," Li Bi said. "Your series is called 'What You Look Like Before You Arrive' and 'What You Look Like After You Arrive,' which compares your current handsome and dashing appearance with the images of you after you've changed clothes and had your styling done."
"..." Lu Yanhe was speechless for a moment. "How do you have so many creative ideas?"
"It's mainly because the boss taught me well," Li Bi said with a silly grin.
Lu Yanhe said speechlessly, "I never taught you anything like that."
"I don't only have you as my boss," Li Bi said with a silly grin.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang listened to their conversation from the side, and both of them laughed so hard they were bent over and slapped their thighs.
"Oh, you three are finally here!" Jia Long walked over, dressed in a suit.
"Hello, Teacher Jia!" Li Zhibai greeted Yan Liang.
"Hey, what teacher? Call him Brother Long." Jia Long greeted them warmly.
Director Jiang Lu said with a smile, "There are no scenes for Teacher Jia today. I came here specifically because I knew you were coming."
Lu Yanhe hugged them and asked, "How's filming going? Is everything going smoothly?"
"Smoothly, Wang Dashan looks a bit dull, but he's incredibly talented when he acts," Jiang Lu said. "Moreover, with Teacher Jia here, he can handle anything that happens on set."
Jia Long chuckled, "Get lost, you're making me sound like a mountain bandit."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they were about to get their hair and makeup done.
Jia Long pulled Lu Yanhe aside.
Judging from this situation, Lu Yanhe knew that Jia Long must have something to say to him.
"What's wrong, Brother Long?"
"I want to ask you something," Jia Long said. "Have you considered signing Wang Dashan to your own company?"
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Jia Long said, "I know you and your agent started a company together, but I don't know if you've signed any artists. If you don't have that idea, I'd like to sign Dashan to my company. This kid has a talent for acting, and not just any talent. It's fate that we're working together on this project, and I'd like to mentor him."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Brother Long, it's good that you're willing to take him on. I don't have the energy to do artist management right now, especially the company that Sister Ziyan and I started. It's really just a shell company, used to make things easier. Why does everyone think that my company does everything?"
Lu Yanhe was also helpless.
Jia Long smiled.
“You discovered Dashan and recommended him, so I can’t just sign him without your knowledge,” Jia Long said. “Since you don’t have that idea, I’ll talk to him about it. He doesn’t have an agency yet, and he’s always filming on his own.”
“Okay.” Lu Yanhe nodded.
Although Jia Long's actions were perfectly acceptable even if he hadn't done them, and Lu Yanhe couldn't say anything about it, Jia Long's initiative in greeting Lu Yanhe first did make Lu Yanhe feel comfortable.
As for bringing artists...
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and warned himself not to be too greedy for the time being.
He's already got so many things to deal with; he's trying to do too much at once and ending up with nothing to handle.
Once we grow bigger and stronger, we'll have no shortage of artists willing to come.
-
Lu Yanhe and his two companions put on white hats and work clothes, with cotton-padded jackets stuffed inside, making them look even more clumsy. When they came out, they looked at each other, paused for two seconds, and then pointed at each other and burst into laughter.
It wasn't just their clothes; everyone was made up and had their hair styled so that it didn't look fashionable or energetic, and even a little greasy. Their faces also had uneven skin tone. After all that, they didn't look like celebrities anymore.
All three of them had very authentic makeup done, unlike many celebrities who, when playing this type of character, have makeup that looks extremely perfunctory.
Lee's camera has arrived.
The three of them stood together, striking the coolest pose in the most unfashionable way.
Jia Long watched from the side and laughed, saying, "Oh dear, this cameo role has come at a huge cost."
Wang Dashan appeared at some point and stood next to Jia Long, looking very reserved.
"Dashan!" Lu Yanhe greeted him happily when he saw him.
Wang Dashan gave a very restrained smile and called out, "Boss Lu... Boss Lu."
It's still the same.
Lu Yanhe sighed helplessly.
"Just call me Yanhe, big brother!" Lu Yanhe sighed.
Li Zhibai slapped Lu Yanhe on the shoulder and said seriously, "What are you saying, boss! You're our boss, how can we call you by your first name!"
Yan Liang quickly followed, his face serious, and nodded, saying, "That's right, boss, you're our big spender."
Lu Yanhe gave them both two middle fingers without any politeness, and then introduced them to Wang Dashan.
"Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are both my good friends."
Wang Dashan looked at them with surprise and longing, but his posture was even more reserved. "Hello, I am Wang Dashan."
He extended his hand, seemingly wanting to shake hands with them.
Li Zhibai laughed, reached out his right hand but didn't grasp Wang Dashan's hand. Instead, he grabbed Wang Dashan's wrist, pulled him towards him, hugged him, and patted him on the back with his other hand.
"I have high hopes for you."
Wang Dashan looked at him, flattered and surprised.
Yan Liang shook his head and said to Lu Yanhe with a sigh, "Li Zhibai is a social tyrant."
Lu Yanhe said, "The skills of a ruthless bandit are something we could never learn in our entire lives."
-
They filmed this scene together, and it was incredibly easy for them.
Jiang Lu originally thought that the three of them would have an idol image to maintain and wouldn't be able to fit into the overall style of the film. Unexpectedly, the moment the three of them stood or squatted in front of Wang Dashan, the state of those small people struggling at the bottom of society came out directly.
Li Zhibai pulled out a toothpick from somewhere and started picking his teeth.
Yan Liang squatted between Wang Dashan and Li Zhibai, looking anxious, bewildered, and helpless, as if wondering, "What should I do?"
Lu Yanhe clasped his hands together and breathed on them, his hands trembling.
Jiang Lu turned to Jia Long and said, "Those three are really something else."
Jia Long laughed, “Don’t underestimate the three of them. In recent years, all three of them have played roles that are well-liked by the public. No matter what the role is, if someone is well-liked, they must have some talent. Moreover, the three of them have a very good relationship. When they get together to perform this kind of play, it’s like performing a stage play with friends. They are more relaxed than at other times.”
That is indeed the case.
If one of them were to play this kind of role, they would probably feel a little embarrassed, thinking that such actions are not very attractive, and that they have an idol image to maintain.
Now the three of them have a feeling that they can do bad things together and share the shame, which makes them feel like they're letting their true nature be unleashed and doing whatever they want to be silly.
After they performed one version, Jiang Lu couldn't help but say...
"Everyone, tone it down a bit, we're not putting on a play."
After exchanging glances, Lu Yanhe and the other two couldn't help but burst into laughter at the same time.
Wang Dashan looked at them blankly, having no idea what they were laughing at.
This scene took two hours to film, but it was finally finished and we got it right.
Jia Long said, "Let's have a meal together? When are you leaving?"
"We thought we'd be filming until tonight," Lu Yanhe said. "Brother Long, what delicious food are you taking us to eat?"
"There's a local restaurant here, and the food is really good," Jia Long said.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Filming continued on the film set, so director Jiang Lu and the others had to stay and continue eating boxed lunches.
Jia Long took Lu Yanhe and the other two to the place he had mentioned for dinner.
The three of them removed their makeup, changed back into their own clothes, and transformed back into young and handsome lads.
On the way, Jia Long asked, "Zhibai, I heard you changed your agent?"
"Ah, right," Li Zhibai said, "Just changed it. Brother Long, you're very well-informed."
"I heard it from my agent. Zhou Ping'an used to be Yan He's agent. It seems like everyone is saying that your agent lost two popular artists in a row. They're wondering when you, Yan Liang, will leave."
Yan Liang was surprised that this matter was related to him. He was both amused and exasperated. He waved his hand and said, "I haven't thought about leaving him yet. I haven't even settled down myself yet."
“That’s good,” Jia Long said. “Although I haven’t had much contact with Zhou Ping’an, my agent said that Zhou Ping’an is quite capable, especially in his eye for choosing roles. He can always find suitable roles for his actors. He even mentioned Zhi Bai, saying that all the roles Zhi Bai has played in the past two years were chosen by Zhou Ping’an?”
"Yes, that's right." Li Zhibai nodded frankly, admitting, "He did indeed help me choose it."
"Do you usually choose your own scripts, or do your agents and teams pick them out for you?" Jia Long asked.
Yan Liang said, "Only Yan He reads the scripts himself. Li Zhibai and I used to just play whatever roles Zhou Ping'an told us to play. I didn't have any autonomy in choosing roles before."
Upon hearing this, Jia Long became curious and asked, "Did Zhou Ping'an also help you get the role in 'Friends'?"
"Then I have to thank Yan He." Yan Liang glanced at Lu Yan He, smiled, and said, "He persuaded Zhou Ping'an. At first, because this show was a sitcom, everyone wasn't very optimistic about it, including him. Also, the production budget was very low at the time, and the salary he could offer me was also very low, so Zhou Ping'an was even more unwilling to let me act in it. But Yan He told him that as long as I acted in this show, my salary for each episode would increase by ten percent when the show was in its second season, and that convinced Zhou Ping'an."
Upon hearing this, Jia Long couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Yan He, you're really something, you've already made him a big promise right from the start," Jia Long said.
Lu Yanhe: "Zhou Ping'an is the kind of person who only cares about profit. It's no use telling him that the script is good or suitable for Yan Liang. You have to tell him unequivocally how much profit Yan Liang can bring him by playing the role in this drama in order to truly move him."
Jia Long: "That shows you have a good eye for talent."
“The three of us were all mentored by him from the very beginning of our careers, how could we not know him?” Lu Yanhe said, his enthusiasm waning.
"He's quite a legendary figure, having mentored so many of you popular stars."
“But everyone’s breakups with him were unpleasant,” Lu Yanhe said.
Jia Long said, "You can't use Chen Ziyan's standards to judge other agents. Apart from her, I haven't seen many agents who can break up with their artists amicably."
That's true.
"Why did Zhibai suddenly decide to change agents? Is it convenient to ask?" Jia Long asked.
“There’s nothing inconvenient about it. He gave the resources that others had asked me to Ma Zhiyuan. Ma Zhiyuan and I are already enemies and don’t get along. He still did this kind of thing, so I can’t tolerate it at all,” Li Zhibai said. “I can tolerate everything else, but not betrayal.”
Jia Long nodded.
"Isn't Ma Zhiyuan a pretty popular young man?"
“Yes.” Li Zhibai nodded. “They’re quite popular, and they’re very good at marketing.”
Jia Long was both amused and exasperated by Li Zhibai's words.
Li Zhi asked, "Brother Long, you've been in the entertainment industry for so long, is there anyone you don't like?"
“How could there not be?” Jia Long smiled. “Wherever there are people, there will be disputes and conflicts. It’s just that sometimes people don’t show it on their faces and try to maintain a dignified appearance.”
“Then I can’t maintain this respectable relationship with Ma Zhiyuan. We will basically never see each other again.”
"You're all still young, don't say things like that too early," Jia Long said with a smile.
They arrived at the restaurant where they were going to eat.
The restaurant is located in a small courtyard.
Jia Long explained, "This small courtyard belongs to the owner. You can see they've even set up a plot of land where they've planted some fruits and vegetables."
"It seems that these private restaurants grow their own fruits and vegetables."
"The main selling point is that it's all-natural and additive-free," Jia Long said. "Actually, I really want to have a piece of land like that in my own yard, so I can grow my own vegetables when I have free time. It would be quite interesting."
“Then you should probably give up, Brother Long. You’re so busy, you’re never home, you don’t have the time,” Li Zhibai said.
"I can wait until I retire."
“That’s probably difficult. It seems like there’s no such thing as retirement in the acting industry.” Lu Yanhe laughed. “Even if you want to retire, the audience doesn’t want to see you retire.”
Jia Long: "That won't do. I don't plan to act for the rest of my life. It's too tiring. I need to have some life of my own."
"It seems that many people say they want to have their own life, but very few of them actually manage to return to it," Yan Liang said.
"Sometimes I think about it, and now I'm thinking that I'll retire someday, but if I really retire, can I really stand the state of never doing what I like again? It's pretty hard to believe. I might still be unable to resist going out to act."
Jia Long chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "You guys debuted so early, do you still find this industry novel?"
“Yes,” Li Zhibai immediately replied, “I love acting and performing on stage, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here to suffer like this.”
Jia Long: "That's great. I often meet child stars who debuted very early. Perhaps because they entered the industry too early, they lost their passion for it very early. You must protect this passion. Once you lose your passion, you'll just become someone who does the bare minimum."
“If I lose my passion for this line of work, I’ll quit,” Li Zhibai shrugged.
Jia Long: "I've heard many people say what you said, but I've really rarely seen anyone actually quit."
"The main problem is that many people think they can still make a lot of money even if they stop being entertainers, and that they can live a good life with other jobs. But they find that they have benefited from the industry's advantages. Once they leave the industry, they are nothing." Li Zhibai bluntly stated the truth. "Many people around me are like this. They all think they are extraordinary. If you ask me, if they want to live the same life as before after leaving the industry, there is only one way."
"What method?"
"Either be a chicken or a duck."
Lu Yanhe spat out a mouthful of water.
Although he had witnessed Li Zhibai's astonishing remarks countless times before, he was still shocked by Li Zhibai's directness at this moment.
Jia Long opened his mouth, then closed it again, unusually hesitant to speak, unsure of what to say next.
However, what Lu Yanhe didn't expect was that just two days later, a very popular topic appeared online, which was very similar to what they had been discussing that day.
Moreover, it brought Lu Yanhe an unexpected disaster, almost affecting their performance on the Spring Festival Gala.
-
"Are there really people in this world who wouldn't want to be celebrities?"
"If you had the chance to become a star, would you do it?"
"Being a celebrity is great, you can make so much money."
...
A media outlet conducted a survey asking, "If you were given the chance to become a star, would you be willing?" and interviewed passersby.
Everyone's reaction was basically the same.
No one doesn't want to be a star; only a very few people say they have a more passionate career and therefore don't want to be stars.
"Not every celebrity works very hard and is very tired. If you asked me to be a celebrity like Lu Yanhe, I probably couldn't do it. First, I don't have that kind of talent, and second, I can't be as diligent and hardworking as him. But some celebrities only work four or five days a month, take some photos, record some programs, say some shocking things, and do some eye-catching things, and they can still have popularity, advertisers pay for their services, and make a lot of money. So why shouldn't I do it if I have the opportunity?"
"Yes, many idol artists nowadays have no culture, no talent, and not even a pretty face. They can't even be a pretty face. They are packaged by capital and made to look like they are very popular, and they make money easily."
People have been dissatisfied with the huge income gap among celebrities for many years.
"It's not that I want to be a celebrity, I just envy their income. When I'm working hard every day, leaving early and returning late, earning only a few thousand yuan a month, I envy them." A girl sighed with a smile. "Sometimes I joke with my parents and complain that they didn't make me prettier, so I could become a celebrity. It wouldn't be as tiring as working now."
“I know this kind of jealousy is unreasonable, but I’m just jealous.” Another person said directly, “If I didn’t know, I would have been fine, but now that I know they have such high incomes and are still complaining about how tiring filming and dancing are, and how much pressure they are under, I just want to say, why don’t we switch lives and let me experience their hardships too.”
...
The interview video was edited out and played online, which, to everyone's surprise, caused a huge reaction.
The gap between the rich and the poor is an issue that cannot be ignored in any society. When it comes to the income of celebrities, it easily arouses dissatisfaction among the public.
As everyone discussed, Lu Yanhe came up. There was no way around it; after all, Lu Yanhe is currently one of the most representative young artists.
Some people calculated Lu Yanhe's income for the past year, and some came up with an exaggerated figure, saying that Lu Yanhe's income for the past year was conservatively estimated to be 100 million yuan.
This number is obviously fake; Lu Yanhe didn't earn that much money at all. However, the person who made the claim did so in a very logical way, listing out a number from film and television fees to magazine income, from endorsements to other business revenue.
Many people online believe this to be true.
Because Lu Yanhe did indeed have a major fire last year.
The topic of Lu Yanhe earning over 100 million yuan last year became a trending topic.
A high-quality artist with a perfect image, hard work, and diligence, suddenly became unworthy of his position because of his high income and started to be attacked by some people.
—At only 21 years old, he can earn 100 million a year. That's terrifying.
No wonder everyone wants to be a star; who wouldn't want to be a star?
—This isn't directed at Lu Yanhe, but I just feel it's unfair. Lu Yanhe is talented and hardworking, but is he the only one in the world who is talented and hardworking?
...
When the questions about Lu Yanhe surfaced, Lu Yanhe was rehearsing with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang at CCTV.
After the rehearsal, Lu Yanhe and his team discussed and made some further modifications to the stage design with the directing staff.
Chen Ziyan, Zhou Pingan, and Lin Suyang, the three agents, stood to the side waiting. Because it was the Spring Festival Gala, they all took it very seriously and came specifically to accompany him to the rehearsal.
As soon as the discussion ended, Lu Yanhe and the other two were led away by their respective agents.
Zhou Ping'an and Lin Suyang ignored each other.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang bid farewell with normal expressions.
This scene was quite amazing.
Lu Yanhe was unaware of what had happened. He followed Chen Ziyan outside, and only then did Chen Ziyan explain what had happened to him.
Upon hearing that his income had exceeded 100 million last year, Lu Yanhe was astonished and asked, "Really? Do I really have that much income?"
“Of course not. I know how much you earn,” Chen Ziyan said. “They said your salary for ‘Late Spring’ was ten million. You can see how unreliable these figures are, they just make things up out of thin air.”
At the time, the film *Late Spring* had a very small production budget, and Lu Yanhe's salary was only one million, far below his market rate. Now this marketing account is talking about ten million... The film's production cost was only around ten million. They've seen *Late Spring* do well at the box office and are therefore assuming Lu Yanhe's salary was also very high.
Chen Ziyan said, "But it's not easy to respond to this kind of thing. If we respond by saying that it's not that high at all and give an accurate figure for the salary, then more people will come out and say things like, 'Isn't one million a lot?' and that will cause new trouble."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Are there many people attacking me online right now?"
“There are some, but they’re not mainly attacking you. They’re criticizing the fact that celebrities earn a lot of money, and you just happened to be the target,” Chen Ziyan said.
Lu Yanhe sighed.
"This is really..."
Chen Ziyan said, "I'm just telling you about this first. When you go out later, there will be a lot of media waiting outside. When they see you, they may ask you questions about this. Don't answer any of these questions yet. Just say that it's fake and that it's all false information. I need to have a good talk with the public relations company about how to handle this public opinion later."
During the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals, there are always many media outlets waiting outside, because they all know they can run into many celebrities there.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
As soon as I went outside, sure enough, a lot of media photographers and reporters came over.
As Chen Ziyan expected, many people asked about his income.
Lu Yanhe answered according to Chen Ziyan's pre-arranged script.
“One hundred million? If I had earned that much money last year, why would I be working so hard this year?” Lu Yanhe shook his head helplessly. “It’s not that exaggerated. It’s fake, it’s fake.”
"So, how much money did you make last year? Can you tell us?" another person immediately asked.
"How can I reveal that?" Lu Yanhe shook his head.
"Why can't you disclose it? Is it because although you didn't earn a hundred million, it's about that amount?" someone asked maliciously.
Lu Yanhe was taken aback and glanced at the reporter.
When the reporter saw Lu Yanhe suddenly looking over, he stepped back behind the camera.
Lu Yanhe sighed, thought for a moment, and then responded sincerely:
"Firstly, I don't know exactly how much money I've earned because I didn't see the specific contract; it was handled by my brokerage team. But I know very well that I haven't earned that much money."
"Secondly, it's because I did make a lot of money, but that's because when I was an artist, I also started a business. Thanks to everyone's support, the 'Jump Up' magazine and my self-media were very successful, bringing me a lot of income. But why don't you ask other company owners and entrepreneurs how much money they made, instead of asking me? Our ancestors have summarized that wealth should not be flaunted. You're asking me to flaunt it, which makes me suspect that you have ulterior motives."
Lu Yanhe glanced at him jokingly.
“Third, whether you earn a lot or a little, as long as you don’t evade taxes and every penny is earned in accordance with the law, there’s no need for everyone to judge you, right?” Lu Yanhe said helplessly. “If that’s the case, how can I expand and strengthen my business in the future? Siqi wants to publish ‘Jump Up’ overseas, and I also want to sell my script overseas and make it into more film and television versions.”
Chen Ziyan suddenly stepped forward, blocking Lu Yanhe's path, and said, "Everyone, it's getting late. We should go back and rest as soon as possible. You should all go back and rest early too."
She and Wang Biao, one on each side, escorted Lu Yanhe through the media reporters' encirclement, got into the car, and left.
“You’ve said a bit too much,” Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe. “Although what you said is very good, saying too much makes it easy for people to use it against you.”
Lu Yanhe nodded in apology, "I'm sorry, I was provoked by that reporter's question and couldn't help myself."
"Don't overthink it, get some rest. I'll handle the public opinion," Chen Ziyan said. "Hopefully, we can resolve this public opinion issue as soon as possible."
"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.
However, things didn't go as planned. The next day, the production team somewhat cryptically suggested that if the buzz surrounding Lu Yanhe's high income couldn't be quelled in the short term, the program "Green Apple Paradise" would be pulled from the show to ensure the quality of the Spring Festival Gala broadcast.
Lu Yanhe was stunned when he heard the news; he hadn't expected it.
The chief director, Liu Yang, specifically sought out Lu Yanhe to provide an explanation.
“Yan He, please understand us. This is the Spring Festival Gala, which is of great significance. We can’t afford to make any mistakes,” Liu Yang said. “Nobody wants to see such a public opinion incident. I know that you are not wrong in this matter, but we must consider the overall situation.”
Lu Yanhe was somewhat at a loss for what to do at this moment.
Sometimes, that's how it is; the fault isn't yours, but you still have to bear the consequences.
Liu Yang said, "You are an outstanding artist and a representative of young artists. We really hope that you can appear on the Spring Festival Gala stage."
Lu Yanhe composed himself, temporarily calming his chaotic thoughts, and said, "Director, if in the final evaluation everyone feels that I cannot be on the Spring Festival Gala, please keep the program 'Green Apple Paradise' and let Li Zhibai and Yan Liang perform it, okay? Don't let my situation affect them. They have also put in a lot of effort to prepare for this program."
Liu Yang sighed and said, "I'll try my best."
(End of this chapter)
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