Chapter 441 Inspection
Lu Yanhe returned to China alone and did not stay at the Jose Film Festival with the "Rouge" team.
The film received excellent audience reviews at the Jose Film Festival—in contrast, the reviews from film critics were less favorable. It wasn't that it was bad; almost everyone praised it as a good film, but compared to Wang Zhong's previous works, it lacked a bit of complexity.
This situation was something everyone had anticipated. Everyone knew that "Rouge" wouldn't receive the same critical acclaim as "Three Mountains," because it was too good to be true. Even though the film's atmosphere retained Wang Zhong's previous style, the narrative pacing was entirely storytelling-driven. Its simplicity fell short of everyone's expectations of Wang Zhong.
However, the audience gave it almost 100% positive reviews, still putting "Rouge" at the top of the list of films that have been screened so far in the main competition.
At other film festivals, media and audience reviews are only one reference point; ultimately, the jury selects the winners. While the jury is influenced by these factors, the results often differ from popular expectations. However, at the Jose Film Festival, due to its unique judging mechanism—where one hundred critics and two hundred audience members vote to determine the winners of each award—the reception of a film at its premiere often reveals its potential for winning an award.
Given the current situation of "Rouge," it's clear that it will win an award; the only question is what kind of award it will be.
-
Lu Yanhe got off the plane and walked out of the airport wearing sunglasses.
Chen Ziyan picked him up in her car.
Lu Yanhe was quite surprised and asked, "Sister Ziyan, why did you come in person?"
Chen Ziyan is getting busier and busier with work, and rarely has time to handle such trivial matters.
Chen Ziyan said, "I've made an appointment with a doctor for you to take a look."
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback. "What?"
Chen Ziyan said, "Didn't you lose control of your expression? This is so rare, you need to get a checkup."
Lu Yanhe: "It can't be that bad. I guess it was just that I didn't manage my expression well for a moment."
“You don’t need to manage your expressions. It’s perfectly normal for you not to manage them normally,” Chen Ziyan said. “It’s always good to be careful. Go get a checkup, just in case something goes wrong with your health at such a young age.”
Lu Yanhe was speechless after being rebuked: "..."
Wang Biao also said, "Brother Lu, Sister Ziyan is right. You should go to the hospital for a check-up. It would be better if nothing is wrong, but if there is something, it can be detected and treated early."
Lu Yanhe: "..."
-
The doctor was arranged by Chen Ziyan through special connections.
For an artist like Lu Yanhe, seeing a doctor is tantamount to going to the police station in a sense—once the news leaks out, it will definitely cause the public to speculate and engage in all sorts of conjectures.
Lu Yanhe really wanted to ask which department the doctor was from, but he was too embarrassed to ask. He felt that if the answer was a bit outrageous—for example, psychiatry—he would be unable to help but criticize Chen Ziyan, even though he knew she was doing it for his own good.
The doctor asked him about his recent condition and then asked, "Are you under a lot of stress?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head, "There's no pressure at all."
The doctor smiled and said, "You have a really good attitude. I thought that someone as young as you would be under a lot of pressure to write, direct, and star in a movie. I have other clients who can't sleep at night because of a very important job."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "I don't feel any pressure, and I don't have insomnia. However, my sleep schedule may have been a bit irregular lately, and I sometimes go to bed late."
The doctor nodded, not pressing further about the "stress" issue, as if simply ruling it out as an option. He then inquired about other aspects of Lu Yanhe's life, from his work to his recent mood and long-term expectations.
Then the doctor took him to another room.
The room was tidy and clean.
There was a small table inside, on which sat a test paper and a pen.
The doctor said, "Answer these questions."
Lu Yanhe gave him a rather strange look and asked, "What kind of test is this?"
"I'll tell you after you answer," the doctor said with a smile.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
However, after Lu Yanhe finished answering, he was not told what kind of test it was.
He was then taken to another room by the doctor and examined and tested with various instruments.
Throughout the entire process, Lu Yanhe felt like a puppet being manipulated, acting entirely according to instructions.
-
"Did you see anything?"
The assistant put down his binoculars and shook his head at Zhou Shuchun.
Zhou Shuchun took the binoculars from his assistant and looked at the small building diagonally opposite the car. He couldn't see anything, so he had to put the binoculars down.
"Brother Chun, why are we filming Lu Yanhe again? Didn't we say we wouldn't be able to get any good footage?" the assistant asked, puzzled.
Zhou Shuchun snorted and said, "What do you know? Everyone else is still at the Jose Film Festival, but he came back alone. Something must have happened. After its premiere at the Jose Film Festival, 'Rouge' received excellent reviews, and many media outlets consider it a strong contender for the Grand Prize at this year's Jose Film Festival. Which artist would be willing to come back at this time?"
The assistant thought for a moment and said, "It's quite normal for Lu Yanhe to be willing to give it up. He often comes to attend international film festivals, so it doesn't seem like the international film festivals are anything special to him."
"Are you stupid? Who mentioned international film festivals? Right now, Lu Yanhe's screenplay has a very high chance of winning a major award. Do you know what that means?" Zhou Shuchun said. "Just look at how much a Best Director award at the Xituer Film Festival has elevated Wang Zhong's status. Do you think Lu Yanhe would leave at this time if it weren't for something extremely important?"
The assistant suddenly realized.
"I see."
He asked, "What important thing could it be?"
Zhou Shuchun took a deep breath.
"Shut up!"
After saying that, he couldn't help but add, "If we had known, why would we be staking out here? We would have made a fortune by now!"
He looked at his dumbfounded assistant and began to wonder why he had hired such an incompetent one.
After the test was completed, Lu Yanhe sat in the rest room waiting for the results.
Only Wang Biao and Zou Dong accompanied him.
Chen Ziyan has disappeared.
Whether it was the full set of tests that gave him some kind of psychological suggestion, Lu Yanhe suddenly became a little nervous, worried that he might actually have some problems found.
He really didn't think there was anything wrong with him.
Meanwhile, in another room, the doctor was telling Chen Ziyan about the test results.
"On the bright side, the examination showed that he didn't have any serious problems. However, after analyzing the video, I realized that his seemingly perfunctory attitude wasn't actually perfunctory. If you look closely, you'll see that he completely lost control of his facial expressions. Through our conversation, we learned that he himself didn't realize that anything was wrong with him at the time, nor did he realize that his facial expressions were perfunctory. That's where the problem lies."
"In the worst-case scenario, there is a discrepancy between his self-perception and actual neural control. He is unaware that his facial expressions are malfunctioning, which may be a neurological issue. The test results also show that his subconscious stress and anxiety are much greater than he claims. He is not as calm, composed, and optimistic as he appears."
Chen Ziyan frowned and looked at the doctor in surprise.
The doctor said, "In this day and age, everyone has some mental health issues, but his case is more serious. His levels in all areas are far above the normal range, but we can't tell anything from his appearance. He himself is completely unaware of it."
Chen Ziyan: "Why is that?"
"Based on what you told me and what he just said, the most likely conclusion I can draw is that since the college entrance examination, he has been busy with various jobs and studies. Especially in the last three years, the changes in his work have been so significant that they may exceed the span of ten or even twenty years for other artists," the doctor said. "He went through this stage in a way that seems unbelievable to others, transforming from an artist in a slump into a top actor. However, correspondingly, the people and things he comes into contact with, as well as the responsibilities and pressures he faces, have also increased."
"The people around him have formed the impression that he is a genius and that he can succeed at anything. This impression actually brings him invisible constraints and burdens. His success in everything he does is definitely not just a miracle or luck, but rather the result of his attitude of doing everything well and successfully. He may also be hypnotizing himself over and over again that he can do it, that he is OK. Over time, his mind becomes tense, and when it reaches a certain critical point, he suddenly breaks down without even realizing it, and loses control. But his habitual memory makes him think that he is still in a normal state."
Chen Ziyan was completely stunned.
Is it that serious?
How could it be so serious?
However, Chen Ziyan wanted to refute, but couldn't utter a single word. Every word the doctor said could be corroborated by Lu Yanhe. Indeed, the past three years had instilled in everyone the impression that "Lu Yanhe succeeds at everything," and everyone held extremely high expectations for him. Lu Yanhe usually appeared very composed; Chen Ziyan often praised him for his maturity and calmness beyond his years. But this was actually a long-standing sign—
Isn't it abnormal to be more mature and calm than one's peers?
Chen Ziyan almost lost her composure.
"What should we do in this situation?" Chen Ziyan asked.
The doctor said, "Reduce his workload, reduce the number of people and things he has to deal with every day. We can't keep letting him detach from reality and enter the performance world of other personalities while simultaneously making him a businessperson facing reality, calculating interpersonal relationships, interests, and gains and losses every day. An ordinary person would feel double the mental burden if they did two jobs a day, let alone someone as high-intensity as him who strives to do everything exceptionally well."
Chen Ziyan gasped.
The doctor's words struck her heart like a hammer blow.
Isn't this exactly Lu Yanhe's situation over the past two years, especially in the last year?
"They're out!" the assistant shouted.
Zhou Shuchun roared in a low voice, "Keep your voice down!"
The assistant slumped down immediately after being reprimanded by Zhou Shuchun.
Zhou Shuchun glared at him with exasperation, but his camera didn't stop; he took many photos.
Until their car drove away and disappeared.
The assistant asked, "Brother Chun, aren't we going to follow them?"
Zhou Shuchun took a deep breath. "You follow me. I'll go and see what this place is."
He got out of the car, crossed the road, and pretended to be a tourist. He took a few pictures of some of the surrounding buildings, as if he was simply interested in the place. He continued like this until he came to the front of a building whose interior was blocked by a large iron gate.
Unfortunately, there are no markings on this building, and from the outside, it's impossible to tell what this place is.
At this point, Zhou Shuchun even considered climbing over the wall to see what kind of place this was.
The more secretive a place is from the outside, and the less you can see what's going on inside, the more complicated it is. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so mysterious.
-
On the way back, Lu Yanhe felt inexplicably heavy-hearted.
Chen Ziyan didn't hide anything from him and had the doctor repeat what he had told her to Lu Yanhe verbatim.
Lu Yanhe initially refused to accept it, thinking it was too exaggerated. He himself had not felt any of these things, so how could he suddenly be in a situation where his stress level was off the charts and even affecting his nerves?
However, after the doctor finished speaking, Lu Yanhe had to accept that he might really... have a problem.
The atmosphere inside the car became somewhat somber for a moment.
No one spoke.
Zou Dong took over driving, and Wang Biao sat in the passenger seat.
Chen Ziyan turned to look at Lu Yanhe several times, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself that he should really make some choices. He had too many things to do. Every day he was like a man possessed, filming, going to school, writing scripts, working on projects, making phone calls and meeting with different people... Especially recently, as the director of "Love Letter", he had even more to manage. He had to meet with at least two groups of people and make no less than ten phone calls a day.
Did he never feel tired? Of course he did. But he always felt that being tired or exhausted was perfectly normal. As long as he gritted his teeth and got through this period, he could recover after a few days of rest.
Chen Ziyan suddenly said, "Yan He, 'Love Letter'..."
"Sister Ziyan, I will continue to work on 'Love Letter,' but I will try my best not to direct anymore," he said.
Lu Yanhe felt that he was under too much pressure recently because of his work directing the movie "Love Letter".
It requires both rationally handling all sorts of trivial and complex matters, and detaching oneself to aesthetically and emotionally consider how the film's story should be expressed. It's like someone having to design the traffic lights of an entire city to ensure smooth traffic flow, while also thinking about how to integrate those traffic lights into the city in a perfectly fitting way.
Not a second too early, not a second too late, the timing has to be just right—
Lu Yanhe felt that he might not be tired, but rather that he had put too many similar mental burdens and pressures on himself.
“It’s possible that the pressure from the company has also been put on you,” Chen Ziyan said. “Many of the tasks that should have been the producer’s responsibility have fallen on you because we invested in and controlled this film ourselves. Many tasks that were originally shared by others have all been assigned to you.”
Lu Yanhe said, "When I made the decision to make this film myself, I had to bear these consequences. We weren't professionals to begin with, so we could only learn as we went. But now I've been told that I overestimated myself."
Chen Ziyan nodded, "Whether or not it's true, as the doctor said, that you lost control of your expressions due to excessive pressure, at least the problem has been identified. Otherwise, if this continues, who knows what problems might arise. Let's forget about the movie 'Love Letter,' and we shouldn't let ourselves control the rest of the film."
"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.
-
Lu Yanhe returned to Ziyuan Bridge that evening.
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are still on set; filming has not yet wrapped.
He was still all alone.
However, the house is regularly cleaned, so even if you don't come back to live there for a long time, it remains as clean as ever.
After Lu Yanhe returned, he put his suitcase aside and went back to his room.
Finally, he was all alone.
Only then can he completely relax and reflect on the fact that he is under too much pressure.
Even at this point, a question would still occasionally pop into his head.
Is he really under too much pressure? Why doesn't he realize it himself?
However, he didn't realize it. Even when he was with his closest friends Chen Ziyan, Wang Biao, and Zou Dong, he couldn't completely relax. Only when he was truly alone could he begin to think about this matter without any distractions.
-
Lu Qingzhen was quite surprised when she suddenly received a call from Chen Ziyan.
When she rushed to the restaurant, she was incredulous to find that Chen Ziyan had already ordered a drink and was drinking it alone.
Lu Qingzhen and Chen Ziyan were too familiar with each other. Precisely because they were so familiar, Lu Qingzhen knew very well how abnormal Chen Ziyan's behavior was.
"What are you doing?" Lu Qingzhen asked incredulously, "You're drinking all by yourself."
Chen Ziyan was somewhat disheartened and said, "Qingzhen, I'm starting to doubt whether I can still be a good manager."
Lu Qingzhen never imagined that she would one day hear Chen Ziyan say those words.
"What's wrong with you?" Lu Qingzhen asked. "Weren't you doing a great job as an agent? Lu Yanhe's new film 'Rouge' received rave reviews from audiences at the Jose Film Festival. Lu Yanhe has developed so well under your management these past few years; he's already a leading figure among the younger generation."
Lu Qingzhen suddenly thought of something and asked, "You wouldn't be because of..." Chen Ziyan sighed heavily and said, "But I didn't even notice how much pressure Yan He was under."
"He...is under pressure?" Lu Qingzhen found it unbelievable. "What kind of pressure could he possibly be under?"
Chen Ziyan chuckled softly.
As expected, no one thought Lu Yanhe would feel any pressure.
In other people's eyes, he was riding high and riding fast, and he shouldn't have any pressure at all.
Chen Ziyan took a deep breath and told Lu Qingzhen about Lu Yanhe's diagnosis from the doctor.
Lu Qingzhen looked incredulous.
Lu Qingzhen: "How could that be?"
Chen Ziyan also wanted to ask, how could this be?
This was an outcome that no one could have imagined.
Lu Qingzhen said, "It's probably just that Yan He has been under too much pressure lately. He may be writing, directing, and starring in a work at the same time, and he also has to deal with other things. It is indeed a lot of pressure. But how can you be so self-deprecating, Ziyan?"
Chen Ziyan said, "I didn't even realize that my own artists were under too much pressure and were overly anxious."
"That's because Yan He really didn't show it at all. Didn't you say it yourself? He didn't even realize it himself."
Chen Ziyan did not speak.
Lu Qingzhen said, "Ziyan, you should know how much you care about Lu Yanhe. I can see it all. If even you haven't noticed Lu Yanhe's problems, then no one else will."
At that moment, both of their phones rang simultaneously.
-
That's all for tonight. I've had too much to drink and I'm feeling drowsy.
Regarding the points of contention, perhaps I didn't handle them well, but I didn't write them randomly; there were corresponding arrangements.
Once I come to my senses, I'll see if I can make it smoother and more natural.
I apologize for the poor reading experience.
(End of this chapter)
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