Chapter 514 Hi! (10,000-word update!)
Lu Yanhe rarely drank to this extent. When he woke up the next day, he was still dazed and couldn't wake up. He lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
After lying on the bed like a pancake for half an hour, he finally sat up like a ghost, put on his slippers listlessly, and walked out of the room like a walking corpse.
"Tsk tsk tsk tsk." Li Zhibai stood in front of the tea table, full of energy, holding a cup in his hand, seemingly about to drink water. When he saw Lu Yanhe come out, he immediately started making his usual sarcastic tsk sounds.
Lu Yanhe: What are you doing here?
Li Zhibai: "Why am I not here?"
"Don't you have work today?" Lu Yanhe found his voice was a little hoarse.
Li Zhibai: "It's canceled."
"Huh? It's canceled? Canceled at the last minute?"
"Yeah, the brand's chief designer was suddenly exposed for drug use, so today's brand event was canceled." Li Zhibai shrugged. "We're busy dealing with this now."
Lu Yanhe: "This is really..."
He yawned suddenly as he spoke.
"How much did you drink yesterday?" Li Zhibai asked.
"I don't know, I've forgotten how I got back," Lu Yanhe said.
"Zou Dong carried you up here, Dong-ge is really awesome," Li Zhibai said. "I opened the door for you, did you forget?"
"I have absolutely no recollection of it."
"So you drank yourself into oblivion?" Li Zhibai laughed.
"I don't have any blackouts, do I? I remember what happened on the way back in the car." Lu Yanhe thought carefully for a moment. "However, it seems that the last thing I remember is what happened in the car. I must have fallen asleep."
Li Zhibai: "Your alcohol tolerance has improved a little, but your overall level is still very poor. How dare you drink so much?"
“Last night was a time when drinking was a must,” Lu Yanhe sighed. “I won’t drink like that again.”
Li Zhibai said, "You should have invited Sister Ziyan with you yesterday. If she had been there, you wouldn't have gotten so drunk."
“I know, that’s why I specifically didn’t let Sister Ziyan come with me.” Lu Yanhe sighed. “If she had gone, in other people’s eyes, I would still be that young actor being protected by my agent. Last night, I had to act like a junior.”
"How come you've become so mature?" Li Zhibai exclaimed.
"I'm alright." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "Sigh, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. Standing for too long makes me even more dizzy. I need to eat something. I'm so hungry. I only drank yesterday and didn't eat much."
Li Zhibai: "I've kept some soup warm in the pressure cooker for you."
"Did you do this?" Lu Yanhe looked at Li Zhibai in surprise.
Li Zhibai: "Your wife knows you drank too much yesterday, so she had a restaurant cook some for you early this morning and sent it over to me so I can keep it warm for you when you wake up."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
He paused for a moment before realizing that Li Zhibai's casual remark about "your wife" referred to Chen Siqi.
Before this, no one had ever used this name to refer to Chen Siqi.
A warm feeling welled up from the bottom of Lu Yanhe's heart.
Lu Yanhe laughed.
"Look at the silly grin on your face," Li Zhibai retorted.
"It's so sour! Where's the sourness coming from?" Lu Yanhe's smile widened.
Ten minutes later, Li Zhibai sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table, drinking the same soup as Lu Yanhe, and let out a satisfied sigh.
“This soup is delicious.” Li Zhibai picked up his phone. “I’ll ask Chen Siqi which restaurant it is and have her send it to me.”
Lu Yanhe: "Then could you take a picture for me while you're at it?"
"Take photos? What kind of photos?" Li Zhibai asked, looking puzzled.
Lu Yanhe smiled happily and said, "Take a picture of me drinking soup and send it to Siqi."
All expressions vanished from Li Zhibai's face, leaving only one emotion—speechlessness.
Lu Yanhe made a peace sign.
"Hurry up," he urged.
Li Zhibai stared at Lu Yanhe with dead fish eyes for three seconds before reluctantly raising his phone.
-
Chen Siqi received a message from Li Zhibai. When she opened it, she saw Lu Yanhe with a satisfied and happy smile on his face, with a bowl of soup that was already half-eaten in front of him.
She even zoomed in on the photo before exiting and sending Li Zhibai the restaurant's name and contact information.
After sending Li Zhibai's message, Chen Siqi opened her chat window with Lu Yanhe.
She: How are you feeling?
Lu Yanhe quickly replied: I'm alright, I'm still a little dizzy, but it's very mild.
Chen Siqi: You should stay home and rest today. Don't go out. You don't have a job, right?
Lu Yanhe: That's all. I don't want to go out anymore. I'm just staying at home. What are you doing?
Chen Siqi: I'm packing my things and getting ready to go back to Yuming. I need to tidy up my dorm and my studio. I have so much stuff, and it's going to be a huge undertaking to move it all back to Yuming.
Lu Yanhe: Then I'll come and help.
Chen Siqi: Don't come and cause trouble. If you come, everyone will have to entertain you. We're all all dirty and don't have time to entertain you. Just wait for us at Yuming. We'll give you a welcome dinner. We'll arrive the day after tomorrow.
Lu Yanhe laughed and said okay.
-
Putting down his phone, Lu Yanhe asked, "Has Yan Liang been particularly busy lately?"
"He's very busy. 'The Gold Rush' has been a hit since March and is still quite popular. He's taken on a lot of commercials."
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was a little puzzled. Why were they taking on so many business deals?
Did Zhou Pingan answer the phone for him?
“No, Yan Liang himself also wanted to take on the business,” Li Zhibai said. “He doesn’t usually do much business, but this time many brands have taken the initiative to approach him, and Yan Liang wants to use this opportunity to improve his commercial value.”
"I see."
Li Zhibai: "Do you know how much we envy you now? You basically don't have any of these miscellaneous jobs anymore. We have to shoot magazines, do commercials, record programs every month... Of course, I quite like doing these things and making money easily, but sometimes I find it troublesome. It's like doing this and that all the time. I just wish I could sit down and do one thing quietly."
Lu Yanhe: "How's the preparation for your 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records' going?"
"It's alright, the script is almost finished with the first draft," Li Zhibai said. "The two of them have stopped fighting, so I don't have to play peacemaker for them anymore."
"That's good."
Li Zhibai: "Have you finished post-production on 'Love Letter'?"
"It's almost done." Lu Yanhe nodded. "It's almost finished, but there's still the background music and stuff to do, we're still waiting."
Li Zhibai: "There's so much to do."
“Yes, I think so too.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “So, being a director is not only a mental job, but also a physical job. No wonder people say that film is the director’s art. Everything has to be decided and approved by the director. To put it bluntly, the way a film is made is determined by the director.”
Li Zhibai: "So you're planning to have your film 'Love Letter' participate in the Jose Film Festival next year first, and then release it domestically?"
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded. "That's the initial plan, but I don't know if it will change later."
"Liu Bige also said that several film festivals contacted him, inviting 'Even Faking Death' to participate in their screenings," Li Zhibai said. "I only then realized that a very commercial film like 'Even Faking Death' could actually attract the attention of film festivals?"
“Actually, film festivals do have some commercial films, but because we usually only have art films shortlisted for film festivals in China, it has created the impression that international film festivals only have art films,” said Lu Yanhe. “Many film festivals, especially top-tier ones, will have some highly anticipated commercial blockbusters participating. Their artistic directors will even come to the film festival three times to see them, showing more sincerity than they would for a famous director’s film. Because the more prestigious the film festival, the more attention it needs.”
Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "It would be good if 'Even Faking Death' could go to a film festival. I believe that even if it is a commercial comedy, Liu Bige would definitely not make it too cliché."
Li Zhibai shrugged. "I haven't seen the finished product, so I don't know. But it's fine as it is. Anyway, it's already been filmed."
"Don't you have any more filming plans?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Li Zhibai shook his head: "One film, 'Nineteen Years,' and the 'Chinese Paladin' you're planning to film next year, that's it. Lin Suyang also said that I'm not in a hurry to take on any roles right now. I don't lack popularity or inventory. After 'Even Faking Death' is released, my market value will be much better. Both the scripts that come my way and the pay will be much better than it is now."
"The premise is that 'Even Faking Death' does well," Lu Yanhe said. "Of course, given Liu Bige's current status in the industry, no matter how the box office turns out, the industry will definitely pay close attention to this movie, after all, it's a new work by a big director."
Li Zhibai: "Well, the film industry now sees me as an idol actor. Not to mention the film industry, the drama industry sees me the same way. Of course, I can't blame anyone else. I did act in a lot of idol dramas before, but I haven't acted in many serious dramas."
"The Nineteen Years is a completely new attempt. If this drama can capture the style and content of the original work, it will definitely surprise everyone."
It is often said that the easiest way for an actor to transition to a new role is to play a villain well, so well that people forget their previous image. The greater the contrast, the more surprising it is.
Li Zhibai played such a villainous role in "Nineteen Years".
Li Zhibai: "However, I now feel that there's nothing wrong with acting in idol dramas."
“Of course it’s nothing,” Lu Yanhe said. “I really enjoyed your performance in ‘Washe.’ It’s rare to find a drama about love. I watched it from beginning to end, not because of your acting, but because I really liked the content. The subject matter was novel, the special effects were well done, and most importantly, it wasn’t cloying at all. I also recommended this drama to Tom White, and maybe HP will buy it later.”
If the production company "Washe" approached you, would you act in it?
“I’ll take the role.” Lu Yanhe said without hesitation and with certainty, “I just’ve never received such a good idol drama script before.”
Li Zhibai shook his head with a smile, "You should give up. If you act in an idol drama, your fans will probably all be shouting that you can't."
“There are too many things my fans say I can’t do. I don’t want to deliberately go against them, but I also don’t want to be their puppet,” Lu Yanhe said. “I always feel that although my current work really needs their support, I’m able to win their support now not because I’m good at pandering to them.”
"I can't imagine you acting in an idol drama with someone else right now," Li Zhibai said. "Actually, you've never acted in one before, have you?"
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "I've never acted in a proper idol drama, but I've always felt that my scene in 'The Golden Era' was actually an idol drama plot."
"You...you can really say that."
“Right, I’ve always thought so,” Lu Yanhe said. “Besides, the reason I received so much attention for ‘The Golden Era’ is because of the role itself. To be honest, it’s because the character I played fulfilled many girls’ longings for their boyfriends. The character was so good that they were emotionally invested in him and fell in love with him. I’ve always felt that no drama is necessarily high-class. Even ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ can be made into a stinking ditch. And no drama is necessarily superficial. ‘A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman’ is engraved on the monument of our traditional culture.”
Li Zhibai: "When can I borrow your mouth? Wow, if I were as eloquent as you, I would have swept the entire entertainment industry long ago."
Lu Yanhe smiled and lowered his head to drink his soup.
Just then, Li Zhibai's phone rang.
Someone called him.
"Hey, Director Lu Yao called me, I'll take this call." Li Zhibai got up and walked away first.
Lu Yao is the director of "Washe".
It's perfectly normal for directors you've worked with to call you.
In fact, if the collaboration goes well, directors and actors are often more likely to become good friends than actors themselves.
This is also a generalized principle of "opposites attract, like repels like".
Lu Yanhe finished his soup, then comfortably sprawled on the floor, resting his left hand on his stomach and holding up his phone with his right.
The entertainment industry remains lively.
Wu Zhouyou, the director of "The Gold Rush", is rumored to be dating a female celebrity.
The drama "The Flowing Light" will feature a romance between Yan Liang and Zhang Lan, a couple with an age gap – which has been heavily criticized by Yan Liang's fans.
Yan Liang's fans are making a fuss, thinking that he finally succeeded in his transformation with "The Gold Rush", so why is he going back to acting in ancient costume dramas?
It lowers one's social standing.
His fan leader had to explain everywhere that Yan Liang had signed a contract for the drama "The Flowing Light" before "The Gold Rush" aired, and that it was his first time starring in a period drama. The role was very suitable for him and was different from the typical male lead in period dramas. He asked everyone to look forward to it.
etc.
Lu Yanhe looked through all sorts of information and saw that Jiang Yuqian had been invited to participate in a charity event in the UK. The global popularity of "The Squid Game" made Jiang Yuqian's fame spread both domestically and internationally.
She is already a top-tier female celebrity in China, with status, experience, and youth. Now she has a representative role on the world stage, which has boosted her fame. With all the right timing, location, and people, she is probably the person who has benefited the most from the popularity of the drama "The Squid Game".
...
Lu Yanhe was scrolling through his phone when Li Zhibai returned after finishing his call.
Li Zhibai said, "Guess what Director Lu Yao said when she called me?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head. "How would I know? She wants you to act in her new project?"
Li Zhibai shook his head, "No, that's not right. Actually, it's true. HP bought the overseas distribution rights for 'Washa' and it will be available on HP just like 'The Gold Rush'. She asked me if I would be willing to return if she were to make a second season."
Lu Yanhe: "Oh! Congratulations!"
It seems that the success of "The Gold Rush" gave Tom White more confidence in "Washa," which Lu Yanhe had recommended at the time.
In fact, "The Gold Rush" was far from being a global sensation.
However, HP did not have high expectations for it. As long as it could maintain a position in the top seven in the Asian broadcast market and viewership rankings for a month in a row, and even reached the second place at its best, HP was satisfied enough.
The series was sold for only $12 million, a fraction of the purchase price of other top-tier HP series—they're not even in the same league. So, just like some movies that only gross tens of millions of dollars but still achieve global fame—because their production cost is only one or two million dollars, achieving box office success with a "small investment, big return" approach—"The Gold Rush" is another example of this success.
Of course, Gold Rush has only been online on HP for less than two months now, so it's still uncertain how it will perform and whether it can maintain its long-tail effect. Not to mention, Gold Rush is going to have a sequel, and with the release of the sequel, the lifeline and value of this IP may see even greater growth.
In short, its success proves one thing—well-made Chinese-language dramas can be just as popular with overseas audiences.
“The audience reach of ‘Washe’ may not be as wide as that of ‘The Gold Rush’ because it is, after all, a fantasy romance drama. But who knows, after all, Korean dramas have established a very solid market in Asia,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, Chinese contemporary idol dramas are also very popular in Southeast Asia.”
The influence of modern and historical dramas in Southeast Asia is almost the only overseas achievement that Chinese-language dramas can be proud of.
Li Zhibai: "We'll see. I don't know how HP will arrange it, but it seems they will follow the model of 'The Gold Rush' and organize us, the main actors, to do some promotion together."
Publicity is, of course, necessary.
Even so, HP would have to pay extra for the promotional activities—after all, such promotional work was not written into Li Zhibai and the others' performance contracts, and they were not obligated to cooperate. If HP needed their cooperation, it would require further negotiation.
"HP is quite generous. As long as they think the money is worthwhile, they will pay it. They won't be stingy. In this respect, Maxine is not as good as HP."
"Haha." Li Zhi asked, "Do you know how many times you've said something like this?"
"Huh? Did I tell you that too?"
“You’ve said that to me at least three times,” Li Zhibai said. “How stingy must Maxine be to make you so resentful?”
“Actually, he wasn’t stingy with me, and he spent a lot of money on me, but their style made me feel like they were stingy.” Lu Yanhe said frankly, “To be honest, I earned much more money at Maxine than at HP, but they gave me the opposite feeling.”
Li Zhibai: "It just shows that Tom White has an art of dealing with people."
Lu Yanhe: "His style of doing things is indeed worth learning from."
Li Zhibai: "However, I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems that more and more domestic dramas are trying to become series."
“Indeed,” Lu Yanhe said. “Let’s forget about ‘Washe’. There was no initial plan to make a sequel. But I know that ‘The Gold Rush’ was conceived from the beginning. We just had to see how well the first season went. If it did well, we’d continue. Look at my ‘The Seventeen Floors’ too. They were planning to create the script as a trilogy from the start.”
“Actually, I think it’s all because everyone saw the benefits brought by the Friends sequel,” Li Zhibai said. “I heard that even though the ratings and word-of-mouth of the second season were not as good as your first season, its final profit was almost double that of the first season. The same was true for the third season. If the ratings hadn’t dropped so badly later and sponsors hadn’t withdrawn their advertisements, its pre-broadcast advertising revenue would still have been among the top three this year. A hit series is a money tree.”
Before a TV series or movie airs, no one knows whether it will be a hit. However, the sequel to a wildly popular show is always highly anticipated, and its initial performance is almost guaranteed to be strong. This is why sequels to hit shows often attract incredibly high advertisers—sometimes, looking back, even though the first season was more popular, had better broadcasting, and more viewers, it just didn't earn as much as the second season. That's because the value demonstrated in the first season, and the advance payments received from advertisers, are all absorbed by the second season.
Why didn't China produce TV series in the past? The reasons are too complicated.
But now everyone is very simple-minded—if you can make money, why not? The current environment is too simple. If a drama doesn't become popular, it's a flop. If a drama flops, you can't make money. If you can't make money, it's a losing proposition.
This is no longer the era when a bad drama could still rely on personal connections and manipulation to make a group of people live a life of luxury.
-
The news that "Washa" has also been acquired by HP and will be available on HP has also been reported by domestic media.
This time, given Tom White's previous statement that "Lu Yanhe recommended another work to me," everyone knows without asking that "Washa" is definitely this one.
"I'm really speechless. Lu Yanhe doesn't care about other people's opinions at all. He's just promoting his own dramas because of his relatives."
"Why can't someone promote a show based on their own connections? It's their own network of relationships. Why would they promote someone they don't even know?" The person who said this was laughed at.
"Now that he's in this position and has the ability to promote Chinese-language dramas to overseas streaming media, he certainly has the responsibility and obligation to do things on a larger scale."
"Wow, you can actually say something like that?"
...
At this summer TV drama exchange conference, industry professionals from all over the country gathered together, and coincidentally, the topic of "Washe" came up, so naturally, it became the theme of the conference.
“However, I think Mr. Guo was right about one thing: Yan He’s current position can actually help our industry and all of us,” another person said. “Of course, we can’t expect him to help us for no reason. To be honest, why should we ask him to help us for no reason? There’s no reason for that. But we can have a good talk with Yan He about how to use his influence and his channels to help promote our good dramas.”
"That's what they say, but have you seen anyone succeed? You can't even see them."
"He—"
"I heard that he was invited to today's conference, but he didn't come."
"They don't even want to play with you." Mr. Guo curled his lip. "To be frank, I admit my thinking is selfish, but tell me, who among you wouldn't want to hitch a ride with him?"
"What if they refuse to take you? How will you get a ride?"
"So we have to think of a way. We can't just keep walking around like this because they refuse to take us, right? Otherwise, we won't even get a sip of soup, and we'll just leave you with a bare bowl."
...
Lei Shuangcheng, the producer of "The Golden Era," walked past them and overheard their conversation.
These complaints only elicited a knowing smile from him.
Lei Shuangcheng and Lu Yanhe only collaborated once on "The Golden Era". However, because of Luo Yuzhong, he maintained contact with Lu Yanhe. When Lu Yanhe directed "Love Letter", Lei Shuangcheng even lent his assistant Zhao Yuheng, whom he had trained for several years, to Lu Yanhe as a producer.
Of course, this is also a very good opportunity for Zhao Yuheng.
Otherwise, how could he have taken charge of a project and become an executive producer so quickly?
Lei Shuangcheng didn't care about these words at all.
In this industry, there are always many people who can say things that make you feel like they have no shame whatsoever.
Of course, even he was tempted by the energy that Lu Yanhe displayed.
Lei Shuangcheng came here this time to promote his new project and find buyers.
Although he has collaborated with Luo Yuzhong for many years, he also works on other projects. This time, he brought a more experimental project, a soft science fiction slice-of-life drama called "Future Life." It features a new director, a new screenwriter, and the only well-known actor is Zhen Hongyu; the rest are relatively unknown actors.
He produced this drama for only 9.2 million yuan, half of which was Zhen Hongyu's salary—she received a huge discount to take on the role at that salary, on the condition that she would receive 3% of the drama's profits.
Without Zhen Hongyu, this drama would basically not sell. So, this condition is certainly not harsh.
Even with Zhen Hongyu, Lei Shuangcheng still struggled to find an ideal buyer. The drama wasn't overly commercialized—it's actually about a woman who uses a phone that allows her to communicate with her future self to change how she faces life.
The story is obviously niche, and even if it resonates with some popular "women's life issues" at the moment, it is almost impossible for it to become a big hit.
Why did Lei Shuangcheng make this show? As a producer of such caliber, he certainly doesn't need such a small project.
He wanted to sign the director of this drama to his company, so this was a small gift to her. She wanted to act, so he supported her. She's talented; it's just that the subject matter and script weren't commercially viable.
Lei Shuangcheng talked to everyone at the conference, including video platforms and TV stations, but as expected, the audience's interest in the show wasn't very high.
Zhen Hongyu isn't a currently popular actress, unlike the rising stars Jiang Yuqian and Zhang Lan. There aren't any other well-known actresses either. The director and screenwriter are both newcomers. No matter how eloquently you present this project, people will only listen to you ramble on because of Lei Shuangcheng's influence.
Those willing to buy are only willing to offer a price that Lei Shuangcheng is unwilling to accept.
Suddenly, Lu Yanhe came to Lei Shuangcheng's mind.
It's nothing else.
Perhaps Lu Yanhe will like this drama? Perhaps he will think it's a good drama?
If Lu Yanhe says this drama is good, will it attract the attention of other people?
Lei Shuangcheng would never have thought that someone could have such power before.
Even if a renowned director like Gong Jiang says a film is great and recommends it to everyone, it may not necessarily translate into many effective viewers, let alone others.
However, Lu Yanhe's image in the industry in the past year or two has been too bizarre. Not only has he never lost a game, but he has also become more and more "mythical," giving people the impression that he can "turn words into gold," "have a keen eye for detail," and "turn stones into gold."
This time, HP acquired both "The Gold Rush" and "Washa" in succession, making him the only one to do so.
If we can get Lu Yanhe to endorse "Future Life", will it really make a difference?
Therefore, Lei Shuangcheng set his sights on Lu Yanhe.
-
Welcome everyone to Yuming!
Lu Yanhe raised his glass to welcome the large group of over fifty people from the "Jump Up" performance.
Except for a small number of members who stayed at the Jiangguang branch, the entire "Jump Up" team came to Yuming and will work in the editorial department here from now on.
Lu Yanhe's cup contained juice.
He didn't plan to drink tonight.
"Tonight we have prepared eight big prizes for everyone. All the prizes are paid for by Siqi and me out of our own pockets. I can't reveal what they are in advance, but I want to say that it is well worth it for everyone to win our eight games tonight with the most high spirits."
Lu Yanhe, holding the microphone, said, "Friends, just tell me, do you want to have fun tonight?!"
Everyone shouted, "Yes—"
Lu Yanhe: "Okay, the former editor-in-chief and the family representative have finished speaking. Now it's up to your female boss!"
He smiled and handed the microphone to Chen Siqi, picked up the phone that had been vibrating for a while, and whispered in Chen Siqi's ear, "Lei Shuangcheng called me, I have to answer it, I'll be right back."
Chen Siqi took the microphone, nodded, and gestured for him to go ahead.
Lu Yanhe walked out of the banquet hall to answer the phone in the corridor.
Zou Dong followed him out and stood about two meters away, looking around and habitually checking the surrounding environment.
"Brother Lei, what are your instructions?" Lu Yanhe answered the phone and asked with a smile.
Lei Shuangcheng: "I wouldn't dare give instructions, but I have a small favor I'd like to ask you for."
"Please speak."
“I made a TV series, it’s not very commercial, and it’s not doing so well right now, but it’s definitely a good show. I’d like to ask you to recommend it to me,” Lei Shuangcheng said. “I’ll send you the DVDs. If you think the quality isn’t good and don’t want to promote it, then forget it and pretend I never mentioned it. But if you think it’s good enough for you and are willing to endorse it with your name, then I’ll use you as a figurehead to generate some buzz.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe replied, "Sure, when will you give it to me? I'm free these days."
Are you in Yuming right now?
“Yes, but I’m not home. Yu Ming from the editorial department of ‘Jump Up’ came over today, and we’re having a housewarming party together,” Lu Yanhe said. “At the Asian Games Hotel.”
Lei Shuangcheng: "The Asian Championships? The one on Wusong Road?"
"right."
Lei Shuangcheng said, "I live nearby, it's a 20-minute drive. You don't mind if I come and join in the fun, do you?"
“Of course I don’t mind,” Lu Yanhe said. “Welcome to our company, Jump Up. We’ve been promoting all the novels we’ve licensed. With a producer as talented as you here today, our team won’t let you go easily.”
Lei Shuangcheng laughed heartily.
"You bunch of youngsters, you think you can hold me off? Wait, I'll be right there!"
Lu Yanhe sent the address to Lei Shuangcheng, and then said to Zou Dong, "Brother Dong, tell Wang Biao to come to the door to pick up President Lei Shuangcheng in ten minutes."
Zou Dong nodded.
When Lu Yanhe returned to the meeting room after receiving the call, everyone had already started the first game.
This game is very cheesy, but also very classic: musical chairs.
Fifty people are first divided into three groups to determine the top five in each group, and then they will compete in the final round, eliminating people one by one.
The game itself generated a constant stream of exclamations, screams, and other lively noises from the audience.
Games don't need to be complicated; as long as everyone can immerse themselves in them and enjoy that brief, pure joy, that's enough.
Chen Siqi is the host.
Lu Yanhe simply became the photographer and took pictures of everyone from the side.
The first game lasted for about twenty minutes before it ended.
The winner was surprisingly Li Bi's assistant, Liu Wenwen. No one expected it.
Liu Wenwen burst into laughter, delivering her acceptance speech, saying, "Thanks to my brother Bi for honing my ability to snag the best spot in a crowd. You noobs, how could you possibly compare to me, hahahahahaha—"
Everyone was clearly familiar with Liu Wenwen, and his way of speaking earned him unanimous boos.
Li Bi covered his face speechlessly and said, "This is so embarrassing! This guy actually had the audacity to say that he was my assistant and that I trained him!"
The prize is a brand-new high-performance laptop, with a market value of 23,000 yuan, which is considered top-of-the-line among laptops.
Liu Wenwen grinned foolishly as she accepted the prize from Chen Siqi.
Chen Siqi said with a smile, "Congratulations to Liu Wenwen for winning the laptop, the least valuable of the eight prizes!"
Liu Wenwen's joy suddenly vanished. "What? The lowest value one?"
Chen Siqi said, "Let me emphasize again, this person obviously didn't listen carefully just now. There are eight games in our series, and the prizes become more valuable as you progress. So don't be discouraged if you don't win anything. The further you go, the more likely you are to win the grand prize!"
The entire stadium erupted in cheers that seemed to lift the ceiling off.
When Lei Shuangcheng came in, this was the scene he encountered.
He was extremely surprised.
He has participated in many company events and annual meetings.
It was just a small banquet hall, without LED lights or screens, and without any song or dance performances, but the atmosphere was obviously great.
In particular, it is quite evident that the harmonious relationships between everyone are extremely rare.
Lei Shuangcheng hadn't expected that the team behind "Jump Up" would have such a great internal atmosphere.
"Wait, let me see who's here?!" Lu Yanhe had already received the message from Wang Biao and was holding the microphone. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he cut in, "Isn't that Lei Shuangcheng, the producer of my first film, 'The Golden Era'?"
Everyone followed Lu Yanhe's gaze.
Lei Shuangcheng was caught off guard by being called out by name. Even though he had seen a lot, he was still somewhat taken aback at this moment.
He was roused by the crowd and led to the front.
Lu Yanhe said, "Colleagues in the copyright operation department, Mr. Lei just told me on the phone that he is not afraid of us young newbies, and he looks down on us."
Lei Shuangcheng looked shocked and quickly said, "I didn't say anything like that, Yan He, you can't exaggerate!"
"You've already made the dumplings, and you won't even let me add my own touches? That's not fair."
After speaking to Lei Shuangcheng with a smile, Lu Yanhe turned to everyone and said, "Today, we have to show President Lei how powerful our 'Jump Up' magazine is. The novels that can be published in our 'Jump Up' magazine are the best novels. If we can't make President Lei realize the value of our novels when they are adapted into film and television dramas, then we haven't done our job well. So, President Lei, you can't leave before the game is over today."
Lei Shuangcheng was taken aback, thinking that Lu Yanhe was going to call his men to deal with him.
This kind of process is nothing new to him.
Drinking? He drank with so many people all by himself? Lu Yanhe, have you no shame?
Looks like I won't be able to go home properly today.
As Lei Shuangcheng was thinking this, he suddenly heard Lu Yanhe continue, "Everyone, we still have seven games to go. President Lei said he's not afraid of us young people, so let's see who he is. President Lei, there are prizes for the games here, so shouldn't you give us something extra?"
"What the hell? I'm a guest and you want me to add extra?" Lei Shuangcheng laughed.
"We can't let you have a chance to win our big prize, we can't let us get any benefits at all," Lu Yanhe said.
Lei Shuangcheng: "Tell me, what kind of extra do you want?"
Lu Yanhe said, "If you haven't won a single game, you should give a lecture to our colleagues in the copyright operation department. It can't be a lecture full of platitudes; we need practical information."
Lei Shuangcheng was both amused and exasperated: "Are you waiting for me here?"
Lu Yanhe: "You wouldn't refuse to give me even this small bonus, would you?"
“I’m already here, how could I not give it to you?” Lei Shuangcheng laughed.
Lu Yanhe smiled with satisfaction.
“Alright, I’ll add my two cents too. Friends, if you can beat Boss Lei in all seven games, I’ll treat you to afternoon tea for the next month!” Lu Yanhe said generously. “Everyone gets a share, so can you promise me you’ll take him down!”
Everyone burst into laughter and shouted in unison, "Come on!"
Even a burly man like Lei Shuangcheng was made to shudder by that single word, "Damn it!"
Depend on!
He never expected this to happen before he came here tonight!
Lu Yanhe said to Chen Siqi with some pride, "Don't you think I actually have a talent for being a host?"
Chen Siqi laughed and said, "I think you're like you've been injected with chicken blood tonight."
Lu Yanhe: "I was a little too hyped up tonight."
At this moment, Wang Biao said quietly, "Brother Lu, you've been humming a song since you woke up this morning."
He said to Chen Siqi, "Siqi, Brother Lu wasn't just having a blast tonight, he was having a blast all day, especially on the way to pick you up from the airport."
-
I'd like to continue recommending my old book, "I Became the Scandalous Woman Overnight," which went from 7 initial subscriptions to over 1,000 average subscriptions per day.
(End of this chapter)
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