Chapter 538 A New Chapter (10,000 words update!)
“In this scene, I want to remove the line ‘What the hell?’ and replace it with an emoji to express the meaning. I think it will be more effective.”
Wen Minglan offered a suggestion for one of her lines and immediately gave the expression she had anticipated.
Indeed, when she made that "what the heck?" expression, the shock and disbelief were more effective than if she had said it aloud.
Lu Yanhe, sitting opposite him, laughed.
“If this line is cut, it will be difficult for Yin Xincheng to follow up with his next line,” Yan Liang suggested. “His next line is to explain why he suddenly became a father.”
Wen Minglan pondered for a moment.
Lu Yanhe suddenly thought of something and said, "Let's just change this whole section."
"Change it?" Everyone looked at Lu Yanhe in shock.
“When I was writing the script, I also felt that the portrayal of everyone’s reactions in this part was not powerful enough. At the time, I thought that everyone could make up for it through their performances, but Minglan’s opinion just now made me realize that it is actually a matter of pacing.”
As Lu Yanhe spoke, he said, "First of all, this is the first episode of our comeback season. Dropping such a bombshell right off the bat will only shock the audience more than we are. Of course, we also have to thank the third season for messing up your relationships. So, the fact that Xincheng is going to become a father isn't too sudden."
In Friends, a very important plot point is that Wen Fan, played by Yin Xincheng, becomes a father unexpectedly. His girlfriend, with whom he had a one-night stand, suddenly reappears and tells him that she is pregnant. In this season, this event is the core plot line of Wen Fan's character.
The reason Lu Yanhe retained this setting in this storyline is because he liked the original Friends. In this storyline, every immature person tried their best to think about problems maturely and take responsibility, showing the shining points of each character.
Of course, the fact that his girlfriend is a lesbian couldn't be included, so it was removed. In this script, Lu Yanhe portrayed Wen Fan, his pregnant girlfriend who was unwilling to marry him, as a very hardworking and independent woman.
They will raise the child together without getting married.
This will still be a relatively serious and heavy topic compared to sitcoms, but Lu Yanhe has, as always, handled it in a comedic way. He downplays the conflicts and focuses on the contradictions, troubles, and problems to create different comedic effects, ultimately leading them to reach a consensus and solve each problem one by one.
This also means that in this season, Wen Fan, played by Yin Xincheng, has become the core character among the six of them.
Of course, in terms of screen time, the six people were all roughly equal, with no one having significantly more screen time than the others.
“Three reactions are needed.” Lu Yanhe proposed his solution: “After Xincheng comes in, announce that he might be going to be a father. We’ll all be talking about our own things, laughing and joking, and ignoring him completely. At this time, Minglan, you should still glance at him and then complain that he’s dressed too unfashionably.”
"At this point, Xincheng would emphasize, somewhat dejectedly, that he was going to be a father. At that moment, our lively conversation would pause for a second, and we would all stare at him. Then, the next second, we would realize we didn't believe him at all and would resume our joking and laughing as before."
“Xincheng became even more anxious at this point. When he saw that we didn’t believe him, his anxiety exploded. He emphasized for the third time that he was going to be a father! He questioned why we didn’t care at all about what he was saying,” Lu Yanhe said. “At this point, we all really listened to what he was saying. It was like a pot had exploded. Everyone’s face looked like they had seen a ghost.”
Lu Yanhe said, "If we do this three times, we'll have achieved the desired shock effect."
“From disbelief at the beginning to what the hell later.” Wen Minglan nodded. “That’s good. There’s a transition. Otherwise, I think the reaction is too fast, and it’s really hard to get into the emotions.”
“Yes,” Yan Liang nodded, “it works well.”
Lu Yanhe, holding his laptop, said, "You guys take a break. Wait for me for ten minutes, I'll revise the script."
He was very quick; he immediately typed out a passage based on what he had just said.
They printed the papers on-site and distributed them to everyone.
Then, based on each person's word choice, make minor adjustments to the sentences.
...
Looking at the scene before him, Bai Jingnian turned to Hu Siwei and smiled, whispering, "Directing this drama couldn't be easier. I don't have to worry about anything; they've taken care of everything."
“How great, how convenient!” Hu Siwei laughed and said, “Look at them, when they were filming the first season, they didn’t even know what a sitcom was, but now they all know it like the back of their hand. They are very familiar with their roles and the rhythm. You just need to control the rhythm on set.”
Bai Jingnian nodded.
“Sometimes you have to admit that the same story can be written differently by different screenwriters,” Bai Jingnian said. “The plot of a young man becoming a father is written by Lu Yanhe in a way that doesn’t feel melodramatic. I’m really impressed. When I first heard you tell me that there was such a plot in Friends, I was worried that it would be too melodramatic.”
"As I said before, the audience's summary is spot on. When Yan He wrote 'Friends,' he never used melodrama as the main plot, but only as a starting point. The core is the reaction of each character in this melodramatic event. That is the essence of sitcoms. Unlike Gao Bohua, it all became about the characters messing around and fighting. At first, I didn't know how Lu Yan He was going to get it right. Fortunately, he is really smart. He didn't try to get it right at all. He just used his own character's return to force all the characters back on track."
In the first episode of Friends, Lu Yanhe's character returns. Everyone is worried that Lu Yanhe will find out how much has changed since he left. So, each character gets one minute, for a total of five minutes, as they quickly resolve the "grudges" left over from the previous season. Then, they reunite at the station as Lu Yanhe was when he left, to welcome him back.
This opening design impressed Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian, who gave it a thumbs up.
It was well-reasoned, logical, and decisive, bidding farewell to the nightmarish third season.
Then, in the second episode, the plotline of Wen Fan becoming a father was used to prevent these characters from completely disconnecting from the second and third seasons—well, it still left a very deep and far-reaching impact.
From the platform to the main creators, everyone is very satisfied with the arrangement of this plot.
To put it bluntly, Lu Yanhe wasn't trying to devise a perfectly logical explanation to make this story work.
Everyone knows that the third season of this story was already a disaster, and it couldn't be salvaged.
Therefore, it was enough that Lu Yanhe could provide a suitable reason for the show to be shut down after only five minutes of airing, allowing these people to start a new story.
Lu Yanhe further developed this storyline, making it one of the main storylines of the season. This not only reunited the six characters but also forced them to face new changes, which is almost a remarkable attempt at "continuing the story".
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, he really wasn't writing a sequel.
Because the original version already had the plot of "Rose becoming a father unexpectedly".
This is also a very crucial plot point.
However, its use here happens to solve some lingering problems.
-
We did script readings and rehearsals together, and filming officially started on Thursday.
Lu Yanhe was very glad that he hadn't chosen to squeeze in time to film three episodes a week.
If time had been tight, the creation of this drama might not have been changed to the way it is now.
Judging from the footage taken on site, the effect is indeed much better.
The first two episodes were filmed this week, and the show will officially premiere next Friday and Saturday.
On Friday evening, after filming wrapped up, Hu Siwei invited everyone to have dinner and a drink together.
"The filming went much more smoothly than expected." Hu Siwei laughed heartily at the dinner table. "It's still about the right people doing the right things. I really didn't expect that we would all be able to get together again. It's wonderful. Thank you all for being able to gather here together again three years later."
"cheers!"
Everyone's face was full of smiles.
Yin Xincheng was especially excited.
“I really thought our show was doomed.” His eyes were red. “The day the third season ended, I dragged my friends out drinking and we drank all night. I felt terrible. Do you understand how I felt? This was my first show, and Wen Fan was the first character I ever played. And in the third season, they ruined it like that. Siwei, you know how many times I argued with them about my character? They wrote Wen Fan as a playboy who messed around everywhere. I disagreed, but they didn’t care about my opinion at all.”
Yan Liang put his arm around Yin Xincheng's shoulder and said, "It's okay, it's all in the past now. Look, we're all back on track. 'Friends,' what a great name, it really is 'Friends.'"
Zhan Yun also smiled very happily.
Looking at the smile on her face, that silly, girly smile, Lu Yanhe really did resemble Jennifer Aniston quite a bit.
At the time, it was because of her smile that Lu Yanhe decided to cast her as Li Lili.
It's true, after several years, going around in circles, and finally reuniting here, the situation is completely different from when we first met.
"No matter what, I believe this drama will become a representative work for each of us; it is unique," Lu Yanhe said. "Let's work together to film this drama season after season, and it will become a memory of an era."
“Okay, but this time you can’t leave halfway through.” Yin Xincheng was really drunk. He stood up, came behind Lu Yanhe, leaned on his back, hooked his arms around his neck, and whispered in his ear, “You are Friends… no, Friends, it’s called Friends now. You are the key reason why each of us came back without hesitation after experiencing the trauma of the third season.”
Lu Yanhe patted him with a smile and said, "I know, it won't happen again this time."
This time, the contract he signed with the production team has given him firm control, ensuring that things won't turn out the way they did before.
Yin Xincheng stood up, swayed a couple of steps, and Lu Yanhe thought he was about to fall, but he went behind Bai Jingnian and leaned on him.
"Director, you're not allowed to leave again. You don't know that Gao Bohua, he's a complete idiot," Yin Xincheng shouted.
When Lu Yanhe saw Yin Xincheng like this, he knew that he must have drunk too much.
He stood up with a smile and helped Yin Xincheng up from the director.
"Xincheng, aren't you worried that you're so strong you might break the director's shoulder?"
Yin Xincheng was startled and straightened up.
"I'm sorry, director!"
Bai Jingnian also stood up with a smile and patted Yin Xincheng's face.
"Don't worry, I'm not leaving either."
Yin Xincheng smiled happily.
Bai Jin had taken out his phone at some point and was recording a video.
Zhan Yun and Wen Minglan huddled together beside her, watching the footage recorded on her phone and bursting into laughter.
-
"But you probably don't know this, do you?"
During a break, Lu Yanhe and Zhan Yun bumped into each other at the bathroom door, and Zhan Yun asked with a smile.
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised. "What should I know?"
Zhan Yun: "Before Yin Xincheng came to film 'Friends,' he had a very unpleasant falling out with his agent. His agency had suspended his work for almost two months."
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but frown.
"why is that?"
"They wanted to take away Yin Xincheng's social media account passwords and also wanted Yin Xincheng to break up with his girlfriend."
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was shocked. "What era is this? How can such a thing still happen?"
"It's not about keeping him single; it's because they wanted Yin Xincheng to appear on a dating reality show. To be on a dating reality show, you have to be single. The production team offered a high price, and the agent was very interested, so they had Yin Xincheng break up with his girlfriend first, and then get back together after the show." Zhan Yun laughed, "Have you never heard of such a thing before? Amazing!"
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Indeed, it's breathtaking."
"The third season of Friends was a huge flop, and everyone thought there wouldn't be a sequel. Xincheng was acting in other shows, but he didn't make much of a splash. So, his agency wanted to make money while he still had some fame and popularity." Zhan Yun sighed softly. "Your return to reboot Friends means a lot to Xincheng. He almost retired from the entertainment industry."
Lu Yanhe frowned.
"Such a big thing happened, why didn't he tell us? Did he only tell you?"
Lu Yanhe was certain that Yin Xincheng hadn't told Yan Liang and Wen Minglan either; otherwise, they would have.
Zhan Yun: "He didn't tell me; it was his girlfriend who told me. She's a friend of mine, and that's how I found out about the pressure he was facing recently. He's so similar to Wen Fan in personality—gentle and honest. Even when faced with this kind of situation, he didn't think to seek our help."
Although Yan Liang and Wen Minglan both gained further popularity through other dramas outside of this series, the most beloved character in "Friends" was actually Li Lili, played by Zhan Yun. Zhan Yun was also the actress who benefited the most from this drama.
The other dramas she starred in over the past few years have all performed quite well. Even if none reached the heights of "Friends," they all had decent viewership and were considered effective broadcasts. Additionally, she had supporting roles in two major commercial films, both of which achieved good box office results. Although her roles were small, she was still a named leading lady, and it was impossible to overlook her when calculating box office figures.
Zhan Yun meant that if Yin Xincheng needed help, he could ask anyone for assistance and they would be able to help him.
Lu Yanhe was pleased to see the cast of "Friends" united.
He asked, "Has his conflict with his agency been resolved?"
"After we found out that Friends was getting a reboot and we were all back, his agency immediately changed his agent and apologized to him, saying that it was all the fault of his previous agent and that the company was unaware of the situation." Zhan Yun shrugged speechlessly. "Now you know how ridiculous this whole thing is."
The salary that Yoon Shin-sung received for "Friends" exceeded eight figures for one season, not counting the two episodes that Lu Yanhe was going to join. It was incomparable to that of the dating reality show.
This is the salary a hit TV series and its lead actor can receive.
Of course, if he left the show "Friends", Yoon Shin-sung's salary would be reduced by a zero.
This is similar to how some actors can only receive extremely high salaries when acting in a certain type of film. For other types and genres, their salaries are not just halved, but reduced by a whole zero.
Therefore, Yin Xincheng quickly became the darling of his agency.
As long as the show's influence remains, the lead actor in a hit series can bring considerable revenue to the company.
The reason why Yin Xincheng was suspended from work for two months due to non-cooperation was that, under the circumstances at the time, his suspension would not have caused any loss to the company.
Lu Yanhe said, "When the contract expires, I think Yin Xincheng should terminate his contract with his company and find another one."
Zhan Yun nodded.
"And you? I heard you've taken on another romantic comedy film?"
“Yes, ‘Thirty Days,’ a remake of a Korean film,” Zhan Yun said. “I think it’s a type of film that suits me well.”
Zhan Yun herself has the kind of sweet and beautiful temperament that is a little bit naive.
She is indeed suited for romantic comedies.
Looking at the smile on her face and the name "Thirty Days," a movie suddenly popped into Lu Yanhe's mind.
Oh, how could he forget about this movie?!
"Love is Not Blind" is a dark horse hit and Bai Jie's breakthrough work.
There are very few classic romantic comedies or chick flicks in Chinese cinema, but "Love is Not Blind" is definitely a pinnacle of the genre.
It has set a benchmark on this track, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Please have Zhan Yun play the role?
Not really.
Huang Xiaoxian's spirited and energetic personality is something that a naive and sweet girl couldn't portray.
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized that this movie would actually be perfect for Jiang Yuqian to star in.
Standing opposite Lu Yanhe, Zhan Yun looked at Lu Yanhe's suddenly shining eyes and vaguely felt that something she could have obtained no longer belonged to her.
-
After completing the first week of filming, the cast of Friends breathed a sigh of relief.
The post-production editing of this series was actually quite simple and didn't require much effort.
Over the weekend, Bai Jingnian and Hu Siwei, along with the editor, spent the entire time in the editing room editing out the first and second episodes.
It still has the same style and tone as the first season.
Hu Siwei took a selfie with everyone in the server room and posted it on his social media:
The first and second episodes of Friends have been edited. See you next week!
-
“Your method of filming and broadcasting simultaneously is really cool,” Huang Kairen said to Lu Yanhe over the phone. “I heard that your scripts are even being adjusted at any time.”
“Yes,” Lu Yanhe said. “That’s how sitcoms are. Everything depends on the final effect on set. Sometimes, no matter how well I write a script, it just doesn’t feel right when it’s performed, and I have to make changes on the spot. We are very fortunate here because everyone is very familiar with the style of the show and their own roles. When we sit together, we can come up with a lot of good ideas.”
Huang Kairen: "I'm really looking forward to seeing the reboot of 'Friends.' I hope my hotel room can receive Yuehu TV. Oh! Yan He, believe me, many people are complaining about why, in this internet age, you still insist on having such a highly anticipated TV series exclusively broadcast on television, giving the station a 24-hour exclusive window."
Lu Yanhe: "The official explanation is to maintain the excellent tradition of the first season. In reality, firstly, the copyright of this drama was acquired by Yuehu TV, and we had to give Yuehu TV this window of opportunity. Secondly... to be honest, nowadays, one can do everything online by oneself, but the opportunity to sit on the sofa and watch TV with the whole family seems to be getting less and less. Of course, I'm not trying to promote family relationships; I just want to take on a challenge. Let's see if, in this era of declining television stations, our drama's ratings can recreate the glory of the first season."
Huang Kairen: "Okay, you have the right to say that."
Lu Yanhe: "Actually, there's one more thing."
"Um?"
"Friends has a fast pace, and I hope everyone can stay focused on the show. Also, the internet now offers so many choices: bullet comments, speed up, fast forward... I'm not saying these choices are bad, but at least for Friends, I hope everyone can watch the show simply and purely."
Huang Kairen laughed.
"That's a characteristic of television."
"Brother Huang, how's the filming of your movie 'A Shot in the Dark' going?"
"Filming is almost finished," Huang Kairen said. "Judging from the filming situation on set, I'm really looking forward to this movie. Everyone is very serious. Just like you said, everyone can see that if this movie is well-made, it will be a very dark and humorous crime film."
Lu Yanhe: "Looking forward to this movie."
-
On Sunday, Lu Yanhe appeared on Peng Zhixing's interview program.
"Do you know how many people are looking forward to the premiere of this show?" Peng Zhixing asked with a smile.
Lu Yanhe smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I can't imagine. I have to tell you the truth, Brother Zhixing, I don't know how many people are still waiting for me to return to this drama after three years."
Peng Zhixing: "Damn, Lu Yanhe, the way you say that is so hypocritical."
The two pointed at each other and laughed.
Everyone was laughing in the recording studio.
Peng Zhixing gestured with his hand and said, "Alright, enough joking around. Yan He, I'm glad you're willing to put the first promotional stop for 'Friends' on my show."
"You're so hypocritical. For almost all my works, whenever I participate in a promotional event, the first stop is always your show," Lu Yanhe immediately retorted.
Peng Zhixing could only make a "plea for mercy" gesture, "Fine, fine, I'll be hypocritical too."
"Getting back to the main point," Peng Zhixing said, "I believe many people share the same feeling as me: when we learned that you were really coming back to this story, we were excited, moved, and most importantly, incredulous. Could you share with us why you chose to return to 'Friends'? I know you have a lot of projects in progress, and you're already very busy, including many movies to shoot. Under these circumstances, why did you still choose to return? What were your considerations?"
“Because of this group of people,” Lu Yanhe said without hesitation. “For me, if a project continues and I am involved, such as ‘The Days of Youth,’ ‘Friends’ (now called ‘Old Friends’), or ‘The Seventeenth Floor’, it must be because I really like the people I’m working with. So, I’m willing to continue working with everyone.”
“We all know that returning at this time is not a good opportunity. I can’t say that you have to clean up a mess, but after all, three seasons have been filmed. Whether it’s good or bad, it has already happened and is there. You can’t ignore it,” Peng Zhixing said. “The difficulty of drawing a picture on a blank sheet of paper is not the same as drawing a picture on a very rough sheet of paper.”
"I wouldn't dare say I've found a perfect solution, but judging from the discussions and reactions of all of us in the creative team, I think everyone can watch the premiere first and see how well we've handled this issue. I believe we've done a pretty good job." Lu Yanhe waved his hand immediately after saying this. "But I'm afraid of making promises I can't keep. If you're not satisfied, please be gentle. In any case, I'm very grateful if you're willing to continue supporting us and continue to believe in the story we've created."
"Will Friends be the last season, or a brand new beginning?" Peng Zhixing asked.
"It depends on whether we satisfy the audience this season," Lu Yanhe said. "I can only say that we are all full of feelings for this story and this group of people, otherwise we would not have reunited to film 'Friends'."
"I heard that because Friends was filmed and broadcast simultaneously this year, you were unable to attend the Golden Globes even though The Squid Game was nominated?"
"Yes."
"That's a bit of a shame."
"Director Yao Yuanzhi, Sister Yuqian, and Teacher Jiang Jun will all be present, so there will be no regrets," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "I hope they can win awards."
"The nomination of 'The Squid Game' for a Golden Globe Award can be said to have made history for Chinese-language dramas."
"This can't really be called making history. On the one hand, Chinese-language dramas don't usually have the tradition or habit of submitting for the Golden Globes. The reason 'The Squid Game' got a nomination this time is because Maxine submitted it for the Golden Globes. On the other hand, there are also reasons related to the times. Before the rise of streaming media, there was relatively little exchange between dramas from different countries, including film awards. It's only because streaming media has risen in recent years that suddenly dramas from different countries and languages are competing on the same platform. Therefore, the various awards have also made corresponding adjustments."
Lu Yanhe gave a sincere explanation.
“The nomination of ‘The Squid Game’ for a Golden Globe is not a record-breaking event. It just became the first show to stand at the forefront of this era,” Lu Yanhe said. “Look, ‘The Gold Rush’ is also very popular overseas, and a sequel is going to be made. Maybe the sequel will be even more popular. If the influence is there, it may also enter the field of the Golden Globes and Emmys.”
"Yan He, you don't seem to mind discussing these foreign awards. Actually, there's a view that those foreign awards aren't anything special, and we don't need to overemphasize their status and prestige. What's your opinion on this?"
"Whether an award is recognized or not, how authoritative it is, or whether it's actually quite dubious, is not up to me or you to decide," Lu Yanhe said. "Of course, I can't say that foreign awards are ordinary or worthless, because I have to admit that there are many awards that I want to win. If I wanted to win them and then said that those awards were not good, I would be too hypocritical."
"However, on the other hand, there is some truth to this argument. I know why this argument comes about. It's because we often place too much emphasis on foreign awards, and in comparison, we feel that domestic awards are less prestigious. Of course, I don't think that foreign awards are significantly more prestigious than domestic ones. In reality, there are many news reports about them, some of which are exaggerated, and some involve public relations manipulation. Moreover, we all know that those awards primarily focus on their own domestic works."
"But one thing is certain: domestic awards are only for domestic film and television works. However, we must admit that some international awards, such as the Golden Globes, Emmys, Oscars, and the awards of the four major international film festivals, especially in recent years, have indeed taken a global perspective to include works with significant global influence."
“As a Chinese actor, I want to introduce my work to the world. This work, which I starred in and wrote, is excellent. I highly recommend you watch it.” Lu Yanhe smiled at Peng Zhixing. “Should I just stay in China and compete for domestic awards, or should I take them to compete for international awards?”
Peng Zhixing nodded and said, "Of course, I understand what you mean."
Lu Yanhe: "But it is important to emphasize that it is not that Chinese-language films and television dramas are the best only if they have won awards, and those that have not won awards are not good. That is not a standard system."
"You just told us a lot about your views on international awards. We can really tell that you have a lot of ideas about the international market. I'm curious, does that include Friends?"
“Including.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Actually, we also got a set of data from Maxine. Our Chinese drama has accumulated a lot of fans all over the world over the years. I also hope that Friends will have more and more viewers around the world.”
-
After the recording of the program ended, Peng Zhixing asked Lu Yanhe.
"Yan He, is there anything you said on the show that needs to be cut?"
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "No, I don't think I said anything inappropriate. Zhixing, you can cut it however you like."
“Okay.” Peng Zhixing nodded.
Peng Zhixing's interview program will be a "Friends" series, and Lu Yanhe will be the first one.
We will also conduct separate interviews with other key members of the production team later.
"The program will be released on Wednesday," Peng Zhixing said.
Recording the show on Sunday and having all the post-production work done by Wednesday is still incredibly rushed, even though it's an interview program where post-production isn't particularly difficult.
In addition to Peng Zhixing's interview program, Lu Yanhe and the rest of the cast also participated in the recording of an indoor game show on Yuehu TV to promote the drama.
The promotional video was played six times a day.
All major publicity channels are using the highest level of publicity, for no other reason than to follow the same publicity strategy as the first season, focusing on the exclusive 8 pm broadcast on Yuehu TV, spreading the information to every corner like a virus.
This was also the opinion given by Chen Siqi and others.
For a series like Friends that has already gone through three seasons, there's no need for many new promotional methods.
All it takes is intensive, widespread publicity to let its audience know when it will start airing, and that's enough.
It already had a large enough fan base from its first three seasons.
If the third season hadn't received such terrible reviews, the promotional costs for Friends could have been halved, since the promotional campaign wouldn't have needed to be so extensive.
On the Friday of the second week, after filming episodes three and four, the cast of Friends agreed to watch the premiere together.
At 6:30, everyone posted another photo of them gathered together, laughing happily, reminding everyone to watch the premiere at 8:00.
The promotional strategy for this show is "again and again," tirelessly spreading it virally.
Don't forget to watch.
You absolutely must watch this.
Be sure to watch it!
Finally, at eight o'clock sharp, the broadcast started on time.
-
"The third season was really bad; it felt like I had a pile of shit fed to me."
As a former loyal fan of "Friends", 26-year-old Li Zhiang now deeply hates the show.
When a friend asked him if he would watch the premiere of "Friends," he swore he wouldn't.
Three years ago, after graduating from university and just starting his career, he happened to be there when Friends premiered.
At that time, he rented a house in Yuming by himself. Since he was not from Yuming and did not attend university in Yuming, he was basically alone after work for the first six months after arriving.
It was during that time that Li Zhiang encountered the premiere of "Friends".
To be honest, he himself can't remember exactly how many times he's watched Friends.
For a long time, Friends was not available on online video platforms and was only broadcast on Beijing TV. He would keep the TV on almost all year round, watching whenever Friends was on.
This feeling is actually quite bizarre.
Because this drama wasn't particularly exciting or dramatic.
But when the six of them get together and talk about all sorts of things in their lives and work, amidst the chaos and commotion, there is also the warmth of love and friendship.
Li Zhiang had to admit that he used this drama to dispel his loneliness for a long time.
While watching the show, he had the illusion that he also possessed such a friendship.
Who knew that in the second season, after Lu Yanhe left and Chen Ziliang arrived, some content that he didn't like suddenly appeared.
Actually, it's not so bad. As long as he doesn't watch the part where Chen Ziliang appears, he still enjoys watching the rest.
He thought that the third season would surely be a lesson learned from the mistakes of the past.
Even if Lu Yanhe doesn't come back, please don't find an unsuitable actor and use an unsuitable role to force this series into the series.
However, who could have imagined that the third season would be even worse?
It wasn't that a bad character was shoved in; rather, almost every character had a bizarre turn of events that made you want to flip the table.
Especially seeing Wen Fan, such a kind and gentle person, inexplicably turn into a playboy who attracts women.
It's no exaggeration to say that Li Zhiang felt disgusted, as if he had eaten shit.
Disheartened.
Even when news later broke that Lu Yanhe would return, Bai Jingnian would return, and all the original cast members would return, Li Zhiang didn't want to watch anymore.
He had made up his mind not to eat shit a second time, and no matter how much they praised it, he didn't want to watch the show again. As a result, on his way to work, in the office, on his WeChat Moments, and even when he went to the cinema, he could see news related to the show everywhere.
One moment Lu Yanhe has greater ambitions and visions for this drama, hoping it will be loved by the whole world.
One moment Bai Jingnian says that Lu Yanhe wrote a script opening that all the main creators applauded, which not only cleaned up the mess left by the third season, but also created a brand new beginning for "Friends".
In an interview, Yin Xincheng mentioned that he underwent a significant change in his role this season.
Then Zhan Yun said that after filming "Friends", she will join the cast of the romantic comedy film "Thirty Days" and will focus more on making movies. She will only leave the "Friends" series to television series.
Everyone is creatively generating publicity for Friends.
Li Zhiang had already made up his mind not to watch it no matter what.
But news related to this show keeps popping up every day, just one bit after another, like a persistent, annoying ghost constantly whispering in your ear.
—Take a look, it won't hurt to see.
—Are you really not going to watch it? You loved the first season so much, and now they're all back.
— Lu Yanhe said that he won't leave this time unless the audience doesn't like him.
—This is the only drama this year that is being filmed and broadcast simultaneously. Don't you want to see what it's like?
—Lu Yanhe is the screenwriter, don't you want to know how he makes up this story?
...
So, on Friday night at eight o'clock, Li Zhiang finally turned on the TV and subconsciously tuned it to Beijing TV. What the heck? What was they broadcasting?
The next second, he realized, oh, this show has been moved to Yuehu TV.
He was then transferred to Yuehutai.
The opening theme song has just finished playing.
The first shot appears.
Lu Yanhe appeared on the screen, carrying a bag and with a suitcase beside him, standing at the station, sending a message on his phone.
--I'm back.
Li Zhiang pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest.
This isn't something that can be settled simply by you coming back.
He thought to himself, "If I don't want to watch it anymore, I'll change the channel right away."
With this in mind, Li Zhiang watched until the advertisement started ten minutes later.
Li Zhiang suddenly realized what was happening.
Huh? The first half of the first episode is already over?
Li Zhiang: "..."
At this moment, he really didn't want to admit it, but he had gotten absorbed in it again.
Especially when the old characters learned that Lu Yanhe was coming back, they were all shocked. Their first reaction was to cover up the ridiculous things they had done in the previous season and cut ties with him, as if they had suddenly realized something.
In particular, Wen Fan, played by Yin Xincheng, decides to break up with his several ambiguous relationships, which leads to the scene where he is splashed with water three times by three different women.
Li Zhiang felt both that it was right and that it was funny.
Then, one by one, these people "turned over a new leaf," gathered at the station, and waited to welcome Lu Yanhe back.
Li Zhiang wouldn't say he was entirely satisfied with this transition, but he certainly accepted it in his heart.
Lu Yanhe did manage to smooth things over.
It's foreseeable that once the second half of the episode begins, a new chapter will unfold.
(End of this chapter)
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