Chapter 551 The Arrogant Brother and His Little Arrogant Brother (5000-word update!)
After the interview with Variety, Lu Yanhe had a ten-minute break.
Only then did he have a moment to drink the soup that Wan Qingqing had cooked for him.
He barely had time to eat today, so he could only grab a bite to eat and a little soup whenever he could find a spare moment to replenish his energy.
Chen Ziyan sat down next to him and said, "I have good news."
"Um?"
"Following your live interview on CBN's morning news, Friends has become the number one real-time search term on Maxine, with 320,000 people searching for the show in the past two hours."
"I don't know how many viewers we can convert."
“CBN’s morning news has millions of viewers. With the addition of your interview with Kaiser Murray, some of your responses have spread quite well on the internet and attracted some attention. If it can ultimately bring more than one million effective viewers to Friends, that would be a huge success, and it would be worth it for Maxine to get you on the show.”
Lu Yanhe smiled.
"Why didn't they arrange for another lead actor to appear? I was just too pressed for time."
“Do you think they aren’t busy? In China, once you become famous, you can be incredibly busy even without overseas trips,” Chen Ziyan laughed. “However, the main reason is that you’ve always performed very well overseas. High-profile programs like CBN Morning News aren’t just for anyone to get on. Even if Maxine got the opportunity through PR, it wasn’t like Maxine could just say who could be on the show. Otherwise, Maxine would certainly want as many promotional opportunities for Friends as possible.”
Lu Yanhe asked, "Is Yan Liang not doing well now? 'The Gold Rush' has brought him a lot of attention."
“At the general public level, there is still a long way to go,” Chen Ziyan said. “However, Zhou Ping’an made a good move for him in this regard. Although Yan Liang did not get publicity opportunities like CBN, Zhou Ping’an still used his connections and relationships to connect him with many media outlets in Asia, and conducted interviews and reports on him based on the popularity of “The Gold Rush” and “Friends”.
"Zhou Ping'an... so magnanimous? He's willing to let Yan Liang be known by more people?" Lu Yanhe was quite surprised when he heard Chen Ziyan say this, because it didn't fit Zhou Ping'an's style in his mind.
Chen Ziyan: "Who knows what he's thinking? To be fair, you can't say Zhou Ping'an is particularly wicked, he just does a lot of weird things."
Lu Yanhe: "He is truly an amazing person."
Even today, Lu Yanhe has to admit this.
The longer Lu Yanhe knew his former agent, the more curious he became about him.
This curiosity stemmed from a desire to know what was going through his mind.
Why do they keep making those foolish moves that end up losing more than they gain?
Time and time again, I never tire of it.
Chen Ziyan: "By the way, Fuli wants to be on the show 'The Birth of an Actor,' you know?"
"Know."
"During the interview, she said directly that she was not satisfied with her current situation and wanted to find an opportunity to improve her career."
"So, are they planning to have her on the show?"
"We're still discussing it and hesitant. The main reason is that she has a history of school bullying scandals. Although the scandal was suppressed later, we don't know if it's true or not. We're afraid that if it is true, it will be a bombshell."
"This kind of risk is quite easy to trigger a default," Lu Yanhe said.
Chen Ziyan: "But I've met this young lady. She's very ambitious and driven. As long as she keeps up her spirits and maintains this attitude, it's only a matter of time before she makes it big. She's really good at what she's doing. Once she gains some fame, she'll definitely be successful in the fashion industry."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
After chatting for a while, Lu Yanhe ended his break and continued with an interview with another media outlet.
-
Sometimes, many people question why, in this era of massive media with millions or tens of millions of views, one would still conduct print media interviews that might only be seen by a few hundred thousand or even tens of thousands of people, or run roadshows for movie promotions where at most a few hundred people attend.
In fact, many people forget one thing: in order to be seen in a media era with millions or tens of millions of views, you first need to have a selling point and content.
Like Lu Yanhe, apart from "Variety," the other media outlets he was interviewed by might not have more than 100,000 direct readers for the final interview transcripts. However, many of the contents and stories mentioned in those interviews would be promoted and disseminated by other media outlets and the publicity teams contacted by Chen Ziyan.
To put it bluntly, a proper interview like this is actually a rich source of material that can be used by other publicity parties for further processing.
The same applies to movie roadshows.
Those who pay attention can actually take a look and see how many of the trending topics and widely disseminated news keywords for a movie originated from the movie's promotional tour.
These things cannot be created out of thin air.
It's not something you can just write a script and direct or act in yourself.
Never underestimate the power generated by the interaction between people.
Roadshows are always full of surprises and unexpected events—surprises and surprises are news.
Interviews can also delve into the interviewee's inner world, uncovering things that are unknown or have never been made public—this is the content of propaganda.
Lu Yanhe had long understood this principle from the success of "Jump Up," so he respected and treated all interviewees with the utmost respect, regardless of the size of the media or whether they were industry veterans or newcomers.
In this industry, you never know what kind of impact the people and events you encounter will have on you, or when they will affect you.
Just like that day when he suddenly made a cameo appearance in "Three Mountains" and acted in it all night, it became the main reason why many film directors used him later, and it also became a direct door to Rome for his film career.
-
At noon, Lu Yanhe ate a piece of bread, finished the soup that Wan Qingqing had stewed, and then went to take a nap.
The nap time is fifteen minutes.
Afterwards, we took a departure photo and headed to the premiere of "The Mist".
On the way, in a group chat among the three, Li Zhibai suddenly posted a screenshot of his morning interview with CBN's morning news, in which someone had translated their conversation into Chinese subtitles.
Li Zhibai said: From now on, the title of "cool guy" is yours.
Lu Yanhe: I don't deserve it. You're the cool older brother, and I'm just the cool younger brother.
Yan Liang: Big Brother, Little Brother.
Lu Yanhe: Then what about you?
Li Zhibai: A retired cadre focused on health and wellness.
Yan Liang: Get lost.
Lu Yanhe laughed and asked, "Aren't you guys asleep yet?"
Li Zhibai: Sleep my ass, I'm memorizing my lines. I just took your job and am here to play a bit of Friends for you.
Lu Yanhe: You haven't even finished memorizing those few lines?
Li Zhibai: No, what's wrong?
Lu Yanhe: Keep it up!
Yan Liang: He deserves it. I told him to carry it, but he refused, saying he didn't need it.
Lu Yanhe: Then why aren't you asleep yet?
Yan Liang: I was reading a script when Zhou Ping'an brought me one.
Lu Yanhe: He's been quite busy with work lately. Why is he suddenly so attentive to you? I heard from Sister Ziyan that he's also arranged many interviews and reports for you from overseas media.
Yan Liang: You're overthinking it. He just wants to solidify my reputation and influence overseas so he can get endorsements. Many brands weren't interested in me before, but he thinks this is my most shining moment. If I don't secure these endorsements now, it will be even harder later.
Lu Yanhe: I thought he had changed his ways and started taking your work seriously.
Yan Liang: He wasn't unserious, but his goal wasn't to make my career better.
Li Zhibai: After Mengli arrived at his place, there was no further activity.
Yan Liang: No, it seems she's been busy dating lately.
Li Zhibai: ?
Yan Liang: That's what Zhou Ping'an said.
Lu Yanhe: Mengli, you're dating? So you're not working? I don't believe it.
This is not the Mengli he remembers.
Meng Li is fine with dating, but she would never give up her job for love.
This woman, though eccentric, is incredibly career-driven.
Yan Liang: Who knows?
Li Zhibai: Is the premiere of "The Mist" about to start on your end?
Lu Yanhe: We'll be on the red carpet in an hour, and the screening will start at 2:30 pm.
Li Zhibai: Let's see if "The Mist" can make you a hit in the US and rake in a wave of box office revenue.
Lu Yanhe laughed: I don't know about that. However, D19's market positioning for this film is mainly aimed at Asian audiences and horror movie audiences. They are not optimistic about the all-ages market.
Li Zhibai: As a horror film, especially one with a ghost revenge theme, it's impossible for it to become a mainstream film for all ages in the United States. The United States has many religious beliefs, and horror films are not family-friendly movies.
Lu Yanhe: Yes, so it's almost impossible for me to become an overnight sensation in the United States. This film doesn't have that kind of potential. As long as it succeeds at the box office, that's enough.
The box office success is the greatest value this film has given to Lu Yanhe.
Just like Chen Ziyan's goal, as long as this movie grosses $70 million in North America and $100 million worldwide, it will be a success.
His first film produced overseas was a success.
As for his performance in the movie... Lu Yanhe is quite confident, as the reactions of the staff on set have already given him very positive feedback.
Director Muken is not a newcomer, so it's impossible that he would have his performance edited out so badly in post-production.
-
The premiere set up a red carpet area for media photos, but it was different from the big red carpet at film festivals. In fact, the red carpet for a film premiere ceremony is just a red carpet laid out at the entrance of the screening room and a backdrop erected. It is not as grand as the red carpet at film festivals.
Lu Yanhe appeared from a later position.
The staff assigned to him on D19 followed and guided him from the moment he left the hotel.
He led the way the whole time, while Wan Qingqing and Chen Ziyan stayed by his side.
As soon as Lu Yanhe's car arrived at the red carpet area, it was immediately blinded by a barrage of flashing camera lights.
As soon as the car was parked and the door was opened, screams from outside poured in like a flood.
Lu Yanhe got out of the car, and for a moment he didn't really see everything clearly in front of him.
He simply waved habitually and smiled at those in front of him.
Lily Williams, who was chatting and exchanging pleasantries with others at the entrance of the screening room, heard the screams and shouts from the media and fans behind her, turned around, and saw Lu Yanhe in front of her.
He's a very handsome man.
Lily Williams paused for a moment, then turned and smiled at her friend.
"I never expected that Lu Yanhe would have so many fans in the United States."
A friend said, "He has gained a lot of loyal fans in the United States from his past films and TV shows, especially the Friends series, where his character is very popular."
Lily Williams said, "I can almost imagine how much the critics will love him when they see his performance in The Mist."
Have you seen the movie yet?
“Not yet, but he has already won over everyone on set,” Lily Williams said. “He’s not quite like those talented actors. He has a magic in his acting that combines method acting and experiential acting, completely grabbing your attention. At the beginning of the script, his character didn’t actually have such a strong presence.”
"Lily, your assessment of him is way too exaggerated."
“This isn’t just my opinion; both Alne and I think so,” Lily Williams said.
"You're making it sound like he could easily compete for an Oscar with this movie."
“If it weren’t a horror movie, maybe he really could.” That was Lily Williams’s answer.
Suddenly, the next second, a loud shout came from behind them: "Yellow-skinned monkeys, go back to your own place, this is America!"
Even amidst the screams and shouts from the crowd, the sound still reached everyone's ears very loudly.
Including Lu Yanhe, who was present at the time.
His expression froze for a moment.
-
In that instant, many thoughts flashed through Lu Yanhe's mind.
All his thoughts revolved around one thing: what kind of reaction would be most appropriate for him at that moment?
Lu Yanhe was also taken aback at this moment.
How could he be so calm at a time like this?
Being humiliated and discriminated against to my face, I felt no anger or shock, only a little surprised.
Is it because you had already considered the possibility of this happening?
This kind of thing is indeed quite common in the United States.
Even in public, some Asian celebrities have encountered similar situations.
In that split second, at least ten reactions flashed through Lu Yanhe's mind. Finally, after a second of stunned and bewildered expression, he raised his middle finger at the big guy, his expression a mixture of disdain and anger, and retorted without any politeness, "Fuck you!"
It's in English.
-
Lily Williams was also surprised.
To her own surprise, at this moment, she chose to go back to Lu Yanhe, gave him a big hug, and then gave the big guy the middle finger: "You should go back to your home!"
A round of applause and screams erupted from the audience.
“Let’s go inside and ignore him,” Lily Williams said to Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe nodded and took two steps forward with Lily Williams. Suddenly remembering something, he turned back and made several gestures to the photographers on site, apologizing to them that he could no longer take pictures for them.
Many photographers gave him a thumbs-up.
Someone shouted, "Lu, we support you! We love you!"
The bodyguards on site kept a close watch on Lu Yanhe, fearing that there might still be some radicals who might do something even more terrible.
Arne also came out from inside at this moment, stood at the door, and looked at Lu Yanhe and the others with concern.
“Hey bro, how are you?” Arne asked.
"It's alright, I'm fine." Lu Yanhe shook his head and smiled at him. "Thank you."
Arne glanced angrily at the crowd, as if wanting to see who was the bastard.
"That person has already been driven away," Lily Williams said.
The unexpected incident on the red carpet became the talk of the town before the movie screening.
Of course, this also meant that Lu Yanhe was greeted with concern by everyone after he went in.
Lu Yanhe never expected that before the screening of the movie "The Mist," the sentence he said most often was, "It's okay, I'm fine."
-
In the lounge next to the screening room, with the door open, many people could see Elena Green, the publicity director of D19 Films, and Scott Harris, the company's CEO, standing together.
They have just finished talking with director Muken.
The news coming from the red carpet caused the people in the screening room, who were all preparing to watch the movie, to start whispering among themselves again.
Seeing this, Elena Green gave Scott Harris a subtle smile.
When Scott Harris saw Lu Yanhe enter with Lily Williams and others, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd. He said to Elena Green, "Alright, we should hurry up and go visit them too."
“Of course.” Elena Green held up her phone and checked the live updates on Twitter. “Scott, don’t forget what you promised me. If The Mist grosses over $100 million in North America, you’ll support me becoming a partner.”
“We already agreed on this, didn’t we?” Scott Harris gave Elena Green a “no problem” smile.
-
Tom Wayne, a film critic and columnist for Variety magazine, was also present at the premiere of The Mist.
After he met Lu Yanhe, he expressed his anger and regret to Lu Yanhe in a very serious manner.
"I really hope you have a good time in Los Angeles."
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said with a smile, "Unhappy things will never affect my inner happiness. I am very happy to see you here."
Tom Wayne nodded and said, "I've heard from people inside D19 that your performance in this film is unparalleled. I rarely hear an American film company speak so highly of an Asian actor."
"Thank you. I hope you won't find this evaluation too exaggerated in the end," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "Tom, I really hope to hear your evaluation. I can always get helpful information from your comments."
Tom Wayne nodded. "I'm glad to hear you say that."
After some pleasantries, Lu Yanhe was finally urged to sit down so that the movie could begin.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
From the time the incident occurred until now, his state can be described as chaotic and disorganized.
He didn't even have time to recall what had just happened.
Until I sit down here.
He breathed a long sigh of relief.
He was momentarily lost in thought.
Were your reactions just now okay? Was there anything I missed? What were everyone's opinions on his reactions?
He can't possibly take out his phone to read online comments in front of everyone right now.
At that moment, he suddenly thought of the so-called indifference and non-care. To hell with indifference and non-care.
(End of this chapter)
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