Chapter 652 Because I'm Just Like You
Lu Yanhe stared at Hua Ruzhen in astonishment, momentarily speechless.
Hua Ruzhen was also surprised by Lu Yanhe's reaction and asked, "What's wrong?"
“I haven’t really interacted with him much, we just know each other.” Lu Yanhe shook his head, concealing the look of surprise on his face.
“Hmm.” Hua Ruzhen didn’t find anything amiss, and simply said, “I know Chen Pinhe has a very high status in China. He’s a top-tier male actor and one of the few in China with international recognition and influence. However, you’ve been the one with the strongest momentum in recent years. Otherwise, Lu Nei Reese wouldn’t have chosen you as his first choice. The movie ‘Doomsday’ is considered a Hollywood A-list production. Although it’s a relatively ordinary commercial blockbuster and doesn’t fit your current film choices, putting that aside, apart from those top-tier A-list stars, it’s an excellent project for any actor in the world. I’m telling you this to remind you that Chen Pinhe quietly snatched away the resources that were originally going to be offered to you. He must have some methods and connections behind the scenes.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"If you value the international market, then you need to be careful to guard against it."
Lu Yanhe said, "Sister, if you can, I would like to ask you for a favor. Please help me find out who he got this project in Hollywood through."
"OK."
Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment, then added, "There's one more thing, sister, I have to tell you."
"Um?"
“Chen Pinhe and I have an irreconcilable conflict.” Lu Yanhe didn’t want Hua Ruzhen to be drawn into the long-standing feud between him and Chen Pinhe without her knowledge. “I can’t tell you what the conflict is right now, but I have to tell you.”
Hua Ruzhen showed a hint of surprise.
“Okay, I understand.” Hua Ruzhen nodded and smiled slightly. “Since you’ve called me sister, I’ll definitely stand by your side on this little matter, no matter what else.”
"Thank you," Lu Yanhe smiled.
Hua Ruzhen: "By the way, here are a few projects that I've been looking at recently. As you know, I've started making film and television investments on behalf of the fund behind me. It's the beginning, and a lot of people are watching, so I can't afford to make any mistakes. I'd like to ask you to take a look at these projects and see if they're worth investing in and what the risks are."
Lu Yanhe nodded and took it from Hua Ruzhen's hand.
One of the projects surprised him because he had seen it before.
Wu Zhouyou's "Yesterday Once More".
The script for this movie has been out for a long time, but filming has still not started.
At the time, they wanted to cast Huang Kairen as the lead actor. Huang Kairen consulted Lu Yanhe for his opinion. Between it and "A Needle to the Blood", Huang Kairen finally chose "A Needle to the Blood".
“The script for ‘Yesterday Once More’ is actually quite good; I’ve seen it before,” Lu Yanhe said. “At the time, this script and another script were offered to Huang Kairen for the roles. Huang Kairen wanted to act in both scripts, but because they started filming one after the other, he ultimately chose ‘A Shot in the Dark.’ Has ‘Yesterday Once More’ not started filming yet?”
“Yes.” Hua Ruzhen nodded. “The previous investors withdrew their investment because they couldn’t find a satisfactory lead actor, so the script eventually came to me.”
"So, has the lead actor been decided yet?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Hua Ruzhen: "They told me that the movie cast Li Yuefeng and Meng Li as the lead actors, both of whom are quite popular actors in China."
"It's Li Yuefeng now?" Lu Yanhe was a little surprised. "You should know him; he acted in 'The Seventeenth Floor'."
“Yes, I know.” Hua Ruzhen nodded. “They estimate the box office of this movie to be 500 million.”
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe looked surprised. "So tall?"
"Do you think this movie falls short?" Hua Ruzhen asked.
"It's a bit risky," Lu Yanhe said bluntly. "How much investment are they hoping to get?"
"Sixty million," Hua Ruzhen said, "55% of the share."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment, somewhat surprised: "This movie, the production cost is over 100 million?"
"What's wrong? Is it inappropriate?"
"It's not that it's inappropriate, but the concept of this movie is mainly soft science fiction, constantly repeating a certain day, and there are no special effects scenes or particularly expensive scenes. How can there be such a high production cost?"
Lu Yanhe was very surprised.
"Even the salaries of the two lead actors, Li Yuefeng and Meng Li, are not very high according to the current market conditions. The two of them combined are at most 15 million, and it is impossible for them to be higher."
“You’ve come to the right person,” Hua Ruzhen said. “The budget they gave me for the two actors’ salaries is 25 million.”
Actors' salaries are trade secrets.
Many of the figures exposed by the media are exaggerated, used to inflate their own value.
What Lu Yanhe was referring to was the actual market situation.
It's no secret that the film market isn't doing well right now, and actors' salaries are shrinking as a result.
Apart from a few actors like Lu Yanhe who have achieved outstanding results and whose salaries are still increasing, most actors have basically had their salaries halved or even more, which is completely different from the salaries offered by the drama series.
However, for investors like Lu Yanhe who are very familiar with the industry, the so-called 25 million yuan lead actor's salary is not outrageously high for investors like Hua Ruzhen who are not experts in the field. In fact, it is in line with their impression of the entertainment industry.
After all, the media environment has always been emphasizing the high salaries of actors.
Lu Yanhe said, "The main thing is that I think it will be difficult for this movie to reach 500 million yuan at the box office. It is not the kind of subject matter that can generate a large box office. Even if the word of mouth is particularly good, it will only be 300 to 500 million yuan."
"If the box office doesn't reach 300 million, then my investment..."
“It’s hard to expect a significant return,” Lu Yanhe said bluntly. “Sister, why don’t you invest in some TV series? TV series are much less risky than movies.”
This time, all the projects that Hua Ruzhen showed to Lu Yanhe were film projects.
“In Hollywood, the return on investment for film projects is indeed much higher than that for TV series. But in China, apart from a few that gross over 2 billion yuan at the box office, the profits may not be as high as those for TV series,” said Lu Yanhe.
Hua Ruzhen said, "We are also watching the series, but it is difficult for us to get involved in big projects. Several major platforms have fixed capital partners, and our dividend priority is very low."
"Moreover, we invested in several dramas before, none of which were very good. 'The Flowing Light' was no exception. Although we didn't lose money, the profit didn't meet our expectations either," Hua Ruzhen said. "But actually, 'The Flowing Light' was considered to have done quite well in terms of broadcasting."
Lu Yanhe understood.
Actually, there was one thing Hua Ruzhen didn't point out.
The revenue generated by TV series is not very transparent in China, given how things work out.
Membership revenue, advertising revenue, and so on—all this data is controlled by the platform. Coupled with the ambiguity surrounding production costs, external capital like Hua Ruzhen can only see a muddled mess.
They might not let you lose money, but they also won't let you make too much.
This is different from the movie.
Movie box office figures are real and cannot be faked.
Ultimately, it's because Hua Ruzhen is an outsider; she doesn't understand the rules of their circle, and no one has shown her how to navigate these intricacies.
He thought for a moment and said, "I will try my best to secure some shares for you in some projects that I cooperate with other platforms, and see if we can establish cooperation channels for you in other projects through this method. I really can't say for sure. Although they are quite respectful to me now, when it comes to real interests, they may be willing to offer me an extra ten or twenty million in film remuneration, but they may not be willing to give me an extra ten or twenty million in investment shares."
“Are you reluctant? If so, then forget it,” Hua Ruzhen said. “The initial stage is difficult, after all, we don’t know anyone well, and building trust takes time. I’m already prepared, and I’ll just take it slow.”
Lu Yanhe said, "I'm not forcing you, I just don't want to promise you how much of a role it will play. It's not a problem to reserve a small share for you in my projects, but it's not so certain when it comes to other projects."
Hua Ruzhen nodded.
“It’s good that we can establish contact in this way first,” Hua Ruzhen smiled. “It’s good that I know you.”
-
"Chen Pinhe actually tried to steal your role?"
Afterwards, when Lu Yanhe talked to Chen Ziyan about the movie "Destruction Day", Chen Ziyan's first reaction was shock.
Chen Ziyan seemed surprised that Chen Pinhe would do this.
Lu Yanhe asked, "What's wrong?"
“It doesn’t quite match my previous impression of him,” Chen Ziyan said. “I don’t know what he’s like in private, but he always appears elegant and unassuming. He’s always been popular with the so-called upper class in China because they feel he has that aristocratic and gentlemanly air about him.”
Lu Yanhe curled his lip.
"This is something I really didn't expect." Chen Ziyan fell into deep thought. "But is this movie worth his involvement?"
"Isn't it worth it to be the male lead in an A-list Hollywood production?"
“Any A-list film with an investment of less than 100 million is a pseudo-A-list,” Chen Ziyan said. “I had been following this film before, but of course, I didn’t know that the director had initially considered casting you as the lead. I only knew that there was an Asian male lead in the film, but after thinking about the film carefully, I felt it wasn’t worth the role. First of all, its investment was neither high nor low, a little over 60 million US dollars, neither low-budget nor a big production. Secondly, the director of this film has always been someone who makes commercial special effects films, but his past works have been lukewarm in terms of reputation, lacking any personal style. The box office was okay, but not good enough to boost the actors’ careers. For well-known actors, it’s just a routine acting experience, at most adding one line to your resume.”
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.
"I can only assume that Chen Pinhe took the initiative to act in this movie because he wanted to make a comeback. In recent years, he has been taking a break to some extent. Apart from acting, he hasn't been out much. The only work that has made a name for him is 'White Pearl'."
"He's already at that level, why would he suddenly need to fight for something?"
"Maybe he was threatened by you?" Chen Ziyan laughed. "After all, compared to him now, all you lack are a few trophies and experience."
"Ha, so I can make him feel threatened too?"
“Aren’t you underestimating yourself? How could you not make him feel threatened?” Chen Ziyan said. “Especially now that you’re so popular in the entertainment industry, you’re no longer just an actor. If I were Chen Pinhe, I’d be so anxious I couldn’t sleep at all.”
"Why?"
"The entertainment industry is his stronghold. Why was he able to suppress you from the beginning and prevent you from making a name for yourself?" Chen Ziyan said. "Isn't it because of the connections and power he has accumulated in this industry that he can firmly suppress you? Even if you worked hard and wrote 'Remembrance' and became a little popular for a while, the company suppressed you and didn't give you any work. Your exposure disappeared immediately."
Lu Yanhe fell silent as he recalled the events of the past.
"But now that you're on the rise, will anyone still be willing to help him? Back then, people were happy to give you face, but what about now?" Chen Ziyan said. "In other words, what if one day you suddenly decide to take action against him? He could suppress you so easily back then, but if his status is gone and people in the industry no longer respect him, can you suppress him just as easily?"
Lu Yanhe was struck by a remark and suddenly realized what was happening.
“I think Chen Pinhe will probably have to fully resume work,” Chen Ziyan said. “He was already at that level before, so he didn’t need to work hard anymore. But now he probably can’t.”
Lu Yanhe: "That's petty of me. I never intended to deal with him."
Are you sure?
“At least I haven’t thought about dealing with him now,” Lu Yanhe said. “I just hope that he and those messy things are as far away from me as possible.”
Otherwise, how can I get revenge on him?
“I can’t expose his true colors in front of everyone. Killing a thousand enemies would mean losing eight hundred of my own. From now on, whether in front of me or behind my back, I don’t know how many people will look at me with prejudice. When others see me, their first reaction will not be anything else, but that I am Chen Pinhe’s illegitimate son.”
Lu Yanhe's face was ashen; the thought of this scene made him feel suffocated.
Chen Ziyan: "Of course, it would be best if this matter could be kept from being known forever."
She added, "But even if people find out one day, it doesn't matter. You've done nothing wrong, you've worked hard enough to make your life good enough. Let others say what they want. No one can bend your spine. Don't underestimate yourself."
“Sister Ziyan, I know, but there’s nothing I can do. Can a murderer’s son say that he’s cut ties with his parents and is no longer affected by the name of a murderer? The words ‘illegitimate child’ represent the greatest helplessness. He was brought into this world without consent from the beginning. He knows nothing, but from the moment he was born, he was treated differently by this world. I’ve always known that people can never escape the influence of blood ties.”
Chen Ziyan gently patted Lu Yanhe's face.
“Nothing lasts forever, nothing is impossible.” Chen Ziyan looked at Lu Yanhe with certainty. “All your efforts, struggles, and hard work are all for the purpose of fighting against worldly prejudices and biases. Even if you can’t change the world, you will not give up. Even if you tell me the most pessimistic things with the most pessimistic attitude, I know you will not compromise.”
Lu Yanhe was stunned.
Chen Ziyan said, "Do you know why I firmly chose you, supported you, believed in you, and stood with you?"
Lu Yanhe looked at Chen Ziyan blankly.
Chen Ziyan smiled, a smile that was somewhat bleak, yet also magnanimous.
"Because I'm just like you."
(End of this chapter)
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