Chapter 683 Human Anatomy
Lu Yanhe wasn't actually like this before.
I don't know when it started, but I gradually became so decisive and resolute.
Yan Liang: "I need to learn from you."
Lu Yanhe smiled and asked, "How do you usually refuse to see people you don't want to see or attend gatherings you don't want to go to?"
“Unless there’s really something wrong, I’ll go even if I don’t want to,” Yan Liang said. “I always feel that if I go, I should just go and give them face, because I might need their help later.”
"That's just your attitude. You don't need to follow my example. Everyone has a different personality."
"Actually, I'm not surprised that you decided not to see Yang Zhoujin, since you don't know him at all. But I didn't expect you to reject Zhan Yun directly to her face. She's known us for so long, and more importantly, she's acted with you so many times."
Lu Yanhe: "I can only say that sometimes it really depends on fate between people. I have worked with Zhan Yun for so many years, but we can hardly be considered friends. We really don't have any personal relationship. Just like Wen Minglan, in fact, I should be very familiar with her. Not only did we film 'Friends' together, but we also have the same agent and have seen each other a lot, but we just haven't become close."
“That must be fate.” Yan Liang nodded. “It seems that the only actresses you have a really good relationship with are Chen Bige and Jiang Yuqian.”
“Actually, whether it’s Wang Jing or Yan Lingyu, I’m relatively more familiar with them. I’ve met them less than I have met Zhan Yun and Wen Minglan. I think it’s a matter of chemistry,” Lu Yanhe said. “Of the three actresses in Friends, I feel that I get along the best with Bai Jin.”
"She herself is the one with the best personality and the nicest person," Yan Liang said. "She is really generous and not at all pretentious, and she doesn't give you that strong feeling of a female star like Zhan Yun and Wen Minglan."
That's absolutely right.
Even though Zhan Yun and Wen Minglan had tried their best to restrain their celebrity personas in front of him, they were still spending every day together, and many details couldn't be hidden.
This kind of thing is something that will be revealed unintentionally in the corner of your eyebrow.
Just like Zhan Yun, because her character was the most popular one in "Friends", Lu Yanhe could increasingly feel that she wanted the show to be centered around her.
She didn't say it explicitly, but the things she raised during rehearsals and when giving feedback on the script ultimately led to this conclusion.
She might have acted unconsciously, without any intention. Lu Yanhe could understand. But it was precisely this unconscious, unintentional act that caused Lu Yanhe to feel a vague sense of rejection. Of course, this rejection was also natural; rationally, he would never show it, nor would he allow himself to have any objection to Zhan Yun because of this.
Any actor, if they were in Zhan Yun's shoes, would likely subconsciously do the same thing as her, including Lu Yanhe himself.
Wen Minglan is the second most popular of the three actresses. Moreover, if Bai Jin's character in the first season was clearly a supporting character in the main cast, then Wen Minglan's character and Zhan Yun's character actually occupy a similar proportion in terms of plot and character relationships.
Wen Minglan has always been an ambitious and driven actress. Her ambition is comparable to Jiang Yuqian's, but she is not as hardworking or driven as Jiang Yuqian. Moreover, she is too proud to travel the world and seek exposure like Jiang Yuqian.
Wen Minglan has always wanted to take the "high-class" route.
This is what Lu Yanhe sensed from Chen Ziyan.
Only Bai Jin, perhaps because she was very clear that her role was a less important protagonist, has almost always been "actively cooperating" and trying her best to "play the role" throughout the years of creating "Friends".
In her normal life, she hardly has any competitive spirit. She likes to joke around with everyone and tell jokes to make everyone happy. When she's not filming, she frequently posts in the group chat, forwarding jokes and entertainment news so that everyone can stay in touch even when they're not filming.
Although Lu Yanhe had never told her this, he actually admired her very much.
Perhaps her acting talent wasn't outstanding or exceptional enough to make her an overnight sensation. However, her personality and manners were truly admirable. Lu Yanhe was very willing to be her friend.
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang finished their dinner while chatting.
After a short rest, the two went to film.
Bai Jingnian was on the phone, seemingly arguing with someone. His face was unusually flushed, and he was radiating anger.
Seeing this, Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang looked at each other in bewilderment.
Bai Jingnian is a very good-tempered and patient person—although this is entirely due to his many years of "frustrated" work experience in Beijing and Taiwan.
Therefore, when Bai Jingnian suddenly displayed such great anger, Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang's first reaction was:
What's going on?
Bai Jingnian was still angry after hanging up the phone.
"Director?" Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang went over together.
Bai Jingnian composed himself and calmed down.
"Please wait a moment, filming will begin in about ten minutes."
Lu Yanhe nodded and asked, "Who made you so angry?"
He tried to make his tone sound as relaxed as possible, like he was "chatting."
Bai Jingnian sighed, "I used to mentor a student at the Beijing-Taiwan TV station. When I went to see the Northern Lights, I asked him if he wanted to come along, but he couldn't because of some family issues. As a result, for the past six months, he has been suppressed by the station, both openly and covertly, and half of his bonus has been deducted."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe frowned as well.
"Why is the Beijing-Taiwan border still so treacherous?"
“This isn’t a problem between Beijing and Taiwan; it’s that those people occupy high positions and form cliques. They try every means to suppress anyone who isn’t part of their faction,” Bai Jingnian said. “My student didn’t follow me, but in their eyes, he was one of my people. How could those people in Beijing and Taiwan possibly like him? I thought at most he wouldn’t have room for advancement, but who knew they would do something like deducting his bonus? He got half the bonus of people of the same level and seniority—he only stayed in Beijing and Taiwan for a stable income.”
Lu Yanhe understood why Bai Jingnian was so angry.
Bai Jingnian has been away from Beijing and Taiwan for so long, yet he still does this kind of "eliminating dissidents" thing to people related to him.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Director, you now have your own studio in Northern Lights, and the situation has stabilized. Why not have him come over now?"
Bai Jingnian hesitated for a moment and said, "My studio is already fully staffed, unless he comes over and starts from a basic position."
Lu Yanhe understood.
Bai Jingnian's studio was funded by Northern Light Venture Capital.
The annual personnel budget is limited, and the hole has already been filled. Bai Jingnian's students in Beijing and Taiwan are certainly not small fry. If they come to the studio now, not to mention the lack of positions, what position and treatment will they receive? These are all major problems that people who have followed Bai Jingnian to build his empire from scratch will have to think about and how to balance internal issues.
Unless a vacancy happens to open up at this time, it would be perfectly legitimate for Bai Jingnian to poach someone from the position.
Everyone has to pay the price for their choices.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and then said to Bai Jingnian, "What does he think? Does he want to leave Beijing and Taiwan? Or does he feel he can endure it?"
Bai Jingnian: "I don't know either. He didn't tell me. I heard about it from other colleagues at Beijing-Taiwan."
Lu Yanhe said, "If he still doesn't want to leave Beijing and Taiwan, there's no use in worrying about him."
Everyone's life is a choice they make themselves.
Moreover, everyone's situation is different. Lu Yanhe used to think that sometimes, if you missed some key life opportunities, it was your own loss, and you had to pay the price. Later, after meeting many people, Lu Yanhe realized how arrogant his previous thinking had been—
Not everyone has the power to choose to change things at any time.
Having elderly parents to care for and young children to raise is not just a slogan. Some people certainly know that a choice could lead to a dramatic change in their lives, but because they also face the risk of failure, they do not have the capital to bear the consequences of failure and can only play the safe card and take the safe path.
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang exchanged a glance.
In this situation, none of them could do anything about it.
Helping others is certainly an option, but first, the other person must be willing to accept your help.
Before the other person has even asked, you offer your so-called help. Aside from the possibility of your good intentions being taken for granted, your initiative and enthusiasm might actually be a burden to them. They may know you mean well, but their circumstances might prevent them from accepting such kindness, making it a burden for them instead.
However, after thinking for a moment, Lu Yanhe still asked, "Director, what does your student mainly do? Is he also a director?"
“Yes, he was my assistant director for many years,” Bai Jingnian said.
"Do you think he can direct independently?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Bai Jingnian pondered for a moment and said, "He is not a person with a lot of creative desires. When he works with me, his strength is his execution ability."
Lu Yanhe understood immediately.
This person is a better fit to be a deputy and a partner.
In fact, this type of director (if they are truly reliable) is the backbone of the entertainment industry.
Many film and television projects actually rely on them to be completed.
They were just unlucky enough not to be blessed with talent.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "If he comes to you one day and there are no openings in your studio, you can let him try Linghe. You know that Linghe has been recruiting production talent on a large scale in recent years."
Bai Jingnian said with some surprise, "Thank you so much."
More than helping others, what Lu Yanhe was really thinking about was—
Since this person's experience could cause Bai Jingnian such a strong emotional reaction, it suggests that the two have a very good relationship. Bringing this person to Linghe so they can work together on a film project will make the collaboration smoother.
Lu Yanhe and Bai Jingnian have already collaborated on the "Friends" series and "Roommates," and it seems there will be more collaborations in the future. Lu Yanhe is one of Linghe's most important collaborators.
Such a person is very important. Especially in communication about some key matters, it can't always be Lu Yanhe and Hu Siwei who communicate—their positions in Linghe determine that they can't easily express their opinions on many things, because they don't just represent themselves.
-
Zhan Yun never expected that after she sent Yang Zhoujin a message telling him that Lu Yanhe had to film a movie that night and couldn't come, Yang Zhoujin didn't reply.
He didn't answer my calls.
I waited until 7:30.
“Let’s eat by ourselves, we won’t wait,” Zhan Yun said to Bai Jin.
Bai Jin nodded without asking any questions. "This restaurant is quite difficult to book. I had my assistant try to book it several times before, but we couldn't get a reservation."
Zhan Yun: "He booked this place too. Is this restaurant very famous?"
Bai Jin could tell that Zhan Yun was feeling down, but she was still trying to cheer herself up so that the scene wouldn't seem deserted.
Bai Jin nodded, allowing the conversation to continue, and said, "I don't know about the food, but I know this restaurant because it's famous for its difficulty in getting a reservation."
Zhan Yun smiled.
"All right."
Bai Jin asked, "When you're dating him, do you usually eat at restaurants like this where it's hard to get a reservation?"
Zhan Yun: "I come to places like this a lot, but I don't really like them."
"Why?"
“It’s not that he doesn’t like coming to places like this, it’s just that every time he’s in a place like this, it makes me feel… like this is where he truly belongs,” Zhan Yun said. “He hasn’t apologized to you yet. Last time he came to the set, his attitude wasn’t very good.”
“Rich young masters are all like that. Born with a silver spoon in their mouths and raised being waited on, they’re all a little… arrogant.” Bai Jin asked, “How is he to you? He’s been pursuing you for so long, he must be very good to you, right?”
I don't know how to say it.
"Isn't he good to you?" Bai Jin asked in surprise.
“It’s not that it’s bad,” Zhan Yun sighed. “But… I don’t know how to put it, sometimes I feel like he’s being nice to me just to complete an action, simply because I’m his girlfriend.”
Bai Jin nodded.
"So that's how it is."
Bai Jin paused for a moment, then asked, "So...do you like him?"
Zhan Yun gave her a bleak smile.
When Bai Jin saw that smile, he didn't need to ask anything; he understood everything.
-
"Do you have any good topics for our Valentine's Day special issue?"
The editorial meeting for "Jump Up" is today discussing the February issue of next year, which will also be a Valentine's Day special.
Jump Up doesn't publish a Valentine's Day special edition every year.
The reason they did it this year is because they landed a major serialization.
Zhu Yujie, one of the top Chinese romance novelists, will begin serializing her new novel in the February issue of "Jump Up".
This author, who has been writing for over twenty years, is actually a serious literary writer with a great influence among readers, even though every one of his works is centered on love.
There are very few writers who can bring the theme of love into the realm of serious literature. The first person Lu Yanhe could think of was Eileen Chang.
Because Jump Magazine is positioned as an arts and literature magazine, despite its increasingly powerful media matrix, the magazine itself maintains its own positioning, does not change its content format, and strives to collaborate with top Chinese-language writers.
Bai Yu deserves much credit for securing the serialization of Zhu Yujie's new novel.
It is said that in the past two years, in order to get to know Zhu Yujie better, Bai Yu held three "Zhu Yujie Readers' Meetings" and visited her almost every quarter. In addition, he used many channels and resources to help Zhu Yujie sell her books.
A significant amount of time and energy is invested in it.
The significance of winning over Zhu Yujie is the same as the significance of winning over Teacher Shi Xia's serialization back then.
"Jump Up" was initially positioned as a youth literature and art magazine, but as its influence has grown, it has now shifted its focus from "youth" to "literature and art," aiming to become an authoritative literary and art media outlet.
The word "authoritative" actually comes from industry recognition and influence.
This concept is similar to the Oscars today. Even though it's already a recognized top award in the industry, it still needs top celebrities and superstars to endorse it year after year—and of course, these celebrities and superstars also need the same kind of reward.
Bai Yu then suggested: "I previously submitted a proposal to invite eight A-list celebrities to shoot four sets of themed photos based on Zhu Yujie's four novels."
“Your concept is certainly good, but it’s not suitable for a print magazine,” Chen Siqi said. “This project definitely couldn’t be done without a seven-figure sum, but how meaningful would it be for a magazine? We’re not a gimmick magazine, nor are we a visual magazine.”
Someone immediately asked, "Is our Valentine's Day special issue going to feature Ms. Zhu Yujie's work?"
“That’s too limiting, there’s no need for that.” Chen Siqi immediately shook her head. “Although Professor Zhu has a high status in the literary circle, he is not actually very well-known to the general public.”
“For the readership of ‘Jump Up,’ Teacher Zhu’s reputation is definitely high,” Bai Yu said immediately.
“In addition to targeting our existing readers, we also hope that each special issue can break through existing circles and attract new readers through certain topics or themes,” Chen Siqi said. “This is one of the tasks that the special issue carries.”
"Perhaps we can trace the love stories in myths and legends?" Xu Zijun suggested. "Many love stories in myths and legends were not originally related to love. Let's trace their evolution and development."
"Isn't this a bit niche?" Chen Siqi said. "The topic is interesting, but the perspective is a bit niche."
“What if—” Lin Yu said, “we invited three celebrities to write a letter to their partners? For example, Huang Kairen and Xin Zixing, or Teacher Zhu. The celebrity effect is always the most effective way to attract public attention. A star, a writer, plus a celebrity with very high social visibility.”
“That’s a great idea,” Chen Siqi immediately exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
Zhou Mukai adjusted the clip on his glasses and said, "We're doing a love letter project and soliciting submissions nationwide. Soliciting submissions is also the easiest way for a magazine to broaden its readership. Many people who don't read this magazine will start to learn about it because of this call for submissions. In fact, the sales of the last few issues of 'Jump Up' have also increased significantly, which is because of the year-end review voting. I think soliciting submissions is the same concept."
Chen Siqi thought for a moment and said, "But that would turn it into an emotional topic, which is a bit inconsistent with the positioning of our 'Jump Up' program."
"Why do love letters from celebrities fit the theme of 'Jump Up'?" Bai Yu wondered. "But love letters from ordinary people don't."
Chen Siqi was taken aback.
She wasn't angry, but Bai Yu's question stunned her, and she also asked herself, "Yes, it's the same thing, so why am I being so hypocritical?"
She said, "You're absolutely right. I almost thought I was being hypocritical. But after thinking about it, I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrities writing love letters. It's because when we select people, we definitely want to choose those who fit the standards of popular culture. The focus isn't on the love letter, but on the person. The person who wrote the love letter fits the artistic positioning of 'Jump Up.' But ordinary readers don't have that kind of artistic expression or attribute that's known to the public. So, the love letter is just a love letter. I don't know if I've explained it clearly?"
Bai Yu: "Perhaps among the submissions from ordinary readers, we will find works whose literary and artistic value is no less than their emotional value."
“But for Jump Up magazine to be the official organizer of a love letter contest makes people feel that the magazine’s positioning has shifted,” Chen Siqi said. “This is not something that magazine should be doing.”
Lin Yu nodded: "I also agree with the editor-in-chief's point of view. We can solicit submissions through other channels, but we cannot organize this love letter submission contest as an official event."
-
"To shoot the cover for the Valentine's Day special issue of Jump Magazine?"
Zhang Ruozhi was somewhat surprised.
She is currently a freshman in college. After the release of "Love Letter," her popularity soared, but at the peak of her career, she quietly began her college life.
As Chen Ziyan had promised, the company did not interfere with her studies during her school years and hardly arranged any work for her.
Exam week is just around the corner.
Zhang Ruozhi was engrossed in her studies when she suddenly received a call from her executive agent.
“Yes,” the executive agent said. “Cess, the jewelry brand you endorse, has been advertising in Jump Magazine. This time, when they were discussing a collaboration, specifically the Valentine’s Day special issue, they proposed this collaboration. Because you are the female lead in Love Letter and also the spokesperson for Cess, Jump Magazine hesitated for a long time before agreeing to this collaboration. They rarely put celebrities on the cover before.”
Zhang Ruozhi said, "Yes, so I was also very surprised. I remember Chen Siqi said in her editor's notes that she hoped 'Jump Up' could become a magazine that does not rely on celebrities to stand on. Therefore, the number of celebrities in the magazine has always been controlled to a very small proportion, and there are even fewer celebrities on the cover. It seems that there are usually only one or two issues a year with a celebrity on the cover."
"Yes, this shoot is quite important. It's a Valentine's Day special edition, so it gets more attention than usual months," the executive agent said. "We'll schedule the shoot for January after you finish your exams."
Zhang Ruozhi hummed in agreement.
Do you and your classmates have any New Year's Eve activities this year?
"I will celebrate the New Year with everyone," Zhang Ruozhi said.
"Okay, if it's in public, be more careful. There are a lot of paparazzi who want to capture your first relationship."
"I...I haven't been in a relationship yet."
"But many paparazzi will take ambiguous photos, make unfounded accusations, and spread rumors. Even if they are false, they will still generate a lot of buzz and traffic."
“Okay, I’ll be careful,” Zhang Ruozhi said.
"Good luck on your exam," the executive agent encouraged with a smile. "I'll invite you to dinner after you've finished the exam."
"Okay," Zhang Ruozhi said. "Thank you for your trouble."
-
Why didn't you answer my call?
Upon seeing the message that had just been sent, Zhan Yun remained silent for a moment, then exited the chat and handed the phone to her assistant.
The assistant was somewhat surprised and asked, "Aren't you going to reply? He's already called three times."
“If he calls again, just say I’m filming a movie.”
Last night, Yang Zhoujin did not reply to any messages until Zhan Yun went to sleep.
Yang Zhoujin called early this morning.
But Zhan Yun did not answer.
To be honest, she was a little angry.
She didn't answer the phone, so Yang Zhoujin kept sending her messages, asking why she wasn't answering.
There was no useful information whatsoever, and no mention was made of last night's "absence".
His attitude made Zhan Yun even angrier.
The scene they were filming today was about her arguing with Yan Liang.
After filming a scene, Bai Jingnian praised her for her excellent performance that day.
Zhan Yun was at a loss for words, feeling helpless.
This kind of "getting into character" is not what she wants.
To everyone's surprise, when Zhan Yun finished filming in the evening, she turned around and saw Yang Zhoujin standing behind her with a stern face and his arms crossed, as if she had done something to offend him.
Zhan Yun took a deep breath—
If his attitude had been even slightly better, Zhan Yun certainly wouldn't have embarrassed him in front of everyone.
In this situation, she didn't want to say another word to Yang Zhoujin.
She ignored him expressionlessly and prepared to leave.
Yang Zhoujin immediately caught up.
"What do you mean?" he asked coldly.
Zhan Yun: "What do you mean?"
Yang Zhoujin said, "You haven't answered my calls all day, and you're asking me what I mean?"
Zhan Yun stopped and stared at him in disbelief.
"You didn't mention a word about what happened last night?"
Yang Zhoujin: "You should know why I didn't go last night."
Zhan Yun was so angry she laughed.
"Then you should know why I didn't answer your call today."
Yang Zhoujin: "Is this really necessary?"
The argument between the two had already attracted the attention of those around them.
Including Lu Yanhe and his group.
Yan Liang whispered, "Those two don't seem to be acting right. It looks like they're about to start arguing."
Bai Jin looked at Zhan Yun and Yang Zhoujin with concern, silently worried.
Then, far away, to everyone's surprise, Yang Zhoujin raised his hand and slapped Zhan Yun across the face before walking away.
-
I recommend the older entertainment-themed book, "I Became the Leading Lady of a Scandal Overnight."
(End of this chapter)
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