Chapter 695 Just a calculated move (10,000-word update)
Filming for the third season of "The Seventeenth Floor" has entered a very stable and smooth phase.
This season, of course, also features the addition of new characters.
This project is a flagship drama series from Beijing and Taiwan. The third season is clearly destined to be a hit and is the final installment of the series. Previously, they wanted Chen Pinhe to make an appearance in this season, but Lu Yanhe's side stopped them. However, this did not stop Jiang Lan from wanting to bring characters from the spin-off series to appear in this season.
Even Ji Miao played a role.
It's said that Beijing and Taiwan plan to create a universe around "The Seventeenth Floor," not just a spin-off series, but also a movie. Although it's just a plan—
Before Lu Yanhe could say anything, Chen Bige had already expressed his dissatisfaction.
Because the third season of "The Seventeenth Floor" already had a large number of characters, and Beijing TV basically assigned them all to well-known actors with whom they had worked, it made it impossible to film many scenes consecutively. Today, one actor would have time, so they would film his scenes, and tomorrow, another actor would have time, so they would film his.
Chen Bige's own scenes were filmed in a fragmented manner, with emotions shifting from one thing to another.
Of course, she has the ability to express each scene precisely in this non-sequential shooting style, it's just that this shooting mode makes her very unhappy.
She went directly to Jiang Lan and raised this issue with her.
“Either let them film their own scenes and avoid shooting my scenes, otherwise, this will have a huge impact on me,” Chen Bige said. “I have to be responsible for my role.”
Jiang Lan did not expect Chen Bige to have such a strong opinion.
Of course, she couldn't possibly disrespect Chen Bige.
To be honest, Chen Bige's participation in this series was already a huge achievement. Jiang Lan's position at Beijing TV was solidified through this series. The fact that the show secured the largest investment from the station at the time was also due to the high expectations placed on Chen Bige's return to television dramas after many years.
After "The Seventeen Floors," Chen Bige didn't take on any other dramas, and subsequently only acted in movies. It could be said that Chen Bige's only television drama role in recent years was with Jiang Lan.
Compared to Lu Yanhe, who rose to prominence later and gained the power to negotiate with Jiang Lan, Chen Bige had been indebted to Jiang Lan from the very beginning.
As one of the top actresses in China, her support was especially important for Jiang Lan, who was a newly appointed deputy director of the station at the time.
After much painful reflection, Jiang Lan quickly made a decision.
Actors from Beijing and Taiwan who want to come should coordinate their schedules themselves. If they can't coordinate their schedules according to the normal filming order or their schedules don't fit, then forget it and we'll find someone else.
Jiang Lan's move surprised Lu Yanhe greatly.
Everyone says he's very powerful in the entertainment industry now, but Jiang Lan's attitude towards him and Chen Bige is still quite different.
Lu Yanhe felt that if he had raised the same question, Jiang Lan might have resolved it in the same way, but definitely not as readily or efficiently.
-
Maxine was introduced during the filming of the third season of "The Seventeen Floors".
The first season of this show had a considerable audience on Maxine due to the main cast. The popularity of "The Squid Game" also contributed to the success of "The 17th Floor".
Now that the second season has been released, Maxine hasn't done any particularly large-scale promotion.
According to their calculations, the data potential of this drama is limited, so it can only follow a niche, word-of-mouth approach.
However, the second season of "The Seventeen Floors" still surpassed 1 million viewers on its first day of release, entering the top ten global charts that day.
The data performance is still quite good.
The reputation is also alright.
Maxine has purchased the remake rights to "The Seventeenth Floor" from Beijing TV and will be creating an American TV series version of "The Seventeenth Floor".
Therefore, reputation is more important to Maxine.
Jong Bon-seok made a special trip to the filming location of the third season of "The Seventeenth Floor" to take photos with the main cast and crew, which he then posted on his social media platform.
Firstly, to celebrate the viewership of the second season of "The 17th Floor" on Maxine, and secondly, to demonstrate his close relationship with the "The 17th Floor" crew.
Zhong Benshuo had actually been discussing new project collaborations with Lu Yanhe. However, all of Lu Yanhe's newly announced projects over the past six months have been movies, with no TV series among them, which frustrated Zhong Benshuo, but he was helpless to do anything about it.
The Korean version of "Rouge" was also streamed on Maxine overseas, and the show performed quite well, ranking in the top ten for viewership for several weeks. However, compared to truly blockbuster shows like "The Squid Game" and "Friends," it was still much weaker.
Zhong Benshuo had been keeping a close eye on Lu Yanhe's projects. Last year, Lu Yanhe's script consultant for "2 Broke Girls" was snatched away by HP, which made him very unhappy. After that, Zhong Benshuo would greet Lu Yanhe warmly almost every month to chat about their recent situation and creative process.
There wasn't really anything worth talking to Lu Yanhe about.
He certainly won't be writing any more long-running drama scripts until Friends ends.
He doesn't plan to make streaming movies, even though Jong Bon-seok offered him a high price to make a movie exclusively available on Maxine.
However, this time when he came over, Zhong Benshuo started asking Lu Yanhe again about any future creative plans.
Lu Yanhe said, "I've already submitted the first draft of the script for the second season of 'The Squid Game,' and 'Friends' is still being filmed. Do you think I have several hands? How could I write so much?"
Zhong Benshuo immediately said, "But I haven't even heard about '2 Broke Girls,' which you were a script consultant for before, and you've already given it to Tom."
"Am I supposed to give all my projects to Maxine? Am I only allowed to work with Maxine?" Lu Yanhe asked, somewhat dissatisfied.
Zhong Benshuo snapped out of his daze, immediately put on a smile, and said, "Of course not, but look, at least we've made 'The Squid Game' and 'Friends' so successful, and we even got 'Friends' nominated for a Golden Globe Award. You know how capable Maxine is."
To be fair, Maxine did put in a lot of effort for Lu Yanhe's projects. Lu Yanhe had to admit that. Of course, he never denied it, but even without that connection to HP, Lu Yanhe was already used to not putting all his eggs in one basket.
Especially for creators of his caliber, who are not just actors and have so many projects, if they all collaborate with one company, frankly, if any problems arise, they could all be wiped out, resulting in complete ruin.
Lu Yanhe said to Zhong Benshuo, "I know you are also working on the American version of 'Friends' and the Korean version of 'Friends'. I already have enough projects related to me. Let's clear out the backlog first. Besides, although Maxine got a Golden Globe nomination for 'Friends', I believe it can definitely be better from the current situation."
Jong Bon-seok: "Of course. This time, 'Friends' is very likely to be nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, followed by the Emmys. We won't miss any of these prestigious awards. However, HP has also won '2 Broke Girls,' so maybe '2 Broke Girls' will be competing with 'Friends' for these awards in the future, since it's another sitcom of the same type."
Lu Yanhe: "You overestimate me. As a Chinese-language drama, it is still unknown whether '2 Broke Girls' can continue to be popular all over the world like 'Friends' and 'The Squid Game'. Whether it can be liked by everyone depends on the right time, place and people."
"Although I know you're being modest, your new show is still a sitcom that's supposed to be on par with Friends. If HP can't be released, then HP is just rubbish." Zhong Benshuo didn't hold back in criticizing HP.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
He added, "I wasn't the writer of '2 Broke Girls,' I was just responsible for providing script ideas."
“In an American TV series, you would be the head writer,” Chung Ben-shuo said. “You just don’t want to take credit for the work of the writers, but we all know how important script ideas are, especially the ones you come up with.”
Lu Yanhe: "..."
It's true that once a person succeeds, whatever they do or say will be rationalized by others.
Stay alert, stay alert. Lu Yanhe reminded himself.
-
Despite Zhong Benshuo's flattery, Lu Yanhe remained vigilant and wary. He knew that Zhong Benshuo wanted something from him, and every word he uttered was carefully chosen to be agreeable.
However, for those who were truly cooperating, Lu Yanhe would sometimes remind himself not to "fall for them" while a smirk would appear on his face.
The main reason is that everyone is so good at praising him. Now, apart from Chen Ziyan and Chen Siqi, almost no one around him says anything negative.
Including Li Zhibai and Yan Liang—the two of them weren't deliberately praising him or trying to make him happy, but in their eyes, Lu Yanhe really was a person who was good in every way and did everything very well.
Lu Yanhe also understood that, given his numerous successes, his opinions and suggestions were generally not opposed.
Because everyone assumes he is right.
Only Lu Yanhe knew that the scripts he produced were basically successful products that had been proven by the market, but apart from that, he could still say the wrong thing and do the wrong thing.
However, the truth is often concealed.
If one day he says that the sun rises in the west, everyone will think that he is about to write the beginning of an apocalyptic story.
-
Therefore, Lu Yanhe now rarely makes any comments on the script or other aspects on set.
Otherwise, he might have just mentioned it casually, and someone would immediately treat it as an imperial edict and follow it.
With someone like him around, the director's authority is quite threatened.
This is different from Chen Bige.
No matter how high Chen Bige's position is, if he were to have a conflict with Lian Bei one day, people might side with Chen Bige, but not because they firmly believe that Chen Bige's views are necessarily right and Lian Bei's views are necessarily wrong.
Therefore, Lu Yanhe usually behaves more "obediently" when Lian Bei is present.
He believes that as an actor, if you encounter a director who understands acting and theater, it is an actor's responsibility to uphold the director's authority on set. Because once the director's authority as the helmsman is affected, the whole ship will rock.
However, even Bei himself said that he was so lucky to encounter a project like "The Seventeenth Floor" when he was directing his second film that he was no longer afraid of any project, no matter how big it was.
An S-level investment, a top-tier cast. It's impossible for a show to be bigger than this.
“They wanted me to direct the spin-off series, but I’m really tired. I want to do other projects and don’t want to be tied to the world of ‘The Seventeenth Floor’ forever,” Lian Bei told Lu Yanhe in the lounge. “We’re still negotiating.”
"If you really don't want to direct, and you're not a contracted director with Beijing-Taiwan Broadcasting Corporation, it shouldn't be that difficult for you, right?"
"I did hesitate a bit, after all, we created the world of 'The Seventeen Floors' from scratch, and the spin-off series is starring an actor of Chen Pinhe's caliber."
Lu Yanhe hummed in agreement and nodded.
"Moreover, to be honest, 'The Seventeenth Floor' is so popular and has such good results, and it has the potential to become a classic IP by continuing to produce seasons, including gaining a large audience overseas." Lian Bei said, "Did you know that the second season of 'The Seventeenth Floor' was released on Maxine and had over three million views in just three days, surpassing the first season's performance."
"I haven't heard of that before." Because "The Seventeenth Floor" wasn't his project; he was just an actor. For actors, the "excellent" rating is usually quite low.
"On another note, it's said that Maxine wants to create a movie based on the character from the Chen Pinhe spin-off series," Lian Bei said. "I've never directed a movie before, so this opportunity is quite appealing to me."
"A movie?" Lu Yanhe said, "Actually, the 'Seventeen Floors' worldview is suitable for making a spin-off movie, but did they agree to let you make this movie?"
“Yes.” Lian Bei nodded. “If I’m willing to direct a spin-off series, I’ll definitely direct the spin-off movie as well.”
“If you feel it’s an opportunity that appeals to you, then go for it,” Lu Yanhe said. “There’s plenty of time to do other projects later, but if you can really turn ‘The Seventeenth Floor’ into a classic IP, as you said, that’s very valuable. For any director, that’s something that’s hard to come by.”
"If I invite you to come back and guest star in this role later, would you be willing to come?"
“If there’s a good way to make an entrance, I’d be willing, of course.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “If I didn’t like this story and this character, I wouldn’t have been able to film three seasons with you in one go. For me, apart from Friends, I’ve never filmed a show that’s been longer. In fact, even Friends wasn’t as long as Seventeen Floors.”
Lian Bei breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
“At first I was really worried that you wouldn’t come because you were no longer willing to cooperate with Beijing and Taiwan.”
“I do have some unpleasantness with Beijing TV, I have to admit that. However, my relationship with Director Jiang is fine. In fact, when I was at odds with those people at Beijing TV, Director Jiang was the only one I was willing to contact,” Lu Yanhe said. “It’s just that it’s hard to explain. Director, you know, I’m very willing to continue working with you, but that’s how film and television projects are. It’s not just a matter between you and me. It involves many parties. Sometimes, even if I really want to continue working with you, there are other factors that prevent me from doing so.”
Upon hearing this, Lian Bei suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned around to make sure no one else could hear him before asking in a low voice, "I heard you and Chen Pinhe have some kind of conflict, is that right?"
Lu Yanhe paused, nodded, and said, "It's not just a slight conflict; it's a relationship where cooperation is impossible in the future."
Lian Bei looked at Lu Yanhe with considerable surprise.
To his surprise, Lu Yanhe didn't hesitate at all and admitted it directly.
What piqued Lian Bei's curiosity was what had happened between Lu Yanhe and Chen Pinhe that made Lu Yanhe so resolute in saying that they would never cooperate again.
Having known Lu Yanhe for so many years, and having filmed three dramas with him, Lian Bei knows more or less what kind of person Lu Yanhe is.
If Lu Yanhe were the kind of person with a bad temper who was prone to conflict and fighting, he wouldn't have been able to keep it hidden forever.
After thinking for a moment, Lian Bei asked, "So, if Chen Pinhe is in a movie I'm making, I'll never be able to get you in the cast."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"If I cooperate with Chen Pinhe after knowing about your relationship with him, will I still be able to cooperate with you in the future?"
“Of course, can I stop others from cooperating with Chen Pinhe?” Lu Yanhe said, both amused and exasperated. “I’m only competing with myself, not with others.”
Lian Bei: "Then aren't you at a disadvantage like this?"
"Loss?" Lu Yanhe asked, "Loss what?"
Lian Bei said, "You didn't do anything wrong, but just because you refuse to cooperate with Chen Pinhe, some people will think you're difficult to deal with, right? Especially since, no matter what, Chen Pinhe is a senior, especially in the entertainment industry."
Lu Yanhe said, "It doesn't matter. At most, people will gossip about me. If I've gotten this far and still can't refuse to cooperate with people I don't want to cooperate with, then I've wasted my life."
He said this in a deliberately nonchalant tone, as if he didn't care about the matter at all.
"You're right," Lian Bei nodded.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Director, if you're not making spin-off series, what projects do you have?"
Lian Bei said, "Actually, I've been preparing a suspense story. The script was finished a long time ago, and I bought the copyright, but filming has been delayed. If we don't start filming next year, the copyright will expire. I originally wanted to start filming this year."
Lu Yanhe said, "I feel that every director has a dream of making suspense films."
Lian Bei: "I just don't like repeating the same themes I've filmed before. My first drama was a fantasy drama, and of course, that drama did well. After that, all the projects that came my way were fantasy dramas. Now that 'The Seventeenth Floor' is a hit, there are a lot of thriller and adventure projects coming my way. There was also a script similar to 'The Gold Rush,' which was about treasure hunting and adventure abroad. It was actually written quite well, but it was too similar to 'The Gold Rush.'"
"That certainly doesn't appeal to you."
Lian Bei rose directly to the position of a top-tier director from his very first drama series, and the "Seventeen Floors" series further proved his ability to handle a variety of genres.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "If you need funding for your suspense project, or if you need me to do anything, you can contact me anytime."
Lian Bei was somewhat surprised, but he also knew why Lu Yanhe would say that.
"This drama doesn't lack funding. The problem now is that we're worried about the copyright expiring and being taken back," Lian Bei said. "After all, we've already prepared the script and everything, but we just haven't had time to work on it."
"What's the name of the original novel? Which author is it?" Lu Yanhe said. "Let me see if Siqi and I know each other. If we do, I can ask him what he thinks."
Lian Bei: "Jiang Yan is a novel written by Wang Ermou. The novel is not very famous. It was published more than ten years ago. I read it when I was in school and it left a deep impression on me. I've been thinking about it ever since. Originally, the copyright of this novel was not very popular. However, two years ago, Wang Ermou's novel was adapted into the TV series Harvesting Seeds, which became a hit. His novels became popular in the market, and then Jiang Yan was discovered."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
“I know about ‘Harvest Seeds,’ it’s pretty amazing. It’s a TV series about teaching in rural areas. It’s supposed to be a very mainstream show, but it was made exceptionally well and became very popular,” Lu Yanhe said. “I watched every single episode.”
Lian Bei: "Yes, so if the copyright of 'Jiang Yan' expires and is taken back, that would be terrible. I also had people from the company talk to him about renewing the contract, but his copyright is too expensive now. When we bought the adaptation rights to this novel, we only spent one million, but now it costs tens of millions. At the original price, he definitely won't be willing to renew."
Lu Yanhe understood.
He thought for a moment and said, "So, the only way is to start filming before the copyright expires."
Lian Bei: "This is also why I haven't agreed to Chiang Tai's offer yet."
“Chiang Tai doesn’t really need to tie you to the ‘17 Floors’ series forever. According to Jing Tai’s vision, this is going to be a grand universe. Does that mean you have to personally direct every single ‘17 Floors’ project in the future? That’s not realistic,” Lu Yanhe said. “I think you can participate in other ‘17 Floors’ projects as a producer, executive producer, or script consultant, etc., to ensure that the overall direction doesn’t go astray. As for Jing Tai, they can’t survive on the ‘17 Floors’ series forever. If you want to do new projects, they will definitely want to take them on.”
Lian Bei: "They are certainly interested in the 'Jiangyan' project, but compared to that, 'Seventeen Floors' is definitely more valued."
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Director, if you're making 'Jiang Yan,' can I recommend an actor for you?"
"Huh?" Lian Bei was taken aback.
“Actually, I’ve read the novel ‘Jiang Yan’. Ever since I read ‘Harvesting Seeds’, I’ve also been paying attention to Mr. Wang Er. We at ‘Jump Up’ have even been trying to contact him to invite him to publish his new work in ‘Jump Up’.” Lu Yanhe smiled slightly. “If you’re directing ‘Jiang Yan’, I’ll help you negotiate a cast that will impress Beijing TV.”
Lian Bei stared wide-eyed in surprise.
"Really?"
“Yes, of course. If you already have an actor in mind, I won’t say anything more.” Lu Yanhe laughed. “To tell you the truth, Linghe actually inquired about the copyright of ‘Jiang Yan.’ We only knew that it had been bought by someone else, but we didn’t know that it was you who bought it. What a coincidence.”
Even Bei spread his hands in disbelief, expressing his surprise.
"I don't even have time to manage this project, so how could I possibly have any actors to choose from?" Lian Bei said.
He definitely wasn't telling the truth.
Lu Yanhe believed that Lian Bei must have a favorite actor in mind.
After all, the script has already been written.
“But you have to direct it yourself, otherwise I won’t feel comfortable bringing in these actors to film this movie,” Lu Yanhe said. “I only trust your abilities.”
Lian Bei was both amused and exasperated.
"May I ask first, which actors would you like to cast in this film?"
“First of all, the male lead, Jiang Yan, is a young boy who grew up on the streets, is very skilled, and has a strong local flavor. I think Yan Liang is very suitable for him,” Lu Yanhe said. “He has been training in martial arts for the past two years and is very skilled. He can do many of the fight scenes in the novel himself. Moreover, as you know from reading ‘The Gold Rush,’ there is a lot of room for him to be portrayed. He is perfectly capable of portraying the local character.”
Lian Bei nodded thoughtfully.
"Secondly, there are two key female characters in this drama, one is Aunt Mei and the other is Aunt Wang. For the former, I think Ms. Wan Xin, who co-starred with me in 'Love Letter,' is very suitable. She fits the image of someone from a prestigious family, elegant in demeanor but ruthless in heart. She is also fully capable of playing the role."
Lian Bei's eyes lit up slightly.
“I think Liu Zi is very suitable to play the role of Aunt Wang, a woman who is shrewish but kind-hearted at heart.” Lu Yanhe smiled. “I don’t need to say more about her, right? She can handle such a difficult female character as Manager Tong. There’s nothing more to say.”
Lian Bei: "If we could get these people over here, it would indeed be—"
"Not only that, Jiang Yan's friend, the classmate who died tragically while standing up for him, Zhou Yu who was very sunny and kind, Li Yuefeng and Liu Zefan are all suitable, right?"
"Could they play a supporting role?"
“If I invite them, they should be willing,” Lu Yanhe said. “Besides, with you personally directing, why wouldn’t they be willing?”
Lian Bei remained silent.
These people, any one of them, would be playing leading male or female roles in other places, but with Lu Yanhe, as long as the role is suitable, it seems he doesn't even consider whether he can invite them.
Of course, Lu Yanhe certainly had this confidence.
"The spoiled but kind-hearted rich girl that Jiang Yan encounters later, Wang Jing and Yan Lingyu are both good choices. It just depends on whether you want to focus more on the spoiled side of the character or her beautiful side."
As Lu Yanhe spoke, he thought for a moment whether he had missed anyone else.
"These are the most important characters with the most screen time. Of course, the best part of the drama 'Jiang Yan' is the variety of people Jiang Yan encounters along the way. In the novel, many characters only appear once, but they leave a deep impression. The characters are very well written. I think we can use an all-star cast to achieve the same effect for these characters."
Lian Bei asked, "If it's done this way, the actors' salaries must be very high, right?"
“With such a lineup, Beijing and Taiwan won’t be stingy,” Lu Yanhe said. “If your production budget is tight, or Beijing and Taiwan are unwilling to pay a high price, I will make up for the shortfall. Platforms like Yuehutai, Aurora, Icefield, Maxine, and HP will all be willing to buy.”
Lian Bei didn't know what to say.
Only two words came to his mind: arrogance!
That's incredibly extravagant.
Lian Bei was already one of the most sought-after A-list directors in the industry, but he had never heard Lu Yanhe speak with such a tone—
What would sound arrogant coming from someone else sounds perfectly natural coming from him.
After hearing the last part, Lian Bei hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you trying to get me to film 'Jiang Yan' with this cast, instead of a spin-off of 'The Seventeen Floors'?"
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Yes, I admit it." He laughed. "It's just an open conspiracy."
Lian Bei looked at the smile on Lu Yanhe's face and didn't know what to say for a moment.
-
Lu Yanhe genuinely liked the story of "Jiang Yan".
This novel is really well written.
Although it's a suspense thriller, it's not the kind where someone dies or a case occurs, and a group of people are searching for the truth.
This is a novel set in the Republican era. It tells the story of Jiang Yan, a street thug, who is asked to deliver something to the second master of the Ning family. However, he fails to deliver the item and is put in danger of being killed. Jiang Yan escapes death and, wanting to find out what happened, begins to search for the truth. He encounters all sorts of people and experiences all kinds of things. He fights with all his might and never gives up on finding the person who almost killed him and taking revenge.
The story unfolds along a single line, told from Jiang Yan's perspective. Therefore, despite the large number of characters, it doesn't feel chaotic.
Lu Yanhe sincerely believed that if this story were filmed well, it would be a blockbuster. There were no other dramas like it on the market, yet the story itself was compelling. It was fresh and interesting; all it needed was a group of capable people to cook it up and serve it to everyone.
After Lu Yanhe finished speaking with Lian Bei, he and Chen Bige were about to set off for Xituer.
Of course, there's no rush to reply to Lu Yanhe right now.
No matter how urgent the decision is, we definitely have to finish filming the third season of "The Seventeen Floors" first.
Lu Yanhe specifically told Chen Siqi about this matter and asked her to find out what Teacher Wang Er thought.
Ideally, they could buy the film and television rights to "Jiang Yan," just in case. However, the copyright fee for "Jiang Yan" is indeed expensive, and the rights haven't expired yet, so buying it now would be too uneconomical.
After all, as long as filming can start this year, there's no need to renew the contract.
Chen Siqi told Lu Yanhe that they were talking to teacher Wang Er about the republication of his work.
Wang Ermou has no shortage of publishing houses or related agents.
However, the advantage of "Jump Up" is that it has a large readership.
No writer can ignore the influence of "Jump Up" among print book readers.
For Shi Xia, "Jump Up" has been responsible for the publication of three of his books: one new book and two reprints of old books. Each time a book was published, "Jump Up" held a corresponding promotional event, which helped the total sales of the three books exceed one million copies.
In this era, achieving such sales figures is extremely rare, even for an author of Shi Xia's caliber.
Therefore, Lu Yanhe has always believed that, given time, "Jump Up" will definitely become the largest media group in China, because its foundation is more solid than that of any other media group.
In this era, only "Jump Up" has been able to cultivate a consumer base of hundreds of thousands of regular magazine buyers, and from this, various different media formats and audiences have emerged. It is truly difficult to replicate.
Just as Lu Yanhe was thinking this and had already prepared with his team to set off for Xituer, Xin Zixing suddenly sent Lu Yanhe a message: Yanhe, Yemai.com is recruiting me to be the website's editor-in-chief.
Lu Yanhe sat in the airport waiting room, looking at the news in surprise.
His acquaintance with Xin Zixing was through the leaf vein network.
Starting with "City Travelogue", he and Xin Zixing became such good friends and working partners.
Xin Zixing rose through the ranks at Yemai.com, a journey witnessed by Lu Yanhe.
Xin Zixing chose to leave Yemai.com, and Lu Yanhe witnessed it.
Lu Yanhe witnessed Xin Zixing's journey from jumping up and down to picking up fire, and then working with him on "The Birth of an Actor."
Lu Yanhe never imagined that Yemai.com would one day invite her back.
To be honest, YeMai.com treated Xin Zixing badly before, even making things very difficult for her.
Mingming Xinzixing made a huge and outstanding contribution to the development of leaf vein network.
Lu Yanhe asked in confusion: "They want you to come back as the website's editor-in-chief? What about the original editor-in-chief?"
Xin Zixing: Are you available to call now?
Lu Yanhe immediately made a phone call.
"I'm waiting to board; I'll be boarding in about twenty minutes."
“Okay, let me briefly explain,” Xin Zixing said. “You’ve probably already heard that Shijin Group is acquiring Yemai.com, right?”
"Yes, I heard about it. I heard that Yang Zhouli is in charge of this matter, so I paid attention to it."
“He came to talk to me personally,” Xin Zixing said. “He wanted me to be in charge of the restructuring and all content of YeMai.com after the acquisition was completed.”
Lu Yanhe wasn't surprised that Xin Zixing was invited back.
Anyone familiar with the history of Xin Zixing and the Leaf Vein Network knows the immense contribution Xin Zixing made and understands that she was a powerful driving force for the Leaf Vein Network.
In the past two years, the development of LeafVein.net has not been very good.
Formerly the largest online community for arts and culture in China, it has certainly lost its dominant position due to the rise of other online communities.
And boutique brand projects like "City Travelogue" are practically bankrupt.
Yu Jiang's magazine, Star!, is operating at a loss and has received poor reviews.
It's been a long time since anything new has been released.
Lu Yanhe felt that if Yemai Network hadn't accumulated enough wealth before, it might have been squandered in the past few years.
-
"Do you want to go?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Xin Zixing said, "I want to."
She didn't hesitate at all.
"To be honest, I have a deep affection for Yemai.com more than making TV shows," she said. "That's where I've worked hard for many years."
"It can give you a position as the editor-in-chief of a website. You could say that you are basically in charge of the website. It's a very lucrative opportunity."
“Yes,” Xin Zixing said. “In the past few years of doing shows outside, I’ve actually been a bit lost. It’s not that I don’t like the shows I’ve done, but I always feel that this is not my main profession. I’ve just come into a field that many people are doing and I’m trying to do as well as them. But this is not the field that I really want to work hard in.”
Lu Yanhe: "If that's the case, I think you already have the answer."
“If I go back to Yemai.com, there are still several projects in the program production field,” Xin Zixing said, “including ‘The Voice of China’.”
"Find a good person to take over your work. Also, is there anyone you think is suitable to succeed you?" Lu Yanhe asked with a smile. "Sister Zixing, don't feel pressured. At worst, we can just pause these projects for a while and continue after finding a suitable leader. I also think that you can best utilize your strengths at Yemai.com. I really like the program 'City Travelogue'. If you go back, why don't we revive the program?"
Xin Zixing asked in shock, "You're still willing to come back to do 'City Travelogue'?"
“In recent years, I have often regretted that this program could not be continued,” Lu Yanhe said. “On a smaller scale, I like the content and tone of this program. It is not like ‘China in Classics’ which starts with culture and history. Instead, it is a normal, everyday perspective that records the story of an individual exploring a city. The smaller it is, the more real and human it is.”
"On a grander scale, I've always felt that this program might one day become a calling card, introducing these places in our country to the world, not in the way of a beautifully presented documentary with a calm and composed atmosphere, but in a very real and down-to-earth way. Look, we've made so many good films and TV series, and now they're loved by so many people overseas. I think 'City Travelogue' can do the same."
Just like "A Bite of China," and just like Li Ziqi's short videos.
Xin Zixing was astonished upon hearing this.
“I didn’t expect you to have such high expectations for ‘City Travelogue’.”
"The expectations for the later parts are just things that I think might be achievable, but what motivates me to continue making this show is those small things from the beginning," Lu Yanhe said. "Recording 'City Travelogue' is when I feel most at ease."
Xin Zixing: "Okay, I'll look into it, thank you."
Shouldn't I be thanking you?
“No, I mean, Yan He, thank you for always supporting me in the most crucial moments,” Xin Zixing said.
“It’s not that I’ll always support you at the most crucial moments, but that if I don’t support you, I have no other choice, really, Sister Zixing,” Lu Yanhe said. “You’ll never know how much I admire you.”
If he had a cheat code that made him invincible, then Xin Zixing relied entirely on herself, coming up with one idea after another and putting them into practice one by one.
Without Xin Zixing, many things are just ideas that sound good at first glance. But with Xin Zixing, Lu Yanhe becomes a "remarkable variety show genius" because his program ideas always resonate with the public.
Therefore, Lu Yanhe thought it was great whether Xin Zixing was making programs or becoming the editor-in-chief of Yemai.com. As long as it was something Xin Zixing wanted to do, she could do it very well.
And her relationship with him, of course, will not change because of these job changes.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Yanhe got up to board the plane.
After boarding the plane and finding his seat, he discovered that someone was already sitting in the seat next to him.
Lu Yanhe looked at him with some surprise.
Because this is someone I know.
To be precise, although they had met, it was online, via video.
But he wouldn't be mistaken, because that meeting was truly memorable.
Yang Zhouli looked up and saw him, and smiled with some surprise.
"Mr. Lu, what a coincidence! So you're also on this flight to Situar."
Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze, nodded, and smiled.
"Mr. Yang, what a coincidence!" he asked. "Are you also going to Situ?"
“Yes.” Yang Zhouli nodded. “Let’s go to Situ’er and see what the top international film festival is like.”
-
I recommend the classic entertainment novel, "I Became the Leading Lady of a Scandal Overnight."
(End of this chapter)
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