Chapter 710 Start-up (7000-word update)
"When we looked into it, guess what? They've contacted nearly a third of our authors!"
Chen Siqi was furious on the phone.
Lu Yanhe could only offer words of comfort: "So what's the situation now? Has someone been poached?"
"The situation is okay for now," Chen Siqi said. "Basically, most of the top-tier authors have chosen to stay with us and haven't agreed to their conditions. However, two authors whose contracts were about to expire have decided to go to their side, and they've offered them a signing fee of 600,000 yuan per year."
Lu Yanhe immediately understood.
In fact, besides the top authors who can earn seven or even eight figures a year through royalties, publications, and copyright adaptations, there are also some authors who haven't published any standalone editions yet. They make a living by publishing articles in "Jump Up" magazine and writing for other media outlets under "Jump Up".
For these authors, a signing fee of 600,000 yuan a year means a guaranteed income, which is hard not to be tempted by.
Lu Yanhe: "Didn't you always want a competitor? You said that only competitors could make the market active. Now your competitor has arrived."
“Then I don’t want to compete with a financial giant.” Chen Siqi said somewhat angrily, “It took us more than six years to slowly cultivate our current lineup of authors. The core members were even discovered by our magazine itself. As a result, the two who have been poached are authors that we cultivated ourselves.”
"It's not like their contract hasn't expired yet, and they're making a fuss about terminating it. To be honest, they might only earn two or three hundred thousand yuan a year here, but with them, their income would double. If you were in their shoes, wouldn't you go?"
That's one way of putting it.
“As long as they don’t betray you or stab you in the back, and they leave openly and honestly, don’t say anything to them,” Lu Yanhe said. “Besides, they’ve poached so many people, but they’ve only managed to poach two.”
“There are two now, but we don’t know what will happen in the future. They’re not short of money. If they really wanted to spend money, poaching them all wouldn’t be difficult for a big capital firm like Shijin,” Chen Siqi said.
"First of all, not everyone will be poached. You can rest assured that many authors are not short of money, especially many of the authors we have signed. We have never treated our authors unfairly after working together for so long, so there is nothing to worry about."
"Secondly, it's certainly easy for Shijin to poach people, but after they've poached the authors, how should they plan for them? How should they provide opportunities for these authors?" Lu Yanhe said, "A magazine like 'Jump Up,' with sales of over 400,000 copies, is enough to make a large number of authors choose to stay. No matter how rich Shijin Group is, if they can't provide such a large readership for the authors, to be honest, the authors also have a choice."
Chen Siqi: "Although I understand the reasoning, if a tiger suddenly enters your territory and is eyeing you menacingly, you can't really put your mind at ease."
That is indeed the case.
"Don't forget, although Shi Jin doesn't have 'Jump Up' now, it has the leaf vein network."
Lu Yanhe: "Then let's compete. No matter how much money they have, they can't change the rules of the market. Besides, we're not short of money ourselves. We can support many authors to make money. If we just rely on throwing money at some authors, they're not stupid. They can't keep throwing money at authors indefinitely."
Chen Siqi: "Well, let's wait and see what they're going to do. How are things going on set? Is filming the sequel easier than the first one?"
“It’s a different level of difficulty,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, the actors I worked with in the first film weren’t as big names as they are now.”
"Are the actors you're working with now big names?" Chen Siqi asked, somewhat surprised.
"Anyway, they all have the confidence to act like divas," Lu Yanhe said succinctly. "Even Mu Ken isn't the one who calls the shots on set, so you can tell what kind of situation this crew is in."
Chen Siqi: "When he was filming the first movie, he didn't have that much say, did he? In Hollywood, the director's power is generally not as great as the producer's."
“The main problem is that we can’t compare to the producers at the production company,” Lu Yanhe laughed. “The producers who work with Muken are still very supportive of him.”
"So what's the situation over there right now?" Chen Siqi asked. "Is the environment really that bad?"
"It's not exactly bad," Lu Yanhe laughed. "We're still in the adjustment period."
"I don't know why, but even though you're not very satisfied with this production team right now, and you've landed some big-name actors, I always feel that things will change once this movie wraps up."
"What has changed?" Lu Yanhe asked.
“Either you manage to handle them, or they collapse,” Chen Siqi laughed. “In my opinion, you’re really blessed with good luck in this regard.”
"Why do you say that? I don't think so."
Chen Siqi: "Think about it, do you meet a few friends with whom you keep in touch even after filming wraps up every time you make a movie?"
"Yes, but that's normal, isn't it? As long as they're normal people, if they meet and have a bit of a connection, they'll become friends, right?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Siqi: "Then those who have a falling out with you either reconcile with you in the end, like Zeng Qiao and Li Yuefeng, or they just break up on their own, like Simon Schmid in the first 'Mist' movie."
Lu Yanhe: "...The one who fell out with me and then collapsed on his own is Simon Schmid. He was betrayed by D19. Why don't you talk about Lang Xia? Isn't he still quite popular now?"
"You still think about him?" Chen Siqi laughed. "He's basically become Yu Jiang's go-to leading man now. He'll probably be acting in campus romance movies for the rest of his life. Let's see how long he can keep it up. Last year, when he was in his last movie, some people already criticized him for becoming greasy."
Lu Yanhe: "They're still popular."
Chen Siqi: "You still mind him?"
“I don’t mind him, I’m refuting you.”
"You'd rather argue with me than mind him?" Chen Siqi raised her voice instantly.
Lu Yanhe: "...That's not what I meant."
"So what do you mean?"
Lu Yanhe: "...The director called me to film a scene."
Chen Siqi: "We'll talk about it later. You'd better come up with a reasonable explanation, or this won't end here."
Lu Yanhe hung up the phone and looked up at the sky.
Good heavens.
How could a single sentence cause the situation to take such a dramatic turn for the worse?
How did it suddenly become that he'd rather argue with her?
Lu Yanhe shook his head.
A lesson learned in blood—
Men should be more composed, especially in front of their girlfriends, because if they speak too quickly, their brains won't be able to keep up with their survival instincts.
-
Lu Yanhe wasn't on set for this scene, so he wasn't there either.
Filming has just started, and everyone is still in the adjustment period.
The atmosphere on set was rather subdued among the actors from the Ghostbusters.
The main problem was that Erin Wallace and Ryan Waters didn't talk to each other at all on set, ignoring each other, which made it difficult for the other people on set to chat enthusiastically.
Jason Porter asked Wang Jiaqi if he knew Lu Yanhe before.
Wang Jiaqi nodded, "He and I have the same agent, and we've had dinner together before. Do you like him that much?"
Jason Porter smiled somewhat sheepishly.
“When he came to the UK for a screening event, my girlfriend at the time dragged me there to watch his movie. I thought he was amazing.”
Which movie were you watching at the time?
“Three Mountains,” Jason Porter said. “My girlfriend at the time was a fan of his and kept praising him, which made me a little angry, but I came to understand her later.”
Wang Jiaqi was quite surprised.
"You didn't tell him either."
“There’s not much to say about it.” Jason Porter shook his head. “After I retired, I faced a career choice. There happened to be a movie with an athlete role, and my agent asked me if I wanted to give it a try. I thought to myself, if I really became an actor, maybe I would have the opportunity to act in a movie with him in the future. I never thought it would come true.”
"Really? Are you telling the truth? This is too much like something out of a movie," Wang Jiaqi said.
“It’s not as exaggerated as in the movie.” Jason Porter immediately shook his head. “I don’t idolize him because he became an actor. There are many factors involved. I’m just telling you why I’m excited to be able to make a movie with him this time.”
Wang Jiaqi nodded.
Jason Porter suddenly looked at Ryan Waters and Erin Wallace.
"Moreover, it's incredible that he managed to get both of them to behave on the very first day."
Wang Jiaqi also showed a complicated expression.
"Indeed, this is something I didn't expect. When I took on this film, my friend reminded me that those two people on set were not easy to get along with."
Wang Jiaqi suddenly thought of something and asked, "You've been filming movies in England before, but this time you suddenly took on a Hollywood movie. It's not because of Lu Yanhe, is it?"
Jason Porter is different from other new actors because he is a member of the British diving team and has won world championships and Olympic medals, so he is very well-known.
As an actor, he's almost never played small roles; he's always had significant parts. However, he's primarily acted in British films and hasn't done any Hollywood projects. Many British actors, especially those with an academic background in theater, aren't particularly keen on working in Hollywood.
That shouldn't be the case for Jason Porter.
“My agent helped me get this job,” he said. “There were no special circumstances. He just needed this kind of image for me, so he helped me get this very popular sequel movie.”
Wang Jiaqi suddenly realized.
It's true that roles in this movie are hard to come by.
Many people are scrambling to buy it.
Jason Porter's agent must be very capable. Since he started acting, he has basically starred in high-profile projects, either directed by famous directors or starring other big stars.
His situation is different from hers, who worked his way up from minor roles.
"You just mentioned your girlfriend at the time—"
Wang Jiaqi suddenly came to her senses.
"Have you broken up with her?"
“Yes,” Jason Porter nodded. “She was studying at Cambridge at the time, and after graduating, she went back to China.”
"Is she Chinese?"
“Yes.” Jason Porter sighed.
Wang Jiaqi: "Okay, so you two broke up... because of the long-distance relationship?"
“That’s part of it, but the main reason is something else,” Jason Porter shook his head.
"Hey!" Suddenly, Eileen Wallace let out a disgruntled roar from the side.
Jason Porter and Wang Jiaqi both looked at him with some surprise.
Eileen Wallace glared angrily at Ryan Waters and said, "Stay away from me!"
Ryan Waters looked blankly at Eileen Wallace, as if he had no idea what was going on.
What are you saying?
“I said, stay away from me!” Eileen Wallace pointed to the chair with her name on it. “This is my area.”
Ryan Waters looked on incredulously.
"This is a public area. I didn't sit in your chair. Don't go too far!"
“Who knows what you’re up to by coming this way?” Eileen Wallace said with a hostile expression.
"Neuropathy!"
The argument between the two left everyone around them completely baffled.
No one knew what had happened between them or how the conflict had suddenly broken out.
Just because Ryan Waters got close to Erin Wallace's chair?
-
"Don't get involved in their affairs."
Darren Wilson warned Wang Jiaqi over the phone.
Wang Jiaqi: "Of course I'm not getting involved, but I need to know what's going on between them in order to avoid this minefield. Something must have happened between them, and I want to know what happened."
Darren Wilson: "Ryan Waters had previously helped his then-girlfriend steal a role from Erin Wallace, and that's how the two became enemies."
Wang Jiaqi: "Ryan Waters' girlfriend at the time? Who? Luna? Sally? Is it possible that they've held a grudge over something like this until now?"
“Sally,” Darren Wilson said, “Ryan did something quite dishonorable to get Sally the role.”
What did he do?
"At the time, in order to get Parameter to choose Sally, he told Parameter's executives that Erin was addicted to drugs."
"What?"
“That’s not even the dirtiest part. You can’t even imagine how dirty Lean’s methods are,” Darren Wilson said. “To convince Parameter’s executives that this was true, he bribed Erin’s former assistant and spread rumors about it in the media, which attracted a lot of attention at the time.”
Wang Jiaqi was shocked.
"What a bastard!" she said, furious.
Darren Wilson said, "Of course, Erin did use drugs before. She went to rehab when she was very young, so when this was brought up, it really damaged her image."
"Was this also revealed by Rien?"
“No, that was dug up by some media outlets after that incident,” Darren Wilson said. “Ryan is a bastard, and Erin isn’t a good person either. They’ve done a lot of bastard things over the years, so just stay away from them and don’t get involved in their feud.”
"Their PR team is really amazing; almost no one knows about these things," Wang Jiaqi said.
“They were all A-list Hollywood stars, and even though many years have passed since they won the Oscar, their foundation is still there,” Darren Wilson said. “Otherwise, how could they have won this movie?”
Wang Jiaqi asked, "Does Lu know about their relationship?"
“I don’t know that specific,” Darren Wilson said. “His agent in China is very capable. She was already inquiring before Lu Yanhe even arrived. Although she didn’t get the specific details from me, she may have found out from other places.”
"Lu tricked them on the very first day of the script reading session. Will they retaliate against Lu later?"
“Law is not so easily retaliated against,” Darren Wilson said. “Especially actors like Lean and Erin, who have already lost their footing in Hollywood, need the sequel to The Mist to help them regain the confidence and support of film studios, so they won’t act rashly.”
“Lu doesn’t tolerate them at all, which really surprises me.”
"Why should Lu tolerate them?" Darren Wilson asked a question that Wang Jiaqi had been pondering all night.
-
Among Asian actors in Hollywood, Wang Jiaqi is already one of the most successful.
However, even in this politically correct era, she is well aware that Asians in Hollywood are not only a minority among minorities, but also a very neglected minority.
Even though projects like "The Mist" and "The Squid Game" have increased the number of Asian lead actors in Hollywood projects, in absolute terms, the number is still very small, with far more actors than available roles.
In every project, even those in which she plays a leading role, Wang Jiaqi rarely expresses her opinions or dissatisfaction directly.
It wasn't about assessing the situation; it was that she didn't want to become a "troublemaker."
If such a reputation and image were to spread, her already limited opportunities would likely become even fewer.
This is also a question that Wang Jiaqi has been thinking about ever since he finished speaking with Darren Wilson.
The conclusion I've come to is that perhaps Lu Yanhe can still do it, but she still can't.
She still has to hide her true emotions and attitudes.
For her, the important thing was to preserve her opportunities.
She is not Lu Yanhe.
-
Lu Yanhe's first scene was his first appearance in this film.
That morning, he got up very early and started getting his hair and makeup done.
This character's appearance involved a lot of special effects makeup.
The entire styling process basically takes two hours.
The entire makeup process gave Lu Yanhe the perfect opportunity to rewatch the first part of "The Mist".
He wasn't rewatching the series; he was trying to find the feeling of the character.
The form of a ghost is definitely different from that of a human.
However, since he has emotions, those ten years must have caused some changes to his state of mind.
What has changed?
Having avenged his great grudge and fulfilled his wish, he should be able to let go of much of his resentment.
A man lived in this small town for ten years. Everyone in the town left, leaving it an empty place.
This loneliness—
Do ghosts feel lonely?
He may not necessarily feel lonely, but from his outward appearance, he certainly presents a somewhat lonely picture.
So what is his condition?
A heart as still as water, or utter indifference?
Lu Yanhe's mind conjured images of Voldemort from *Harry Potter* and Gong Li from *The Monkey King 2*. Both had aspects worth learning from; they were characters who exuded an aura from the moment they appeared. The actors, through meticulous attention to detail, made these already extreme characters even more extreme, giving them a real, fleshed-out quality.
This is what Lu Yanhe wanted to present in his role.
Lu Yanhe had done a lot of research before joining the crew, but he hadn't made a decision yet.
How exactly should each scene be performed?
Lu Yanhe wanted to hand it over to the scene.
After the entire look was completed, Lu Yanhe headed to the filming location.
Accompanied by Wang Biao and Zou Dong, he followed his on-site director.
There were cameras from the film crew following nearby, recording the filming.
Everywhere he went, everyone he met looked at him with a startled expression.
At this point, Lu Yanhe had already begun to get into character, no longer greeting people, and becoming serious and aloof.
He arrived at the photography studio—
It's an almost one-to-one replica of a real town, but it's clearly been altered, showing signs of age, decay, and dust.
Lu Yanhe's gaze lingered on the scene, and his mental preparation gradually took shape.
Actors need a lot of imagination.
It's not just the imagination in the visuals, but also the imagination in the characters.
As Lu Yanhe looked at the real-life buildings, he recalled his experience filming in Canada. He then entered the mind of a ghost, imagining that after he had avenged his great enemy, everyone in the town would move away one after another out of fear of his presence. He stood where no one could see him, watching those people move away in panic.
A very complex, detached yet genuine emotion arose spontaneously.
Then, there are these ten years.
The sun rises and the moon appears.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter; there are nights with raging winds, afternoons with torrential rain, and quiet moments when everything calms down.
He stayed in this small town and never left.
Why doesn't he leave?
-
What is he doing?
Did you suddenly space out?
After Lu Yanhe arrived, the other actors kept looking around, ignoring everyone else, their faces expressionless and cold.
Ryan Waters glanced at him, then looked down and continued reading the script in his hands.
Erin Wallace, wearing headphones, sat alone in her chair, occasionally exchanging a few words with her assistant, but glancing at Lu Yanhe from time to time.
Jason Porter asked Wang Jiaqi with some confusion.
"What is Lu doing?"
Wang Jiaqi: "This may be his preparation method. Every actor has his own way of preparing for a scene."
Jason Porter nodded thoughtfully.
The other actors also displayed different expressions.
For a moment, not a single person went up to greet Lu Yanhe.
I was afraid of bothering him.
After discussing some shooting details with the photographer, Muken walked towards Lu Yanhe.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
Lu Yanhe remained true to himself, nodding with a hint of arrogance.
Muken: "Then it's up to you to perform."
Lu Yanhe remained silent, only nodding his chin slightly.
Muken turned around and smiled.
He worked with Lu Yanhe on the first film and knows very well what state Lu Yanhe is in now.
Just as Wang Jiaqi said, every actor has their own way of getting into character.
Lu Yanhe is constantly strengthening his mental fortitude through this method.
Muken gave Lu Yanhe another ten minutes before gathering all the actors and telling them about the scenes they would be filming later.
How should I put this scene?
Muken really loved the character and designed a very exciting entrance for him in the script.
The ghost-hunting team fled into the town in a panic, living in extreme fear. Then, someone started telling them the legends of the town.
The legend was halfway through when another ghost, played by Ryan Waters, came chasing after them.
Just when the ghost-hunting team thought they were going to die there, they heard slow footsteps coming down the stairs.
Lu Yanhe makes his appearance here—
Ghosts descend the stairs silently.
In Muken's camera work, there is a series of changing close-up shots.
The first thing to appear on the armrest was a pale hand.
His face was expressionless, yet he subtly exuded a sense of "noble death."
When the third sound of footsteps on the stairs was heard, the camera cut to his feet, but Lu Yanhe's feet were not on the stairs.
But then footsteps could be heard.
For Muken's entrance, the scene of him going down the stairs alone lasted nearly thirty seconds, with over a dozen camera cuts.
The background music for this segment was prepared before filming began.
Muken played the recording from a speaker on set.
A slow melody with a clear rhythm, yet also with a sense of "eerie silence".
Lu Yanhe likes Muken's designs.
He is indeed a genius when it comes to making horror films.
The effect of their entrance sets the tone.
If the Asian ghost's oppressive presence in the first film stemmed from his vengeful nature, the oppressive presence of the Asian ghost in the second film arises from his terrifying power and the oppression and terror he instills in this group of strangers due to their unfamiliarity with him.
Every design by Muken amplifies this point.
Lu Yanhe got ready, went through the scene once, and then went to his position to wait for Mu Ken to start filming.
Now, he no longer worries about not performing well or not knowing how to act on set.
As Lu Yanhe stood on the stairs, he suddenly realized this.
-
Lately, I've been thinking of extracting some highlights and posting them on Douyin (TikTok) to promote myself. Looking back at some of my previous posts, I have a rather narcissistic feeling—
The book is truly terrible in its bad parts, but it is also truly excellent in its good parts, possessing a unique rhythm of language.
Like an old woman selling melons, she praised her own wares.
Okay, you can throw bricks now.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
