Chapter 805 Joy Turns to Sorrow
Many people only know that Lu Yanhe was a top student and later founded a magazine.
However, few people have considered what Lu Yanhe's actions truly meant.
Chen Siqi has been collecting information from publishing groups, media, and periodicals all over the world, hoping to one day seize a suitable opportunity to acquire them and take them all over.
In this way, she can truly promote "Jump Up" and not just "Jump Up" magazine overseas.
Because of Chen Siqi's interest in these things, Lu Yanhe also knew a lot about them.
If this Alexander came from a second-tier tabloid in Australia, Lu Yanhe might not even know where he came from.
but--
The Herald.
This is one of Australia's top newspapers.
After being acquired, it transformed from a local news outlet (especially focusing on gossip) into a European and American political news publication.
It has drawn criticism because it often publishes controversial and biased articles.
Lu Yanhe's criticism made Alexander blush and feel somewhat at a loss for words.
He could only say, "Of course not. I...I just came to watch a movie and asked me some questions. Are you unwilling to answer my questions directly?"
"Would you answer a question with ulterior motives directly?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Several reporters nodded and joined Lu Yanhe in pointing and commenting on Alexander.
Alexander never expected that he would be besieged.
At this moment, the film festival officials finally appeared.
Two men in black went directly to Alexander and "invited" him out.
After everyone was "invited" away, Lu Yanhe said again: "Dingfeng No. 1 is a fictional story and is not based on any real events. However, although the story is fictional, the spirit of the characters is eternal."
“We come from different countries, regions, ethnicities, cultures and histories. In the spiritual world of each of us, there are the beliefs and spirit left to us by our predecessors. Film should not be a political tool, but at the same time, film should not deliberately ignore the country, ethnicity, culture and historical background of filmmakers in order to maintain a certain purity.”
"Why did I act in this movie? I believe that those who have seen the movie can understand my original intention." Lu Yanhe looked at each reporter in the audience seriously and earnestly. "Offstage, everyone can put any label on me. People can say whatever they want and write whatever they want. In other people's descriptions, I can become a person with ulterior motives, or I can become a person who is not me at all."
"What I want to say is that this is a film festival. No matter how much we talk, nothing beats watching the movies," Lu Yanhe said with a bright smile. "How I am perceived by everyone depends entirely on the films, doesn't it?"
-
Darren Wilson breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the reactions of the audience, he knew that Lu Yanhe had successfully resolved this "image crisis".
The next second, he turned around, put on a stern face, and walked out.
He took out his phone and angrily dialed a number.
"Fields, you ordered your men to sabotage my clients? Do you think I have a good temper?"
I don't know what this guy named Fields said.
"Fuck you! Stop spouting this bullshit. I don't believe you're unaware of this. I don't care who's behind this, or what their motives are, but I'm warning you, you can relay my words to that person. If it happens again, whoever it is, I will retaliate without mercy. Don't mess with an agent who's been in Hollywood for over twenty years!"
Darren Wilson slammed down the phone.
There must be someone behind this.
Of course, the true purpose of the person who gave the instructions is unknown.
Whatever his purpose, Darren Wilson now needs to intimidate his opponent to make them hesitate to act rashly.
Darren Wilson felt a surge of anger at the thought of Lu Yanhe's upcoming projects in Hollywood—
What if someone were to sabotage Lu Yanhe at this time? What would happen to his cooperation with Soren? What about all his other projects?
Lu Yanhe finished promoting "Dingfeng No. 1" at 8 p.m.
Only then did he have time to take out his phone and see how his remarks at the press conference during the day were being reacted to on social media.
To his astonishment, many people on overseas social media were supporting him.
His questioning of Alexander at the press conference, in particular, became very popular.
It has been viewed over a million times.
What Lu Yanhe didn't expect was that The Herald issued a statement saying that Alexander's behavior at the Venice International Film Festival was his personal behavior and had nothing to do with The Herald. The Herald did not send any reporters to the Venice International Film Festival.
That's kind of funny.
At this point, Lu Yanhe didn't know whether the matter was true or false.
But it doesn't matter.
Regardless of whether the matter is true or false, he has now resolved it.
The most crucial point is that he has a lot of confidence.
This film simply expresses respect and reverence for the pioneers and love for one's motherland. So what?
Is there a problem?
The film industry's reluctance for films to become tools of political propaganda refers to the current politics of various countries, not to past history, culture, or the legacy of their ancestors.
Which country doesn't have its own pioneers? Which country's films consider patriotism wrong? Which filmmaker would hide their love for their country, history, and culture just because they're attending an international film festival?
Lu Yanhe doesn't feel there's anything wrong with his role in the film "Dingfeng No. 1". He also believes it shouldn't be a problem at international film festivals.
In fact, judging from the results, most people don't see it as a problem.
Even Tom Wayne, an American film critic who is very familiar with Lu Yanhe, tweeted: "The biggest narrowness in the public discourse at this year's Venice International Film Festival is that the spirit that 'Calm Wind No. 1' wants to express has been compressed to an infinitesimal size, so small that it seems as if such self-awakening is merely Chinese filmmakers praising and glorifying their predecessors, while the differences between countries and nations have been magnified to such an extent that people have been blinded and cannot see the common pursuit of peace, progress and hope by mankind."
Lu Yanhe retweeted Tom Wayne's tweet and said "Thank you".
-
After that day, Lu Yanhe hurriedly left the hotel early in the morning to head to the United States.
He has several film projects that require him to travel there in person.
He was recognized by many people at the airport in Venice.
Many people's first reaction upon seeing him is to say, "I support you, Lu. Don't care what those people say. We know what kind of person you are."
"You are a good actor. I watched 'The Wind Rises' and your performance was so outstanding. I really don't understand why there are still people who nitpick and find fault with you."
Hearing their words, Lu Yanhe was filled with deep emotion.
"Thanks."
Thank you.
Lu Yanhe thanked them as he slowly entered the airport.
This scene at the airport made Wang Biao particularly happy.
Wang Biao said, "There are still more sensible people."
-
Lu Yanhe met Darren Wilson at the airport.
Darren went back to the United States with him.
Even when this American came to Venice, he was dressed in a suit and tie, looking very elite.
Upon seeing Lu Yanhe, Darren Wilson stood up excitedly, hugged Lu Yanhe, and said, "It's good that you handled it well this time. I called the editor-in-chief of the Herald and gave him a good scolding. He insisted that what that reporter named Alexander did had nothing to do with him, but I don't believe him. However, after I warned him, I think he should think twice. Unless he really wants to target you or get back at you, he shouldn't attack you so casually anymore."
After saying all that, Darren Wilson asked, "You don't have any conflicts with them, do you?"
“I don’t know them, and I’ve never had any contact with them. I don’t know anything about them.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “But who knows, maybe I’ve offended them someday.”
Darren Wilson said, "They're a bunch of lunatics who will bite anyone they can get their hands on, but they bully the weak and fear the strong. You should never back down, or they'll take advantage of you."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Darren Wilson suddenly laughed again.
"But how could you react so quickly and ask him which newspaper he worked for? Did you receive prior notice that he worked for the Herald, not a legitimate film media outlet?"
“No.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “I don’t have that many information channels.”
He simply couldn't think of a way to retaliate at the moment, so he used this method to both encourage the other party to say more and provide more information, since the more information they provided, the more targets he could find to counterattack, and to give himself more time to think.
However, Lu Yanhe would not tell Darren Wilson these things.
Just let Darren Wilson think he's awesome and has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
As expected, Lu Yanhe's modesty did not convince Darren Wilson of his story; instead, he felt that Lu Yanhe was simply unwilling to tell him the truth.
“There will probably be many more things like this in the future,” Darren said. “You’re too conspicuous now. People inside and outside the industry are likely to use you as a target to attack you in order to achieve their own goals, especially those politicians who have no bottom line.”
Lu Yanhe: "When soldiers come, I'll block them; when water comes, I'll dam it. Anyway, I'll stand tall. They're the ones who have done wrong. If they dare to use me as a target, I'll make sure their guns explode."
Lu Yanhe spoke casually, yet it sent a shiver down Darren Wilson's spine.
Darren Wilson silently thought to himself: Ruthless.
-
Meanwhile, domestically...
Zhou Ping'an stood on the stage, giving a lesson to the artists he had signed with Shijin.
"As an artist, professional skills determine how high you can climb, but emotional intelligence determines how far you can go."
"This is an era where social media is very developed. To be honest, and you don't like to hear it, your generation of artists is far inferior to the artists of the past."
"Of course, it's not your fault. Blame it on the fact that this era has everything. So, you don't have to be forced by the environment to constantly remind yourselves of yourselves, nor will you be eliminated by the cutthroat environment."
"But why do some artists, who clearly have the potential to become famous, always fall short? Why do some artists, who clearly have a winning hand, fail to make a good performance?"
"This is certainly not the artist's problem, but in my class today, I mainly talked about what artists should pay attention to, so I will only talk about what problems have occurred on the artist's side."
"So what's the problem? To put it bluntly, some artists see themselves as artists, some see themselves as commodities, some think they can make money standing up, and some don't know how to value themselves. There are all sorts of problems, but in the end, it all boils down to one thing: not understanding their own position, being too clever for their own good, and ultimately being outsmarted by their own cleverness."
"Why do I say that? Celebrities who treat themselves as commodities think they understand the rules of the business, but they forget that for fans to pay, they first need to empathize. If you treat yourself as a commodity, why should fans treat you as a treasure?"
"How many artists who consider themselves artists have truly become artists in the past hundred years? How many are there globally? What makes you think you can? What makes you think you are? So, I'm sorry, your so-called arrogance is just what everyone sees as pretentiousness, like a pheasant flying onto a wall pretending to be a phoenix, which is laughable."
Zhou Pingan looked at the artists below the stage.
Their faces all looked rather grim.
Zhou Ping'an smiled with satisfaction.
"What makes a qualified artist? Actually, there is a very standard template right in front of you."
Zhou Pingan changed a slide in the PPT, and Lu Yanhe's image appeared on the slide.
"Doesn't it seem strange? Why release Lu Yanhe? It's very simple. Some people see him as an artist, some see him as a commodity. Some think he can make money just by standing there, while others think that with his status, he doesn't need to be so diligent and approachable to both superiors and subordinates," Zhou Ping'an said.
"So what exactly are you going to do? I've already said that many of you can't do it either, but that's what classes are all about, right? There are over thirty of you here today, all artists we've signed in the past year, some just debuted, some have been in the industry for a few years. The reason I'm asking everyone to stop working today and attend this class is because what I'm about to say, if you listen to it, you can all become top stars. But I don't know which of you out there will be the one who listens—"
"Don't pretend, don't just shout slogans at me now and say you'll listen carefully."
“I judge people by their actions, not their intentions.” Zhou Ping’an raised his chin and looked at them. “No matter how nicely you speak, it’s better to show it through your actions.”
"Shijin has no shortage of resources, promotion, or exposure opportunities. You are facing the best window of opportunity for development in the entertainment industry in the past decade. However, who can seize this opportunity and soar to new heights, and who can only foolishly remain in obscurity, depends entirely on yourselves."
"The first point I want to make is just two words: be obedient." Zhou Ping'an smiled slightly. "Don't think that I'm disciplining you as the artist director. Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang, all three of them have done this under my supervision."
"Lu Yanhe turned his life around in his senior year of high school and became a top student, getting into Zhenhua High School. This was because he had already disappeared from the entertainment industry. I advised him not to be an artist anymore, but to work hard for a year and get into a good university. He listened to me."
“Li Zhibai is a rich second-generation. He usually goes against me and opposes me, but there is one thing: whatever role I get for him, he will act in it. He knows that I have better judgment than him, so he will always go against me in everything but obey me in this respect.”
"Yan Liang has nothing. He doesn't have Lu Yanhe's talent, nor Li Zhibai's superstar personality. He needs to survive, so he obeys in every way because he knows that only by doing so can he get the only chance from me."
"You've definitely seen the stories of these three people through various channels. Although most of you attended some dubious universities, the fact that you're sitting here shows that you're not stupid. If you're smart, you can analyze whether what I'm saying is true or just a joke."
...
At this moment, the expressions of everyone in the audience had changed.
If they were initially somewhat resentful and annoyed, now they were all silent and listening intently.
Zhou Ping'an's smile became even more satisfied.
After the class ended, Zhou Ping'an walked out of the conference room with an imposing presence, just like the executives and white-collar workers in TV dramas.
As soon as he left, the meeting room erupted in chaos.
The atmosphere was extremely tense and chaotic.
"Is what he said true or false?"
"Was it him who persuaded Lu Yanhe to study hard and turn his life around in his senior year of high school?"
"Did Li Zhi accept all the roles he wanted because of him?"
"It seems that it really is true. I heard from people at Xingyu that Zhou Pingan did give up on Lu Yanhe when he was in his senior year of high school. Even his contract ended after the college entrance examination. It was really him who advised Lu Yanhe to study hard."
"I'll go."
"The same goes for Li Zhibai's dramas. Every drama he acts in becomes a hit, all of which are arranged by Zhou Ping'an. People at Xingyu Entertainment say that Zhou Ping'an's eye for choosing scripts is worth millions."
"Is it that strong?"
"What do you think? Otherwise, why would Shijin have poached him to be the artist director?"
...
Zhou Pingan returned to his office, picked up his water glass, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, took a sip of water, looked at the panoramic view of the city outside the window, and smiled slightly.
His lesson just now clearly stunned all those artists.
What a joke! He's been an agent for so many years. No matter what the final outcome is, Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang all rose to prominence under his guidance.
Not a single word he said was a lie.
It was just some technical editing.
My phone suddenly rang.
Zhou Pingan returned to his desk and picked up his phone.
The person who called was none other than Ma Zhiyuan.
Zhou Ping'an frowned as he looked at the name he hadn't seen in a long time.
Should I answer?
This once top star under his leadership has now completely disappeared.
Finally, the phone hung up by itself.
Zhou Pingan put his phone down.
It seems that Ma Zhiyuan gave up on his own.
never mind.
Let bygones be bygones.
However, the phone suddenly buzzed and vibrated.
Zhou Pingan picked up his phone again.
Ma Zhiyuan actually sent him a message: It's okay if you don't answer the phone, Director Zhou. Someone just contacted me asking if it's true that you advised Lu Yanhe to leave the entertainment industry and focus on his studies when he was in his senior year of high school. I suddenly remembered something, and this matter is also related to Vice President Ma. Oh, by the way, after you left Xingyu, have you still been in contact with Vice President Ma? If the matter of deliberately suppressing Lu Yanhe and trying to drive him out of the entertainment industry back then is exposed, will you fight like dogs and push the blame onto someone else, or will you protect each other?
Zhou Ping'an's face darkened instantly.
He immediately returned the call.
"What do you mean? What do you want to do?" Zhou Ping'an asked through gritted teeth.
Ma Zhiyuan: "Director Zhou, you finally deigned to give me a call."
"Ma Zhiyuan, I have done more than enough for you!"
"Director Zhou, how much money have you made off me? Why are you being so kind to me?" Ma Zhiyuan said casually, teasingly. "I'm not like those people in the new company. Don't try that on me, I'm not buying it."
A shadow fell over Zhou Ping'an's eyes.
“I want to go back to the entertainment industry, I want to get back to the top tier,” Ma Zhiyuan said. “I don’t care what methods you use, Director Zhou. Otherwise, what I just said will happen. I want to know what Lu Yanhe will do, what his fans will do, and what Shijin, this company that wants to make a name for itself in the entertainment industry, will do. Do you want to know?”
Zhou Ping'an was grinding his teeth to powder.
Just ten minutes ago he was full of vigor, and now he is consumed by rage.
Old sayings are still old sayings; they always remind you, at the most unexpected times in your life, that the wisdom of our ancestors can withstand the test of time. For example, this saying:
Extreme joy can turn into sorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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