Chapter 806 A Outburst of Curses
"Is Ma Zhiyuan making a comeback?"
Upon hearing the news from Chen Ziyan on the phone, even from across the ocean, Lu Yanhe couldn't stop his mouth from opening into a wide oval.
"Who would be so foolish as to help him make a comeback?" Lu Yanhe asked.
"I heard he contacted Zhou Ping'an. I don't know what Zhou Ping'an was thinking. Maybe Shijin is really short-staffed right now," Chen Ziyan said. "Ma Zhiyuan was once a big name in the entertainment industry. He didn't do anything illegal or immoral. It was just that he slept with Xu Qinyin, got a child, and refused to take responsibility, so his public image collapsed. Plus, a series of self-destructive actions afterward made it irreparable. But now that several years have passed, the public's impression of this matter may have faded?"
Lu Yanhe: "I don't believe Xu Qinyin would want to see Ma Zhiyuan make a comeback."
“Xu Qinyin’s career is just so-so right now, not very good, and she doesn’t have the power to stop Ma Zhiyuan,” Chen Ziyan said. “You might as well hope that one of the old members of MX who really hates him will take action against him in private.”
Lu Yanhe: "No, I still can't understand why Zhou Ping'an would do this. He clearly has so many people he could promote. Even if he poached Lang Xia, I could understand it to some extent."
"How could Lang Xia be poached by him? Although Lang Xia's career hasn't developed as well as yours, he's still a solid A-list actor. He's starred in six movies that have grossed over 100 million yuan. Among actors your age, he's only not as good as you or Li Zhibai. Oh, no, Li Zhibai doesn't even have as many movies that have grossed over 100 million yuan as he does."
"Even Faking Death Is Not an Option", "You Are the Apple of My Eye", "Buried Alive"... Indeed, Li Zhibai hasn't starred in many movies, and he can't compete with others in terms of sheer quantity.
Lu Yanhe: "Fine, then what's Zhou Ping'an's motive for bringing Ma Zhiyuan back to the forefront?"
“In this era of internet traffic, Tuma Zhiyuan can definitely be monetized if used properly,” Chen Ziyan said.
Lu Yanhe: "I feel like something's not quite right."
"Okay, actually I feel the same way."
"Now that Ma Zhiyuan is making a comeback, I wonder what Zhou Pingan will arrange for him."
"Anyway, it won't be that masterpiece." Chen Ziyan laughed, her tone somewhat sarcastic.
Chen Ziyan was referring to the fantasy epic film that featured all of China's top young actors.
Ten Miles of Fragrance.
"Who ultimately won the rights to 'Ten Miles of Fragrance'?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Ziyan said, "Lang Xia."
"..." Lu Yanhe was shocked. "Huh?"
"Surprised? I'm surprised too. Do you know who the female lead and her team hired?"
"who?"
"Yan Lingyu".
Lu Yanhe was even more surprised, "Huh?"
"This news is still being kept under wraps and hasn't been officially announced yet," Chen Ziyan said. "However, Yan Lingyu's company has already had a fight with Lang Xia's company over this drama."
"What are you going to do?"
“Rankings.” Chen Ziyan laughed. “Wen Ken said that although Lang Xia is popular, she is not as popular as Yan Lingyu. In terms of popularity, the role of Zhao Ling’er in Chinese Paladin completely surpasses all of Lang Xia’s roles. In terms of film achievements, her starring role in Late Spring won the Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival, and her starring role in You Are the Apple of My Eye grossed over 700 million. No matter which dimension, she beats Lang Xia.”
"ha?"
"Lang Xia's company is furious. You know his agent, she's a very difficult person, and she's also very shrewd. She said that in none of Yan Lingyu's dramas, Yan Lingyu was the lead actress. She also found out from somewhere that Yan Lingyu had a conflict with her company, and she tried to sow discord between Shi Jin and Yan Lingyu, saying that Yan Lingyu's company might not be able to control her."
"Would Yan Lingyu be willing to act? She had previously refused to accept any more roles that her company arranged for her."
“She was willing to take on this role because she’s a fan of the original novel,” Chen Ziyan said. “Otherwise, given her temper, Wen Ken wouldn’t have dared to go against her. Of course, ‘Chinese Paladin’ and ‘You Are the Apple of My Eye’ did give Yan Lingyu a lot of credit. She hasn’t had a new role in over a year, but her popularity remains high. Every update on her Weibo gets at least 100,000 comments, and those aren’t bought; they’re real data.”
Lu Yanhe was astonished upon hearing this.
Taking his Weibo as an example, at his level, unless a particular post goes viral because it involves something, his Weibo comments are usually only tens of thousands, and it's impossible for them to exceed one hundred thousand.
Of course, he has never been a star known for the number of fans.
Of the three of them, only Li Zhibai, this exceptionally talented guy, is truly capable of making a living from online traffic.
Yan Lingyu is really popular.
Real fire.
Lu Yanhe was not surprised.
After all, in their original timelines, the two characters played by Yan Lingyu were so powerful that the two actresses could live off their past achievements for five or ten years.
"So, in the end, who won this battle over billing order?"
“No one won; it’s a draw,” Chen Ziyan said. “Both sides took a step back.”
"Alright."
Chen Ziyan: "Speaking of which, it seems that Yan Lingyu has really made up her mind and will not take on any roles easily. Look at this year, she only took on one role in a film produced by Director Luo's company, playing a supporting role. Besides that, there was 'Ten Miles of Fragrance'. With such a large audience and popularity, she receives more than a dozen scripts every month, but she refuses to take any of them."
Lu Yanhe: "I've been hurt."
"Sometimes, I really wish she could learn from people like Ma Zhiyuan, and also learn to be shameless."
"No way, what's the point of learning that? To spout that shameless, invincible nonsense?" Lu Yanhe said with utter disdain.
“You don’t care whether a person has any shame or not, people can still make a fuss,” Chen Ziyan said. “Being an artist means having this kind of shamelessness. As long as they can get exposure, whether they’re just trying to survive or they’re shameless, who knows what kind of opportunity they might encounter in the future and make a comeback?”
Lu Yanhe: "...Stop disgusting me, I don't want to hear it."
Chen Ziyan laughed loudly.
"Then I won't talk to you anymore. How did your talks go over there? When can you come back?"
“It’s going smoothly,” Lu Yanhe said. “The release date for ‘Flypaper’ has also been set. Green Valley is handling the North American distribution for us, and we’re preparing for it to be released in November.”
"November? Aren't you supposed to be filming 'Friends' then?" Chen Ziyan asked. "Can you participate in the promotion? You can't miss the promotion for this movie."
“Sure, the movie’s promotional period is in October,” Lu Yanhe said. “I was free in October anyway.”
Chen Ziyan: "That's fine then."
-
After receiving the news that "Flypaper" would be released in November, Yan Liang immediately became somewhat nervous and uneasy.
The real test is about to begin.
His first starring role in a Hollywood film.
The box office success of this film also influenced his later role in the movie "Speed".
Although Parameter has now relented and agreed to let him star in the film—given Lu Yanhe's several consecutive box office successes, Parameter had long since stopped arguing with Lu Yanhe.
However, if "Flypaper" doesn't perform well at the box office, it will definitely attract some controversy, and may even become a pretext for Parameter to continue insisting on replacing Yan Liang.
-
"Don't worry, Flypaper was already screened at the Jose Film Festival in May, and the reviews were pretty good back then, weren't they?"
Li Zhi comforted Yan Liang.
Yan Liang countered, "After 'Buried' received rave reviews at Sundance, are you no longer worried about the box office?"
Li Zhibai stiffened his neck, unable to utter the words "not nervous".
Anyone who experiences this will feel nervous.
Yan Liang: "Yan He has achieved excellent box office results in every film he has starred in so far. What if this film he stars in flops? Even if it doesn't flop, if his performance is not good, I will feel that it is my fault."
“You really overthink things,” Li Zhibai said helplessly. “To be honest, there’s no use in thinking so much. You yourself said that every drama Yan He has starred in has been successful, so why shouldn’t this one be?”
Yan Liang: "Stay away from me. What you're saying is useless to me."
-
To relieve his tension, Yan Liang basically spends his free time either at the gym or playing video games with someone to distract himself.
Just then, a project for a British TV series came up to them.
"British dramas?" Yan Liang was surprised. "What British dramas?"
“A British crime drama,” Zhang Huan said. “Produced by the BBC, it’s the same size as a typical British drama, six episodes, and the director is the same one who directed the hit series ‘Deep Valley’ five years ago.”
After Zhou Ping'an left Woodpecker (Star Entertainment), Zhang Huan, Yan Liang's former assistant, took over as his manager with Yan Liang's support.
Who is looking for me?
“A Chinese student studying in the UK was falsely accused of raping and killing a female classmate,” Zhang Huan said. “Of course, he was actually wronged. In reality, she was your girlfriend, and she was killed within an hour of you leaving her house. The female protagonist was the police officer investigating the case.”
Yan Liang understood.
Is the script good?
“Very good.” Zhang Huan said frankly, “Moreover, the production quality of BBC British dramas has always been very stable, the team is excellent, and the role they offered you is the male lead.”
Although British dramas are not as popular as American dramas globally, they have always maintained high production quality, consistently producing many high-quality works every year, and there are always a few hit shows.
Yan Liang said, "Let me take a look at the script first."
“Okay.” Zhang Huan nodded. “This script was sent to me by a producer I met at the London Film Festival. He has been saying that he has a suitable role and wants to work with you. He has not only watched Friends, but also Gold Rush. The BBC even considered remaking it and bought the remake rights, but for some reason, nothing has come of it.”
Yan Liang nodded upon hearing this.
Zhang Huan said these words to him to explain why the other party had come looking for him.
Yan Liang carefully read the script.
The script for six episodes is indeed not long; I read it from beginning to end in almost a day.
The highlight of this drama almost entirely lies with the female lead. Yan Liang, a Chinese student studying abroad, is an upright, kind, and gentle character—a very positive one. However, when faced with a murder suspect, as a student, she is at a loss and even suffers several emotional breakdowns.
He has many scenes with the policewoman. Later in the story, the policewoman receives death threats after uncovering clues pointing to a local drug cartel. On several crucial occasions, it is his courage and sense of justice in critical moments that allow the policewoman to escape danger.
The pacing of their script is excellent.
Each episode has a very clear main storyline and several plot twists involving "misunderstandings and truths".
The most crucial element is the role of the Chinese student studying abroad.
Yan Liang was mainly interested in this character.
He is not one to be easily swayed. He possesses the ordinariness, anxiety, and vulnerability of an international student, but he also demonstrates the courage and integrity to uphold justice in crucial moments.
After reading the script, Yan Liang was actually deeply moved.
The ending of the series leaves the fate of the male and female police officers open-ended. The final scene depicts their struggle against a local drug cartel. Both are seriously injured during a chase by the cartel, but they also protect evidence of the local councilor's collusion with the cartel. They hold out until the female officer's other colleagues arrive to provide backup—
Subsequently, the lawmaker was arrested and the drug cartel was busted.
However, there are no clues about the fate of the two of them.
This is a button.
You can believe they are dead, or you can believe they are still alive.
For the BBC, this gave them an opening to produce a second season.
At this moment, Li Zhibai returned.
Li Zhibai said, "Old Yan, are you there? Are you free? I have a British drama script for you today, could you take a look?"
Yan Liang exclaimed, "Huh?"
"Huh?" Li Zhi walked in nonchalantly. "Can't a British drama come to me? Who do you think you are?"
Yan Liang held up the script in his hand.
Is this what you mean?
Li Zhibai's composed expression froze.
"What... is going on?"
-
“They really are dogs; they handed both Yan Liang and me the script at the same time.”
Lu Yanhe listened to Li Zhibai's angry voice on the voice call and understood completely.
For actors, the worst thing is to compete with others for projects.
Sometimes, you have to actively take it.
Sometimes, however, it is an undeserved disaster.
One can imagine what the other person would have thought if Li Zhibai and Yan Liang hadn't met here and learned about this matter directly, after both sides expressed their willingness to act to the BBC. Regardless of who ultimately played the role, what would their feelings have been?
Misunderstandings arise whenever there is any lack of openness or transparency.
Lu Yanhe was furious and asked, "How could such a thing happen?"
“I don’t know. Yan Liang and I discussed it, and we originally wanted to refuse together, but the script is indeed quite good,” Li Zhibai said. “So we hesitated.”
Lu Yanhe said, "Then I suggest that no matter how good the script is, you shouldn't accept it."
"Huh?" Li Zhibai was taken aback.
Lu Yanhe would only give such a resolute suggestion to the two of them.
“Since this happened, as long as one person plays the role, the other person will feel somewhat uncomfortable,” Lu Yanhe said. “No matter how good the script is, it’s just a play. Of course, the BBC may think it’s okay to have several actors as candidates for the same role, but what you just heard me say is that they didn’t actually ask you to audition. The message they conveyed to you was that if you were willing, you could play the role, right? Isn’t that suspected of being deceptive?”
Li Zhibai: "Yes, that's what makes me the angrier. If they had told me they were inviting me to audition, I wouldn't be so angry. They told Lin Suyang that they wanted me to play the role and asked if I was willing. I just called Lin Suyang again to confirm this."
Lu Yanhe: "You are not an unknown figure internationally now. Your relationship with Yan Liang can be found out with a little background check, yet they still made such a basic mistake."
"If we all refuse, won't that just benefit others?" Li Zhibai asked.
Lu Yanhe: "Is this script really that good?"
Given Li Zhibai's temperament, he should have been the one saying these things today.
Li Zhi coughed once and said, "It is indeed good."
Lu Yanhe sighed.
"Then I think things are going to get bad."
"Oh no?"
“The script is so good, you’re definitely not the only one who thinks so, Yan Liang feels the same way,” Lu Yanhe said. “If you don’t refuse together, then you’ll have to compete for it together.”
Li Zhibai understood what Lu Yanhe meant.
Once he realized what was happening, alarm bells immediately went off in his mind.
Holy crap?
What's wrong with him?
You can't bear to part with a script?
Actually, you can't blame Li Zhibai for this. In the past, Li Zhibai would definitely prioritize his brothers over acting. But in the past few years, regardless of his own personality, he has become more and more familiar with, understands, and enjoys acting. He also has a deeper understanding of what constitutes a good script and a good role.
Now that I understand what is good, I can no longer act like before, "whatever, I'll just not perform."
A good script and a good role are incredibly attractive to a good actor.
This is something that becomes increasingly irreversible as the actors become better.
"I'm not acting anymore." But after realizing what was happening, Li Zhibai said without hesitation, "No matter how good the script is, I won't act anymore."
After making up his mind, Li Zhibai hung up the phone and called Lin Suyang to tell him his decision.
Lin Suyang didn't seem surprised at all, and without trying to dissuade him, he said okay.
At this moment, Yan Liang came out of the room.
“Li Zhibai, you should take that British drama. I have to film ‘Speed’ later, and I can’t make it due to time constraints. I’ve already asked Zhang Huan to turn it down.”
Li Zhibai: "Act my ass! They're deliberately messing with us. Let them cast whoever they want, I'm not acting."
Yan Liang was taken aback.
"Don't be foolish."
“What do you mean by being reckless? This is necessary,” Li Zhibai said. “Either they formally invite the two of us to audition, and the audition decides who is more suitable, or they just lay it out and say that we are only candidates to be considered. How can they do it like this, implying to both of us that the role depends on whether we want to take it? Isn’t this just deliberately stirring up trouble?”
Yan Liang: "That might not be because they only sent the scripts to the two of us."
"Who else could it be?"
"Old Lu?"
“No, I didn’t give it to him. I just called him,” Li Zhibai said. “Wait, since we both declined, why should we keep putting up with this? We have to tell the BBC why we declined.”
"Hmm." Yan Liang nodded. "What do you want to say?"
"The main thing is to let them know that we both know they sent us scripts at the same time and were keeping us in the dark," Li Zhibai said indignantly. "Otherwise, they'll really think we're fools, kept in the dark."
Li Zhibai and Yan Liang immediately called their respective agents.
-
After listening to Li Zhibai's phone call, Lu Yanhe had actually been thinking about this matter.
It's certainly a good thing that BBC British dramas are now including Chinese characters in their scripts and focusing on Chinese actors.
This shows that in recent years, Chinese films, television dramas, and actors have indeed made a name for themselves internationally.
However, because there were too many gaps in this area in the early stages, many things could not be connected.
If Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were handled by a professional agent familiar with the European and American entertainment industry, could such a situation have been avoided?
But this is only a temporary solution and not a permanent cure.
Lu Yanhe believes that the BBC would never do such a thing to Hollywood actors on the same project.
Because they know very well how difficult it is to deal with the agents of those Hollywood actors.
Because they feel that these Chinese actors "don't understand the rules," they don't follow the rules.
-
"We received a call inviting our film crew to the closing ceremony."
The day before the closing ceremony of the Venice International Film Festival, Liu Bige called Lu Yanhe.
"Can you make it back to participate?"
Lu Yanhe said, "My business is almost done. Okay, congratulations, you're going to win an award."
Liu Bige said, "Don't rush to congratulate me. You might be the one who wins the award, and then I'll be congratulating you."
Lu Yanhe: "Me? Probably not. I'm not on the list of winners predicted by the media."
“But everyone has praised you a lot. The reason they didn’t put you on the prediction list is because of the subject matter of this film,” Liu Bige said. “It is said that two judges in the main competition jury this year privately expressed their doubts about the theme of ‘Dingfeng No. 1’, which is why the film’s situation was unclear in the early predictions. But since we received a call, it means that the film has been recognized by this year’s jury.”
Lu Yanhe: "They must be blind to see how good this movie is."
The film "Dingfeng No. 1" is so restrained, calm, and candid, without being sentimental, chanting slogans, or making any political metaphors. It takes a subject that has been over-exploited and makes it so "unprecedented" and even has its own unique style. Lu Yanhe can say with certainty that it may not be the best kind of film, but it is definitely the kind of film that cannot be ignored.
Miao Yue's script, combined with Liu Bige's direction, imbues the drama with a refined, scholarly spirit. To achieve this kind of atmosphere in a spy thriller is not rare, but extremely difficult. Yet they succeeded.
Lu Yanhe returned to Venice.
When he arrived at the airport, there were only three hours left before the closing ceremony began.
He needed to quickly transfer to another vehicle, then take a speedboat to the hotel, change clothes, and get his hair done. By the time he left, the closing ceremony's red carpet event had already begun.
Because I really don't know if I'll be able to make it—
The traffic is terrible.
Liu Bige, Miao Yue, and Wen Shengming were the first to step onto the red carpet and enter the cinema.
The media present were somewhat disappointed to see that Lu Yanhe was not with them.
During an interview, a Chinese media reporter asked Liu Bige, "Isn't Lu Yanhe coming?"
Liu Bige said with a smile, "He's on his way here at breakneck speed."
Upon hearing this, the other person's eyes lit up instantly.
Liu Bige said, "I didn't expect you guys to still be here. I saw that many Chinese media outlets have already gone back."
“We have a slightly better budget,” the other person smiled. “Besides, both of our Chinese films appeared on the closing ceremony red carpet this year, so it was totally worth it for me to stay! Director, after the closing ceremony, could we arrange an exclusive interview with the film crew?”
Liu Bige looked at Miao Yue.
Miao Yue smiled noncommittally.
“Okay, let’s set a time,” Liu Bige said. “But I don’t know what everyone’s plans are, so it’s not certain that everyone will be able to make it.”
"Of course, everything depends on your schedule!" the reporter exclaimed excitedly.
-
Lu Yanhe got out of the car and, escorted by Zou Dong and others, finally entered the red carpet waiting area.
The area was so crowded it was like a vegetable market.
As soon as Lu Yanhe appeared, the phones and cameras of the people around him turned towards him.
"Lu, do you think you can win Best Actor tonight?" a foreigner asked.
Lu Yanhe said, "You should ask the judges. If my word works, I'll be the best actor in the world."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Good luck."
Lu Yanhe greeted them with a big smile.
After noticing Lu Yanhe's appearance, the security personnel and guides at the scene immediately began to coordinate his exit.
The instructions in the headset were very clear: two people should be left empty before and after his entrance.
In short, you can't be as crowded as a vegetable market around Lu Yanhe.
When Lu Yanhe appeared, the whole audience cheered.
The official cameras filmed him for nearly thirty seconds, then switched to someone else, and soon after, the camera switched back to Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe was interviewed by two media outlets at the scene.
Someone asked, "Lu, you rushed back at the last minute, did you receive some news? Will you win the award tonight?"
"I don't know," Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I was just attending the closing ceremony with the film crew, but I almost missed it, so I'm late. They've all already gone in, haven't they?"
"Yes."
Another person asked, "Lu, we heard that 'Flypaper' will be released this year, is that true?"
Lu Yanhe looked at the foreign reporter in surprise: "Your information network is amazing."
But that was all there was to it; no further details were given.
He smiled, waved to everyone, and entered the cinema.
-
domestic.
More than 20,000 people are watching Ma Zhiyuan's live stream.
As a former top influencer who has fallen from grace, his livestream data fully demonstrates what it means to be a fallen giant still bigger than a horse.
Ma Zhiyuan's live streams aren't for selling products; he just talks.
“Yes, I’ll be back on stage soon,” he said.
Although he said that, not many people believed him.
Some of his newer, longtime fans are still jubilant, saying it's great.
Immediately, some "veterans" in the live stream said: Don't get excited. He's said this countless times before, but he's never kept his word. He can't get up anymore.
Upon seeing such comments, Ma Zhiyuan sneered and said, "Who do you think you are? Let me tell you, I will officially make my comeback within a month. Just you wait and see."
Someone immediately said: Even if you make a comeback, do you think anyone will still like you? A man as irresponsible as you, do you really think any girl will still like you?
Ma Zhiyuan: "I'll say it again, I've said from the beginning that this is my fault, but is she blameless? It was a consensual affair, we weren't even together, we just slept together, and she got pregnant unexpectedly, so I have to marry her? Who insisted on having the child? After the child was born, did I pay a single penny less in child support? I'm a scumbag, but I've never lied to anyone from beginning to end. Go ask her, didn't I make all this clear to her a long time ago?"
The chat room immediately exploded with comments.
A group of people were cursing him.
Of course, there is also a group of people who think he makes sense.
Ma Zhiyuan has given up all hope and doesn't care about being criticized anymore.
However, until many people in the live chat said:
—Someone like you, what makes you think you can be an idol? You're nowhere near as good as Lu Yanhe.
Even if you make a comeback, what positions are the people who were by your side back then now? Wouldn't you feel ashamed if you saw them?
—Can't you learn from your senior brother? How can someone be so shameless and yet so smug?
—Lu Yanhe might just win his second Best Actor award at one of the four major international film festivals today, and you're still barking like a mad dog here.
...
Ma Zhiyuan's eyes instantly turned red with anger.
He yelled at the camera, "You guys really take Lu Yanhe seriously? He's so amazing, so outstanding, so remarkable, but wasn't he also born to a mistress? He's an illegitimate child, did you know that?"
(End of this chapter)
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