Chapter 800 Running a Train
There is a very high level of anticipation for Linghe's films in China.
Of the several works that were officially announced this time, only two were written by Lu Yanhe, and none of them starred Lu Yanhe.
Over the past few years, Linghe, like the midday sun in another time and space, has completed its brand image building project.
There are too many to say that every single one of their works achieves both critical acclaim and commercial success, but at least there's a minimum standard.
In addition, Linghe has accumulated an impression in the industry over the past few years: its greatest strength lies in achieving big results with small investments.
Therefore, the first reaction to these films, whose production costs are all less than 15 million yuan, is not that they are poorly made, but that Linghe has really paved the way.
A path that doesn't rely on "big scenes, big special effects, and big IPs" to attract box office revenue.
"I don't want to make filmmaking a high-risk endeavor," Lu Yanhe said with a smile on stage. "I've always said that artistry is important in filmmaking, innovation is important, and finding the right creative team is also important, but the most important thing is not to lose money. Losing money only turns the creative team's creative beliefs into mere sentimentality. Sentimentality is certainly precious, but it's not enough to keep an industry alive. I don't think filmmaking is a simple business, because many filmmakers, as long as they can make a living, don't have a strong desire to earn more money."
"I saw a data report that said the number of domestic films starting production this year finally saw its first year-on-year increase in five years," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "And many of the projects that started production are small to medium-budget projects like ours, with production budgets under 30 million yuan. I think this is a particularly good phenomenon, because we all know that, excluding overseas box office and other derivative revenue, at most only eighty or ninety films can break 100 million yuan at the box office each year. If everyone blindly chases big productions, most projects will only lose money. If they lose money for a long time and in large amounts, how many people will still stay in this industry?"
Many of the media present were typing furiously on their laptops.
Although modern tools are very advanced, functions such as voice recorder-to-text still need to be checked and revised again.
For many seasoned media professionals, none of these new tools can compare to typing on a keyboard – it's faster and more accurate.
They almost always update Lu Yanhe's latest statements on their social media platforms in real time.
To be the first to launch, to grab traffic.
The things Lu Yanhe is saying now are generating buzz and discussion, and for the media, the more Lu Yanhe says, the better.
Lu Yanhe is now very willing to share his views on the industry and his experience in film and television production.
Film and television dramas should not be a small-scale competition among themselves; they should be competing for a share of the overall entertainment industry.
If only Linghe is making money, the industry will shrink, and Linghe will have to shrink along with it.
"For Linghe, I particularly value the success of one work, which is 'The Sea, My Pfft,' released last year. It was an original script, and there were no well-known actors or a new director when it was filmed. However, the film made great efforts in every aspect of production, promotion, and marketing. As a result, a low-budget film with a production cost of only two million yuan was able to achieve great success, and its final revenue was no less than that of a film that might have earned two or three hundred million yuan at the box office."
Lu Yanhe laughed.
“Of course, I really like this movie. There’s another very important reason why the movie’s success has little to do with me,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’ve always had a requirement for Linghe: they must produce a movie every year that has nothing to do with me. This year they exceeded their target and produced so many movies. I’m very happy.”
As for whether these films will shatter my so-called 'box office legend'—
At this point, the whole room laughed.
Lu Yanhe also stopped and laughed with everyone, "You didn't expect that, did you? I know how you guys usually flatter me."
"Well deserved!" someone shouted from below.
Lu Yanhe waved his hand.
“But this kind of thing is like a shackle; the longer you wear it, the more it restricts your hands and feet,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’ve thought about it, and I don’t want to be a box office legend. I want to be someone who can do the projects I want to do and make sure everyone involved in the project benefits. A few million in box office revenue, tens of millions in box office revenue—as long as it doesn’t lose money, if it’s worth doing, then I’ll do it. I know that some of these movies will definitely not do as well as expected at the box office, but that doesn’t matter. Compared to a legend that’s worshipped in the heavens, I care more about the down-to-earth people who walk out of the human world.”
The audience erupted in applause.
"Of course, no matter the outcome, we will still do our best in every aspect of the process. You are all an important part of our film and television drama. Without your promotion, sharing, and love for film and television drama, there wouldn't be so many viewers." Lu Yanhe smiled and bowed. "Please, all media friends, give us your support."
-
Li Yuefeng, sitting in the audience, sighed deeply.
Hearing his sigh, Wang Jing asked, "What's wrong?"
Li Yuefeng shook his head and said, "I was just thinking, I'm a little older than him. It's one thing that my acting isn't as good as his, but my vision, tsk, isn't as big as his either. No wonder I'm working for him now."
Wang Jing smiled.
Li Yuefeng: "You're putting me under a lot of pressure. I only have two movies. What if Lu Yanhe's box office success hits me instead?"
Wang Jing: "If you act in one less film and someone else takes the role, you won't feel as much pressure."
"Heh." Li Yuefeng rolled his eyes at Wang Jing. "Why don't you tell me how many movies you've acted in?"
“I don’t feel any pressure,” Wang Jing said.
Li Yuefeng mentally exclaimed "Hey!"
-
"Knock knock".
A knock came at the door.
Xin Zixing put down her tablet.
On the computer screen was the live video of the Linghe press conference.
Lu Nan, the editor in charge of the "I Learn History in Museums" column on YeMai.com, walked in.
"Editor-in-Chief".
Xin Zixing looked at him and said, "Sit down."
Lu Nan, somewhat confused, sat down and asked, "What do you need me for?"
“Yes,” Xin Zixing said. “Your ‘Learning History in Museums’ column has been running for a year now. What are your thoughts on it?”
Lu Nan was taken aback, puzzled, "Your idea?"
“What, nothing?” Xin Zixing said. “For example, what are the things you’ve done well, what do you think are your core competitive advantages, what needs to be improved, what are your plans, and what other areas do you think require additional resources?”
Lu Nan realized what was happening.
He immediately said, "This column was initially established as an experimental column, with a production budget of only 50,000 yuan per episode. It was quite simple to produce, but fortunately, it has a good reputation online, so various museums are still willing to cooperate with us on this column. I feel that because of its cultural attributes, this column is difficult to popularize, so I was too embarrassed to ask you for additional funding."
Xin Zixing nodded.
“Indeed, our YeMai.com has created a series of columns with strong cultural attributes, which generally face the problem of high reputation but low traffic,” she said. “However, a few columns have gradually been developed and have entered the stage of commercial operation.”
Lu Nan looked puzzled and asked, "Editor-in-chief, do you hope that our column will also be commercialized?"
Xin Zixing shook her head and said, "It's not about commercial operation, but about mass-market operation. This is a column topic that can be popular with the public."
Lu Nan looked puzzled.
He didn't understand why Xin Zixing thought that way.
Xin Zixing said, "Haven't you noticed that there's a huge audience for those short video content that tells historical anecdotes and stories about cultural relics on short video platforms now?"
Lu Nan was taken aback.
He shook his head.
“You can do some market research and, in conjunction with the program ‘The Birth of an Actor,’ create a short video project where actors portray the stories behind cultural relics.” Seeing that Lu Nan really had no concept of this, Xin Zixing stopped asking and directly assigned her ideas to him. “We will promote this short video series in conjunction with the ‘The Birth of an Actor’ program team and several video platforms.”
Lu Nan immediately realized what was happening.
Is Xin Zixing trying to make this series bigger and stronger?
"In addition, Linghe also suggested that we could choose suitable stories and work together on animation development," Xin Zixing said. "You created this column from scratch, so you know it best. This column will be a key brand column promoted by Yemai.com in the future."
Lu Nan nodded, then raised his hand and scratched it.
There was no excitement on his face.
However, this is precisely what Xin Zixing admires about him.
Lu Nan is a man who truly gets things done.
If you weren't that kind of person, you wouldn't have been quietly working on this column all this time, without competing or vying for anything.
-
After Lu Nan left, Xin Zixing glanced at the time, put her headphones back on, and continued watching Linghe's press conference live.
Xin Zixing wouldn't pay such close attention to other people's press conferences, but she never misses any news about Linghe.
Basically, Xin Zixing wouldn't let go of any opportunity that offered potential cooperation with Linghe.
It is precisely Xin Zixing's approach that has allowed Yemai.com to maintain its "cultural" and "social" attributes while striving to "take into account the needs of the general public."
Of course, most importantly, with the backing of the Shijin Group, Yemai.com is now truly flush with cash.
After Shijin Group ventured into the cultural and entertainment industry, within a year, its film and television productions had not yet yielded results; only some participatory investments had produced some returns.
On the contrary, Yemai.com spent far less money than TV dramas, but it brought Shijin Group a very positive and widespread reputation.
While a good reputation may seem intangible, its strategic significance for a brand is self-evident.
Over the past year, Yang Zhoujin and Yang Zhouli's battle of wits has mainly focused on the film and television industry. Yemai.com, on the other hand, is a niche market. Xin Zixing is ruthless enough to not only exceed her own targets but also clean up Yemai.com from top to bottom. Now there are no so-called "dissidents" who would oppose her.
However, she had already heard from the Shijin Group that Yemai.com had used too many resources to give free publicity to Linghe and Shihuo's artists and projects.
Xin Zixing ignored such comments.
However, having been "kicked out" once, she is no longer the newcomer who poured all her passion into YeMai.com when she returned this time.
Xin Zixing makes no secret of using the YeMai.com platform to build her personal resources. Frankly, everyone's doing it, and everyone knows it.
Yang Zhouli did not say anything about this.
In any case, as long as Yang Zhouli doesn't say anything more, it won't matter how much the people from Shijin Group complain.
Xin Zixing wasn't thinking about a slow and steady relationship.
Anyway, given how massive the Shijin Group is, unless she's willing to make significant sacrifices and truly commit herself to it, Yemai.com will definitely "ask" her to leave the day they no longer need her.
Xin Zixing never even considered that.
She only valued the significance of YeMai.com as a platform for her, but she had no so-called loyalty or passion to devote to this place that didn't even have her name on it.
Lu Yanhe was right.
When can I give my whole heart?
That can only happen when the platform takes her surname.
I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to acquire it.
-
At 4:30 pm, Xin Zixing picked up her bag and left.
When people at the company saw that she left so early, they immediately started talking about it in various small groups.
"You left so early, you must have an appointment with Huang Kairen tonight, right?"
"It's highly likely. She usually leaves around 8 or 9 o'clock. If she leaves early, it's either because she has a social engagement or Huang Kairen is visiting."
"Tsk, to be a woman who can become an editor-in-chief is amazing. She has a successful career and a husband who is such a handsome A-list celebrity."
"Envious?"
"I long for it." The young girl's eyes shone as she spoke. "I want to be like that too."
"Should I balance career and love?"
"I guess I can't get into a career. I know myself well enough not to have that kind of talent." The girl sighed softly, stroking her face. "Fortunately, my parents gave me a beautiful face, so I can still hope for love."
"...Self-awareness?"
"What do you mean?" His eyes immediately turned into blades.
-
Xin Zixing did indeed get into Huang Kairen's car.
Huang Kairen drove and waited for her in the parking lot downstairs.
"Will the road be a bit congested if we go now?" Xin Zixing asked with some concern as soon as she got in the car. "Let's not be late."
"It's alright, the time should be about right," Huang Kairen said.
“It’s really not easy to have a meal with Yan He these days.” Xin Zixing shook her head with a smile. “He’s too busy and he’s always traveling abroad.”
“He’s at this stage, so he can only be busy. There’s nothing else he can do.” Huang Kairen smiled. “He’ll be fine once he gets through these next few years.”
"I remember saying the same thing a few years ago."
"Who told this kid to not only cause trouble in China, but also in Hollywood?" Huang Kairen said. "If he hadn't gone abroad to cause trouble, with his current status and influence in China, he wouldn't need to work so hard, spinning like a top."
Xin Zixing asked with a smile, "So I can film one movie a year like you and enjoy life, right?"
Huang Kairen: "Half a year of rest, half a year of filming, how great is that? I only realized this in the last two years. When I was working hard before, I didn't feel it, but that was not a suitable state for creation at all."
“At that time, the opportunity to create was more important than the state of creation,” Xin Zixing laughed. “I didn’t expect that you would take on another drama directed by Luo Yuzhong. This drama will take four months to film.”
“Director Luo personally approached me with the script, how could I refuse?” Huang Kairen said. “Moreover, working with his team is worry-free. I can just focus on filming and don’t have to worry about anything else. It’s so comfortable.”
“I thought you would make more movies,” Xin Zixing said. “Your previous film, ‘A Shot in the Dark,’ did very well at the box office.”
“Sigh, the film market is really barren right now. To be honest, it’s either art films that are heavily imitative, or it’s all the same old comedies, crime films, or war films. It’s pretty boring,” Huang Kairen said. “The best film resources never give me priority when it comes to leading roles. I’m too lazy to go out of my way to promote myself. If I can get a good role, it’s the same.”
“That’s true,” Xin Zixing said. “But didn’t you say before that you wanted to support some new and young directors? Why haven’t I seen you take any action?”
"I haven't come across any scripts that move me," Huang Kairen said with a joking smile. "Maybe in their eyes, I'm not the kind of actor who's suitable for movies."
“Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re just too handsome and lack a bit of cinematic flair, but that so-called cinematic flair will change as you gain more life experience,” Xin Zixing said.
"Don't try to comfort me, I'm pretty relaxed now." Huang Kairen shrugged. "Anyway, I've already won Best Actor, I didn't get a zero, so I'm not so obsessed with it anymore. I'll just let things take their course from now on."
Xin Zixing could tell that Huang Kairen was truly enjoying his current state.
“Okay, as long as you’re happy.” Xin Zixing smiled. “Perfect, maybe I’ll get pregnant this year, and you can be a stay-at-home dad.”
“Sure.” Huang Kairen nodded, not minding at all. “I’ll take care of it.”
Xin Zixing knew very well that it was impossible for Huang Kairen to lead the way—no matter how many films he made in a year, he was still a top-tier star and would always have some work to do every now and then.
However, she was very happy that Huang Kairen could say those words without hesitation.
She didn't know that Huang Kairen meant what he said.
Huang Kai-ren's obsession with the entertainment industry isn't actually that deep now.
He's quite happy to relax and enjoy life for a few years.
-
"Don't give anything away when we go in," Jiang Yuqian instructed Li Zhibai over the phone. "Only Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang know about our business; no one else knows. Don't let them find out."
"Okay, okay, I know. How many times have you told me?" Li Zhibai replied casually on the phone. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who's careless?"
“You are,” Jiang Yuqian said decisively.
Li Zhibai: "You don't trust me at all."
"Then show me something that will earn my trust." Jiang Yuqian immediately started bringing up old grievances, "What about that time when you secretly held my hand under the table while having dinner with Director Luo?"
"I just couldn't help it."
"So, was my advice to you wrong?"
"I was wrong."
"If you really admit your mistake, that's a joke." Jiang Yuqian teased. "I'm serious, there are a lot of people tonight, and it's a noisy place. Don't think you can get away with it just because others can't see you."
"They're not strangers, they're all familiar friends," Li Zhibai muttered softly.
Jiang Yuqian ignored it.
Li Zhibai: "Hey, when are we going to finish this relationship? When are you going to marry me? Give me a heads-up! I'm telling you, I've been carrying the engagement ring with me all the time, all I need is a glance from you."
Jiang Yuqian: "How old are you and you're already thinking about marriage? Can you stop talking nonsense all the time?"
Li Zhibai: "I'm serious with you. Who's just making things up?"
"Go ask your good brother if you're talking nonsense."
"I'll go!" Li Zhibai said. "Okay, you wait."
After saying that, Li Zhibai hung up the phone.
Jiang Yuqian was stunned.
This idiot isn't going to call and ask right away, is he?
"..."
-
"Are you silly? Siqi told me that I must surprise her when I propose and not tell her in advance."
Lu Yanhe complained.
“I’m waiting for her to give me a look,” Lu Yanhe said. “No wonder Sister Yuqian scolded you.”
Li Zhibai: "...Huh? Is that so?"
He looked completely bewildered.
Lu Yanhe: "But don't always be so casual. If you want to propose, prepare properly and propose seriously. You just casually say it on the phone. Who wouldn't think you're talking nonsense?"
Li Zhibai: "What? My word is law!"
Lu Yanhe: "You can figure it out yourself. I'm not talking to you anymore. I've picked up Siqi. I'm hanging up."
"Holy crap! Wait a minute—"
The call has already ended.
Li Zhibai: "...Lu Yanhe, you're something else, you've forgotten your principles for the sake of a pretty face!"
He angrily put down his phone.
Talking nonsense?
Li Zhibai was puzzled.
Wasn't he serious enough just now?
He swore to God that he had never run a train with Jiang Yuqian.
(End of this chapter)
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