Chapter 176: Performance Element

The three of them found a shop to sit down in, opened the file bag, and took out the contents.

It was a stack of photos.

After seeing them, Li Zhibai exchanged glances with Lu Yan He and Yan Liang.

What is this?

The photos looked like they had just been reprinted; they were brand new.

Lu Yan He picked one up at random, but the content of the photo shocked him.

What is this?!

In the photo, Ma Zhiyuan had his arm around a girl's waist, holding a cigarette in his other hand, and was giving the girl a roguish smile.

"Is this... Ma Zhiyuan's girlfriend?"

As a young idol, Ma Zhiyuan's public image had always been that of a single man; he had never had any dating history. Whenever he got close to a girl, fans would inspect it with a magnifying glass, let alone being rumored to be with a female artist—that would be like an earthquake, and the trending searches for those two days would be dominated by it.

Lu Yan He was certain that if this photo were exposed, it would definitely cause a massive earthquake.

And Ma Zhiyuan's fans would experience a large-scale abandonment of their idol.

That's how idol artists are; most of them are young female fans who have projected a "boyfriend" sentiment onto them, and the love in the hearts of female fans carries a sense of possessiveness.

Li Zhibai picked up another photo; the content of this one looked completely different.

In the photo, Ma Zhiyuan was sitting in a dimly lit room, wearing a white shirt, but the buttons were undone, revealing his lean upper body.

At first glance, it looked like a photo shoot with some erotic undertones, but upon closer inspection, one could see a hazy figure behind the dim and blurry light. That figure had long, black hair, and the crumpled quilt blocked most of the view, but the small part that was revealed was enough to drive Ma Zhiyuan's fans crazy.

The photos, which looked completely different, all pointed to the same thing.

Ma Zhiyuan had a girlfriend, or had once had a girlfriend.

The three of them looked at each other, and for a moment, no one spoke.

"Anyway, doesn't Ma Zhiyuan often say that the others in MX are holding him back, and that if it weren't for the others, he would develop faster? Then let him develop on his own."

The person speaking was Lin Suyang.

He was sitting on the sofa in his own home, but he was wearing dress pants and a white shirt, looking like he had just returned from outside or was about to go out.

He was on the phone with someone.

On the other end of the line was Vice President Ma.

"Vice President Ma, both MX and Ma Zhiyuan are very popular. If Ma Zhiyuan develops independently and goes solo, it can fulfill his wish to shake off the burden of MX, and MX can also return to stability," Lin Suyang said. "As long as he leaves, MX will still be that popular but obedient idol group, and there won't be any sudden explosions due to the existence of Ma Zhiyuan as a ticking time bomb. Both sides can develop according to their own ideas. The best result is that Ma Zhiyuan remains a popular idol, and MX also remains a popular idol group."

Vice President Ma fell silent and didn't rush to speak.

Lin Suyang had already told him this idea more than once. At first, he refused without even considering it, but after this conflict between Ma Zhiyuan and Li Zhibai, Vice President Ma also wanted to teach Ma Zhiyuan a lesson, not too big or too small, to make him understand his status.

Actually, Li Zhibai was wrong about one thing. Li Zhibai questioned why Zhou Ping'an only found him to appease his fans and didn't find Ma Zhiyuan to express his attitude on social media. In fact, the company had gone to him early on, and Vice President Ma had even gone in person. After all, Lin Suyang wasn't managing Ma Zhiyuan now, and Ma Zhiyuan didn't have an agent.

But Ma Zhiyuan had refused with a very bad attitude.

Vice President Ma was angry at Ma Zhiyuan's attitude, and even angrier at Ma Zhiyuan's lack of tact.

With such stubbornness, using "I did nothing wrong" as a shield, what was the result now? More and more people online were scolding him.

No attitude, no responsibility.

The internet is not a place where right and wrong are clearly defined. The company wanted to settle the matter as soon as possible and asked Ma Zhiyuan to show this attitude, but Ma Zhiyuan thought it was deliberately helping Li Zhibai vent his anger.

Vice President Ma was furious, but he couldn't talk about pros and cons with young people.

They didn't care.

Therefore, letting Ma Zhiyuan go solo wasn't impossible.

Before, he had only thought about handing over his personal business to Zhou Ping'an, but if he went solo, Ma Zhiyuan would have nothing to do with MX anymore.

This would also be a blow and a punishment for Ma Zhiyuan.

Arrogant young people should be taught a lesson.

Vice President Ma had an idea in his mind.

Meanwhile, in the shop.

Lu Yan He was silent for a long time before saying, "Look, someone really wants to use your hands to expose these photos."

"This person also has a grudge against Ma Zhiyuan and can't stand him. Why doesn't he expose it himself?" Li Zhibai asked.

"Afraid of being found out," Yan Liang shook his head. "Only if you do this will others not suspect your intentions, nor will they suspect where these photos came from."

"Then where did these photos come from?" Lu Yan He was a bit doubtful. "Ma Zhiyuan has been in the company since his debut. Whether he has dated or who he has been in contact with, these have long been investigated, but this person was never discovered, and we haven't heard a single whisper."

Being in the same company and being popular, even if there was no news from the outside, it would always spread internally.

If a person showed even a trace of a clue, it would be captured—this is the vicious influence of this gossip era.

Disguise is becoming increasingly difficult.

"At this time, many people know that Li Zhibai and Ma Zhiyuan are at odds, but I can't think of a second person who has the ability to know such a big secret about Ma Zhiyuan and wants to step on him," Yan Liang said. After he said this, he looked at the other two, and sure enough, after he said that, looks of sudden realization appeared on the faces of Lu Yan He and Li Zhibai.

"Then what should we do with these photos?" Li Zhibai asked.

He seemed to have suddenly lost his ability to make a decision.

Lu Yan He said, "I thought you were so eager to come over today because you couldn't wait to get Ma Zhiyuan's dirt and leak it."

"I did have that idea, but now it seems this isn't just his own business," Li Zhibai said. "I'm happy to make him uncomfortable, but there's no need to implicate a girl. If these photos are exposed online, that girl will probably be cyberbullied by Ma Zhiyuan's fans. You guys know how crazy Ma Zhiyuan's fans are."

It's not that any particular fan base is crazy; it's that the fan group as a whole is easily driven to madness.

Lu Yan He, even as an idol artist himself, felt deeply about this.

This is why he has always been wary of the fan group and rarely maintains or operates his own fan base.

He has social media accounts on various platforms, but he rarely operates them. Even when his popularity and buzz surged in June and his fan base grew rapidly, he didn't do so.

In the live streaming rooms where he appeared most frequently, Lu Yan He never specifically maintained his fan base, and even communication was rare.

Lu Yan He had always felt that he wasn't a qualified artist.

This was partly because he was just a student and wasn't mentally prepared, and partly because he didn't 100% accept the fan economy culture.

Lu Yan He was quite surprised that Li Zhibai would consider that girl, whose identity he didn't even know, at this time.

It was equivalent to a wasted effort; although they got Ma Zhiyuan's dirt, they couldn't use it.

Despite this, Li Zhibai didn't seem too unhappy.

He asked Yan Liang, "Where is your shoot later? I'll just send you over."

Yan Liang glanced at the time; it was only past three o'clock. "At Xinmin Bridge."

Xinmin Bridge was about a forty-minute drive from Houshili.

Li Zhibai nodded: "Then it's about time to go. You have to be there by five, right?"

"Yeah," Yan Liang nodded.

Lu Yan He got into the car with them.

"What kind of shoot is this?" Lu Yan He asked curiously.

"A commercial short film," Yan Liang said. "A chocolate brand, scheduled to go online in July."

"Are they asking you to be the spokesperson?"

"No, just a business collaboration," Yan Liang said. "I don't have the ability to be a spokesperson yet, and not many people know who I am."

"It's only a matter of time. For an artist as hardworking and talented as you, there will always be a day when you are seen," Lu Yan He didn't doubt this at all. "Actually, I'm looking forward to 'Young Days.' The three of us recording a variety show in a co-living format, haha, isn't that just moving our daily lives in front of the camera?"

"Then everyone will be able to see Li Zhibai's bird's nest hair," Yan Liang said with a smile.

Li Zhibai said, "How is that possible? I definitely won't be like that when recording the show."

"I don't believe it. You can pretend for a day or two, but can you pretend for half a month?" Lu Yan He knew Li Zhibai's personality very well. "With your personality, you'll definitely start doing whatever you want after three days."

"..." Li Zhibai was once again unable to refute.

He had nothing to say.

After dropping Yan Liang off, Li Zhibai and Lu Yan He left.

Li Zhibai had plans to play games with someone that night, and Lu Yan He had to host a live stream.

On the way back, Li Zhibai was still saying, "What do you think? Should I also start a live stream of me playing games?"

"That might not be good," Lu Yan He said. "Many of your fans are students, and it might cause their parents to resist, thinking you're leading their children astray?"

"Tsk." Li Zhibai fell silent for a moment and nodded. "That's true. Playing games is indeed addictive and affects studies. Is that why you don't play games?"

"I do play. Don't I often play with you?" Lu Yan He said.

Li Zhibai: "You do often play with me, but I rarely see you play on your own initiative. Are you not addicted to games at all?"

"I'm really not that addicted. I prefer things that are more real," Lu Yan He said. "Playing games with you guys is fine, but if I'm playing with people I don't know, the joy of winning doesn't last long."

Li Zhibai was greatly surprised.

"I give up, you're a natural top student," he said.

Lu Yan He suddenly thought of something and asked, "Has Zhou Ping'an looked for you again?"

"Looked for me for what?"

"The laser pointer incident," Lu Yan He said. "I just checked my phone, and you and Ma Zhiyuan are still on the trending searches, although the buzz is a bit smaller than yesterday."

"He hasn't looked for me," Li Zhibai curled his lip. "Let it hang there. Anyway, I'm not the one being scolded."

Lu Yan He: "Do you hope for this matter to be resolved in any particular way?"

"I haven't thought about it, and I'm too lazy to think about it. I only know that I don't accept their current attitude; it's speechless," Li Zhibai said. "You know, I really hate their attitude—ignoring right and wrong, just wanting to calm things down quickly, which in reality only makes Ma Zhiyuan's arrogance grow."

Li Zhibai's words once again made Lu Yan He change his view of him.

Li Zhibai's sharpness in certain aspects was indeed very strong.

As a result, the next day, a big piece of gossip broke out within the company.

Ma Zhiyuan might be going solo and leaving MX.

When Yan Liang saw this gossip, the three of them were sitting at the dining table eating takeout.

As soon as he said it, the other two widened their eyes and looked at him in disbelief.

"It's true," Yan Liang said. "Although I don't know where the news came from, it sounds very logical, and Ma Zhiyuan went into Vice President Ma's office this morning."

"Eh—" Li Zhibai suddenly sounded puzzled. Just when the two of them thought he had thought of some key information, Li Zhibai said, "They both have the surname Ma, could they be relatives?"

Lu Yan He: "..."

Yan Liang: "No."

"They aren't?"

"When Ma Zhiyuan debuted, someone already dug into their blood relationship. Simply put, they are completely unrelated," Yan Liang said.

"Uh, alright."

"Then if Ma Zhiyuan leaves MX, there will only be four people left in MX," Lu Yan He said.

"Maybe they will add one or two more people?" Yan Liang said. "The MX group is so popular; one less person means one less share of money to earn."

"But if Ma Zhiyuan goes solo, will he be affected?"

"Who knows? Anyway, I see him acting all high and mighty every day. I want to see how he does after going solo," Li Zhibai immediately said.

Yan Liang, however, looked at him with an indescribable expression and said, "But everyone says that after Ma Zhiyuan goes solo, Zhou Ping'an will fully take over his work, not just manage his personal business."

This is equivalent to Ma Zhiyuan being managed entirely by Zhou Ping'an.

Li Zhibai's lively gossip expression instantly collapsed.

"Then what can be done about this?"

Vice President Ma looked at Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong sitting in front of him.

"I know you guys usually have a good relationship with Ma Zhiyuan and are good friends, but he has caused so many troubles in the past six months, so we can't keep indulging him," Vice President Ma put on an expression of heartbreak but helplessness. "He has always thought that you guys are holding him back and has complained to me several times, so let him go solo. Him leaving MX is also a good thing for you guys. Except for him, your popularity is about the same. Once he leaves, you all have the opportunity to become top idol artists."

Qu Yousong and Wei Zhuoran looked at each other.

Wei Zhuoran spoke up: "But once he leaves, MX might not be able to maintain its position as the most popular idol group."

This is a point that must be acknowledged.

Ma Zhiyuan's personal fans support nearly half of the MX group's fans.

Vice President Ma shook his head and said, "Don't belittle yourselves. MX can be so popular because of your own talent and hard work, and it also has to do with the company doing a lot of operations and promotion for you behind the scenes. Even if he leaves now, your exposure won't drop. We will still build you up and support you as the most popular idol group, and we will also find a new person to join your group."

When Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong heard this, their eyes widened.

"A new person?"

"You only have four people now, you need to add one person," Vice President Ma said.

Wei Zhuoran hesitated and said, "But the new person joining should be a newcomer, right?"

"It's a newcomer, but also a newcomer with ability, talent, and who won't hold you back," Vice President Ma said.

Wei Zhuoran heard this and asked, "Is there already a candidate?"

"There is a preliminary candidate, but we need to investigate further," Vice President Ma said. "You guys can rest assured, don't worry that Ma Zhiyuan's departure will have a negative impact on you. You will always be the most popular idol group of our Star Entertainment."

Wei Zhuoran and Qu Yousong left his office.

After getting off the elevator, Qu Yousong asked, "What do you think of what he said?"

"Hard to evaluate," Wei Zhuoran shook his head. "But Ma Zhiyuan leaving is a done deal, there is no room for negotiation."

"Then he got his wish," Qu Yousong said. "Didn't he always think we weren't as good as him and were holding him back?"

"He even said that to you?" Wei Zhuoran was a bit surprised.

Qu Yousong smiled, looked at him thoughtfully, and said, "You didn't know?"

Wei Zhuoran: "He just complains a few times sometimes, but he doesn't mean it, right? That's just how he is."

"That's because you have a good temper," Qu Yousong shook his head and stopped talking.

"Then with this, Li Zhibai must be very proud," Wei Zhuoran said, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Isn't that Ma Zhiyuan's own fault? After something like this happens, regardless of whether he is at fault or not, he should show an attitude," Qu Yousong said. "Using a laser pointer to shine into someone's eyes and hurt them, and he remains indifferent—isn't that asking to be scolded?"

Qu Yousong was right, and Wei Zhuoran had nothing more to say.

Because neither Li Zhibai nor Ma Zhiyuan would cooperate with the company to respond to the laser pointer incident, although the matter continued to ferment, it eventually ended up with nothing.

This matter stuck in the throats of the two fan bases, and it would be brought up from time to time.

The news that Ma Zhiyuan was leaving MX did not spread to the internet; it only circulated within Star Entertainment.

There was no new movement on the news for a long time.

Time quickly arrived at the end of June.

Too many things happened this month, but no matter what happened, for Lu Yan He, the most critical thing was that he achieved his wish in the college entrance examination and got a high score of 657.

Lu Yan He was about to join the crew to film.

He had almost memorized his script lines.

Not only his own, but he had also memorized every scene of his opponents.

Familiarize, then start to ponder.

Lu Yan He packed his suitcase, ready to go on a long journey.

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were still a bit reluctant.

Over the past three years, Li Zhibai and Yan Liang had both had situations where they went on long trips and didn't return for half a month, but this was Lu Yan He's first time.

Li Zhibai said, "If you get bullied on the set, you must not endure it. You must fight back. Otherwise, they will think you are easy to bully and keep bullying you, you know?"

Lu Yan He couldn't laugh or cry, saying, "I'm filming this play because Jiang Yuqian recommended it, and it was chosen by Luo Yuzhong. Under normal circumstances, no one would be blind enough to bully me, right?"

Especially since he had been quite popular recently.

"Then don't be too naive. I've seen some gossip online before, even Jiang Yuqian gets bullied by some people," Li Zhibai reminded him seriously. "In this circle, there are many who rely on their seniority, or look down on traffic and idols, or simply don't like you. There are too many such situations, and not every matter will be exposed."

"Got it, got it, I will pay attention."

"Where are you filming? It won't be in the mountains, will it? Then you have to bring more food, don't be unable to find food in the middle of the night."

"I'm filming a modern drama," Lu Yan He couldn't laugh or cry. "Although it's not in Yuming, it's not far from Yuming."

Li Zhibai: "That's good."

Yan Liang also said, "Why do I feel like Li Zhibai is a bit like an old father who is worried about his child going on a long trip?"

"Isn't that just being worried?" Li Zhibai said righteously. "Look at how he was bullied by Zhou Ping'an before, he didn't know how to resist at all. Who could be at ease?"

Yan Liang wanted to say that Lu Yan He had changed long ago and was no longer the Lu Yan He he was before, but the words came to his lips, and he felt that what Li Zhibai said was actually correct.

He nodded and said to Lu Yan He, "You really should pay attention."

Lu Yan He raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, "Okay, stop, don't nag me anymore, two big brothers, I will definitely pay attention, and I will definitely not hold it in."

Li Zhibai nodded with satisfaction.

On the day of departure, Chen Ziyan came to pick up Lu Yan He and took him to the crew together.

Because Li Zhibai and Yan Liang had work, they left Yuming the day before and missed this "farewell" drama.

Lu Yan He was very grateful that they had work the day before, otherwise he felt his ears would have another layer of calluses today.

Chen Ziyan drove him there, and the journey took about three and a half hours.

The filming base was in a city next to Yuming called Langhua.

Originally, this was not a very economically developed city, but because a film and television base was built, slowly, major crews came to film, and then derived film and television base tourism culture, and Langhua slowly developed.

These modern dramas of theirs didn't originally need to find a film and television base to film, but because the modern background in "The Golden Age" was not in the last ten years, but in the period when the domestic economy had just taken off, they needed to find a city that was not so modern, so they found Langhua.

Chen Ziyan drove Lu Yan He to Langhua and went to the hotel to report first.

Three floors of rooms in the hotel were booked by the crew.

A big move.

The lobby had crew staff specifically receiving people here.

As soon as Lu Yan He appeared, they immediately greeted him.

After handling the check-in and a series of procedures, Lu Yan He went to put his luggage away first.

Chen Ziyan stood at the door talking on the phone, not knowing what she said, laughing until she was shaking.

Lu Yan He glanced at it and always felt that Chen Ziyan's "shaking laughter" had a slight performance element. ===== CHAPTER 177 =====