Chapter 200: Unable to Help Myself

That evening, watching Yan He chat with Chen Biqiu, Lu Yanhe felt a sense of awe; it was, in essence, a negotiation.

Lu Yanhe felt at one moment that Yan He was being too "direct," and at the next, that she was being somewhat "ostentatious." However, what he hadn't expected was that the entire rhythm of the dinner table was being controlled by Yan He. Chen Biqiu, a gold-medal producer known to others as having an ostentatious style and a high-profile way of doing things, was unusually restrained that evening.

This left Lu Yanhe quite stunned.

By the end of the dinner, Wen Minglan's participation in the variety show *Love Century* was basically settled.

With the main topic concluded and two glasses of wine down, Yan He's smile became even more cordial.

"Artists today have it better than those in the past, but it's also harder. The past was a barbaric era; whoever had the talent could break through. Now, it's a highly industrialized era. Even if you have talent, it depends on who can package you. The weight of individual effort is becoming smaller and smaller."

In the end, Yan He took Chen Biqiu's hand directly and said, "Old Chen, do you know what I think is the most remarkable thing about you? In your shows, you always give young people and newcomers a chance. That is your most remarkable quality."

Chen Biqiu laughed and said, "I'm not that great. Don't tease me, you big agent."

"I'm not joking with you. In this industry, there are so many variety show producers; why have I always wanted to work with you? Whether it's Lu Yanhe, Tu Song, or Minglan, I send them to your shows because I know you support and take care of newcomers, and they can show their best sides on your shows."

Chen Biqiu waved his hand and said softly that it was nothing of the sort.

Yet, Lu Yanhe clearly saw a flash of pleasure on Chen Biqiu's face—the joy of having one's thoughts and actions seen by others.

"I have the common flaw of an agent: I only look at the small patch of land belonging to the few artists under my wing. I also know that sometimes, when negotiating with people, I am aggressive or unreasonable. I can't help it; when you are in this position, you have to do it. Because this environment is like this—the law of the jungle. If you don't fight hard, others will snatch things away." Yan He said this, looked at Chen Biqiu, and smiled. "Being proactive, aggressive, and thinking of every possible way to create opportunities—the goal is actually just one thing: to fight for the best opportunities and the best resources for the children under my wing."

"Yes, I know. I deal with all kinds of agents every day, all sorts of people, I've seen them all." Chen Biqiu said, "Your legend is heard throughout the circle. I've always been curious, how did you train this pair of eyes? Everyone you pick becomes a hit."

"Actually, it's not that I have a pair of eyes that can pick people, but that I have a mouth that can persuade others to support them with me." Yan He smiled. "Just like I want to persuade you that it's worth it to hire Lu Yanhe at a price of 50,000 yuan per episode. I will make you believe this because I take responsibility for what I say. It's the same with Minglan. I know she will definitely be liked by the audience, as long as I can persuade you to give her this chance."

Chen Biqiu gave her a thumbs up.

"I really think you're quite something now. There's probably nothing in this world you can't accomplish."

"Don't put me on such a pedestal; I can't handle it." Yan He waved her hand. "In short, I'm handing both of my artists to you for the permanent cast. You must take good care of them."

Many things can be accomplished at the dinner table, and even more so at the drinking table.

Lu Yanhe had truly witnessed it.

After this whole performance by Yan He, by the time they were ready to leave, both of them were a bit tipsy.

Chen Biqiu grabbed Yan He's hand and said earnestly, "Don't worry, these two children of yours are in my hands. I will definitely take good care of them for you."

Yan He laughed until she shook, nodding, "Then I'll leave them to you!"

"Leave them to me!"

Lu Yanhe and Li Zhenzhen stood to the side, neither of them speaking.

The warmth between Chen Biqiu and Yan He before their eyes felt like something no one could interrupt.

It wasn't until their car arrived that Yan He insisted on personally seeing Chen Biqiu off. Lu Yanhe followed behind Yan He, and only after she had seen the man off with a face full of smiles did they get into their own car.

Lu Yanhe turned his head and glanced at Yan He.

The smile still lingered on Yan He's face, but she immediately picked up a bottle of mineral water, took a big gulp, rinsed her mouth, and spat it into an empty cup.

She let out a long sigh.

Lu Yanhe asked, "Sister Yan He, did you drink too much? Are you uncomfortable? Do you want to go to the hospital to check?"

Yan He shook her head and said, "It's fine, this little bit of alcohol is nothing."

She turned her head, looked at Lu Yanhe, smiled, and said, "Do you have a lot of questions?"

Lu Yanhe hesitated and nodded, saying, "I have a few."

Yan He asked, "What questions? Ask directly, I'll answer them for you."

Lu Yanhe: "I'm a bit confused. Tonight seemed to be specifically for the purpose of getting Wen Minglan to join the show *Love Century* as a permanent guest. This required Chen Biqiu's consent. However, your attitude at the beginning made me feel... arrogant? That description isn't quite right, but that was the feeling."

"Why didn't I put on a begging posture to talk to him about this? You actually want to ask this, right?" Yan He asked.

Lu Yanhe's face flushed; he hadn't expected Yan He to summarize it so directly.

"Yes, that's what I meant." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Yan He said, "Because he has seen too many agents like that. For him, there are too many situations where others beg him for a chance, and my status isn't suitable for that approach. Rather than the cliché of being overly respectful, it's better to let him think that I am an agent with a somewhat arrogant temper under the title of a gold-medal agent."

"Won't that... make him dissatisfied with you?" Lu Yanhe asked curiously. "If someone with an arrogant attitude came to talk to me about cooperation, I would definitely be a bit unwilling at first."

"That depends on who is looking for you. If it's a complete stranger, then there's nothing to talk about; I'd just refuse directly. But if that person has a reputation, your tolerance for them is much higher." Yan He said confidently. "No one will deny the subsequent cooperation because of my initial attitude. Compared to these things, they value more what I can bring to them."

Lu Yanhe nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, this is my second question. You clearly have two trump cards in your hand: Wen Minglan got the lead role in Director Fu Zhu's new film, and you can also help him pull in a first-tier male star to record *Love Century* with Wen Minglan. If you had put those out at the beginning, he should have agreed long ago, right?"

Yan He smiled and said, "Many things have to be given out bit by bit so that others will think you are sincere and believe that what you are giving is truly precious. If you give it all away in one go, others will not only doubt whether these things are that precious, but also wonder if you have even more precious things that you haven't given out."

Yan He's explanation left Lu Yanhe deeply shocked—Lu Yanhe had heard many principles, but many of them really just stayed at the level of principles.

This evening, however, Lu Yanhe felt enlightened and suddenly saw the light.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Yes."

"What?"

Lu Yanhe said, "I originally thought tonight was about discussing the show *Young Days*, which is why you called me along. But that wasn't the case. Why did you call me along today? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to call Wen Minglan?"

Yan He smiled slightly. "I am a very incompetent agent."

"Ah?" Lu Yanhe was stunned for a moment, not expecting Yan He to say such a thing, which left him at a loss.

"I like to be lazy. If an artist can stand on their own, think a little more, and do a little more, I can worry less and manage less. It's just that some artists only have artistic talent and know nothing about other things, so there's no help for it; I have to worry more. But some artists have high quality in all aspects, so I want him to be well-rounded, to let him see more about the operating laws of this industry, or rather, the rules of the game." Yan He turned to look at Lu Yanhe, her gaze in the darkness having the brightness of a leopard. She said, "You are an artist with ideas and ability. Since that's the case, while you are young, seeing more things and understanding more things will be of great benefit to you. I'll say it again: you are still so young, and the path you will take in the future is not something to be decided in the last few years. Even if you continue on this path as an artist, in the end, you can't just be a simple artist. No artist who makes it to the end is just an artist. You need to have a voice, you need to have decision-making power, you need to have resources and ability. Instead of cultivating it when you need it later, why not cultivate it now?"

Lu Yanhe was astonished after hearing Yan He's words.

"Frankly speaking, among the three, in terms of comprehensive quality, you are undoubtedly the highest. Moreover, you were able to get into Zhenhua University. In the future, your starting point, your social image, and your circle of contacts will all have advantages that others cannot compare to. Watch more, think more, learn more, reflect more, and grow more. Learn to judge opportunities, choose opportunities, and master opportunities." Yan He said, "I can't be well-rounded in everything. The one who is truly responsible for your life is still yourself."

That night, Lu Yanhe was frequently distracted while reading.

Even He Lan, who was watching the livestream, noticed it.

When a person is distracted, even if their eyes are fixed on the book in front of them, their demeanor will expose their lack of focus.

Yan He's words echoed repeatedly in Lu Yanhe's mind.

In the livestream room, many people noticed that Lu Yanhe was distracted.

This made everyone feel very surprised and strange.

They hadn't been watching Lu Yanhe's livestream for just a day or two; they knew how focused Lu Yanhe was when reading.

It was rare to see Lu Yanhe distracted.

In the bullet comments, everyone was confused.

The vibration of his phone pulled Lu Yanhe back from his distraction.

Lu Yanhe came to his senses and picked up his phone.

He was a bit surprised and answered the call, "Hello?"

"You've been distracted while reading for a long time, didn't you realize?" Chen Siqi's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Many people in your livestream room are discussing it."

Lu Yanhe came to his senses and glanced at the livestream room in surprise, only then discovering the confusion in the bullet comments.

"Oh."

"What are you thinking about?" Chen Siqi asked.

Lu Yanhe said, "My agent said some things to me tonight that touched me a bit."

"What did she say?"

"She said a lot, it was very complicated. The general meaning... it seems like she wants me to learn more, see more, and prepare for the future. No, that's not it. I don't even know how to say it. It's very strange, as if she is preparing for me to develop independently in the future. She doesn't seem to intend to manage me forever." Lu Yanhe said.

Chen Siqi asked suspiciously, "Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure either." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "I'm just not sure, I've been thinking about this."

"If you can't figure it out, just ask her in person next time you have the chance." Chen Siqi said, "However, I think your agent isn't wrong. You will always have to develop independently in the future. Even if she is your agent forever, you can't rely on her for everything."

"I know. It's just that even if she has such thoughts, she doesn't need to tell me so early, right? I just finished the college entrance exam." Lu Yanhe calmed his heart. "You're right, let's not think about it for now. I'll ask her in person later."

"Hmm." Chen Siqi said, "If you want to read, read properly. If you're not in the mood to read, turn off the livestream. Otherwise, many people will discuss you and even say you're putting on an act."

Lu Yanhe couldn't help but laugh or cry at this. He nodded and said, "I know. So you're still watching my livestream?"

"Yeah, is that not allowed?"

"No, no, of course it is. I'm just surprised; I didn't expect you to watch."

"I'm idle anyway." Chen Siqi said, "Otherwise, what do you think I can do this summer vacation? Just because I'm going to Jiangguang University, my dad hasn't given me a good look for the past two days, looking at me like I'm an unfilial daughter. Liu Weian is still there fanning the flames, it's infuriating."

"Just endure it, you'll be leaving soon anyway."

"That's exactly what I'm relying on to endure it. I've endured it for so many years, I don't want to cause any trouble before I leave." After Chen Siqi finished speaking, she said, "This summer vacation is really boring."

If Li Pengfei were here, he would probably slap his thigh and say it's no wonder you two could see eye to eye.

Lu Yanhe also didn't expect that Chen Siqi would feel this summer vacation was boring, and then he thought that she didn't even have a single friend around her; she even had to pay people to pretend to be her friends on her birthday.

As soon as he thought of this, as if by magic, that thought he had previously suppressed popped up in his mind again.

"How about we find something to do this summer vacation?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't have anything to do either." Lu Yanhe said, "It's very boring. Let's find something to do together."

Chen Siqi was astonished and asked, "Find what to do?"

Lu Yanhe said, "Didn't you say before that you wanted to make a magazine?"

"Ha, are you thinking that the two of us should make a magazine?"

"A physical magazine is probably very difficult, but Li Pengfei gave me an idea before, saying that an electronic magazine doesn't cost much anyway, so we could try making an electronic magazine first." Lu Yanhe said, "What do you think?"

"I think you're daydreaming. Do the two of us have even a tiny bit of experience in making a magazine? Are you crazy?" Chen Siqi retorted.

Lu Yanhe said, "The summer vacation is so long anyway, let's explore slowly. Let's see what kind of magazine we want to make, and then start thinking of ways to do it."

Chen Siqi: "Are you serious?"

"I just think that since we're looking for something to do anyway, we might as well do something we like. Even if we don't succeed, it doesn't matter." Lu Yanhe said.

Chen Siqi: "Even if it's an electronic magazine, it still costs money."

"If you want to do it, I'll go talk to Ye Mai Network and see if they are willing to support my idea." Lu Yanhe said, "I have a partnership with Ye Mai Network. If they are willing to launch our electronic magazine on their website, maybe we can get production funding."

Chen Siqi: "Are you sure? I suggest you don't do that. Even if Ye Mai Network finally gives you a sum of production funding, this funding is given because you are Lu Yanhe. If the magazine turns out to be very lackluster, no one watches it, or it's met with curses and bad reviews, it's you who will be affected."

Lu Yanhe listened to what Chen Siqi said in surprise, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Then... should we just forget it?"

Chen Siqi: "Do you really want to do it?"

"If you are willing to do it together, I really want to do it."

"Alright then, I'll cover the production funding." Chen Siqi said, "As for how to make the electronic magazine and where to publish it, we'll talk about that later."

"How about I cover the production funding instead?" Lu Yanhe asked.

He now had tens of thousands in savings.

Chen Siqi: "Do you have as much money as I do?"

Lu Yanhe: "..."

He really was embarrassed to say he had more money than Chen Siqi.

This little rich girl, although her relationship with her family was tense, neither her biological father nor her stepmother had ever shortchanged her when it came to money. Liu Weian had always been building a "kind mother" image to the outside world and would never shortchange Chen Siqi in food, clothing, housing, or transportation.

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said solemnly, "If this matter is something the two of us are doing together, then you can't be the only one covering the production funding. Let's do it together; this is a matter for the two of us."

When Chen Siqi heard Lu Yanhe say this, she fell silent instead, not speaking for several seconds.

"Alright, let's not talk so much on the phone. There are many people in your livestream room asking who you've been talking to for so long." Chen Siqi said, "Let's meet and talk tomorrow."

Lu Yanhe smiled, nodded, and said, "Okay."

He smiled at the camera in the livestream room.

He was smiling for the person who was watching the livestream.

And at the same time, many other people saw this smile from Lu Yanhe.

Someone said: My god, why do I feel like this smile from Lu Yanhe was specifically for me? Has my obsession with Lu Yanhe deepened even more? Mom, I don't want to become a fan girl.

Lu Yanhe turned off the livestream and prepared to take a shower and go to sleep.

As a result, while showering, many thoughts about the magazine popped into his head.

Once this thought came up, he couldn't suppress it no matter what.

Although Chen Siqi had denied his idea of asking Ye Mai Network for money, Lu Yanhe still decided to ask Xin Zixing first.

As soon as he came out of the shower, Lu Yanhe immediately grabbed his phone and sent a message to Xin Zixing: Sister Zixing, are you asleep?

Xin Zixing:? Just finished working overtime, what's up?

Lu Yanhe said: I have something I want to consult you about.

Xin Zixing: What is it?

Lu Yanhe asked: Can we talk on the phone?

Xin Zixing's call came through.

Lu Yanhe immediately answered the phone.

Xin Zixing asked, "What is it, coming to find me so late."

Lu Yanhe said, "I..."

The excited Lu Yanhe was suddenly surrounded by a strong sense of shame the moment he opened his mouth.

He wanted to make an electronic magazine.

This statement was just too terrible.

If he weren't Lu Yanhe, Xin Zixing would probably have hung up the phone immediately and cursed him as a lunatic.

In the era when electronic magazines were most prosperous, this thing wasn't very popular, let alone making any waves, especially in this day and age.

Perhaps Lu Yanhe had been silent for a bit too long, so Xin Zixing was a bit confused and asked, "Yanhe, are you still there?"

"Sorry, Sister Zixing, I... I suddenly feel that what I want to tell you is a bit ridiculous." Lu Yanhe said, "However, I still want to consult your opinion."

"Alright, go ahead. Don't worry, no matter how ridiculous what you say is, I will definitely not laugh at you." Xin Zixing's tone carried a hint of teasing.

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and said, "I want to make an electronic magazine, I want to do it with Ye Mai Network, and put the electronic magazine on Ye Mai Network for everyone to subscribe to. Alright, I'm done. I can already feel a sense of embarrassment rushing up from the soles of my feet."

Xin Zixing was silent for a long while on the other end.

"An electronic magazine?"

"Yes." Lu Yanhe said, "But I also know that basically no one is making electronic magazines now. I guess it sounds a bit strange to you. This is an idea of my own, and I don't know if it can be realized, but you are the only person I know who has anything to do with this area, so I can only consult you, Sister Zixing."

Xin Zixing pondered for a moment and said, "Yanhe, I can't give you an answer immediately either. Let me think about the feasibility first and then reply to you."

"Okay." Lu Yanhe felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness. "Thank you, Sister Zixing."

After hanging up the phone, the surprise in Xin Zixing's heart was exceptionally strong.

But in fact, it wasn't that Lu Yanhe's proposal was too outdated, but... how could it be such a coincidence?!

In Xin Zixing's thoughts on the *City Travelogue* series, it actually included a thematic book.

Xin Zixing had thought about combining the articles in this series and publishing a book.

It was just that whether this could be realized was still unknown; it was just an idea of hers.

Lu Yanhe's sudden proposal of wanting to make an electronic magazine indeed made Xin Zixing feel surprised.

But Xin Zixing didn't feel it was impossible.

If Lu Yanhe had proposed this idea to another website or institution, others would immediately think Lu Yanhe was daydreaming, that it was impossible, and that he was going against the trend of the times.

But it just so happened that this place was Ye Mai Network.

Just as Li Pengfei had said to Lu Yanhe before, Ye Mai Network was a place where a large number of literary youths gathered.

Ideas that couldn't be realized elsewhere because of idealism or niche appeal could potentially succeed on Ye Mai Network.

The absolute value of Ye Mai Network's user base couldn't compare to other websites, but the consumption power formed by one million literary youths gathered together might not be worse than ten million ordinary people with different preferences.

This could be seen from the Langqiao chapter of *City Travelogue*.

Up to now, the number of viewers for this documentary had exceeded three million, which could be said to be an unprecedentedly good result for a documentary with a production budget of only 50,000 yuan.

Just this view count had brought considerable advertising browsing revenue to Ye Mai Network.

The documentary didn't have advertisements, but its carrier, Ye Mai Network, did.

And for Ye Mai Network, the most critical thing was that this planning had given Ye Mai Network an influential memory point across the entire internet.

This not only helped Ye Mai Network attract some new users but also helped Ye Mai Network expand its influence in the online world.

Xin Zixing thought to herself that Ye Mai Network already had an electronic reading section, which was an important section developed since the website's inception and used to this day.

It was just that Ye Mai Network often purchased the electronic copyrights of paper books from publishing institutions and then put them on the shelves on Ye Mai Network.

There were actually not many electronic works published exclusively on Ye Mai Network.

If someone else were to do this, it would probably be difficult.

But this person was Lu Yanhe.

He was a famous idol artist, a recently very high-profile Zhenhua freshman, and because of the *City Travelogue* series, he had entered a honeymoon period with Ye Mai Network. If he wanted to do this, Xin Zixing felt that the senior management might not necessarily disagree, provided, of course, that the investment couldn't be too much.

Xin Zixing thought seriously, walking all the way to the street corner, and only when she saw the black sedan parked in the temporary parking space did she put away her thoughts, open the car door, and sit inside.

As soon as the car door closed, Huang Kai took her hand.

"What were you thinking about just now? Watching you walk all the way over, looking worried."

"I wasn't worried, I was thinking about something." Xin Zixing said to Huang Kai with a smile. "Lu Yanhe contacted me just now."

"Why did he contact you?" Huang Kai was a bit surprised.

Xin Zixing: "He has an idea, he wants to cooperate with our website, and I'm thinking about the feasibility of his idea."

Huang Kai suddenly understood and nodded.

"He's been quite popular lately, on the hot search every other day. How does he still have the leisure to have new ideas to cooperate with you?"

"The guy has abundant energy." Xin Zixing said this, her peripheral vision hooked, and she said, "Why did you suddenly come back today?"

"Came back today to shoot an advertisement, have to go back to the crew as soon as I finish shooting tomorrow morning." Huang Kai said, "So I could meet up tonight, didn't expect you to have to work overtime."

Huang Kai's tone was a bit aggrieved.

"What can be done, there's a lot more work now." Xin Zixing said, "Are we going to the hotel, or to your place?"

Huang Kai: "Let's go to the hotel, there are paparazzi squatting by my place."

"Ah? You're out filming, and there are still paparazzi squatting by your place?"

"Hmm." Huang Kai said, "They probably received news that I returned to Yuming."

Nowadays, it's really hard to keep the whereabouts of celebrity artists tightly under wraps.

Xin Zixing nodded and said, "Later at the hotel, you drop me off a bit earlier, I'll walk over myself, I won't go in with you, so as not to be photographed."

Huang Kai hugged Xin Zixing's waist and said hmm.

Early the next morning, Lu Yanhe woke up full of energy.

He was actually also a person of action, making plans as soon as he thought of something.

Especially last night before going to sleep, he had many thoughts in his head, and the first thing he did after getting up was to write them down.

After washing up, he checked his phone again.

Xin Zixing didn't leave any messages.

Lu Yanhe was disappointed for a moment, but also held some expectations for the message Xin Zixing hadn't sent yet.

He sent a message to Chen Siqi, asking: Are you awake?

She didn't reply.

Lu Yanhe guessed she wasn't awake.

He cooked himself some noodles to eat, and then continued to organize and refine some of his ideas.

The terrible thing was that many of the magazines he had read in his memory were already blurred, and he couldn't remember them clearly.

And what kind of magazine he wanted to make now, he wasn't very clear either, purely because this idea was facing the possibility of becoming reality, and he had some instinctive excitement and agitation.

It wasn't until nine o'clock in the morning that Chen Siqi replied to him: You got up too early.

Chen Siqi said: Let's meet at ten-thirty, you find a place.

Lu Yanhe immediately started looking for a place.

Suddenly, at this moment, Li Pengfei's call came through.

"Old Lu, what are you doing at noon?"

"Meeting Chen Siqi later." Lu Yanhe said.

"Ha, I was planning to call you to play games, forget it, I'll find someone else. However, aren't you and Chen Siqi meeting a bit too frequently lately? I ask you, and you say you two aren't together. I say, if you like each other, just be together. What's the point of being ambiguous all the time? Look at me and Zijun—"

"We two are meeting to talk about some other things, don't overthink it." Lu Yanhe hurriedly stopped him from continuing.

Li Pengfei didn't believe it.

"What else could you two talk about? Stop throwing smoke bombs."

Lu Yanhe: "... It's just what I told you before, making a magazine. We two have ideas that we are going to put into practice."

"Really or fake?" Li Pengfei was still in a tone of disbelief. "You're really something, to actually come up with such a serious excuse to chase Chen Siqi."

"Stop talking nonsense, believe it or not." Lu Yanhe said a small curse word in frustration.

Li Pengfei: "Then I'll come to listen in. I want to see if you two are selling dog meat under the guise of a sheep's head."

Lu Yanhe: "..."

One minute later, Lu Yanhe sent a message to Chen Siqi: Li Pengfei knows we are going to discuss making a magazine, and he wants to come too. Is that okay?

Chen Siqi: If he wants to come, let him come. Why are you asking me?

Lu Yanhe: I didn't know if you were willing to have him come.

Chen Siqi: Whatever you want, I don't care.

Thus, at ten-thirty, the three of them met on time at a coffee shop.

Early in the morning, the coffee shop had just opened, and there were no customers.

Lu Yanhe was wearing a mask, and the clerk didn't recognize him as Lu Yanhe.

As soon as Chen Siqi sat down, she ordered a piece of cake.

"So hungry, I didn't have breakfast." She said.

Chen Siqi was wearing a blue baseball cap today, her face was bare, she had no makeup, and she was dressed casually. At a glance, she hadn't dressed up much, but even so, she was still very beautiful. Under the golden sunlight, her fair skin radiated a porcelain-like delicacy.

Lu Yanhe's eyes couldn't help but stare at her for a long while, and he saw Li Pengfei looking at him with a "what did I tell you" look, looking at him with ill intent.

Lu Yanhe: "..." ===== CHAPTER 201 =====