Chapter 213: The Shadow of Summer

Soon, as the cicadas began to chirp with increasing desperation, summer moved from July into August.

The sweltering heat blanketed everyone exposed to the air equally, drawing forth a chorus of curses.

Lu Yan He's time was also sliced into three parts: one for *Jump Up*, one for stage rehearsals, and one for working out and the "slumping" that followed.

Well, he truly couldn't stay idle anymore.

The performance on the night of the Jingtai Gala was a live broadcast; with one cover song and one duet, the pressure on Lu Yan He was immense.

This was the lack of confidence a non-professional singer felt in themselves.

Yet, when the contact person asked him if he wanted to use a pre-recorded track, he still refused.

Although he wasn't a professional, he was at least being paid to do a job, and his moral compass and professional ethics wouldn't allow him to lip-sync.

While he was busy rehearsing, Chen Siqi wasn't idle either—she was even busier than him, finding typesetters and designers to work on the cover and layout, reportedly spending every day at the studio.

"For a Mook like ours, people could earn much more money taking on commercial jobs elsewhere. If I don't run around diligently and get them familiar with my face, why would they bother with me?" Chen Siqi had her own theory.

Lu Yan He didn't ask who she had found; he didn't understand that side of things anyway, and since Chen Siqi had taken charge, he let her handle it.

Lu Yan He was now responsible for checking in on those who hadn't submitted their drafts yet every day, urging them to finish.

This afternoon, Lu Yan He had an appointment with Song Lin Xin to rehearse.

Who would have thought that just as he was about to leave, Song Lin Xin suddenly sent a message saying there was an unexpected situation, the afternoon rehearsal had to be canceled, and she apologized to him.

Lu Yan He said it was fine and asked what had happened. Song Lin Xin, however, did not reply again. To his surprise, by the evening, Chen Ziyan suddenly called him.

"Hello? Ziyan-jie, are you looking for me?"

"Yes." Chen Ziyan's tone didn't sound very good. "Song Lin Xin's manager just called me to say she's very sorry, but the duet performance she was supposed to do with you is canceled."

"Canceled?" Lu Yan He was stunned, unable to react. He was bewildered and asked, "What happened? Why was it suddenly canceled? I was supposed to rehearse with her this afternoon; she even told me at noon it was canceled. Did something happen to her?"

"No." Chen Ziyan sighed softly on the other end of the line and said, "Yan He, it's not that something happened to her; it's that Chen Ziliang approached them again, and her manager decided it would be better for her to sing this duet with Chen Ziliang."

Lu Yan He froze.

"Didn't Chen Ziliang reject her before? That's why she came to me for help, right?"

"I don't know what Chen Ziliang is thinking, but he has approached her again. After all, Chen Ziliang's status and fame in the music industry are a cut above yours. I can understand her manager's decision. Don't take it too much to heart; just focus on your own performance," Chen Ziyan said.

A fire ignited within Lu Yan He's heart.

"I'm sorry, Ziyan-jie, I can't help but take it to heart."

If Song Lin Xin had just been the girl who bought the cover rights to *Memory*, it would be one thing. But after more than a month of knowing, contacting, and spending time with her—from Song Lin Xin helping him write drafts to him helping her complete this duet, rehearsing every few days, meeting up, and chatting from time to time about their thoughts on the future—Lu Yan He had come to view Song Lin Xin as a friend. He couldn't accept Song Lin Xin doing something like this.

It was like how he could accept Ma Zhiyuan backstabbing him, but he couldn't accept Li Zhibai and Yan Liang doing the same; he had no trust in the former, but he did in the latter.

It was the same with Song Lin Xin.

Lu Yan He was furious.

Chen Ziyan: "I know you might be a bit angry right now, but try to process it. Don't do anything, and don't impulsively go and question Song Lin Xin about why. Learn to be smarter, okay?"

Lu Yan He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"If I don't go and clarify this with Song Lin Xin now, I won't know how to deal with her in the future."

"Deal with her however you deal with her," Chen Ziyan said. "Everything else can wait. You're hot-headed right now, and you won't listen to anything I say. I just hope you stay calm tonight and don't do anything while you're angry."

"I understand."

"You promise me."

"Mm."

After hanging up, Lu Yan He took another deep breath, barely managing to suppress his anger.

To be honest, this song was written by Song Lin Xin, and it was Song Lin Xin who invited him to sing it. Now that she wasn't bringing him along, it was understandable, and he hadn't lost anything.

But because of the acquaintance and rehearsals over the past month, after such an event, Lu Yan He felt that having finally gained a friend, he had immediately lost one.

The feeling of being abandoned was like being slapped twice; the first reaction wasn't pain, but indignation.

Song Lin Xin's eyes were red as she looked at her manager, Zhou Meng.

"Meng-yi, doing this will make me lose Lu Yan He as a friend."

Zhou Meng was helpless but had no choice. "Lin Xin, this is what Jingtai wanted. It's their gala, and Chen Ziliang is the singer they want to push. We can't afford to offend Jingtai."

Song Lin Xin sat on the sofa with her knees hugged, her eyes as red as a rabbit's. "It was clearly Chen Ziliang who thought my song was too 'girly' and refused to sing with me in the first place."

"That's not it; Jingtai's top brass got to him and shoved him back in." Zhou Meng squatted in front of Song Lin Xin, stroked her head, and said, "I know both you and Lu Yan He have suffered a lot of grievances in this matter, but I'm sorry. If we stubbornly refuse Jingtai's request, your future collaboration with Jingtai on *Songs Responding* will be affected. You've only just debuted, and now is the time you need exposure the most. There is no program more suitable for you than *Songs Responding*."

Zhou Meng added, "Explain it well to Lu Yan He. If he truly considers you a friend, he will understand."

"If a friend did this to me, I wouldn't talk to them for the rest of my life."

Song Lin Xin glared at Zhou Meng, tears of grievance welling up in her eyes.

"I can't bring myself to call him either."

Lu Yan He tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Out of anger.

However, he wasn't as angry as he had been when he first received the call.

—Lu Yan He, is it necessary? To be this angry for so long over such a thing? Are you that petty?

A voice in his mind questioned him.

Lu Yan He thought, *You don't know a damn thing. *

By the time he realized it, ha, he had been arguing with himself for quite a while.

Lu Yan He sat up abruptly. Since he couldn't sleep, he decided to turn on the lights, start a livestream, and read a book.

Feeling restless, he read to calm his mind.

He couldn't even be bothered to get out of bed, so he pointed the camera toward the head of the bed and sat there reading.

Because the distance was close, his profile took up a third of the screen.

This was an angle that had almost never appeared before.

This surprised the fans who had been watching Lu Yan He's livestreams for a long time, wondering why the camera angle had changed today.

The book Lu Yan He was reading today was published by another publisher; it wasn't a novel, but a travelogue.

Mainly because at this point in time, Lu Yan He didn't want to read a novel.

After reading for a while, his phone buzzed.

He frowned in confusion, picked it up, and saw it was a call from Chen Siqi.

"Hello?" Lu Yan He answered.

Chen Siqi: "You seem to be in a bad mood? Starting a livestream at this hour, you wouldn't happen to be unable to sleep, would you?"

Lu Yan He's behavioral psychology had been guessed correctly by Chen Siqi.

He was awkwardly silent for a long time before admitting, "Yeah."

As he spoke, he suddenly realized he was livestreaming and quickly turned his head to check if the stream was muted.

"You're already muted, don't worry," Chen Siqi immediately added.

Lu Yan He was very embarrassed and asked, "How come you can guess everything I'm thinking?"

Chen Siqi: "That's because you can't hide anything on your face."

Lu Yan He: "I don't think so."

Chen Siqi: "If you say so. However, if you're in a bad mood, you don't have to keep it bottled up inside. If you want to talk to someone, I'm on summer break anyway, so I'm quite free."

"Actually, it's nothing. A female singer invited me to sing a duet with her, and I've been rehearsing with her lately. But today, her manager suddenly told my manager that they were replacing me to collaborate with someone else. And until now, she hasn't sent me a single message. She actually communicated this through her manager to my manager, without telling me personally."

"A female singer? Is she pretty?"

"Uh, that's not the point."

"Forget it if you won't answer directly." Chen Siqi muttered, then said, "This is indeed infuriating. But think about it from another perspective: you don't lack this one performance opportunity. If she wants to collaborate with someone else, let her. You have your own performance program anyway."

Lu Yan He: "Yeah, it's just that I considered this person a friend, and it feels like being backstabbed by someone I trusted."

"Why do you find it so easy to consider people friends?"

"When I needed her help, she was the quickest to agree," Lu Yan He said immediately.

At the time, Song Lin Xin had indeed been the quickest to agree and the quickest to submit her draft.

Chen Siqi immediately guessed sensitively: "It wouldn't be Song Lin Xin, would it?"

Lu Yan He: "..."

He suddenly realized how advanced Chen Siqi's radar was.

"Looks like I guessed right." Chen Siqi smiled. "Since that's the case, just call her and ask her clearly. Maybe there's some misunderstanding that wasn't explained. Who knows if this was her own intention? According to what you said, since she is also a very loyal person, even if she had to replace you to collaborate with someone else, logically, she should have explained it to you clearly."

Lu Yan He sighed. "Maybe it's because I was too angry when I took Ziyan-jie's call. Ziyan-jie told me to calm down first, and if I want to call, I should wait until tomorrow when the anger has passed."

"Your manager isn't wrong."

"Yeah."

"But if you don't get it cleared up, won't you be unable to sleep tonight?"

"Don't jinx me, I was planning on reading for a bit and then sleeping."

Chen Siqi laughed and said, "Fine, then read your book. I won't bother you."

Chen Siqi hung up the phone.

Lu Yan He stared at his phone with wide eyes. *Damn, she hung up just like that? She didn't even say goodnight! *

Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yan He's profile on the computer screen, frowning and glaring at his phone, and started to laugh.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Reflexively, her finger clicked the mouse, and the cursor, which had been hovering over the close button, immediately minimized the livestream platform window.

"Who is it? I'm getting ready to sleep."

"Then go to sleep early. Don't be like last night; I got up to use the bathroom at midnight and saw your room light was still on." Her father's voice came from the doorway.

Chen Siqi had thought it was Liu Weian.

Because her father rarely knocked on her bedroom door.

"I was reading drafts last night," Chen Siqi said through the door. "It's not like you don't know, I'm co-editing a book with my classmates recently."

She didn't know if her father was still listening.

After two seconds, there was no sound from outside the door.

A wave of disappointment washed over Chen Siqi. Suddenly, her father's voice came from outside the door again: "You can play around with those things, but don't stay up late and hurt your health."

She was so angry she wanted to retort. How was it just "playing around"? How could something she had finally managed to do that she wanted to do be seen as just "playing around" in his eyes?

But she held back. Chen Siqi took a deep breath, listened to the footsteps outside the door fade away, and clenched her fists in anger.

She could only comfort and encourage herself: don't be a giant in words, get *Jump Up* made, make *Jump Up* the best Mook, and see who would dare to say she was just "playing around"!

Lu Yan He had originally planned to contact Song Lin Xin the next day; no matter what, he had to hear from her own mouth what was going on.

However, Lu Yan He didn't expect that early the next morning, he would suddenly receive a call from Chen Ziyan. Chen Ziyan said, "Wang Yunfan is in trouble."

"Ah?" Lu Yan He was stunned. "What happened to him?"

"He was courting disaster. In the middle of filming, he went out to record a variety show, and as a result, he had an accident last night and broke his leg during the recording," Chen Ziyan said. "Now, the subsequent filming of *The Golden Age* has to be adjusted accordingly."

"Ah?" Lu Yan He asked. "Then how will his scenes be filmed? Wait for his leg to heal before filming?"

"He won't be able to stand for three months; how can we wait? Who has the time to wait for him?" Chen Ziyan's tone was full of annoyance, because Wang Yunfan's personal problem was delaying the progress of the entire crew.

"Then what should we do?" Lu Yan He asked.

Chen Ziyan said, "Half an hour ago, Lei Shuangcheng contacted me and asked if you had time in August. I said you had a gala recording and another program recording after the 20th, so he didn't say anything. But on second thought, Wang Yunfan had an accident, so he didn't need to call me to ask if you had time. Since he called, could it be that Luo Dao has taken an interest and wants to add scenes for you? Change the script and have you play Wang Yunfan's role?"

Lu Yan He's eyes widened in shock. "No way, right? That's the second male lead."

"I also think it's unlikely, but Luo Dao does indeed favor you. And it's not necessarily that they'd have you play Wang Yunfan's role directly; they might find a screenwriter to rewrite the script overnight and split his scenes among different people," Chen Ziyan said. "As soon as I thought of this, I called you immediately. Yan He, let me ask you, if you were asked to give up recording *Young Days*, would you be willing?"

Lu Yan He was bewildered.

"Ah? Didn't we already sign the contract?"

Chen Ziyan said, "A variety show versus a more significant role in Luo Dao Yuzhong's new film—which is more important?"

She spoke in a tone that suggested Lu Yan He was being particularly unreasonable.

Lu Yan He was silent, his confusion deepening. After a while, he said, "But if we have already signed an agreement with *Young Days*, I think we should have contractual integrity."

Chen Ziyan: "Even if an agreement is signed, it can be negotiated. We can amicably negotiate an exit. The key is, if Luo Dao is really willing to add scenes for you, aren't you tempted?"

Lu Yan He frowned for a long time before saying, "Ziyan-jie, I am tempted, but... since I promised others, I don't want to break my word."

Chen Ziyan probably hadn't expected Lu Yan He to be so stubborn in this regard, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. After two seconds of silence, she hung up the phone.

Chen Ziyan also didn't know that after Lu Yan He hung up, he was full of confusion, because he felt that Chen Ziyan's attitude on the phone just now didn't quite fit her usual style.

In his impression, the reason Chen Ziyan could be so successful in the entertainment industry was inseparable from her own adherence to promises and credibility. How could she advise him to terminate the contract with *Young Days*?

"Although the agreement is signed, there is still so much time before the program recording. If I go to talk to the production team and help them introduce a popular idol star to join, wouldn't Chen Biqiu and the others be willing?"

Chen Ziyan shook her head helplessly, looking at the man sitting in front of her. "Director Li, you see, just now I used Luo Dao's *The Golden Age* to add scenes for him, and I still couldn't move him to terminate the contract with *Young Days*. What other reason could I have to move him?"

Sitting in front of her was a deputy director of Jingtai, who was also a director with real power.

The latter was in his early fifties, but his temples were already frosted with white.

A faint smile always hung on the corner of his mouth. He waved his hand and said, "Little Chen, don't give me that. If you really wanted him not to be on *Young Days*, you wouldn't need such a reason."

Chen Ziyan said, "Oh, Director Li, you really overestimate me. I'm just a small manager. Besides, it's not the era where we had the final say anymore. Now, managers are just service workers working for artists. How would I have the ability to move him?"

Director Li said, "Aren't you the expert who gave him the high-level advice behind the scenes and finally helped him successfully stay at Star Entertainment?"

"Ah?" Chen Ziyan looked blank. "What are you talking about?"

Director Li said, "I heard from President Ma before that if it weren't for your intervention, he would have already terminated Lu Yan He's contract. Hehe, of course, he was blind and didn't see that Lu Yan He was such a piece of uncut jade."

"You overpraise me. I never intervened," Chen Ziyan said. "I just knew Zhou Ping'an wasn't managing Lu Yan He anymore, saw some shining points in him, and so I took him on."

"Fine. Coming to see you today was originally just to catch up on old times, and by the way, to invite this popular young man to record a program at our station. Unfortunately, the time clashed. We'll talk next time if there's an opportunity." Director Li waved his hand and made a move to get up.

"Look at how simple my place is; I have nothing good to entertain you with. Let me see you out."

"No need, please stay." Director Li waved his hand.

Chen Ziyan still insisted on seeing him to the elevator.

Once he left, Chen Ziyan put away the smile on her face, and it sank.

As soon as she returned to the office, she immediately dialed Lu Yan He back.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ziyan-jie? I refused you just now; you aren't angry, are you?" On the phone, Lu Yan He's voice was actually a bit cautious.

Chen Ziyan: "I'm not angry. You answered very well just now. I was also at my wit's end when I made that call to you. I was pushed to that point by a deputy director of Jingtai. He used the fact that Jingtai has a program later that wants to collaborate with you to pressure me into having you terminate the contract with *Young Days*. Because of my personal reasons, I couldn't directly refuse him, so I could only say I couldn't make the decision for you and found an excuse to ask if you were willing to terminate the contract."

Lu Yan He was confused and didn't react to what the relationship was.

Chen Ziyan was silent for another two seconds before saying, "He seems particularly unwilling for you to be on the *Young Days* program."

"A deputy director of Jingtai is particularly unwilling for me to be on the *Young Days* program?" Lu Yan He asked. "Does this program have anything to do with Jingtai?"

"No, this program is a web variety show and isn't broadcast on television. That's what makes me feel particularly strange," Chen Ziyan asked. "Do you know the deputy director of Jingtai? His surname is Li."

"I don't."

Chen Ziyan didn't think Lu Yan He would know him either; she just asked to eliminate this last possibility.

"Then is the matter of Wang Yunfan's broken leg true or false?"

"True," Chen Ziyan said. "However, Lei Shuangcheng didn't call me to ask if you had time; he called as an old friend to vent and curse."

"Then what about the subsequent filming of *The Golden Age*?"

"Filming with a cast on, only filming the upper body from the front and side, and using a body double for full shots—that's the only way to film for now," Chen Ziyan said. "It's enough for a crew to encounter such an actor. He will probably be blacklisted by Luo Dao's circle of directors in the future."

Lu Yan He felt a sense of sympathy.

"I always feel that Director Li from Jingtai came for no reason, which makes me feel strange," Chen Ziyan said, returning to the topic. "I don't know why, but I have a strong intuition that this might have some connection to the inexplicable things that happened to you before."

"Ziyan-jie, are you talking about me being pushed into the river and being driven out of the company?"

"Yes." A strange light flashed in Chen Ziyan's eyes. "I even have some suspicions now, but I don't have evidence yet. I'll investigate first, and when I have real clues, I'll tell you."

Lu Yan He felt inexplicably nervous.

"I understand."

Chen Ziyan: "It's okay, don't worry. In any case, the more you struggle, the more popular you become, and the more attention you receive, the more wary that person hiding in the back will be. Speaking of which, I need to find you an assistant, preferably someone who knows a little martial arts. Only when someone is with you and you aren't alone will you not face that kind of danger again. It was truly my negligence to let you go to film *The Golden Age* alone. Fortunately, nothing happened."

After hanging up, Chen Ziyan found someone as soon as she said she would, immediately using her connections to find a suitable assistant candidate.

Originally, Chen Ziyan didn't want to find an assistant for Lu Yan He so early. Firstly, she didn't want Lu Yan He to develop the bad habit of being served wherever he went too early. Secondly, Lu Yan He's current income couldn't afford an assistant's salary. If the company paid for it, Vice President Ma definitely wouldn't agree, and she could only forcefully use her authority, but she lacked persuasiveness at the executive meeting, after all, she had turned down so many profitable projects for Lu Yan He and accepted only those that weren't very profitable.

But Chen Ziyan suddenly realized now that assigning an assistant to Lu Yan He wasn't just as simple as assigning an assistant; it was also to ensure he wouldn't be alone, so that others wouldn't find an opportunity to take advantage of him.

Although the last time was through an anonymous letter calling Lu Yan He to a remote riverside location at a time when no one was around to take action, who knew how they would take action next time?

Now, they must be on guard!

—

Looking from the backend: average subscriptions have broken 3,000! It has reached the boutique achievement expected when it was published. Thank you to all the big bosses for your support! I know this book doesn't take the "usual path," and to reach boutique status so quickly, haha, I look forward to the badge being hung up! ===== CHAPTER 214 =====