Chapter 267: Joining the Crew (7,000-character update)

The day he officially joined the crew was a Friday.

He finished his exam for *Ancient Chinese*, packed his bag, and pulled his suitcase directly to the school gate.

Zou Dong was waiting for him at the school gate.

On the way, he ran into Wang Xiao.

"Why are you still pulling a suitcase? You're done with your exams? Preparing to go back?" Wang Xiao asked curiously.

Lu Yan He shook his head and said, "I have to go stay with the crew for two nights."

Only then did Wang Xiao know that Lu Yan He was going to film.

"Busy man," Wang Xiao said. "Then on New Year's Eve, will you not be here either? Are you attending the New Year's Eve Gala?"

Lu Yan He shook his head and said, "I don't have time to prepare, so I didn't take on any work for the New Year's Eve Gala."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao's eyes lit up and he said, "Then do you want to come to our Youth Association's New Year's Eve party?"

Lu Yan He said, "I might not necessarily be free at that time. I might be filming with the crew. Now, whenever I have free time, I'm listening to the crew's coordination; I have to go film whenever I get notified."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao nodded and said, "Well, if you don't have to film, then come. This is our association's annual big gathering, and everyone is really looking forward to meeting you."

Lu Yan He nodded and said, "If I'm at school, I'll attend."

Wang Xiao nodded, "Okay, then I'll send you the specific address later."

Although he had said things like he couldn't attend association activities when he agreed to join the Youth Association, now that he had actually joined, not attending even once obviously wasn't appropriate, making him seem cold or unsociable.

Furthermore, Lu Yan He actually quite liked Wang Xiao as a person and was willing to accept his invitation to attend such an activity. Some people just had that kind of charm that made others feel willing to associate with them.

Lu Yan He took Zou Dong's car to the film base in Langhua, first going to the hotel to check in. The crew was very wealthy and generous, booking a suite directly for Lu Yan He, with very good conditions. Zou Dong, who accompanied Lu Yan He to join the crew, had a double room. The room charges were all paid by the crew.

Just as he arrived at the hotel, he ran into Lang Xia.

He was also joining the crew on the same day. The two got out of their cars one after the other. Behind Lang Xia followed his agent, He Yingzi.

Lu Yan He almost didn't recognize her because He Yingzi had dyed her hair black again.

"Oh, Yan He is also coming over today?" He Yingzi raised the corners of her mouth. For some reason, her smile always made Lu Yan He think of a shark grinning at its prey—it must be noted that her mouth wasn't actually big, but it had that kind of sharp, threatening feeling.

Lu Yan He called out "Sister Yingzi," nodded at Lang Xia, and said, "Hello, Sister Yingzi."

He Yingzi saw Zou Dong getting the suitcase out of the trunk after getting out of the car and asked, "Is Chen Ziyan not accompanying you?"

Lu Yan He said, "She has something to do today."

He Yingzi said, "Then it must be something quite important; otherwise, on your first day joining the crew, she would definitely have brought you over personally."

"It's fine, Sister Ziyan said she would rush over tomorrow morning to accompany me to the set," Lu Yan He said directly.

He Yingzi said "Oh," smiled, glanced at Lang Xia, and said again, "You two are of similar age and are now filming in the same crew, so communicate more in the future."

Lu Yan He nodded.

He would still go through the motions.

But Lang Xia didn't seem to want to even put on this bit of a show, and said to He Yingzi with an impatient look: "Let's go in. We've been sitting in the car for several hours, I'm so tired, I want to rest early."

He Yingzi nodded and took Lang Xia inside.

Behind them followed someone moving suitcases; looking at how many there were, he would probably have to make several trips alone.

Lu Yan He and Zou Dong each had a suitcase, and Zou Dong's was particularly large.

However, Zou Dong didn't see the valet.

Lu Yan He saw Zou Dong turning his head to look around, and upon asking, said, "Then I'll take the suitcases in first to check in. Brother Dong, you come over after you park the car."

Zou Dong frowned slightly, seemingly judging whether this place was safe, and didn't agree immediately.

At this moment, a hotel staff member in uniform finally came out from inside.

"Hello, do you need any help?"

Zou Dong handed him the car keys, "Please help us park the car."

The other party respectfully took the car keys and nodded, saying okay.

Zou Dong acted as both bodyguard and assistant alone, inevitably encountering such difficulties.

Lu Yan He had also gotten used to it; no matter where they were, Zou Dong would suspect its safety, wanting to check it and stay by his side.

Truly very professional.

The rooms had been reserved for them by the crew at the hotel.

Lu Yan He stayed in 1301, and Zou Dong stayed in 1307, quite close to each other.

After checking in, Lu Yan He said, "Brother Dong, shall we go get something to eat in a bit?"

They had been driving for several hours and hadn't eaten yet.

Zou Dong said okay.

Just as they were about to enter the elevator, a woman with flaxen-colored hair ran over in a hurry.

"Yan He!" she called out.

Lu Yan He turned his head in surprise.

Zou Dong stepped forward, half-blocking in front of Lu Yan He.

"I am Liu Lu, the life producer for *Phoenix Terrace*," the woman with flaxen-colored hair said to Lu Yan He. "President Huang specifically told me earlier that you would be arriving around this time today and asked me to wait for you in the lobby. I just went to take a call and almost missed you."

"Hello," Lu Yan He nodded slightly to her in greeting.

Liu Lu said, "This is a small gift we prepared for you."

She handed over a paper bag in her hand, and Lu Yan He hurriedly thanked her and took it.

Liu Lu asked, "Have you had dinner? If not, why don't I find a restaurant later and we can eat something together?"

Lu Yan He didn't want to go through all that trouble—eating together, having to chat and exchange pleasantries. He planned to eat something quickly and return to the hotel to go over the scenes he had to film tomorrow and get to sleep early.

"Thank you, no need. I have something to do later, I'll just eat something simple myself. You've been waiting for us so late, thank you for your hard work, you should go back and rest early too."

Only then did Liu Lu nod and say, "Okay, I just sent you a friend request, please accept it when you have a moment. If you have any needs later, you can contact me."

"Okay, thank you."

After dropping off his luggage, Lu Yan He went downstairs with Zou Dong, preparing to find a restaurant nearby.

Sure enough, being near a film base, there were many restaurants open.

Lu Yan He found a small stir-fry shop and went in with Zou Dong. Because there were only two of them, they didn't ask for a private room and just found a four-person table in the main hall to sit at.

At this hour, probably because of the winter, there weren't many people, and there seemed to be only three or four tables in the main hall.

The waiter recognized Lu Yan He and was a bit surprised, but only a bit.

After all, working as a waiter near a film base, they probably saw celebrities and artists often, so they were used to it.

Lu Yan He didn't dare to eat too much either. At this hour, he didn't dare to eat rice, so he gave the menu to Zou Dong and only ordered a bowl of wontons for himself.

Zou Dong originally only wanted a bowl of fried noodles, but Lu Yan He hurriedly said, "If we only order this little, the restaurant will probably kick us out. Brother Dong, you look and order two dishes. I just don't eat rice, but I'll still eat the dishes."

Zou Dong ordered a stir-fried chicken with old ginger and a stir-fried green vegetable.

Lu Yan He highly doubted it would be enough for Zou Dong.

But Zou Dong said it was enough.

Although he was already a junior, he couldn't miss a single exam he had to take.

After finishing this one, there was the next one.

He Lan came out of the library in the evening, braving the cold wind, her neck hunched as she walked toward the dorm.

Her steps were hurried.

The snow on the main road had already been cleared.

He Lan tucked her hands into her pockets, lowered her head, and rushed forward, when suddenly she heard the discussion of two people carried by the cold wind from ahead.

"Why is Lu Yan He always so frugal? Two men, and they only eat that little bit of food," the person's tone was full of incomprehension.

Huh? What happened?

He Lan looked up in confusion and looked ahead.

It was a pair of girls walking side by side.

"Yeah, it feels too frugal. We don't even eat that little when we go out to eat ourselves," the other girl also said.

Frugal?

"Doesn't he earn a lot?"

"How could he not? Even if he doesn't earn much, he earns more than ordinary people. It's impossible that he can't even afford a good meal. I think he's just a very frugal person."

"Can't tell. I can't stand stingy men the most."

He Lan instantly wanted to retort in her heart: Eating frugally is stingy? What kind of values do you have?

"This can't be called stingy, just a bit frugal."

He Lan immediately agreed: Exactly!

"It's not just once. Didn't he get on the hot search before because he ate too frugally when he was eating with the girl who co-edited the magazine with him? I think he's just stingy, otherwise why would it be like this time and again?"

"Maybe it's just these two times that people happened to see and photograph him."

"That's enough to explain the problem. I absolutely couldn't be with a man like that."

He Lan muttered to herself: It's as if Lu Yan He would want to be with you!

"You're overthinking it, he wouldn't be with you either."

He Lan immediately nodded in agreement: Exactly!

"I'm just giving an example, I don't like this type."

As soon as she returned to the dorm, He Lan immediately took out her phone and searched for Lu Yan He's name to see what had happened again.

Only after checking did she know that someone had run into Lu Yan He eating at a restaurant, a party of two, and they only ordered one stir-fried chicken and one green vegetable. The original post's intention was to praise Lu Yan He, saying it was rare to see an artist eat so plainly.

But many people in the comment section said Lu Yan He was too stingy.

He Lan was furious because she knew Lu Yan He wasn't that kind of person.

Lu Yan He had invited her and Xu Mingyue to dinner no less than three times, and he had always been very polite in his invitations, never stingy.

She couldn't help but start arguing with people online, wanting to prove that Lu Yan He wasn't a stingy person.

But many people said she was meddling in other people's business, was it necessary for her to explain for Lu Yan He here?

He Lan angrily posted the photos of Lu Yan He inviting her and Xu Mingyue to dinner before, indicating that this was a restaurant in the Zhenhua canteen, and a table cost over 400 yuan, which wasn't cheap.

As a result, one group started saying "Lu Yan He is so stingy that he only treats classmates to the canteen," and another group said "Lu Yan He treats people differently."

It was simply making things worse.

He Lan was so angry that tears were about to fall.

Xu Mingyue returned and saw He Lan's red eyes, and only after asking did she know what was going on.

Xu Mingyue looked at her speechlessly, "You're really something, you can actually argue with people online over this kind of thing. Don't you know that many of those people online exist specifically for the sake of drama? Why are you arguing with them? Not many people will reason with you."

He Lan knew rationally that she shouldn't argue with those people, but she just couldn't help it.

Xu Mingyue said, "These voices don't affect Lu Yan He at all. Just let these people talk. It's nothing more than a few marketing accounts seeing that there's a topic to make, so they start leading the topic and the rhythm to harvest a wave of traffic. You're still arguing with them and posting photos—aren't you just giving them material and heat?"

He Lan asked, "Then should I delete it?"

"You absolutely shouldn't. Once you delete it, those people will make an issue of it again," Xu Mingyue said. "Just let the heat of this matter die down naturally."

He Lan was full of frustration and said, "Didn't expect I'd actually cause trouble for Lu Yan He."

Xu Mingyue said, "Don't argue with people online next time."

He Lan nodded: "Okay, I'll hold back."

In fact, He Lan wasn't the only one feeling unhappy for Lu Yan He.

Li Pengfei and the others who had known Lu Yan He since high school were even more so.

Especially Li Pengfei. If you said Lu Yan He was frugal with himself, Li Pengfei wouldn't say much, but Lu Yan He was absolutely not frugal with those around him, and absolutely not stingy. Why would such disparaging voices appear on the internet? With Li Pengfei's temper, how could he stand it? But even if he couldn't stand it, he could only complain using a burner account.

Many people knew his social media account and knew he was Lu Yan He's classmate.

Li Pengfei's personality actually allowed him to gain a bunch of friends wherever he went. In university, too, after military training, classes were attended in a "three days of fishing, two days of drying nets" manner, helping each other take attendance, and most of the time the teachers weren't that strict either, after all, the teachers also knew that these students didn't love studying that much.

If they really loved studying, they would have gotten into better schools long ago.

However, having played with a bunch of people for a semester like this, by December, he finally started to think about something regarding "meaning."

Just playing like this for four years would certainly be happy, if it weren't for the fact that he had a friend, Lu Yan He, who was as diligent as a mule, and a girlfriend, Xu Zijun, who was working as a tutor and an editor for *Jump Up* while studying seriously, he wouldn't be stimulated from time to time.

People who refuse to work hard aren't unaware of the meaning of hard work; it's just that laziness drags them down into the swamp, and they can't struggle out on their own strength.

However, even if he worked hard, wanting to find something to start working hard and struggling for, what could it be?

Li Pengfei still couldn't think of anything.

This made him couldn't help but remark that having too much money at home wasn't such a good thing either; life had no pressure, and one could only go looking for some illusory happiness.

Regarding the phenomenon of being on the hot search from time to time, Lu Yan He had already gotten used to it. Regarding this matter, there was indeed no way around it. It was a good thing, and he had already adjusted his mindset.

According to what Sister Ziyan said, as long as there were no issues of principle, regardless of good news or scandals, having people talk about you was a good thing. Only when people talk about you can you ensure you are always in everyone's field of vision, and everyone is interested in you and willing to watch your news.

He went over the scenes he had to film tomorrow in the evening, simulated the performance a few times in his room, and then went to bed.

The next day, he got up and went for a run downstairs. Zou Dong knew his habit, had already changed into running shoes and clothes, and was waiting for him at his door.

Lu Yan He was incredibly surprised.

"Brother Dong, you are—"

"I remember I told you, when you go out alone, you must tell me," Zou Dong instead used the most serious tone to "call Lu Yan He to account." "This is my job. Don't deliberately not tell me because you feel like you're bothering me. If an accident really happens, that's my dereliction of duty."

Lu Yan He inexplicably had a feeling of "being caught."

Embarrassing.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I was wrong," Lu Yan He did indeed feel like he was bothering Zou Dong. Did he need him to accompany him for a run early in the morning? Lu Yan He really thought so in his heart.

Because it was his first time staying at this hotel, he wasn't very familiar with this area.

Lu Yan He looked around while running.

The road surface was wet.

Fortunately, it didn't snow last night, otherwise, he couldn't run if there was snow on the ground.

Early in the morning, the cold wind was biting.

Lu Yan He applied a thick layer of face cream, fearing his face would get chapped from the wind.

After months of persistence, Lu Yan He's morning run speed had improved, and his endurance had also increased a lot.

He had originally worried that Zou Dong wouldn't be able to keep up, but it turned out the man ran more calmly than him, not panting at all.

Lu Yan He: "..."

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, where did he get the confidence to think Zou Dong couldn't keep up with him?

*Phoenix Terrace* scheduled its start date in December precisely because the background of this drama's story was basically winter.

A sense of bleakness was a very important element of this drama.

After finishing his morning run, Lu Yan He returned to his room to take a shower and then went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast.

The choices provided by the restaurant were quite rich, but Lu Yan He didn't dare to eat much, so he just drank a glass of milk, had an egg, and ate two slices of toast. Zou Dong not only ate a bowl of noodles but also finished a bowl of porridge, six fried dumplings, and a plate of fruit.

The crew had originally arranged a dedicated car to pick him up, but because Zou Dong was there, Lu Yan He didn't need this service. He only needed Zou Dong to coordinate well with the responsible staff, and Zou Dong would drive Lu Yan He to the location every day.

On Lu Yan He's first day of filming, his makeup time was 8:00 in the morning. Because it was a period drama, he had to wear a wig, plus the time to change clothes, the preparation work basically took more than two hours.

After completing these preliminary preparations in the makeup room, he headed to the filming location.

Although this film base in Langhua was large, it couldn't withstand the number of dramas being filmed, and many scenes had already been seen by many people.

Therefore, Chen Lingling had set particularly high requirements for the art department, demanding freshness and not letting the audience be taken out of the scene in this regard.

Lu Yan He followed people through a winding corridor and arrived in the backyard of a mansion.

There were quite a few people on site, roughly counting dozens.

Many film and television dramas were divided into AB groups for filming, but Chen Lingling was unwilling to film like that, and every scene had to be directed by her personally.

Lu Yan He still remembered the few times he had met Chen Lingling before; his impression of her was a female director who spoke little and occasionally revealed a naive and innocent color. Privately, he couldn't even see any professional color in Chen Lingling, instead, she was like someone who had always been well-protected.

As a result, just as he arrived on site today, before he even saw anyone, he heard a stern female voice scolding something.

"Can this thing be used? Tell me, if this piece of junk appears on camera, will the audience accept it?"

As soon as Lu Yan He walked over, he saw Chen Lingling grabbing something and throwing it directly to the ground.

It shattered.

Lu Yan He was startled.

The scene suddenly became silent.

What had happened?

At this moment, he saw Chen Ziyan.

She walked over from the other side, came to his side, looked him up and down, and a light of appreciation appeared in her eyes, saying, "You are suitable for period costumes, very heroic."

Lu Yan He asked Chen Ziyan in a low voice, "Sister Ziyan, what's wrong with Director Chen, suddenly getting so angry?"

"Dissatisfied with the things made by the props team, thinking they are too inferior," Chen Ziyan said. "Don't worry about these things, just watch quietly, they will be resolved."

It was indeed as Chen Ziyan said; the props team searched around and finally found props that satisfied Chen Lingling.

Chen Lingling was full of anger and said, "Wouldn't it have been better to bring such things earlier? Am I the only one using my brain to film?"

The scene was silent as a cicada in winter.

At this time, Huangcheng, who hadn't spoken all along, stood out and said, "You guys should also be more attentive in your work."

Chen Ziyan took Lu Yan He to see Huangcheng and Chen Lingling.

Because they were laying tracks, Chen Lingling was discussing with the photographer how to shoot the upcoming shots.

Chen Ziyan kept waiting on the side with Lu Yan He, and only after Chen Lingling finished talking to people did she see the opportunity to step forward and call out "Director Chen!" with enthusiasm.

Chen Lingling turned her head to see Chen Ziyan and Lu Yan He, and a smile appeared on her stern face, "You're here."

"Yes, Little Lu is filming his first day after joining the crew today, so I also came to take a look," Chen Ziyan said to Chen Lingling. "Haven't been to the director's set for a long time."

Chen Lingling waved her hand, "Still the same, some people work for a long time and easily slack off, taking some things to fob you off."

"Precisely because there are directors like you who have high requirements for quality, can we make high-quality dramas."

Chen Lingling waved her hand, indicating that this was nothing at all, then looked at Lu Yan He, examined him carefully, nodded, and said, "This appearance is okay, finally a bit like a guard."

Lu Yan He said thank you.

"Is the next scene yours?" Chen Lingling asked.

Lu Yan He was a bit confused; he didn't know either.

He just arrived at the set according to the time on the call sheet; no one told him what to do next.

Seeing this, Chen Lingling immediately frowned again and roared, "Liu Biao!"

Lu Yan He was startled by Chen Lingling's loud voice.

A man with a somewhat balding head hurried over, "Director, what are your instructions?"

Chen Lingling said, "Lu Yan He arrived at the set and no one is there to receive him?"

Liu Biao was stunned and immediately said, "This is my fault, I should have arranged for someone to receive Yan He at the entrance, I forgot."

Chen Lingling glared at him, "Not to be repeated."

Liu Biao nodded.

Lu Yan He hurriedly said, "Actually, I just arrived too."

Chen Lingling asked, "When is Lu Yan He's next scene?"

Liu Biao picked up the call sheet in his hand, took a look, and said, "The next scene is filming Lang Xia's solo shot, Yan He's scene should be filmed after lunch."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lingling became angry again instantly.

"Since his scene won't be filmed until the afternoon, why have him come to the set at ten in the morning?!" Chen Lingling was furious.

In the middle of winter, sweat was about to drip from Liu Biao's forehead.

Seeing this, Lu Yan He was incredibly embarrassed and hurriedly said, "Director, I'm joining the crew for the first day, it's good to come early to familiarize myself with the set and the filming environment."

Chen Lingling kept a straight face, looking very stern, "This has nothing to do with you, this is a problem of chaotic internal management. Liu Biao, if you don't adjust your state again and keep messing around like this, then you can pack your things and leave!"

Lu Yan He was startled by Chen Lingling's outburst.

Although it was said that every director had a different style, and losing one's temper was almost a common problem for all directors, Lu Yan He had never heard of anyone like Chen Lingling who made him feel as fierce as a tiger.

Seeing it was the first time too.

Chen Lingling on the set seemed to be two different people from the Chen Lingling he had met before.

This was a crew very different from *Golden Age*.

Having been here for less than an hour, Lu Yan He had repeatedly felt the difference between the two crews.

First was the difference in atmosphere.

In *Phoenix Terrace*, everyone was stern as if they were gritting their teeth, walking in a hurry, especially those who had to find Chen Lingling, their faces were almost all indifferent, as if they were "going to their deaths."

Chen Ziyan had taken care of several core departments, asking them to take care of Lu Yan He, and then she had to leave.

"Have to rush back to the company in the afternoon," she said.

Lu Yan He nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Ziyan."

Coming over specifically on the first day of filming was just to back Lu Yan He up.

In the crew, many people didn't care whether you were popular or not; there were plenty of ways to stab you in the back.

Chen Ziyan had to come over once to help Lu Yan He take care of these old-timers so that Lu Yan He could stay in the crew more comfortably.

Just as Chen Ziyan left, Liu Biao hurriedly brought a girl over, introducing her as Chen Wenwen, saying that after this, Chen Wenwen would be the one to coordinate with him on the crew's on-site matters, and also said they had prepared a lounge for him, where he could rest before filming.

Lu Yan He nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Liu, I'll observe on site first."

"Okay," Liu Biao nodded, "If you want to observe, observe. However, if you have anything in the future, you can come to me to communicate first. You've also seen it, Director Chen has a bit of a violent temper, and even a small matter can become a big one with her."

Lu Yan He paused for a moment and said okay. After people left, he realized, was Liu Biao expressing some dissatisfaction just now?

Did Liu Biao misunderstand that he had gone to complain to Chen Lingling just now?

Lu Yan He opened his mouth, wanting to call Liu Biao back to explain, but looking at Liu Biao's back, he closed his mouth again.

Forget it, just like this.

People might not necessarily believe the explanation, this kind of thing...

Chen Wenwen called out "Teacher Lu."

Lu Yan He was startled, "Don't call me that, I can't afford it, just call me Yan He."

Chen Wenwen nodded, called out "Yan He," and said again, "Very sorry today, because I'm responsible for both you and Lang Xia, but Lang Xia came late, I just took him around the site, forgot to check the time, and didn't receive you immediately, sorry."

Lu Yan He was stunned, hurriedly waved his hand, and said, "It's okay, it's okay. Actually, I didn't expect the director to lose such a big temper just now. I hadn't said anything yet, the director asked me if the next scene was mine, I didn't answer immediately, and she suddenly got angry."

Chen Wenwen looked at him, nodded, and said, "Then if you're not going to the lounge now, I'll go get busy with other things first. If you have anything later, call me."

Lu Yan He nodded and asked, "How do I find you?"

Chen Wenwen said, "Call my phone."

She left her phone number for Lu Yan He.

At noon, Liu Lu brought the logistics staff to the site to distribute boxed lunches.

Zou Dong went directly to help Lu Yan He collect his and went straight to the lounge to eat.

The lounge was actually just an ordinary room with only a coffee table and a sofa inside.

There was no air conditioning inside, quite cold.

Fortunately, the boxed lunch was hot.

Lu Yan He and Zou Dong ate their meal and rested for a while, and Chen Wenwen came to call Lu Yan He, preparing to film.

The next scene was his with Lang Xia. ===== CHAPTER 268 =====