Chapter 301: Occupying the Latrine Without Defecating

*Friends* is a drama filmed while airing.

So far, only the first four episodes have been filmed.

According to the current rhythm of airing one episode a week, the filming task is actually still very tight.

On the fifth day after *Friends* aired, filming for the subsequent scenes continued.

This time, more than a dozen media outlets gathered outside the studio to wait for the actors who came to film.

In the past few days, the leads of *Friends* have become popular stars, and everyone's exposure is comparable to first-tier big stars.

As they appeared one after another, the flashes kept flashing.

However, for the media reporters, the person they most wanted to see today was still Lu Yan He.

After all, after *Friends* aired, the only public activity Lu Yan He had was the live broadcast on the Ye Mai website yesterday.

And the words he said in the live broadcast were undoubtedly a bucket of cold water for the fans of *Friends*.

So, as soon as Lu Yan He appeared, the media reporters scrambled to ask questions.

"Yan He, are you really not planning to act in the sequel to *Friends*?"

"Yan He, *Friends* has such good results now, and so many audiences like it. Will you consider changing your mind?"

"Are you really not continuing to act in *Friends*?"

Lu Yan He took off his sunglasses, looked at the reporters standing in the cold wind with their noses frozen red, waved his hands, and said: "Our *Friends*... today we still have to continue filming. The weather is very cold, everyone don't wait here, don't catch a cold."

He didn't respond to anything, said a paragraph, waved his hand, and went into the studio.

Everyone in the production team was waiting for him.

Everyone knew that the premiere of *Friends* could achieve such success now, at least half the reason was because of Lu Yan He.

The popularity of *Friends* now, half is the topics derived from this drama, and most of these topics come from Lu Yan He.

As soon as Lu Yan He walked in, suddenly, dozens of people up and down the production team started to applaud.

He was stunned, then laughed, bowed thirty degrees to everyone, and expressed his gratitude.

Especially the actors.

Just as Lu Yan He said in the Ye Mai website live broadcast, their ability to become popular in this drama *Friends* and be recognized by the audience was completely an unexpected joy.

Yan Liang was the first to walk over and hug Lu Yan He hard.

Hu Siwei also opened his arms and looked at him with a smile in his eyes.

Although Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian were both from Jingtai, there was no contradiction between Lu Yan He and the two of them.

The incident between Lu Yan He and Jingtai before didn't affect his relationship with the two of them.

When Hu Siwei hugged Lu Yan He, he whispered in his ear: "You know that before I came today, I received a call from the station. They wanted me to do your work and let you continue to stay in the *Friends* production team to develop the subsequent series together."

Lu Yan He smiled and said: "This project was originally done by you and the director together. I have already completed my task."

In fact, for a sitcom, one or two screenwriters are not that core and critical. To some extent, it is even more important for actors than screenwriters—this is because of the special nature of sitcoms. People familiar with sitcoms know that sometimes, a sitcom that looks like only about ten episodes even has five screenwriters in creation.

It can be said that a sitcom is actually a joke with a different theme in each episode under a large character relationship framework—of course, the main line is still connected.

Each episode of it is very much like a sketch program, each episode is ten or twenty minutes, with ups and downs, all jokes, a punchline every ten seconds, layer by layer, making articles in a relatively closed small space.

Under these circumstances, in fact, you can watch each episode as a separate program—of course, the main line is still connected.

This is also why sitcoms are usually twenty minutes per episode. Compared with ordinary TV dramas, the rhythm is fast as if flying. But because characters, locations, and things are not that complicated, no matter how fast the rhythm is, it will not make the audience feel "dazzled." This is the characteristic of this subject. Once the time is lengthened, on the one hand, there are not so many good jokes to put in, and on the other hand, this nature also determines that it cannot be done long. Once it is done long, the audience will have aesthetic fatigue, and laughing for twenty minutes in one breath will also be tired.

Therefore, even if Lu Yan He is no longer a screenwriter, the first season's pearls are in front, and they find some other screenwriters to write down according to the character relationships and story main line of the first season, it will not collapse as badly as the plot-driven story.

Instead, it is Lu Yan He who refuses to continue to star in this drama, and the six people of *Friends* directly become five.

If under these circumstances, Jingtai lets the screenwriter write Lu Yan He's character "leave," and then "add" a new character, it will cause huge resentment from the audience, especially—under the circumstances that everyone knows Lu Yan He's importance to this drama *Friends*.

Because of the success of the premiere, the filming at the scene was almost the smoothest since filming started.

Each actor was also much more confident in acting.

Confidence is really too important for an actor's performance. The presence and absence of this kind of thing can distinguish two kinds of texture for an actor's performance.

After everyone finished today's filming together, they agreed to go to dinner together.

It was already around nine o'clock in the evening.

Hu Siwei booked the place.

Everyone sat together, and Hu Siwei proposed: "Let's take a group photo together first? Let the official blog post it later, it's also to warm up for the second episode aired later."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Yan He nervously, mainly fearing that Lu Yan He would not cooperate.

In the past few days, Lu Yan He didn't cooperate with Jingtai's promotion about *Friends* at all. The contact person on Jingtai's side responded that Lu Yan He's agent and company contact didn't even pay attention to them.

Jingtai couldn't do anything about Lu Yan He either. The contract did require the number of times Lu Yan He had to cooperate with promotion, but with the promotional contribution Lu Yan He made in the early stage of *Friends* airing, if they still dared to say a word about promotion at this time, Lu Yan He and Chen Ziyan would directly explode.

Speaking of which, now is the time for Lu Yan He and Chen Ziyan to set a posture. Jingtai is dead set on face, and until now, there has been no decent expression, only thinking about making peace through Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian. Who would give them face?

But Lu Yan He smiled and said okay, without any abnormality.

Everyone took a group photo, and Hu Siwei sent it to the promotional staff, letting them post it on the official blog of *Friends*.

"Today Jingtai rebroadcast the first episode twice in the morning and afternoon again," Hu Siwei said. "The ratings are still 0.1%. It has broken the rebroadcast rate of a TV drama on Jingtai within one week of premiere. Within five days, the first episode has been rebroadcast 13 times."

Lu Yan He thought to himself, this is the power of sitcoms.

Many people can watch a drama from beginning to end seven or eight times.

No burden, seeing it airing on TV will naturally continue to watch.

Six actors, except for Yan Liang and Wen Minglan who were familiar, Lu Yan He was actually not very familiar with the other three people.

Yin Xincheng who played Wen Fan, Bai Jin who played Zhou Zhixi, and Zhan Yun who played Li Lili were all selected by Lu Yan He together with Hu Siwei and Bai Jingnian.

Because of this layer of relationship, when the three of them faced Lu Yan He, they all had a sense of nervousness of employees facing the boss, even if this person was actually not older than the three of them.

After drinking some wine, everyone's words opened up.

Yin Xincheng looked at Lu Yan He and asked: "If there is really a second season, are you really not coming?"

Lu Yan He smiled and said: "It's the same with you here." "But we are *Friends*," Yin Xincheng muttered.

His real personality is very similar to the character Wen Fan, the most emotional and protective of the three boys.

Lu Yan He said: "I will make a little modification to the ending of the eighth episode, which will give my departure a reason, and will also make our *Friends* always be *Friends*."

He smiled and said: "And, if I don't act, everyone's screen time will increase, what a good thing."

Zhan Yun's tears fell down all of a sudden.

This actress Zhan Yun, who is exactly the same as the emotional, nerve-big but delicate Li Lili, had red eyes and didn't say anything.

Lu Yan He didn't want to make the atmosphere tonight sentimental.

"Everyone, I'm not leaving *Friends* right now. Even if I leave *Friends*, I'm still in the entertainment industry, still acting, still writing scripts. We will have many opportunities to meet in the future," Lu Yan He said with a smile. "You are all popular actors. If there are roles looking for you in the future, please prioritize me."

Bai Jin: "As long as you look for me, I will definitely come."

She was the only girl among the three girls who was not very emotional. She had a heroic appearance and was highly appreciated by Bai Jingnian. At this moment, she didn't have too much sadness and sorrow, but when she said these words, her expression was very serious, not like a scene talk, which made a warm current of comfort slide through Lu Yan He's heart.

"In the future, it won't be you asking us to act, it will be us asking you to have roles for us to act," Yan Liang said with a smile. "You brought us popular by taking five, and in the future, whoever is unwilling to cooperate with you, I'm afraid they will all scramble to cooperate with you."

Indeed, no matter what the real reason for *Friends* being able to be popular to this extent is, in the industry, in the eyes of others, *Friends* was brought popular by Lu Yan He with his own strength.

This is a solid record hanging on him.

Another Sunday, at nine o'clock in the evening, the second episode of *Friends* aired.

This time, Jingtai rebroadcast the first episode again from eight-thirty.

The variety show that occupied the prime time before, the remaining thirty minutes of content, was directly moved to air after nine-thirty.

The first episode's ratings actually got 0.472% ratings again.

Someone asked, why did the first episode of *Friends* rebroadcast so many times, and still get such high ratings? How many audiences haven't watched it?

Someone said, maybe I can answer this question, I have already watched the first episode four times.

The second episode, just the one-minute opening song brought the ratings directly to 1.124% in a cheerful rhythm. Entering the main feature, the ratings began to rise significantly. In the thirty minutes including advertisements, the ratings peak of the second episode fell at 1.724%, and the average ratings per episode came to the position of 1.276%. This rating is only worse than the Central Station.

The Central Station's rating territory is after all another magnitude.

The ratings of the second episode of *Friends* exploded, defending the name of *Friends* as a popular drama.

Li Lili and Hu Fan exposing each other's old bottom, Jiang Kele and Wen Fan accidentally entering the audition scene's funny performance, Zhou Zhixi being confessed to by a junior's awkwardness.

These three plots slaughtered the major internet forums again.

*Television Review* published: The young writing method of sitcoms.

If the first episode was so popular because it occupied the topic advantage of being noisy on the internet two months ago and setting off a big battle to support Lu Yan He two days before airing, then the second episode, because the base of young people watching this drama is large enough, so the people discussing it are also particularly many.

Young people can be considered the group with the most desire to express and discuss among all age groups.

Sensing that more and more people began to seriously explore the direction of this story and the relationship between characters, Lu Yan He specifically said a sentence in the main creator group, everyone can talk about filming behind the scenes, talk about tidbits, but must not talk about their own views on this character and other characters before this drama ends.

At this time, the main creators must not go down to the field.

*Friends* is getting more and more popular.

Under these circumstances, Lu Yan He suddenly became a sweet pastry targeted by other TV stations.

Including Chen Ziyan.

Chen Ziyan said: "Two other first-tier satellite TVs contacted me, wanting to invite you to create a sitcom for them, the same weekly broadcast mode, the price is easy to talk about, do you take it?"

Lu Yan He said: "I do have an idea for a sitcom, but I haven't started writing yet, and I have to film the movie *Twilight Spring* in March or April later."

Chen Ziyan nodded, "Then I will say you have an idea, but because of the work arrangement later, there is no plan to write for the time being, and decline them first."

Lu Yan He nodded.

After Chen Ziyan finished saying this, she sighed.

"What's wrong, Sister Ziyan?" Lu Yan He asked.

Chen Ziyan said: "It's still a bit of a pity. *Friends* is a script you wrote, and you are the absolute core main creator. If you didn't have that incident with Jingtai, if *Friends* could be filmed for three or four seasons, you could become a billionaire."

Lu Yan He can enjoy 8% of the revenue share of *Friends*.

Lu Yan He said: "It's okay. Since *Friends* proved that I can write sitcoms, then the share of my next sitcom will only be higher."

Chen Ziyan looked at Lu Yan He's confident appearance, and there was a sentence in her heart that she didn't say.

In this line, popular works are hard to find.

And the promotional mode and success of *Friends* are almost impossible to replicate.

Even if *Friends* is created by you.

No use.

However, at this time, Chen Ziyan would definitely not say such disappointing words.

She smiled and nodded, saying: "Then look forward to your next sitcom."

She also said: "With the success of *Friends*, your next sitcom will be scrambled for by other TV stations. It seems that I can find a way to talk to them about other cooperation properly. You must have a stepping stone first to knock on our door."

Lu Yan He nodded.

However, he thought to himself, in the next year, he would not start that costume sitcom that is more in line with the emotions and values of the Chinese people.

There are many other things waiting for him.

Let *Friends*...

Its true value is after airing, after boarding video websites, after one year, two years, or even ten years, its exaggerated long-tail effect will make it a classic that lasts forever.

Now it is just a popular drama, ten years later, it will be the memory of a generation.

At this time, Zhenhua's exam week came.

Lu Yan He plunged into the library with all his heart, and except for the time to film, all other work was pushed away.

This made all the partners who wanted to invite Lu Yan He couldn't help but gnash their teeth.

You can't come out for activities, why are you so popular!

At this moment, everyone fully felt that if a star is too popular but doesn't show up much, it will also make people feel the irritability and anger of "occupying the latrine without defecating." ===== CHAPTER 302 =====