Chapter 304: Such an Actor

The day Lu Yan He arrived in South Korea, he went out to eat and explore with everyone that very evening. In the following days, the promotional schedule was not intense; most activities centered on Wei Fang and Ceng Qiao. He was just tagging along, happy to slack off and coast.

Indeed, almost no one in South Korea knew him.

Because of its subject matter and background, the drama *The Golden Age* had basically not ventured overseas.

In the Asian drama market, Chinese-language historical dramas and sweet romance dramas were the most popular.

The South Korean media did not know he was one of the most popular young actors in China, treating him merely as a newcomer.

When all the promotional activities concluded, Lu Yan He said to Ceng Qiao, "It's been a long time since I've worked so relaxedly. Back home, even when I didn't have work, I'd be worrying about other things. It's hard to have a time like this where I can completely stop."

Ceng Qiao sighed, "You just push yourself too hard."

Lu Yan He scratched his forehead in distress and said, "But actually, I don't think I push myself that hard. I'm not the type of personality who forces myself to work hard—except during my senior year of high school, when I really did push myself for the college entrance exam. But everything I've done since then is basically what I wanted to do."

"The more you're like that, the easier it is to fall into this situation. Mentally, because you enjoy doing these things, you don't feel tired; you might even get more excited the more you do. But you're not a robot. You're bound to get tired after being excited for so long. You often push yourself very hard without even realizing it."

Lu Yan He fell into deep thought: "Is that so?"

Ceng Qiao: "I knew it just by seeing how fast you write scripts, especially for the *Friends* project. You guys are filming while airing, and you're also responsible for writing. If it were anyone else in your position, they might have collapsed from exhaustion long ago, yet you still look full of energy. From this, one can tell you're doing this while completely 'pumped up.' I find it incredible."

Lu Yan He pondered for a moment and said nothing.

"To put it plainly, you're overusing your brain," Ceng Qiao said decisively.

"*Friends* has broken a 2% viewership rating," the assistant who came with Wei Fang whispered to her.

It was news from several days ago, but the assistant had only just seen it.

Wei Fang only learned of it after hearing the assistant mention it.

"That high?" Wei Fang was somewhat surprised, frowning in confusion. "Is this show really that good? How could it have such high ratings?"

"It's not that it's incredibly good, but it's not bad either, especially since many young people like it," the assistant said. "It seems like many students are on winter break, and the ratings just shot up suddenly."

Wei Fang: "Then their move was the right one—exclusive broadcast on TV, and only twenty minutes an episode. Beijing TV must be overjoyed."

The assistant nodded, "This young man, Lu Yan He, is quite capable."

Wei Fang: "I've read the script he wrote. Actually, it's just average. To use an old term, it's just a soap opera."

The assistant said nothing.

She knew that Wei Fang usually had very high standards for scripts.

Given her current status, she rarely accepted roles easily. In the current drama market, there was almost no actress with a higher status than her. Even Chen Bige couldn't compare; Chen Bige's high achievements were mainly due to the support of her film career. Wei Fang had truly fought her way up in the television field.

Wei Fang curled her lip, "A show like *Friends*, no matter how high the ratings are, could never be nominated for mainstream awards."

And national recognition? Popularity?

Wei Fang had long since attained those; she lacked nothing.

"Actually, he should just focus on acting. He has good talent for acting; there's no need to write such shallow scripts," she said.

At this moment, the car stopped.

"Sister Fang!"

As soon as Wei Fang entered, Lu Yan He and Ceng Qiao stood up together to greet her.

"You arrived so early," Wei Fang waved at them with a beaming smile. "Where are the director and the others? Haven't they arrived yet?"

"Not yet," Ceng Qiao shook his head.

This restaurant was booked by Huangcheng, and it was the last meal they would have before leaving South Korea.

After finishing this meal, they would return to the hotel to pack their things and head to the airport.

Wei Fang took off her scarf and sunglasses, sat down, handed them to the assistant beside her, and said to Ceng Qiao and Lu Yan He, "It's been a long time since I've been to South Korea, and nothing has changed."

Ceng Qiao said with a smile, "Coming here with you this time, I realized that you really have a lot of fans in South Korea."

"Oh, that's just because a few shows I acted in before aired well in South Korea and were remembered by some viewers," Wei Fang waved her hand with a smile, as if all this was not worth mentioning. "I'm already old now."

"Not at all, you're still very young," Ceng Qiao said.

Wei Fang: "How am I still young? Look, Little Lu has gained the love of so many people in his early twenties. The new generation pushes the old."

"What 'new generation pushes the old'?" Chen Lingling and Huangcheng walked in.

"Haha, I was saying I'm old, and young actors like Little Lu are appearing in waves. Time really flies," Wei Fang said to Chen Lingling, taking her hand. "Director, you must find me for a suitable role in your next project. I only feel a bit of excitement when acting in your shows."

In front of Chen Lingling, Wei Fang revealed a coquettishness like a little girl.

Chen Lingling said, "I'm too lazy to work with you. If it weren't for the fact that this role had to be played by you this time, I wouldn't want to work with you."

Lu Yan He and Ceng Qiao were stunned.

As it turned out, Wei Fang didn't show any displeasure at all, still smiling.

"Oh, Director, although I have many problems, I also act well, don't I?"

Chen Lingling: "I don't want to be constantly pestered by you about the script late at night; I can't even sleep well."

Wei Fang ignored whatever Chen Lingling said and kept pestering her.

Lu Yan He quickly relaxed; perhaps this was just the way these two interacted.

To tell the truth, the food in South Korea wasn't that delicious.

Kimchi soup with some white rice was okay, but the rest didn't quite suit Lu Yan He's taste.

The main dish he ordered that evening was a very ordinary tuna bibimbap, which tasted quite decent.

Wei Fang kept asking about what Chen Lingling's next project would be, wanting to get involved.

Chen Lingling and Huangcheng were tight-lipped and refused to disclose it.

After lunch, Wei Fang went to the restroom to touch up her makeup.

Huangcheng suddenly asked Lu Yan He, "Yan He, do you have time in the second half of this year?"

"Hmm?" Lu Yan He was taken aback.

Huangcheng smiled and said, "In the second half of the year, Director Chen and Ceng Qiao might start another project. It's a web drama project in collaboration with an international streaming platform, with dual male leads."

Huangcheng didn't say it directly, but the meaning behind his words was already very clear.

They probably wanted to find Lu Yan He to act in this project together.

Lu Yan He showed a look of surprise and said, "Looking for me?"

Huangcheng: "Looking for you."

Lu Yan He said, "I have time. What kind of show is it?"

Huangcheng said, "A suspense drama. They specifically sought out Director Chen, wanting to make a Chinese-language drama for pan-Asian broadcast, targeting the international market."

"This... can overseas streaming platforms be launched domestically now?" Lu Yan He asked with some surprise.

"There are no overseas streaming platforms stationed domestically yet. However, this project will collaborate with Arctic Light, and Arctic Light has already secured the exclusive domestic broadcast rights for this project," Huangcheng said.

Lu Yan He nodded, "If you want me to act in it, of course I'm willing."

Director Chen Lingling's control over a film was the strongest among all the directors Lu Yan He knew.

Her and Director Luo Yuzhong were the directors Lu Yan He would agree to act for without even reading the script.

Because such directors would only take on a project after having considered and investigated it from many angles; it must be that the project had something worth filming for them to finally decide to make it.

At this moment, Wei Fang returned, and Huangcheng stopped the topic, not continuing further.

When they left South Korea, many of Wei Fang's fans came to the airport to see her off.

The scene was exceptionally lively, even more so than when they arrived.

Lu Yan He and Ceng Qiao watched Wei Fang surrounded by dozens of fans, expressing their love for her in broken Chinese, and both felt touched.

"To be an actor and reach Sister Fang's level, that's what you call having made it," Ceng Qiao said. "Even abroad, there's such a group of fans who know her and like her."

Lu Yan He and Ceng Qiao had the same feeling.

"I wonder if we can become such actors in the future."

Ceng Qiao: "We can only work hard to move forward and see if we can in twenty years."

He smiled at Lu Yan He.

"You are more decisive than me."

"Hmm?"

"Huangcheng asked you if you'd take a role, and you agreed without hesitation," Ceng Qiao said. "At that moment, didn't you even think about checking the script first or seeing what the pay was?"

Lu Yan He heard this, pondered for a moment, and said, "No, Brother Qiao. At that time, I just felt that since it was Director Chen Lingling's show, it must be good, and I had to seize this opportunity."

Ceng Qiao looked at him in surprise and asked, "With your current market value, there should be many people looking for you to act, right? Haven't you shifted your mindset yet? For you, is there still an opportunity that must be seized immediately and absolutely cannot be missed?"

Lu Yan He nodded, "There are only a few directors like Director Chen; great directors are always much rarer than great actors."

Ceng Qiao nodded after hearing Lu Yan He say this, looking at him with quite a bit of emotion, and said, "I know what you're thinking now."

Lu Yan He smiled brightly.

"But this time, we can make up for the regret of not having many scenes together in *Phoenix Terrace*," Ceng Qiao said. "When I was filming *Phoenix Terrace*, I really wanted to have more scenes with you."

Ceng Qiao patted Lu Yan He on the shoulder.

"I didn't expect this wish to come true so soon."

Lu Yan He quickly said, "I'm also looking forward to acting opposite you, Brother Qiao."

Ceng Qiao gave Lu Yan He the impression of being quite upright.

His growth path was different from Huang Kai's; he was once a star who relied on fan support, and his terrible acting skills were well-known.

But he was very hardworking and diligent, once being called an actor who "compensates for clumsiness with diligence."

He was not the kind of actor with innate talent and overwhelming charisma, but rather one who honed his acting skills film by film. From his works, one could clearly see the improvement in his acting.

After becoming famous, Ceng Qiao often gave people a steady and reliable feeling on camera. Some media said he had an "honest husband temperament."

But Lu Yan He's initial impression of him was bad because he liked to complain and mock others, and always talked about how effort and acting skills were more important than popularity.

However, during the promotional period, because Ceng Qiao helped Lu Yan He resolve Lang Xia's attacks several times, Lu Yan He felt much more at ease with Ceng Qiao.

Upon further contact, he discovered that Ceng Qiao's true personality was actually quite good.

That annoying side of him seemed to stem from some strange psychology; without mocking and complaining about others, it was hard to soothe the inferiority complex he felt when his acting was once mocked by everyone. Moreover, he only showed this side to people he didn't know well or disliked.

After Lu Yan He got to know him, he never said such things to Lu Yan He again.

After returning from South Korea, Lu Yan He went non-stop to attend the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony.

No surprises or miracles occurred; a nomination was recognition—he did not win the Best Supporting Actor award.

However, Lu Yan He was also the only actor from the *The Golden Age* crew to be nominated for all three major awards.

At the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony, senior executives from Beijing TV took the initiative to find Lu Yan He and exchange pleasantries with him.

Lu Yan He, of course, exchanged pleasantries with them with a smile.

It was just that he firmly refused to continue participating in the *Friends* show.

This made them somewhat annoyed, but they had to hold back and couldn't fall out with Lu Yan He.

Having attended the awards ceremony a few times, by this point, Lu Yan He had deeply felt one thing.

That he could be nominated for all three major awards was largely due to luck.

A hit drama, the story carries the actor.

The character design was good, and he was praised highly by the audience.

Director Luo Yuzhong's reputation as a famous director allowed this show to automatically enter the mainstream awards' field of vision.

The Best Supporting Actor category was a weak year; competition was mainly concentrated in the lead actor categories.

It's not that you can win an award just because you have talent. Nor does it mean that if you win an award, you are the best among the nominees.

Having experienced nominations and winning awards himself, Lu Yan He realized more profoundly that winning an award is sometimes truly a matter of the right time, the right place, and the right people.

When competition is fierce and they are fighting tooth and nail, it depends on who the jury considers the most deserving and the one who should win the award in that year.

After attending the Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony, Lu Yan He entered vacation mode, resting while preparing to film *Late Spring* in March.

*Friends* was still airing and popular.

Benefiting entirely from students being at home during winter break and able to watch TV, from the fourth episode on, the ratings remained stable above 2%. Although there was no significant increase, it achieved the best results for Beijing TV in the last five years.

Major media were discussing *Friends*, as if it had transcended a TV drama and possessed some cultural significance.

As the show's ratings achieved more and more eye-catching results, Beijing TV's attitude toward Lu Yan He became even more enthusiastic.

In Chen Ziyan's words, it was "the huge benefits finally made them lower their noble heads."

Lu Yan He's attitude remained consistent, leaving them hitting a wall.

What Lu Yan He didn't expect was that they finally managed to persuade Director Luo Yuzhong to act as a lobbyist.

Director Luo Yuzhong really didn't want to take on such things, but having worked in the television industry for so long, he was pestered by Beijing TV until he had no choice but to agree.

Lu Yan He asked, "Director, are you preparing any new projects?"

Luo Yuzhong said, "There are three or four scripts in preparation, but it's hard to say which one will start filming first; none of the scripts have been polished to the level I want."

Lu Yan He said with a smile, "Director, if there's a suitable role for me in the future, please save one for me. If it's still a long drama of over thirty episodes like *The Golden Age*, I might not have time to play the lead, but I can still play a supporting role."

Luo Yuzhong asked with a chuckle, "You're still willing to play a supporting role?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Look, how well I played the supporting role in *The Golden Age*, and I even won an award," Lu Yan He said.

Luo Yuzhong asked, "Aren't you afraid people will say you've acted for so long and still went back to that? Everyone else is aiming to play the lead."

Lu Yan He: "I don't lack lead roles, but I want to act in your shows."

Luo Yuzhong smiled.

Lu Yan He: "So, please don't try to persuade me. I know I might be too stubborn, but while I can still be stubborn, let me be stubborn for a while."

Hearing Lu Yan He say this, Luo Yuzhong sighed softly.

Lu Yan He also knew why Luo Yuzhong sighed.

He pursed his lips and gave Luo Yuzhong a smile, the kind a junior gives a senior, intentionally a bit ingratiating. ===== CHAPTER 305 =====