Chapter 346: *My Own Swordsman* is coming

Lu Yan He seriously thought about every role in *Lost on Journey*. If it were Chen Bige, actually the role she is most suitable to cameo is Li Chenggong's wife.

He made a list himself, wrote down the names of all the artist friends who said they wanted to come to cameo, and went to the script to pick out all the roles that only appeared in one or two shots.

One by one, he found the corresponding roles that could be acted.

"This should be ok, right?" Lu Yan He looked at this list, and suddenly thought that friends who also want to cameo on Teacher Jia Long's side can also be added.

He added another one after each artist friend who could play the role. In this way, if Jia Long already had ideas for actors for a certain role, Jia Long didn't have to worry about the friends he invited to cameo and be embarrassed. There is room for adjustment.

This statistics didn't know, and it was scary to count. He actually had more than a dozen friends who promised to come to cameo, many of whom took the initiative to say they wanted to come to cameo.

Lu Yan He was surprised.

And after Jia Long received this list, he was surprised and clicked his tongue.

Jia Long couldn't help but say to his agent: "Look, basically all the actors who have cooperated with Lu Yan He are on this list. This kid is really powerful, everyone likes him."

The agent smiled and said: "Who wouldn't like him? His own strength is hard enough, and he can engage in projects and write scripts himself. The most critical thing is that many of the projects he engages in and the scripts he writes are not for himself to star in. Then who wouldn't be willing to sell him a favor? Making friends with him means that he can cooperate later. This is the most profitable business. Just like you, didn't you also take the initiative to offer to cameo in a role in *My Own Swordsman* for him?"

Jia Long smiled and said: "I did this because he wrote *Lost on Journey*. He is really a talented person. People found me directly to act. Such a good script, in fact, others will definitely discover its goodness, just a matter of time early or late. Then of course I also have to return the favor. And, look, he and Chen Siqi didn't point fingers at this project from the beginning because the script was written by them and they were also producers, and gave me such great respect and face. I am willing to continue to cooperate with them."

"Others have the same idea," the agent said indifferently. "It's not that everyone is aiming to star in Lu Yan He's future projects. Just the point of being easy to cooperate with, everyone is willing to play with him. Isn't *Seventeen Layers* promoting now? I heard that Jingtai didn't bring Jiang Jun at the beginning. It was Lu Yan He and Chen Bige who took the initiative to ask Jingtai to bring Jiang Jun. After everyone knows about this, what do you think everyone's impression of Lu Yan He will be? This person is really loyal, Brother Long, although you are so many years apart, but it is worth deep friendship. I heard that he left a leading role for Jiang Jun in the two plays behind."

Jia Long showed a surprised expression, "Two leading roles?"

"Yes," the agent nodded, "One of the leading roles is also the highly anticipated ancient costume sitcom *My Own Swordsman*, the play you are willing to cameo in."

Jia Long showed a surprised expression.

He was really a bit hard to believe.

In the entertainment industry, it's not that you can take whoever you want to fly because your relationship is good enough. In a film and television drama, there are only so many pits for main roles. Even if you are the lead, the positions of other main roles are not up to you.

Jia Long knew that Lu Yan He's right to speak is much higher than ordinary leads now. After all, he has reached the position of being a "key figure" in a project. However, investors, platforms, and other collaborators cannot let Lu Yan He make decisions, especially in the key position of the lead. Will they agree to Lu Yan He giving a key lead to an actor like Jiang Jun who has low popularity and physical risks? -

There was indeed a dispute within Arctic Light Video because of this.

Lu Yan He wanted to promote two projects in one breath, one is *My Own Swordsman*, one is *Squid Game*, completely different subject types, but they are both big projects.

Unlike other collaborators, Lu Yan He was invited back by their boss Lin Desheng personally. Even the cooperation terms were knocked down by Lin Zong personally. They really didn't have much autonomous space.

Originally, everyone was still worried about what to do if Lu Yan He couldn't come up with a new script for a year or two. As a result, his creative ability is so strong that it is not a problem of not being able to come up with it, but that he wants to do too many projects in one breath, putting great pressure on Arctic Light Video's funds.

Lu Yan He is doing these two projects now, and the budget is not less than 200 million. He wants to use the best production team. Then for Arctic Light Video, this is a production that was not in the plan at the beginning of the year, which also means their appearance is to grab resources that originally belonged to others. The annual production budget is only so much, he grabbed such a large part for two projects, and other projects will be affected.

In this situation, many people who are promoting other projects must protect themselves and can only find trouble with these two projects—it is not necessarily that they are unhappy with Lu Yan He, or really don't look good on these two projects.

"Of course we also know that his broadcast data won't be bad. With his ability to code the disk, the word-of-mouth of these two projects is unknown, but the data will definitely be popular. However, we also have to eat, right? These two projects of his will take away at least 400 million. Then what do we eat? Do we eat dirt?"

For people inside Arctic Light Video, Lu Yan He's appearance is like suddenly throwing a fish that eats fish into a small pond. Other fish are in danger, and everyone is afraid that their project will be cut or postponed because of this.

Zheng Huairen, who is responsible for film and television content development at Arctic Light Video, is under great pressure.

Since he executes Lin Desheng's will, he must also ensure internal balance.

For a top video platform, there are many resources, the cake is big, but there are also many people who can share it, like crucian carp crossing the river.

Zheng Huairen knows that no matter what, Lu Yan He's two projects must be guaranteed. This is Lin Desheng's meaning. Just kidding, if you don't listen to the big boss's will, you can just wait to be swept out of the house.

However, he must also do a good job of internal balance. At least 400 million, which means at least 4 A-level projects this year will be affected.

Zheng Huairen felt a headache.

A platform is made so big, there are 365 days a year, it is impossible to rely on only two projects to eat for a year.

A project can eat for a year, but a project cannot really hang on the homepage of the video website for a year—if he really did such a thing, he could directly submit his resignation at the end of the year.

After thinking about it, Zheng Huairen decided to do both.

He took all the projects to be promoted this year and read them carefully, deciding to cut a little budget for each project, especially some waist-level projects, projects with a production budget of tens of millions, not small, not big. Such projects are basically used to explore new subjects and new types, and have a bit of adventure.

Zheng Huairen does not intend to cut any project, but to squeeze a little moisture out of each project.

In addition, projects preparing to start filming in the fourth quarter should be pushed to next year as much as possible, so that the pressure on cash flow is much smaller.

Furthermore, it is Lu Yan He's side.

Zheng Huairen decided to meet with Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi.

No matter what, it should be met.

The place was booked by Zheng Huairen.

For Zheng Huairen, meeting Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi is a major event that needs to be considered in advance.

This meeting will talk about many things that affect other aspects.

Zheng Huairen made a lot of preparations.

Solemnly.

In the car, Chen Siqi said to Lu Yan He: "I heard that your episode will be broadcast live, not recorded and then edited."

Lu Yan He was holding a tablet computer, and when he heard Chen Siqi say this, he was taken aback.

"Ah?"

Chen Siqi said: "*Idol Age*, because it is the last episode of the first half of the year, after this episode, the ranking of the first half of the year will be launched, which is very critical, so they are planning to broadcast this episode in the form of live broadcast."

Lu Yan He was surprised.

"Wouldn't that be... huge pressure?" Lu Yan He said.

Chen Siqi asked: "Are you worried?"

"I haven't performed on stage for a long time, of course I am very worried," Lu Yan He said. "If I mess it up, I won't even have a chance to re-record."

Chen Siqi: "But live broadcast also means that many people have no way to tune."

Lu Yan He looked at her suspiciously.

Chen Siqi said: "Although we have always been trying to make *Idol Age* present a real stage, not to engage in fake editing and moving flowers and grafting, but tuning is inevitable. If the real scene is not tuned, many people will inevitably have car accidents."

Lu Yan He asked: "Who are you talking about?"

"Anyway, it's not the three of you," Chen Siqi said. "The three of you are at least serious participants in the draft, and the hard strength is all here. You might not be able to be a professional singer, but you are all very ok to control a stage."

"Okay."

Chen Siqi: "This is a good thing, especially the performance of the three of you combined, *Green Apple Paradise*, this song... to be honest, it's hard to say. When I heard it at first, I thought I returned to the nineties of the last century, retro."

Lu Yan He nodded, "The theme we specifically made is retro classic. The three of us tried the styling, haha, earthy handsome and earthy handsome."

Chen Siqi: "I saw it, I am very convinced, three big heads with two-eight points, wearing red, green, and yellow suits, my eyes are straight."

Lu Yan He asked: "Sister Siqi, what do you think?"

"I think in a crowd of modernized popular stages, this stage of yours... is quite unexpected."

Very different.

Lu Yan He only gave this song, but Li Zhibai and Yan Liang designed the entire performance into a retro scene of the nineties of the last century through design, which has a sense of crossing, and instead presents another kind of popular fashion.

Especially the styling of the three of them is very consistent with the male singers of the Spring Festival Gala at that time, as if reproduced, and handsome and dashing.

Chen Siqi thought for a long time, and finally felt that it would be fine for the three of them to toss like this.

The song is undoubtedly a good song, and the performance is undoubtedly eye-catching. Although it is not so "idol," "idols of the last century are also idols."

"Zheng Huairen should want to come to talk to us about production funds tonight," Chen Siqi said to Lu Yan He. "I heard that as soon as your two projects were mentioned, their Arctic Light internal exploded."

Lu Yan He asked why.

Chen Siqi simply explained that the funds invested by a platform in content production every year are limited. His two big projects are taken away, which is equivalent to cutting off a large piece that originally belonged to others from the cake.

Lu Yan He: "Then they can't take out so much money?"

"That's not necessarily," Chen Siqi said. "You are a cooperation personally negotiated by Lin Zong, and your two projects are clearly big projects to make a profit, but how to take it, how many times to give, how much to give, there is a lot of room for negotiation here. I estimate he wants the financial pressure not to be so great. If you can only start one of these two projects this year, it would be even better. That's what I guessed."

Lu Yan He said: "I originally only wanted to start *My Own Swordsman* first. The script for *Squid Game* hasn't been finished yet."

"I said start, not just meaning start filming," Chen Siqi said. "You write the script, people have to pay you the screenwriter's fee first, right? You prepare in advance, engage in auditions, look at scenes, step on points, make costumes, stage art, etc., all of which need money."

Lu Yan He understood.

"They might hope that I will start *Squid Game* next year?"

"It could also be the second half of the year. In short, don't start two projects together. It is indeed a great financial pressure for them," Chen Siqi said. "Don't forget, the movie *Lost on Journey* is also mainly invested by Arctic

Lu Yan He understood.

He nodded in sudden realization.

Chen Ziyan said again, "I actually think there's no need to rush. We can certainly focus on getting *My Own Swordsman* off the ground first. Besides, I've read your script, Yan He. I don't think it's necessary for you to try and write all thirty episodes in one go. We could do it like *Friends* and shoot the first season first."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan He said, "Sister Ziyan, I just feel that if *My Own Swordsman* isn't filmed all at once, once the first season becomes a hit, it will be very difficult to coordinate everyone's schedules."

Chen Ziyan: "That's not an issue. When we sign the contracts, we can just sign for three seasons at once. We'll go tell Beijiguang to lock in the schedules beforehand. Shooting dozens of episodes in one go—it's rare for you to write them, and our production pressure is indeed high. This isn't the same situation as *Friends*; they were given five million in production budget per episode. *My Own Swordsman* currently has a production budget of nearly eight million per episode. If you write thirty episodes at once, that's over two hundred million, and that's a conservative estimate. The pressure on Beijiguang would be immense."

Lu Yan He thought to himself, *You don't know that this show is actually planned for over eighty episodes. *

He also knew that the situation was different.

The original work had low production costs at the time, which is why they could film so many at once, but the situation now is different.

His screenwriting fee alone is five hundred thousand per episode.

Not to mention that among the leads, Lu Yan He didn't intend to use only newcomers.

A production budget of eight million per episode... Lu Yan He felt it really might not be enough to cover it.

He said, "Then, Sister Ziyan, how many episodes do you think would be better for the first season?"

"Twelve to sixteen episodes is more reliable." Chen Ziyan was basing this on Lu Yan He's original thirty-episode script. "This way, it can be split into two or three seasons to finish."

Lu Yan He decided to be honest. "Sister Ziyan, actually, my idea for this show is to write about eighty-plus episodes."

Chen Ziyan looked at Lu Yan He in disbelief.

Lu Yan He said, "So, if we only shoot twelve to sixteen episodes per season, it might take five or six years. By then, the actors' appearances might have changed, but the passage of time in my story isn't that fast. I still want to try to finish filming in a short period."

Chen Ziyan didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Of course, if the production pressure is too high, shooting ten-plus episodes for the first season is fine, but could we shoot more in one go later?" Lu Yan He asked. "Once the first season airs and the results are really good, they should be much more generous when providing the production budget for the rest, right?"

Chen Ziyan said, "I—I don't know what to say all of a sudden. Eighty-plus episodes, are you sure?"

"This is an episodic show; every unit has new protagonists and new stories." Lu Yan He thought to himself, for this kind of show, the more episodes, the more popular it gets.

Chen Ziyan: "How about this: when we meet with Zheng Huairen this time, don't bring up the eighty-plus episode thing. Just stick to the thirty-episode plan and tell him we'll split it into two or three seasons. This will significantly reduce their pressure, and we won't have to put too much energy into it all at once. Of course, you can write the script first, and the actors' contracts can be signed first. However, this brings up a problem: if the contracts are signed separately, by the later seasons, not only will the actors' salaries skyrocket, but the pay for all other departments will also have to rise. If it really explodes like *Friends*, the production costs will just keep climbing."

It's a choice between a one-off deal—risking it all to bet on a massive profit—or doing it in parts to spread the risk, knowing that costs will inevitably keep rising.

Lu Yan He said, "I'm just worried that if we split it into several seasons, we won't be able to get the original cast back together for filming later due to various issues."

Chen Ziyan said, "Forget it, why are we worrying about this? Let them worry about it themselves. We'll make everything clear to them; how they choose is their business. They are the ones investing, not us."

Lu Yan He said, "I'm prepared to invest a little myself."

"Hmm?" Chen Ziyan was somewhat surprised.

Lu Yan He said, "In a moment, I'm also prepared to tell him that if Beijiguang is under financial pressure, I'll cover a portion myself. I've earned some money these past few years. If that's still not enough, I'll ask Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, and Siqi. They would definitely be willing to invest too."

Chen Ziyan's expression was complex. "Yan He, what if this show isn't as popular as you think? What if it doesn't necessarily bring you much of a return?"

Lu Yan He said, "First, I believe it can. Second, if I really lose a little, then so be it."

"You losing your own money is one thing, but what about your friends?"

Lu Yan He said, "I'll just help them earn it back with other projects."

Chen Ziyan: "..."

The spirit of youth—daring to say anything.

Chen Ziyan felt immense emotion in her heart.

Lu Yan He was extremely confident that *My Own Swordsman* would be very profitable.

This gave him a lot of confidence after meeting Zheng Huairen.

Zheng Huairen was very warm and respectful toward him and Chen Ziyan. This could be felt entirely from his attitude.

As a high-level executive in charge of content production at Beijiguang Video, Zheng Huairen did not have the "superior" aura of the vice-station heads at the Jingtai station, which made Lu Yan He breathe a sigh of relief.

Lu Yan He still wasn't very used to dealing with such people; they made him feel like they were from two different worlds.

And just as Chen Ziyan had anticipated, Zheng Huairen was actually here this evening to sound Lu Yan He out about his specific plans for these two projects.

In this regard, Chen Ziyan took charge.

She briefly stated their thoughts on the two projects and pointed out directly that *Squid Game* was still in the script-writing phase, so there were no plans for official development this year; they were just communicating with them now to prepare for the project next year.

Lu Yan He clearly saw Zheng Huairen breathe a sigh of relief at this moment.

"What we really want to push as a priority is *My Own Swordsman*. We hope this show can catch the winter break next year," Chen Ziyan said. "Although we hope this sitcom can reach all age groups, it will definitely be aimed primarily at young people; the stories are more oriented toward the youth."

Zheng Huairen said, "If you want to air it during the winter break at the beginning of next year, the timeline for this show is a bit tight."

"It's fine. If we really can't make it, we'll aim for the summer break," Chen Ziyan said. "Because this show must first break into the youth market—this was very clear during Yan He's script-writing phase. The stories are written for young people; although people of all ages can watch it, many of the topics and emotional resonances are for the youth."

Zheng Huairen nodded.

"However, if we can make the winter break, we'll try our best, because we have other plans," Chen Ziyan said. "It wouldn't be good to fight against ourselves."

"Is it *Squid Game*?" Zheng Huairen asked.

Chen Ziyan shook her head. "No, *Squid Game* requires time for post-production. We know this; we can't finish post-production quickly. It's a different project."

Zheng Huairen was stunned. "There's another project?"

Chen Ziyan nodded. "It hasn't been made public yet. We'll tell you when we're ready to put it on the schedule." Zheng Huairen thought to himself, *Haven't you already put it on the schedule for next summer?! *

Lu Yan He was actually quite confused too, because he didn't currently have any other projects to cooperate with Beijiguang Video on. Which one was Chen Ziyan talking about?

He silently suppressed his confusion and played along with Chen Ziyan's performance.

Chen Ziyan said, "Regarding *My Own Swordsman*, the production team will have to be assembled by you. Mr. Zheng, Yan He and I are not professional in this regard, as you know. If we want to make the best show, we have to find the most suitable people to do it."

Zheng Huairen nodded. "We have many partner production companies; that is not a problem. We have already sent the project to them. A bidding process will be held in early July. They will provide proposals, and we will choose. We invite you to participate as well."

Lu Yan He was astonished.

Such a thing was possible?

Film and television projects could be put up for bidding?

Zheng Huairen said, "This time, *My Own Swordsman* is a very mature work from the script-writing stage. Actually, what we need is a production team that can execute the ideas well, rather than a creative team. Therefore, we adopted this method."

Lu Yan He realized.

Indeed, when he was writing the project proposal, he was very clear about what style the show should be, what audience it was aimed at, and so on. He even made very clear notes on the art direction, set design, and cinematography style.

This was very different from when he wrote *Friends*.

Zheng Huairen seemed to treat Lu Yan He's script very seriously and implemented his ideas very thoroughly.

"There is one more thing, Mr. Zheng. We also plan to film *My Own Swordsman* in the *Friends* model, season by season. This way, our production budget per episode can be much more generous, and we can make it more refined in many aspects," Chen Ziyan said. "We are prepared to produce it in two or three seasons, depending mainly on the performance of the first season. The first season might only be twelve episodes. What do you think?"

Zheng Huairen was stunned.

This was something he hadn't expected.

When Lu Yan He first brought out the thirty-episode concept, they internally assumed that Lu Yan He didn't intend to write it as a seasonal show this time.

He didn't expect that he would do it anyway.

"However, we don't intend to strictly follow the rhythm of producing one season per year," Chen Ziyan said. "As long as the results are good, we'll film and air simultaneously. For example, if we finish the first season this year, we air it during the winter break next year, start filming the second season in March, air it next summer, film the third season in the autumn, and air it during the winter break the year after. These are just ideas, not a finalized plan. Simply put, I mean we don't have to be like *Friends*, filming and airing one season a year."

Zheng Huairen hadn't even recovered yet, but he nodded. "We need to study this further, study it further."

Chen Ziyan smiled. "By the way, Mr. Zheng, you mentioned before that Beijiguang also has projects looking for Yan He to act in. Since Yan He is here today, why don't you talk to him about it?"

Zheng Huairen recovered and said, "Oh, right. We have also acquired the filming rights for *Divine Map*, but it's a completely different role and story from the one Wenxia Zhiyin is doing; it's just a story within the same worldview. We would like to invite Yan He to star in it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan He shook his head directly and said, "Mr. Zheng, thank you for your kindness, but Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are acting in the other one, so I won't act in this. I want to avoid having our two versions compared, and I don't want to affect the relationship with my friends over such a small matter."

Zheng Huairen didn't expect Lu Yan He to refuse so flatly.

He said, "It's an S-level blockbuster for our platform."

"You should find someone else." Lu Yan He had no intention of changing his mind.

Only then did Chen Ziyan smile and say, "Mr. Zheng, now you know I wasn't deliberately making excuses, right? Yan He really doesn't want to act in it. We have so many of our own projects that we're already too busy, let alone other people's projects."

Zheng Huairen sighed and said, "Alright."

Chen Ziyan said again, "However, Mr. Zheng, look, since we moved *Squid Game* to next year and split *My Own Swordsman* into a seasonal show, reducing your financial pressure, it shouldn't be a problem to let our Tu Song sing the theme song for this *Divine Map*, right?"

Lu Yan He didn't expect Chen Ziyan to suddenly bring this up, but then he smiled.

Chen Ziyan was deliberately saying this in front of him so he wouldn't find out from somewhere else later and harbor any resentment.

For an agent like Chen Ziyan, managing several artists, she will inevitably use A's resources to help B exchange for resources, and also use B's affairs to help A promote their career. It's just that often, because A and B develop unevenly, it makes people feel that one side is taking advantage of the other, like some of Zhou Ping'an's practices.

Sometimes, it really is taking advantage, sacrificing one side's interests to consolidate the other's.

But sometimes, it's just helping one side achieve something while incidentally helping the other side as well, with no one suffering any loss.

In such cases, one shouldn't feel like they've been shortchanged.

Lu Yan He was increasingly able to understand this point.

Sure enough, Zheng Huairen readily agreed.

*My Own Swordsman* officially entered the development stage.

Lu Yan He had already submitted the script for the first ten episodes, and since it had become a seasonal show, he could rest for a while.

He needed to use the last two episodes to provide a small summary of the preceding plot and leave a few hooks for the subsequent plot.

This required him to make certain modifications to the originally planned eleventh and twelfth episodes.

Later, Lu Yan He met with Zheng Huairen a few more times, and Lu Yan He specifically mentioned that if there was a lack of funds, he could be responsible for a portion.

Zheng Huairen immediately said it wasn't necessary.

Are you kidding? He only had financial pressure; he didn't think *My Own Swordsman* wouldn't be profitable.

Giving away a share meant earning less money in the future.

An old hand like Zheng Huairen, who had been in the business for years, would never make such a mistake.

It wasn't a high-risk project that required others to share the risk.

Lu Yan He began to get busy with the actors.

He first contacted Xiao Yun.

When they met at the *Young Days* gathering, Lu Yan He had already mentioned this to Xiao Yun.

As soon as Xiao Yun answered the phone, she immediately said yes, and added, "Can I bring my boyfriend along? I want him to meet you."

Lu Yan He asked jokingly, "Then would it be appropriate for me to bring Siqi along?"

Xiao Yun: "If she can come, of course! I haven't met her yet!"

Lu Yan He: "She's not in Yuming, maybe next time."

"Alright."

Lu Yan He asked, "What is your boyfriend's name?"

"Zhang Luzhou, also an actor," Xiao Yun said. "So, I'd like to ask you, the big shot, to help him out a bit."

Lu Yan He: "Don't, what kind of big shot am I?"

"The big shot is being humble," Xiao Yun said with a laugh. "I'm about to be eating under your wing."

Lu Yan He: "Does that mean I can cut your salary?"

"Hey! Lu Yan He! My salary is already very low, and you're still cutting it!" Xiao Yun shouted.

Lu Yan He: "Your salary is very low now? Stop it, you're so popular now."

"I haven't raised my salary much! I'm very reasonable, and my agent also told me to take the 'small profits but quick turnover' route."

Lu Yan He couldn't help but be amused by the phrase "small profits but quick turnover."

Xiao Yun sighed. "Don't you dare cut it, my salary is really already very, very low."

After hanging up, Lu Yan He couldn't help but inquire about Xiao Yun's current salary, and upon hearing it, he was stunned.

It was indeed much lower than he had imagined.

Despite being popular and having a hit show under her belt, in the current market, her salary for acting in one episode of a TV series was only two hundred thousand.

Why was it so low?

Shouldn't Xiao Yun's market value be at least tripled, if not adding a zero at the end?

After hearing Lu Yan He's confusion, Chen Ziyan said, "It shows her agent is a smart person, wanting to use a low salary to help her get better resources. Although she is popular, it's very similar to Ming Lan's situation—she was made popular by the show, with many fans of the show but few individual fans. In this situation, she must continue to take on good roles to consolidate her market value. If she continues to take on average shows and they don't become hits, her current period of popularity might only last two to three years before returning to the way it was before."

Lu Yan He realized and nodded.

"The main reason is that the show that made her popular was a campus romance web series. Although it was popular online, it's still somewhat separated from the mainstream film and television market, so it couldn't truly drive up her salary," Chen Ziyan analyzed.

So that was it.

Lu Yan He said, "In that case, the actors' salaries for *My Own Swordsman* aren't as expensive as I initially imagined."

Chen Ziyan said, "The actors haven't been chosen yet. Do you intend not to use a single popular actor?"

"Xiao Yun is a popular actor. The main thing is to hope to choose suitable actors," Lu Yan He said. "For this show, the characters must be established for the story to be established. This is different from *Seventeen Layers*; in *Seventeen Layers*, if the actors perform poorly, it doesn't affect the plot and setting at all."

Chen Ziyan said, "You should look for the actor for Bai Zhantang carefully. I think, regardless of anything else, you still need to find an actor who can carry the show for this role, otherwise the risk is too great."

"Actually, after *Seventeen Layers* airs, Teacher Jiang Jun will definitely have his popularity soar. His role in *Seventeen Layers* this time is very good, with a lot of room for performance," Lu Yan He said. "When he comes to play Constable Xing, it won't be like our show has no stars."

Chen Ziyan: "I advise you not to be too optimistic."

Chen Ziyan's words were like a basin of cold water poured over Lu Yan He's head.

"If you use a cast like that, the hardest part to pass will be Beijiguang Video; they might not agree," Chen Ziyan said. "They are investing so much money, they won't risk using a group of unknown actors to star in this show."

Lu Yan He realized that what Chen Ziyan said was correct.

It was indeed so.

Lu Yan He said, "Even if I invite big stars to support each unit's protagonist, it won't work?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Yan He, you don't understand what an S-level blockbuster means to a platform. Unless you find big stars for the roles of Bai Zhantang and Tong Xiangyu, the platform will definitely be a major hurdle regarding the actors. Your screenwriting is indeed a big attraction, but it can't carry the show."

Lu Yan He fell silent.

Chen Ziyan said again, "Also, I hope to make one thing clear to you: if you hope this show really airs well, then you must be good at using stars. Why are stars' salaries so high in this film and television market? Even though so many people ask why stars deserve such high salaries—because in the current environment, a show is sold based on the star lineup, which is why advertisers will pay and why there will be traffic."

Lu Yan He: "I don't not want to use stars, but you know, I really hope to find the most suitable actors for these characters."

"Then why are you unwilling to use Huang Kai for the role of Bai Zhantang? Your reason is that Huang Kai is too handsome, but an actor's image can be adjusted through makeup and photography," Chen Ziyan said. "I think Huang Kai playing Bai Zhantang is much more reliable than him playing the Twelfth Young Master. Of course, this is just my one-sided opinion, my own feeling. You are the screenwriter; you created these characters, you know them best, so take it as a reference."

Lu Yan He fell silent.

Why did he subconsciously think Huang Kai couldn't play Bai Zhantang?

The reason he gave Chen Ziyan was that Bai Zhantang wasn't that handsome.

But in reality?

Lu Yan He thought about it; it was because he felt Huang Kai had too much of a "star" aura, and he worried that a big star like Huang Kai would steal all the attention from the main cast.

He liked the show *Inn of Swordsmen* because every member of the main cast had their own brilliance, making the audience feel like they were a family.

If an actor is too popular and has too much of a "star" aura, it will suppress the brilliance of others.

His thinking, from a creative perspective, certainly makes sense.

But for a show, to achieve this balance means the main cast must either all be stars or none of them are.

This doesn't fit production laws.

Sister Ziyan must have already seen this, which is why she said that.

Lu Yan He fell into deep thought.

He carried this contemplation to Baiweiju to meet Xiao Yun.

The person in charge of his private room was Wang Biao.

Last time he saw him working as a waiter here, so when he booked the table this time, he specifically asked for him to be in charge of the service for this room.

When Wang Biao saw Lu Yan He, he revealed an "I see" smile.

"I was wondering why someone suddenly specified that I should be in charge of this room. I thought I had been spotted by some rich lady, which scared me," he whispered while leading Lu Yan He to the room.

Lu Yan He was speechless.

But that was just Wang Biao's personality.

He had met him twice and had surprisingly gotten used to it, accepting his style.

Xiao Yun and her boyfriend arrived first and were waiting for him in the room.

Lu Yan He greeted them happily and was then introduced to her boyfriend, Zhang Luzhou, by Xiao Yun.

Zhang Luzhou was wearing a very ordinary T-shirt and jeans; he was handsome, but seemed to have no distinguishing features, just the handsome type with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Brother Luzhou." Lu Yan He gave him face by calling him brother, after all, he was older than him.

Zhang Luzhou hurriedly said nice to meet you, nice to meet you, and added that he liked his shows very much and had been learning from them.

Lu Yan He hurriedly said he didn't deserve the praise.

Very polite pleasantries.

After the pleasantries, the food was served.

Lu Yan He started talking to Xiao Yun about the show *My Own Swordsman*.

He said, "This show will be very long, and we plan to make it a seasonal show. The role I want to invite you to play is one of the two female leads. Simply put, she is a swordswoman who wants to travel the world and uphold justice, but accidentally becomes a waiter at an inn, and then in this Tongfu Inn, she meets all kinds of people, experiences all kinds of things, and experiences a different kind of world."

Xiao Yun's eyes lit up.

"You're too awesome, giving me a female lead role right off the bat!"

"There isn't strictly a female lead in the traditional sense. A manager, a waiter, an accountant, a busboy, a cook, plus a child, and two constables—that's the main cast," Lu Yan He said. "I wrote a story like that."

Xiao Yun: "That's enough, that's enough! Isn't this just the ancient version of *Friends*? My god, you actually gave me one of the leads to play! If you put this show out for auditions, other actors will break their heads trying to fight for the roles. *Friends* made all six leads popular in one go; it's too exaggerated, I'm so excited!"

She looked at him with longing.

Lu Yan He: "Are you willing to take it?"

"Take it, take it, take it! What's there to hesitate about? Of course I'll take it!" Xiao Yun said. "When are we filming? I'll go tell my agent, I'll clear all my time!"

Lu Yan He said, "I haven't even found a director yet."

Xiao Yun was stunned.

"You are the first actor I've approached," Lu Yan He said with a smile. "Of course, I plan to start filming this show in the second half of the year, to air during the winter break in January or February next year."