Chapter 392: Only Give Others What He Doesn't Want

"Brother Huang is willing to act, this is the best news."

Lu Yan He said to Wang Zhong on the phone, "Director, it doesn't matter on my side. After thinking about it, I also feel that I am still not suitable."

Wang Zhong said: "However, you still have scenes with Bige in the short film, and you have great chemistry."

"Is that so?" Lu Yan He was a little surprised.

"Yes," Wang Zhong said. "And, it gave me new inspiration, making me want to expand it and shoot it into a feature film."

Lu Yan He was stunned. "Ah?"

Wang Zhong: "Let me think about this matter first, put it aside for now. No matter what, we must shoot 'Rouge' first. It has been dragged for too long. Now that Huang Kai is willing to act, let's seize the time."

Lu Yan He said "Hmm."

"Then when are you planning to shoot this movie?"

"February or March next year. Huang Kai took a play before this. After he leaves the group, he still needs time to rest, recover his state, and make preparations."

Chen Bige, on the other hand, has always kept her schedule for 'Rouge'.

She is also very cautious about taking plays now, rarely taking two plays a year, usually just one a year.

Lu Yan He was a little surprised. "At this time."

"What's wrong?" Wang Zhong asked. "Is there any problem with this time?"

"No, no problem," Lu Yan He said immediately. "It's just that I suddenly discovered that my projects this winter are quite numerous. I have to act in 'Road to Glory' myself, and then 'Lost on Journey' and 'Rouge' will start shooting one after another. Fortunately, 'My Own Swordsman' was delayed because we need to build a real inn, otherwise it would be even more exaggerated."

Wang Zhong said with a smile: "Then it seems that next year and the year after will be your harvest years again."

"Who knows," Lu Yan He smiled. "Anyway, if the play can be made normally, I thank God. It's really only when I do projects myself that I find that a project has so many things before it starts shooting."

Tossing and turning, a project from the script being written to the start of shooting actually takes a year or two, and some haven't had any movement for a year or two.

There is no such thing as starting preparations in the first half of the year and starting shooting in the second half. Only Hong Kong in the 80s and 90s of the last century played so crazily.

Wang Zhong said: "The casting for other roles in 'Rouge' is about to start. Except for Chen Bige and Huang Kai, we can't find stars for the other male lead and female lead, otherwise the part of the salary expenditure will be too much, which will seriously increase the production budget."

Lu Yan He said: "Hmm, I'll listen to you for this, Director. Your vision is one in ten thousand."

"Okay."

Because the domestic box office target for 'Rouge' is only about 100 million, plus overseas, video platforms, and other copyright income, the film's production budget is finally set at about 40 million.

For an art film, it's not low. But for the starring lineup of Wang Zhong, Chen Bige, and Huang Kai, it is indeed low.

That's why Wang Zhong said that other actors can't find star actors.

For an art film, the significance of an all-star lineup is not great.

The basic market is just that big.

Many art films that can do an all-star lineup are because the art film director himself is someone with stable selling channels and fans on a global scale. After the calculation of the production company, this film can make money, and those big stars who come to perform will also automatically lower their salaries because of the director.

Just like Chen Bige and Huang Kai in this movie, both automatically lowered their salaries quite a bit. It's just that their salaries after lowering are still not a small number and will occupy a part of the production budget.

Lu Yan He directly gave up his screenwriter salary and only took the dividend later.

He knew that the box office prospects of this movie were not great and didn't want to make the already tight production budget even tighter.

After Northern Lights Video learned about the embarrassing situation of 'Rouge', they generously expressed their willingness to add a part of the investment to make the film's production more affluent.

This surprised Wang Zhong and the others.

Upon inquiry, they were doing this to maintain a good cooperative relationship with Lu Yan He.

Not to mention that 'Seventeen Layers' starring Lu Yan He became a big hit this year, later his 'Jump Up' team's 'High Platform Confession,' with a production cost of less than 50,000 yuan per issue, earned tens of millions of advertising fees per issue, not counting traffic and other income, which gave Northern Lights Video a huge surprise.

Now they have already customized a program with the 'Jump Up' team specifically for 'High Platform Confession' and want to continue filming.

Under such circumstances, Northern Lights Video came to send warmth like "sending charcoal in snow."

Northern Lights Video added an investment of 10 million.

Once the news was exposed, many people in the industry felt astonished.

"It's really enviable that someone adds investment so readily."

'Road to Glory' director Fu Kai heard the news and felt quite emotional.

'Rouge' has a production budget of 50 million, but 'Road to Glory' only has 10 million.

By comparison, the box office of 'Road to Glory' is even less optimistic, even if Fu Kai has a previous work like 'Carpe Diem' that sold well at the box office.

The story of 'Rouge' is actually good; it cannot be said that it is not good because it is a script biased towards art films.

'Road to Glory' makes people feel dull—this is the evaluation of many film companies.

If it weren't for Shang Yongzhou finally deciding to act, this 10 million investment wouldn't have been obtained.

Fu Kai also knew that this was not a good-looking movie—before filming, he already had such an understanding and was also prepared for it.

So, he didn't even think that such a story could finally be decided to be starred by Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yan He.

Getting such a performance lineup with such a production budget is almost unimaginable.

"However, why did Yan He take such a low-cost movie? And it's not the male lead, it's playing a supporting male role for Shang Yongzhou."

"What supporting male role, it's clearly a double male lead," someone immediately refuted.

"Double male leads are all lies. Shang Yongzhou is the first lead, Yan He is only the second lead. Although Shang Yongzhou is a senior, debuted earlier than Yan He, and also won some awards, but looking at the past year or two, how can Shang Yongzhou compare to Yan He?"

"Be careful with your words, our Yan He doesn't need to step on seniors."

"Shang Yongzhou can't compare to Lu Yan He? How many pits are in the brain of someone who can be so shameless?"

Before going to sleep, Lu Yan He logged into his Weibo and found that his comment section was arguing fiercely. Looking at the situation, huh?

What's the situation?

He didn't even have time to investigate why such an argument appeared. The urgent matter—

Lu Yan He immediately replied to the fan who said Shang Yongzhou couldn't compare to him: Are you sure you are my fan? Are you sure you didn't make a typo? Don't blacken me.

Chen Ziyan's message came not long after: Your hand speed is fast enough. I haven't had time to contact you yet, and you replied to the fan.

Lu Yan He said: I saw it, and I couldn't pretend I didn't see it. Sister Ziyan, you also saw what they said.

Chen Ziyan: Your reply instead added fuel to the fire, which will make more people pay attention to this matter and even participate in the discussion.

Lu Yan He: Uh.

Chen Ziyan: Don't reply casually anymore. We will handle the subsequent matters. I have already contacted Shang Yongzhou's agent team and am investigating whether this matter was planned by someone behind the scenes, taking advantage of the cooperation between you two to sow discord and make you step on each other.

Lu Yan He: Ah?

Chen Ziyan: You are starring in a movie with Shang Yongzhou, which will more or less make some people feel a sense of crisis. Be a little conscious; you are no longer a transparent white, and your existence itself will make people feel threatened.

Lu Yan He: And then because I am going to star in a movie with Shang Yongzhou, someone feels threatened, so they want to destroy the relationship between me and Shang Yongzhou, deliberately finding these few accounts to stir up topics and sow discord?

Chen Ziyan: Do you think this is a bit unbelievable and a bit exaggerated?

Lu Yan He: A little.

The next second, Chen Ziyan sent a screenshot and said: This was received three seconds ago. The ID you replied to, after searching and comparing, confirmed that this ID is not your fan at all. It was a fan of a band called Storm Pear Blossom before and was quite influential. Later, the account was sold and the ID name was changed. This is a typical tool account.

Lu Yan He was stunned, a little at a loss.

Chen Ziyan: Now you know that things are not that exaggerated, right? The industry you are in is an industry where no matter what happens, people won't feel exaggerated, so stay vigilant.

Lu Yan He and Shang Yongzhou's matter was on the hot search for a while, dangling at the end, and was removed not long after.

Chen Ziyan and people from Shang Yongzhou's team took action together to remove this hot search and lower the heat of this topic.

Lu Yan He suddenly remembered the "eat one bite and spit one bite" thing not long ago.

Although He Lan got the video afterwards, proving that it was secretly filmed by Ji Qianxing, after Ji Qianxing filmed it, it was also posted through the media.

Lu Yan He has always had a kind of detachment of "an upright person is not afraid of a crooked shadow," always feeling that no matter what he says or does, he is not afraid of others' discussion.

But facts have proven that if you are not a little more vigilant, there will be more and more troublesome things.

"So you mean, because the male lead's character setting has a big problem, Lu Yan He gave up this script he wrote himself and went to act in a movie with a lower cost than 'Rouge'?"

'Art News' reporter Zhou Shuchun asked in surprise.

"That's right," Lian Xun nodded and said to Zhou Shuchun, "Regarding this matter, you have signed a confidentiality agreement. Don't forget, no matter what, you cannot reveal that it was me who told you these things, otherwise, I will sue you according to this confidentiality agreement."

Zhou Shuchun: "Lian Xun, you don't need to emphasize these things to me. I am not a reporter for a third-rate tabloid. Even if I didn't sign this confidentiality agreement, I still wouldn't say it. Not a single bit of news about you will be leaked. I have been a reporter at 'Art News' for so many years, have you ever seen any of my informants dug out?"

Lian Xun nodded.

Actually, he also knew that Zhou Shuchun's mouth was quite reliable, so he finally chose to invite Zhou Shuchun out to say this.

"Huang Kai refused several times at the beginning, but Lu Yan He came to lobby Huang Kai several times to save Huang Kai for the script he wrote for him. Huang Kai was worn out by him and finally agreed," Lian Xun said with a dark face. "The more I think about it, the more angry I get. Lu Yan He didn't want to act in the script himself, so he found Huang Kai to act. That fool Huang Kai still thinks it's a good role."

Zhou Shuchun frowned slightly upon hearing this and said: "Lian Xun, Wang Zhong is the best director of the Xitu'er Film Festival, and Chen Bige goes without saying. It can be said that according to Huang Kai's current situation, he usually can't get this kind of production lineup. I have interviewed too many actors. Do you know how many actors of the same level as Huang Kai dream of such a play?"

Lian Xun said: "If that character's setting was a little better, I wouldn't say anything. Don't I understand how strong the lineup of this play is? You also said it, with such a lineup, if the character's setting is really good, why would it be found for Huang Kai to act?"

"How did I hear that Lu Yan He himself was willing to act, but only had concerns because of his age?" Zhou Shuchun said.

"These are all smoke bombs he released," Lian Xun said immediately. "If it were really a good role, would he be willing to give it to others? Have you ever seen any actor who would be willing to give a truly good role to others?"

This sentence moved Zhou Shuchun.

This sentence finally gave Zhou Shuchun the thought that "what Lian Xun said might be true."

Indeed, these things are actually judging by actions, not by heart—if it is really a good role, no actor can be willing to give it up.

Zhou Shuchun has chatted with so many actors and knows very well the attraction of a good role to actors.

"The script of 'Rouge', I was actually quite moved before," Shang Yongzhou said when he met Lu Yan He. "But it's a pity, I couldn't act in it."

At that time, because Shang Yongzhou wanted to prepare for the play 'Road to Glory' wholeheartedly, he refused this movie.

Lu Yan He smiled and said: "Now that I think about it, our film's production budget is limited, it's impossible to afford both you and Bige to act, right?"

Shang Yongzhou said: "As long as it's a good script, I can bring capital into the group."

Lu Yan He looked at Shang Yongzhou in surprise.

"Of course, although this script is good, the role of Twelve Young Master, I guess many people will mutter when they get the script. Huang Kai dares to take it, he is quite courageous," Shang Yongzhou said. "In the past few years, I have seen him always playing safe cards and taking plays very conservatively. It's rare to see him take such a role."

"Brother Kai has always wanted to break through himself."

Shang Yongzhou looked at Lu Yan He and asked: "What about you? Why don't you act? I heard Director Wang Zhong also had ideas about you."

"My age is a big problem," Lu Yan He said directly. "If I weren't twenty, but thirty, I would definitely have acted."

Shang Yongzhou laughed twice.

"You wrote 'Rouge' and 'Raise the Red Lantern' for Chen Bige. When will you write a script for me?" he asked.

Lu Yan He said: "Brother, do you lack my script? You have so many film contracts."

Shang Yongzhou: "It just looks like a large quantity, 99% are some crudely made stories, like those made from a vending machine. Moreover, it is very difficult to find truly challenging scripts in the mainstream market now. To tell the truth, it's not that you must act in a role with great difficulty, but if you keep acting in those roles without challenges, you will become numb if you act too much."

"That's why a script like 'Road to Glory' was chosen by you. Only you act, and it can be filmed," Lu Yan He said immediately. "Sister Ziyan told me so."

"Fu Kai has always wanted to properly film a story he wrote himself. He filmed many commercial films before. When the script of 'Road to Glory' was brought over, I didn't even think he wrote it," Shang Yongzhou said. "At first, there were indeed concerns. The investment is small, and basically, there is no need to consider the profit of the theater box office. This is very difficult. There are too many unfavorable factors in objective conditions. I really didn't take this play because of the script. Speaking of which, it was mainly because I wanted to help Fu Kai complete his dream of filming such a film. He told me at the time that he might only have this one opportunity in his life to film such a film, to talk about his own understanding of life and the world in the film. Then I must help him, so I took it."

When Lu Yan He heard Shang Yongzhou tell this story, what he thought of in his mind was Liu Bige.

Why did he take 'Late Spring' at that time?

The more he understood this line, the more incredible he felt about the decision he made at that time.

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, so he dared to take such a film.

If it were changed to him now, would he still dare to take it?

Thought about it... it seems... still... dare.

Filming 'Road to Glory' has many driving scenes, and Lu Yan He also has to learn to drive. He had signed up for a driving school before and had been learning it on and off. Mainly because he was too busy usually, he couldn't concentrate his time to pass the driver's license in one go. Now that there is no time, he must hard-squeeze time out.

Chen Ziyan found him a special coach to learn to drive.

Probably because of the habit before filming, Shang Yongzhou basically came to find Lu Yan He once every two or three weeks to chat about the script, chat about acting, and let them get familiar with each other.

Lu Yan He became more and more relaxed in front of Shang Yongzhou, without the previous restraint.

On the matter of acting, the two of them chatted quite well and had common language.

Shang Yongzhou is not the kind of drama fanatic and doesn't have the strange temper of an artist.

This is quite close to Lu Yan He's style of being kind to others.

When the two of them chatted, no one would say very mean or condescending words. They were quite polite to each other, making the atmosphere seem quite good.

Shang Yongzhou also said a lot about things when he was brought by Chen Ziyan before.

It can be seen that Shang Yongzhou misses the days when he fought side by side with Chen Ziyan very much.

"She, she just manages everything, worries a lot, work needs to be managed, your life details also need to be managed, even the clothes piled up in my room need to be managed," Shang Yongzhou couldn't help laughing when he said it. "Is she still like this now?"

Lu Yan He said: "It feels okay, maybe because I live with others, Sister Ziyan hasn't said anything in this regard."

Shang Yongzhou: "Also, you haven't lived alone yet. You probably won't live alone in the future. It's quite good. Sometimes I am quite envious. I basically haven't lived with others, haven't had this experience, and have always lived alone."

Lu Yan He said: "If you meet the right person to live with, then you will indeed live very happily."

Shang Yongzhou asked: "Don't you live with your girlfriend?"

"I... we are far apart, and haven't thought about this matter for the time being."

Actually thought about it, just weighed it, and gave it up at the time. Renting a house is not cost-effective, and you can only live in that house for two or three months a year.

Shang Yongzhou: "Your age is really enviable."

"Ah?" Lu Yan He was stunned.

Shang Yongzhou said: "Don't care, just take it as me saying it casually."

Shang Yongzhou is only in his early thirties, it's not time to sigh about his age, right? Lu Yan He felt that what Shang Yongzhou envied just now should not just be age.

Just as he was pondering, Lu Yan He's phone suddenly rang, and it rang one after another, one sound after another, as if everyone sent him messages at the same time.

Lu Yan He looked down at his phone, his first reaction was to show a wry smile to Shang Yongzhou.

"Why do I feel like I'm in trouble again?"