Chapter 416

Li Zhibai let out a loud sneeze.

He was filming on the set of "Moonlight Symphony" under the scorching sun when the sneeze suddenly erupted, giving the actress standing opposite him a start.

The latter immediately took a step back.

"Sorry, sorry," Li Zhibai said immediately.

The actress, Cheng Siran, maintained a strained smile on her face and reluctantly said it was fine.

She took a tissue from her assistant and silently wiped her face.

Seeing this, the makeup artist hurried over to touch up her makeup.

Director Li Daoxing asked with a smile, "Zhibai, spring has only just arrived and it's still cold out. Take care of your health; how did you start sneezing?"

Li Zhibai said, "I don't know. Maybe a bug flew into my nose just now? It's a bit itchy."

He was just joking.

However, this image clearly reminded the lead actress, Cheng Siran, of some other scenes, and she revealed a look of disgust.

"Moonlight Symphony," this fantasy romance drama, was a television series with only sixteen episodes.

Director Li Daoxing was a veteran in filming urban romance dramas and had many representative works.

However, his previous dramas usually started at thirty or forty episodes, and this was his first time filming such a high-quality, sixteen-episode series with production standards comparable to a film.

Because Li Zhibai was the lead, not only were all parties very optimistic about this drama, but many actors who wanted to make a name for themselves voluntarily lowered their pay, willing to come and play supporting roles in this production.

The current market situation had indeed changed significantly.

Li Daoxing had privately lamented to friends that in the past, there were never a bunch of actors willing to lower their pay just to join a production starring a big celebrity. Back then, the way television dramas were played was different from now. In the past, it was the directors who carried the drama; now, it had slowly become the actors who carried the drama.

This was a change in market trends. Only old directors like Luo Yuzhong, who had already made a name for themselves, had the "drama-carrying" label in this industry. Yet, for new directors coming out now, such as Lian Bei, the director of "Seventeen Layers," even though his first drama and his second, "Seventeen Layers," were both huge hits—and logically he should have been among the ranks of famous directors—in everyone's mind, he was still not the core figure who could carry a drama.

In short, if he wanted to film a drama with all unknown actors, almost no platform would be willing to invest or purchase it. Of course, actors still recognized him; his projects would certainly not lack A-list actors to perform in them.

This was just a discussion about the problems of this ecosystem.

But if a drama had a terrible director and a terrible script, yet had an actor of Lu Yan He's level starring in it, then unfortunately, the platform might even directly designate this drama as S-level.

This was an unhealthy film and television ecosystem, but it objectively existed.

As a high-popularity idol who had been famous for so many years, after switching to the acting track and producing several representative works, Li Zhibai had successfully become an actor in the eyes of capital who could carry a drama. Thus, his appearance in "Moonlight Symphony" as the top-billed male lead meant that this drama would certainly revolve around him.

A veteran director like Li Daoxing did not find such a situation difficult to accept. It was mainly because, apart from focusing on his own role, Li Zhibai did not interfere with anything else, nor would he cause trouble randomly. For a director, it was enough for a big-name star to be able to do this.

In fact, because of Li Zhibai's personality, Li Daoxing got along quite well with him.

By comparison, the female lead, Cheng Siran, who was arranged by the investors, had a few more troublesome issues. But it wasn't a big deal; she was just a bit pretentious and had a bit of princess syndrome. Other than that, there were no major problems.

However, while filming this drama, Li Zhibai would often finish a line of dialogue, find himself unable to bear the level of cheesiness and disgust, lose control of his expression, and break down directly.

"Sorry, sorry, give me a moment to recover," Li Zhibai would often raise his right hand like this and apologize to everyone, "This line is really killing me."

He would also look at Cheng Siran with a sincere face and ask, "Do you girls really like men talking to you like this?"

Cheng Siran: "... In specific situations, I guess. If someone talked like this in daily life, I'd want to punch him."

Li Zhibai looked at the line on the script—"If one day you really want to leave me, don't tell me; otherwise, I won't let go"—with a twisted face, sighed, and said, "I can understand you girls liking this kind of deep affection, dominance, and inexplicable toughness. But if I were this man, what does 'don't tell me' mean? Damn, and 'otherwise I won't let go'—do you like her or not? If you like her, why all this bullshit? Saying you can't let go no matter what."

Cheng Siran listened to Li Zhibai's rant, feeling both amused and annoyed, and revealed an indescribable expression.

"This is a pure love story, be serious," Cheng Siran complained, "You're always breaking character, making me unable to get into character either."

Li Zhibai sighed and, as if resigning himself to his fate, continued to force himself to get into state.

"Come on, come on."

Zhou Ping'an must have deliberately made him suffer by getting him this role!

Zhou Ping'an handed the script to Ma Zhiyuan.

Ma Zhiyuan, however, refused to take it.

"A supporting role? I'm not acting in it," Ma Zhiyuan said with a straight face, "It's one thing to let me act, but to make me play a supporting role? When did I need to be reduced to playing a supporting role for Liu Zefan? His popularity isn't even as high as mine."

"His popularity isn't as high as yours? That's because you're an idol, and his fans aren't as keen on ranking and making data for you as yours are," Zhou Ping'an glared at him, "His 'Eternal' is the hottest xianxia drama in the last five years. His base is much larger than yours. This time, he even beat out several other A-list male actors to get the role in 'Squid Game.' You playing a supporting role for him is the most suitable choice at the moment."

Ma Zhiyuan said, "I don't believe there are no dramas with a male lead for me to act in."

"There are, but they are all trash dramas. If you want to act in S-level dramas, you can only start from playing a supporting role," Zhou Ping'an said bluntly, "Are you willing?"

Ma Zhiyuan pursed his lips.

Zhou Ping'an also pursed his lips.

"Don't expect to become a fat man in one breath."

Ma Zhiyuan said, "Li Zhibai has already started playing the lead role, hasn't he? His new drama is top-billed, right?"

Zhou Ping'an: "Don't forget, Li Zhibai's first drama was also a supporting role."

Ma Zhiyuan frowned.

Zhou Ping'an: "You should trust the dramas I pick for you."

Ma Zhiyuan: "I'm not a newcomer. I've made it to this point today, and you're asking me to play a supporting role? I can't convince myself."

He was very stubborn and refused to play this supporting role no matter what.

Zhou Ping'an was extremely annoyed.

"I trust your eye for picking dramas, but I only play the lead," Ma Zhiyuan said decisively.

"The second male lead in 'The Summit'?" Yan Liang was a bit surprised and asked, "Is this role suitable for me?"

"It's suitable," Zhou Ping'an said on the phone, "After 'The Gold Rush' finishes filming, you'll have exactly two months to rest, and you can join the crew directly."

Yan Liang hesitated for a moment and said, "Alright, since you think it's suitable for me, Ping'an-ge, then I'll act in it."

"Hmm," Zhou Ping'an smiled slightly, "Trust me, although this role is a second male lead, its brilliance is no less than the male lead's. Moreover, with you starring in it, it will definitely be a hit."

"I'm just a bit surprised that there would be a web drama about fraud. I've never seen one before."

"More and more themes are emerging now," Zhou Ping'an said, "It's a good phenomenon, and the quality of scripts is getting higher and higher. Look at the scripts coming in now; many are small-scale dramas of only about ten episodes. Compared to before, it's much less trouble, and the efficiency of filming is much higher."

Yan Liang gave an 'hmm'.

"How is the filming of 'The Gold Rush' going?"

This drama was being filmed in Southeast Asia, not domestically. Yan Liang was filming in the mountains with the crew, and it was not easy to get in touch.

"The conditions are quite tough. I'm always getting bitten by bugs, and rashes inexplicably appear on my body," Yan Liang said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping'an asked, "Have you seen a doctor to get medicine? You can't be careless about this; no one knows what kind of poisonous bugs those are."

Yan Liang said, "I've seen one. The crew has an accompanying doctor, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

"You've always been able to endure hardship."

"Filming this kind of treasure-hunting drama inherently involves scenes of digging into deep mountains and old forests. I was mentally prepared when I came," Yan Liang said.

Zhou Ping'an: "The theme of 'The Gold Rush' is indeed quite good and very rare domestically. It should receive considerable attention when it airs."

"Hmm," Yan Liang responded.

Zhou Ping'an hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief.

The role of the second male lead in "The Summit" was really good. Since Ma Zhiyuan refused to play it no matter what, Zhou Ping'an didn't want to waste it, so he gave it to Yan Liang.

Actually, ever since Yan Liang relied on "—" (Note: The source text appears to have a cut-off here, but the translation follows the provided text), he wasn't very suitable for acting in mainstream-themed dramas.

His talent for acting wasn't that high either, and he lacked the "star aura" that Li Zhibai and Ma Zhiyuan had. He could act well, but it wasn't brilliant. Therefore, when Zhou Ping'an picked dramas for Yan Liang, he leaned towards those with more complex characters and more tension in the plot itself, using the script and the color of the characters to give Yan Liang greater appeal.

Both "The Gold Rush" and "The Summit" belonged to this type of drama.

The former had a special theme, and the story itself was attractive. Any character appearing in this story would be endowed with charm by this story, which already had a legendary color.

The latter was purely about an outstanding character setting, just like the crazy rich second generation Li Zhibai played in "Accompany You to the End of the World."

Yan Liang's advantage in acting was that his basic skills were all there; no matter what role he played, he wouldn't make people feel it was too bad or feel he was breaking character. Therefore, Zhou Ping'an dared to pick roles with extreme character settings for him.

With both Yan Liang and Li Zhibai not in Yuming, Lu Yan He returned to Huiziyuanqiao less often.

He himself wasn't in a crew right now, and his public schedule was sparse, so he didn't need to leave early and return late.

Like this week, Lu Yan He only had one public schedule: to attend the Honghe Awards.

Being nominated for "Seventeen Layers" was already a surprise; winning the award was out of the question, so Lu Yan He's mindset was very relaxed.

At this year's Honghe Awards, the Best Actor award went to the talented actor Wen Ding, and the Best Actress award went to Lu Sui.

Lu Sui was so excited on stage that she was moved to tears.

Lu Yan He remembered that almost two years ago, also at the Honghe Awards, Xu Yiren won Best Actress. Lu Sui was also nominated that year but was defeated. Her expression was so ugly that she didn't have time to hide it, and it was captured by the camera; everyone saw it.

Now, it could be considered that she had achieved her wish.

Lu Yan He attended the awards ceremony with a relaxed mindset and returned to school.

This semester's classes were not as numerous as the last, so he didn't need to rush to classes, rush to finish homework, or write papers in such a hurry and tension every day.

Writing a paper was actually a physical task because it required checking many documents and materials. Although Zhenhua didn't require them to publish papers, the requirements for papers were strictly in accordance with publication requirements.

Many university course assignments were generally just written, handed in, and the teachers would give a score, archive it, and use it as part of the daily grade when calculating the comprehensive grade for the course later. But at Zhenhua, it wasn't as simple as handing it in for a teacher to give a score.

After reading your assignment, many teachers at Zhenhua were very likely to send you an email, make an appointment with you to communicate and discuss in their office, or even ask you to rewrite and revise it.

Lu Yan He often received such emails.

The teachers didn't lower their requirements for him because of his celebrity status.

This time, upon returning to school, he found an email from Professor Zhao Dezhong in his inbox.

Ever since that time he fainted at home and was discovered by Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi and sent to the hospital, Professor Zhao Dezhong had been recuperating and had asked for leave from the academy; no classes were scheduled for him this semester.

Lu Yan He had visited Professor Zhao several times afterward, especially after he agreed to write a column for the supplement of "Jump Up," and Chen Siqi also visited him often.

Lu Yan He was even puzzled: why did Professor Zhao Dezhong suddenly send him an email? There were no classes of his this semester.

Opening the email, Lu Yan He was surprised to find that it was a book list he had sent.

Zhao Dezhong suddenly giving him a book list left Lu Yan He stunned.

Huh?

Zhao Dezhong said: Last time you told me that your consideration not to pursue a master's degree was out of consideration for your practical work, and that you didn't want to follow the path of academia, but just liked reading books yourself. This is a book list I've prepared for you. You can take a look when you have time. They are all introductory books to our ancient literary works; perhaps you will be interested.

Lu Yan He replied with a flattered "Thank you."

Lu Yan He couldn't figure out why Zhao Dezhong would do this.

However, since it was a book list carefully prepared for him, Lu Yan He thought about it and still placed an order for all these books on the list online at the first opportunity.

He thought for a moment, then opened the "Xueyou" app, logged into his account, and posted a new update:

A teacher at school gave me a book list with eight books. It's not a course assignment, just out of interest. Thinking about it, I often see people saying they can't get into reading books, often finishing their phone scrolling and feeling like they've wasted time. Although I don't quite agree with this statement—after all, I always feel that people should live in a way that makes them happy, even if it's a way that others see as wasting time—if you are interested, you can participate in my whim of a reading plan. Let's read these eight books together, share reading progress, share excerpts, and share reading feelings. It's just reading; don't force yourself to finish every book, just find what you like and keep reading.

Afterward, he attached the book list Professor Zhao Dezhong had given him.

As the spokesperson for the "Xueyou" app, Lu Yan He had been recommending books he had read and movies and television dramas he had watched on this app from time to time over the past three years.

This was mainly an app that focused on the concept of a "learning social network," with students as the main users, and younger white-collar workers as a small portion of the customers.

But initiating a reading plan on the app like this was still rare because Lu Yan He wasn't the type of person who liked to drag others to read together—

Not everyone likes reading. For some, it's a pleasure, but for others, it's as tasteless as chewing wax. Apart from required reading and necessary knowledge, there's no need to force oneself to love reading.

But now, a good thing had happened with Lu Yan He's idea. Reading is ultimately a good thing. If it's a good thing, then no matter what the method, being able to read a little more in the end is also a good thing. Anyway, no one is locking people in a dark room to read, tying their hands and feet to force them to read. If you really can't read on, no one is really forcing you.

Lu Yan He released this reading plan, which left the person in charge of the "Xueyou" app stunned for a moment.

Lu Yan He hadn't greeted them in advance about this activity, nor was it an activity they had actively planned. This activity suddenly popped up, and it was only after many users signed up to participate that they saw it.

"The straight-A student Lu Yan He is back again."

"How many people do you think will join his reading plan?"

"It would be good if ten thousand people signed up. Of course, those who can really follow him to finish these eight books in the end are probably one in a hundred, or even one in a thousand."

"Why did Lu Yan He suddenly have the whim to come up with such a reading plan?"

"It's probably related to the subsequent actions of their 'Jump Up.' I saw that 'Jump Up' released news saying that they will attach a supplement in the next six issues, inviting authoritative scholars from various fields in the country to write columns."

"What kind of supplement is this?"

"I don't know about others, but the name of the supplement is 'China in Culture,' and one of the people opening a column in the supplement is Professor Zhao Dezhong from Zhenhua University."

China in Culture?

Lu Yan He was a bit shocked; he didn't expect Chen Siqi to take such a big name for this supplement.

Chen Siqi, however, said: "Let's be clickbait for once. To make this supplement known to everyone and heard by everyone, the name has to be loud. Our supplement itself is also about literature, philosophy, history, economics, law... how is it not China in culture? Everything we talk about is our own culture."

Lu Yan He clicked his tongue in wonder, "Awesome."

Chen Siqi: "On the contrary, it's you, suddenly doing some reading activity on the Xueyou app, making everyone think you are building momentum for our supplement."

"Pure coincidence," Lu Yan He laughed.

Chen Siqi: "Coincidence or not, it's already been said by others anyway. It doesn't matter; it did indeed build momentum for us. You are the editor-in-chief of 'Jump Up' anyway, so it's normal to build momentum."

Lu Yan He curled his lips.

"Siqi, regarding this supplement of yours, I actually have another idea."

"What idea?" Chen Siqi asked.

Lu Yan He said: "This supplement invited six experts and scholars to do six themes to write six issues of columns. This is in text form. Have you considered making it into a video?"

"Video?"

"Actually, it's a program, a cultural-type program," Lu Yan He said, "Each issue's manuscript is about three to four thousand words. If they appear on camera to talk about it, it will be just about twenty minutes, neither long nor short. Just as you said before, it's convenient for office workers to finish watching an issue on the subway."

"The supplement is called 'China in Culture.' This name is very big, but if you make it into a whole series, each teacher will record six issues for one theme, from astronomy and geography to literature, history, and economics," Lu Yan He said, "Text, audio, video, etc., producing these contents in multiple forms can sweep up all potential people interested in these contents as soon as possible."

Chen Siqi took a deep breath.

"This is truly amazing."

"What's amazing?" Lu Yan He was stunned.

Chen Siqi said: "Zixing-jie just called me an hour ago, and what she said to you is almost exactly the same. She also said that this column can be synchronized into a video program."

Lu Yan He revealed a look of surprise.

He didn't expect Xin Zixing to have thought of this point first.

Lu Yan He had experienced a series of cultural programs from "Lecture Room" to knowledge payment, which is why he thought of this point.

Xin Zixing, however, relied on her own keenness to propose it even earlier than Lu Yan He.

"You mean, Lu Yan He wants to make a cultural program?"

Zheng Huairen looked at Jiang Zixin with some astonishment.

Jiang Zixin nodded and said: "To be precise, it was Chen Siqi and Xin Zixing who did it together, but it just so happens that Lu Yan He also proposed the same idea."

"Is it using the column content of their 'Jump Up' supplement to do it?"

"Yes," Jiang Zixin nodded again, "Asking if we are interested."

Zheng Huairen asked: "What do you think of their idea for this program?"

Jiang Zixin took a deep breath before saying: "To be honest, I can't judge. If we look at the content and form of this program alone, I think inviting some experts and scholars to talk about things in their professional knowledge fields won't have many viewers. After all, CCTV has done quite a few similar programs, talking about popular science and humanities and history, but not many people watch them. However, their form this time seems different. From the few topics they mentioned to me, I actually really want to see what they are talking about."

Zheng Huairen: "What topics?"

"For example, Professor Zhao Dezhong from Zhenhua University. The theme he is preparing to do is 'Uncovering the Past and Present of the Five Master and Disciples in Journey to the West.' This topic is very much like those titles deliberately created by marketing accounts to create gimmicks. Basically, all Chinese people know the story of 'Journey to the West.' Seeing this topic, they will more or less be a little interested," Jiang Zixin said.

"Yes, that's true," Zheng Huairen nodded.

Jiang Zixin saw that Zheng Huairen's attitude was still relatively positive, so she continued: "Moreover, this program, like 'Confession on the High Platform,' has a relatively low production cost."

Zheng Huairen nodded, "Make an appointment, let's all sit together and discuss it."

"Each expert and scholar chooses a topic, prepares five to eight issues of content according to twenty minutes per issue, and finishes recording in one to two days."

A few days later, Xin Zixing sat in the conference room and introduced her ideas for this program to everyone.

"The filming team can be left to us, or it can be left to your own team at Beijiguang Video, but the program recording site and the audience will be the responsibility of our team," Xin Zixing said, "We will cooperate with the Youth Association of Zhenhua University to make it into the form of a lecture, inviting students from various universities to sit in the audience to create the atmosphere of an academic lecture, but it must be more relaxed than a real academic lecture."

"For this program of ours, the requirements and difficulties in other aspects are not high. Having the most basic filming team is enough to film it," Xin Zixing said, "At the same time, the supplement of 'Jump Up' will also synchronize the promotion of this program."

Zheng Huairen said: "Such a program, without the participation of any celebrity artists, is very difficult to attract everyone's attention."

Lu Yan He said: "It's not that this program is difficult to attract everyone's attention, but that our program production industry doesn't quite know how to promote this type of program."

Chen Siqi smiled slightly at Zheng Huairen: "Zheng Zong, when it comes to promotion and sales, our Jump Up team is professional."

Zheng Huairen really couldn't refute this for a moment.

After all, the few people in front of him were the ones who had many times turned things that others thought were impossible to do into reality.

"We can have two ways of cooperation. The first is that the program is entirely produced by us, and you are responsible for buying the copyright and putting it on your platform for exclusive broadcast. The second is that we do it together and develop it jointly," Xin Zixing said, "Actually, if our team wasn't too small and short-handed, we could completely do this kind of program ourselves. Yan He said he has a cooperation with you, so out of consideration for our practical shortage of manpower, we came to you first. If you are not very optimistic about the prospects of this program, it doesn't matter; we will go and talk to other platforms."

Zheng Huairen immediately made a "stop" gesture.

Are you kidding? If this program had a high production cost and high risk, he would still hesitate. For a program with such a low production cost as this, he could take risks casually. How could he be willing to let Lu Yan He go and talk to other platforms?

"I'm just thinking, what kind of effect can this program actually achieve when it's made?" Zheng Huairen smiled.

Lu Yan He looked at Zheng Huairen and said: "It's possible to have the effect of a big hit, Zheng Zong."

Zheng Huairen looked at Lu Yan He suspiciously, unable to react for a moment whether Lu Yan He was joking or really thought so.

Whether this program can become a hit, Lu Yan He didn't know, but Lu Yan He knew that this program definitely had an audience market.

Therefore, Lu Yan He felt that let's do it well. Try it first. Whether it's Xin Zixing or Chen Siqi, they are all people with great ability to do things well.

"If we want to synchronize recording into a program, then the serialization method of our supplement content must be changed."

After talking with the people at Beijiguang Video, Chen Siqi said: "Before, I thought about six teachers opening six columns at the same time, and each issue of the supplement would publish one article. But now, our program certainly cannot be updated for the first issue, wait a month, and then update the second issue. I have to go and discuss with the editorial team how to handle the content of this supplement."

"Actually, it's fine according to your original plan," Xin Zixing said, "This program certainly needs some time from recording to finishing post-production and then going online, including sending it for review and advertising investment, which haven't been done yet. No need to be so hurried; make the program more leisurely, and the quality will be higher."

"Is that so?" Chen Siqi heard this, "I thought you could make this program next month or the month after."

Xin Zixing: "Fast is certainly possible, but the teachers' manuscripts probably haven't been written yet. Even if we want to be fast, we still have to wait for the manuscripts to be able to film."

Lu Yan He said: "That's true."

Xin Zixing said: "In addition, the news that Ziyan-jie's company is preparing to customize programs for washed-up artists has spread, and many people are inquiring about these things."

Lu Yan He nodded and said: "Let's see what kind of clients come to sign with us, and then we'll discuss what kind of program to make."

"Hmm," Xin Zixing looked at Lu Yan He with great jealousy.

"Why? Zixing-jie, why are you looking at me like this?"

"I just want to know why you have so many ideas in your head," Xin Zixing said, "And every idea is so interesting."

"Actually, it's okay," Lu Yan He said, "The program 'China in Culture,' didn't you also think of it?"

"I just felt that we could make the best use of everything. The experts you found are all very famous people in the industry, and they are writing columns in a magazine way, which inevitably means that the content of this column is understandable and interesting to most ordinary people. So, with such good content, making it into a cultural-type program, can't more people watch it?" Xin Zixing said.

Her tone was full of taking it for granted, as if being able to think of these things was no big deal.

Lu Yan He smiled.

True geniuses seem to be unaware that they are geniuses.

But in the program production industry, nothing is more important than a keen heart.

Creativity is the most valuable thing. This creativity doesn't mean you have to come up with something that no one has ever come up with before. If you have a pair of eyes that can keenly discover market demand while there is no corresponding product on the market, then you can also make a creative program.

Placed on a university campus, it's a common lecture. Appearing on a television screen, it becomes "Lecture Room," the first cultural program to eat crab.

Same meaning.

"What? 'China in Culture'?"

Xu Bin heard about Lu Yan He's recent new moves from Hu Siwei and revealed an unbelievable expression, "Why did he start making programs again? Is he going to become a producer?"

Hu Siwei smiled and said: "Actually, he has already made several programs. Like the previous 'City Travel Notes' on the Ye Mai network, although he is not the producer in name, this program could be made because it couldn't be separated from him. Last summer, wasn't there a 'Confession on the High Platform' that was very popular? Later, Beijiguang Video also made it into a program, and it has been airing."

Xu Bin said: "These are all very ordinary programs, right? They weren't that popular."

"Indeed, they can't be compared with those S-level hit variety shows, but their rate of return even exceeds many hit variety shows," Hu Siwei said, "Moreover, this time, the theme of 'China in Culture' is very suitable for the positioning of our Jingtai. Didn't they pull us into a meeting a while ago to build programs around improving cultural influence?"

Xu Bin said: "I just heard you say that their program is actually just inviting a few university teachers to the studio to give lectures. There is no novelty, and besides, how many viewers can like to listen to this kind of content? Lu Yan He himself is a university student, thinking that everyone likes to listen to this kind of thing. Go to the street and see, how many people are still reading books now?"

Hu Siwei listened to these words from Xu Bin and didn't know what to say for a moment.

He hesitated for a moment and said: "Xu Tai, I feel that this program, it definitely has an audience, and it can complete the station's tasks. If we can buy it and broadcast it on the TV station, maybe there will be unexpected effects."

"Moreover, it can also ease our relationship with Lu Yan He."

"How can it be eased? He has already mixed with Jiang Lan, and he refuses to come back to continue acting in 'Friends'."

"But we can cooperate with him on new projects," Hu Siwei said.

Xu Bin frowned, thought for a moment, and waved his hand.

"Cooperate on what? Several times before, I spoke nicely to him and apologized, but he didn't even bother to pay attention. Do we have to have him? Is it that without him in this entertainment industry, others will die?" Xu Bin said, "This person has such a big temper, who knows what kind of trouble he will cause later."

Hu Siwei's heart felt like it had been blown by the winter wind, cold and icy.

A heart full of enthusiasm was extinguished.

He didn't expect that Xu Bin actually didn't want to cooperate with Lu Yan He anymore.

Xu Bin suddenly remembered something, "Before, when he brought that Tang Mu White over, he also asked you to go and have a meal with Tang Mu White. Did he say anything else to you? Does he want to return to 'Friends'?"

"No, he has already said in front of the media that he will absolutely not come back, so how could he come back?" Hu Siwei sighed in his heart.

Xu Bin: "I haven't even settled the score with him for digging Bai Jingnian away with Beijiguang. Don't get involved in any relationship with him in the future, or I'll be the scapegoat again."

Hu Siwei was silent.

The reason he was silent was because he was in pain. When Lu Yan He was doing the "Seventeen Layers" project with him, he was the one who invited Lu Yan He to "Friends." This drama could have become a story of "discerning talent" in both of their acting careers, but now it has instead become an existence that cannot be mentioned and needs to be avoided.

Hu Siwei sincerely hoped to reconcile with Lu Yan He. Even if they couldn't continue to cooperate on "Friends," they could still cooperate on other projects together.

However, things went contrary to his wishes.

It seems that not everyone has the same thoughts as him.

That night, at 8:30, Hu Siwei drove out of Jingtai, avoided the evening rush hour, and arrived at the "White Sail Bistro" smoothly without any traffic jams.

Bai Jingnian was already waiting for him in the booth.

"Oh, you finally came." Bai Jingnian stood up, hugged him, and patted his shoulder, "Why did you get off work so late today? The drama has already finished airing."

"Communicating with the screenwriter about the script, the meeting didn't end until 8:20," Hu Siwei sighed, "You ran away, so all these things were thrown to me."

Bai Jingnian smiled and waved his hand.

"Looking at it now, the choice to leave at the beginning was still right," he shook his head listlessly, "Regarding the Honghe Awards incident, I only have two words: chilling."

Hu Siwei was silent, because he really didn't know what to say.

Regarding Bai Jingnian's departure and the Honghe Awards incident, as Xu Bin's direct subordinate and Bai Jingnian's long-time friend, being caught in the middle was actually very difficult and painful.

Hu Siwei certainly tried to get this matter properly resolved, but in the end, there was no way.

Even if he knew how capable and talented Bai Jingnian was as a director, and that he was in the first tier, the leaders in the station just didn't recognize it, and no matter what he said, it was useless.

People often have a stubbornness about their own judgments that is as deep-rooted as old conventions.

"If he really had the ability, why would it take until he encountered the drama 'Friends' to finally have a drama with good word-of-mouth? Look at what kind of dramas he filmed before."

Hu Siwei felt aggrieved for Bai Jingnian in his heart. What kind of dramas did he film? Weren't those all trash dramas you forced on him? Everyone could point fingers, and any important role was arranged by the leaders. Advertising slogans could be forcefully inserted into the plot and dialogue. How could such a drama not be trash? As a director without any background or right to speak, what could he do?

However, Bai Jingnian didn't say these words himself, so Hu Siwei had even less courage to stand up for him. Bai Jingnian left decisively, and Hu Siwei could only bless him in his heart.

"Beijiguang Video is willing to sign a contract with me under such generous conditions. Apart from the results of 'Friends,' it is mainly because of the drama 'My Own Swordsman.' They need to find a suitable director to direct it. It was Yan He who told them that he had looked for me, but was rejected by Jingtai, which is why Beijiguang had the idea," Bai Jingnian smiled, "It's a good thing. I've been at Jingtai for more than twenty years, and now I've finally come out. I can see a new world and new scenery."

Hu Siwei: "I envy you."

Bai Jingnian smiled, "What's there to envy? Risks also coexist."

"With your ability, Lu Yan He's script, and the investment that Beijiguang values so much, 'My Own Swordsman' won't be bad, unlike 'Friends,' damn it—" After Hu Siwei cursed this dirty word, he was stunned himself, and then laughed in anger.

"I heard that you are going to arrange a lead role for Zhang Lan in the third season?"

"Yes," Hu Siwei nodded, and as he nodded, he sighed, "I'm happy to see Zhang Lan replace Chen Ziliang as the lead in the third season. Chen Ziliang's acting is really unwatchable, and the later editing couldn't even cut it well. However, Zhang Lan is too self-centered. She has already raised opinions on the script twice, and she is dissatisfied no matter what, refusing to sign the contract."

"Why must you find her to act?" Bai Jingnian asked, "Can't Yan Liang and the others who were in the first season continue this story?"

"What's there to ask? Why did they have to add a new character like Chen Ziliang at the beginning? Now it's the same."

"Haven't you learned the lesson of bringing Chen Ziliang over to act in the second season yet?"

"We learned it," they felt that the person was found wrong, so they found Zhang Lan. They felt that Zhang Lan was the luckiest actress in recent years," Hu Siwei shook his head, "Zhang Lan's luck can bless the third season of 'Friends'."

Bai Jingnian was plunged into a state of speechlessness.

"Luck? Bless?"

"Hmm, you didn't hear it wrong. They are even starting to care about these things now."

Hu Siwei didn't realize that in his speechless expression, there was also a calm disappointment that he himself didn't realize.

Bai Jingnian smiled sarcastically, "It's really fucking bullshit. Fortunately, I left."

"'My Own Swordsman' will start filming in May. You two remember to leave me a schedule to make a cameo appearance."

In a video call with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, Lu Yan He instructed.

"Okay," both of them made an OK gesture.

Li Zhibai: "It's rare that both of us are filming outside, but you haven't joined a crew. You've been resting for two months, right? I'm envious."

"What rest? I've been busy all along," Lu Yan He said speechlessly, "Very busy."

"Are you two both on set?" Lu Yan He asked again.

Yan Liang shook his head: "I'm at the hotel. There must be no signal on set. It's rare to have a day off today; there's no scene for me."

Lu Yan He asked: "How is your drama filming? When will it be finished?"

"There's still more than a month left. It's estimated that it won't be finished until the end of April. If it drags on, it might not even be finished until May," Yan Liang said, "The director insists on filming on location. Being in a foreign country, we always encounter problems, and many problems cannot be solved for a while, which always delays time."

"Be careful. I heard that it's very chaotic over there, and some people are even bold enough to commit kidnapping," Li Zhibai said.

"It's not that bad, it's not that bad. The crew is still reliable," Yan Liang said, "We have bodyguards following us when we go out."

Lu Yan He: "You have to be even more careful when filming in the mountains. In the deep mountains and old forests, you can't go to the hospital immediately if an accident happens."

"Hmm," Yan Liang nodded, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"What about you? Li Zhibai, you're filming 'Moonlight Symphony,' why haven't I heard you mention the crew?"

"Nothing to say. Just filming normally, finishing work, occasionally having a meal and a drink with other little brothers in the crew," Li Zhibai said, "However, after changing agents, I feel my ears are much more relaxed. Finally, there isn't someone chattering at me every few days. He has a soft spot for that idiot Ma Zhiyuan. I heard that he wanted to give Ma Zhiyuan a drama before, but Ma Zhiyuan refused to act because it was a second male lead. Zhou Ping'an was so angry his face turned green."

"Hmm?" Yan Liang was stunned, "He recently picked a drama for me, a second male lead drama. It wouldn't be this one, would it?"

"What the hell?" Li Zhibai's eyes widened immediately, "He gave you the role that Ma Zhiyuan refused to play? This shameless dog!"

Yan Liang: "It might not necessarily be the same drama."

"Based on my understanding of Zhou Ping'an, it's highly likely to be the same drama," Li Zhibai said, "Really shameless, this person."

Lu Yan He saw that Yan Liang's face was not looking good, and immediately said: "Actually, if the role is good and the script is good, then it's Ma Zhiyuan's loss if he doesn't act. As long as Yan Liang acts well, there will be plenty of opportunities for Ma Zhiyuan to regret it later. Didn't you also say? Zhou Ping'an's eye for picking dramas is still very vicious."

Yan Liang's expression softened slightly, nodded, and said: "Old Lu is right. As long as the script is good and the role is good, it doesn't matter if Ma Zhiyuan doesn't want it. It's his loss."

Li Zhibai nodded, "Anyway, Yan Liang, keep an eye on things yourself and don't let them pit you, especially this guy Zhou Ping'an. His favoritism comes with his genes and is grown in his bones. You must not let him give the opportunity that originally belonged to you to Ma Zhiyuan. If this really happens, tell us, and we'll help you scold him to death."

Yan Liang smiled.

Lu Yan He: "At worst, we'll just fire at him on Weibo. Anyway, neither Li Zhibai nor I owe him anything."

"Owe him? Owe him a damn thing. We've done everything we could for him," Li Zhibai snorted.

"Sigh, you two are not in Yuming for these two months. I basically live at school and haven't returned to Huiziyuanqiao."

"You won't be missing us so much that you can't sleep after not seeing us, right?" Li Zhibai chuckled.

"You're really sleazy," Lu Yan He immediately said with disgust.

Li Zhibai: "Tsk tsk, saying one thing and meaning another."