Chapter 421: Han

After Lu Yan He returned from visiting the set of *Squid Game*, he went to Aurora Video and signed an authorization contract with them. The contract concerned authorizing Aurora Video to produce a spin-off program based on the worldview of the film and television series *Squid Game*.

Just like *Confession on the High Platform*, it was still a model of authorization fee and revenue sharing.

Whether it was *Confession on the High Platform* or this program, they both belonged to the category of variety shows that cost the least to produce.

Because there were no stars. The former relied on its format, while the latter relied on riding the coattails of *Squid Game*'s popularity.

Chen Ziyan said, "This format is actually quite good."

She said with a smile, "I reckon other production crews will be very envious of you, perhaps even jealous."

"Huh? Why?" Lu Yan He asked.

Chen Ziyan said, "Because your work, before it has even aired, or even before it has started filming, has already become an IP that everyone is scrambling to collaborate with. From the Tongfu Inn in *My Own Swordsman* to this *Squid Game* spin-off, looking at all this, I feel that many things might open up a new landscape for film and television production in the future."

Lu Yan He asked, "Does 'new landscape' refer to this kind of multi-format development?"

"Yes," Chen Ziyan said. "If these are successful and make money, others will definitely follow suit. Isn't it the case now that some hit dramas will get the actors together to make spin-off variety shows? Of course, it's different from *Squid Game*; they don't use the worldview from the show, they just get the leads together to record a program, talk about their feelings, chat, a slow-paced variety show, to attract drama fans to watch."

There are more and more ways of playing the game now. These methods are dazzling; some people like them, and some people don't.

However, for this *Squid Game* live-action reality game spin-off, if someone likes the show, they should still be interested, right?

At the end of March, Zhong Benshuo from Maxine suddenly contacted Lu Yan He, saying that he wanted to hold a fan meeting for Lu Yan He in Japan and South Korea to further promote the hit shows *Friends* and *Seventeen Layers* on Maxine's Asian platform.

These two shows had been in the top ten of Maxine's Asian viewership rankings for two months, their popularity remaining high, and many people loved watching them.

Especially in Japan and South Korea, the level of affection for *Seventeen Layers* exceeded Zhong Benshuo's imagination.

As the lead actor, Lu Yan He's popularity in Japan and South Korea was also gradually climbing.

Therefore, Zhong Benshuo had the idea of planning such an event.

If Lu Yan He held fan meetings in Japan and South Korea, it would be a form of feedback to the local drama fans. On the other hand, this event itself could also generate a lot of attention, attracting viewers who hadn't watched these two shows yet, feeding back into the shows.

For this event, Lu Yan He was of course not working for free. Maxine provided him with a generous service fee.

Chen Ziyan said, "Participating in this kind of activity over there is good. On one hand, it can consolidate your popularity in those two countries; on the other hand, it is also proof of your international influence. Actually, quite a few Chinese stars are quite famous in Japan and South Korea, and they are also major countries in the world film market. If you can establish the impression that you also have appeal and influence in Japan and South Korea, it will be of great benefit to you."

Lu Yan He himself also knew that his current fame and influence were still mainly concentrated domestically.

It just so happened that in March, he didn't have to join a production crew, and he didn't have many classes, so he agreed to it.

What Lu Yan He didn't expect was that the local distributors of the two films *Late Spring* and *Sanshan* heard that Lu Yan He was going over, and they also came to communicate with Chen Ziyan, wanting to hold a viewing event together.

*Late Spring* and *Sanshan* had both been released in Japan and South Korea, with average theatrical box office, only a little over ten thousand US dollars each, quiet and unnoticed, but these two films had caused quite a stir in these two places when they were on streaming media.

Especially the film *Late Spring*; many Korean stars shared the poster of this film on their social media platforms, sharing their thoughts on watching it.

Sure enough, this kind of film cloaked in the melodramatic coat of adolescence was easier to resonate with people.

Seeing this, Chen Ziyan discussed with Lu Yan He, saying, "Why don't we just hold a tour of your works in South Korea and Japan?"

Lu Yan He shook his head quickly, "How old am I, and I'm already starting a tour of my works."

Chen Ziyan said, "You aren't old, but you have quite a few works. *Phoenix Terrace* is also quite popular in South Korea. When your character's arc ended, it even made it onto the Korean hot search."

Lu Yan He: "It just feels weird."

"Holding a tour of works isn't appropriate either, after all, some are TV dramas, some are films, and there isn't a proper film festival or similar event to do this."

Chen Ziyan thought for a moment and said, "Let's forget it then."

Lu Yan He breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, with your achievements, sooner or later you will have to hold retrospective exhibitions of your works in various places," Chen Ziyan said. "You'd better toughen up your skin a bit more."

Lu Yan He: "Usually, those who hold such exhibitions are people who have achieved success and fame. Where am I even at?"

"Don't say that. With the depth of your current works, even if you don't film for the next ten years, when the time comes, you will still be successful and famous."

The news that Lu Yan He was going to hold fan meetings in Japan and South Korea was released by Maxine.

Official account.

This was also the first time Maxine had held a fan meeting exclusively for a Chinese actor in other countries.

Chen Ziyan struggled for a while about whether to market this point. After all, in the current public opinion environment, this kind of unique treatment always receives a lot of attention, and in many people's hearts, this is also a symbol of status.

In the circle of fame and fortune, it seems everything can be linked to the word status.

However, after struggling for a while, Chen Ziyan decided to drop the idea. Because Lu Yan He would be carrying out further cooperation with HP later, it was not appropriate to form an impression in the public domain that Lu Yan He was deeply tied to Maxine or that Maxine was very good to Lu Yan He. This would affect the attitude of other overseas streaming media towards Lu Yan He.

After Lu Yan He had carried out cooperation with several streaming media, it would be fine to do publicity in this regard.

But for this kind of thing, even if Chen Ziyan didn't say it herself, someone would still notice.

A familiar media reporter called and asked Chen Ziyan: Does Lu Yan He's trip to South Korea and Japan to hold fan meetings mean that there will be further cooperation with Maxine?

It can only be said that some reporters have more sensitive and developed radars. It's just that, this time, it really wasn't.

Chen Ziyan said, "No, the reason for this event is that *Seventeen Layers* and *Friends*, which Yan He starred in, are quite popular in Japan and South Korea. Maxine organized this event to give a benefit to the fans of these two shows."

"*Seventeen Layers* and *Friends* are hit shows in Asia, Lu Yan He's overseas popularity is high, Maxine holds a special fan meeting in Japan and South Korea for him!"

A very long and exaggerated headline came out just like that.

This event also made it onto the hot search along with it.

At this time, many people realized that *Seventeen Layers* and *Friends* were also quite popular overseas.

Lu Yan He originally thought that this trip to Japan and South Korea would be relatively relaxed, because it was really just a fan meeting, a venue for hundreds of people, where he would share on stage and then sign posters for the fans who attended.

It was the same as idols holding fan meetings.

But things didn't seem that simple. After the news of this fan meeting went out, some media in Japan and South Korea immediately contacted Lu Yan He's team through various channels. Some media wanted to book interviews, and there were other parties who wanted to cooperate with Lu Yan He.

Even the "Ransen Convenience Store" he endorsed asked if he could take the opportunity to attend a celebration event there.

Ransen Convenience Store had stores in both Japan and South Korea, but not as many as in China, where there were dozens or hundreds of chains in one city.

With the itinerary arranged here and there, it was really not easy.

Chen Ziyan said, "The Korean Film Association heard you were going over and also came to ask if you could spare some time to do a sharing and exchange session?"

Lu Yan He looked at Chen Ziyan in surprise.

"Huh?"

Lu Yan He's trip could be described by the four words "moving with the wind" regarding the reactions around him.

Chen Ziyan said, "Since *Friends* started airing, your popularity has boarded a speedboat, shooting out at an exaggerated speed. It's mainly because your four films last year were hits one after another, and the influence just stacked up like this."

Lu Yan He knew he was very popular in China over the past year, but how could it be so overseas?

He knew very well that without a powerful star-making industrial chain like Hollywood, it was almost impossible for Lu Yan He to gain high fame and popularity overseas. Overnight fame could easily be a flash in the pan; there were too many such examples.

Including before Lu Yan He transmigrated, he had seen many such examples.

At that time, the Thai films *Crazy Little Thing Called Love* and *Bad Genius* were very popular in China, however, the lead actors also flashed like meteors and immediately disappeared.

Those who can stay popular in China are stars who rely on powerful industries, have continuous works coming out, and make their names appear in the media every few days, such as Tang Mu Cruise, such as Song Hye-kyo.

Lu Yan He was thinking, how long could his current popularity in Japan and South Korea last?

In two or three years, how many people would remember him, this Chinese actor?

Holding this mindset, Lu Yan He didn't have high expectations for this event. He treated it as a job to be done well, and then, kept a calm mindset.

The first stop was South Korea.

Lu Yan He first became a bit famous in South Korea and started having fans because of the drama *Phoenix Terrace*. Although Lu Yan He played a supporting role, because of the extremity of the character setting and the sad ending, he was very popular on the Korean internet.

It was not his first time coming to South Korea.

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Before, he complained that the food here didn't taste good, so this time he specially brought some instant noodles and bibimbap sauce for himself. Of course, he didn't bring much, because he still quite liked eating Japanese food; the Japanese actually made food much better.

This time he came here to hold a fan meeting.

Maxine's Zhong Benshuo accompanied him throughout, and Lu Yan He's team also had Chen Ziyan, Zou Dong, Wang Biao, and Lin Yu.

The reason Lin Yu was also there was because Chen Siqi had now handed over all the overseas and film-related business of *Jump Up* to her. Therefore, whenever it involved going overseas to deal with people and get to know some people, Chen Siqi would let Lin Yu go along.

As soon as the plane landed, Zhong Benshuo said very sincerely to Lu Yan He, "You will know how popular you are in South Korea once you get here."

Lu Yan He was stunned. When he walked out of the airport's VIP channel, he understood what Zhong Benshuo meant. At the exit of the VIP channel, there were actually dozens, nearly a hundred people, holding light boards and cheering sticks, although some were in Korean, there was also Chinese, and the Chinese was the three characters "Lu Yan He". This situation was not unfamiliar; one look and he knew that fans had come to pick him up at the airport.

He looked at the scene in front of him with some surprise, and for a moment showed an unbelievable expression.

Chen Ziyan also said in his ear, "Didn't expect your popularity overseas to be so high, right?"

Lu Yan He: "I really didn't expect it."

"This is the power of a hit show. In this era of streaming media, a show has the power of a film in the past, allowing an actor to become famous overnight and go global," Chen Ziyan said. "So, it is very necessary to have a good relationship with streaming media."

Lu Yan He said, "Hmm, but I really hope that Chinese streaming media will rise in the future. Those who don't have channels and don't master distribution can only rely on others to survive forever."

Chen Ziyan asked, "It is very difficult to build a streaming media company from scratch. Now, to build any new thing, it basically relies on a large group that has already become a big tree to succeed. This is not the era of pioneering. Therefore, for China to build its own streaming media, I don't think it's anything else. As long as you can let those video platforms in our country see that Chinese dramas can also make big money overseas, just like a film with billions in box office appears, believe me, without anyone saying anything, their desire to make money will expand the company's development overseas. The so-called expansion now is actually just drooling while looking at a piece of cake, so they reach out their tentacles to test it, but they actually never thought they could take a big bite. If they saw hope, it wouldn't be tentacles; they would reach out their claws to grab the cake."

Chen Ziyan's words were actually very tactful.

—It's not just that Westerners think Chinese dramas cannot be popular outside of mainland China; even the Chinese themselves don't have this confidence.

No matter what is said, actual actions are the true mirror reflecting the inner thoughts of a person or a subject.

Lu Yan He took photos with the fans at the scene, signed autographs for them, and briefly accepted a few media interviews—the other party's English was not very good, and they needed Maxine's accompanying translator to translate Lu Yan He's words into Korean.

Starting from the airport pickup, Maxine's arrangements were indeed meticulous.

The standards for food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all very high.

Chen Ziyan was laughing, saying, "Zhong Benshuo has really put in a lot of effort for you. You invited Tang Mu White to China, and he invited you to South Korea. He is determined to cooperate with you."

Lu Yan He was a bit puzzled: "Does he value me so much?"

"Maybe he didn't value you so much before, but Tang Mu White's attitude must have influenced his, especially since HP spent seven figures to buy *Night Run*. Tang Mu White's attitude and behavior can be smoke bombs, but real money is not," Chen Ziyan explained to Lu Yan He.

Lu Yan He suddenly realized.

So that was it.

He said why Zhong Benshuo suddenly made it such a high specification.

"There is one more thing. Over the past year, the works you starred in have been shortlisted for Xitu'er, Venice, and Bikalo one after another, and the influence of each work is not small, causing great attention internationally. This is also a big bargaining chip you have—no one knows when you will become an international Best Actor," Chen Ziyan said. "Don't look at this statement as very empty. Someone like Zhong Benshuo, who holds a high position in Maxine but is not in a decisive position, will inevitably do one thing."

"What thing?"

"Increase his own bargaining chips, and then increase his own right to speak in Maxine," Chen Ziyan said. "He also wants to move up, wants a promotion. He not only has to compete with people from other streaming media like HP, but he also has to compete with people inside Maxine. He definitely wants to befriend an actor like you who has already become a top actor in China and has a strong upward momentum internationally, and it's not just a normal friendship."

Lu Yan He understood. Actually, what Chen Ziyan said, he had thought about it sporadically before, but it had never been said as clearly as Chen Ziyan did; he just had such a vague feeling.

To say that Lu Yan He now, actually, the awards he has properly received are three: one Best Supporting Actor from *Golden Age*, and two Best Supporting Actors from *Sanshan*.

Such awards are not enough to say that he is firmly in the super first-tier position in the country.

And everyone now treats him as a super first-tier actor, believing that he can grow to such a height in the future.

After checking into the hotel, Lu Yan He rested for less than ten minutes before coming out to meet someone at the hotel's cafe with Chen Ziyan. The other party was an editor of a Korean magazine named Cui Zhixiu, who contacted them through the person in charge of the brand "Math" that Lu Yan He endorsed in China.

They specially booked an exclusive interview with Lu Yan He and also brought a photographer. This exclusive interview would be published on the inside pages of the magazine, not on the cover.

However, this magazine no longer had a paper version and had completely become an electronic magazine. Cui Zhixiu was the chief editor and lead writer of the film and television section of this magazine. Lu Yan He recognized her as soon as he saw her; although they hadn't officially met before, he was very familiar with her face.

"When we were at the Bikalo Film Festival not long ago, were you there too?" Lu Yan He asked with a smile as soon as they met, "I seem to have seen you there."

Cui Zhixiu showed an unbelievable expression of shock, raised her hand to cover her mouth, and said something in Korean. Lu Yan He didn't understand, and then, the Korean translator borrowed by Chen Ziyan whispered the translation: "Oh my god!"

There is something in the evening, there may not be a second update, don't wait. If I go back early and the state is okay, if there is a second update, treat it as a surprise. ===== CHAPTER 422 =====