Chapter 436: Support (8,000-word update!)

Since his debut, Lu Yan He has almost never been accused on a large scale or for a long time.

This audition incident counts as one.

In the comment section under Lu Yan He's own Weibo, I don't know how many people expressed their disappointment in him.

The general meaning is that if you finally choose a top-tier actress like Chen Bige, don't organize auditions at the beginning and put up the banner of picking newcomers.

Facing these scoldings, Lu Yan He said nothing.

He honestly maintained a silent attitude and let everyone scold him.

At this time, he couldn't explain anything either.

The more he did this, the more it could make Zhou Shuchun determine that the two girls he saw that day were just very ordinary high school girls.

There was nothing special about them.

Only by using this attitude could Lu Yan He keep Zhang Ruozhi in a state of not being discovered and maintain mystery.

Another person involved in this matter, Chen Bige, could also be considered to have been involved in an innocent disaster. Although this matter actually had nothing to do with her, because she was the lead actress, some people also had opinions about her.

Since *Seventeen Layers*, Chen Bige

"Rouge," "Running to the Night"... and now, another one: "Love Letter."

Some people have bluntly asked, "Why are all of Chen Bige's recent films related to Lu Yan He? Either they are co-starring, or it's a script written by Lu Yan He. Her new work has too high a 'Lu content.' Is it possible that an actress of Chen Bige's caliber can't act anymore once she leaves Lu Yan He?"

Chen Bige's fans, of course, scoffed at such claims.

Are you kidding? Who are you talking about?

"It's true that Chen Bige has become more selective and her output has decreased. But if you're going to say she has no films to act in without Lu Yan He? You might as well go ask the major film companies if they stop sending scripts to Chen Bige just because Lu Yan He isn't involved. I don't even know how people come up with this kind of talk."

"But Chen Bige and Lu Yan He collaborate way too frequently. Who collaborates that often?"

"So what if they collaborate frequently? 'Seventeen Layers' was a huge hit, 'Running to the Night' was shortlisted for the Xitu'er International Film Festival, 'Rouge' is Director Wang Zhong's new film, and the attention on 'Love Letter' goes without saying. You might as well ask other actors: among any of these films, who wouldn't want to act in them? Why don't you mention how Director Wang Zhong has also collaborated with Lu Yan He so many times? From 'Sanshan' to 'Running to the Night' and then 'Rouge,' that's three times already, right?"

On the internet, the controversy continues.

And the content of their debate is something Lu Yan He truly never expected.

He really has a feeling of "Why bother?"

When people work together and the collaboration is smooth, they work together more often. In Hollywood, many directors have their own group of go-to actors. After collaborating on seven or eight films, they don't care about finding "fresh sparks." If they want to find new people to work with, they can still make good, classic works.

Lu Yan He also scoffed a bit at such claims. Lu Yan He thought to himself, for "Rouge," he was actually just a behind-the-scenes staff member and didn't even appear on screen. And "Running to the Night" was just a short film, which doesn't count as a proper feature-length work, so it didn't leave that deep an impression on everyone. All things considered, "Love Letter" is only the second time Chen Bige has acted as the female lead with him. And in fact, because of the plot in "Love Letter," Lu Yan He doesn't have any scenes opposite Chen Bige. Lu Yan He's scenes are all filmed with Zhang Ruozhi.

This also means that Lu Yan He doesn't have a single shot in "Love Letter" where he is in the same frame as Chen Bige.

However, none of this can be explained. Lu Yan He doesn't want to explain it either. For every film and every story, the narrator has their own ideas. Some start high and end low, some start low and end high, some have constant plot twists, and some have subtle foreshadowing. If one had to stand up and explain every time they were questioned, then many things would lose their meaning.

Lu Yan He believes these arguments will all disappear once the film is released.

In the film "Love Letter," besides these few main characters, there are several other very important roles.

"To put it simply, this story is about a pair of high school students who, because they have the same name, are teased by everyone and start to notice each other. Many years later, the boy Huai Jingshu is with a girl who looks exactly like the girl Huai Jingshu; her name is Zheng Ni. Sister Bige plays two characters: Zheng Ni and the adult female Huai Jingshu. The boy Huai Jingshu dies accidentally while mountain climbing. Zheng Ni misses him very much, so she writes letters to the address where Huai Jingshu lived when he was in high school, but they are delivered to the home of the female Huai Jingshu. Through these letters, the two women get to know each other, reminisce about Huai Jingshu, and unexpectedly discover that back in high school, not only was the girl secretly in love with the boy, but the boy was also secretly in love with the girl. By the time the girl discovers this, the boy has already passed away."

Lu Yan He sits in front of Wan Xin, the winner of the Best Actress award at the Honghe Awards, introducing the film "Love Letter" to her.

This actress, who is nearly fifty, is still very well-maintained, with an elegant and pleasant demeanor, and her eyes are still as moving as if they contained spring water.

Lu Yan He originally met her at the Honghe Awards ceremony. After exchanging contact information, they only greeted each other during holidays and had no extra contact. This time, while looking for actors for the film, Lu Yan He suddenly thought of this elegant actress.

Lu Yan He said, "Actually, I just want to invite you to play my mother in the film, the mother of the boy Huai Jingshu, whom I am playing."

Wan Xin showed a look of surprise.

"Little Lu, you want me to play your mother?"

"Yes." Lu Yan He nodded. "It's mainly because I am playing a beautiful young man in the film, and there must be a very beautiful mother for people to believe it."

Wan Xin laughed.

"Little Lu, when do you plan to shoot this film?"

"It will be split into summer and winter shoots, and your scenes are all in the winter." Lu Yan He said, "The scenes aren't many, only two, but you'll know once you read the script: it's not a role that just anyone can play; it requires a lot of inner strength."

Wan Xin: "Listening to you tell this film story, it seems quite sad."

"Not sad, it's regret." Lu Yan He said, "You'll know once you finish the script. What I want to tell is not a sad story of missing each other, but rather, in this regret and memory of youth, realizing that someone once secretly liked you—the existence of this fact itself is a very beautiful thing."

Wan Xin said, "Okay, then I'll read the script first, and I will give you an answer as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Sister Wan Xin." Lu Yan He said.

Wan Xin said, "I originally set a rule for myself that unless it's absolutely necessary, I must not play roles like mothers or mothers-in-law. I mean those roles that just frame the protagonists. I still want to play the female lead for a few more years. It's because you were the one who came to me that I'm making an exception to read the script first."

Lu Yan He said with a smile, "Sister Wan Xin, this role is not a traditional framing role, and your acting skills won't let her become an ordinary framing role either."

Wan Xin nodded.

Besides Wan Xin, there are many other actors to find.

Lu Yan He visits them all in person.

Thanks to Lu Yan He's current influence, there is basically no one Lu Yan He cannot get an appointment with.

It's just that because everyone is very busy, they might not be able to spare the time to see him specifically.

Some actors are still on set, so Lu Yan He simply goes to visit them and meets them at the film crew.

Overall, Lu Yan He's search for actors is a relatively smooth process.

There are some refusals, but most agreed immediately.

Everyone believes that Lu Yan He's films definitely won't be bad.

And because Lu Yan He couldn't hide the fact that he was preparing to direct this film while communicating with everyone, the news that Lu Yan He planned to write, direct, and star in "Love Letter" slowly spread.

Because "Flowers on the Stars" is going to the Hexi Film Festival for screenings and sales, Yu Jiang has also been very active during this period.

She first officially announced that her new novel would be serialized on "Star!", and then announced that Lang Xia would star in another film adapted from her novel, "Beloved."

In mid-April, Bingyuan Video took the lead in organizing a screenwriting forum.

Yu Jiang was invited to participate.

A total of eight screenwriters participated in this forum, including Feng Qiyue, the screenwriter of "Seventeen Layers."

At the forum, everyone discussed the theme "The Difference Between Screenwriters and Directors."

When the discussion reached a fever pitch, the host suddenly mentioned, "Actually, I saw a report before that someone had invited Teacher Feng Qiyue to direct their script, but it was later rejected by Teacher Feng. Teacher Feng, can you share with us how you considered this matter?"

Feng Qiyue was blunt: "I am a person who doesn't like dealing with people. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen the profession of a screenwriter. A large part of the reason for choosing this profession back then was because the nature of the work is very pure, unlike other professions where you have to deal with too many people. Actually, many people with a screenwriter's mindset also have a director's mindset, but not everyone is suitable to be a director. This is not just a matter of thinking style; a director almost requires you to be an all-rounder who knows a little bit about everything."

The host mentioned, "There is news recently that the film 'Love Letter,' written by Lu Yan He, will be written, directed, and starred in by him. I wonder how you teachers view this matter?"

"Lu Yan He is very young; he is only twenty-one. To be able to achieve his results at this age is truly not easy. And I have always felt that at this age, it is a particularly good thing for him to want to try new things," one screenwriter said.

"Oh, you also said he is only twenty-one." Yu Jiang shook her head.

"Does Teacher Yu Jiang have something to say?"

"Forget it, I won't say it, lest people say I'm targeting him if what I say doesn't sound good."

"Haha." Feng Qiyue suddenly laughed.

Yu Jiang looked over and asked, "Teacher Feng, is there something laughable about what I said?"

Feng Qiyue said, "Nothing."

He shrugged his shoulders.

Yu Jiang: "Anyway, we are all here now. If you think there is anything laughable about what I said, you might as well say it directly. There's no need to be so coy."

"Then I'll say it, don't take offense. I just find it very funny. You say 'lest what you say doesn't sound good and people think you're targeting him.' Isn't that what people think? Aren't you targeting him?" Feng Qiyue asked.

Yu Jiang said, "So Teacher Feng is standing up for Lu Yan He because you collaborated on 'Seventeen Layers'?"

"Does he need me to stand up for him?" The expression on Feng Qiyue's face seemed to say, "Are you kidding me?" He said, "Teacher Yu Jiang, actually, apart from yourself and that small group of your supporters, no one thinks your comments about Lu Yan He are rational."

Yu Jiang's face became very ugly.

"It seems Teacher Feng's self-awareness is truly accurate; you are indeed not suitable for dealing with people." Yu Jiang said, "We are at a forum here, and everyone is discussing the matter at hand, yet you are making personal attacks against me."

Feng Qiyue: "Using a contemptuous tone to say Lu Yan He is only twenty-one—isn't that a personal attack?"

Yu Jiang: "Isn't it just discussing the matter at hand when I say he is twenty-one?"

"Isn't what I'm saying discussing the matter at hand?" Feng Qiyue said, "Teacher Yu Jiang, you might as well take a serious look at what everyone is saying online."

Yu Jiang said, "I never care about comments on the internet. Who knows if the people saying those things on the other end of the internet are paid trolls, haters, or even dogs."

"Everyone, Yu Jiang is making personal attacks against you, saying you are dogs." Feng Qiyue spread his hands solemnly and said.

Yu Jiang's face changed drastically.

"Feng Qiyue, don't deliberately misinterpret my meaning!"

"Didn't these words come out of your mouth? Isn't this discussing the matter at hand? Did I take it out of context or add fuel to the fire? Fortunately, there is a live stream here!" Feng Qiyue couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore and looked at Yu Jiang coldly, "Playing the fool."

Yu Jiang was so angry her face turned red.

She stood up angrily and left the table.

After Yu Jiang left in anger, the forum continued.

Another screenwriter sighed and said to Feng Qiyue, "You really are something, why have such a big conflict with her."

Feng Qiyue said, "She was the one who took the initiative to mention Lu Yan He. If she could have held back from mentioning him, I would have just gone along with her for the sake of appearances."

"She didn't fire shots at you."

"But she fired shots at Lu Yan He." Feng Qiyue said directly, "She has no intersection with Lu Yan He and hasn't collaborated with him, yet she keeps trying to ride his coattails. Riding coattails is one thing, but she always sings his doom. I don't know what's going on in her head. I originally thought that after Yan He's several films came out last year, she would know how ridiculous her words were and wouldn't say them anymore, but I didn't expect her to start again now."

"Just treat what she says as farting; anyway, no one will believe her."

"Why should I let her fart just because I'm used to her? If she wants to fart, she can go home and do it. Don't do it in public. She can be as stinky as she wants, just don't stink me up."

Because this forum was professional, only a few thousand people were watching the live stream. However, the clip of Feng Qiyue and Yu Jiang's spat, as well as Feng Qiyue's rant after Yu Jiang left, reached over ten million views within a day.

The clip of them spraying each other was frantically reposted by major marketing accounts.

Everyone knows that the traffic has arrived.

And this incident has also become a carnival for the gossip-loving crowd.

Anyone familiar with Yu Jiang and Lu Yan He knows about their grievances.

However, for the vast majority of netizens, they are not that familiar with it. Many people don't know the cause and effect and are a bit confused about how they started arguing.

So, some kind-hearted netizens compiled a collection of past grievances between Lu Yan He and Yu Jiang for netizens who don't understand the background to browse.

The heat came one wave after another.

Feng Qiyue is a very famous screenwriter himself. People may not have heard his name, but they basically know the films and TV shows he has written.

He rarely has such high-heat comments.

This act of suddenly standing up to help Lu Yan He and snap at Yu Jiang was a spectacle for the audience, but it was very surprising to industry insiders.

"Is Teacher Feng's relationship with Yan He very good?"

"They filmed 'Seventeen Layers' together and are going to film the second season later, so of course it's good."

"There are so many actors who have filmed Feng Qiyue's scripts; why haven't we seen Feng Qiyue stand up to speak for other actors?"

"That just shows that Feng Qiyue's relationship with Lu Yan He is better."

"Actually, it's also possible that Teacher Feng Qiyue just doesn't like Yu Jiang."

"That's true, Yu Jiang is also a weirdo; many people have confronted her."

"But have you noticed that although so many people don't like Yu Jiang, Yu Jiang is still doing very well."

"Because she is popular; this is an era of traffic. Moreover, she now has her own company and participates in film and television production. No matter what, her novels are popular. Look, her 'Flowers on the Stars' has such high heat; maybe the box office will break 100 million later. If there really are such results, believe it or not, many actors will start praising her and saying good things about her?"

"That is really... disgusting."

"You be disgusted, she'll be happy."

"If I were Feng Qiyue, I would also support Lu Yan He." This person immediately said, "Why should people like Yu Jiang occupy the entertainment industry? I still hope there are more people like Lu Yan He."

"Then you know why Feng Qiyue spoke up for Lu Yan He now, right?"

"Those who follow the Dao get much help; those who lose it get little."

The attitude on the internet towards this disturbance is almost one-sidedly in favor of Feng Qiyue.

They say that in the internet age, no matter how popular something is, the heat will pass after a few days.

But people have memories.

The name Yu Jiang appears on hot searches often, but most of the time it's negative news. Over time, her reputation with the public has become poor.

People frown subconsciously when they see her name. This time, confronting Feng Qiyue—not to mention the content of the confrontation itself—many people feel disgusted the moment they see the name Yu Jiang, giving rise to a feeling of "Why is it her again?"

After seeing the reaction online, Yu Jiang was even more furious.

"Teacher Yu, don't look at those messages online. They don't know the real situation at all and will only take fragments and judge you out of context."

Her assistant comforted her.

"When 'Flowers on the Stars' is released, everyone will know how outrageous they were." The assistant said, "The internal test screening feedback for this film is so good. Feng Qiyue is just bullying you because of his seniority. When this film's box office is a big hit, he will find out who is more worth befriending in the eyes of the actors, you or him."

Yu Jiang's mood was soothed a little by the assistant's words.

She said, "I don't believe a person can succeed at everything they do. He is just a twenty-one-year-old boy. No matter how much of a genius he is, can he really film a classic?"

Yu Jiang didn't mention Feng Qiyue at all.

Her heart's knot was still Lu Yan He.

The assistant silently shut her mouth.

If it were Feng Qiyue, the assistant felt that Yu Jiang could still compare, but Lu Yan He? Even as Yu Jiang's assistant, she didn't have the face to say what she just said.

"Directing is not such an easy thing." He Yingzi also said this to Lang Xia, "If he is really instigated by the people around him to direct 'Love Letter' himself, then he will really mess it up."

Lang Xia asked, "But we don't know if he has the talent for directing. Maybe his talent for directing is no worse than his talent for acting?"

He Yingzi said, "That has nothing to do with us. We will walk our own path, and it won't be any worse than his. Is your popularity lower than his now? It isn't, is it? This is an internet age, a traffic age. Even those luxury brands that used to be high and mighty have started looking for various idols to be spokespersons and promoters, right? Lang Xia, you don't need to belittle yourself at all. As long as you can continue to walk the path you are on now, you will become the most popular actor."

Lang Xia nodded.

He Yingzi said, "Actually, I had my eye on a script recently, but it's a pity that the script has already been given to someone else, to Yan Liang."

"What script?" Lang Xia asked.

He Yingzi said, "'The Summit,' a boutique drama, one old and one young. The young character is the second male lead, but the character's persona is no worse than the male lead's. It's a fraud theme; our domestic web dramas have never had this kind of theme before."

Lang Xia asked, "Then if this role is really good and filming hasn't started yet, why not talk to the producers? We can bring capital into the crew; aren't there several brands that are very willing to invest in my dramas?"

"Yan Liang is also a popular actor now, relying on the 'Friends' series. What we can bring, he can too." He Yingzi sighed a little, "If only I had seen this script first. It's a pity that this script was given to Zhou Ping'an first. It was originally looking for Ma Zhiyuan to act, but Ma Zhiyuan wouldn't, so Zhou Ping'an gave it directly to Yan Liang."

"Yan Liang actually took a play that Ma Zhiyuan wouldn't act in? He really has no backbone." Lang Xia curled his lips.

He Yingzi said, "As long as the role is good and the team is good, what backbone do you need at a time like this? An actor will do anything to get a good role."

Lang Xia shook his head: "I can't do it."

He Yingzi smiled and said, "Anyway, you have me, so you don't need to do these things. After 'Flowers on the Stars' is released, you will go to film 'Beloved.' Starring in two films in a row, you can be considered to have one foot in the film circle. I hope the box office for both films is good."

Lang Xia asked, "Can my character become one of the protagonists in the sequel to the film 'Burning Fire'?"

He Yingzi said, "I've been communicating with them for a long time. They have only written a rough draft for the sequel's script and haven't officially started writing the script yet. What are you in such a hurry for?"

Lang Xia: "I don't want to just be a bit player in this film series."

"If you perform well in the first one and the audience feedback is good, your scenes in the sequel will naturally increase." He Yingzi said, "Right now, the film 'Burning Fire' is a complete melee; so many actors want to act in it. If I continue to demand more scenes in the sequel, it will make them resentful."

Lang Xia pursed his lips and didn't refute anything, just said reluctantly: "Fine."

"Wan Xin's performance contract is already being reviewed by legal." Chen Ziyan said, "Two scenes, 600,000 in pay, you are generous enough."

Lu Yan He said, "Sister Ziyan, Teacher Wan Xin is worth it."

Chen Ziyan said, "The creative lineup for 'Love Letter' is a bit exaggerated."

"Hmm?"

"Not to mention yourself, behind the scenes there are Luo Yuzhong, Liu Bige, Xin Zixing, and others. In the acting lineup, there are Chen Bige, Wan Xin, Li Songfan, and others. For this film of yours, only you could film it with a production budget of around 10 million." Chen Ziyan said, "For anyone else, it would be impossible to invite so many people with this little money."

Lu Yan He said, "I gave the pay according to the market price; there was no discount."

"Market price is market price, but so many companies have used the market price to invite you to act, did you go? People came to take your film because of you." Chen Ziyan said, "Otherwise, why would Wan Xin come to your film to play a role with only two scenes? It's not like she doesn't have lead roles to play."

Lu Yan He nodded, "That's true."

Chen Ziyan said, "With the current lineup, if it were said that there is only a production budget of 10 million, others wouldn't believe it."

Lu Yan He said, "This film mainly spent money on the production team. It doesn't need special effects, and the costumes, makeup, and props don't need much money either."

"Love Letter" is a modern-background drama; it doesn't need to spend money on special effects like many blockbusters, nor does it need to invest high production costs in costumes, makeup, and props like a period drama. Basically, all the investment is in the people.

Chen Ziyan said, "I don't mean anything else; I mean let's not promote that the production budget is very low, because no one will believe that 10 million can really film this movie. If someone else filmed it, they absolutely couldn't find a lineup like yours with 10 million. If we promote this point, it might even be counterproductive."

Lu Yan He finally understood Chen Ziyan's intention.

He nodded and said, "I know, Sister Ziyan, I will pay attention."

Chen Ziyan asked, "Then 'Love Letter' is almost done. When do you plan to film 'Those Years We Chased After'?"

Lu Yan He said, "I haven't thought about it yet."

"For this film, do you want to continue to be the director?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Lu Yan He shook his head and said, "The scheduling for 'Those Years' is far more than 'Love Letter.' Filming 'Love Letter' is already enough to toss me around; let's forget about 'Those Years'."

"Being a director is like this." Chen Ziyan said, "If you don't plan to be the director for 'Those Years' yourself, then I will communicate with other film companies to see who we can find to produce it with us."

Lu Yan He said, "Sister Ziyan, actually the box office for 'Those Years' should be even higher than 'Love Letter.' I plan to invest a little more in this film myself."

Chen Ziyan said, "But if you invest too much, other companies may not be willing to take over."

If Lu Yan He invests too much, it means the shares of others will become less. Then, when people's expected returns on this film are not high enough, they may not be interested in doing this project.

Lu Yan He said, "It won't be too much. I mean, Sister Ziyan, if you are interested, you can also invest more. The box office for 'Those Years' will be even higher."

Lu Yan He is not clear about how the box office for the film "Love Letter" will actually be.

Because the theme and content of this film are too far from the current film market.

Lu Yan He is also not sure how many of today's audience are willing to walk into a cinema for a film about unrequited love with a slightly sad ending. And this film is controlled by his and Chen Ziyan's production company, without cooperation from other film companies, and no other capital to invest, ensuring that Lu Yan He can film this movie completely according to his own ideas. The funds for this film all come from Lu Yan He, Chen Ziyan, Chen Siqi, Luo Yuzhong, Liu Bige, Chen Bige, and others.

Everyone is willing to invest, Lu Yan He believes, absolutely not because they believe how much this film can be a box office hit and help them make a big profit, but because this is his, Lu Yan He's, first film written, directed, and starred in by himself, so they are specifically supporting him.

Especially Chen Ziyan; apart from Lu Yan He himself, Chen Ziyan is the second largest investor.

Lu Yan He is also worried that if "Love Letter" flops, he can let the film "Those Years We Chased After" help Chen Ziyan earn some back.

Chen Ziyan smiled.

She said, "I'm not that professional in film production, and I don't know how much money it will cost to film 'Those Years.' I'll go talk to a few companies first to see if they are interested. If they are willing to give me a share to invest, of course I'm willing to invest more."

For projects that are not very favored, of course, one begs for the support of investors.

But for a project like "Those Years," Chen Ziyan believes that there must be a large number of film companies willing to join the production. In this case, how much investment share they are willing to give is really uncertain. Good projects never lack investment; investment shares have to be fought for.

Chen Ziyan knows that Lu Yan He doesn't really understand these things. The film "Love Letter" almost gathered investment in a "playing house" way. In Chen Ziyan's view, it was a group of relatives and friends seeing that this child in their family was going to start his own business, so not only did they contribute, but they also took out a sum of money to fund this child and help him realize his wish.

Why did Chen Ziyan remind Lu Yan He not to promote the 10 million production budget?

Because apart from "Love Letter," there won't be a second film filmed like this.

Of course, Chen Ziyan can't tell Lu Yan He too much about these things either.

Everyone is trying to protect this bit of purity in Lu Yan He, and she, Chen Ziyan, as his agent, even more so.